Friday, January 27, 2012
Dear Douchebag...
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Mindless Fun on a Thursday Morn...
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Valentine’s Day Polka Dot Mani Tutorial
I hope to see you there!
Monday, January 23, 2012
2 On Tuesday: Music
Happy Tuesday! I hope you’ll join in and link up today to talk about your favorite music!
Today’s topic is:
What is the song you play when you want to get pumped up?
What is the song you play when you want/need to cry?
What is the song you play when you’re cleaning?
What is the song you play when you’re exercising?
(You do not have to link videos – you can just list the songs if that is easier for you. )
I love old school rap music, and there is always one song I put on when I need a little boost.
Young MC – Bust A Move
When I want/need to cry (come on, I’m not the only one who puts on music and cries, am I?) I put on some Coldplay. I don’t even like Coldplay, and this song makes me cry.
Coldplay – Fix You
When I’m cleaning, I listen to the Glee soundtracks on repeat. I loved the Treble Tone’s performance of “I Will Survive/Survivor”!
Glee – I Will Survive/Survivor
As far as exercising, who am I kidding? I don’t exercise. I’m excited to see your recommendations, though!
And for a laugh – did you see the skit SNL did about Adele this weekend? It fits in perfectly with my second question. You must watch!
I hope you will link up today! I look forward to reading your answers!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
A Case of the Mondays
Don’t forget to take my Reader Survey and be entered to win a $25 gift card!
Dear Lord… ever feel like you need a weekend to recover from your weekend? We didn’t even do anything this weekend and I’m ready to tear my hair out. Cooper has been a crazy man and (as I write this on Sunday evening) I am SO ready for bedtime. I love you, kid, but… go to bed!
We have been so lazy around here since Cooper’s birthday, mainly because we’ve all been sick. I woke up last Friday morning and couldn’t hear out of my right ear. Jason convinced me I had a wax build up (I swear I clean my ears daily) so I ignored it, and it got progressively worse. On Sunday, it started hurting so I went to Urgent Care. The doctor was shocked I had waited so long to come in and told me it was the worst infection she’s ever seen. (Why I am always the best at these types of things?!) She started me on two different types of ear drops and one oral antibiotic. ($70 ear drops with insurance that did not work. Shoot me now!)
Being as I have never had an ear infection (at least not that I can remember) I had no idea what to expect as far as recovery. Even with the meds, instead of getting better it just got worse. I couldn’t hear at all out of my right ear. It felt like cotton was stuffed inside and I couldn’t hear unless I turned my left side to face the person speaking. I finally went back to the doctor this past Friday, and not only had the right ear not gotten better, but I had an ear infection in my left ear.
Super awesome. Thankfully he put me on a stronger antibiotic and a steroid, and the left ear has cleared up. I still can’t hear out of the right ear, but it does feel less “full” so I’m hopeful.
Now Jason and Cooper are both sick with colds and basically I just want to bleach my whole house this coming week.
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Anyone have any tips for curling short hair? This is the length my hair is now. I’m growing it out, but it is taking forever. I don’t want super long hair (because my hair is so thick, I think I would be miserable with super long hair) but it would be nice to have shoulder length hair, I think. My hair is a little longer than it looks because I curl it under.
I haven’t used a curling iron since college, and I have no idea what I’m doing. Way back when, you used to curl towards your face and under. I take it you are supposed to curl away from your face now? I’m clueless. I don’t even know if my hair is long enough to really curl without looking stupid.
I did buy this curling iron (1 inch) after hearing According to Nina say it was what she uses regularly.

