For the Love of all That Is Pretty

Babies on the Brain

2010-01-26T06:57:00.000-08:00

There's so much to write....so many updates...I don't even know where to start.

She's a feisty one!

I guess, first things first, my grandmother is actually doing really well. Things can still change from day to day, but they're moving her into a nursing home today so we're feeling good about the direction she's going right now. It's amazing that so much can change in less than a week. Last Tuesday, my Uncle and Gram's doctors were just sure her time was nearly over. Today she's off to the home to start physical therapy. It's incredible. Please still keep her in your prayers, if you don't mind. Like I said, it's a day by day thing and we just don't know what's going to happen today, tomorrow, or a week from now. She's living on less than 2/3 of a lung and according to her doctor, that shouldn't even be possible. Not possible, but she's doing it. She's a fighter, that's for sure.

While we're on the subject of prayers, my friend Leah lost her baby yesterday. He was delivered over the weekend via emergency c-section at just 24 weeks. It was so early, she was barely even showing. He only weighed 1.1 lbs and was - I think - about 11" long. To say that he was tiny would be an understatement. My friend has a blood disorder that shut down the placenta and the baby was dying, so they had to make the decision to deliver him and at least give him a chance at survival. He lived 4 days before he passed. It's such a tragedy and a lot of us are hurting for her and her family today. My heart breaks for every parent who has lost a child. I just can't even imagine the pain and the feeling of loss. Please keep her family in your thoughts this week. I pray that they can feel some measure of peace in knowing that he's safe and with God now.

And now for some good news....our baby is thankfully doing incredibly well! How do I know? Well, we ended up in the ER while we were visiting Gram. I started bleeding out of nowhere. Bleeding like crazy. It was devastating. I was just sure we had lost the baby. Fortunately, the ultrasound and bloodwork showed that the baby is perfect. In fact, the ER doc said that our baby is as good as it could possibly be. At that news, my husband broke down. He had been holding it together for me because I had been a total wreck, but he was so relieved to know that our little one was ok, he just lost it. I've never seen him cry like that. It means so very much to me to know that he's so invested in this child and I'm not on my own this time. I can't even explain how much more I love him because of it. So anyway, it's just that pesky placenta of mine causing trouble again. It appears to be moving up to where it belongs now though, so that's great news. So we have some new ultrasound pics - which of course I don't have with me here at work - but honestly, they aren't great shots of the baby. The tech wasn't trying to get us a good pic, she was trying to figure out what was going on, so the baby is really just kind of there in the background. And really, not much has changed since the last ultrasound. We do go back to our doctor on February 9th for yet another ultrasound, so hopefully there will be a noticeable difference then. Right now our little one is approximately the size of a lime. It's incredible how fast they grow!

Look at those adorable little feet!

11 Weeks

We bought our first baby item over the weekend: a pink baby book. I'm feeling confident that we'll get our little girl. Either way, it was only $4 and it was too freaking adorable to pass up. The cover is hot pink, red, white, and lime green stripes. I love that it's not 6 different shades of pastel pink, so it's definitely going to be my inspiration for nursery decor! But geez, try to find girl stuff right now that isn't pink and brown. I can't stand that color combo. So, if you see anything in our colors, let me know!

The dress I ordered for the May wedding came in last night, and tomorrow it's going right back to ASOS. Let me just say, it did not look so nice from behind. Or from the side. The view from the front was alright, but still not great. Back to the drawing board. Maybe I'll go with something floor length to keep my legs covered. That would probably be a good idea.

Thanks for sticking around ladies. I know I haven't been writing or commenting much but it's nice to know you're all still there! And just because I don't comment, doesn't mean I'm not keeping up with your blogs, because I am!

All images via Google Images

Rough Day

2010-01-19T13:17:00.000-08:00

My day has gone straight down hill. I got that call that you hope to never get when you have a sick friend or family member. My grandma has been in ICU all weekend, but as of yesterday appeared to be doing well. Apparently things changed overnight and today the doctors said that the prognosis isn't good and told my Uncle to gather the family together. We're heading out first thing in the morning.

It's just so hard. I've never lost anyone that I cared this much about. Not even close. It hurts even more to know that she'll most likely never meet her 2nd great grandchild. I'm just so glad that Logan has had time to get to know her. They've spent a good amount of time together considering how far apart we live and they love each other so much! He's feisty like her. Even now, she's pissed off about the fuss everyone is making over her. She'd have been happier, I'm sure, to have just died alone in her bed without any hubbub. She's not going to be happy when we all get there tomorrow, I'm sure, but nothing could keep me away. I feel so much guilt for not having made time to see her the last few months. I know it doesn't do any good to feel guilty over something like that, but it's still there and probably always will be.

If you pray, please keep my family in your prayers this week. It's going to be hard on all of us, regardless of the outcome.

Food Network and Ice Skates

2010-01-19T08:59:00.000-08:00

Hello ladies! I hope you all had a great weekend! My 3 days (thank you, Dr. King, for the extra day off) went so fast and were soooo busy! I really could have used an extra day off to recover!

Dress Update! I bought that dress about 2 minutes after the post went up. I couldn't resist the hot pink fabric and low, low price. Now let's just hope that it looks half as good on me as it does on the twiggy, probably-not-really-even-pregnant model. Thanks for all the input ladies! Except for the middle-aged guy who commented that it wasn't busty enough (which, by the way, it will be, considering I'm quite chesty to begin with without adding on the extra pregnancy boobage), the comments were all really positive, so now I feel good about having bought it. Now if you all could just find me some cute nude or goldish flats....that would be a big help!

My Saturday was spent in the kitchen. In the morning I got a pot of pasta sauce going on the stove. It's an old recipe from my Italian ex's family (the same ex that is getting married in May). Trust me, this is the best sauce (or "gravy" as a lot of Italians call it) that you will ever have in your life. At least, I think so. So my house smelled like an Italian restaurant all day and it was incredible. I'll take that smell over a fussy candle any day! Next up were some turkey and artichoke stuffed shells, recipe courtesy of Giada DeLaurentis. They were TO DIE FOR! I sprinkled some asiago cheese on top (Because it's the cheese of choice in the Lynch household...and, yes, we have a cheese of choice. Don't judge.) in addition to the mozzarella and it was the perfect finishing touch! I loved the shells. Hubs loved them too. Even the Monster tore his up (although we told him it was spagetti)! Seriously, they were super easy to make, so you should definitely give this recipe a try! For dessert, I whipped up a low fat berry cobbler, recipe from Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger. Since I don't like seedy berries, I altered the recipe a little by using just strawberries and blueberries and it came out great! Needless to say, we ate really well this weekend....and we watch a lot of Food Network!

Sunday I started packing up our Christmas decorations. I now have everything put away except the tree itself and the lights. They were such a pain to put up, I'm not looking forward to removing them, so I put it off till another day. Just call me Scarlet.

Yesterday, we took the Monster for his very first ice skating lesson. It was kind of a disaster. He was the youngest in a rather large class and therefore didn't really learn anything, except that it's fun to kick big divets in the ice.....which is a big no no. Some little girl, who couldn't have been a day over 10, was dragging him around the ice by his armpits, while he swung and kicked his legs and removed as much ice from the rink as he possibly could in a short half hour. When she resorted to holding his hands, rather than supporting his nearly 40 lb weight, he was better behaved. Mostly because if he tried to do anything but stand perfectly still, he fell on his ass. We got a stern talking-to from the instructor following the class about how we need to let him practice walking in the skates so he can get used to the feeling and how we have to tell him he can't kick the ice. Yeah, ok buddy. Clearly this guy doesn't have any kids. I can tell him not to do something until I'm blue in the face, but as soon as he knows he's out of my reach, he's going to do whatever the hell he wants. It'll be up to the instructors to keep him in line unless they let me come out onto the ice with him. So let's just hope he doesn't become the first kid to ever get kicked out of ice skating class. Although, that would be a good story for the girlfriends down the road..... Pictures to come!

So how was your weekend? Tell me all about it!

Help me fashionable friends!

2010-01-15T08:33:00.000-08:00

Hello ladies! I'm back today to ask for the opinion of you fine fashionistas. You see, I'm attending a wedding in May. Not just any wedding, but the wedding of my ex boyfriend. Before you get the wrong idea, the ex and I have been very good friends for several years now. His fiance is a DOLL and she even sang (for free) at my wedding. I am so very happy for the two of them and I'm excited that I'm going to be there to share in their special day, just as they were there to share in mine. The problem is, the ex has some very catty lady friends who never exactly warmed up to me. I still think they were just jealous because they all secretly wanted him. He's pretty good looking folks. Italian, blue eyes, dimples, great body, very charismatic and charming...there isn't much not to like. (But I swear there are very good reasons why he's my ex.) Anyway, all those Bitter Betties will be there, so clearly I need to look GOOOOOD. This is where you come in. Before I click "Purchase", I need you all to approve my dress!

I think the bright pink will be nice for late spring/early summer. The wedding colors are purple and white, so there's no chance of being mistaken for part of the bridal party. Also, it's a garden wedding, so I need flat shoes. I could use your help finding some of those actually...I was thinking of maybe pairing it with some nude flats or sandals. Since it's already so bright on it's own, I just thought nude accessories would probably be best.

Did I mention that the dress is currently on clearance for only $17? Shipping to the US is only $6 and they have free returns in case it looks god-awful.

So what do you think ladies? Yes or no? For $17 and free returns, I don't think I can really go wrong here.

Color Black Cap Sleeve Maternity Dress from ASOS.

Amazed... UPDATED

2010-01-11T18:24:00.001-08:00

Soooo.....my new OB fit us in yesterday afternoon because my spotting had turned bright red and we were getting really concerned. We started off with an ultrasound and he assured us that she was alive and well. She measured only 2 days off from our estimated due date. We got to see her wiggle around and kick her little legs. It was incredible. The cause of the bleeding is placenta previa (I could have totaly spelled that wrong) - meaning that the placenta is between the baby and the exit. Right now it's sitting right on top of my cervix and there are some clots smooshed between them which is where the blood is coming from. Apparently this is pretty common and not a big deal early on in a pregnancy, as the placenta should move up to where it's supposed to be on it's own. We go back in a month to check it out. In the meantime, I have to quit my Zumba class, I'm not allowed to pick up or carry the Monster, and no lovins for the husband. Poor guy. He took the news like a champ though. It's nice to be with someone who is more concerned about our well being than his own needs. He's incredible. So that's the news. The baby is perfect! (And we say "she" out of wishful thinking. We won't actually know for probably about 2 more months.)

Thank you all so much for the kind thoughts and encouragement. I was so worried and it really helped to know that our baby was in your prayers. You are truly an amazing group of women and I'm so lucky to call you all my friends!

I say a little prayer for you...

2010-01-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

I'm having a rough time ladies and I could really use some of your positive energy if you wouldn't mind sending some my way. I started spotting yesterday. You moms out there probably know exactly what that means, but for those of you who are less familiar with pregnancy: it could be nothing at all OR it could mean that our time with our little Baby Bunny is almost over. I spent the entire day curled up in my husband's arms crying yesterday. I'm at work today out of necessity, but I'm not really here. I've spent the entire day on the verge of tears. I know I should try to stay positive, but this is one of those times when it feels impossible to do. My OB told me there was no need to come in, because there is nothing they can do for me either way. At this point, I just have to wait for my appointment 2 weeks from now. The possibility of going in there for our ultrasound and seeing NOTHING on the screen is simply devastating. So please, if you have a moment, send up a little prayer for our baby.
Thanks!

2009 in Review - Myspace style

2010-01-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

I'm really not so good at Resolutions. I don't even make them any more, because I'd just be setting myself up for failure. So, in lieu of a New Years Resolutions post, i thought I'd reflect on 2009 - Myspace style - with a survey!

1.What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
I got to see my husband and my parents and cry tears of joy when I told them that I was pregnant. It was the very best moment of the entire year!

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I really didn't make any resolutions last year. I never stick to them, so what's the point in even making them?
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister gave birth to my little chubster niece, Scarlet, in April.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Fortunately, no. My Grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer, but she's still with us and her treatment went well.

5. What places did you visit?
Orlando & Sanibel Island, FL; Pittsburgh & Lewistown, PA; Annapolis, MD; and Williamsburg, VA

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A daughter! And maybe some extra money in my bank account.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
2009 has been pretty good in general. In no particular order...I took my first annual Florida trip in April with my in-laws, spent Valentine's weekend in Annapolis at a beautiful hotel with my hunny and ate a crazy expensive dinner, bought my very own almost-new car, celebrated our wedding anniversary in Pittsburgh in a beautiful B&B and ate another memorable meal (yes, most of our good memories have food attached), had the Monster's last name changed in October, and in December found out that we are expecting. There are so many moments that stand out from the year. There were ups and downs, but the good has definitely outweighed the bad.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I really don't think I've achieved anything noteworthy this year. Maybe next year.

9. What was your biggest failure?
We bought a Total Gym and I used it for all of about 3 weeks. Now it sits in a corner, covered in dust.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
The Monster seems to pick up every single illness that goes around and boy does he love to share. We've had just about every stomach virus or head cold that's passed through Delaware this year. No Piggy Flu though, surprisingly! Hopefully 2010 will bring us better health!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My car. No doubt!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My husband's, for sure. He's become such an amazing daddy. I swear, he's a natural. And when it comes to being a husband, he's as good as it gets. He's incredibly supportive and kind and he just gets me. Now matter how rough some moments have been, he finds a way to make everything better. He bends over backwards to keep a smile on my face because he knows the true secret to happiness: "Happy Wife, Happy Life" or "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" - however you prefer to look at it.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Ugh. The donor and his family. They disgust me to no end.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Car payments? They really suck. When it's time to write those checks, I kind of miss my old, paid off car. Hmmmm...and daycare. Yeah, that sucks too. My kid is pretty awesome. I think his daycare person should be paying me for the privilege of hanging out with him all day. Who am I kidding? I should probably be paying her double!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Family vacations, buying a car, having a new baby.....

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Kings of Leon "Sex on Fire"

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
Happier, though it's hard to believe that I could be happier now than I was last year, only 4 months into my marriage and still blissful. I'm more in love than I was one year ago - also hard to believe. I just have so much that is good in my life right now.

b) thinner or fatter?
I hate to admit it, but fatter. And unfortunately I can't use the pregnancy as an excuse since I'm not far enough along yet.

c) richer or poorer?
At this point last year we were still paying off our wedding BUT I didn't have a car payment yet. So my financial situation is probably about the same, but Hubs has less money coming in since he's laid off, so as a family we're poorer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Oh my gosh....work out, have sex, play and read with the Monster, cook, actually do work at work. So much.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Waste money.

20. How did you spend Christmas in 2009?
Same as the year before and hopefully many years to come....Christmas Eve with my parents and Christmas day with the inlaws. It was especially nice this year with our big revelation!

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Absolutely, with someone tiny (the size of a raspberry) and already precious to me, but that I won't meet for another 7 months or so.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
GLEEEEE!!!!

23. What did you do for your birthday in 2009?
Pouted because none of my friends remembered. :(

24. What was the best book you read?
I started on the Sookie Stackhouse novels and they've all been pretty good so far. I also read another series called The Hollows by Kim Harrison and they were great too!

25. What did you want and get?
A car, a baby, and the Monster was finally potty-trained!

26. What did you want and not get?
Extra money? I don't know. I've been very lucky this year. I'd really have liked for Hubs to have found a new job but I think that will come now in 2010 with this new incentive of OH MY GOD WE'RE HAVING A BABY IN 7 MONTHS! GET A DAMN JOB! Ok, it doesn't actually go anything like that in our house, I know Hubs is trying and he won't drop the ball, but that's the general idea.

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
New Moon, The Hangover, and Avatar. In that order...I think.

28. Did you make some new friends this year?
Blogger friends!

29.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Already knowing that my little tummy dweller is a girl....but we still have a few months before we'll know that for sure. Or, maybe having been able to transfer to an office closer to my home so I don't have to spend almost 3 hours driving every day.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Not much has changed. Some days I put in more effort to be "fashionable" but when it comes down to it, I'm a jeans and tshirt girl at heart.

31. What kept you sane?
My husband. His very presence calms me. I can handle absolutely anything as long as he's by my side. And sometimes the Monster too...but really, anyone with a 3 yr old knows that they're going to make you crazy more often than they keep you sane.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Oh, I don't know. I've always been a fan of Angelina Jolie, but that's not really a 2009 thing. No one really stands out.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
I get pretty fired up over equal rights for the GLBT community.

