Things I don't love.

Today I'm linking up again with my BFF Melissa for her Things I Don't Love, Thursday.
You should link up too! Or at least head over and read her rant list as well


This week's list of non loves:

Coughs. 
I seriously can not kick this pneumonia cough.  I'm losing my mind over here. It's so frustrating trying to talk to someone and then having to pause to cough your head off only for them to look at you like you're some diseased person. 

Typos. 
I've had so many typos lately and thank God for that little red underline thing that tells me it's wrong or my brain just wouldn't catch it.  My poor brain needs me to take a vacation.  There's just been way too much going on lately.

Doctor appointments.
I took Maddie in for a checkup yesterday after our ER trip that I realize I haven't really told you guys about but that's not the point.  The Dr didn't listen to me, told me I was wrong in a nice way, didn't give me the chance to explain anything and just sent us on our way.  Didn't even check Maddie's area of concern that sent us to the ER originally.

Flaky people.
This is probably my biggest one this week.  I hate when people say, "yeah, we'll be there! Can't wait" and then never freakin' show.  Why lie to me like that?! Why not just say, "maybe" or "no". But then I see you posting pictures or being tagged in crap on Facebook that shows me you were at a bonfire with your family or having friends over for one?! Yup- RUDE!
And the worst part, you let down my kids! It's one thing to bail on me, but you bailed on my kids who were super excited that you guys were coming.
See if I invite you over for stuff anymore. Psht.

You guys, I'm grumpy today and typing up this post just hasn't helped. It's been the longest week (really like 2/3 weeks) and I'm stressed out and exhausted and sore all over and can't get rid of this cough and I have a toothache and sickly kids and a messy house that I'm too tired to clean and *sigh*.

That's my rant this week.
Send me good/happy thoughts and head over to Melissa's blog to read her rants this week. 

Link up YOUR link up.

Same rules apply. First you will follow My Three Bittles and Tawny's Tid Bits. It can be bloglovin or GFC, whichever you prefer! Feel free to grab a button and showcase it on your side bar if you link up. Next, if you are currently a host or co host of a link up (or know of a good one), add it to the inlinkz options below sorted by day.  Please make sure the URL goes directly to the link up and not your home page of your blog. Also, please make sure it is a legit link up, we will be checking them. After the week is up, the link up will close and from there we will add your button here where everyone can see.

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Monday

Tuesday






Wednesday







Thursday






Friday






Saturday & Sunday

Friday Vlogs

It's Friday.
I vlogged.

I'm linking up with Alissa from Rags to Stitches.
This is my first ever coffee date and like my 2nd vlog so don't make fun of me or judge me for my weird glare and horrible posture (trying to fit myself into the camera- desk angle is weird).

Also, I apologize for all the times I snorted?! I don't know it it's just early morning, or if I'm getting a cold or what but it's gross, so my bad.

Eh.... Tuesday.

Happy Tuesday!
Let's do a quick update before I get into anything else.

My contacts are awful. I have an appointment this afternoon to test out a different kind.
My glasses FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY came in.
After 8 days in California where they were supposed to be here September 23rd, they finally got here September 30th.

If you follow me on instagram then you've already seen this, but here they are!

Link up your link up.

HAPPY SEPTEMBER!!!
Go here to read why September is going to ROCK!

Do you host a link up?!
Come add it to the mega list that Tawny & I are making!

InstaRecap!

This weekend I decided to link up with my friend, Tawny and her instagram recap! She does it weekly, so you should check it out! :)

This week, Bo got himself a fancy pair of glasses!

The McCain Family Summer Bucket List

Happy Friday guys.
Since today is the first day of summer, it seemed only appropriate to share with you our summer bucket list!! YAY!!!

(Summer started a while ago here in Georgia but ya know)

The link up of all link ups.

Guys, I kid you not.
Today I am here to bring you the link up of ALL link ups thanks to my friend, Tawny.

Her brilliant self thought that there just needed to be a grand compilation of all link ups known to bloggers.

You know that you've come across link ups in your day and then you forget where you saw them or who hosted them..... well today we fix that!

If you know of a link up, encourage that person to come to my blog or Tawny's blog and put it in the right spot! Then when this link up is over (June 5th) we'll compile a HUGE list for everyone to look back on! OH YEAH!!
Great idea, right?!
So get to linking up! Spread the word!

