Rock 'N' Roll Hideaway

Girls Night Out! (Pics)

2012-01-29T11:56:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was my Girls Day/Night out! I've been looking forward to that for like a month....I got up at like 6am and got ready and left by 7:15am to make the hour and a half trip into SC to pick up my friend/buddy/FB bestie! We talk every day on FB and/or text, we met once a couple of weeks ago when Gi and I went down there to meet her and her kids. And we've hit it off really well. Some people find it extremely strange because she is my husband's ex-gf. His only ex! Lol! But my husband is an excellent judge of character and people and he really thought we'd like each other and sure enough, he was right!

We stopped by Starbucks to start the morning off right and had drinks and cheese danishes. Then went by the practically empty mall (apparently people don't go to the mall at 10am! lol!) and got her some new earrings and met this crazy guy working at Claire's who had just had vampire bite marks tattooed on his next the day before. Only they weren't done well and they looks like to giant black moles on his collar bone! We had a really hard time keeping a straight face when he showed us.....he said it was a spur of the moment decision. Mmm, hmm. After that we head back to the house - B was glad to see Holly again, it's been like 7 year since they last saw each other. I gave her a hair cut and we made, well tried to make, some cake pops. Those things are WAY harder than they look! After that we headed out to the tattoo shop.......

I went first and geez, it was way more painful than I remember! At first I was like there is no way I'm going to be able to get a second one tonight.....but my brain adjusted to the pain and I made it! (Like that face?! It was sincere.)

I had two done - he re-inked and prettied up my heart on my wrist. It was very badly done the first time and he really helped it a lot! Then I got an owl on my foot....

Holly getting ready for her first tattoo ever! I love being the one to take people for their first tats! Hopefully it'll be my hubby's turn next....

This was when he first got started. She made cute faces, I made hideous ones! Lol!

She laughed through most of it....the only time she started squirming was when he added the color at the very end.

Holly's tattoo - a breast cancer ribbon angel in honor of her mother who passed away....

So pretty and feminine and a very special meaning. A perfect first tattoo!

Before and After.......SO much better!

My little owl - love him! Named him Willard!

Love my ink!

It was such a fun day.....we ended it by eating pizza and reading crazy facts on Twitter from @UberFacts - we managed to stay up until 11:30pm. Yeah, we're old ladies/moms but we still try to be pretty darn cool!

Hols stayed the night and we took her half way to meet up with her boyfriend this morning.

I hated it had to end but we'll plan another one soon!

Oh so truthful!

2012-01-25T16:28:00.000-08:00

Kids are so darn truthful....well, most of the time. They usually choose to tell the truth

about things you wish they'd fudge on a bit more! Lol!

The other day Gianna and I were looking at old photos. She found one of me when I was about

sixteen years old. I had recently gotten hair extensions (only did that once, they looked great but felt horrible!) and my mom had taken some photos of me.

Gianna grabbed one and said, "Look how skinny you were!!! Oh, and I like what you did with your hair." Lol! Geez, kid, way to boost my self esteem!

We were sitting in the floor yesterday and I usually wait and shower after I work out in the afternoon. Being from a Lebanese background I tend to have fast growing hair so I shave my legs daily......Gianna rubbed my leg and snatched her hand back and said, "Gosh, it scratched me!"

While working out one night Gianna was working out "with" me, we were taking a break and I said, "Next we are going to work our butts!" And she promptly flopped in the floor and said, 'I quit." Lol!

Then she asked me, "Why do you work out?" I said, "Well, because we want to be fit and thin." to which she replied "You already are!" (good one!) then I said, "You work out to stay that way." She said, "Old people don't work out..." I said, "Some do." and she said "Grandma doesn't cause she's already fat, well, fluffy" (Note: Her Grandma constantly tells Gianna that's she fluffy not fat! Haha!)

Good Lord, kid.

Currently.....

2012-01-24T18:42:00.001-08:00

Currently......

Obsessing over: My fitness. Nothing new. I just feel blah lately. I can't seem to really get the motivation to eat right all the time. The working out is no problem but I don't see results without sticking to a good diet plan for like 30 days or more.....

Working on: Being a better wife and mom. Trying to be more open and caring with husband, being more sympathetic and patient with my daughter. Trying to be a good friend and no "stress" over making friendships last or "work."

Thinking about: Gianna's recent fear and anxiety issues. She's always been brave and outgoing. I've never really had issues with leaving her anywhere. Especially once she hit like four. She was eager to go and visit and play. But recently she's started crying every time I take her and leave her somewhere even places she goes all the time like church and school. It's disappointing and frustrating especially since no matter how I try to coax her or encourage her she can't give me a reason for it.....

Anticipating: Girl's Day/Night Out on Saturday! Had it planned for almost a month now and my best buddy is coming down to hang out and spend the night and I'm beyond excited! This week can not be over fast enough!

