Bestie Mugs

When I moved, I left behind my daughter's Godmother and one of my best friends. I've really been missing her lately. I've had this little gift idea in my head for a while and figured what better time than Valentine's day to send it to her! And in case you're wondering I kept the AZ mug for myself and sent the WV one to her. I apologize in advance for my lack of pictures.

What you need

• 2 microwave and oven safe mugs, any color
• Ceramic pen
• Rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover (to erase mistakes)
• Outline of states
• Tape
• Sealer/Sealant

*Please note that using a Sharpie will not work. You can bake it at any temperature for any amount of time and it will still come off. If you want to decorate a dish for decor purposes only, a Sharpie will work great! If you actually want to use your decorated dish you need a ceramic marker.

1. Print and cut state outlines. Tape to mugs.
2. Trace around states with marker.
3. Peel off paper states and mark city with a heart.
4. Write out verse (below). This step is optional.
5. I added a few extra touches to the handles and base of the mug. This is also optional. Let your creativity run free!
6. Finish off with sealant to keep the ink from wiping off. (At least, that's what the craft store employee told me)

Let me just say that I searched for a good ceramic pen, but I couldn't find one. When I asked a store employee I was led to a package of white markers with colored caps that looked like the cheap markers you let your kid play with. And they were cheap. I also bought the sealant I was told about to make sure that the ink wouldn't come off. Since I had already decorated the mugs with Sharpie (even baked it on) I tested the 'ceramic marker' on the bottom of the mug before starting my decorating from scratch. It wrote horribly and smeared. I even put the sealer on  it and it made it worse! To top it off, there were no directions on the marker case or sealant bottle that said how to make this permanent. Do I bake it? I still don't know. So, I left my baked Sharpie art on the mugs, put the sealant over that, and let it air dry. Just to be on the safe side I made sure I didn't decorate and seal anywhere on the mug that would come in contact with my mouth because I also couldn't find any label on the products that said 'toxic' or 'non-toxic'. I'm hoping this helps keep the decoration on the mug longer, but only time will tell! Make sure you hand-wash this to make it last as long as possible. Again, I'm so sorry for my lack of pictures and product knowledge. But I just thought this was too great of an idea not to share!

Thanksgiving & Zoo Lights

I have a lot to report, but I'll try to keep it short!
1. Thanksgiving
2. Black Friday/Cyber Monday
3. Yuma Visit
4. Zoo Lights

1. Thanksgiving
We had a great Thanksgiving! My mom wanted to stop and get some family pictures before we headed over to my Grammie's house in the afternoon. My brother was being a super grump and Aubrey hadn't napped yet, so the results weren't great. We'll be trying again on Saturday!

We enjoyed some football, lots of food, and family time. Oh, and more family pictures!

Then we headed to my great-aunt Vicki's house for dinner (like we weren't already stuffed)! Alas, more football, food, and family time. But, there's a lack of pictures. Oops!


2. Black Friday/Cyber Monday
 Well, I can't say that we braved the lines on Thursday evening or even Friday morning. Heck, we didn't even leave the house unless we had to! However, there were some good deals I wish we had gotten, but I guess we (or I) will go out next year.
We got really excited about Cyber Monday! Although the deals aren't quite as good, they're still good! The odd thing about us, we didn't shop online until later that night. We went out and got a Nikon Coolpix L810 from Target that was still on sale from Black Friday. You see? You waited in those crazy long lines at the crack of dawn while I slept all cozy in my bed and I was still able to get the same deal you did days later. Here's where I stick my tongue out at you and say 'Ha-ha!'

3. Yuma Visit
We went to see our good friends in Yuma one last time before we move...again. Oh yeah, did I mention we're moving to the East Coast? Well we are, on Monday. Yay! Anyway, Aubrey loves her Godfamily and so do we! We had our own little Christmas celebration with them.

Our friend Cortney and her kiddos came over for a little barbeque and marshmallow roasting. Aubrey and Sydney got to "play" for a little bit. It was more like oogling and grabbing at each other, but it was adorable!