So, any tips?
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I’ve raved about one of my favorite shampoos and conditioners to you guys before – Pureology Nanoworks – but I stopped using it because of the expense. (One 8oz bottle retails around $50.) Like I said, it is expensive, but it saved me from damaged hair after a coloring mishap. I was in Trade Secret Friday and they have all their liters on sale, buy one full price and get 75% off the second liter. That is a great deal on Pureology and you should check it out if you are a Pureology user.
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My Twitter friend, Jenn, sells Arbonne and a while back mentioned they were having a 50% off sale. I took the opportunity to snatch up the RE9 Advanced Face set. I’ve been using it for two weeks, and so far so good. I will give a full review after 6 weeks or so of use.
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Tomorrow is 2 On Tuesday, and I’ll hope you’ll come by and post! The topic is:
What is the song you play when you want to get pumped up?
What is the song you play when you want/need to cry?
What is the song you play when you’re cleaning?
What is the song you play when you’re exercising?
Can wait to read your answers! See you tomorrow!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Reader Survey & a GIVEAWAY!
This month I’ve joined in with SITS to participate in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge. It’s been really eye opening… not only am I trying to assess my blog from my readers’ perspectives, but I’m also re-evaluating my reasons for blogging.
I’ve been blogging for a long time… since 2008. That’s three years of words, pictures, laughs, and tears. Sometimes it has felt like the most natural, rewarding thing in the world, and other times it has felt like a chore I have to check off my to-do list.
I told Jason tonight that I feel like I’ve stopped blogging for myself and started blogging for numbers. I sit around and try to think up topics that my readers will like instead of blogging about something that’s important or interesting to me. When was the last time I wrote a “Dear Cooper” post? I stopped because I thought y’all found it boring. I don’t really blog very much about my day to day life. Why? I just don’t know.
In 18 years when my son is grown, I don’t want him to read this blog and learn how to make a peppermint wreath. I want him to read this blog and know what kind of woman and mother I was at this point in time. Is that coming across in my blog? I just don’t know. I’m not saying tutorials, recipes, etc. are bad – I just want to try to balance things out with more posts about me.
Do you, as my reader, know who I am? Does that come across in my writing? Do you feel I’m “real”? Can you relate to me? That’s what is important to me.
With that said, what you think of my blog matters to me. I want this blog to be someplace you visit regularly. I want to build relationships with my readers. Your opinion is important to me, and I need your help.
I want to solicit your opinion. I’ve developed a reader survey, and in appreciation for the time you spend answering my questions, I’m going to give away a gift card to one lucky reader. All you have to do is answer the questions below in the comments section. One commenter will win a $25 gift card to the store of their choosing (Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon, or Sephora).
Please be honest. (Don’t be mean – be honest.
) I appreciate your honesty, and I know I’m opening myself up to criticism by asking for opinions.
Reader Survey
1. How long have you been reading my blog? Do you remember how you found my blog?
2. How often do you visit My Chihuahua Bites?
3. What do you like best about my blog?
4. What do you like the least about my blog?
5. What are your favorite types of posts to read?
6. What type/topic of post will you automatically skip right over? (For example, you hate Memes, or Brain Dumps, or posts about my child…)
7. If you aren’t a regular commenter, can I ask why?
8. Do you watch vlogs?
7. Is there a topic you’d like to see me blog more about?
8. What is more important to you – if a blogger responds to your comment via email, or if the blogger visits your blog and leaves a comment?
That’s it! Feel free to leave me any other helpful suggestions/comments. ![]()
Thank you everyone!
Birthday Wish List
The wish list worked pretty well for me for Christmas, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to document my birthday wishes, huh? Dear husband/birthday fairy, are you listening?
Sidenote: have I ever shared that on the first birthday we celebrated as a married couple, my husband got me a salt & pepper shaker as a gift? (I don’t collect salt & peppers shakers, for the record.)

Everybody and their mama has a pair of Toms. I think it is time to jump on the bandwagon, and these glitter shoes will serve me well. A few questions about Toms: where do you order? We don’t have a department store that carries them. Are they true to size? Do you think they are comfortable?
I’d like every color from the China Glaze “Colours From The Capital” collection.

I’d like the Hourglass Veil primer, please.

