Apple Joos

Pokemon Weekend (in pictures)

2012-01-10T16:23:00.000-05:00

As I've mentioned before, my husband Tim and I play Pokemon. He also is a judge sometimes. This past weekend was the last weekend of Pokemon City tournaments. Our weekend started Friday night when we went down to Nashua, NH to pick up our friend Nate.

We went to Friendly's ice cream, and right when you walk in the door this faced us. Granted I took the picture upside down, but what do you see?

I've been lusting after this little guy for as long as I can remember. I finally got him this weekend. I am so excited about this!

Saturday morning I woke up early to get my bathroom time in before all the boys woke up (Tim, Nate, and our friend Adam that came over Friday night as well)

As you can see, I wasn't very pleased to be up this early on a Saturday morning. Usually Saturdays if we don't have any kind of Pokemon tournament, Tim will let me sleep in.

I got ready, and did my nails in the car. When there's that many people getting ready in the morning you have to multi-task and do something in the car to get ready.

We got to Salem, MA to the store where the tournament was being held and started filling out our deck lists. That's Adam on the left and Derek on the right.

My cards, dice bag, and coffee all ready for the tournament. I didn't really take any pictures during the tournament. I ended up doing horrible, basically coming in last place. BUT our friend Derek did win it! After the tournament we went out and about in Salem for a little bit.

A dummy outside a thrift store that I forced Tim to take a picture with. He loved it.

I love Boston Terriers. I love them on store windows even more so.

Derek, the Salem, NH Pokemon City Champion! He was really excited, really.

We got really bored waiting for our pizza afterwards so I pic spammed everyone. Engine House pizza in Salem, NH is amazing BTW.

Nate's hair is pretty epic. It doesn't matter where we are someone has to comment on how awesome it is. He donates it to Locks of Love.

It was really pretty out, because all the trees still had their lights out. The statue is the best, though.

Our last stop was a game store that smelled like mildew, but this awesome sign in window made up for it.

That night when we got home I took a nice long hot bath because I wasn't feeling too well. I liked how my hair was doing that little curl.

The next day we made our way to Milford, MA for the last cities of the season. I wasn't feeling very well, but I kept playing. I started off really well, beating my friend Derek first round, and then I kept winning! I got so caught up in into my matches that the only picture I took was of my friend Meg.

She is the absolute sweetest! We had brought Rowan with us, and Tim babysat that day so I could play. Masters (our age group) had 6 rounds to play. At the end of the 6 rounds I had 5 wins and 1 loss (5-1). I ended in 2nd place. Then we had Top 8. I played the best out of 3 vs. someone else, and ended up winning so I went into top 4! I didn't end up winning that one, but I ended the tournament in 3rd place out of 46 masters!

At the end of the day I was completely wiped. I had been feeling sick all day long, and the ride home was torture. I got home and didn't last long before I got sick. I wanted to post all of this yesterday (Monday), but I was literally in bed all day long because sitting/standing made me feel so nauseous. I just started feeling a little bit better this afternoon, just really weak. I guess some sort of stomach bug is going around. I had planned on taking so many more pictures with my camera, but my phone ended up being a lot easier to use. I took a few with my camera, but these are it for now!

Things I love Thursday

2012-01-05T11:22:00.000-05:00

1.) I may have mentioned a few times, but I'm not the most "crafty" person. Which includes any kind of nail art. I obsessively collect nail polish, but can't do much more than a base coat and some sparkles. Last Christmas Tim bought me one of these and had it in my stocking. I was too scared to use it though. Thinking it would be too hard to use. Finally this year on Christmas even I broke down and bought one, and LOVED it! It was so easy to use! Then my good friend Sara got me one for Christmas and I found another on Target clearance. Then all 3 went missing on NYE. So after bitching about it all week, Tim told me to buy another one yesterday. I'm excited to do it!

2.) King of the Hill. We often find a show on Netflix, and then obsess over it. We've almost watched every episode on there, which is a lot. I'd have to say that my favorite character is Lucky. How can you not love this show?

3.) I got a Keurig for Christmas from my MIL, and I LOVE it! We used to go to Dunkin' Donuts a ton, and since we got the 'DD K-Cups we've saved SO much money! I love that they're good hot or iced. Just add a little Fat Free French Vanilla creamer, and YUM! I can't wait to try out more K-cup flavors. What's your favorite?

4.) Once I lived directly across the street from a GREAT thrift store. It was literally part of my daily routine to go in every morning at opening. I knew what days all the 1/2 off tags changed. I had the best wardrobe of my life. I was only 17, but it wasn't my first introduction to thrifting. Every since I was little my mom and I would go to consignment shops, thrift stores, and yard sales. I love it SO much. I used to have buddies just for thrifting. Though I love being able to go by myself, no distractions, and take my sweet time. I think this year will be the year that I make my thrifting comeback! I hope so...

