One Tree Hill

Dear One Tree Hill writers,

If you kill off James Lafferty’s character (Nathan Scott) you will be minus 1 viewer for the rest of the the season. I am one unhappy fan!

Love, Me

Photo Credit: http://hwhills.com/one-tree-hill-season-9-cast-tweeted-newnice-group-photo/

I don’t know about any of you but one of my favorite shows ever is CWs One Tree Hill.

I started watching the series 9 years ago during the very first season.

Gasp! I can’t believe it has been that long!

We are now in the ninth and final season and while at first I was really bummed about it going off the air, I now don’t even know if I can finish watching the last 5 episodes.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

I am less then pleased with how they are trying to end this drama filled series.

Killing off one of the main characters, who might I add has a wife and 2 kids, this is not the way to go!!

I guess life in a soap opera esque  TV production isn’t always going to be puppies and rainbows.

- Merinda

and then there were 4…

 What is going on in this house of ours??

Today I woke up with a headache the size of Texas.

I swear it felt like my brain was trying to poke my eyes out…

Sooo on days like this I end up looking like this.

4 eyes! What were you thinking???

Yup that’s me with my snazzy glasses on.

My mom likes to make fun of them.

Just because I bought them in the men’s section of the glasses store.

(errr I forgot what it is called.)

But I like them.

I got them this summer after being inspired by Jennifer Aniston.

photo credit: http://www.lookmatic.com/blog/2011/03/jennifer-aniston-in-glasses/

I certainly don’t look as cute as she does in her glasses but whatevs.

I am rewarding myself  for blogging 2 days in a row with homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Yay me!

-Merinda

Harlow has a case of the Mondays

Poor girl is having a off day today.

She went to bed at 8 last night and didn’t wake up till 9 this morning.

 I don’t know what is going on with her but she has been cranky!

I was trying to do a little tiny sewing project this morning
 which ended up taking me 3 hours instead of 30 minutes.
  Because I just could not keep Harlow happy.

Hopefully she gets a nap in and feels a little better.

This is really unusual for her.

*Update: Harlow finally took a nap at 430, only 3 hours later then normal. She woke up at 530 and was completely drenched from her sippy cup that leaked all over her, leaving her hair, clothes and sheets sticky and wet. Ugh.... I quickly stripped her down and threw her in the tub for her 2nd bath today. It's only 6:00 and were both ready for bed.. what a day! 

-Merinda

A day at the park

I wanted to stop in and post a few pictures of Harlow at the park yesterday.

The weather the past 2 days has been absolutely beautiful here.

We enjoyed 2 whole hours of it outside running around and playing. 

This is the first park experience Harlow has had since she learned to walk. 

She sure wasn't going to waste her time sliding down the slide or swinging...

Duh!

That's what she did last spring/summer when she was still a "baby". :)

We had so much fun and it was just me and her there.

Nothing is better then just one on one time with your little girl. 

and I only snapped 6 pictures.

Nathan was shocked!

I just want to remember all these little moments...

and embrace every second of this age.

The time is going to fast!!

but what I didn't do is check the pictures before we left the park 

and all of the pictures are of her running away from me. 

haha!

Enjoy! :)

little miss independent ^^

xoxo,

Merinda

Happy Valentines Day!

photo credit given to http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/

I am not much of a Valentines person, I consider it a pretty ridiculous holiday but these past 4 years Nathan has always done his best to make it special for me.

 Even though he admits he isn't a fan of February 14th either. 

I am linking up today with 

From Mrs. To Mama

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

    Nathan and I have been together for 3 years and 8 months!

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

    In one of my very first posts I wrote about how we "met" but brief summary of the story is...       We went to high school together, didn't really know each other, graduated, then he whisked me off to Dallas 1 year later. It's not as romantic as it sounds but our relationship was pretty spontaneous!

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}
We have been married for 4 months, but I could not imagine my life with anyone else. I thank God everyday for him and the life He has given us together. 