I think every cook needs the Paula Deen Southern Cooking Bible.
Most of all, I’d like a date night to the restaurant of my choice, my pick of a movie, and to sleep in on my birthday. That sounds PERFECT!
I accept care packages! (Kidding. Kind of.
)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Christmas Recap
Happy Wednesday!
I know this is super overdue, but since this blog is supposed to document my life, I wanted to be sure to blog about Christmas.
We had such a blast celebrating this year. Cooper was at a perfect age to begin to participate in Christmas activities.
Cooper loved Santa. LOVED. We took him to see Santa, and he saw Santa three other times at various events. He’s the only child we know of his age that wasn’t scared. When Santa came to daycare, I’m told he was the only one in his class to run up to Santa and asked to be picked up.
The Elf On The Shelf was a huge hit. Ollie (thanks for the name suggestion, Brandy!) ruled the roost in our household! Cooper would wake up each day, and as soon as we walked downstairs he would start searching for Ollie. As I mentioned here, I think next year I will separate Ollie and the book advent calendar. Cooper was very sad that Ollie left on Christmas Day, and he has asked for him a few times since.
We did pretty good on our Christmas traditions, although there were a few that didn’t get done this year. We did not go see a Christmas musical at church, decorate a gingerbread house, or make a birthday cake for Jesus. (I feel bad about the last one.) Not too shabby!
Now onto the pics!
My dad’s work threw a children’s Christmas party early in the month. This was the first time Cooper had ever seen Santa, and you can see his reaction. He didn’t quite know what to think, but he perked right up once he realized Santa had a present!
This year we decided to try something new and see the Lights of the South, which is held at a huge farm. You can walk through or ride on hayrides and see all the lights. It was freezing that night – it really made the whole experience less than enjoyable.
I hosted Christmas Eve this year, and I had about 20 people over for dinner. Cooper had a bit of a meltdown mid present opening and I had to take him upstairs and put him to bed. He refused to take any pictures.
We attempted to do a White Elephant gift exchange with my family on Christmas Eve, and it was a disaster. My grandparents just didn’t get the point, and people were more concerned with getting a “good” gift than just having fun with the experience. I was really disappointed in the whole thing. ![]()
My parents spent the night on Christmas Eve so they could be there when Cooper woke up and saw what Santa brought him! He got some good gifts.
His big gift was the train table, which he has absolutely no interest in. I am hoping he grows into it. All he has done with it so far is destroy the tracks my mom so painstakingly put together.
He does love the Mini Cooper, though!
Mommy got a new camera lens and this was my first shot. ![]()
I got Jason a Roku, a Dremmel tool thingamabob, the ESPN documentary set 30 For 30, some Elmo pjs, a laptop, some clothes, and a digital picture frame for his office. Funny: I picked up Tim Tebow’s book at Barnes and Noble and didn’t notice until Jason opened it that it was a YOUNG ADULT book! Haha! The pictures should have clued me in.
Jason did so well with my gifts this year! Apparently he took his phone to Sephora, pulled up my wish list, and told the girl to get the items on my list. Yay! Y’all know how happy that makes me. He also got me some cocoa from Williams Sonoma as well as a few stocking stuffers. He said he went to the Apple Store (he shopped on Christmas Eve) to get me an iPad but turned around once he saw the line. Haha!
I know I’m late asking, but how was your Christmas?
Monday, January 16, 2012
2 On Tuesdays: Red Carpet Fashion
Hello friends! Thanks for sticking by me through my absence. I hope you are all ready to dive back in to 2 On Tuesday!

Today’s topic is:
What celebrities do you think have the best red carpet fashion? What celeb’s closet would you like to raid?
Last night was the Golden Globes, and while I don’t really love the award shows themselves, I sure do love the red carpet! Here are a few celebs I think got it right last night.
If I could raid any celeb’s closet, it would be Lauren Conrad’s. I love how classic she always looks, and even though she’s quite a bit younger than me, she isn’t super trendy.
Do you think I could pull off blonde hair? Hmm…
By the way, Lauren and her style team (hair, makeup, nails) had a fab beauty blog with wonderful tutorials and tips. Check it out!
How about you? Don’t forget to link up!