5.) I saved the best for last. My fellow July 2011 mama Jen, has opened up an etsy shop: Hep Brats! I'm so excited for her! She's just starting out, but I love the awesome baby blankets she's made so far. I'm surrounded by the craftiest friends, and it's really inspiring!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T03:02:00.002-05:00

Hello, I hope you all had an awesome New Years Eve! We enjoyed Chinese food with Tim's family. I started to get a migraine, but thankfully a nap and quiet helped me before it got too bad. Later on in the evening our good friend Adam and his girlfriend Jess came over.

This stuff was amazing! It was the first time I had tried it, and I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I'm the type of person who likes my alcoholic drinks to not taste like alcohol.

Rowan stayed up with us until Midnight, and we all pretty much just chilled until then. He didn't last much longer afterward until he passed out for the night.

I was sure to get my kiss from him as soon as it turned midnight (after Tim of course). We then decided to all play a dice game called Yamslam. It was a lot of fun.

We then decided to play UNO, but I pretty much stopped taking pictures. I took a few videos here and there, but nothing I'm sure anyone wants to see (just all of us making inside jokes haha) Here's a really good one where Tim thought I was taking a picture, though:

After UNO it was late, and Tim and I needed to get up early because New Years Day was spent with his distant relatives doing late Christmas things. Sadly, I was kept up until after 5am having to clean up someone else's puke off my carpet. I was SO tired New Years Day.

The thing that everyone talks about around New Years is their resolutions. I've been thinking about mine a lot lately, here's what I've come up with so far:

My Resolutions:

Take more pictures (the new point and shoot I got for Christmas should help)
Blog more
Read 100 books in 2012 (the Kindle Fire makes it so easy for me to read now)
Lose weight (always seems to be on here every year)
Try 1 new recipe a week (Tim is doing this as well)
Try to be crafty (everyone around me is crafty or artistic.. except me)
Try to be a more organized person
Be Happy

I know some might be a little generic, but they're all things I feel the need to work on or improve on. What did you decide to put on your list? I feel like I forgot something, but maybe I'll add it on later

Goodbye 2011!

2011-12-31T23:40:00.000-05:00

So I've been absent for awhile, but hopefully that will change soon! I just wanted to wish you all a quick Happy New Years (yes, The Hunger Games way :D)

Wednesday Wishes

2011-11-09T15:21:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I got a lovely pair of wood laser cut ship wheel earrings from a local shop, and I'm in LOVE with them. I was searching through etsy, and I found these beauties. The seller is from Malaysia, so it looks like shipping time would take awhile, but you could get two pairs for the price of one! The shop also has a TON of awesome designs!

This is actually a pencil sharpener! My husband is getting his macho on by playing with power tools and converting a closet into an office for me. (Which hopefully I will have a whole post on). So this is something cool I found over at Urban outfitters that would look awesome on my desk.

I love purses so much, and I always wish that I had more of a variety to switch them up. I'm loving the floral print mixed with the brown/black. Fredflare has a million things that are so cute.

This is something that I saw done on Pinterest, and I thought to myself "I could do that!" Only I have SO MANY other crafts that I want to get into that something like this would be easier to buy for the time being. I plan on stringing twine across my closet above my desk and displaying photos with them :3 The seller has so many cute crafts!

I want one of these soo bad. The Mr. Coffee is a cheaper system than the Keurig, but I wouldn't mind one of those as well ;) I'm so into the idea of being able to just make one cup of coffee, iced coffee, hot apple cider, tea, in a million different flavors. I've been drooling over this thing for a couple of months now.

My newest obsession

2011-11-04T02:24:00.000-04:00

So growing up my dad always put my mom on a really tight budget. I always went with her grocery shopping, and saw her having to take 40$ and make it last two weeks for 4 people (one being a teenage boy). She was the queen of discount shopping, sales, and coupons. I've always randomly used coupons, but it's never amounted to anything that's really made a huge deal.

So then randomly one day I was watching TLC's extreme couponing, and thought "This is amazing!" So for the past few weeks I've been scouring the internet reading tons of websites about couponing/freebies for all the tips, hints, deals I could possibly find.

Last week I started to print off coupons online. Each website allows 2 prints per computer. Between my husband and I we have 3 computers, so that equals 6 copies of coupons we can print per item There are a few websites that you can print coupons from:

Target store coupons
Coupons.com
Redplum.com

The next thing I did was get a 3 ring binder, and have started an organization method for all of my coupons. I got a cheap cardboard binder to start me off with for the time being. I already had tons of "baseball card holders" from pokemon cards, and dividers from previous school binders. My coupon binder is still a work in progress, but it's really coming along. I'm making a section for each store I frequent (Rite Aide, Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens). In the front of each section I'm putting the store's coupon policy.