I swear they're only a month apart!

Then came the gift opening with a sleepy baby who was not too happy to be woken up, despite how she may seem in the pictures.

And after a long, fun filled night we had to leave in the morning. We're gonna miss you guys so much! Skype dates here we come!

On our way back to Phoenix we stopped by Zack's old barber shop, A Man Cave, to visit. They gave us four tickets to the Cardinals vs. Rams game that day! So sweet! Zack and my brother went while I spent time with some extended family. The Cardinals lost for the seventh time in a row, man are they bad!

4. Zoo Lights
Every year the Phoenix zoo puts up lights and stays open into the evening for an event they call Zoo Lights. There's limited access to the animals and to be honest most of them were sleeping, but it was a great sight anyway!

Aubrey really enjoyed it, as you can see by her big cheesy grin!

There was a talking giraffe who asked if he could ride in her stroller. I made a joke about his weight, but I don't think he thought it was funny. Aubrey even went on a carousel ride for the first time! She loved it!

We watched a beautiful light show on the water.

Twins, right?

And of course her daddy bought her some souvenirs! How cute are these jammies!? I just love the little tail on the booty!

We hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving! December is right around the corner!

The Chronicles of Moving: Part 2

Our Last Weekend in Yuma

Today we left Yuma, the Marine Corps, and our friends. The last couple days have been insanely hectic!

Sunday we had planned on packing up the rest of our house and cleaning. However, I had also planned on going to church in the morning, then visiting Zack's barber shop, then lunch with my friend's Cortney and Lyndsay, then going to the Yuma Family Pumpkin Patch. Yeah, we got no packing done that day!
Cortney and Lyndsay had planned a surprise going away party for us. It was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for us!

Aubrey's Godmother, Lyndsay

The gang!

Miss Sydney Sue!

 Afterward, we went to the Yuma Family Pumpkin Patch. Aubrey was an apple, I was Snow White, and my Prince Charming didn't dress up.

Godsisters...awwww

"Hi guysssss!!!"

Aubrey hanging with one of the pirates from the show ;)

BTW: Aubrey's Costume was made by Carly's Custom Creations!

Monday we had to get up early! We needed to pick up the moving truck and move everything off of the carpet for the carpet cleaning. Uggghh!
Lyndsay came over to save the day by watching Aubrey. Without her I'm not sure this would've ever gotten done! We had to reschedule our carpet cleaning because we were running way behind schedule! I've heard the carpet cleaners kick you out of your house while they work, which was time we couldn't afford. The guy was actually very nice, he gave us $20 for lunch when it should have been us giving him money for being so awesome. Such a sweet gift from a stranger!
You're also not supposed to walk on your carpets after they've been cleaned, but we did (Shhhhh,, don't tell!) because it was quicker than walking around the whole house.
I wanted to finish my half sleeve, so we headed to our tattoo shop, X-treme Ink, where Mikey finished it off for me. It took about 4 hours, but it's beautiful! I would post a picture, but my arm looks like it should be on someone 50lbs heavier than I am so that's not happening until it's healed haha

Goodbye Apt. A!

This morning, we still had so much to do! We had to finish packing, clean, and get the house inspected. Not to mention Zack had to check-out on his terminal leave. Once again, Lyndsay was a huge help and watched Aubrey!
I was so worried we would have to pay to get our carpet replaced because when we had pets, the cat peed on the floor a few times (I know, disgusting) and the dog had a little accident when we accidentally left the dog door closed all night. I scrubbed the carpet, but the stains were just stuck! The guy who did our inspection was also very generous to us and said he would have the carpet replaced at no charge to us because the carpet in the bedrooms didn't match the rest of the house. Seriously, such a blessing!

Junk food and caffeine to keep me going this morning! Why is everything King Size now?

And when we left, we left everything we've know for the past few years behind. Our first home, our military family, the Marine Corps, our church. But we're onto better things! We're not quite sure what yet, but God has a plan and this was all part of it.