Rita's Italian Ice!

Last night Rusty and I decided to go out for a little treat- Rita's Italian Ice. We took the pups with us.... they love to ride in my car with the top down! I wish I would have had my camera on me! The nice girl at the stand gave them a little doggie ice cream to share, complete with two milk bones! They absolutely loved it! I thought all the sugar in it would have made them hyper, but it just seemed to put them to sleep! They took a nice long nap while we watched TV..... must be the life, huh??

Does anyone else ever take their dogs to get ice cream???

A little Secret About My Husband.....

He collects......wait for it, wait for it.....PEZ!!!

Yes I did say Pez, don't worry I made that face too when I first heard about this interesting collection. He started
this collection when he was a junior in high school. I asked him tonight why he started his collection and his response was..... it was a cool little toy and it came with candy! Gotta love my hubby ;)
I had no idea just how big PEZ collecting was until I attended a PEZ Convention (yes, I know I am a good wife) in Myrtle Beach! They called themselves Pez Heads and I have never seen so many people obsessed with Pez in my whole life!!!!! And prolly wont.... both Rusty and I agreed that Pez Heads are just a little too weird (even for my pez obsessed husband).


Here is Rusty's collection (which is currently being held in the basement). Yes.... just count the number of containers..... all full of PEZ!!!!!! I must be the best wife in the world because I have actually agreed to allow him to build a pez room in our basement when we finish it. It will include his collection, which is full of anything PEZ!



I can't believe I am sharing this picture.... but this is one of Rusty's proud accomplishments! He made this outfit to look like a pez dispenser... he wore it last Halloween while we handed out candy. However, the kids were not really sure what he was... most of them thought he was a robbot :) Poor Rusty, he tried so hard!!






The whole reason I thought about his whole Pez collection tonight is because he made me stop at Chuck E Cheese tonight to get this little guy...


There is also a Pez muesam in CA and all the Pez candy which is made in the US is made in a factory in Conneticut... who would have known. My husband know feels very proud of himself for teaching you all a little something about PEZ :)

Hope your enjoyed! Feel free to share what you or anyone you know collects, I would love to hear all about it!!

Past few weeks through Pictures!

I have been a little slack on sharing all the fun things that have been going on in my life. I thought I would do a blog post to update you on on my life :) Enjoy!!


My god-daughter/niece, Hannah, got baptised! I forgot my camera for the service, but was able to snap a picture of the present Rusty and I got her. A little piggy bank- I thought it was just precious!!!





Rusty did some painting in our house this past weekend- Snickers was his little helper :) Sorry for the picture of Rusty's backside, but I thought it was just so cute how Snickers sat right beside him!! He is definitely a daddy's boy ;)





Rusty and I have been taking advantage of our deck out back and wonderful view! It is just so relaxing, especially when we have a gorgeous sunset like this to look at!!






I am not huge on sweets, but what girl doesn't like Chocolate Peanut-Butter Pie??? Unless you are allergic, and in that case I am VERY VERY sorry!!! Had this wonderful piece of pie when we went out with our neighbors for a fun night of trivia at a local restaurant! We won first place, four brains is definitely better than one!!






Tonight's dinner- I am in the process (as I blog, I am talented haha) of making a chicken stir-fry! I love all the fresh veggies during this time of the year!!! I will be adding some grilled chicken to the veggies and serving it over rice, should be pretty yummy!

Then it is off to get my haircut with my best friend Julie!!! Should be a fun time, a nice to catch up on some good drama :)

Follow Me Back Tuesday!

It's Follow Me Back Tuesday .
Hosted by Survey Junkie, Little Yaya's,
Review Retreat , Boobies, Babies & A Blog

Great way to find some new super cute blogs! Can't wait to find some new blogs and followers!

How it Works:
1.Add your blog to the list (only have to add once) NOT YOUR BLOG HOP or GIVEAWAYS PLEASE!
2. Grab our fabulous button & the link code to post somewhere on your blog!
3. Start to follow as many blogs as you would like. (Make sure you leave a comment so they can follow you back!)
4. And when you receive a comment from a new follower, return the favor & follow them back.