This past week I did my first two "hauls". The first one was a "mini" haul being just a few items. I did just a small amount of research, but it REALLY paid off! I got one item on my weekly Walmart grocery shop, and the other 4 from Target. It was my first real "YAY stuff for free!" moment. What I love about Target is they offer so many coupons on their website, and you can stack those with a manufacturers coupon for even more savings. I loved Target before, but now I REALLY love Target!

Breakdown:
Bic Cristal Pens: Originally $0.97. Coupon for 1$ off. Total price = FREE with $0.03 overage (Walmart)
NYC Nail Polish: Originally $0.94. Coupon for $1 off. Total price = FREE with $0.06 overage
NYC Nail Polish: Originally $0.94. Coupon for $1 off. Total price = FREE with $0.06 overage

Oral B Floss: Originally $1.12. Coupon for $1 off. Total price = $0.12
Oral B Floss: Originally $1.12. Coupon for $1 off. Total price = $0.12

----------
With $0.12 in overage Total Final cost = $0.12

The second one I did tonight was my first big haul. I went to Walmart for this one, and I spent a good amount of time planning this trip.

I won't break down the coupons for this (unless you really want to know), because there were A LOT. If you can't read the little print it says: $5.74 - $3.00 mistake (You can spend all the time planning, but make sure you grab the right product! One of the dulcelax was a 25 count instead of a 10, so I'm going to bring it back and exchange it for $3.00). That would make my FINAL COST: $2.74 for all of this. WOWOW.

I'm really pleased with myself, just knowing how much this stuff would have cost me if it weren't for coupons. I'm really getting into this saving money for my family stuff. So hopefully I'll be able to share some more shopping hauls with you :3

Pokemon

2011-10-09T20:45:00.000-04:00

I think I've already mentioned that I met my husband through Pokemon. We both play the trading card game (TCG) in competitions. We actually met at last years National Championship in Indiana. So I guess you could say we're either pretty hardcore about it, or extremely nerdy.

I honestly don't mind being called nerdy over it. Every one's first question is, "Isn't that a children's game?" Well, I guess you could say that it was originally made for children, but it's actually such a skill based game (I like to describe it like Chess) that it pulls in the older crowd.

In fact, a lot of times there are more older people in tournaments than younger kids! It's set up in 3 age divisions, and us old folks are put into the "Masters". Now that we're parents we get to use Rowan as an excuse "He loves Pokemon!"

While we were pregnant, we took a Pokemon hiatus, and now that Rowan is born and out of the hospital we're getting back into it again. In fact the past two Sundays we've taken him to tournaments. He's been good as gold. He gets to see all kinds of friends of ours, and be complimented. Mostly he just sleeps in the sling.

Last night we got out our giant stuffed Pikachu, and he stared and coo'ed at it with awe. As "Pokeparents" we felt our hearts warm a little. We just hope he continues to enjoy it when he gets older!

The sad thing is, even though our past two weekends have been filled with tournaments... I've completely forgotten to take pictures! Something that I'd like to do.

I'd also love to remember that I have a blog, that I should update!

Playing catch up.

2011-09-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

So I started this blog, and was REALLY excited about it. Then a million different things happened that turned things upside down.

The first being, I was diagnosed with postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety. Something that having your newborn in the NICU certainly didn't help out. I've since been doing a whole lot better than before. I started a medicine that I can say has honestly helped me for the better. I am just glad that I saw the signs when I did, and made the hardest phone call ever to talk to my doctor about it. I was so embarrassed, but I realize now it's something that is a lot more common than one thinks. I am just happy to not feel like I'm drowning anymore, and I can actually enjoy being a mother.

Rowan was then released from the hospital! It was seriously the happiest day ever after having him spend almost 6 weeks in the hospital.

We were then thrown into "new parent" mode, only with having a baby that was almost 6 weeks old! So far we're adjusting to having him home, and trying to get into the closest thing as a routine you can have with an infant.

Just last week I found out I have mono, though! Really, who gets mono at 26? Apparently this girl does! I was told to rest as much as possible, but the funny thing is I think I've actually gotten less sleep since I found out! So on top of feeling tired from baby, I have this thing running me down. Just trying to hang in there!

Last Friday my husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. We got to go out to dinner together (and I even had a drink!) and it was really great. He surprised me with two Hanson tickets to the show next month in Portland. I am so excited, because this is a band I've liked since like '98-99? I haven't seen them for at least 3-4 years.