34. Who did you miss?
My Grandma. It hurts to be so far away from her now when she's sick. I wish I had visited more often. Hopefully that's something I'll change in 2010. You have to make the most of your time with the people you love because you never know how long they'll be with you.

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
My husband got laid off this year and side work has been up and down for him. Sometimes he gets a lot of work and makes good money, but then he won't have anything for a few months. It's unpredictable and it's scary. We had drama with the "Donor" at the beginning of the year but then he disappeared leaving me in peace but with an extra $400/month in bills to pay. My Grandma was diagnosed with lung cancer. My mother-in-law suffered a mini stroke, was diagnosed with an extremely rare heart condition, and then later broke her hip. There's been more, but why dwell on the negative? We've made it through a lot of struggles this year. And that's the lesson right there. We made it. No matter what has been thrown at us, we've taken it like champs. We haven't let ourselves get too down for too long over anything. We've kept our chins up and we've kept on going. Our love is stronger and our lives are happier, and when I look back on the year, I think about all the happy moments and not the hard times. Unlike in the past, I haven't let the negativity overtake me, and I have my husband to thank for that. He's incredibly positive - all the time - and that's really started to rub off on me.

So thanks 2009, it's been fun but I'm ready to move on. Welcome 2010, we all have big plans for you! Please don't let us down!

Survey swiped from the gorgeous and sweet Taylor at Jimmy Choos & a Baby Too!

Wake me when it's next year!

2009-12-31T11:30:00.000-08:00

2009 has been a bit of a roller coaster year for us....well, a lame roller coaster...maybe one of those old wooden ones that just kind of goes up and down and around but isn't exactly a "thrill ride". We've had highs and lows, but nothing too exceptional either way (except for our baby news, of course). It seems that something good has always followed the bad, so it's all leveled out one way or another. Kyle was laid off by his employer of 12 years when the entire business shut down due to lack of work, but he's managed to find enough side jobs to keep him going and his account always seems to be fuller than mine. (Seriously, where does all my money go???) At the start of the year, we had a very strained relationship with the Monster's "donor" but a few short months later he dropped off our radar. (Hallelujah!!!!) Of course, now his witch of a mother is pestering me, but maybe she'll disappear in 2010 (I can only hope). I bought my first new-to-me car, went on some great vacations with the inlaws, suffered a 2.5% pay cut in addition to now paying 50% more for my benefits, won a name change for the Monster, and now we're expecting Baby #2. All in all, I have to say 2009 was pretty good to us. I'm happier than I've ever been in my life, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what 2010 has in store. It's going to be a good one, I can feel it!

We'll be spending the evening at home this year, just the 4 of us. We're going to order some takeout from one of our local restaurants and toast at midnight with sparkling grape juice. I set an alarm on my phone to wake us at 11:30 so we don't miss the ball drop. I'm not delusional enough to think that I'll actually be able to stay up that late. It will be a nice, low key night with movies, snuggling, games, and lots of happiness. We have so very much to be thankful for!

Happy New Year to you all!!!

Make Me Smile

2009-12-30T07:08:00.000-08:00

With the holidays coming to a close and the pressure of a New Year and Resolutions upon us, I figured we could all use a smile. For me, this All-Day-Long Sickness and inability to sleep at night - no matter how exhausted I am - is really taking it's toll. Food doesn't really agree with me, but if I don't eat every few hours I get even sicker. It's a Catch 22. Don't get me wrong, I'm not really complaining. It's just an inconvenient part of the process. Expect a lot of talk about food and sleep over the next few months!

I braved a CRAZY Walmart parking lot on Christmas Eve just for some waffle fries and bbq sauce. It took me 40 minutes to get out of the parking lot and back onto the highway. I didn't mind, because it gave me time to enjoy my snack! Also, I endured that very same madness the night before, ordered my fries and a lemonade, and then discovered - when I tried to pay - that my debit card wasn't in my wallet. Boo. I don't carry cash or a credit card and there wasn't enough change in my wallet to swing it, so it was all for nothing. I left with no fries. I could have cried. So believe me, I really enjoyed them the next night!

My hunny got me a new Ipod for Christmas! I didn't ask for it, but I really, really wanted one! I was using his old shuffle and it wasn't a fan of my audiobooks. So last night Kyle loaded some music onto it while I was watching a movie. Driving to work this morning I decided to flip through and see what he put on there and I was so surprised! It always amazes me just how well he knows me. He put on all of "our songs" but he also added a LOT of my favorite songs too: "Heartless" by Kris Allen from AI, "Here I Am (Come and Take Me) by Al Green, "Soulshine" by Warren Haynes, "Ziggie Stardust" by David Bowie, "Glycerine" by Bush, "A Groovy Kind of Love" by Phil Collins, "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar, and a couple of Taylor Swift songs. My musical taste is pretty random so it's just impressive that he pulled those specific songs out of our extensive collection. Of course, he also loaded every single Kings of Leon song ever recorded (and even one that was never on any of their albums but was performed live at one of their concerts). Every time a new song came on this morning, I got a little teary, especially when it was one of "Our Songs" or what I call "Message Songs". You know, those songs that don't have a special significance to you relationship but that convey a sweet message like "The Prettiest Girl in the Whole Wide World" by Weezer. He's such a sweetheart and I think this might be my favorite Christmas present ever!

My sister and I took our first Zumba class on Monday, and while it's not exactly making my smile (because my calves and hips are still burning and I walk like a cripple), I know it will pay off. We had a lot of fun and got a GREAT cardio workout at the same time. If you've never heard of it, it's like a salsa/latin dance aerobic workout. They mix up a lot of salsa moves with some more traditional aerobic steps and what you get is a major calorie burner. We both walked out of there soaked in sweat! Our class is small and we're the youngest people there - besides the instructor - by about 30 years, but that just shows that anyone can do it. It's one of those things that is what you make of it. If you put all your energy into it, you're going to get a great workout, or you could slide around and take it easy like some of the older ladies. Check it out...

This move cracked me up. All I could think of was Thriller.

If you're looking for a fun workout and you love to dance, Zumba is definitely for you!

And then there's...

...this guy.

He just makes me day. Every day. I love him more now than ever. Maybe it's the hormones but I think it's just him. He bends over backwards to help me out and make my life easier. He packs my lunch at night after I pass out, he drives to Hardees to get me cheese fries late at night because I'm hungry and nothing in our house sounds appealing, he lets me use all the hot water to take a bath because my calves feel like rocks, he sleeps on the couch because he can't stop coughing and doesn't want to keep me up, and he's just generally wonderful. He's an amazing daddy and husband and I thank God for him every day. I am so grateful for the opportunity to give him a child of his own. He loves Logan like his own, but I know it will be different when he looks at our child and sees parts of himself. I can't wait for that day!

So that's what's keeping a smile on my face this week when all I want to do is hurl. Of course, it's all of you who keep me going through the day! All of you! And especially you, you, you, you, and you! Your emails an comments really brighten my day, so thanks for that!

What's putting a smile on your face this week?

No more snow! No more snow! No more snow!

2009-12-23T07:52:00.000-08:00

Let me just say, it's been a crazy couple of weeks! Logan has now visited with 3 different Santas. Lol. I wonder at what age they begin to question why Santa always looks different... Anywho, I figured I'd try to get this blog into the Christmas spirit a little with some Santa and tree pics. What do you say?

This is our tree. It's pretty awesome, I know. 10 points to anyone who can find the Christmas Poo ornament that I bought Hubs last year. ;)

This was Logan's 2nd Santa - who is also a close personal friend of the fam. Our local fire hall hosts "Breakfast with Santa" every year so we now have 4 pictures of Logan with his particular St. Nick. His wife even gets into that act as Mrs. Claus but unfortunately I don't have any good shots of her.

We did, however, manage to get a nice family shot...and by nice I mean that Logan looks spaced out and my mom is mid-sentence. Oh well.

Last weekend, thanks to our incredible snowfall, we were able to build pretty much the coolest snowman ever. The kids lost interest about halfway through so I finished it up. I'm pretty proud of the hat. That's the Monster to the left. Sitting next to him is my nephew Koby (who is only 2 months older than Logan) and standing is Koby's brother Kaden.

Logan's 3rd Santa came to my sister-in-law's house last night to visit with all the kids in the family. Logan thought it was the greatest thing EVER. I just wish my camera had cooperated so you could get the full effect of Santa sitting in a leopard print chair!

So that's been my last 2 weeks in a nutshell. We've now had 2 parties with my inlaws with 2 more to go - these people really enjoy eating together! Then, of course, we're also getting together with them Christmas morning - which is when Hubs and I are spilling the Baby Beans. Tonight we're going to a party with a long-time friend of mine and her family. It should be a lot of fun! Then tomorrow night we have dinner and Christmas Eve festivities with my parents. Seriously, things are HECTIC now. I still have a lot of wrapping to do, but with everything that we have going on, I just don't know when it's going to get done. Right now, I'm toying around with the idea of bringing them in to work tomorrow to get it done. That's probably the most likely scenario.

So what about you? How many family parties do you attend? Have you finished all your shopping? Wrapping?

If I don't get a chance to stop by again, Happy Holidays to you all!

Inspired Gifts

2009-12-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

While searching for gifts for those impossible to shop for people on my list, I came across the website for UNICEF. This year I'll be making several purchases from their site on behalf of friends and family. Through the Inspired Gifts program you can purchase real lifesaving supplies that will then be distributed to children in any of the 155 countries in which UNICEF operates, depending on where the need is greatest. If you aren't familiar with UNICEF and would like to learn more about them, please check out their website when you have time. They do so very much, I honestly wouldn't do the organization justice if I tried to summarize their work here, but I promise you'll be inspired. I encourage all of you to consider the ways you might be able to help others, not only during this holiday season but all year long. Every little bit counts to people who are truly in need.

"By ensuring that all children have access to basic education and by focusing on children marginalized by poverty, HIV/AIDS, conflict and discrimination, we can break the cycle of poverty that keeps children on the brink of survival."

"UNICEF works with governments, national and international agencies, and civil society to support effective and essential actions at each phase of the life cycle of the child, including in pregnancy, early childhood, preschool and school-going years, and in adolescence."

All day I've been toying around with the idea of organizing some sort of Blogger event to raise money for UNICEF. (Maybe a massive giveaway as incentive? I haven't quite worked that part out yet. Anyone with an Etsy shop interested in donating?) I know times are tight for everyone, but when I think about how much we have - even those of us who are struggling - compared to people in impoverished countries, it's hard not to justify a donation - even a small one. I'm not looking for any pledges at the moment, I guess I'm just putting it out there to see if anyone would be interested in contributing. Obviously, with Christmas right around the corner, we're all a little short, so I thought we could wait until January or February to get things rolling. This is such an amazing, supportive community, I'm sure we can come up with something!

All photos via http://www.unicef.org/

Sleeping Beauty

2009-12-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

Hello ladies! I have lots of posts planned for you, I promise. For right now though, I can't seem to get out of my own way. I'm asleep by 9 every night AND I take a nap during my lunch break every day. Still, it doesn't seem to be enough. I feel like a zombie. It's really unfortunate that coffee is off limits now when I really need it. Until our Baby Bunny decides to start sharing some of the energy again, I'll be around and I'll post and comment whenever I can get my brain to function, but don't expect too much from me over the next few weeks. For now, I leave you with...

Places I Could Take a Nap

This is me pretty much all day at work.

A Super(hero) Christmas Birthday Party

2009-12-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

I thought perhaps I ought to come down off my cloud and thank you all for your kind words. We're so very excited and I'm happy to be able to share our good news with all of you. But, as promised, I'm not turning this into a bably blog, so let's get on with the show, shall we? How about some pics from the Monster's birthday party...

Birthday Boy

Attempted family picture....

We wore superhero tshirts.

My sister Jess, neices Angie and Scarlet, and biological mom Missy. This was supposed to just be us ladies, but William hopped in too. Then I was sad that I hadn't dragged Logan away from his toys to be in it too.

My BFF Lauren, also Logan's godmother, my maid of honor, and the bringer of the only present he actually asked for: Rocky the Robot Truck.

The aftermath....

And now, for the cupcakes! I actually didn't have time to make them from scratch with everything else we had to do to get ready, so I had to settle for the box mix. I fancied them up a bit though, don't you worry! Sticking with the superhero/Christmas theme, I made chocolate Spiderman cupcakes and vanilla Incredible Hulk cupcakes.

See? They're superhero-y AND festive with their red and green frosting!

The purple and green looked pretty awesome and freaked my mother-in-law out a bit.

The red frosting was pretty much a disaster. I made, not one, but TWO failed batches. The first I managed to get to a nice bright shade of red....but it tasted DISGUSTING. Seriously. It took a full day to get the taste out of my mouth. Red dye #3 sucks ass. I tried a few other methods on batch number 2 but couldn't get it beyond a dark pink. Finally, I gave up and bought some red frosting in a squirt can. At least I made the green frosting from scratch, and it was delicious! They all turned out really pretty so we'll call it a success.

P.O.S.I.T.I.V.E.

2009-12-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

I had some good news that I was going to keep to myself for a little while, but with all the bad news running rampant in these parts lately, I thought maybe now would be as good a time as any to share it with all of you. I've been so back and forth on this decision, but well, here it is.

Yesterday, I got this...

Yes, that's a + for PREGNANT! I had actually given up on this month. The tests I had taken a few days ago had all been negative and I had decided to sit back and wait for Aunt Flo. Fortunately, a good friend of mine (who is also pregnant) kept pestering me to test again. So this weekend at my parent's house, I tested, and was able to surprise my husband AND parents with a big plus sign! It was a really nice moment, everyone cried a little. I cried a lot. It was more like sobbing hysterically. I guess I can blame the hormones. Anyway, it was just amazing to be sitting in that same room, once again telling them I'm pregnant, and once again with a room full of people in tears - but this time, tears of joy. This pregnancy already feels so different than the last one. It's starting out in a much better place. Everyone is happy and excited and encouraging. I know that my husband will be supportive and I won't have to do any of it by myself. I won't sit crying at a bus stop after finding out the gender. Alone. This time is so very different.

We are realistic about the possibilities. We are still very, very early on in the pregnancy and there is always a chance of something going wrong. We know that. We're going to tell his immediate family on Christmas morning but we're going to wait to tell everyone else after our 1st ultrasound on January 22nd. We figure our odds are probably better after that point.

I'm sharing this with all of you because, well to be honest, I just can't keep it to myself! Even though we aren't sharing the news with our friends yet, I thought this would be a pretty safe outlet. It's practically like being anonymous. You know who I am, but you don't really know me. So it works. I'm still not breaking any of our rules! And of course, I thought we could all use a little sunshine and good news around here. Logan decided last night that we would call the baby "Baby Bunny". He's my "Baby Bear" so I think it's pretty cute that he came up with that. Kyle is about as excited as he ever gets about anything. I caught him rubbing my belly last night while we were snuggling on the couch. It was really sweet.

But don't worry ladies, I'll do my very best to keep my hormones to myself and not plaster pregnancy junk all over this blog. Ok, there may be an update every now and then, but this will NOT become a pregnancy blog. I promise. If I get out of hand, just let me know. I have a tendency to get carried away!

So how was your weekend?

Thanksgiving in Williamsburg, VA

2009-12-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

My in-laws have some timeshares in Williamsburg (and Orlando) so they reserved enough units for the whole family to go for Thanksgiving this year. Unfortunately, one sister-in-law's father in law died that week so their family was unable to go. Logan was pretty bummed because she's the one with kids his age. The other sister-in-law is the organist at church and had to be there for all the services before and after Thanksgiving, so they couldn't go either. It was just us and Kyle's parents and two empty units. Such a waste. Thursday was the Monster's birthday so we took him a few presents to open that morning. The entire weekend was amazing. We did some serious Black Friday shopping, went sight-seeing, and spent a little family time in the hot tub.

He LOVED his roller skates!!!

The view from our balcony that morning was pretty gorgeous.

Just turned 3 and he's already a huge flirt!

Walking along the beach near Jamestown.

Logan LOVED the hot tub. He called it the "little pool".

In a Yankee Candle store the size of a Super Walmart - this is where he got his picture with Santa and they even had snow machines inside!

Busch Gardens' Christmas Town

Riding the Christmas Train (Logan's rocking his adorable iheartbaby beanie)

The line was crazy long for the carousel so we just let him sit on this one instead. We're kinda mean.