Listening to: Hayley Westenra's Celtic Treasures. It's an older album and she has one that's more recent but I just started listening to Celtic Treasures on Spotify and I'm in love! I have her first two albums and I just find her vocals breath taking and soothing. This album is just as good as her others!

Eating: Currently just drinking water. Back to eating clean tomorrow. Fruits & veggies!

Wishing: That my best bud lived closer so we could hang out more often and not just send hundreds of texts! Lol!

How about you? What are you up to today?

Chop chop!

2012-01-24T05:03:00.001-08:00

I got my hair cut yesterday! FINALLY! I'm loving it although I miss having my long piece in the front to twirl when I'm bored or nervous. My hubby said thank God it's gone! Haha! I'm still adjusting to having bangs again and I think I want to cut more straight up bangs in but we'll see....I'm going to grow the front pieces out more so that it's got more of angle. That's what I usually do, I'll keep trimming the back up but let those front pieces grow till I get the angle I want! But overall I'm thrilled I cut it! And of course yesterday and today have been the worst weather for hair....rainy and foggy. Lovely!

So whatcha think?!

Sunday Sunday

2012-01-22T18:24:00.000-08:00

After church today - just chilling in the Jeep waiting to go meet my dad for lunch!

Me and my incredibly handsome hubby. I'm so insanely lucky!

Gianna and her new feather/charm clip from her aunt!

Saying goodbye to this hair style, or lack of, tomorrow! Can NOT wait!

Me and my girly napping - we never nap but today called for one!

I've worn these ALL day. Best Christmas gift, and the most used for sure!

Dialect Vlog!

2012-01-19T09:24:00.000-08:00

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

And answer these questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?

What do you call gym shoes?

What do you say to address a group of people?

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

What do you call your grandparents?

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

What is the thing you use to change the TV channel?

Guilt of a stay at home mom....

2012-01-18T06:09:00.000-08:00

I may be the ONLY one who feels this way but I hope not.....I feel guilty about being at home. Especially now that Gianna is in school 5 days a week. We started our marriage out with two incomes. I worked 35 hours a week as a stylist and B worked 40 hours a week as a waiter. Between us both we made decent money. I mean, not rich by any means but we paid the bills and had plenty left over for having fun, eating out, buying stuff we wanted when we wanted. I bought new clothes and shoes weekly and never thought twice about it. Then we moved and our plan was exactly the same - we'll both get jobs, we'll live the same kinda life we did before. But then I got pregnant and super sick and we decided I just needed to stay home while I was pregnant and then stay home with the baby since it probably wouldn't be worth it to try and put her in daycare for me to have a minimum wage job. Not to mention we of course wanted our child to be raised by her parents. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with people who choose to work, honestly, but for us it just made more sense for me to be at home.

But living on one income, although it's a decent one, is still not easy. We pay our bills and we do get to enjoy eating out - mainly because it's just cheaper then trying to buy stuff to cook every night. But anything extra is well....just kinda difficult. And I tend to have a guilt complex. I feel guilty about everything - how I make people feel, saying no, and spending money. I don't contribute that much ( I make a very little bit helping my parents ministry out) and I know how much my husband hates working a 9-5 job and I just feel straight up guilty. I feel he could be doing what he loves (music) if he wasn't trying to pay bills for us. And I live with this day in and day out. I feel insanely guilty spending $5 on something. I get gas at the beginning of the week, usually just enough to be able to take Gianna back and forth to school and even though that's not even for me and a necessity I still feel awful.

I hate doing anything for myself unless I somehow come up with the money on my own which is a lot harder then it sounds. I can't seem to get my Etsy shop to do anything. I've sold a few things here and there but it's not consistent and I've been pretty much BEGGING people to buy stuff now and that's not even working so I'm giving up on that. It's not worth the time and effort I put into it. It seems like nothing is close by so it's always a ton of gas to go or do anything. Gianna's dr. and dentist are 35 minutes and an hour and 15 minutes away but we have to go to dr.'s and dentist that take her Medicaid insurance so we don't have a choice. The closest real "city" is 45 minutes away. So yeah, it's like everything constantly is just sucking money out of us when we don't have that much to begin with!

I honestly don't feel like I deserve to ever spend money on myself, at least not until I have an actual job that helps contribute to the household. I know most people view me as lazy because after all I just "sit around" at home right? Now that Gianna's in school I'm just living the high life.....not so. I mean, yeah, I do have it "easy" I guess because I do basic cleaning up, some cooking and watch Gianna when she's home but I feel guilty for that. I really can't wait to move and get a job just so this enormous weight of guilt will be taken off of me or at least relieved a bit.

I am supposed to go get my hair cut Monday but I'm honestly thinking about canceling because I just can't justify driving the 45 minutes to my hair dresser and paying for the cut. It just seems like an unnecessary expense that I can't mentally justify.

Does anyone else deal with this or am I just weird and need to go see someone for help! Lol!

Is it Monday or Tuesday?!