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding?  If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?

We got married in Nathan's childhood church in Independence, Kansas. It was a small wedding with family and very close friends. 

Photo courtesy of Stacia Meek

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

   Were pretty boring the typical "babe, baby, honey" I call him Nay, Nathaniel, and Daython sometimes, and he likes to make fun of my name by calling me Merlinda, Miranda, Belinda usually followed by Trailor... (since my middle name is Taylor). haha. I am laughing just thinking about all of this!

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

    Everything! Love is unexplainable... there was no one thing he did or said that made me fall in love with him, it was the fact and the feeling that I knew I didn't want to live without him being in my life. But, I do love that he has the same goals and dreams as me, he is hands down the best dad... he loves that little girl and she loves her daddy. I love that no matter how many times  I tell him I don't need gifts or anything that hugs, kisses, and cuddles will do-- he always surprises me with little things... like dinner, new shoes, memory cards for my camera. :)

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?

    Haha... our proposal had the potential to be very romantic but I kind of ruined it by being not so very nice. He told me we needed to go down to the gazebo by the lake that was at our apartments to take pictures for a school project... I had just got home from work, I changed into sweat pants, I grabbed our very furry dog and off we went. I kept complaining about how hot it was, how I was going inside, how he didn't need my help with his school work... blah blah blah. I made it uncomfortable for him so he just said well I was going to ask you to marry me, he handed me the ring, I said yes and off we went. :) It was beyond perfect!

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

   Not really either... This year he got me flowers, chocolate, and some wine to go with our dinner. He also made me a card... There are many perks to being married to a Graphic Designer! :)

Photo Courtesy of Stacia Meek

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

  Since we don't have access to a beach I am going to say movie... but I am not much of a movie person, very few movies can hold my attention long enough.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant other one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

      We want to travel the world. We really want to go to Atlantis, Fiji, Bora Bora, Jamaica, and Aspen. Crossing my fingers we can mark all of this off our list before we die!

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

      Not a whole lot, Nathan is gone to work right now. We are making a homemade chicken alfredo pizza for dinner, drinking wine, and watching Mean Girls. ( Well I am watching Mean Girls, Nathan might decline.)

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?

     Nothing. I already have the 2 best Valentines! :)

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

      Trust. Communication. and the little things always matter... Nathan and I have always left little sticky notes around the house for each other to find. It's nice to have a reminder every once and while of how much you are loved and appreciated. 

14.  Show us a picture of what love means to you.

xoxo,
Merinda

Who writes about blankets on their blog.... This mommy does!

Laugh all you want but...

 let's talk for a minute about a little invention that has changed my life for.ev.er...

The

 Beautyrest Dual Control Luxury Heated Blanket.

End of story. 

Okay maybe not really end of story.

Does this really need that much explaining??

Okay maybe it does.

But I do know for a fact I am not alone in my love for this blanket. 

Heated blanket might I add. 

This was actually sent to me as a gift from my wonderful cousin Kristi.

After having a brief discussion about it on Facebook one night,

she decided to not only spoil me but 2 of our other cousins as well with this amazing present. 

As weird as it may sound this little/big thing has simplified and complicated my life.

Since becoming a stay at home mom I have dealt with a terrible case of insomnia. 

I just can't seem to fall asleep at a decent hour. 

It sucks. 

And as much as I love Pinterest I know how unhealthy it is to stay up half the night "pinning".

Back to the topic at hand. 

Upon receiving this blanket in the mail (I believe I squealed)

I hooked er' right on up and didn't move for the rest of the day. 

I recall telling Nathan I was just going to sleep on the couch because that is where I set up shop.

I am not that crazy of a person so I did end up moving to bed.

Seriously though this thing has me wanting to go to bed earlier and sleeping in late. 

It is hard to part with in the mornings. 

This blanket is magical, and...

Bonus: it is also so huge you could fit a family of 6 under it. 

no jokes.