One of the Annheuser Busch Clydesdales

Logan got to meet Elmo at the Sesame Street show.

Pretty sure this was the highlight of the trip for him.

Exploring the Historic Jamestown Settlement

Bye Williamsburg! We'll see you again soon!

New Moon Party and Cupcake Reviews

2009-12-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

The first of many upcoming picture-laden posts...here are just a few pics from our New Moon party. The cupcakes turned out PERFECT and they were a HUGE hit! We started the night off stuffing our faces and playing the New Moon board game. Shannon was prepared with tons of cookies and chips and a few frozen pizzas. Then Claire showed up with, I kid you not, an entire pork loin with veggies and two gallon-sized ziplock bags full of fried chicken. We ate. A lot. After that, we moved on to watching (and mocking) Twilight. Seriously, that movie sucked. Why did they make it all blue? That didn't even make sense. If anything, it should have all been green-tinged. That was her complaint through the whole thing, that Forks was just so greeeeen. They screwed up important lines, made everything extra cheesy, and left out key scenes. Yuck. I'm so glad they did New Moon justice. We all LOVED it!

Me, Claire, Ashley, and Shannon - I LOVE these girls!!!

One of about a thousand attempts at a group picture.

Finally, all in!

Claire and I were SUPER excited to see New Moon!

Apparently Shannon and Ashley were even MORE excited!

Thumbs up for New Moon! Let's go see it again!!!!

And now for the cupcakes...

Red wine cupcake with dark chocolate glaze and salted caramel drizzle

and

Vanilla cupcake with strawberry filling and cream cheese frosting

I found the red wine cupcake recipe here and used the Magnolia's vanilla cupcake recipe found here. The cream cheese frosting is just your basic recipe. Nothing special there. For the strawberry filling, I pureed a quart of strawberries and sifted out the seeds. You can find really good step by step instructions with pictures here for adding a filling to your cupcake. Then I cooked up some pectin - the gelatin stuff that they use to make preserves, you can find it in your grocery store in the baking goods aisle - and mixed in a little bit at a time. I probably added about a third to half of it to the puree. I was totally experimenting so I had no clue how they'd turn out. I wanted the filling thick enough that it wouldn't soak into the cupcake, but I didnt want it as thick as jelly. It turned out pretty nicely actually. The pectin did add a little bit of an after-taste but it wasn't really unpleasant and once the filling was in the cupcakes, you couldn't taste it at all. The vanilla cupcake recipe wasn't my favorite, it was really flour-y and dense, but it worked well for this particular cupcake. It ended up with sort of a strawberry shortcake flavor. They were, hands down, the most popular with the girls. My favorite was definitely the red wine cupcake though. The flavors all together reminded me a little of a rum ball. Initially you get the strong red wine and the dark chocolate flavors and then the sweetness and saltiness of the caramel (it was also really good drizzled on top of chocolate ice cream)! I will say that you definitely need a drink to accompany them - preferably a glass of milk. They're really rich and delicious and you'll need something to wash them down. They're also REALLY yummy if you pop them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds before eating!

So there you have it! Much, much more to come ladies. Thanks for sticking with me!

My cliche Thanksgiving list

2009-12-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

Since I was MIA over Thanksgiving, I missed the chance to share with you some of the many things I am thankful for. But don't worry, I've spent the entire morning jotting down a few things, just for you lovely ladies! So here goes, this is by no means a complete list, that would be impossible, these are just some of the highlights....

I am eternally thankful for...

...my mother.

She's overbearing and a complete pain in the ass more often than not, but I love her endlessly. She gave me a home and a family and loved me when no one else could. She has supported me in all my decisions, both good and bad, and has always shared her honest opinion with me even if it hurt my feelings. Sometimes, you just need to hear that sort of thing. Not once has she ever said "I told you so". She has loved my son since the moment she laid eyes on him, even though she was determined that she wouldn't because of the circumstances. Everything I've ever needed, she has provided. She sacrificed her own desires and even necessities to put me through private school for 9 years in order to give me the very best chance at a better life than she had. I can only hope and pray to be as amazing a mother to my children as she has been to me. I think I have a pretty good chance, I learned from the best, you know.

...my son.

He is my very heart walking outside of my body, and the very best thing that has ever happened to me. I fear I'll never be able to give him as much as he's given me with just his very existence. He saved me from myself and from a painful, abusive relationship, when suddenly what I wanted or needed no longer mattered. Every thought, every decision centered on what was best for him. I left for him. He has been my life for nearly 4 years, and I am a far better person for it. He challenges me and tests my patience daily. He's a tiny little version of me and our battles are epic. No one wins when we clash. But at night, when he snuggles up next to me in my bed, all the fights of the day are forgotten and he's just my Baby Bear again. No matter how big he gets or how many children we have, he'll always be my first, my baby.

...my husband.

I count him among the three greatest blessings in my life. He was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time, and I deserve him. He is my reward for all of my patience and faith. I earned this happiness, and I'll never take him for granted. I thank God for him every day. I'm grateful for the home that he has provided, for his love for my son, and for so much more. He shows me every day how loved I am, not with extravagant gifts, but with what I call our "everyday romance". It's the little things that he does for me that really show me how much he cares: text messages in the afternoon to tell me he loves me, cooking dinner every night, or picking up something that he's noticed I've run out of. He doesn't buy flowers, but he will buy tampons. He even let's me hog the water when we shower together every night, because he knows I can't stand to be cold. He's thoughtful, unselfish, and beautiful in every way. I'm so lucky that he feels the same about me.

...my family.

I have so many different families, it's beyond confusing, so i won't try to explain it. I will say that I am grateful to all of them for the roles that they have played in my life. I am grateful to my mom's and Nina's families for accepting me as one of their own and for never making me feel like an outsider. I am grateful to my birth mother for making the very best decision for me and for staying in my life as a sister-figure and a friend. She's an incredible artist and one of the sweetest people I've ever known. She has struggled but has never let it harden her or make her bitter. I am proud to be so much like her. I am grateful for my beautiful sister and my talented brother, and I am so proud of the adults they have become. My sister is an amazing wife and mother of 3, who is completing a bachelor's degree online while also attending cosmetology school full time. She has more energy and determination than anyone else I have ever met and I admire that so much about her. I am grateful for the relationship we have built as we've gotten older and found more common ground. My brother is probably the funniest person you'd ever meet. He's also a total smart-ass but he has a big heart. He's an amazing dancer and definitely inherited our mother's artistic gene. I guess you could say we all inherited that, actually. It's just manifested in such completely different, amazing ways in each of us. I am so very grateful for Kyle's family and for their acceptance. They have welcomed both myself and my son into their tight-knit group, and have helped our little family out so much. I'm grateful for their presence and Christian influence in our lives. They challenge me to be better, to give more of myself, and to find a closer relationship with God. I've been blessed in my life to be loved by so many amazing people and to be able to call them all my family. "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all."

...my childhood friends.
But not for the reasons you might think. I am grateful to my childhood friends for showing me which paths to NOT take in life. It breaks my heart to see some of them now and to know how very far they are from where they, as children, had planned to be by age 25. It hurts that there isn't anything I can do to change their situations. For my dearest and oldest friend, the very saddest part is that the determination and stubborn nature that would have made her the amazing lawyer she always dreamed of being, is now the very same thing that's holding her to the lifestyle she has chosen. She now lives on the other side of the law, and it's just too painful for me to remain involved. So why is this something I'm grateful for? Because as a teenager, seeing the results of my friends dangerous mistakes kept me from repeating them. I stayed out of trouble. I stayed away from drugs. I watched as my friends entire lives...their hopes and dreams and goals and aspirations...who they truly were as people, people who had been my very best friends...I watched as it all went down the toilet. They were too high to notice, and some still are. I pray that they'll wake up one day and turn their lives around so that we can be friends again. Until then, I am grateful to them for being an example to me of what NOT to be.

There are so many other little things that I'm thankful for:

My new car
Money to buy Christmas gifts for all the people I love
Food on my table every night (that my husband cooked)
A beautiful house. It's more than just a roof over our heads, it's our home, and though it's still a work in progress, we are proud of it.
A job - it's not exactly a career but it provides health insurance for my family, gives me enough money to pay my bills and still have a little left over, and helps me save for retirement.
My health
Creativity - I may not have any useful skills, but I can whip up a mean batch of spiderman cupcakes, make a kick ass necklace out of old vintage jewelry, and paint perfect stripes on our walls. Like my husband told me last night "It would be really nice if someone would pay you to stay home and make awesome stuff." Amen hunny, amen!
New friends - and that includes all of you! Have I made any life-long forever-friend kind of bonds here? Not yet, but I'm definitely building some great relationships. I'm admittedly a lazy friend. It's not that I don't care, I just don't think to email or call or text very often. Being my friend isn't easy, but I appreciate that so many of you are trying! You are all amazing and you inspire me in so many ways!

Pics above are just a sneak peek from our Williamsburg trip. More to come tomorrow!

Blechhh!

2009-12-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

I am SICK SICK SICK today ladies. That wicked little Monster has passed his nasty stomach virus on to dear old mom and dad - and after we threw such an awesome birthday party for him yesterday! Kyle was up all night puking his guts out. I'm not there yet but I do kind of feel like my stomach is going to explode at any moment, so I imagine my time is probably coming. I'm working on a few different posts including a list of the things I am most thankful for (since I missed doing one on Thanksgiving), an introduction to my gorgeous sister, the rest of our love story, and pictures pictures pictures. I have New Moon party pics, Thanksgiving in Williamsburg pics, AND Logan's Super(hero) Christmas/Birthday party pics from yesterday. Whewww...I'm tired just thinking about all of it. Anyway, odds are I'll be curled up on the bathroom floor most of the day tomorrow, but hopefully I'll be back Wednesday!

This will be me....

Images via weheartit.com

Let's get Ortonish

2009-12-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

While we were in Williamsburg for Thanksgiving, the Monster got a chance to visit with Santa. This was the first year that he didn't cling to me like an insane little monkey as soon as we got close to the big man in red. Last year Kyle and I both had to be in the picture with him, because we couldn't get him to leggo my sweater. This year he's a brand new Monster. Not only did he go willingly into Santa's sleigh, but he chatted him up for almost 5 minutes. I had to practically pry him off the guy's lap! Unfortunately, even though the pics are amazing, they were a little dark and super pricey! For $30 we got two 5x7s and 4 wallets. That's it. Ouch! Fortunately, there's Picnik and I have a friend who works at the Walmart Photo Center, so I can fancy them up and hopefully get a few extra prints made! Silly copyright laws...

We have a big, busy weekend ahead. The Monster has not one, but two birthday parties. Yes, they're both for him. And no, it was not my choice. My parents are freaks. Anywho, that means this girl will be spending all her spare moments baking superhero cupcakes (you know I can't resist a good excuse to bake), scrubbing my house from top to bottom, wrapping presents, and trying to throw up some holiday decorations so the place looks festive. It's a holiday superhero theme apparently. A Merry Spiderman Christmas. Lol. We'll see how it works out. Trust, there will be a million pictures, and I still have pics from our New Moon party and Thanksgiving in Williamsburg so there are a bajillion picture-heavy posts to come. Consider this my apology in advance! And yeah, I guess this means I'm back, but I'm trying to ease in so I don't get overwhelmed and run off again.

15 minutes to quitting time! I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

A quick Christmas survey

2009-12-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

To prove that I haven't completely abandoned you... A friend just sent me this Christmas survey at work, so I figured I'd share my answers here too. Feel free to repost with your own answers!

1.) Have you started your Christmas shopping?
Yes, in fact, my husband started shopping for the Monster over the summer. We’ve been picking things up here and there ever since. Black Friday shopping helped us check off the majority of our list, now we only have the more difficult family members left to shop for.

2.) Tell me about one of your special traditions.
We go to my parents’ house on Christmas Eve where we each get to open one present. Then we read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and the story of Jesus’ birth from the Bible. It’s really special to us.

3.) When do you put up your Tree?
Usually, right after Thanksgiving, because I like to have the house decorated for the Monster’s birthday party, which we usually have in early December. This year I’m waiting until after the party, because it takes up too much space when we have so many people in the house.

4.) Are you a Black Friday shopper?
Absolutely! But we aren’t the types to get there way early and wait in line for hours. We usually plan out where we want to go and for what and then show up about 15 minutes before the doors open.

5.) Do you Travel at Christmas or Stay home?
We always traveled when I was younger, but now we stay home. I only get one or two days off work, so unless I want to use up vacation, we don’t really have time to go anywhere. Besides, our schedules end up pretty full with all the family parties and whatnot.

6.) What is your funniest Christmas memory?
Nothing really stands out to me as being especially funny. The disaster that Hurricane Logan left through the entire house last year is funny now, but wasn’t so much at the time. So maybe that counts.

7.) What is your favorite Christmas Movie of All time?
I love all the classic claymation movies and Love Actually.

8.)Do you do your own Christmas Baking, what’s your favorite treat?
My mom had a cookie recipe where you make a base and then use that to make like 10 different kinds of cookies. We’d have cookie parties when I was younger and bake dozens and dozens of different kinds then sit around and decorate all the sugar cookies. I don’t really do any baking now though. My in-laws pretty much handle all the cooking for the family.

9.) Fake or Real Tree?
We go with fake. It’s way less hassle and I’m a perfectionist so I could never find a live tree that would satisfy me. I'm the type that would be perfectly happy to leave the tree decorated and just move it into storage at the end of the season so it's already done the next year. Unfortunately, we can't get it up into the attic without taking it apart. Bummer.

10.) What day does the actual panic set in to get it all done?
I think it starts to hit in December when I realize that I have a birthday party AND Christmas to prepare for. It’s a lot. I get really tired of wrapping presents too.

11.) Are you still wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?
I usually still have a few to wrap up at that point. Most often it’s stocking stuff that I bought at the last minute because I started filling them and decided that I didn't have enough.

12.) What is your favorite family fun time at Christmas?
Watching Logan open his presents is always fun. He really goes to town. It’s just nice to see everyone enjoy the things that you buy for them.
13.) What Christmas craft do you like the best?
Wrapping presents is about as crafty as I get around Christmas. I am REALLY particular about wrapping though, so I swear it counts. I don’t get fancy with ribbons or bows but it takes me forever to wrap because I want every present to be absolutely perfect.

14.) Christmas music. Yes or No, and if yes What is your favorite song?
Of course, yes! I love “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “This Christmas” are the ones that immediately come to mind, but I’m sure there are others. "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" always puts a smile on my face and makes me think of my BFF because she's obsessed with hippos.
15.) When do you plan to finish all your shopping?
Well, I have two more paychecks between now and Christmas, so I imagine I’ll be done shopping a short time after I get that last one, since then I’ll be out of both time and money!

Taking an extended vacay...

2009-12-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

In case you're wondering, I'm taking a little blog-cation. I've been feeling kinda burned out, like I've been forcing it, trying too hard. Honestly, I'm just not that interesting and this has been way more work than I expected. I guess right now I'm trying to decide if it's worth it. You guys are awesome, but with followers comes a pressure to turn out regular, entertaining posts when I don't necessarily have anything to write about. So I'm going to step away for a little while, and hopefully you'll still be here when I come back. :) Don't think I won't still be lurking around, because you know I will! And feel free to email me any time - I'd love to hear from you!

While you're waiting, you can check out my Love Story (the short version) over at My Teacups in Peony. Thanks to the super sweet Nicole for posting it!!!

I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving!!!

TfreakingGIF!

2009-11-20T07:21:00.000-08:00

I'm smiling today, thanks for asking!

I've spent most of the morning writing out lists for this weekend's festivities: a grocery list, a shopping list (Target), and a packing list. I'm totally a list girl. I could pretend it's because I'm a super-organized Virgo, but really, I just have a terrible memory. If I didn't carry a notebook in my purse to write things down in, I'd never remember anything. It's pretty bad.

Aaaanyway, I'm making not one, but TWO different kinds of cupcakes for this weekend! I'm sticking with the plain old vanilla/vanilla for my vampire cupcakes but I'm also whipping up a batch of red wine cupcakes with chocolate glaze and salted caramel. Sounds delicious right? I found the recipe last week and I'm DYING to try them. Hopefully they turn out great!

Mine will be vanilla instead of red velvet, I just really like this picture. Via

Don't they look delicious??? Via

You can get the recipe here or you can just wait for my review (in case they turn out notsogreat). Cross your fingers for me!