2012-01-17T05:08:00.001-08:00

It's sorta one of those mornings. Like not terribly bad but I'm just "off". And that's probably for a combination of reasons - you know that "lady reason", and I woke up in the night with an extremely sore throat and a stopped up nose....not to mention, B and I switched vehicles yesterday, I brought his back with over half a tank of gas. He brought mine back with barely enough for me to get Gi to school and I'm just PRAYING there is enough to get me the 10 miles into town to the nearest gas station. I am paranoid about running out of gas. It's my worse nightmare. And sadly, if I do run out of gas on the way into town I have pretty much NO one I can call to come help me. Lovely, huh?! I'm just begging God to get me there, begging.

Gianna is sick - bless her heart. I feel like since she's started school she barely has a week or two in between being sick again. This time it's a sore throat, crazy runny nose and I'm sure at some point it will turn into a hideous cough. She went to the dr. on Friday for a check up and she's 39 1/2 inches tall (10%) and 32 1/2 lbs. (15%). We've been trying the lactose free thing up until today and because I don't have the mountains of paperwork filled out from the dr. the school won't stop giving her gallons (slight exaggeration) of milk every day so I've told her to drink as little as possible today and she said "how much is a little?!" Lol! But she hasn't complained of tummy aches or anything for three days so that's a good start. I'm going to see how things go after she starts back drinking milk at school.

Yesterday Gianna and I made the hour and a half drive to visit a new friend of mine. We've been talking online via FB for awhile. It's someone my hubby has known for awhile so don't fear that I'm talking and going to visit some perfect stranger! She has three kids all around Gianna's age and we had a really good time! The day seemed to go by so fast and I'm really looking forward to the girl's night out we have planned at the end of the month!

Getting my hair cut Monday and I'm SO excited! I'm truly just over my hair at this point, it's so boring and I'm just ready for some spice! So yeah, I can't wait....Monday can't get here soon enough.

Gianna's had like three days out of school this month but they've all kinda been around the same time so it seems like a lot. I had to take her out of school Fri for her dr.'s appt., she was out of school yesterday, she's going to be out school Friday and Monday too.

So that was the most random post but I thought I'd catch you up a little!

Sunday Confessional V.7

2012-01-14T11:03:00.000-08:00

61. I have a shirt that I bought at a thrift store back in 2003. It's an old school 70's green t-shirt that says "Music" on the front. I dug it out of a "fill a bag for a $1" box! I can still wear it but it's so thin it's practically see through but for some reason I just can't part with it.

62. Most people think I'm part Italian or Spanish but I'm actually part Lebanese. My great grandmother came over from Lebanon when she was a young girl. Her name was Fahima Sod Butress and she was also known as Fanny and "Little Mama". Although part of me loves that my daughter looks just like my husband the other part of me really hoped she would get the Lebanese coloring. :-(

63. I used to chew my nails really bad. Like down to the quick bad. But one day when I was about 11 I was chewing on my nails and my dad said, "You know, no boy is going to be interested in a girl that chews her nails like you do...." He was only joking (I think!) but that totally got me and suddenly I stopped chewing my nails....but to compensate I started chewing the skin around my nails. So no matter how nice my nails look (which is rare because they are thin and tear easily) my fingers never do.

64. When Benjamin and I got back together it was a long distance relationship. I was in Bama at school and he was in NC. He didn't have a signal out at his house so he'd call my cell phone from his house. Even though I knew we talked a lot I didn't realize how much. My cell phone bill was about $25 a month at the time. I worked part time as a receptionist at a salon after school and barely made $200 a week. The first cell bill I got was $500 dollars!!!! It was the first time I ever felt myself start to black out! Lol! I knew my parents wouldn't help because a. they didn't want me with him anyway b. they were barely making ends meet with 4 kids still at home. So I called my sweet boyfriend! Little did I know he dipped into his engagement ring fund to pay it. Such a good man!

65. Benjamin took me to my very first movie ever at a movie theater when I was 18! I wasn't allowed to go to the movies growing up and I still remember I was so nervous and excited. We went and saw the movie "Hitch" with Will Smith and Eva Mendes. It was so fun and I've been in love with the movie theater ever since!

66. Every time I go into a bathroom (including my own) that has a shower with a closed shower curtain I have to open it and look.....just to make sure nothing is hiding in there! Lol!

67. I absolutely refuse to go into a Yankee Candle store. Although I love their candles their stores make me absolutely sick.....all those strong smells all together. I'm getting a headache just thinking about it. Gag.

68. I was 13 when I first got my ears pierced. I was 18 when I finally got a second ear piercing and that was only because I moved out of my parents house. It wasn't allowed while I lived there. Funny thing is now my mom has four in one ear and a nose ring. Hmmmm. I got my nose pierced in early 2008. I'm positive there are no other piercings I would ever get. They sorta freak me out....punching holes where there aren't supposed to be holes! Lol! Although I like the way Monroe piercings look, a friend of mine has one, but there is no way you could even pay me to get it done!