Unless your like me and don't like sharing. 

:)

-Merinda

trying harder

Hey Everyone!

Long time no talk. 

You all should know by now that I am not very good about keeping up my blog. 

Life always seems to get in the way. 

If any of you have blogs you know that it takes a lot of time, dedication, and hard work.

Which is something I did not know when I signed up for this.

I don't know about other bloggers but it takes me forever to write a post.

Usually around an hour if not longer. 

I love my blog and I am so glad I have it.

but, I really wish I was more passionate about it to keep it up. 

I might do really good for about a week and then I start going back down hill and never posting. 

It kind of reminds me of facebook. 

ha.

I get in my moods where I really love facebook and I post pictures and statuses frequently.

Then out of the blue I am just kind of over it and want to keep my life private. 

 It's crazy that I even wanted a blog in the first place.

Especially a public blog that is about me, my family, and our life. 

I want my blog to be good and I want people to stick around and read it

but Ive noticed that sometimes I try so hard my personality isn't even visible in my post's

It's just a bunch of words and its bland and boring.

That is not what I want my blog to be.

I really want to try harder and put myself out there so everyone can get to know me.

I know this is going to take a lot of work.

But I hope over time my blog can turn into something great.

Here's to trying! :)

p.s please ignore my header. :) It is a work in progress. I hopefully will have new one in the next 2 weeks if not sooner. It's all up to the hubs!

Christmas Questionnaire

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate all the way. My favorite is my Grandma Strickland's, no one can make it like she does!
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa does not wrap presents. He sits them under the tree.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White lights are my color of choice. Nathan likes colored.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No. But I keep telling Nathan I wish we did. :)
5. When do you put your decorations up? Not usually till the first weekend in December but this year we did it the day before Thanksgiving.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? This is a toughy. But, I think my favorite was all the appetizers we had at my grandparents house on Christmas eve growing up. A tradition we will continue to do in Texas!
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Watching A Christmas Story with my dad on Christmas Eve. 8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I really don't remember. But I do remember telling my cousin Santa was real because the things he gives me my parents couldn't afford. lol oops.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Occasionally my mom let me. With Harlow we plan to let her open up her Christmas Pajamas on Christmas Eve.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? A very simple theme. Glittery snow flakes, green, red, gold and black ball ornaments. Harlow has her own tree that is all pink and we will put all of her girly pink ornaments on her tree.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it. I just hope it doesn't snow till Christmas night since my parents will be traveling.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes, not very gracefully though.
13. What is on your Christmas list this year? Absolutely nothing, I can't think of anything I need. Even though I see a Victoria Secret bag under the tree! But, It's all about Harlow now. :)
14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Spending it with my family and making each year memorable for Harlow.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Christmas cookies!!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Same as above. Watching A Christmas Story on Christmas eve with my daddy. :)
17. What tops your tree? We had a star a few years ago but it got lost in one of our moves. I will be picking up a new topper this year. Hopefully for half off!
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Definitely giving!
19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? Yum!
20. Favorite Christmas movie? I love all Christmas movies. I even record the random ones on our DVR.
21. Weirdest Christmas song? Anything that says "Shawty" in it. AHEM Justin Bieber- mistletoe
22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Well I love Silent Night because the Pampers commercial. But Harlow loves Jingle Bells she always dances when I sing it.

Nom nom nom

Who can eat a whole plate of sugar cookies in 2 days?

via

Nathan and I can!

P.s. These are not my cookies.

But how adorable are they?

Thank you Pinterest.

Once again for the "pinspiration"

Tis' the season!

Changes

Did you notice my new beautiful buttons right above this post??

Yayyy!

I pink puffy heart love them.

Being married to a graphic designer sure does have it perks.

Believe you me there is no way I could have made those.

I just requested for them to be girly and then played on facebook the whole time.

:/

I did ever so often ask why he had to click so many buttons.

Confusing I tell ya!

Hopefully more changes to come soon.