I'm feeling a bit like Mr. T today with all my chains on. I bought this jewelry to wear with my New Moon outfit this weekend. I'm still not sure if all the necklaces will look weird with a striped shirt. I know I could just try it on to find out, but making a polyvore is more fun, don't you agree?

New Moon Outfit by marjorie.pearce

The jeans and shirt aren't exactly the same - my shirt looks less like a maternity top - but everything else is right. I have a second necklace with circles that I was planning to wear as well (I'm wearing both today - see pic above). So what do you think? Are the chains and stripes too much or will it be cute? I count on all of you for fashion advice, because you're way better at this stuff than I am.

And for you Twitards who went to the midnight showing, how was it? I'm dying to know!!!

Oh, I almost forgot! When I googled "Twilight cupcakes" I found these. Enjoy!

Twilight Baked Goods-related images via Google Images

Lame

2009-11-19T07:34:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling pretty down today, so it looks like Part 2 of my Love Story will have to wait until tomorrow...unless I perk up between now and 4:30. We'll see. For now I could use some cheering up, soooo......

I'm determined.

I could definitely use a few more of these...

These too.

Two of my very best memories:

How can I not smile while looking at his sweet little face?

It's not raining here today, so that's positive, but I still can't see the sun. I swear, with the exception of last weekend, I've felt like I've been living in Forks for the last month - minus the vampires.

Well, I hope you're having a graet day, and by the way...

It's true.

Images are mine or via WeHeartIt

My Love Story

2009-11-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

My husband and I have a pretty unique story. If you've been hanging around these Pretty parts for a while, you may have read little snippets of our tale here and there, but now, inspired by a few of my favorite bloggers, I'd like to share all the mushy details with you. Considering we only met about 19 months ago, there really isn't all that much to tell, but I like to think it makes for good reading. (I also like to think that ya'll are dying to know every little thing about me, so humor me.)

It all started with a wink...

I had recently ended the last in a string of nasty relationships and had moved back into my parents' house for the first time since winter and summer breaks from college. It took some serious swallowing of pride to be back under my parents roof (and thumb) and now sharing a room with my one year old son. His father's involvement was....inconsistent, to put it kindly, but I was fortunate to have my parents help and their full support. Though they were initially devastated by the news of my pregnancy, the moment Logan looked up at them with his huge blue eyes, they were hooked and they'd do anything for the two of us.

The eager, live-in babysitters gave me an opportunity to reconnect with old friends and re-claim a piece of the social life that had been consumed by controlling relationships. I went to happy hour with friends once a week and eventually started dating. I was meeting people, sure, but not necessarily the kind of people I would consider introducing to my son. I needed to find a way to meet a quality guy, someone Logan and I could build a life with.

On a whim, I set up a profile on Match.com. It made sense for me. I assumed that someone willing to pay to join a dating site was more likely to be looking for a relationship than the guy who bought me a drink at the bar. The site also served to filter out guys who weren't interested in dating moms. If I winked* at a guy and he didn't wink back, I never took it personally. I simply told myself that he probably didn't want to be involved with a child, and it had nothing to do with me as a person.

When I came across Kyle's profile, it practically jumped off the screen and smacked me in the face. His bio read like my Perfect Husband Wish List. I was desperate to meet him, but I was so nervous I almost kept on clicking right past him. What if he didn't wink back? I just knew his rejection would break my heart. When he not only winked back, but also sent me a message, I'll be honest, I did a little happy dance. We wrote back and forth a few times and even exchanged numbers, but he was leaving for a trip to Florida with his family so that was as far as we got.

A week later I texted to ask how his trip went. He had just gotten home a few days earlier and relayed the exciting details of his week-long stomach virus and painful sunburn. That was the first night we talked on the phone. When he called, I nearly melted. He spoke with a soft southern accent, that was a bit unusual for a native Delawarian. When I questioned him about it, he replied that no one else in his family or group of friends had an accent, and attributed it to years of watching Dukes of Hazzard as a child. We talked for hours that night and made plans to meet for dinner later that week, on April 1st. I was so giddy when we got off the phone, I don't think I slept at all.

I decided not to tell my parents how we actually met, and instead made up a story about how he slipped me his number while doing some electrical work in my office. I knew that if I had told them the truth, they'd think I had lost my mind and probably insist that I be accompanied by a chaperone to make sure he wasn't a psychopath. Like a responsible person, I made sure they knew where I would be and wrote down all of his information for them, should I disappear.

I beat him to the restaurant and took a booth near the door. I was so nervous I ordered a margarita, hoping to get at least one down before he arrived. What if he didn't find me attractive? What if I didn't find him attractive? He had send me a picture the night before that was....less than flattering, and I was really hoping he looked more like the pictures on his profile (which were smokin' hot). He did not disappoint. In fact, he was even better looking in person, and his accent made me positively weak in the knees.

We sat for hours drinking margaritas and talking about our lives, our friends and family, our goals and dreams, and everything else we could think of. He asked about my son and assured me that he had no problems dating a mother. He explained that he was looking forward to becoming a father one day, and he liked that I came with a built-in family. When the wait staff finally started turning off the lights, he walked me to me car. It was there in the parking lot that we shared our first kiss. It was deep and long and felt totally right. (That's what she said.) He kissed me exactly the way I liked to be kissed. It was, without a doubt, the best first kiss of my life. I didn't think he could possibly be more perfect, and he seemed to feel the same about me. I'm pretty sure I floated home.

To be continued... :)

* Match allows users to send Winks to people they're interested in - like Facebook Pokes (what happened to them, by the way?)

I thought about condensing this into one quick little post, but decided that if I was going to take the time to write it, then I wanted to do it justice. To make up for all the blah blah blah, here are some pretty shoes that should get in my closet! (Imagine that in a bad Scottish accent.)

J. Crew

Bowling with the Homies

2009-11-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty enjoyable weekend. The Monster went to PA with my parents to visit my Gram and the rest of the fam, so we got to stay up late, sleep in until noon, and eat candy without having to share. It was heaven....but by Saturday I was missing my little angel something fierce (when he's gone for a few days, I start to forget what a monster he is and think of him more as my sweet little angel baby). I posted pics last night from our beach bum Sunday, so here are pics from the rest of the weekend:

Friday: Dinner and a Movie

We had dinner at Red Lobster then came home and snuggled on the couch while we watched "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". Note the blue eyeshadow and my bright yellow dining room. We're colorful.

Saturday: Bowler Pose

We went bowling with my Hubby's life-long friends Tony and Dave - and Dave's preggo wife Karen. This is what we consider to be a "big, exciting night out". Delaware is kinda lame....or maybe it's just us. Either way, we end up going bowling usually once a month or so. Even Karen is getting pretty good by now.

I decided that we never take enough (or any) pictures when we go out, so I forced everyone to give me their best "Bowler Pose". Let the Pose-Off begin!

Tony wouldn't give us a pose - because he's LAME - so i stole this picture. Coincidentally, he also sucked balls (and pins) that night, so maybe he should have just played along.

Beach Baby

2009-11-16T20:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the pictures from the few hours we spent at Bethany Beach on Sunday. You can see how eroded the sand dunes are from the crazy high tide. Our beaches are usually pretty bare, but after the storm there were pebbles, shells, and all kinds of stuff all over the place.

Make Me Smile Monday

2009-11-16T08:48:00.000-08:00

Wow, I haven't done one of these in FOREVER! There are actually quite a few things making me smile today, so let's dive right in, shall we?

Via

I picked up this eye shadow quad last week (Sapphire Ice by Maybelline), and you better believe I'm rockin this look today. I never would have worn blue eyeshadow before, but blogging has made me brave. You all inspire me daily to try things I never would have imagined doing a few months ago. I know we're just talking about eyeshadow right now, but seriously, this stuff looks pretty great on so I'm glad I gave it a shot. Maybe I'll get some pictures up later. It's the little things that make me smile.

Via

One of my favorite fall smells is the comforting smokey scent of our pellet stove. It fills our entire home, but isn't overwhelming. I'm not even sure if it lingers on our clothes or hair when we leave, but while we're home, it's amazing.

Via

A crazy storm came through last week and flooded a good part of my state (which doesn't really take much, we're tiny and you're never more than about 45 mins from the coast no matter where you are in the state). Fortunately, there hasn't been TOO much damage. The good part is, the storm made for a great beach walk yesterday. Hubs and I spent 4-5 hours strolling along the shore collecting shells and tossing starfish back into the ocean. Neither of us have EVER seen a starfish on our beaches, but yesterday we found 5 or 6 of them. It was amazing. There were all types of weird little crabs skittering around too. We even found a complete sand dollar - another first for us. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and the water was warm enough to put our feet in. The only thing that could have made it better (aside from finishing off with a stop at the J Crew outlet) would have been to have the Monster there with us. He would have loved to see all the wildlife and collect shells with us. My parents had taken him up to visit my grandmother in PA, and they didn't get back until last night. I took a ton of my own pictures while we were there, but they're on my home computer. I'll try to get some up here tonight.

Via

We're planning a superhero party for the Monster's 3rd birthday! We actually haven't set a date yet, but I've already started planning out the different kinds of superhero cupcakes I'll make. I've figured out how to represent The Hulk and Spiderman so far. Batman will be easy enough if I can find just the right bat-shaped cookie cutter. Wolverine, which of course is his favorite (he loves that they're both named Logan), is also the most difficult. I don't know if we'll be able to come up with any "Moverine" cupcakes for him, but I'll sure as hell try! We have a cute little spiderman costume for him to wear too! I'm so excited! At this age, the parties are pretty much more for the parents than the kids, and I DO love throwing a party!

I know, I know, how many Twilight/New Moon posts are there going to be? Unfortunately, I can't promise this will be the last. Just bear with me. I am THAT excited about New Moon this weekend! Also, I feel gross for thinking it, but that Taylor Lautner is SMOKING HOT! Seriously, boys did NOT look like that when I was 17.

All New Moon pics via Google Images

Once upon a time...

2009-11-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

...people paid good money to take my picture.

Something that none of you yet know about me, is that before I was a wife or a mommy, I was a pin-up model. In the short period between college and parenthood, I spent much of my free time pouting for the camera.

I have ALWAYS had a weakness for everything vintage. I came up with the idea to do a pin-up shoot for my then fiance (the Monster's useless "father") as a Valentine's Day gift because he had a pretty serious Bettie Page obsession going on. My first shoot wasn't anything spectacular but I had a blast anyway and I was hooked.

I did about 10 or so shoots - including 2 during my pregnancy.

That little bump is my Monster!

I even landed a full page spread in a hot rod magazine. It was actually a pretty amazing surprise, since I had no clue the photographer had even submitted any of my pictures. He called to tell me on my 22nd birthday, while I was about 6 months pregnant, starting to get quite round-ish, and definitely in need of a reminder that I was once pretty freaking hot. The timing could not have been more perfect - even though i kind of hate the picture they chose.

I thought I'd share some of these pictures with you, really more as inspiration for myself than anything. I'm ashamed to admit, I've gained about 2 sizes since these were taken. I've never been a skinny girl, but I was pretty happy with my figure back then. I had thick but shapely legs, a flat stomach, and perky tatas.

To be honest, I'm totally happy to keep my new enormous boobies - they were a very thoughtful gift from my Monster - but I'd love to get the rest of me back into pin-up shape.

So with all of you as my witnesses, I'm announcing right now that I WILL look like this again. Of course, depending on how soon we conceive, it may have to wait until after my pregnancy, but it WILL happen.

And hopefully the opportunity will present itself for me to get back into doing some pin-up one day. Not for Kyle or even for the money - though that was a nice bonus - but just to feel good about myself again. I really enjoyed getting all dolled up and being girly for a few hours.

*Sigh* One day my stomach will be flat again.....hopefully.

And just to clarify, before anyone gets the wrong impression, this post is totally not meant to "toot my own horn" or whatever. Modeling was a huge boost to my self esteem at a time when my significant other made me feel lower than dirt. For those few hours, I could forget about my craptastic life and just feel special and pretty. I'm PROUD of these pictures and I won't apologize for that. But please don't think that I'm conceited or just trying to show off, because that couldn't be further from the truth.

Drool-worthy

2009-11-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

I really don't have anything in particular to write about today. Fortunately, I'm back to my happy, less crazy self, so I thought I should celebrate. I know my husband is probably home doing the happy dance and thanking God for sending Psycho Wife away...until next month. I begged him the other night to please impregnate me this month so we won't have to go through that again. I'm pretty sure he was thinking the exact same thing. I was really THAT unpleasant. But, like I said, it's over for now, so let's just focus on the positive. Here are a few things that are on my mind today...

Everyone has been posting pics of their favorite vamp lately. I know, I'm excited for New Moon too, but you've all been leaving my man out. Not cool ladies, not cool. The quiet ones need love too.

The odds are good that I may be rockin' one of these little numbers next Saturday...if only I could figure out how to dress one up to look a little less teeny-bopper-ish. Suggestions?

And I'm pretty sure I need this cover for my Flip...

Enough daydreaming about sexy vamps...focus Marjorie, focus! In case you haven't guessed already, I do have plans to see New Moon next weekend. I'm getting together with some of my favorite girls for an old school style Twilight-themed slumber party. We're going to order pizza, watch Twilight, eat some adorable vampire cupcakes (that will hopefully turn out as cute as I'm hoping), then we'll be off to see New Moon! I'm so excited! I am DYING to see this movie AND it will be really great to get some time with my girls! We've only been able to get together a handful of times since my wedding (last August), so we're looooong overdue.

Somehow Christmas has snuck right up on me this year. I know we're still a month and a half away, but I like to judge the time span by how many paychecks remain between now and then, which is only 3. Yeah, doesn't seem like so long now, does it? I started my shopping with this most recent pay check and I've knocked a few people off my list, but there are still so many left. I married into a big family that still insists on buying gifts for everyone rather than doing a name drawing or Secret Santa. For his family alone, we have 12 people to buy for. Add in my parents and my sister's kids (we agreed to only buy for the little ones) and that brings us to 15 - not including buying for each other, of course. We're done shopping for Logan fortunately, but I've barely started on Hubs. And I know, Christmas isn't really about the presents, but I feel so guilty about how much his family spends on us. I always try to find great gifts on sale so I can feel like I at least got them something really nice, even though I didn't spend much. I'm still looking for some ideas for the ladies on my list, so if you have any suggestions, I would really really really appreciate them! We're trying to stick to around $25 per person, so consider this my challenge to you! Lol.

Finally, here's a little something to celebrate the return of Glee last night...

You're welcome.

Jasper Hale images via

Jasper Hale swag via

Present via Google

Mark Salling image via

I NOT has a PMS!!! Ok, fine. Maybe I have a little one.

2009-11-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

I'm back and the knots in my stomach are finally gone! Thank God. I cannot believe all the support that poured in from you amazing ladies! I almost cried every time I logged on and read all of your comments. It really meant so very much to me. Being a parent is really freaking hard. It's nice to know that people think you're doing a good job. I love you guys!

Anywho, I'm much better mentally, but physically....notsomuch. I'm experiencing my first bout of PMS in 3 years and ohmygod does it suuuuuuuuuck! Seriously. I told hubs today that I want my birth control back! Not really, but damn. I freaking hurt. I have not missed this shit one bit. This afternoon my cramps took my sanity hostage and demanded another chocolate milkshake from Wawa as a condition of it's release. Obviously, I complied. We negotiate with that kind of terrorist around here. I also snagged some Maryland crab soup while I was there...and some chicken noodle soup too. I couldn't decide so I got some of each. It seemed reasonable.

Anywho, I'll be back with more tomorrow when the blinding pain in my abdomen will have hopefully subsided to some extent and I'll be able to make some sort of sense. Thanks again for all the love ladies! You're all amazing!

All images via Google because I'm lazy.

Negative Nancy

2009-11-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

I have to apologize, this will not be a happy post, but this is my life and it's not all sunshine and lollipops. Honestly, I could cry right now...or scream...or punch a few certain people in the face without one bit of regret...or throw up. I'm furious, frightened, worried, anxious....and so many other things all at once and my stomach is in knots. It's amazing what one little phone call can do. I've been waiting....waiting for such a phone call. I've had nightmares about this. Aside from the obvious, such as someone I care for dying or being badly injured, this is my biggest fear....

