Everything's bigger in Texas

This was my first time in Texas, and I must say, I had an amazing time.

I will admit, I was a tad scared to drink the water – I've seen friends go there and then suddenly have an affinity toward cowboy boots, so I decided to stick with wine. (Sadly for my liver, that is only kind of a joke).

The wedding was beyond gorgeous. Brent and I both agree it was by far the most fun we've had at a wedding, and experiencing our first Hora (chair dance) didn't hurt either. The rehearsal was at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano and the wedding/reception was at the Galleria in Dallas.

Curious how I'm looping this back to home/decor talk? Watch this magic...

We had some time to spare, so Brent and I took a scenic home tour around Gleneagles, since that's where the groom's parents live (although, I'll behave and not post that picture below), here are some more of the incredible houses...

Back in action

Well, between Black Friday, The Container Store, Ikea and other random shopping, it was a snug car ride home, but Brent and I are back from Dallas with many goodies.

More posts about our journey to follow. :)

It's 1:15 in the morning...

...and Black Friday shopping is done!

Brent and I just got back from Wal-Mart and took major advantage of the DVD deals.

We got:
- The Hangover
- The Blind Side
- Gran Torino (Blu-ray)
- How I Met Your Mother (season 1)
- How I Met Your Mother (season 2)
- The Big Bang Theory (season 1)
- The Big Bang Theory (season 2)
- The Big Bang Theory (season 3)
- True Blood (season 1)

We also picked up 3 more packs of the Rubbermaid 40-piece Easy Find Lid Storage Tupperware sets. I got some of this tupperware 2 Black Fridays ago, and I'm obsessed with it – so I've decided to share the love with some family members. :)

All of this for $135. Yes, please.

After Wal-Mart, we came back to my in-laws' house and hit up Amazon for a Blu-ray player (because Brent's only been wanting to get one for about 2 years). While, I appreciate the concept of Blu-ray, I will still be buying normal DVDs for myself, because I don't like the idea of being trapped to only one DVD player.

But for now, it's time for bed, because a drive to Dallas (and then soon a trip to Ikea) awaits us. I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving, and happy shoppings!

The madness is starting

Since Brent and I won't be around Thanksgiving weekend, the holiday preparation is starting now. The man cave is looking a tad messy.


Hello penguin tree:

Flowers gone glam

I'm a snob when it comes to fake flowers, but when I saw these crystal flower stems at Z Gallerie, I quickly warmed up to the concept. They are just too fun to deny.

I need a vacuum that sucks

Brent and I are asking for a vacuum from Brent's parents for Christmas. The issue is figuring out the vacuum.

I don't think I've spent so much time researching a product ever, and it's stressing me out. For every person who says they love a certain vacuum, there's someone else saying it's the worst vacuum ever. It's a rather confusing process.

The biggest requirement is finding one that does well with pet hair. And while I'd love to get a Dyson, it's just not realistic at this point.

Here's the "final" two:
- Bissell Lift-Off MultiCyclonic Pet Upright Vacuum
- Hoover WindTunnel Pet Rewind Bagless Upright Vacuum

If you have either one of these vacuums, I'd love to get your feedback. Or, if you have another vacuum that you love (that's less than $200), I'd love your recommendations as well.

The tree gameplan

Meet trees #3 and #4.


I would say I'm embarrassed about purchasing 2 trees in a day, but that would be a lie. I think it's rather awesome.

If I could have a Christmas tree in every room in the house, I would. It's not so much about the tree itself, as it is with my love of themes. I want each tree to have a certain look, so my logic is simple: new look = new tree.

Tree #1 – This tree will be making the journey down to the man cave, because of its size. This is the traditional tree – so think popcorn, garland and lots of color. This is the tree that supports the no ornament left behind program.

Tree #2 – Oh penguin tree, oh penguin tree, how fabulous you are. I've been debating about what type of tree topper to use, and I found this – sure it's paper, but it kind of makes me smile. Opinions?

Tree #3 – The current plan is for this guy to go in the kitchen. What goes on a tree in the kitchen? Treats of course! All those peppermint and cupcake ornaments I've acquired will finally have a home, thanks to this $15 price tag.

Tree #4 – (Well, this isn't the exact tree – same size, but it's a pre-lit). This tree will go in the living room, and will be my white tree – so any white, silver and clear ornaments belong here. I even picked up this tree skirt, to stick with my white look.


Other dream trees...
- A dog tree – nothing but doggy-related ornaments
- A snowman tree with a top hat as the topper
- A picture tree

With visions of Ikea dancing in my head

I've never been to an Ikea.

Considering the closest Ikea to Kansas City is 7 hours away, it's just never happened.

When I told Brent that people here make Ikea-weekend runs, which consist of driving to Minneapolis, staying the night, going to Ikea in the morning, and then driving back – he looked at me like I was insane. Well, until one of his friends made the Ikea voyage. Then Brent thought the concept of the "Ikea weekend" was perfectly normal, and we've been trying to plan our own weekend getaway.

So when I found out two of my friends are getting married in Dallas, I decided this would be the perfect time to multitask. Their wedding is now two weeks away, and my Ikea journey is almost here.

While I know I'll be doing some impulse shopping, I have 3 must haves on my list:

The white Expedit shelf:
2 black Expedit drawer inserts (for the shelf in my kitchen):2 Henriksdal dining chairs:

October's books

Books read in October: 6
Books listened to in October: 1

Books:
59. "The Naughty List" by Suzanne Young (The Naughty List #1)
60. "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #1)
61. "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #2)
62. "Burned" by PC Cast (House of Night #7)
63. "Torment" by Lauren Kate (Fallen #2)
64. "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #3)

Audiobooks:
33. "An Echo in the Bone" by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander #7)


Favorite book: I was obsessed with the second Fallen book – "Torment." Usually, I'm not a huge fan of the second book in series, but I couldn't put this book down. It addresses so many questions I had about Luce's many past lives.

Halloween

I hope everyone had a fabulous Halloween. I'm not a huge fan of the holiday myself, but I do enjoy handing out candy. It was a rather busy night with 121 trick-or-treaters.

I am all about dressing up my dogs though.

Chip the banana:
Macintosh the hot dog (in a hallway):