Hallmark Movie Bingo

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There are so many things to love about this time of year, but one of the things I always look forward to is the fact that there’s a constant stream of heart warming movies on TV thanks to the Hallmark channel.

Check your cynicism at the door, please. We’re not watching them as a preview to Oscar season. We all know the guy and girl are going to end up together, the question is on a scale of one to puppies how cutely will Hallmark pull it off?

I started diving into them long before Thanksgiving hit. One night, late into the evening (drunk on cutesy love lines) I was struck with an idea. A Hallmark movie bingo game would be the funnest thing EVEEEERRRRR.

From that moment, I started making a list. After that (much to my husband’s delight, I’m sure) I watched even MORE movies to further my research and weeks later, I emerged with the game.

So here you go.

Grab some ho cho, a blanket, your Hello Kitty pens and some friends because I’ve got a treat for you!

Hallmark Movie Bingo

Let me explain a few on the list…Of course all of these are open to interpenetration, just make sure you lay the ground rules before you start the game so there’s not a family fight *grimace face.

1. Unfinished task – this could be cookie making or decorating a tree. I’ve noticed that a lot of times the main characters will get involved in a project and kind of walk away from it. Anything you notice that you wouldn’t do naturally (like leave a giant pie mess on the counter to go on your date, ya Floozy).

2. Silent Extra interaction – this refers to the people in the background who appear in a scene, interact with the main character and somehow never say a word (that must cost extra -Ha! Extra…)

3. Vague reference to a company – this can also be “vague reference to anything”. There’s a lot of that.

4. States goals of main character – you know, “We’ve got to save the bakery or Mom and Dad will loose the house” …that kind of thing. And it’s usually mentioned more than once, which is why “Restates the goals…” is another box :)

5. Announces one character’s relationship to another – Something like, “But you’re my best friend and we met each other in middle school when the teacher gave us both detention.” I don’t talk like that. You don’t talk like that. But Hallmark has to catch us up in 30 seconds.

If you think of anything else that could be in a box, leave it in the comments below!

And hey, as an extra SPECIAL treat, you can catch my cousin (yeah. That’s right.) in the Hallmark movie, “Hearts of Christmas” this Sunday night at 9:00! He is Kristoffer Polaha, I’m sure he’ll be the love interest.

Enjoy and tell your friends so we can all have a truly Merry – even though we once hated it and now we’re starting to warm up to the idea because we met a guy and we’ve had some coffee and there’s a small town or cute old lady near by and we’re going to spend the rest of our days kissing under the mistletoe – Christmas!!

Here are some Christmas gift ideas for you AFTER you finish your movie (don’t shop while you watch or you might loose!)

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This Post Includes a Cute Baby

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When you work from home with a dog and baby, you get a total of 50 minutes (per day) where no one is making noise.

I’m basking in a lull of silence as I type this.

Jackson is four months now. He’s laughing, holding his head up really well, saying words like “succotash” and “ironic” in the full sentences he’s screaming out. We’re so proud.

*He did roll over for the first time this week! :-D

We took him to his first tree lighting this past Friday. Events like those are a funny mix of emotions. On the one hand I’m so excited that he’s there to share in the joy of something I love so much. On the other hand, I’m wishing he could give me some kind of jubilant reaction (unless you count eating, sleeping, pooping as jubilant reactions…we got nothing). And on the third hand, I’m trying to stay thankful that he’s not at the stage where we’re having to chase him down, constantly keeping an eye on him.

It goes back to what I’ve been reminding myself of all along – enjoy every stage. I don’t want to rush through anything too quickly and look back on little moments wishing I had been present.

Especially now that we’re in the holidays, I want to enjoy every minute.

I’ve got Christmas decorations in boxes strewn about my living room. At first, it was really bothering me. We’ve got to walk around them when we get in the door…it’s a constant reminder of all I have to do. But then I thought of when we were first married and I was still in college. I had to stay up super late in the beginning of December to study for finals. After they were finished, I took a whole day to clean and decorate the house.

I look back on that now, thankful I don’t have to study for finals and it makes me look at those boxes in the living room and realize – it’s going to get done. Just enjoy it along the way.

Just wanted to remind you of that today and every day. Seriously, every day you should get on here and read this. Or other posts I’ve written, I’m not picky. Just do it every day.

PS: The silence I was enjoying was broken about half-way through writing this post. ;)

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Have Yourself a Big Merry Christmas

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It’s Christmas Time!

I’ve truly enjoyed getting to share this time of year with you. I love everything about Christmas time and most especially I love passing on style advice and getting to help you feel your best in your clothes.

I hope you’ve been able to get everything done on your to-do list, and that you have a very blessed and peaceful time with friends and family.

I’ll be taking the rest of Christmas week off. So let’s all have a very Merry Christmas and come back on Monday to wrap up 2014!! :)

Have yourself a BIG Merry Christmas :)

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Your Jewelry Box Called, It Needs This

If you have a lot left to do before Christmas, you may want to stop reading. I mean, it’s still going to be wildly entertaining and all, I just don’t want to add to your stress level.

I’m going to be writing about cleaning out your jewelry box.

This time of year it tends to get neglected and be a complete mess because of all the running in and out we’ve done. Throwing on different pieces before we leave, then tossing them back with bleary eyes completely unwilling to put them in their proper place.

Which ends up leaving it looking something like this…

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I was determined to clean mine out and get everything back in order before I opened a single present. Especially since I knew the chances were high that I would be adding to it.

So I first began (like I do every clean out) by straightening up all the clutter. I put everything back so that I could see it all more clearly.

Then I went through and pulled the things I haven’t worn in a while. This is the part where you have to be completely honest with yourself. Sure you love it, but will you wear it? Really?             Really?

It it’s got some kind of emotional attachment, put it in a different spot. I’ve got a designated drawer just for the things I hold dear. But it’s not in my regular path because I don’t need them to be.

Once you’ve cleaned it all out, consider what it is you reach for the most. Like little everyday earrings. Are they easy to get to? Are all your watches out where you can reach them? Think about all the seconds you’d save yourself in the morning if everything was clean and neat and in a spot that you can grab within seconds.

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Let’s talk about your necklaces. Do they all have their own spot? Are they getting tangled up all the time? If so, consider doing this. In fact, if you don’t have room in your closet for this, consider doing it in your bedroom as kind of an artsy way to fill up a wall. Well organized and super chic – sounds like a winning combination.

Or you can always pick up some hangers like this one and hang your necklaces from it in your closet. I got a pack of these at Marshall’s for super cheap!

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Set yourself up for a Merry Christmas and take a few minutes to do this!

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