69. I can't wear socks to sleep in....even if I start out in socks I always remove them even if I don't remember doing it. I always find them next to the bed in the floor in the morning.

70. I'm claustrophobic in a serious way. Just the thought of being in a small space makes my heart race and I can't breathe. One time I was in the very back seat of an SVU PACKED with people, everyone was bundled up and the heat was on. I literally thought I was going to suffocate. When we finally stopped I literally shoved my grandmother out the door just so I could get out and get air! Sometimes even the weight of my husband's arm over me at night can cause me to panic....I have to force myself to stop and take deep breaths.

Saying hello to lactose free?

2012-01-13T16:37:00.001-08:00

Gianna had to have her yearly check up for school today. Her teacher checked her shot record yesterday and told me she was up to date on all her shots and we wouldn't need any. I made sure to tell Gianna this because she is TERRIFIED of the doctor's office. The moment we walk in she is a boo-hooing hysterical mess. She is petrified of shots. So today she was good because "no shots" but I forgot they'd check her hemoglobin which in her mind is a shot even though it's just a tiny pin prick. So she was in a hysterical mess after that. I finally got her calmed down and told her NO more, that's it! I apologized because I forgot about that but that it was a shot, etc. etc. Then the nurse comes in and Gianna's sitting in her little gown waiting, still scared. And the nurse announces "She needs four shots today!" Gianna immediately freaks the heck out! Great. I said, over my wailing child, "Are you sure? She's had her four year shots, she shouldn't need anymore for awhile." Nurse: "No, she needs these....here's information on the shots" and leaves. I'm looking at the paperwork and I KNOW she's had these shots already like 6 months ago. So I'm getting ready to raise a stink and I'm sending B texts with maybe a cuss word or two in them! Gianna is still flipping out and I'm trying to comfort her and the nurse comes back in and says "Oh no, she's up to date, I hadn't checked her shot records yet....." WHAT?! You came in and announced that before you even checked?! Idiot.

Gianna calms down and the dr. comes in. Gianna was amused her name was Mrs. McDonald. I know Gi had to be thinking her husband was Ronald. She listened to Gi's heart, looked at her eyes, etc. Then I brought up something that has been concerning me and B. Gianna is tiny and fairly "long" for how thin she is. But she generally has a pot belly. But it's more then that - it's a bloated belly. Sometimes it's worse than others and occasionally it looks fairly "normal". But it just didn't look right. I asked Gianna if it hurt but she said no. But it looked painful. And this has been going on for over a year at least. We assumed to begin with that it had to do with her constipation issues. But after being put on Miralax those have gone away and she's fairly regular but the bloated belly continues. She complains of tummy aches fairly often as well. I mentioned this to a few other mommies and one mentioned possible malnutrition which sounds silly since Gianna does eat but it's small portions and fairly picky so I thought it might be a possibility that she wasn't getting what she needed. Another mom mentioned that her daughter was allergic to gluten and that she thought her daughter's was a reaction to gluten in her diet.

I have considered before that Gianna might possibly be lactose intolerant. She was as baby and couldn't drink any milk based formula and was instead put on a soy formula. And her constipation issues really picked up after weaning her off soy and putting her back on milk. But no one, not even the dr. has ever mentioned that might be the case and I've brushed it off. But I've really started thinking this might be a problem. All they serve at school is milk - she gets milk three times a day while she's there plus milk she drinks at home and her favorite foods include Mac N Cheese and yogurt. So of course my dairy loving girl would be lactose intolerant (possibly). So the dr. has suggested we try a lactose free diet for a couple of weeks and she said that should tell us. If that doesn't work she's going to send her to see a gastroenterologist and see if she's possibly got something else with a really long name that effects the throat and can cause gas and nasal/snoring issues. So we'll see.

I'm starting tomorrow taking her off main dairy stuff like milk, cheese and yogurt. But once she goes back to school Tuesday, until I can get a load of paperwork filled out by a doctor and returned (and our dr is 35 mins away!), she'll be back to drinking milk all day. So I'm hoping by a week from Monday we'll have it squared away and she'll be off it for a good two weeks to see if that works. But I already feel bad. I'm thinking about all the dairy/cheese stuff she eats that I'm going to have to restrict and limit. I feel bad for her that I'm limiting things she enjoys. I'm also really concerned about her being on a lactose free diet at school. I don't know how different that will be from the other kids menu but I don't want her to feel singled out or "weird" because she can't drink milk with the other kids or eat Mac N Cheese for lunch....

Here are my questions:

1. Do you have a child that is lactose intolerant? If so, how did you figure it out?

2. Besides obvious dairy stuff what else do I have to restrict or limit?

3. What are good alternatives for things she loves like Mac N Cheese and yogurt if she is lactose intolerant?

We're going to be using Rice milk instead of soy. I've heard some negative things about soy and little girls so I'm being a little cautious. We might mix it in later on if we find milk is the problem. I tend to like the taste of Rice milk better myself but she might like Soy or Almond better. Luckily, she's drank these before because it's all my dad uses although he isn't lactose intolerant, he does it for diet purposes. But what about cheese? Is there a lactose free kind that's good? (I have no idea how you'd make cheese lactose free! Lol!)

