October 31st Already?!

Happy Halloween!
So, did ya dress up?
We didn't.
Boo hoo.
But Camillo thinks we shoulda been a bank teller and bank robber.
Wouldn't that be cute?

Anyways, this week has flown by.
Wait, no, I mean this whole month!! 
In the next two weeks I'm planning/throwing a baby shower, shooting a wedding, finishing a family shoot, creating some awesome decor for church during Christmas, aaaaand working at the gym twice as many hours.
That's right.
I got a mini promotion at work.
It kinda freaked me out at first because it came as a surprise.
But this week has been great and I really enjoy the added responsibilities.
Makes me feel like a grown up.

Oh, guess what I did this weekend?

oh la la!

I'll show you tomorrow!!

xoxo

Joy

Good Week

Well, hey.

Man, have I got a LOT to tell you!

It's been a nutty crazy frantic week.

All good, though! 

Let's catch up tomorrow, can we?

Hope you're all enjoying the last day of October!

xoxo

Joy

Thank The Lord It's Finally Friday

For some reason, this has been the week that felt never ending.
I wasn't quite sure if I was going to make it.
Maybe it was the whole being sick ordeal, or the fact that I've had a long intern list of to-dos.
Or maybe it had something to do with work being laaame and having to wake up at 530am six of seven days.
But halelujah, it's Friday and things are looking up.

Yesterday I took a 2.5 hour nap (what?!) and got the baby shower invites done (HUGE check off the to-do list!)
Work was great today, the best day in 6 weeks if I dare say.
I found the gumption to clean house and wash dishes after work..
And tonight is date night!
For the next couple hours before Camillo gets home I'm going to watch a movie and work on another baby shower project.
I can't tell you exactly what I'm doing yet but here's a hint:

It's the best kind of movie/crafty afternoon..cold and dark with a little rain.
Like I said, thank the Lord it's Friday!
Do you guys have any weekend plans?

See you soon!
xoxo
Joy

Sick Days

We've been a couple of sick kids around the Candido house this week.
First it was Camillo and now it's me.
I'm spending my time with a little extra sleep, reading, and movie watching.
My body is just tired from everything I've been dragging it through.
Lots of water and vitamin C...
xoxo
Joy

Old Baggage

Over the last year or so I've discovered a new love affair with vintage luggage.
(get it..old baggage?)
It seems as though I'm not the only one!
This week I read how to revamp tired luggage with pretty fabric - a DIY by Rachel
And was then inspired by Savannah's collaboration of repurposed ideas.
Can you see why I love it?
Here's what I did right away:

I've had these pretty pieces in our living room since we moved in.

They have our extra blankets and pillows in them!

I loved the idea of using stool legs to lift them off the floor...

Hmmm..I think I like it!
I'll leave it for a few days and, knowing me, might tweak it a little bit.
What do you think?
Do have something you like to collect?
I'm glad my collection can double as cute storage!

Oh, hey..do you see that muddy little piggy on the bottom shelf?
I painted that for Camillo for our first Valentine's Day!

Happy Weekend!!
xoxo
Joy

It's a crazy mess over here!!

This is what my dining room looks like.

Actually, this is what my living room looks like, too, but I couldn't stand to show you.

Camillo is rebuilding his computer and let's just say, I'm feeling a little claustrophobic!! 

But I got home from work yesterday and found this note...

So I feel better.
Let's just hope his computer is built sooner then later, eh??

There's a couple of cute kids over on the photo blog today..
Come say hello!

Friday Night

This had me and Camillo giggling pretty hard in the back of a 7-11 at 9pm on our ice cream run.
Yeah, I had some ice cream.
And it was sooo good!
First sugar in 2 weeks.

Please excuse my sporadic posting...
Camillo's computer crashed and while he's waiting for the parts he needs, he's been using my laptop for school work.
Which is...like 24 hours a day it seems.

I sure am proud of him but I can't wait to have my computer back!!
xoxo
Joy

On dancing with the Kinect and not eating sugar

Excuse the grainy webcam photo but I'd like to show you what we're up to tonight.
Josiah's shakin' his booty to Dance Central on the Kinect!
Oh my gosh...I really wish someone else was seeing this - it's so hilarious!!
He's hanging out with us for a night or two and we're gonna have so much fun!
We've already read some books and gone to Goodwill to look for costumes.
Tomorrow we're gonna finish an art project we started for Mama last time he was here.
I love little brothers!

In other news, I've decided to cut sugar (or substitute) out of my diet.
It's been 9 days since I've had anything more sugary than fruit.
The first few days were rough but it definitely gets easier every time I say 'no thanks' to dessert.
Except tonight there are cookies in the oven and, well, I kinda want one.
But one will turn into 16 so I will refrain.
I figure my cheat day should be Friday because then, if it makes me feel like death, I don't have to work the next day.
My decision to cut sugar out was made out of annoyance at always being tired and not feeling quite right.
It got the point where I thought maybe I'd developed an intolerance to dairy or gluten.
Hoping that wasn't the case, I chose to start with sugar.
So far I've been feeling a lot better and can probably blame my fatigue on the fact that I've only been getting 6-7 hours of sleep each night.
NOT enough for someone who needs 8-9.

Anyways, I'll keep you updated on how the no-sugar thing goes.
I really hope to cleanse my body a little and get back on the right track.
What's something you've changed in your diet in order to be healthier?

Night night!
xoxo
Joy

 

First day of Autumn Soup and Sandwich

I love the days that are perfect for hot soup and sandwich and the first day of October called for just that!

Usually I think tomato soup is a little bland so I added a few things to this batch and we thought it was delicious!!

I added some left over mashed potatoes to a can of soup, then topped with corn.

Add a grilled cheese sandwich and viola! - the perfect lunch for a cold afternoon!

After we ate lunch Saturday, we snuggled up with some cozy blankets on the couch and watched a couple (or 7) episodes of Friends.

It was so great and relaxing to just be home doing nothing.

Plus, there's something about Friends on an autumn afternoon that takes me back to our dating days.

We've watched the entire series almost four times now which must mean it's a yearly tradition, right?

What are some of your end of summer traditions?

xoxo

Joy