Nay had to do a lot of work tonight so it might be a while before he agrees to any more jobs from me.

He was a trooper through it all though...

and occasionally reminded me that he usually charges for these types of design jobs.

:)

insomni-ahhh

It was 12:30 a.m this morning and I could not sleep!

 I usually stay up till 1130 and wake up around 8 but last night I was wide awake.

I was even awake by 7 this morning.

My sleep clock must be all sorts of messed up.

Crazy.

I didn't feel like getting out of bed to get my laptop last night.

In fear that my typing would wake the very asleep and snoring hubby.

So alas I stayed in bed and decided to activate my mobile blogging.

I really thought it would be similar to writing the way I do on my computer.

But no.

They had to make it all weird where you type it like a text and send it to your designated" blogger number."

So I typed and typed.

Finally decided to hit send.

What do you know it shows up as 5 completely different blog posts.

Say whaaa??

So I deleted them out of pure embarrassment.

But I am pretty sure if you follow me it will show in your blog reader.

 So my failed attempt at mobile blogging is still out there for some of you to see.

smh.

I really had high hopes that it would work.

I even tried my hardest to format it as best I could.

I also just realized I say "so"  a lot.

annoying.

:)

Have a good weekend everyone.

I am glad I could share my mobile blogging fail with you guys.

:)

You want to know whats crazy...

There is just a little over 2 weeks till Christmas!

Whoa wait... this month is flying.

Of course it would be since I have hardly made a dent in any

of my Christmas shopping.

You want to know how many times I have went shopping

in the last 5 months....

Probably not.

1.

once.

uno.

Believe me it is driving me crazy.

So I told Nathan we are getting out this weekend

and finishing up our Christmas shopping.

Luckily, in that one amazing shopping trip I bought all of Harlow's

big gifts.

Santa will defiantly be making a stop at our house. :)

Via

Really the only people we need to buy gifts for is each other.

And stocking stuffers!

Nathan and I both love Christmas.

Especially these last 2 years,

 since it's just another reason to spoil our baby girl.

So I really want there to be ton of presents under that

beautifully lit tree.

I am also feeling extremely blessed,

because my parents will be coming down on Christmas day.

I am so excited to cook my 2nd Christmas day dinner.

This will be my first time cooking a turkey though so wish me luck!

I love these new traditions we are starting.

I hope they are ones Harlow remembers

 and looks forward to year after year.

Happy holidays everyone!

From my family to yours!!

Wordless Wednesday

What we have been up to in pictures.

Hey Everyone!

You might be wondering what we have been up to lately.

So I have taken the time to gather some pictures so

I could show you rather then just tell you.

Ready. Set. Here we go!

...................................................................

We have done a little sleeping.

Picked out our clothes for the day.

Gotten our hair done.

 

We have ate. A Lot!

...And played.

We were sad. But only for a second.

Then we decided we would just dance around in the backyard.

... And go shopping!

 

We also did some riding in the car.

 

...And some driving.

We decided to put up not one but two Christmas trees.

 

 Oh look. A bokeh err more like out of focus Christmas tree.

We wrapped some presents.

Then we played some more!

...................................................................

 We have been busy! :)
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Thanks for reading.

Our weekend in pictures...

Hey....

It's been a minute since I updated.

So....

I thought it might be fun if I did a picture post

of our weekend!

** All pictures were taken on our cell phones.

 My sweet baby... This is what happens when her daddy dresses her :)

Love his heart but baby girl is lookin' rough.

Atleast she is rockin the fringe boots!

Enoying a snack and watching her favorite "Bubble Guppies".

Playing with her shapes block...

There is only ONE tree in our entire neighborhood that has changed colors.

It is sooo beautiful.

Such a fun weekend I know!

We live life on the edge here in Texas.

I did do a little arts and crafts project but it's for my mom's birthday,

so I can't reveal pictures just yet.

But, I promise I will next week!

Thanks for reading! ♥