I need some help figuring this all out, people!

Vloggin' Vednesdays - Blogger Cribs!

2012-01-11T16:35:00.001-08:00

Couldn't for the life of me get my video to upload on here so go HERE and watch it on Youtube! This vlog Wednesday is all about touring our homes so check it out!

Five Things.....ok, maybe 6!

2012-01-10T04:46:00.000-08:00

(Can't wait to get this mop CUT!!!)

1. First let me say, "ROLL TIDE, Y'all!" Yup. We are the BCS National Champions again. And I don't wanna hear "that wasn't even a game" or anything like that. The truth is we're the best and we OWNED LSU. 21-0! We're thrilled and proud and our boys are a class act! My sis and father in law came over to watch the game and we ordered pizza and wings. Papa John's had this awesome deal where if you ordered online you could get 50% off your entire order! So we ordered 20 wings and got home and they had sent us home with 40 wings! What?! Yeppers!

2. We said bye-bye to ballet yesterday. To honest I'm really sad. It nearly broke my heart to actually say we're done and we aren't going back. Yesterday was our first day back after the long holiday break. But the two dance classes before that we had meltdowns. Which is SO unlike Gianna. She's fine at school, fine at church, fine anywhere. And she's been fine at dance up until those past couple of times. She goes in happy and by the mid hour break she's in hysterical tears and hyperventilating. I've talked to the teacher and she says nothing happens Gianna just starts crying and keeps it up until she's so distraught. We even have a video monitor in the waiting room so we can watch and nothing happens, she just breaks down. I've talked and talked to her trying to figure out what's wrong? She'll give me feeble little excuses that I know aren't the issue...finally yesterday after another meltdown and us leaving half way through class I asked her if she was crying because she just doesn't want to do dance anymore. She looked really guilty for a moment then nodded. I was so bummed. Bummed that she couldn't just tell me to begin with and bummed that she's really done. I love dance and she did too and I was so excited she loved ballet so much....but I guess we are moving on. But here's a question. Yesterday I paid tuition for the whole month of January and we were there for 30 minutes of the hour long class yesterday. The month before (Dec.) I paid for a full month tuition but we were out on holiday for half the month. I should get my January tuition back, right? And what about the $20 deposit I put down for her costume? I mean, she won't be getting the costume now so I should get that back, right? I'm just wondering. I've never dealt with this kinda thing before I'm just wondering what I should "demand" back or just view as a loss.

3. This morning on the radio they were talking about the "perfect" man. Obviously no one is perfect but they did a poll on a bunch of women and the average woman rates her man 69% perfect. Then they listed the top five issues women have with their men. I can't remember them all but leaving the bathroom messy was one, spending too much time on sports, not liking any of their family members, being rude in public (farting, burping, etc.). And this is totally not to brag (ok, maybe it is!) but I can honestly say if I gave B a percentage on being "perfect" I'd say he's close to 85% at least. The top things most women have an issue with are not even an issue with us. In fact, I'm probably much farther from the "perfect" woman then he is from the "perfect" man! I guess I'm just extremely lucky!

4. So this past week I've been really pushing hard in my work out's. Working out usually around 70-75 minutes. I watched my eating really closely until Saturday night. :-( I just can't seem to stick with it like I want. So my "solution" to that problem is to just work out even harder and longer. I'm hoping that at some point I'll just work out more then I eat! Lol! I doubt that'll happen but I'm trying to get with it. I must say though, lately I just feel happier - and that always helps me lose. Stress really keeps the pounds on me and the past couple of months I've just felt tense and on edge but lately I'm feeling much more relaxed and happy so I'm hoping that translates on the scales as well!

5. I've got a "Girl's Night" out planned at the end of the month and I'm totally thrilled! I've recently kinda made a new online friend and we're going to get to meet at the end of the month. It's actually my husband's ex-girlfriend and I know it sounds strange to even me. Especially because I've kinda had a hard time with the idea of her for a LONG time. She was the only other girl he dated besides me and they lived together for awhile and I just had a hard time with it all. But several months ago we started talking on Facebook and I've started to really like her - she's funny, outgoing, and we have a lot in common. It's a bummer she lives an hour and a half away but we're planning to meet up at the end of the month and have some fun girl time! I'm so excited! Really looking forward to it.....

6. I hate to beg, and I'm a horrible sales person because I hate feeling like I'm "pushing" people to buy something but I really really need some sales in my Etsy shop. I'd like to clear out what's in there before I start adding new stuff.....would you guys check it out? Maybe even make my day and make a purchase?!!!! And maybe pass along my shop link?! Thank you so much. This is my only way of making "extra" money and that's not very extra right now. So every little bit helps! Click HERE to go check out my shop!