Via

I just wrote a very long, confusing account of the entire situation, but I erased it. I'll try to simplify it for you instead. Here's the story as short and sweet as I can make it (and because I love using bullets):

My son's "father" has been totally absent from our lives for over 8 months. No calls, texs, visits, emails, or support payments. Totally gone. It's been pure bliss.
My son's paternal grandmother has been totally absent from our lives for about a year. I kindly allowed her and her daughter to attend his birthday party last year, but have not heard from her since.
Keep in mind, they have all been absent for almost a THIRD of his life.
His "father's" sister does message me on facebook from time to time to ask to see the Monster, but I've been putting her off, because:
I prefer to keep the entire family out of his life to prevent any of them from reminding his "father" of his existence or giving him a hard time about not being involved. We PREFER him uninvolved. It might sound ridiculous, but I figure "out of sight, out of mind" might work for this situation.
As you all know, my son now bears my married name. It's probably the best thing I've ever done for him so far in his short little life. His "father's" family is unaware of this fact. I'd like to keep it that way simply to save myself the drama they would cause if they found out.
I pretended to delete my facebook account so that I could delete her as a friend, and then made my profile private and unsearchable so she wouldn't realize that it was just her who got the axe. My thoughts being once again "out of sight, out of mind" and that way I also didn't have to worry about her getting info she shouldn't have.
Unfortunately, the grandmother called me today. I missed the call, but she left a message. Of course she did. My guess is she probably wants to see the Monster for his birthday. Not happenin'.
I'm not returning her call. Not only am I not returning her call, but I'm having Hubs look into having my number changed today.

I know this might sound cruel to some of you, and maybe it is, but I'm honestly just trying to do what's best for my son. I'll do anything and everything in my power to protect him. I've seen too many kids end up as nothing more than a pawn in some selfish game between separated parents. I refuse to allow that to happen to my child. When we allowed his "father" visitation, he would bring the baby home to us at 4 in the afternoon SOUND ASLEEP. As in, out for the night. He didn't make him take naps or go to bed at a decent time or even abide by any sort of rules. It would take us a week to get his behavior and sleeping habits under control. He was only 2, he didn't understand the difference between acceptable behavior at our house and that house. I would cry while he was gone. Half the time, he didn't even want to go. I won't put any of us through that again. My son has a mommy and daddy who love him. He'll have siblings. Both my family and my husband's family would do anything for him. His life is complete WITHOUT his "father" and the rest of his family. We don't need or want any of them in our lives. I wish I could just make them all go away.

Uhm, yes. Now go jump off a bridge.

What I’d like to say to them is: “Screw you, you selfish, ignorant douchebags. My son is a beautiful, intelligent, sweet child (most days). He’s NOTHING like you or anyone else in your family and none of you even deserve to know him. Where were you when we needed help? Too caught up in your own lives to even think of us or wonder how we were making out. Yet you feel you’re entitled to pop in and out of our lives as it pleases you? I don’t think so. We don’t need you now. We don’t want you now. We made the best of a bad situation – a bad situation caused by YOU (I’m talking to you, you sorry excuse for a man and even sorrier excuse for a parent) – and our lives are pretty damn great. Without. You. As far as I’m concerned, you can all just go to hell.” I won't, because I'm better than that, but damn if it doesn't feel amazing to write it here!
And while I'm on the topic of parenting, let me say that I fully support gay marriage as well as their right to adopt children. If I lose readers over that, fuck it, I don't care. I am the PROUD product of gay parents (though my mom was actually single when she adopted me) and I think I turned out not so bad. My parents sent me to Christian school for 9 years and took me to church every Sunday. They are amazing, selfless, Christian women who have put me first my entire life. Me, a child who didn't belong to either one of them. They took me out of an unfortunate situation with a teen mom and a deadbeat teen dad and gave me a home. I have been their entire life for 25 years and they have loved me unconditionally. They have been faithful to each other for 22 years - so much for the idea that gays will ruin the institution of marriage with their promiscuous ways. And so to those who are against gay marriage and adoption, on behalf of my son who has a deadbeat dad and myself who was raised by lesbian parents, I say:

Damn straight.

I love my two moms!

I've read an argument (by a gay blogger) that the above image kind of throws single parents under the bus, by saying that having gay parents is better than having a single parent. I totally am not trying to make that point. My mom and I have both done time as single parents and I FULLY support single parents. I'm simply showing my support for gay marriage/parenting and expressing my disgust with deadbeat parents all at the same time.

I'm not even going to bother to re-read this or spell check (not that I ever do that), so excuse any grammtical errors or whatever. I'm not having a good day, so I think that's an acceptable excuse. Anyway, it's my lunch time and I think I'll go shopping. There's a cute pair of skinny jeans I've been wanting, and I'm pretty certain they'll make me feel better. If that doesn't work, I'll stop at Wawa on my way back to the office and pick up a chocolate milkshake. Thanks for listening.

My Halloween is Average

2009-11-05T06:36:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Gabby, I spent all afternoon yesterday on MLIA (My Life is Average)...a variaton of FML. These are a few of my Halloween favorites:

Yesterday, on Halloween, I was giving out candy. There's a lot of teenagers in my neighborhood, so I got a lot of slutty outfits or football players. Towards the end of the night, four guys wearing all gray with gray face paint and gray hair-sprayed hair rang the doorbell and posed when I opened the door instead of saying "trick or treat." They stayed motionless for about a minute until one said, "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, demand Halloween candy." They were Mount Rushmore, and they collectively got a bag of leftover candy from me. MLIA.

Yesterday, I took my baby cousin trick or treating. She was dressed as a pumpkin and was absolutely adorable, so many kids wanted to hold her. She was held my a zombie, a dead person, a texas chainsaw murderer, and a scary clown. She didn't cry until she got held by a twelve year-old dressed as Miley Cyrus. She was right to be afraid. MLIA

Frightening

Last night I was out trick or treating with my friends. We saw traffic blocked up on the main road and decided to go check it out. We saw a guy dressed as a cop pinning down another guy dressed as a donut and it looked like he was about to bite him. People got out of their cars and cheered them on. MLIA

Yummmm

Today, I saw a man dressed in full Buddy costume from the movie "Elf." I stuck my head out my car window and yelled, "You're a cotton-headed ninnymuggins!" His gasp was audible from several feet away, and then he chased me down the sidewalk yelling, "I'm telling Santa!" I love college. MLIA.

Today, I answered the door to find a high school girl dressed as Taylor Swift. Halfway through saying "trick or treat," a boy dressed as Kanye pushed her aside proclaiming how much more Beyonce deserved the candy. They both got extra candy. MLIA

Heartless

Today was Halloween and I was passing out candy at my house. The old man (about 85) who lives down the street from me said trick or treat when he came to my door. He wasn't dressed in a costume so I asked him what he was. His reply, "I'm Benjamin Button. I'm 7, but I look a lot older." I gave him extra candy. MLIA

"Four legs good; two legs bad!"

2009-11-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

Let's start the morning off with a little somethin' for all you proud pet owners (ok, and maybe a little treat for the mommies too)!

Obey The Purebreed has some of the cutest and funniest tshirts and posters I have seen in a really long time. If you're an obsessive dog owner, and there are a lot of you, you're going to love this stuff. Here are a few of my favorites...

Now, for all my cat lovers....

And for the mommies....I think I know what I'll be getting all the kiddos for Christmas this year!

By popular demand...

2009-11-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

I am honestly shocked (and really tickled) that so many of you are excited to see our Halloween pictures! I've mentioned before that making friends has never really come easily for me, so these new budding friendships have me feeling all warm and fuzzy today. So.....thanks for that! You guys are all awesome. I wish you all lived closer so we could be real life friends too! Or that I could afford to travel around to visit you (but only those of you who live in fun or super warm places)! But I digress. Let's get to what you came here to see!

This was his Buzz pose. It's a shame he was also giving the blank stare face.

And in case you couldn't tell, I definitely did NOT make his costume!

My SERIOUSLY gorgeous niece, Angelina. She was a kitty...or a witch...or something like that. Whatever it was, it was freaking cute.

My nephew William. That mask lasted all of about 2 minutes.

William kept my crazy boy out of the street. How cute are they???

You can't tell, but I drew on freckles and it made me wish I really had them.

She was even adorable with her makeup all smudged and streaky.

To infinity and beyond!

Our little chunky monkey, Scarlet, loves her Uncle Kyle!

Sugar high!!!

I've noticed that you're gangster. I'm pretty gangster myself.

(He usually only throws gang signs when he's had too much to drink, but the photo op was just too perfect to resist!)

Not bad...

Our costumes weren't perfect, but they were pretty close! We're simply not shirt-tuckers so that was definitely out. My pants took FOREVER to finish, but they looked pretty good I thought. Kyle's shirt was actualy yellow and red checked, even though it looks orange in all the pictures. Both our shirts were too small, which is why his sleeves were cuffed and my boobs look like they're about to explode out of the front of it. Not to mention the fact that it was HOT out that night! We were all sweating. But, all in all, I think I did a pretty good job for my first attempt at making costumes. Now, whether or not I'll be trying to make them again next year, still remains to be seen.

Anyway, I hope you all had a great time, whether you were partying with friends or getting your kids sugared up!

Killing time.

2009-10-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is my first scheduled post, so YAY! I'm probably getting ready for some major Trick or Treating as you read this, but I saw it over at KLaw's on Friday and it seemed like a fun way to kill the last half hour of my work week!

What were you doing 10 years ago?

I was 15 and a sophomore in high school. Fall was volleyball season - though that's almost over now - so I usually had practice on Saturdays. I was rarely allowed to go to any parties, so I doubt I had anything excited planned for the weekend. I did have a boyfriend so I spent a good amount of time at his house...or in a cornfield/woods. (Don't laugh. How else are teenagers supposed to get some alone time?)

What are 5 things on your to-do list today?
* Sleep in.
* Fold and put away laundry.
* Actually be on time to meet up with my sister's family so we can take pics before trick-or-treating.
* Hoard lots and lots of candy.
* Hide any and all peanut butter cups from the boys. They're mine! All mine!

Snacks you enjoy?
* Chocolate chip cookies. We ate an entire dozen Thursday night. This is not an unusual occurrence in our house.
* Cheezits. NOT Cheese Nips - they're disgusting.
* Does wine count as a snack?
* Pudding
* Garlic Bread

5 places you have lived?
* Magnolia, Delaware (1st 3 years or so)
* Harrington, Delaware (majority of my life - where my parents still live)
* Newark, Delaware (college)
* Wilmington, Delaware (several different areas post-college)
* Laurel, Delaware (current hometown and probably the last place I'll ever live if Hubs has his way)

There are actually quite a few others, but those are the most long-term residences. Surprisingly, I have not yet lived in every town in Delaware, though I am pretty close!

5 things you would do if you were a billionnaire?
* Pay off my debt and my family's.
* Build a really sweet house right on the beach on an island somewhere. I'm not particular as long as I can walk out my back steps onto sand and hear the ocean from every room in my house. Then maybe I'd be that quirky billionaire who works some silly job for the hell of it - like selling carved coconuts or puka shell necklaces to tourists.
* I'd buy Hubs whatever cars he wants. I'm sure the list would be extensive. I'd have to give him a budget, otherwise he'd spend up the rest of our money.
* Put money away for all the kids in my family to go to college.
* Build a few really cool orphanages, so that in a way I could kind of fulfill my desire to adopt all of the world's unwanted/parentless children. I probably would actually adopt a few as well.

I want to tag:
Let's go with some people I don't know much about yet. How about....
MCW
Sierra
Gabby
Drollgirl
Tiffany

Hope you all have a frightening Halloween!!!

Happy Halloweenie!

2009-10-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween ladies! I'm so so so excited about halloween this year, because I MADE our costumes! Ok, so we bought the Monster's (actually, my mom bought it without even first consulting me to see if we had other plans, but that's an entirely different story), but I made mine and Hubs' costumes using primarily things found at Goodwill plus some fabric and a few bits and pieces from Walmart. So tomorrow tonight, we will be looking something like this:

Obviously, I will be going as Jessie from Toy Story 2, the Monster will be Buzz Lightyear, and Hubs will be Woody. We even bought really cool talking Buzz Lightyear wings that are very likely to poke some poor unsuspecting kid's eye out. Should be a good time! I have to say, cow print is NOT very flattering on my thighs (so when you see the pics, be nice and tell me how thin I look) and I truly do not enjoy a tucked-in shirt, but otherwise I really like my costume. It's pretty adorable. Gotta keep it PG for the kids, ya know! Last year I forced my poor husband to dress up like pirates with us. I'm pretty sure he was humiliated when we went trick-or-treating to his friends houses! This year will be worse, so I hope he doesn't back out on us. What's Buzz without Woody??? So we're meeting up with my sister and her husband and 3 kids for pictures and whatnot, then we plan to hit not 1, but 2 towns. We're greedy like that. I suspect my little Buzz will be spouting quotes from the movie all night, because I kid you not, he has the entire thing memorized. When I took him to see Toy Story 3d in the theaters, the people sitting around us were amazed that he was speaking right along with the entire movie. I'm pretty sure they thought it was cute for the first few minutes, but it got old after about an hour. It's true what they say, my kid really does have a mind like a sponge. I am probably kind of a failure for not filling it with something more useful, but he really loves those Pixar movies!

So what are your plans for Halloween? Are you dressing up? Whatever you're doing, be safe and have a great time!!!

To Infinity and Beyond,

Window Shopping: New York & Company

2009-10-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

***UPDATE***

Some of these beauties popped up in my Shop It To Me Sale Mail today....so now the most expensive piece is a mere $23.40! Buy now ladies!!!! The prices could not possibly be lower!

Since I haven't posted about anything fashion-y in a while, I thought I'd share with you some of the great necklaces I found recently at New York & Company. What I love about this particular store is that their clothing is generally pretty classic (which suits my style perfectly), but their jewelry is always on trend. Oh, and did I mention the price? Everything is totally affordable. Here's what I'm loving right now:

Everything shown costs between $22.95 and $39.00. Like I said, totally affordable. Since this is one of the few great stores that I actually have in my area, I'm likely to be picking up a few of these pieces in the next couple of weeks (especially the top 2 and 2nd to last)...IF Christmas shopping doesn't compeltely drain my bank account.

All pics via NY&C

The Hangover: Atlantic City Style - Part 3

2009-10-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

I think my stomach can finally handle the re-telling of my AC adventure. I've even been catching up on sleep, so that helps too. So here's the lowdown - highlights...

* Hubs rode the ferry with me to keep me company then turned around and rode it right back to DE.
* Lauren and I had lunch that included some Pumpkin Ale then hit up H&M where I got a super cute nautical striped shirt that looks perfect with my skinny jeans and boots.
* We had dinner with Lauren's parents (who are really freaking cool btw) at Angelino's - the same place we had dinner before my bachelorette party. It was delicious and the conversation was hilarious. My BFF's mom is a pharmacist and her dad was trying to talk mom into quitting her job and opening a medical marijuana dispensary. Hilarious. She was like "I'll lose my license!" and he was all "You won't need it! We'll be millionaires!" Really, really funny.

Via

* Afterwards we went to The Blue Martini in some casino. We gave all of the staff nicknames and after a few drinks I forgot that they weren't their real names and didn't understand why "Gil" wasn't responding whenever I yelled for him...maybe because his name was actually Richard. Oh, and by the way, if you ever find yourself in AC, the Blue Martini has spectacular blueberry mojitos.

Via

* We left Lauren's parents there and decided to check out a new club. There were three lines. Not three separate lines, but three end to end lines. You had to wait in the first to be let into the second, then wait in the second to be let into the third, and wait in the third in order to pay and get in. We made it half way through the second before we got sick of waiting and decided to go to the sports bar upstairs. It was about this point that I missed being younger and thinner and hotter. We never had to wait in line back in college. Getting old sucks.
* We made our way upstairs to Game On to watch the UFC Fight. It was there that we chatted with strangers and watched Lyoto Machida lose the fight. Nevermind that he was announced the winner. He got his ass handed to him. Total bullshit.
* A hot baldy caught Lauren's eye, so I chatted up his friends, because I'm an awesome wingman. Oh, and because they bought me beer. There was flirting (no more on my part than any other day, though I was on the receiving end quite a bit), bull riding (once again, not by me), and the moment when I pointed out my wedding band and broke a little cutie's heart. Oh, and you should know that this kid is a vet tech and had a picture that he had taken of a baby sea otter as the background on his phone. I kid you not. I asked how it was possible that he was single, because he actually was a sweet, funny guy. Maybe I should have gotten his number and a picture to post here for my single ladies! Lol. Next time, I promise!