If it's not time for your newest link up, link up last week's just so we know about it!!

Monday:




Tuesday:




Wednesday:




Thursday:




Friday:




Saturday and Sunday:

The Sunny Summer Swap & a giveaway

First and foremost, GO VOTE FOR ME!!! HERE

OK girls, for those of you who signed up, it's time to really start thinking about shopping for The Sunny Summer Swap!

Emails went out yesterday, so if you signed up check your email and your junk mail folder! If you still did not receive an email please send Sarah a message at [email protected]. There is a chance there was a typo on the form you filled out or an error in transferring your email addresses from the list (mistakes happen- I admit it) so if you checked all of your folders and still didn't get the email, get at Sarah and make sure she has the correct email for you.

Here's a recap of the info you need for the swap:

• Sign ups: today through May 14th
• Email with partner assignments: May 15th  Check your inbox & junk folder
• All packages sent out by: June 1st
• Reveal post/link up: June 10th

• $25 spending limit
• Open to US residents only
• Fill out this form here to sign up. Sign ups now closed!

You have from now until June 1st to shop for your partner and get your package mailed.

That's 17 days people.

 Plenty of time for you to get to know your partner a little and shop for her.

Please remember to be fair. If you signed up and were partnered, please don't back out and just not send your partner anything. A lot of this swap is based on mutual trust, so if you said you were going to participate, please do so. I understand that circumstances change and things come up financially that might interfere or that you didn't foresee happening, but there has been plenty of time to contact any of the 3 swap hosts if you had issues. Also, if you signed up and don't participate or don't send your partner anything (especially if she sent you something!) you will be banned from doing any other swaps, linkies, etc in the future with me :)

Keep this information in mind:

Mark these dates somewhere on your calendar, and check your email often- even your spam or junk folder. Lots of blogger's emails end up in the spam folder (maybe because we send out so many? Who knows!)  Emails will go out on the 15th, so keep an eye on your inbox for a message saying Sunny Summer Swap or something similar.

Follow the hosts on Twitter to stay up to date on swap stuff!

@MelissaSwenson

@Amber__mack

@FortuneFavors11

We'll be tweeting updates & love connecting with you guys through social media!

Use the hashtag #SunnySummerSwap when tweeting all things swap related :)

Once swap partner assignments are sent out, get moving! Don't let that email sit in your inbox without replying to it. Get in touch with your partner ASAP! Say hi, introduce yourself, follow each others' blogs, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc and get to know each other a little. What does your partner like? Does she like to read? What's her favorite color? Is she a nail polish fan? Does she drink tea or coffee? Does she live somewhere warm? Ask some questions and check out each other's Pinterest boards or Goodreads lists for swap ideas.

Once we email swap partners assignments, it's in your hands. How this swap turns out is entirely up to you and how active/social you are with your partner. You have to take the initiative and contact each other- communicate! Let her know when you ship her package (give her the tracking number if you can!) Tell her if you're having problems finding something for her. Ask questions and keep each other informed. You can't expect to have fun with this swap and have a good experience if you don't actually participate, so have fun and don't be shy! This swap is all about meeting new bloggers.

Need some ideas? I thought you might. I went to Target the other day to get some ideas from summer must-haves. Your swap box can be filled with whatever you want:

A good summer read, your favorite summer nail polish (think bright, fun colors), self-tanner, sunscreen, magazines, makeup (summery shadows, lip glosses, bronzers, etc), lotion, summery fragrances (Bath & Body Works type stuff), anything coconut scented, favorite tea or summer drink mixes, sunglasses, a cute sun hat, fruity bubble bath/shower gel, stationary items- notepads, mini calendars, to-do lists, etc, flip flops or inexpensive sandals, beach tote, beach towel, picnic blanket, can koozies (beer/soda can coolers), jewelry- earrings, necklace, rings, bracelets, etc, a light-weight scarf, hair accessories (clips, headbands, wraps, etc), beachy candles or Scentsy, summer-themed picture frames or wall art, grilling accessories, bright kitchen accessories, plastic margarita glasses, colorful wallet or clutch, bright colored tank top or sun dress, gift card

Feel free to leave a comment with some more swap ideas! I'd love to hear what you come up with and what some of your favorite summer must-haves are.