Sunday Confessional V.6

2012-01-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

51. I pretty much like anything that is mint/chocolate! Ice cream, fudge, candy, hot chocolate, whatever!

52. I'm deathly afraid of heights but I love flying...something about airports and airplanes are so fun!

53. My family are huge Bama fans. So two of our biggest rivalries are Auburn and Tennessee. Both which have orange as one of their team colors. Thus I hate orange and I especially hate the orange and blue combo. Gag.

54. I have never played any kind of sport in my life. I'm very much a girly girl. When Benjamin tries to throw a football too me I usually duck! Lol!

55. I have an obsession with keeping my toenails painted. In fact they are kinda stained from where I keep nail polish on them at all times.

56. I absolutely LOVE the beach but I won't go more then ankle deep into the water. It freaks me out that there are all sorts of creatures living in it and the salt really irritates the skin on my legs and end up making them red and then they burn! But I'll lay out and cook in the sun till I'm a lobster!

57. Speaking of laying out I've never ever been to a tanning bed in my life. I thought about going this past summer but it seemed like a waste of time, gas and money when I could go lay out by the pool in my backyard.

58. Even though I've been trying to grow my hair out for like 8 months now I'm totally bored with it and I'm going to cut it off again. And I'll tell you a secret....my hair was the longest at my fattest, it was short and cute at my skinniest. So when my hair starts getting long I automatically start seeing a fatter face in the mirror. I know, it's all in my head, but I think that's part of the reason I just don't like my hair long right now....

59. My ultimate dream car is a Range Rover but until then I'd like a Honda Accord. No joke. They are the greatest little cars. The first car I bought with my very own savings back in 2004 was an '89 baby blue Honda Accord. An elderly lady had purchased it new and drove it to like church and the grocery store once a week so it only had about 85,000 miles on even though it was 15 years old. I LOVED that car! It took me back and forth to Cosmetology school and work 6 days a week for a year. Then some stupid lady hit me from behind while I was stopped at a light and completely totaled it. I was broken hearted. After that I bought a lemon of a Ford Taurus from my boss who swore it was THE best car. It had a "ghost" and we spent almost $1,000 trying to fix it to no avail. So I basically gave it away just trying to get rid of it!

60. My favorite scent is Bath & Body Works Moonlight Path. The smells reminds me of dating Benjamin and I just find it warm & sexy. I need to go buy some.....

To cut or not to cut?!!!

2012-01-07T17:56:00.001-08:00

(Me with short hair....I loved this length. Shaggy, edgy and it made me feel cute!)

(Ideas. I like the first cut and the brunette's cut the best....)

So I'm seriously contemplating cutting my hair again soon. I'm really really bored with my hair right now. I do like being able to pull it into a ponytail when need be and part of me would be sad to part with it. But other then that when I have long(ish) hair I do nothing with it. I see all these pretty and cute hair styles but I can't ever seem to do them on my own hair (that's really great for a cosmetologist to say! Lol! I can do your hair but not my own!). So needless to say I straighten it every day and it's just boring. Not to mention my hair is fairly thin and the longer it gets the thinner and flatter it looks......

I've been growing my bangs out as well, I usually always have some kind of side fringe or bang and part of me likes being able to totally pull them out of my eyes especially when I work out but then again....it feels boring for me. I'm ready for something sassy and cute again.

What do you think? Should I leave it and continue growing it out in the same way I am. Or go bold and cut it short with a fringe/bang? Or maybe compromise and leave it long(ish) but get some bangs cut? I'm torn, people, torn!!! Lol!

When we disagree....

2012-01-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

It's just a fact of life that people disagree. Married people disagree. There isn't anything wrong with disagreeing, it's how you solve that disagreement in the end. I feel like people think that if they admit they sometimes disagree or even "fight" with their spouse that it means they aren't happy and that's not true at all. My husband and I are VERY happy with each other but we are two different people with two different hearts and minds and that's going to clash occasionally. I never think less of a couple because they admit they don't get along occasionally. But if they never resolve those issues then things can get messy. I think B and I have learned, over the past 6 1/2 years, how to better solve out arguments and how to argue better. I know that sounds crazy but instead of blowing up and flipping out (which occasionally still happens!) we do our best to think logically and really talk things out....which is easier said then done for me a lot of times!

I've come to the realization that B is the stricter parent. There always is one. I discipline Gianna but I am much more lax on what I expect of her or press her to do. I don't think either one of us is "wrong" necessarily but sometimes we clash on how we want to deal with her. It's hard because you don't want to send a mixed message so some how you have to come to an compromise. And I can't say I have that down just yet! Lol!

Tonight we had a bit of a "disagreement" at dinner time. I made pot roast. Growing up pot roast was the ONLY way I'd eat cooked carrots. I'd eat them raw with ranch dressing but cooked.....gag! The only way Gianna will eat cooked carrots is if they are the sweet Japanese style carrots. Gianna eats very lightly - she nibbles and then she has a few things she really likes and veggies aren't one of them. She'll eat salad when she's in the mood, she'll eat raw spinach with ranch and she'll eat broccoli if I stir fry it with chicken. To be honest I don't think most kids like or eat many veggies. I honestly don't like any of the veggies I was forced to "try" growing up. And eating one bite or two isn't giving them that much nutrition anyway.