Via

*Oh, also, I saw a vagina. Some skankarella decided that her super mini dress was appropriate attire for bullriding. Let's just say that she ended up face down and bare ass/vag up when she finally got thrown. Even the guys with us were disgusted. Probably the opposite of what she was going for.

* That was pretty much the end of the night for us. We were almost home when our smelly cabbie started asking us what American girls use to increase sexual pleasure/appetite. I kid you not. I was looking for the hidden camera because I was pretty sure we were on Taxicab Confessions or something. When we finally stopped laughing, we told him his "friend" should go to her doctor because neither of us had ever had any such problems. LOL! It was the perfect end to an eventful night.
* I woke up pretty early the next morning feeling like total ass. Total. Ass.
* After Lauren got up, we took a bike ride down the boardwalk because the weather was perfect! Believe it or not, as much fun as we had the night before and as much as I felt like a pile of shit, that was probably the highlight of my weekend.

* What came next was definitely not. I decided that it would be better to get any puking out of the way before I boarded the ferry....
* On the bright side, the preemptive puking worked and my ferry ride was rather pleasant. I hogged an entire booth, curled up to listen to my audiobook, and slept through the entire ride.
* I honestly did not feel like myself again until the next day. Sunday was a complete waste, but I got to snuggle with my hunny so it at least had a happy ending!

And that's it ladies. We're going to do it all over again in a couple months. Who's in???

The Hangover: Atlantic City Style - Part 2 w/ pics!

2009-10-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics! Like I said, there really aren't very many. The more I drank, the fewer pictures I took, pretty much the opposite of college.

Snickers and tiramisu martinis at the Blue Martini

Lauren's parents and a bachelor party.

Apparently I develop a humpback after a few drinks.

Sadly, this was the best group shot we could manage.

Lauren riding the escalator with her mojito. Mine was looooong gone by that point.

In the bathroom at the sports bar.

Lauren rode the bull. I did not.

I'm pretty sure this much movement might have brought my drinks back up.

And that's it folks. Unfortunately, those are all the pics I took that night, but here are a few from the ferry ride over. Kyle decided to ride over with me since he didn't have anything to do, then rode back by himself.

You can't really tell, but I'm totally rocking the skinnys and boots.

The Hangover: Atlantic City Style - Part 1

2009-10-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

Via

Today I'm still trying to recover from my weekend, further proof that my wild child sorority days are long gone. Apparently I forgot the hard-learned rule about not mixing too many different kinds of booze, and decided that chianti, tiramisu martinis, blueberry mojitos, and Bud Light sounded like a delicious combination. And don't get me wrong, it was all delicious...until I was puking it back up the next day. That's right, I threw up. It felt like freshman year of college all over again (aided by the fact that I was hanging out with my college roommate/partner in crime). Not cool. And to top it all off, I had a 2 hour ferry ride home on very choppy water. Even less cool. Fortunately, I was able to snag myself a booth where I curled up into the fetal position and somehow managed to doze off amidst the cheers of all of the other passengers watching the Pittsburgh v. Minnesota game. Afterwards I felt much better and took my sweet, sweet hubby out to dinner at Cracker Barrel before heading home.

Via....though I do actually have my own pic of this sign from my last trip.

I'll tell you more about what actually went down in AC once my stomach can handle reliving it. I'll give you a few hints: there was a little shopping, a dinner discussion with my BFF's parents about opening a medical marijuana dispensary (their idea, not mine), lots of booze, the UFC fight, a mechanical bull ride, and allowing a younger hottie to try to flirt with me for an hour or so before I broke the news that I'm a married mom (which I'm pretty sure broke his sweet little heart because he still followed me around like a sad little puppy the rest of the night). I'll give the credit to my hot new skinny jeans! Lol. And there will be pictures, a few anyway, but actually very few of me. That's what happens when it's your camera, you end up with pictures of everyone else and none of yourself. I did manage to sneak into one or two though.

So what did you get into this weekend my lovelies?

Weekend Plans

2009-10-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well my loves, I'm off to Atlantic City tomorrow for a Girls Weekend! Tonight we have to drop the Monster off at his Grandmas' house so they can take him camping. Then it's back home to decorate my cupcakes (because what's a Girls Weekend without cupcakes) and pack up my junk. I have to make it all fit in a tiny bag because I'm taking the ferry instead of driving. Hubs will drop me off in the morning and my bestie will pick me up on the other side. In the meantime, I'll be chillin on the boat, drinking a beer or two (or trying to see just how many I can get down in the hour or so that it takes to get across), and listening to "All Together Dead" by Charlaine Harris on my ipod. We're going to play it by ear this weekend so I have to pack for both a movie night in AND a hot night in the clubs. I think I can handle that. Fortunately skinny jeans (which i just bought my first pair of today) are really versatile! Anyway, expect a full report and tons of pictures on Monday! And have a great weekend ladies!!!

Glee Hotties

2009-10-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else watch Glee? If not, you might start watching once you see these hotties:

He reminds me of Joey from NKOTB, the star of all my prepubescent dreams.

Yes, that is an NKOTB shirt he's wearing.

Aside from being hot, the entire cast is REALLY talented and there are usualy 5-6 song and dance numbers per episode - which i LOVE. I just love this show in general. There is something about a guy who can sing and/or dance that gets me (oddly enough, my Mister can't do either). And apparently it was picked up for some more episodes so YAY! Plenty of time to catch them all in action!

Not really sure where I was going with this...hope everyone is having a great day!

PS. My boots arrived last night and I am most definitely wearing them today, though not with skinnies so they're a little cramped. Tomorrow is pay day so I think that means a skinny jean shopping excursion is in order!

Photos from Google Images

A contest winner, a haircut, a surprise, and some cupcakes!

2009-10-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...I've been a bad, lazy blogger and I'm sorry! I've taken a bit of a vacation but I'm back now. Promise!

So, first things first. A WINNER has been chosen for my iheartbaby Giveaway! I used random.org, but to be honest, I don't feel like posting a pic. So just trust me, ok? And the winner is...drumroll please...Brittany from Mommy Words! Brittany is a SAHM of Sophia and Miles and is expecting another baby girl in January. Congrats Brittany! You are obviously Superwoman and you seem totally cool, but please stay away so you don't make me feel like a total slacker mom by comparison! Just kidding girl! Head on over to iheartbaby and send Jessica a message with your choice. She's waiting to hear from you!

Moving on...my Monster got a haircut a few weeks ago and WOW is it a big change. I'm still adjusting. Who is this big boy and was has he done with my shaggy-haired baby?

See what I mean? All you mommies know what a sad day it was for me to look at my kiddo and realize how quickly he's growing up. I almost cried right in the middle of the salon while she cut off his beautiful hair. I kid you not. Fortunately, Project Baby has begun in the Lynch household, and Lord willing, it won't be long before Momma has a new little monster to snuggle! Cross your fingers for us! I can tell you one thing for certain, my Mister is definitely looking forward to all the lovin!

Speaking of my Mister, he bought me the BEST SURPRISE EVER the other day: booooots! I have been dying for a pair since the weather started cooling off and apparently he got tired of listening to me whine about it. Lol. Unfortunately, I have chunky legs and couldn't even zip them up, so being the sweetheart that he is, he let me pick out a new pair made especially for chunksters. So now I'm just waiting, ever so impatiently, for my lovelies to arrive. I've already planned out my outfit (which may or may not have involved buying a totally NEW outfit) and I expect to be rocking them for my girls getaway in Atlantic City this weekend! (Seriously Piperlime, what's the friggin holdup? I want my boots!)

Boots by Naturalizer

Everything else from JCPenney

The Monster and I made cupcakes last night. I really love cooking with him, mostly because he enjoys it so much. A few weeks ago we made chocolate chip cookies - and by "made" I mean that we squeezed pre-made dough out of a tube, formed it into little blobs on a cookie sheet, and shoved it in the oven. The Monster insisted then, just as he did again last night, that we camp out in front of the oven to watch them cook. He even helped me decorate later, by eating all of the sprinkles that didn't stick to the icing (which was most of them). It's a wonder he was able to go to sleep at all last night. He must have eaten half the pack of sprinkles and a cupcake too, of course. All in all, they turned out really pretty and everyone here at work is enjoying them. I'm sure the daycare kids will as well. I was smart and didn't leave any at home, so I won't be tempted to stuff my face tonight. I need to look good in my skinny jeans and boots this weekend!

So how have you all been? I've been trying to keep up with your blogs, but have I missed anything?

PS> Thank you all so much for all of your support during my Dr's Appointment/Name Change hysteria. I was SERIOUSLY a wreck and it really made me feel better to read your comments. Ya'll are the best!!!

BIG DAY!!!!

2009-10-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is a HUGE day for the Lynch family! First, I have an appointment with my OB/GYN in the morning to go off birth control. That's right folks, my uterus will be officially open for business and I want to celebrate! Do you think a ribbon cutting ceremony would be too much? How about a wacky waiving inflatable arm flailing tube man? No? Ok, I'll keep working on it.

Next is our court hearing for my son's name change. I would be totally lying if I didn't admit that my stomach has been in knots over this for weeks, but especially tonight. I don't know how I'm going to get any sleep. My hands are literally shaking as I'm typing this. It's a huge deal for us, because it will help to simplify the Monster's life so much. I feel like he SHOULD have the same last name as his mother and his daddy and siblings. Even though my husband isn't his biological father, he's been around for half of my son's life and he's the only Daddy he has. He's the one that's there EVERY DAY, not just when it's convenient. He doesn't just disappear for months (currently a little over 7) for no good reason. He's there. Always. Sick or well. Good or bad. Sweet or obnoxious. He's an amazing daddy - the kind of daddy that my son deserves - and Logan should absolutely have the same name as the rest of our family. Hopefully the judge will see it that way. All I can do is pray and try to relax.

So please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow. Hopefully by lunch time it will all be over and will have been a good day for the Lynch family!

I'll be back to my regular posting this week...hopefully. I have lots of pictures and funny stories to share with you. I've missed you guys! Oh, and don't forget about my iheartbaby Beanie Giveaway!!!!

***UPDATE***
Seriously in love with everything right now! Name change granted!!!!! Thanks to all of you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers today. It really means a lot. Sitting in the court room waiting for our turn, I told Kyle that I was pretty sure there was a good chance that I might pee my pants. I wasn't kidding. I was so nervous. But it was really a piece of cake! Done and done in about 5 minutes. Now we're home with the newest Lynch and I think we'll forego the ribbon cutting and wacky waiving guy for a quiet celebratory dinner in and maybe a little romantic celebrating after....

iheartbaby Beanie Giveaway!!!

2009-10-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

Yay! I'm back! And not only back, but back with some fun news. It is time for my first giveaway! Considering this is my 50th post AND I just landed my 25th follower, I think it's pretty great timing. So now, without further ado....

It's a mouthful, right? I'm sure many of you remember this adorable beanie (and especially the handsome little guy wearing it) from my hounstooth obsession post. Well I have teamed up with Jessica, the lady behind the beanie (and freaking gorgeous kid), to give away one of her designs to a very lucky reader! The winner will be able to choose any one beanie from Jessica's Etsy shop! And let me just tell you, she has some great new fabrics to chose from for both boys and girls. They also come in a range of sizes, so there's something for every baby or toddler on your shopping list. Before we get to the rules, here's a little background on Jessica:

My name is Jessica, originally a military brat, but settled down in sunny Orange County. Due to the drowning economy, my line of work changed from Finance to full time Mom. And couldn't have asked for anything more. It is way more fun and exciting. In between full time mom, Im now trying to do what I really love, which is designing and making clothes. My goal is to be a great mom and create a fabulous career making everyone happy with our products!! I love to sew and make things. It wasn't until I had my son that I actually started making baby clothing and accessories. Having a boy makes shopping a challenging experience, so I started making beanies to spice up all of his outfits, and people kept asking where I got them. So I continued looking for the cutest fabrics and making more and more for both boys and girls. When I heard about Etsy (and was immediately addicted) I made a shop right away! My shop is very new, so I hope you all love what you see and pass it on to everyone you know! Thanks!

Jessica has quickly become one of my new web bffs. Seriously, she's awesome. And *BONUS* She actually laughs at my jokes. Which is why I know you will all love her, and her adorable beanies, as much as I do! And here's another quick fact, Jessica actually started her first business the day after she turned 13! Over the course of that summer, she made over $2000 through her own babysitting business. Obviously, she was determined to be a successful entrepreneur even at such a young age!

So let's get to the rules, shall we?
1. For one entry, visit Jessica's Etsy shop iheartbaby and leave a comment on this post telling me which beanie the baby or toddler in your life cannot get through the winter without!
2. For one additional entry repost on your blog or sidebar. Feel free to swipe my graphic.
3. For a third entry you can post on twitter. I'll be honest with you, though I have a Twitter account, I don't have the slightest idea how to use it properly, so just make sure you post a link in your comment back to your account if you do "tweet" this. (Lol! I feel just as awkward speaking Twitter-ese as I do when I try to say things like "gangsta".)
4. This contest will end next Tuesday, October 20th and the winner will be announced the next day!

Make sure you post a separate comment for each entry!

And that's it folks! I really hope you adore Jessica's beanies as much as I do! Obviously, I already have one of those adorable houndstooth numbers making it's way to my place. My Monster is going to be the coolest kid on the playground! Here are some of my favorites from her shop...

Checking in

2009-10-12T06:10:00.000-07:00

Hey there ladies! I just wanted to stop in really quick to let you all know that I haven't abandoned you! I actually do all of my blogging at work (so as to not take time away from my boys at night) and things have gotten pretty busy here lately so I haven't had any time to post. But, fear not, I have some fun things coming including a giveaway to celebrate 25 followers AND my 50th post, pics of the Monster with SHORT HAIR, and a variety of other random musings and ramblings. So don't give up on me, I'll be back soooooon!

Monster Style

2009-10-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

My last post, along with a bit of recent shopping, has me thinking about not only my fall wardrobe but also the Monster's. (Hubs has his own under control, so we'll not worry about him.) Here are a few things that would be adorable with the new faux-hawk that he'll be rockin' in a few weeks:

Guess? Little Boy Henley Tee ~ $11.99 ~ Macy's

Monster Industry Bulls Eye Tee ~ $21.85 ~ 6pm

Junk Food Music Graphic Tee ~ $26.50 ~ Baby Gap

Marc Ecko Ball and Chain Thermal ~ $14.95 ~ 6pm

Cabana Life Hoodie ~ $28.40 ~ 6pm

O'Neill Emperor Hoodie ~ $24.00 ~ 6pm

Mark Ecko Good Knight Sweater Vest ~ $17.25 ~ 6pm

Hurley Kids Slubby Pant ~ $18.00 ~ 6pm

Wes & Willy Sports Knit Blazer ~ $26.00 ~ 6pm

Hawk & Co. Classic Rebel Jacket ~ $41.25 ~ Macy's

Children's Place Velvet Newsboy Cap ~ $6.50 ~ Children's Place

I've already started my fall shopping for the Monster and all of these things would compliment what he already has. (Plus, I am so getting the awesome beanie from the houndstooth post!) If you can't tell, we have a thing for skulls and cool graphics. Our style is a little preppy and a little rock and we dress our little one just like a mini version of the hubs. Our Monster is a cool kid with a cherub face and some badass style. Hide your daughters!

Angel.

Monster.

Etsy Finds: Houndstooth for Fall

2009-09-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

There are a few things I've been obsessing over for fall, and houndstooth is definitely at the top of that list. I practically go into fits whenever I see those adorable checks! I just can't control myself. So far, I've only managed to add one houndstooth piece to my wardrobe so far, but I plan to change that soon! Here's my Target dress, as worn on Monday, with a blue cashmere cardi from TJ Maxx...

Adorable, right? Thanks. I thought so too.

Desperately wanting more 'tooth, I headed over to Etsy to try to satisfy my craving. And let me just say, if you aren't already an Etsy shopper, get yourself over there pronto. What you want, baby they got it! I shit you not. Here are just a few of the lovelies I found. It's almost impossible to decide which items need to be mine, they're all so cuuuuuute!