New Blog Followers!

I would like to say hello and thank you to my new followers!! I have had a really busy week, but am looking forward to checking out your blogs and becoming your newest blog follower as well!!!
Welcome to Life: Through the Eyes of Monica!!!!

Thanks for Following!
Monica

I can't believe I am Saying This....

My friend from high school, Amanda, is having a baby boy this September and I attended her baby shower this afternoon (before heading to work). It was at a local Italian restaurant, great food and company.
Here is my friend Amanda- she still has seven weeks to go, hard to imagine how she is going to grow anymore! Funny how cute a pregnant belly looks :)











Cute cake and decorations- I loved the floating ducks in the flowers, super cute idea!!!


















Diaper cake.... I have always wanted to learn how to make these, anyone have any ideas?? I think they are just the cutest present to bring to a shower. Baby Leo definitely got spoiled at this shower!!!









And then I fell in love with this little cutie! Her name is Grace Marie and she is just toooooooo cute. I know this might be hard to believe, but it made me think.... maybe I want one of these sometime soon! But then I started to hear her mom talk about her crying episodes at night, lack of sleep, crying for no reason, and constant care that she requires..... and then I go back to my usual thoughts- no babies for me for at least three to five more years!!!! Sophia and Snickers are just going to have to learn to let me hold them like this.....

Work, Work, Work.....

WOW! What a week. I have learned that I can not say no... I ended up filling in for the social worker who took over for me at my old job (she was on vacation this past week). Needless to say, it was a very long week of working about 85 hours!!!! I really think that I need my head examined!!!! Even though it was a lot of hours, I did enjoy being able to see all my old co-workers and friends.
When I came home today from a VERY long week, my wonderfu husband had a GREAT dinner waiting for me. Baby back ribs, french fries, garden squish, and a glass of iced tea! I have attached a picture for you all to enjoy!

Tuesday Following

Today is "Tuesday Following" on Kelly's Avenue and Jessie Lynn Smith's blog. What a fun way to meet new blogger friends!! I hope you will want to partcipate as well :)

Let the following begin!!!!

{How To Play}


{1} Follow the hostesses, Kelly's Avenue and Jessie Lynn Smith (They are the first two blogs listed on the McLinky below). If you would like them to follow you back, please leave a comment on their individual blogs letting them know that you are a new follower. Don't forget to leave a link to your blog too!

{2} Create a new Tuesday Following blog post on your own blog and be sure to use the button provided above.

{3} Enter your information into the McLinky below by adding your name/your blog's name along with the URL.

{4} If you can, please follow the blogs in the five spots before your own entry (e.g., if you're number 10, follow numbers 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5). This helps everyone get a few followers

{5} Follow all the awesome blogs you want. This is a great way to also get more followers!

{6} Tuesday Following will be posted once a week. McLinky will be open for everyone. We will also keep it open an entire week to make sure that everyone gets a chance to participate.

{7} Make sure to come back each week and participate. New lists will be generated every week - this will give you a great chance at earning tons more followers

Walt Disney World- Christman Style, part 1

As I mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, Rusty and I went to Walt Disney World for a week for his 30th birthday! I was able to pull off this surprise visit for him, which if you know me was a miracle in itself. I have a hard time keeping "happy" secrets like that, but I was able to do it!!!
We are apart of the Disney Vacation Club, which makes it pretty affordable to visit Disney, well pretty much anywhere but we always love to visit Disney :) We stayed at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, it was great.
Here are some pictures from our trip. The rides, shows, food, desserts, and overall atmosphere are wonderful! We had a great trip. We were down July 2-9th, which allowed us to enjoy the 4th of July- Disney style!
Please note, these pictures are in no particular order (sorry!)

Cinderella wishing well. For those of you who don't know, back in 2007 when Rusty and I went down to Disney for the first time together he proposed to me in the Cinderella Castle (I should do a separate post just about this, it was great). While we were waiting to be seated we went and looked at this well, and me being a dork and all I actually made a wish. I wished that one day Rusty and I would get married, little did I know that he would be proposing an hour later!! This well will always have a special place in my heart :)










Hall of Presidents, at Magic Kingdom. We made a special visit on the 4th of July, good way to get in the festive spirit (and get cool from the hot and crowds!)












