Ugly Christmas Sweater DIY: The Best Couples Ugly Christmas Sweaters...

Oh... Tis the Season... It's a time of year where friends gather together to boast this years best, YET UGLIEST Christmas sweaters!  Haha!  Well I don't know if you're anything like me or not, but store bought just wasn't an option!  No, no!  You see, I want something creative, something funny, something where people will be talking about it till the next year!  Hopefully I did just that with this year's creativity.

Oh where do you begin with this hilarious motif?  Well it was super easy and this is how I did it...

Get matching colored sweaters.  I will not be caught dead in something that doesn't flatter my figure so off to Ross I went...  I found this sweater for $17.99 and my Hubby's for only $6.99, gotta love those kind of department stores!

Comparison is the thief of JOY...

Do you ever have moments where you completely feel inadequate?  Where you look around and it always seems as if other moms really have their S#%T together but you can't even seem to find the time to step out of the house or even get out of your pajamas.  I have those type of moments all the time!  The problem is that with social media we don't post those moments because who really wants to see that?  I mean, you've probably seen those posts where someone says that they haven't done a thing all day and that they are still in their pajamas but the picture seems to be glorified with a cozy fire, maybe a cute coffee mug, jammies that match the decor of the house, maybe some tossed hair with a slight wisp of mascara and pink cheeks with a dab of lip gloss.  Listen, I am totally guilty of doing this too but I can tell you (as I sit here in my ugly lavender robe that's about 13 years old and a desk that is piled with paperwork) that that is NOT going on over here in CJ's house most of the time!  To be quite honest those are not the days that I typically live at all.  Do you?  And if so can you teach me how you do it all?  No really, I truly want to know!  I wish someone could come to my house, organize my ENTIRE LIFE!!!  How amazing would that be?  Always being picture perfect, always have a organized home... I DREAM....

In the Eyes of the Youth...

Today is the day that MANY of us have been waiting for for what seems like a lifetime!  Wether it's the constant banter on social media, the news, commercials and even at parties where you try to escape the all the negativity, it never seemed to go away.  Lets face it, this has been one ugly election.  But today I am so glad that I took the time to vote because for me, I think about all the people who paved the road for not only me but my beautiful daughter to have the right to vote for whomever we see fit... even if I may not agree with who she may be voting for ;)  

As parents we must show our children that we care about this country and that it is our responsibility as citizens to show up and do our part.  No one is allowed to bitch and complain if they do not vote so you might as well cast yours.

The Happy Hour of Friendships, Frolic & Feasting...

Do you ever need to just get away?  Even if it's for a quick hour to decompress from the madness of life.  Of course you do!  Thank goodness for girlfriends that say "I'm picking you up!  How fast can you be ready?"  It always helps when you have a restaurant not too far away with a great happy hour to accommodate moms just like us :)

Living in South Orange County has a ton of amazing restaurants to eat at however our little town of Ladera Ranch is extremely lackluster when it comes to food choices.  It can be so annoying sometimes trying to figure out where to eat next.  Half of the time you list out all of the restaurants where we live just to have more problems deciding because driving too far is a task in itself.  Seems like everyone wants to stay put in our ho hum town.

Today was different!  We decided to go down Ortega Hwy for a very short drive to a restaurant called Tannins.  They had a delicious "Happy Hour" to allure us to get the heck out of our town!  Just what these two mama's needed!

Ahh yes!  A Chardonnay to toast getting away (even if it is for a moment) hit the spot.  Sitting on the patio talking about life with no one to bug us!  Juts two friends enjoying a good laugh!

Next came the white fish ceviche' which was a little sweet for my taste buds but to be honest I really didn't care.  Getting away was just what we needed!  Oh but let me tell you, the salmon tacos are so delicious and packed to the rim!  It's exactly what we needed to pair wit our Chardonnay!  And let's be honest here, another glass was ordered and well deserved!  

This is definitely a happy hour that I will return to, even if it is for a quick escape!  Always having a girlfriend by your side to pull you out of your craziness is the icing on the top!  And next time we'll need to extend our "Happy Hour" to more than just one hour, but this time...  it was so worth it!  If you have suggestions for other great restaurants with happy hours I'd love to hear about them!  

xxox,

CJ