 Please don't hesitate to email me or tweet me if you have any questions or problems regarding the swap! I would be more than happy to help you in any way that I can, and I would like to know if you have issues with get in touch with your partner.

Remember, the reveal date is June 10th, so don't post about your goodies until then!

(Thank you Melissa for letting me steal this whole entire post!)

An interview with myself.

When Amy approached me asking if I'd be interested in doing this with her, I quickly agreed! I'm so glad she thought to ask me and so excited to be a part of this!
So without further ado, here's week 1!

Finnie. Day 1.

52 weeks of kindness. Week 18. (and a giveaway)

This hasn't been the greatest week. Last week I straight up told you guys on my facebook page that I had nothing for you. If you read this post, you know why.

<"center"><br /> <a href="http://www.mythreebittles.com/p/52-weeks.html" target="_blank"><img alt="52 weeks of kindness" src="http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g431/Amber_McCain/52weeks.jpg"/></a></center>

Lucky Leprechaun Reveal Day & an act of kindness.

So some of you might remember that Sarah, Melissa and I had spots open a while back for the Lucky Leprechaun Book and Polish swap....

Well, reveal day is here!!

I was lucky enough to get paired up with the lovely Ashley of Wannabe Green.

I laughed a little when she requested no green polish because she had PLENTY!
After chatting a bit, I sent her an Essie polish and a book off her wishlist.
(I also emailed her two kindle books that I already had on my laptop)

I seriously squealed when my package arrived from Ashley! She was on top of that by the way, if you ever get her as a partner, she's awesome! I got mine from her while I was waiting for the book I ordered her off Amazon! SHE WAS QUICK!!

Anyway, she sent me this:

(the plish is Essie, Plumberry)
I love it! I'm actually 1/4 of the way done with "Are you there God, it's me Chelsea" (I'd have been done the same day I started it if I didn't have bittles, darn them for always needing stuff like diaper changes and dinner. Ha)
She picked em off my goodread to-read section.
She's good!
Can't wait to see what you all got!!!

And since it's Friday (Friday....gotta get down on Friday) (is that the right wording or did I make that part up in my head?) (oh well) (I hate that song)
Let's start over..... AWKWARD....

And since it's Friday. (ahem...)
It's time for another round of good deeds! Hip Hip Hooray!
Did you do anything kind this week?
I did! I was SO SO excited about it.
According to Miss Post Office Lady that Loved Baby Pollie's fat cheeks, miss Jessica of My Little Mustache should be getting a box today!
Hopefully she gets it before she sees this.
If she sees this. I'm honestly not even sure if she follows my blog, let alone knows who I am.
Anyway...
Jess is my inspiration! Seriously, if you follow her blog or her on instagram you see all the stuff she does! SO MUCH NICENESS! She's constantly trying to encourage someone!
She is currently donating all of her shop funds to an amazing cause.

Now if y'all remember a while back where I kept talking about my super secret 52 weeks project--well this was it!
I put SO much effort into this. Haha. I wanted to encourage the encourager!

The post office lady also was super impressed with my cupcake tape. I'm NOT joking.

I thought it'd be easier to get her address. I asked someone for it but she politely told me she wasn't comfortable with that which I completely understand.
So my next idea.... order something!
I ordered a hat for my sister in France and just prayed that it would come with a return address.
I was so happy to see that it did!
So Jess, if you're wondering how I got your address, well there you go. Sorry, I think?!

OH!! This post is where I talked about it! That took me a bit to find. So yup.
Okay. tell me yours!

Things I Don't Love Thursday.

Today I could use a good vent so I thought I'd link up with my friend, Melissa for her Things I Don't Love Thursday! Yay!

 
1. Identity theft. -enough said. Oh and now that I've updated my address on my credit report, guess who's getting collection notice letters for stuff that I have NO idea what it is?! Hooray!

2. When people say, "I think tattoos are tacky". I just wanna say, "Well I think you showing that camel toe in those shorts is tacky!" or "your sock bun is tacky" (nothing against sock buns, I wear them but I needed another example). Etc etc. But nope, I keep my mouth shut.