So tonight I gave Gianna a dinner roll and left it at that. I know I should make her try the pot roast, potatoes and carrots. But I'll be straight up honest, I hate the fight. I really do. I want to enjoy my dinner not sit with her crying, snotting, gagging and choking. I hate telling her over and over "take a bite, take another bite, eat the rest of that....." I hate the conflict so I avoid it. But B wanted her to eat some of everything. And instead of simply stating that I felt like he kinda "jumped" on me about. He probably doesn't feel that way and that's ok, we see things differently sometimes. But I reacted to that and got kinda upset. I did my best to hold my tongue and simple ate dinner while he coached Gianna through her crying, snotting and the fact that she can chew a mushy bite of carrot for 5 minutes (no joke). But he made her do it and in the end she was fine.

And I think we are both over the "issue" now. But honestly, I hate disagreeing with him. I do. And a lot of the time he's right but I just don't want to feel guilty of being the "slacker" parent.

So here's a few questions for you -

1. How do you handle disagreements with your spouse or significant other?

2. What are your feelings on making kids try or eat foods they don't like?

3. Who is the strict parent in your house?

A shot of motivation.....

2012-01-04T17:10:00.001-08:00

So I'll be honest - I have been straight up lacking any motivation what so ever to eat right and even though I've been working out I've been slacking and even skipped a few more then I should. I kept using the "it's the holidays" excuse but now the holidays are over and well, I can't use that excuse anymore. And even though, according to the scales, I "only" gained like 3lbs. over the holiday months I can tell it's more then that. I feel so bloated, so flabby and jiggly. And nothing is fitting right. I know I'm not where I should be when I'm going to my clothes that I feel "hide" me. And that's totally not where I want to be. But even though I'm feeling this way I still couldn't find the motivation to really get with it and stick with it. For me there is usually moment that it's just like "AHA!" and suddenly I feel this rush of "get it done!" attitude. And I think that happened for me today! Thankfully, finally! I can't say I'll be perfect but I just had that moment of looking at myself and feeling miserable and I don't want to be there again.....

So I created my new "inspiration board" - I do these occasionally and put them as the back drop picture of my computer so that every time open it up (which is a lot!) this hits me in the face and keeps me on my toes and keeps things fresh in my mind.

The last picture....seriously, I would LOVE to look like that from the side. I mean, no love handles?! PLEASE! Lol!

The middle picture is my favorite Nike Training App girl. I don't know who she is and I can't find anything about her online but she's awesome and super cute and the perfect amount of fit for me!

The first picture is....wait for it.....my husband's ex-girlfriend! Lol! His ONLY ex. He dated me and her and that's it. She's my height exactly and only 2 days older then me! We get a big kick out of that. But we've kinda become friends via Facebook and text lately. She was training last summer and doing some wrestling and that pic was taken during that and I personally find it very inspirational. Did I mention that was AFTER 3 kids?! Yup. So I've really got to kick my butt in gear.

This picture was me during the summer last year.....I was feeling great (a tan always helps too....I'm so flippin' white right now!). This was nearly the smallest I've been since having Gianna. 123lbs. I'd like to get down to 120 so I've got 10lbs. to lose. Even though I've done this before and I've been at this for over 2 years now I still want to see results NOW and it's so hard to be patient, stick with it and work towards the results I want. It didn't get bad over night and it's not going to get good over night.

So here's to sticking with it!!! Note: Monday night is the BIG Alabama versus LSU game and we're ordering pizza and wings but I've already told myself 1 slice of pizza and 4 wings. That's it! (please hold me accountable on that! I need all the help I can get!)

All About New Year's Eve (Vlog)

2012-01-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

The post in which I'm random.....

2012-01-03T05:26:00.001-08:00

We are already 3 days into January. What?! My baby sister is going to be 19 in a couple of days. I can't believe it. My youngest brother is going to be 12 this year. It's unreal, I remember when he was born. I was 14 when he was born and I was so "over" having siblings! Lol! We've never been very close....don't get me wrong, I love him, he's my brother. But of all my siblings I feel the least connected to him. It's funny, I seem to kinda go in "shifts" with my sisters - I feel close to one but not the other then suddenly I'm close to the other one and not that one anymore. I guess it's just what we need at the time. The oldest of my two younger brothers will be 16 this year and he's fairly close to my husband. They are both into music and music production and they have the same silly humor!

I started my "A Letter A Day" project! So far so good. I wrote three pages the first day and only 1 yesterday. But like I said, you can just write down a quote you like or think applies for that day. It doesn't have to be a super long letter every day. I'm going to have to go buy some kind of box or container to keep them in. I'm going to tie each month together so that they don't get all mixed up because sorting through 365 letters at the end of the year could be tiresome. But it's going to be crazy to see where we are a year from now and to be able to look back on each day of this year and see what brought us to that point! We have a lot of changes ahead of us this year and that's why I thought this year would be perfect to document daily.