1. Pinkdresses Custom Houndstooth Skirt by Burcuaroo~ $65.00
This skirt is so freaking cute. I think it's a necessary addition to my fall wardrobe.
2. Pink, Yellow, and Gray Asymmetric Houndstooth Top by Hopee ~ $63
Part of me thinks I would never have the guts to wear this, but the other part of me says "pink hoooooundstooooth" and I'm pretty sure that part would want to wear it every day.
3. Sweet Little Fabric Potted Plant - Black Houndstooth by JaneJoss ~ $28
I really want this for on my desk at work. Wouldn't it just brighten your day?
4. Fabric Remix Scarf (Pink Houndstooth in the Sand) by Melbry ~ $40
I love all of those colors and fabrics together. This would be gorgeous under my cream coat.
5. The Hazel Bag- Tangerine Houndstooth by Nila and Camille ~ $38
Bright and funky - I'd carry it every day whether it matched or not.
6. Boys Houndstooth Beanie by Iheartbaby ~ $12
Because the Monster needs to get in on the houndstooth action too!
7. Houndstooth and Floral Little Bette Bag by SylviaLouise ~ $150
Freaking adorable. Kind of reminds me of those Vera whatserface bags, except it's actually cute.
8. Button Scarf - Black & White Houndstooth w/ Floral Print by LifePrototype ~ $35
A sophisticated scarf with a twist: buttons!
9. Houndstooth Shrug w/ Rose by Shoshanna2003 ~ $50
I really want this to wear over all the plain black dresses and tanks that I bought this summer.

What are YOU craving for fall?

It's Unbeweavable! Another Mandizzle Giveaway!

2009-09-30T06:16:00.001-07:00

I try to spread out my giveaway posts, really I do, but what can I say, so many ladies are giving away free stuff! Today we have another FAB giveaway from Miss Lizzy Marie at It's Unbeweavable. She's teamed up once again with Mandizzle but this time they're giving away a $35 gift certificate to her store! You know you want it! I certainly do!

Here are the rules:
*The giveaway is open to readers worldwide, but you must be a follower of Liz's blog.
*Visit Mandizzle and leave Liz a comment letting her know what you would pick if you won!

Additional entries-
-Follow Mandizzle's blog
-Tweet about this-@misslizzymarie
-Blog/Sidebar/Pimpin in your post

Be sure to leave separate comments for each entry!

The winner will be announced next Wednesday Oct 7th!

It was hard for me to narrow all the choices down to one, but I picked The Airy - Double Fluff Chiffon Headband in Purples. Gorgeous right?

Saving the Best for Last's 100th Post Giveaway!

2009-09-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

You all know how I love a good giveaway, and today I have another one to share with you! This one comes from MCW @ Saving the Best for Last. She's celebrating her 100th post by giving her readers a chance at some fab gifts - her giving us gifts seems a little backward to me, but I'm all about winning, so count me in! Here's what you're playing for:

*A set of 2 re-usable shopping bags in adorable black and green prints.
*A pumpkin candle to light up your fall home.
*A red Keep Calm and Carry On journal
*A set of 6 mini harvest cookie cutters (apple, acorn, pumpkin, oak, maple and elm leaves).
*Pink, green and orange zebra print memo mouse pad. It's like a little calender with a to do list!
*An Aldo charm bracelet that looks EXACTLY like the J.Crew's Story Book Charm bracelet. See:

J. Crew on the left, Aldo on the right

And now for the rules, because there are always rules...

You can get up to 3 entries
One entry - Post a comment asking her a question.
Two entries - Become a follower (if you are not already) AND post a comment asking her a question.
Three entries - Write about the giveaway on your blog, become a follower and post a comment asking her a question.

The deadline to enter is October 5th. Make sure you let her know how many entries you earn in your comments!

Kre@tiv

2009-09-29T05:40:00.001-07:00

I have some exciting news ladies, well maybe not exactly exciting for all of you, but definitely for me! My very favorite Llama has given me my very first award - the Kreativ Blogger award! What's that? you don't have a favorite Llama? Oh, you must check her out then, go read her Llama Tales. You'll love her, I promise!

Thanks for the award Llama! Love ya!

So let's get to it, shall we? Here are the Rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award. Check!
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog. Check!
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award. Check!
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they've been nominated.

Since I'm relatively new here, and I haven't posted much about myself, it's hard to come up with 7 things that you'll actually be interested in reading, but let's see what I can come up with...

1. I went to the University of Delaware for 3 years. During that time I was in the Honors Program on full scholarships, but I had no clue what I actually wanted to do with my life. I changed my major 3 times, joined a sorority (Kappa Alpha Theta), and basically lost my mind somewhere at the bottom of a red plastic cup. I inevitably lost my scholarships and decided to take some time off to figure out what I really wanted to do, but I've yet to go back. In all honesty, I still don't know what I want to do, and I can't justify spending any more time away from my family than I already do. Eventually the opportunity (and money) will present itself for me to finish my degree and I'll get it done, but for now my family is my top priority.

2. I met my son's father during the abovementioned "year off" from school. You've heard a million times. Boy meets girl. Boy lies to girl. Girl falls in love. Girl gets pregnant. Boy bails. Well, not exactly quite like that, but let's just say, he's not exactly been a constant in my son's life. In fact, we have neither seen nor heard from him in over 6 months and it has been amazing. The unfortunate part is that I worry constantly that he's going to show up again and ruin everything. On the bright side, we have a court date on Oct 19th to change my son's last name to my married name. Please pray that the Judge grants us the change. It will make my son's life so much easier.

3. How about something light and fluffy for #3? I can't whistle or do a cartwheel.

4. I met my hubs on Match.com. We fell in love on our second date and said "I love you" on our 3rd or 4th date (and totally meant it). He never proposed, we just bought our wedding bands one day and started planning. We were married 5 months, to the day, after our 1st date. We knew it was right and the timing couldn't have been more perfect, so we just went for it. Best decision of my life.

5. I'm not exactly a fashionista. From time to time I get the urge to look really good and put some thought into my outfits, but most days I'd rather throw on a pair of jeans and an Old Navy long sleeve tee. I'm all about comfort.

6. I am, however, way into makeup. I wear makeup every day, with very few exceptions. But not the expensive stuff. One MAC product is like a new pair of Lucky jeans at TJ Maxx ($24.99 thankyouverymuch). No thanks, I have my priorities. I buy all my cosmetics at drugstores/Target/Maxx and I happen to think I look just as good as anyone who uses high end stuff. (Nothing against those of you who can afford expensive brands, I just can't. I have a family to support ya'll!)

7. Making friends doesn't come easily for me. Maybe it did back in college when I was always drunk and scantilly clad, but not in real life. I'm actually really shy, and to be quite honest, I'm really picky when it comes to people I want to spend my time with. There are very, very few people who have been in my life long-term. I'm good at love, great at love actually, but not so good at friendships. Maybe that's why I'm so drawn to this blogging community. I'm actually totally jealous of all of your relationships - the friendships you've built with each other. You're like this uber exclusive club that I'm just dying to be a part of. Just...like me, ok?

Whew! That was tough, and I totally bared my soul, so go easy on me. Next step is to nominate 7 Kreativ bloggers, but I picked 8 because I'm a rebel like that. I follow a TON of blogs but there are the same few that I find myself coming back to time and time again and they are:

It's Unbeweavable!
Blog Goggles
K. Law: Inspired
Life is BANANAS.
My Teacups in Peony
The Lil Bee
Gabby, She Wrote
An Experiment in Poverty

This has got to be the most popular award, so I'm sure all of my lovely recipients already have this one, but I just wanted you all to know that I love your blogs so I thought I'd pass it along anyway.

And for the rest of you, if you don't already read all of these blogs, and I find that very hard to believe, you should start. Now. They're all AMAZING, gorgeous women who inspire me every single day. AND, if you actually read this entire post, you deserve this award as well, so consider it yours!

Thanks again Llama!

Oh Target, you never cease to amaze me.

2009-09-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

Target is one of my very favorite guilty pleasures. I can't help myself. I ALWAYS find something to buy whenever I go in there. Take this fabulous dress, for example:

I bought this Friday when I went to Target for shampoo. It's a terrible picture, but trust, it's hot. I've been obsessing over houndstooth lately and I knew I was buying this as soon as I laid eyes on it. I'm wearing it today, as a matter of fact, with a royal blue cashmere cardi and black peep-toe flats.

Target has some great jewelry out right now too. Check it...

Pretty similar concept to a necklace I made (I'll be starting up my Etsy store shortly, so keep an eye out for that announcement):

And then I also came across these other lovelies, which are must-have items for my fall wardrobe:

I don't think I can live another day without this jacket in my closet and that plaid top is soooo cute. Purple is one of my current obsession so it didn't take much convincing to get me on the plaid train once I saw it.

So what do you think ladies, do any of you ever shop at Target? I think it's a great place to pick up a few cheap wardrobe additions. I never expect to find any of my key pieces there, but it's generally good for tees or trendy items that won't last very long. Sometimes they do suprise me though.

Photos: all from Target (except my necklace, of course)

To Whom It May Concern...

2009-09-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

I've seen a lot of other ladies do these "little letters" on their blogs, and since I love the idea and rarely come up with cool and original thoughts of my own, I'm stealing theirs. That's right, this is my very first little letters post....but I'm going to have to call it something different so it doesn't sound like the blatant rip-off that it is. How about..."To Whom It May Concern"? Yeah, that works. Here we go...

Dear Stork,
Are you on crack? Please stop delivering so many babies to teenagers, drug addicts, deadbeats, and fame-whores. Maybe, just for a while, you could try dropping a bundle of joy or two on some of those folks out there who actually want babies and will take care of them? Just a thought.
PS. Thanks for my kid. I'd like another, if you don't mind. Maybe a girl this time?
Sincerely,
M

Dear MAC, Too Faced, Stila, Smashbox, Etc...
Your products are gorgeous. Truly. Please stop being so expensive so that I can actually afford to buy some of them. Thanks.
Sincerely,
M

Dear Monster,
I realize that you're still getting used to your new toddler bed, but please stop falling out of it. Last night your *thump* interrupted a particularly intimate moment between Mommy and Daddy, prompting us to throw on clothes, grab the baseball bat, and make sure that no one was trying to break into the house. Daddy gets awfully cranky when he doesn't get enough alone time with Mommy, and that's not good for anyone. I love you.
Sincerely,
Mommy

Dear Carmen,
Thank you for the amazing hair cut last night. I can't stop checking myself out whenever I pass a reflective surface. Could you please teach my husband that hair washing/head massaging technique? It was unbelievably relaxing. I'll be seeing you again soon!
Sincerely,
M

Dear Vice President Biden and the State of Delaware,
I understand the excitement over the return of your son/our Attorney General, Beau Biden, and his National Guard Brigade, and I am truly proud that he spent the last year in Iraq though he could have been excused from deployment due to the office he holds here. Unfortunately, I will have nowhere to park that day because you are commandeering our lot for the event. Would you mind giving me a ride to work? I'm sure there's plenty of room in your limo. Also, I'm afraid I may be at risk of being sniped if I appear suspicious while staring at my own reflection in my office window. If it's not too much to ask, could you please request that your guys not to shoot me? I'll be the one with awesome hair. Thanks.
Sincerely,
M

Dear Husband,
Let's try again tonight. ;) This time we'll put pillows on the floor around the monster's bed, so he doesn't scare us if he falls out. I love you.
Sincerely,
M

A Haircut and some Makeover Fun

2009-09-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

It's fall (yay!) and you know what that means...that's right, time for a hair makeover! What's that you say? I just changed my hair color less than two months ago with less than stellar results? Hmph! All's well that ends well, I say! However, though my hair looks quite nice for the time being, I'm ready for something new, something...fall! For once, I actually the like the length of my hair. The waves are falling in just the right places (most days) and all is well. Except it's kiiiiind of boring. So how about some bangs? I was thinking something long and side-swept that I could easily pin back or possibly even catch in a ponytail when I'm feeling lazy or running late. And of course, there has to be a color change as well. I'm going to stick with brown but I'd like to warm the shade up a bit and maybe add in some deep caramel highlights. I have to admit, I've gotten highlights once before and it was such a distaster that the thought of putting my poor hair through that again frightens the bejesus out of me. They were so bad that I left the salon, went straight to walmart and bought a box of color, and went home and colored over them. The end result was actually gorgeous, so I can't complain, but still...

Because I'm obsessive and like to try hundreds of hairstyles and colors on before I commit to anything, I've tried a good number of those online makeover sites. Most of them leave much to be desired, but there is one that I go back to every time I start to feel the makeover itch: Taaz. Seriously, even if you aren't contemplating a haircut, it's just plain fun. (I won't waste time describing all the fun features to you, but I do recommend you check it out when you have an hour or 5 to kill.) I clicked on over to Taaz the other day, armed with a few photos snatched from Marie Claire, to see what I could whip up. I think I'm ready for my hair appointment this afternoon, don't you?

{Cut Inspiration from Marie Claire}
It's close, but needs slightly longer bangs.

{Cut Inspiration from my lovely friend Alessandra Nicole.}
Not only is this chick hot (And, helloooo, look at that hair!) but she is a SERIOUSLY talented artist as well! You can check our some of her work HERE. Do it.

{Color Inspiration from Marie Claire}

I envision the end result looking something like this, except with wavy hair. Love the long bangs!

And now for some fun...

Two-tone hair?

How about a little blonde?

A little more blonde?

Actually, I kinda dig the cut, but I don't have the guts.

Back up off my acceptance speech Kanye. I got this!

The always glamorous, Mrs. O.

Ellen?

Unbeweavable!
{Note: Liz has AMAZING hair. But this is kind of what I would end up with if I tried to replicate her look. A little pageant-ish?}

Taaz is some serious fun folks! I wouldn't lie to you. Really, I wouldn't. But make sure you have a few hours to waste AND a good head on picture of yourself to play with, otherwise you'll just end up frustrated because the hairstyles won't fit right.

New haircut tonight....and maybe some pics for all of you if I get home in time to upload and post before The Office comes on!

Giveaway - Perks of Being a JAP 2 Year Blogoversary

2009-09-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

Lacey Bean over at Perks of Being a JAP has put together a FABULOUS giveaway for her 2 Year Blogoversary (congrats girl)! Seriously, you MUST check this out!

One very lucky winner will receive:
From oh, hello friend - a Hair Pin and Mirror
Handmade Cookies and Cream soap (yum!) from Savor
A (GORGEOUS) Coral Bloom Ring from Linkel Designs
1 Dozen of Cookie Heaven's Peanut Butter/Peanut Butter Cup Cookies - sent fresh to your home!
Dave has donated a T-shirt, Sticker and Guitar Pick from The Bronx Underground!
A Bobby Pin Set or Earring Set from {sweeter than me}designs
Tucci Paper Co's super cute Mini Cupcake Notecards!
Your very own Acrylic Diamond Ring from by:AMT (as seen in the MoMA!)
A City Print of your choice from Art ShArk Designs
HomeStudio's cute Scrabble Tile Pendants (with chain)
A Travel Journal from PaperChase (super cute with passport stamps on it!)
Beer Soap from The Beer Soap Company. Who doesn't want to smell like beer?
And a reusable GAP bag!

And now for the rules:
1 entry for commenting on this post.
2 entries if you become a follower of her blog, or are a follower already
3 entries if you tweet about the giveaway (She's @LaceyBean)
4 entries if you blog about the giveaway on your own blog
And as an extra - you get 5 entries if you refer someone to the giveaway (they must mention you/your blog in their entry for you to get credit)

You better believe I'm submitting my entries right now!

Shop It To Me Battle of the Brands Giveaway!

2009-09-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

Attention fashionistas!
Shop It To Me is introducing a new Battle of the Brands Giveaway! Each week some of your favorite designers will go head to head and your votes will help determine the last brand standing. By casting your vote every week, you will be entered for a chance to win Marc by Marc Jacobs accessories (a wristlet, umbrella, and key fobs)!

To enter:
1. You must be a Shop It To Me member to enter and win, so if you aren't signed up already, what are you waiting for? JOIN NOW! Then...
2. Visit the Battle of the Brands page and leave a comment listing your favorite brand from each match up.
3. For an extra entry: Follow Shop It To Me on Twitter.com, if you’re not doing so already, and tweet this sentence: Just entered the @ShopItToMe Marc Jacobs giveaway at http://bit.ly/cRnt9 #ShopItToMe

Random Tuesday Nonsense

2009-09-15T10:37:00.001-07:00

I had a really shitty day yesterday, I mean SHITTY. One of my co-workers made me cry and my boss laughed. I kid you not, she actually sat there and laughed while the argument with my co-worker escalated to the point where I had tears in my eyes and ended up walking out of the office to go sit in my car and cry. I told you it was shitty. Anyway, things got better when I finally got home. My little monster was an ANGEL last night. He was sweet and well-behaved and gave mommy lots of hugs and kisses. He's (almost) three folks, so these are extremely rare occurences. My fellow mommies know what I mean. And then...my night got even better! My bestest best best best friend/college roommate/maid of honor/monster's god-mother sent me a birthday present! That's right, she was one of the two who remembered. And, yay, she has great taste!