3. I also hate when people talk about how messed up looking some tattoo is going to be when you're 80..... umm, hello... obviously if I've made it to be 80 or higher, I'm not going to give a rats ass what my tattoos will look like! Lots of other things will be flabby/flappy at that point too and I'm pretty sure those won't really concern me either, but the fact that I (hopefully) have grandkids and maybe even great grandkids that I'll hopefully be healthy enough to play with. Or I'll be concerned about where I am when I wake up if I take a less healthy detour when I grow older. Seriously, wrinkly tattoos will be the LEAST of my concern and honestly I think they'll just show that I was a pretty cool young person.

4. The fact that my mail comes around 5:45pm. That's just torture! That's seriously like ALL day of having to wait and hope for good mail.

5. Allergies. My sinuses are going crazy lately. I think it's starting to calm down a bit but PHEW. For a few days (like 2 weeks) sinus pills were my B.F.F. (no offense, Jenny G.)


So head over to Melissa's blog to read what others are not loving this Thursday!

52 weeks. Week 10. (And a giveaway)

Once upon a time people did good deeds just to do them.
Today's world however is mostly selfish, only concerned with themselves.

Change that.
We made it this way.
We CAN change it.

You + me = we!

Do a good deed. Make some smile. Compliment someone. Hug someone. JUST BE KIND!




ONE good deed a week is NOT that hard.
You don't HAVE to link-up. You don't have to tell me about it.
JUST DO IT TO DO IT!

I host a link up to hold myself accountable and so others can tell their stories if they want--hold themselves accountable. Kind of pat yourself on the back type deal.

So anyway....
This week I took the ladies at the front desk of the lawyer's office some cookies.
Bumped up a small ad to a medium. -You're welcome BTW. I'm not sure if she's noticed yet.
I was extra nice to everyone I encountered which again with the mess we have going on (that I'm still unsure of talking about) was EXTREMELY hard to do. I mean, patience..... I'm learning that I have a LOT more than I thought I did. Phew.
And I donated to Sweet Baby Georgia.
And I sponsored Lesley.

So yeah... little things but again, I brightened a few days with some smiles and "hellos" and cookies.

Now you tell me all about who you made smile!

My friend, Sarah is celebrating her FOURTH year of blogging!! Help her celebrate and enter to win yourself some AMAZING prizes!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

52 weeks. Week 8.

Crab a button, spread the word, play along.

It's Monday & I have a giveaway for you!

This week's most clicked from The Pinspiration Project was
Mandie & her DIY Fridge liners!

My favorite of the week was:
Tabi and her Valentine's backpack!

Congrats guys!! Check out Sarah and Melissa's blog to see their favorites too!

Anyway... Happy Monday guys!
This weekend has been a bit boring for us.
It's been LONG as well.
Thursday afternoon when I picked Fin up from school, I overheard a lady asking others if they were sending their kids to school tomorrow, I asked why they wouldn't....
Apparently some kid for the past week had been sending another kid mean/hateful notes. One included a drawing of the kid covered in blood and finally the last note said something like, "if you don't kill yourself by Friday, I'll do it for you".... so yeah.
I ran it by David.... he quickly said, "yeah. Don't send him. Better safe than sorry"
So after arguing with Fin about it, he stayed home. Poor thing was just so confused about staying home and missing school. I didn't want to tell him about the threat
But come 4 pm, David & I both got a phone call--an automated message saying something like, "I'm sure by now most of you have heard that there's been a threat to our school. I just wanted to let you know that the MP's have investigated and it's all been taken care of and blah blah blah". I don't even remember exactly. I was so shocked that it was an actual legit threat!
He goes to an elementary school! K-5th grade!! That's like 11 years old and younger!!
That just blows my mind. Scares me, makes me sad for the parents, for that kid, etc etc.
His school is barely a mile from here.
We live ON BASE! On a military base!
And what if I hadn't overheard that lady asking?! What if I'd sent him to school?! What if something actually did happen?! You guys, the "what if's" are endless!
And is it wrong that they didn't tell people about it? Is it wrong that this went on for a week before something was done? What if I didn't know and I'd just gotten that phone call? I'd have freaked out wondering what the hell was going on! I'm not a happy momma! I can't even imagine the parents of the kids involved!  Ugh. Such a mess. Such a nightmare. I just kind of want more details or something.
So anyway, I took them out for happy meals for lunch. We tried to go to the cool park but realized they were still in school so couldn't play on that playground. We met up with Daddy & came home. I did a bit of grocery shopping, bought some anti aging cream after a conversation with Sarah & Melissa about how none of us really look our ages. Haha.
We've spent all weekend curled up and lazy thanks to a nasty cold that managed to skip Fin & Maddie but hit me, David & baby O pretty hard. I've taken naps this weekend like it was nobody's business and I don't nap! I hate naps. I wake up like super grump after I nap.
None of us have eaten much of anything. We're finally to that nasty coughing it all up stage so thankfully we're almost done with it, but ugh. It's been a gross nasty weekend.