Mickey and Minnie :) Notice the castle in the background, never get tired of looking at it! Wouldn't it be cool if you could live there???














This sign might not look like much, but they have the best pineapple dole whips around!!! They are amazing, especially on a hot day!!!! You can find them in the Magic Kingdom in adventure land.... well worth it :)







Rusty and I waiting for the bus at our resort!









Pirates of the Caribbean.... great ride!









Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie..... GREAT!!!!









Sci-Fri Diner.... the food could have been a little better, but pretty cool place to eat :)








American Idol Experience, call me a loser but I LOVE this show. Cool fact.... Aaron Kelly who was in the top five this season received his "golden" ticket from this show!








Minnie Mouse, Rusty's favorite :)









4th of July crowd at Magic Kingdom, it was crazy. The fireworks were amazing, well worth the two hour wait for a good viewing spot :)









4th of July Fireworks.... pretty cool looking!







While doing this post, I noticed that I have lots of pictures I want to share with you guys. I think I will break this into two different blog posts... stay tuned for part two! Hope your enjoying the pictures :)

Scentsy Candles :)

I have to blog about my new favorite household product!! My friend Ashley is now selling these products and I always wanted to give them a try. They are great to use and smell wonderful. They are flameless candles, so no need to worry about smoke or open flame in your house.

I got a plug-in warmer for my foyer and a warmer which is in my kitchen, between the two of them they have my house smelling great. I have another warmer coming which will go up in our bedroom. I can't wait!!!!
If you are interested in these products, leave me a comment and I would be happy to give you my friend's website :) They would make great presents and wonderful for anyone who wants a nice smelling house!!!
Here is a picture of the warmer I got- enjoy! I ordered two scents along with my warmers, go-go-goji (which is like a Chinese berry, sweet lotus, and strawberry) and lucky in love( which is like Mandarin orange, peaches, and berries- it smells just like love spell from Victoria Secrets). I am currently using go-go-goji for my downstairs (kitchen, family room, foyer, etc) and lucky in love will be used in my bedroom when my second warmer arrives! Thanks Ashley for the wonderful products- I LOVE them ;)

We Are Home!!!!!

Rusty and I arrived home on Friday (very late, thanks to a flight delay). We were suppose to fly into BWI around 9:30pm but ended up getting in around 12:45am which put us getting home around 4am (by time we got our luggage, got to our car, and then got home). It was a very long day, but we were both very excited to get home and see the pups!!! They were VERY excited to see us and we were too.
I have tried to catch up on some sleep that we lost Friday evening/saturday morning during the week, but still don't feel ready to return to work. Oh well, I guess you never really feel ready to return back to work after a great vacation. Which leads me to our vacation, we had a blast in Disney!!!! It was a bit crowded (well very crowded) and hot (very high humidity) but it didn't stop us from having a good time.
I will be posting some more pictures on my next couple of blog posts, but this blog has to be short! I must get ready for the work week..... goodbye vacation, hello work :(
PS- We are already planning our next vacation- funny how that works, huh?

Happy 30th Birthday to my Husband :)

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND!!!! His birthday was yesterday (07/03/2010)but since we are down in Walt Disney World celebrating, there was no time for a blog post.
I have no idea how I was able to pull it off, but I planned a surprise trip for his birthday- I told him about the trip just a few days before we left!!! Here are a few pictures from our trip.... we will be down here until this coming weekend! We are having an awesome time.... but its Disney, who wouldn't???????

Us at our hotel- we are staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge- if you look close in the background you can see the animals :)
















A whole new meaning to Chocolate Moose- desert at Le Cellier Steakhouse for Rusty's b-day!

Rusty's birthday dessert!







Panoramic view (little hard to see here on the blog, but still pretty) of Le Cellier Steakhouse in Epcot (Canada worldshowcase). It is so pretty around the restaurant, the bridge, water, and flowers complete it!