It's a little camcorder - about the size of my digital camera - that records up to 30 mins of footage. Totally portable and perfect for home movies! Thanks to her gift, the monster and I will be youtube-ing in no time at all! Expect to see, in the very near future, my little monster in all his hyperactive glory bouncing around our living room singing "Wheels on the Bus" along with his Baby Einstein dvd. It is not to be missed, I assure you. We have a rockstar in the making.

Do any of you use Burt's Bees products? I have some major chapped lips so I swung by the pharmacy the other day and picked up the Honey Lip Balm, because I always hear nothing but great things about their products.

I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about it. It works great, don't get me wrong, but the floral scent really throws me off. It certainly doesn't smell bad. It smells pretty nice actually, but the scent seems more appropriate for baby powder or deodorant. My only other complaint, and it's just a small one, is that it's a drier formula than I was hoping for, if that makes any sense. I guess I was expecting something silkier or smoother. But I needed something to help my poor cracked lips and mission kind of accomplished for now. I guess this leaves me wondering, do all of their chapsticks smell this way?

And finally, I listed a gorgeous Elie Tahari dress on Ebay today. (This is actually the 3rd time I've listed the dress so I'm crossing my fingers that the 3rd time will be the charm!) It's absolutely beautiful and would be perfect for a fall wedding. I'm going to update with exact measurements tonight or tomorrow because, I'll be honest, I just stole the ones I listed from another website selling the same dress. I bought the dress last summer from a website selling new and gently used designer clothing to wear to a wedding, but it has never left my closet. Unfortunately I am way too well endowed and there was no way I was fitting everything I've got into that bodice. For once, I actually miss my pre-baby tiny boobies. The dress was listed on that site as "new without tags" so I can only assume that it has never been worn. Anywho, if you're interested, or know someone who might be, I've embedded the listing. I've started the auction really low and the Buy It Now price is only a tiny bit more than the starting price and still a fraction of the original price. Please forgive me for pushing my auction here, but seriously, I really want this thing out of my closet. I need more space to break out all my fall gear! You ladies know what I mean!!!

The dress FINALLY SOLD! YAY!

Kings of Leon concert pics...finally!

2009-09-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

It was an amazing concert! Seriously, one of my best birthday presnets EVER, second only to having my dream wedding for my birthday last year. The band sounds exactly the same live as they do on their albums. It was so similar, in fact, that we actually wondered at first if they were really singing live or if they were pulling a Milli Vanilli on us. Lol. Oh, I also wanted to mention that the opening band, The Features, were also crazy good, and if you like the Kings you will almost definitely like them too. So check em out and, of course, check out my pics from the concert too!

"Come on babe, you can smile and drive at the same time! It'll only take a second!" Lol!

Given a chance, I'm gonna be somebody.
If for one dance, I'm gonna be somebody.
- "Be Somebody"

What a night for a dance, you know I'm a dancing machine.
With a fire in my bones and the sweet taste of kerosene.
- "Revelry"

Homegrown...

So rock to the rhythm and bop to the beat of the radio.

You ain't got the slang but you got the face to play to role.

You can play with me here.

- "Fans"

Probably the clearest shot of the night. My camera a) does not have much in the way of a zoom feature and b) hates the dark, so this is pretty awesome.

Gave up and took my shoes off half way through (and hoped I wouldn't end up standing in ketchup or something else gross). This dummy assumed that spending twice as much money for seats meant that we would actually be sitting during the concert, so I wore heels. Big mistake.

And for any KOL fans who might be interested:

Afterwards, we met up at the Denny's in Annapolis with another couple, the matriarch of which has been a myspace/facebook friend of mine for a few years, but we've never actually met in person. They have a daughter about the same age as our monster and she and I met on a Myspace group that I made for moms in my state. Anywho, we had a great time with them. They are really funny and the conversation flowed naturally which is always cool when you're meeting people for the first time. Shannon and I both ordered the "Hooburrito" which was supposedly cooked up by the members of the band Hoobastank. Obviously, I insisted on calling it the "Stankurrito" instead - be honest, you would have called it the same thing. (For the record, it was actually pretty delicious. However, it was nearly 1am, I hadn't eaten anything since lunch, and i could still only manage to eat half.)

Thanks for remembering!

2009-09-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

I have to warn you, this entire post will be a feeling-sorry-for-myself bitch-fest. But, hell, if I can't bitch on my blog, where can I? Right?

Anywho, as you all know, last Friday was my birthday. I didn't make a big deal out of it or anything, because that's just not my style. Frankly, I would be embarassed to spend the week prior to my birthday reminding everyone that it was coming. I guess that maybe works for some people, but for me, I think it comes off as needy and obnoxious. But I digress... When I got up Friday morning I was greeted with birthday texts from my mom (obviously), my college roommate/maid of honor/son's godmother/greatest friend of all time, and my newest friend Karen. (Karen is the wife of my husband's best friend. I met her on my 2nd date with hubs so we've only known each other about a year and a half.) I spent the rest of the day waiting to hear from the rest of my friends....and waiting....and waiting. Nothing. Long story short, everyone else forgot. My co-workers all forgot but one. I ended up taking myself out to lunch because everyone else had plans. The most shocking was my long term friends. Friends I have known since we were 9 or 10. Friends whose birthdays are just a few days before (3) or a few days after (13) mine. But she didn't. I understand we're all busy, but come on, I have a child, a husband, and a full time job and I am still able to at least send a happy birthday text message. I don't need presents, a party, or anything fancy, just a little acknowledgement. My husband thinks I'm overreacting. Maybe he's right. But this has made me feel so unimportant and small. If the people who I've known the longest, who were bridesmaids in my wedding, and who I have considered my best friends for more than half of my life, don't even think of me enough to remember my birthday, well that's just a slap in the face. I've been moping over it for days, so maybe putting it out there will help get it out of my system.

Have any of you ever dealt with a similar situation? What would you do in my shoes? Since I can't seem to come up with a nice way to approach the subject, that won't make me feel like a complete loser, I'm totally open to suggestions. Help. Me. Lol.

Sorry for all my bitching and whining. I'll make up for it, I promise. Maybe tonight I'll actually get some pics up from the Kings of Leon concert - which was simply AMAZING! They sound exactly the same live as they do on their albums. Exactly. the. same.

To end on a positive note, I'll close with a picture of something cute...

That's my little rockstar!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

2009-09-04T09:29:00.001-07:00

Cake by The Cake Mamas

It is unlikely that we will have a cake at all, let alone such an amazing one, but it has a big old M on it so it's easy to pretend that someone made it just for me! Unfortunately, I have to be at work today, but at least I have a nice long weekend to look forward to. Our son is going with his Grandma until Wednesday night, so that's like a vacation in itself. We really don't have anything planned though. We'll probably just hang out around the house, do some cleaning, maybe go swimming so I can test run the new bathing suits, and who knows what else. On Tuesday night, my AMAZING husband is taking me to see the Kings of Leon in concert! That's my real present (although I'm pretty sure he bought me jewelry as well).

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Pretty Real Women: Lizzi Miller

2009-09-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

If you aren't a Glamour reader, or you live under a rock, this may be the first time you're seeing this image, but it is my sincere hope that we will begin to see more gorgeous REAL women like Lizzi Miller popping up more frequently in fashion magazines in the very near future. This photo accompanied a real love-your-body article titled "What Everyone But You Sees About Your Body" that's full of great feel good advice from all types of "body experts". My favorite quote comes from a regular 25 year old guy, Sam from St. Louis says "What makes women so interesting to look at—and touch—is the contrast between their smaller, smooth areas and the plump, soft ones." How right you are Sam, how right you are. The response to Lizzi's picture was so huge it prompted a blog post, appropriately titled "The Picture You Can't Stop Talking About: Meet 'the Woman on p. 194'", from Glamour's Editor-in-Chief, Cindi Leive. It's another good read with comments from the smokin' hot model herself.

One of my primary reasons for starting this blog was to discuss fashion for women with curves. Unfortunately, I haven't done much of that at all, so with that in mind, I'm starting a new feature here called "Pretty Real Women" where I'll showcase women who better represent the majority. Women who have curvy hips, thick thighs, big boobs, and even "cankles" (that would be me). Women like Lizzi Miller who don't fit the fashion industry mold but who love their bodies and ignore the pressure to be less of themselves. Are you feeling the Girl Power?

Here's another picture of Lizzi from a Glamour article in the March issue called "Exclusive Body-Image Survey: 16,000 Women Tell Their Body Confidence Secrets". They must really like her in her underwear!

Maybe Glamour really is starting to get it...

Shop It To Me strikes again!

2009-09-02T06:56:00.000-07:00

How can I be expected to be a good girl and not spend all of my income on clothing, jewelry, and beauty products when Shop It To Me insists on filling my inbox with such irresistable loveliness every morning? I have officially found my fall style. Thank you Liz Claiborne!

I am in love..and the model is gorgeous! Doesn't she even kind of look like Megan Fox, I mean, if MF (as we like to call her) wasn't such a trashy skank? Lol. Anywho, the polka dot top will absolutely be mine and maybe the plaid one too. I will also need a pair of ladylike driving gloves, a few chunky bracelets, and checked pants (a potential thrift find). I don't think that's a lot to ask to get me through the fall...until I find another slew of things to love anyway!

End-of-Summer Swimwear

2009-09-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

While hubs and I were out running errands this weekend, I ran across an amazing swimwear sale at Marshalls and ended up walking out with 3 suits - each TOTALLY different. You'll see what I mean. What's even more amazing than the fact that I actually liked the way I looked in 3 different bathing suits, is that I only paid $30 total for all of them! I wouldn't lie to you.

The "Conservative Mom" Suit

Perfect for wearing to the pool at my in-laws house or building sandcastles on the beach with my youngin'. It's a really flattering silhouette and keeps everything in place. Also, it doesn't look like baby poop brown in person - more like milk chocolate.
DKNY Smocked One-Piece Suit available at Macy's on sale for $54

The "Pin-Up" Suit

Not too revealing to wear around family, but still saucy! I have to admit, the belt is a waste on me. It's a stiff material that doesn't suit anyone who has any curves whatsoever. I tossed it directly in the trash and cut off the belt loops.
Jantzen Polka-Dot Bikini previously sold at Macy's
Photo from www.dressforthebeach.com

The "Sex Kitten" Suit

I sent Hubs a picture of this one from the dressing room and he replied "It's hot, but where are you going to wear it?" I took that to mean he found it inappropriate for his parents' house. No, really? This is more for lounging in the sand under an umbrella with my hunny...while the munchkin is at Grandma's house. (Also notice how I smooshed the picture a little to make the girl curvier. I think she looks better this way AND this is almost exactly how it looks on me. Lol.)
Baby Phat Ruffle One-Piece on sale for $39.98

I now have a suit to fit all of my swimwear needs. Mission accomplished.

One year ago today...

2009-08-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

"Come with me my love, to the sea, the sea of love. I want to tell you just how much I love you."

"These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.
These are the hands that will work along side yours, as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams.
These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within you.
These are the hands that look so large and strong, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.
These are the hands that will work long hours for you and your new family
These are that hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy
These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief wrack your mind.
These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you. "

"Take this ring as a visible and constant symbol of my love and commitment. As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you."

"This is our fate, I'm yours!"

More wedding porn to follow later...maybe tomorrow...I think this post is picture-heavy enough as it is. I'm upset that I couldn't find the script that I wrote for the ceremony. It was so beautiful and I wanted to include more quotes, but it's on a thumb drive at home. :( Anywho, since we technically celebrated our anniversary a few weeks ago in Pittsburgh, tonight we're going to stay in, make a pizza (hopefully with lots of garlic and asiago cheese), and snuggle on the couch with our munchkin. Sounds like heaven to me...

Business is boomin'.

2009-08-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

We're going to see Inglourious Basterds tonight with a few of my husband's friends. It's one of those movies that I really want to see, but I'm not sure I can handle all the blood and guts because I have a pretty weak stomach when it comes to gory movies. At least I can bury my face in my hubby's shoulder and snuggle through the gross parts!

Have a lovely weekend ladies!!!

Happy birthday to me....

2009-08-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

My birthday is just a few days away.......YAY!!!!!! (September 4th if you'd like to send a card. Lol!) Since my inlaws don't know me very well, I tend to get a lot of cash for my birthday (and Christmas - I made out like a bandit last year!). Believe me, I'm not complainin'. Here are a few things I'm thinking about spending some of it on:

Invisibelt - $19.95
To wear with the rest of my Invisible Girl outfit, duh!

Red Dots Sundress from Besograim on Etsy - $39.00
There isn't a thing about this dress that I don't love!

Smashbox Pink Power Eye Kit
I want this sooooo bad!!! I can totally envision this being one of my every day "go- to" sort of palettes. They're not the easiest things to find, but I'm persistent. I will make one mine.

Pink Leopard Bronzing Powder by Too Faced - $28.50
I know I shouldn't buy cosmetics just because they're pretty, but cooome oooon, it's leopard print!

HairDo Bangs by Jessica Simpson and Ken Paves - $29.00
I love bangs but have a major fear of commitment. I'd love to try a pair of these since you can just clip them in and go. I just have to figure out which color would be the best match...

Our anniversary is on Monday!!!

2009-08-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's my groom...crying!

One year ago...

Anywho, I have an entire anniversary post coming...I just couldn't contain my excitement any longer!!!

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to...

2009-08-25T08:26:00.001-07:00

As if I didn't already have "Strawberry Fields Forever" stuck in my head after watching Across the Universe last night (One of my FAVORITE movies - also, let me kind of brag for a second - my wedding singer was an extra in the film! Kinda cool, right?), so I pop open my Shop It To Me Sale Mail this morning to find this little beauty staring me in the face...

Strawberry Spring Fields Tank Dress by Betsey Johnson
$89.98 on SmartBargains

The Parador Inn of Pittsburgh

2009-08-20T08:31:00.001-07:00

I took so many pictures of the interior, it was really hard to chose which to share with you. These are some of my favorites.

The main sitting room

The first dining room - there is a row of three dining areas - kind of one long open room

Original ceiling. Amazing mural. Gorgeous chandelier.Our 3 room suite on the top floor.
The bedroom was originally a storage room. He used the built-in cabinets as a headboard. Pretty creative.
Built-in wardrobe...soooo huge! I would die for one of these in our house!
Snuggling on the couch in our living room.
More built in cabinets and stained glass.
Fire place and flat screen tv.
AMAZING bathroom. Pretty soon we'll be adding a new bath in our house and I'd really like to use this as our inspiration!

Main dining room.
Waiting for our banana waffles!
We had mango yogurt parfaits, freshly baked poppy seed bread, and banana waffles.
The fountain.
Really cool mural on the wrap around deck in the back.
The owner missed his place in Florida so, sticking with the Caribbean theme, he added his own beach and boardwalk!

Weekend in Pittsburgh - Photo Highlights

2009-08-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I spent last weekend in Pittsburgh. While there we attended a wedding, stayed in a GORGEOUS bed and breakfast, did touristy things, and had some of the best meals of our lives. It was amazing. Oh, and we were also celebrating our upcoming 1 year wedding anniversary, but more about that later. I wanted to share some pics from our trip - especially of the amazing B&B where we stayed - but I'll have to save those for a separate post because I took about 150 interior shots of the place. You wouldn't believe how gorgeous this house was unless you saw it. You also wouldnt believe how very little it costs to stay there ($150 a night)!

At the wedding reception.

Kyle LOVED my shoes...

...but the shoes did not love my feet!

I swear my eyebrows aren't completely uneven - I just can't seem to stop raising one in pictures.

My hair after removing about 200 bobby pins.

My cousin's son, Brody, has the world's longest, thickest eyelashes.

Our home away from home for the weekend - The Parador Inn of Pittsburgh. Huge, gorgeous rooms and an amazing host for a very low price, what more could we ask for? Oh, did I mention he's a chef and made us the best breakfast we've ever had?

Fish faces at the Pittsburgh Aquarium. Obviously.

Best. Dinner. Ever. at the Grand Concourse in Station Square. I HIGHLY recommend the lobster ravioli!!!

Riding the Incline at sunset. (It was a silly face kind of weekend.)