I'm linking up with Sami today.
You should too.

And before you go, I have my friend, Melissa to talk to you about how Valentine's Day is stupid! And she's giving away a Dream Sampler Box! Go enter! Give her some love!
Happy Monday, guys!



February is the month that most people associate with love. It’s all hearts, candy, flowers and romance. Or disappointment, heartache and tons of ice cream or other comfort food to drown your lack of love/romance in. Thanks Valentine’s Day.

I’m not going to go into how much I loathe Valentine’s Day and the commercialism of this “pretend” holiday. Or even how I’m bitter that Valentine’s Day overshadows and gets in the way of my birthday, which happens to be February 14.

Instead, I’m going to highlight 10 ways to celebrate a Valentine’s Birthday:
1.       Have pizza delivered to them for lunch along with flowers. Everyone loves pizza and pizza, for most people, was a childhood birthday food staple. As for the flowers, flowers just make people happy. But stay away from roses…too “Valentine”.
2.       If you take them out for dinner, try and go to a place that will have live music, like a piano player. Arrange to have the musician(s) play “Happy Birthday” when they enter the room.  Everyone in the room will know someone’s celebrating a birthday and that things besides Valentine’s Day happen on February 14.
3.       Get them a really cool gift that is in no way related to Valentine’s Day and/or love. I suggest the Beanie Buddy octopus named Inky. It’s an octopus named INKY! A friend gave me this in high school and I LOVE it. Especially the name.
4.       Throw them a surprise party. Who doesn’t love a surprise party? The birthday person will be beyond touched that so many people gave up celebrating Valentine’s Day to celebrate the day of their birth instead.
5.       Bake a cake. This is a thoughtful thing. One of my best birthdays involved my roommates making me a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and ‘Happy 19th Birthday Melissa’ spelled out in licorice. It doesn’t have to be perfect…it really is the thought that counts.
6.       Take them out. Blow off work/school/responsibilities to take them to a bar and do birthday shots with them mid-day (or right after work). Valentine’s Day hasn’t really kicked into full gear yet, so they’ll be able to enjoy their birthday without a ton of couples around celebrating Valentine’s Day. If things get a bit wild, that’s ok. And let’s be honest…shots really do make things better.
7.       Spa day. Nothing says birthday like being pampered. Even if you can’t afford a full spa day, send them for something…manicure, pedicure, facial even a massage. This really is the best way to spend your birthday.
8.       Dance party. Just make sure there are no ‘love’ songs on the playlist. Many of my birthdays have included impromptu dance parties and they are ALWAYS fun. Plus, this is so easy to do! Turn on some music and start dancing.
9.       Do something they love but not Valentine’s related. For example, if their favourite restaurant is having a Valentine’s special, skip it. They like to bowl and the local bowling alley is doing rock-and-bowl, this would be good.  I spent a lot of my birthdays at rinks watching hockey games.
10.   Remember their birthday. This really is just basic. Year round so many people remember my birthday because it’s on Valentine’s Day. But then, the actual day arrives and no one remembers/cares because they are so busy and focused on Valentine’s Day. Try and remember their birthday outside of Facebook- send them an e-mail, text message or a phone call is better than a Facebook message (which points out who’s celebrating a birthday that day).  And for goodness sakes, do not give a combined Valentine/birthday gift and/or card.  Separate the two events.

If you know someone who is born on Valentine’s Day, do something nice for them- forgo celebrating the fake “holiday” that is Valentine’s Day and instead celebrate the day of their birth. They really will appreciate it. Trust me.

Thanks Amber for letting me guest post today! You can find me at www.dreamsandcolour.blogspot.com

If you don't know what a Dream Sampler Box is, head here.

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