Friday 5 {Weekly Gratitude List}

1. Holiday Decorating: Having guests gave me the motivation to take down all of the fall decorations and put up our Christmas decor. I love how festive it looks right now at our place. All we need to do is get a tree. I'm looking forward to Aliyah's holiday experience and creating some family traditions now that she's older and can really get into it. 
2. Our First Arizona Guests: Aunt Bri and Emeca couldn't stay away from Aliyah for long. We were surprised to find out earlier this week that they were heading our way on a last-minute business venture. Our first guests! They're here until Saturday morning and we are enjoying their company. 
3. Birthday Wishes: I turned 29 on Monday. Sebastian was so good to me and made sure I felt special all weekend and Monday. I received cards from my mom, my brother and his family, Aliyah and the cats (Sebastian may have helped.) All in all it was a pretty sweet day. Now I need to start thinking about what to put on my "Thirty before 30" list. One more year!
4. An Underbooked Flight: On the way home from our Georgia Thankgiving we had a red-eye flight back to Arizona. I dreaded the thought of having a crabby, confined 1-year old on a plane in the middle of the night. I said a whole-hearted thank you prayer to God as we lifted off for giving us an empty seat in our row. It was amaaaaazing. Aliyah still only got about an hour of sleep on the plane, but at least the hours she was awake she was able to stretch her legs. 
5. Baked Potato Pizza: I seem to post a lot of food here, but I couldn't resist. This pizza is absolutely delicious. I don't really consider myself an outstanding cook, but I may need to post this recipe so everyone can experience the joy that is Baked Potato Pizza. 

Friday 5 {Weekly Gratitude List}

1. Wine & TV: I got this idea off of Pinterest to save the cork from each bottle of wine you drink, then date it and write what you were doing when you drank it. Last night, we had a “Revenge-a-thon”. Yes, Sebastian and have somehow gotten sucked into the show “Revenge”. Yes, we are blushing. Does it help that it’s based on “The Count of Monte Cristo”? No? Okay, then we’ll just call it our guilty pleasure.
2. The Medicine Man: Also known as: Daddy. Aliyah is on antibiotics and she will not willingly take it for me. I’m supposed to give her a tsp and half of this stuff, twice a day. See that dropper? That’s half a tsp. Last night, I decided to let Sebastian try...and wouldn’t you know it, she took it like it was no big deal. Thanks hubby...you’ve just received a new job.
3. Kitty Love: This little guy has a daily routine. It consists of sleeping most of the day, then hiding from Aliyah when she gets home, and finally coming back out to lay in my lap while I relax for the evening. I think he’s pretty cute.
4. Loose Leaf Tea: I stepped inside Bunna Coffee this on Wednesday to satiate my once-every-few-weeks-I-think-I-need-a-caramel-macchiato cofee craving (read: pure sugar). As I was leaving, I noticed they sell loose leaf tea by the ounce. I love finding hidden treasures like this place.This week I bought some Oolong Plum Tea. Delicious. Can’t wait to go back after this bag is done and take home another flavor. 
5. Stuffed Bell Peppers: I decided to try my hand at cooking something new this week, thinking that with my cooking skills it might be hit or miss. They were delicious! I didn’t even know l liked stuffed peppers until I ate these. You can find the (super easy) recipe here. I substituted vegetarian chorizo (or “soyrizo” as the package states), only because Sebastian wanted to eat two vegetarian meals this week. (Dad, if you’re reading this, look the other way. We’ll eat pork this weekend, okay?)

Weekly Gratitude List

In no particular order....five things I'm grateful for this week are: 

1. Finding inspiring quotes and decor on Pinterest. Um, yup, call me officially addicted. See my boards here. 
2. Picking up Aliyah every afternoon from daycare. Seeing her excitement every day when I walk through the door is priceless. Completely in love with that daughter of mine.
3. Watching tv shows with Sebastian. Raising Hope, Modern Family, Community, Happy Endings, Dexter and Mad Men are on our must-see list each week. (Random side note: Damon Wayans Jr. is my new tv crush.)
4. New Tires. If you could only see how bad the tread was on my left back tire. The back two are replaced now and even though I really can't tell or see them, it still gives me peace of mind.
5. Writing Bastian daily notes on why I love him. I sometimes feel as if I take for granted the people I live with and love every day. So I decided that every night for a year I would write Sebastian a note on what makes him exceptional. It's a great little exercise for me and he's mentioned a few times now that it's a nice start to his day.

abc Happy Endings image found here. Tire image found here.