I'm sorry I'm all over the place, and I'm sure I'm leaving a ton out, but I just wanted to sort of get caught up. I've started to a million times, and then realized I hadn't written about other things (like Rowan coming home). Now hopefully I'll feel a little better about updating random things.

Wednesday Wishes (Rowan edition)

2011-08-10T23:50:00.000-04:00

I spend a lot of my online time browsing websites making mental wish lists. Now that we've had Rowan, my wishlists have expanded to include him. The truth is, I'm the type of person who finds more joy in buying things for other people. Usually if I spend money on myself I have wicked buyers remorse. Even if it's something I need like underwear. Now I find myself making little wishlists for Rowan and there's no guilt when browsing even! Etsy has been my go-to site for the most part, because there are so many unique hand made items. Here are a few things that have caught my attention lately:

I've been lusting over this print since we decided to do an ocean/nautical theme in Rowan's room. I love how simple it is, but the message is what really melts my heart.Britt's etsy is filled with beautiful simple prints.

Another print that would go lovely in his room. I love the linework this etsy artist does. This was the first print I ever bookmarked for Rowan's room.

This blanket from her shop has me dying a little bit on the inside. I'm sure if I was at all crafty I could do something similar, but I'm not in the slightest. The print has me drooling! Rowan would look so handsome cuddled up in it.

I can't wait for colder weather (and him to be out of the hospital) so I can dress him in little sweaters. What better then one from this shop?

Seriously, what is cuter then a little baby in a tie? Especially an Argyle one? Many different color choices offered in this shop, along with other goodies.

I'm finally doing it.

2011-08-08T17:05:00.001-04:00

It's forever been a thought in my head as I'm browsing the internet. The possibility of me having my own blog has popped into my head so many times. I've always quickly dismissed it for various reasons. The number one being "My life isn't interesting enough." Who would want to read about that?

It's come to the point where I'm older now, and I realize that shouldn't really even matter to me. If I have fun doing it, and enjoy it... why not? My amazing husband Tim, and all my very supportive friends have encouraged me to go for it! So here I am...

This is me. My name is Cara (pronounced Care-uh, not Car-uh. Something that's always bugged me). I'm 26 years old. I still get carded, which I guess makes me feel a lot better about being in my "early-late twenties". I'm an Aquarius if you believe in that kind of stuff. I live in Maine with my husband Tim:

who is my geeky soul-mate. We met at the Pokemon Nationals tournament last summer and were married in September, and it's been amazing ever since. We originally lived far apart. I lived in Indiana and he lived in Maine. We eloped and he moved all the way to Indiana for me. This past May, knowing we were expecting our first bundle of joy we moved to Maine for better opportunities.

Moving around isn't really anything new to me. I was born in Kentucky, and lived there and Indiana until I was 15. I then moved to Northern California, and lived there until I was 20. I then made my first East Coast move to Massachusetts, and lived there until I was 23 before moving back to Indiana. I have always loved to travel and see new places, and have visited 45 of the 50 states. I can't wait to visit new places with my little family.

On July 19th, we welcomed our son Rowan Stabler into the world. He's currently only 3 weeks old, but the absolute light of our life. As parents we might be a little biased, but he is honestly one of the cutest babies, ever.

Rowan was born a few weeks pre-mature, and so for the past 3 weeks we have been living in different hospitals. When he was born he was having problems with his blood oxygen levels dropping (something he has mastered now!), but now he isn't able to take all of his feedings by bottle. His suck/swallow/breathe reflexes weren't developed enough, and now with ugly reflux showing it's head it's been a constant battle. He's learning to take feeds by bottle, but it's hard for the little bugger so he has to take the rest of his feeds by tube. It's been an eye-opening and hard battle for us so far, but we are hanging in there. We're just trying to take it one day at a time. We try to use our sarcastic humor to keep us going when things get tough. Laughter can sometimes be the best medicine.

When we're not basically living in the hospital we really are nerdy/geeky people. We met at a Pokemon TCG (trading card game) tournament! With the move and pregnancy we didn't get to play as much as we liked, but now that we're back in the New England area we hope to fit in a gaming day here and there (if we can manage to be apart from the babe for a day, that is).

I've never been a "girly-girl" before, but I love clothes and doing my nails. I'm sure I will clothes a lot more when I get to pre-pregnancy shape, something I hope to blog about in the future. I love to go on mini adventures to places I've never been before, and while I'm not the best photographer (my husband is way better then I ever hope to be), I love to document things with pictures. I love TV shows and movies, and Netflix has been our best friend through out pregnancy. I'm an avid reader, book hoarder, and love to share books with people.

I've always described myself as "offbeat" to people, and I've never meant it in a negative way. In fact it's always been something I've embraced. While my life might seem pretty simple to most, I hope that you will enjoy reading about it, because I've always been such an over sharer. :3