I started the last book of the Dark Tower series. Stephen King is supposedly writing an 8th book to the series although it was supposed to "end" with this book. This series has been amazing. I can't even begin to describe the detail and the imagination in these books. The depth is beyond me....in fact, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to re-read this entire series to full grasp it all! So deep.

Just wanted to share this picture of my hottie! The ladies are just trippin' over themselves! In fact, one of my friends (jokingly) asked if she could have his number because she needed someone hot to send her comforting text messages when she's alone! Haha! The great thing about B is not only is he physically attractive but he's also got a great personality and great character. I always say he's a very charismatic person and people just like him. The few people who don't usually don't like anybody so they don't count! Lol!

I loved having this cutie pie home with me for almost two weeks straight. I realized just how much I miss her being at school 6 1/2 hours, 5 days a week. I know she loves it and it's really good for her but I hate being home alone and she's such great company. She's really become quite the young lady lately and it's not just having a kid around she's kinda become my buddy. She's into fashion and music and talk and chat and she's just loads of fun! She headed back to school today and the house just seems so quiet and empty with out her.

New Year's Eve we went out during the day and hit up the mall and tried out the new Buffalo Wild Wings. Super yummy! I love good wings and theirs are really good. I got this cute picture of B kissing Gigi on the head. I just happen to have my phone out and my camera open and snapped it. I love candid photos of them!

We've had a first super cold snap.....last night it got down to like 16 I think. Brrrrr. B had the fire roaring and it was so nice and cozy and wintery! But getting out in it this morning was not fun and I feel so bad that my hubby has to work in it all day. I think it's currently like 18 up where he works and it's kinda windy out too. It's supposed to start warming up a bit towards the end of the week but today and tomorrow are supposed to be crazy cold!

I'm going tomorrow to get my hair trimmed and I'm so excited! Lol! I wash, dry and flat iron my hair almost daily so my ends get bad quick. So I really need them trimmed. Plus my hair seems to have a growth spurt after I get it trimmed. And my hair stylist is super fun and sweet so it's nice to chat with her too.

Getting back into working out and trying so hard to eat right but I'm so lazy with it.....I just can't get back into the swing of it. Ugh. So today I'm trying again. Counting calories and all that. And I'm on my second week of Insanity, round I-lost-count. Lol! I haven't really made any resolutions other then be a better me, be the healthiest and fittest me I can and make it through all the changes ahead with a good positive attitude! Hooray for a new year!

Dear 2012

2012-01-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

Dear 2012,

I'm doing my best not to put too many expectations on you. I tend to think each year that EVERYTHING I want in life is supposed to happen all in that year. And I'm trying to not put all the pressure on you and realize that maybe 2013 and 2014 can carry some of the burden too!

You will bring a lot of changes to us though. I can't believe that half way through you we'll be moving. Leaving this place behind. Don't worry, I'm very happy about it! I'm so glad my daughter won't have to grow up here. You'll bring her a new school and new teachers and new friends. You'll bring my husband more opportunities to make his dreams come true. You'll find me trying to get back into the swing of being a working girl. Wow.

You've brought my husband and I 11 years of being in love and you'll bring us 7 years of being married.

You'll bring my daughter's 5th birthday and I'll do my best to make her 2012 birthday party very memorable!

I'm nervous, yet excited, about you, 2012! I don't like the unknown but I'm going to trust that you will treat me and my family well!

You will be my fittest year to date - I plan to eat healthier and work out more than ever and be the hottest 25 almost 26 year old I can be!

So here's to you, 2012! You better be flippin' awesome!!!

Sunday Confessional V.5

2012-01-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

(Since last Sunday was Christmas I skipped Sunday Confessional, but I'm starting off the New Year right with the next set of "facts"!)

41. I color my almost 5 year old daughter's hair. Yes, I heard all of you gasp. And I say, get over it! Lol! In the nicest way of course. I mean, seriously though, it's hair. She's going to start coloring it herself when she's like 10 anyway. She's begging to be red or pink but I'll only let her go blond(er) for now.

42. I'm not allergic to anything that I know of although if I eat a banana that's too ripe it makes my mouth itch. The same if I eat more than 2 kiwi's.

43. My absolute favorite movie is the "new" Pride & Prejudice. I LOVE the romance! I've always said I love love!

44. I can't draw for anything. Seriously, getting a stick figure straight is a work for me.

45. I'm not sportsy or outdoorsy. Never played any kind of sport. I don't mind camping but only for a night or two. I like to be able to shower, shave and dry my hair and put on make up!

46. I hate cleaning, I put it off as long as I can then I get completely disgusted with how much I've let things go and I go on a rampage and clean the house in a furious manner.

47. I have 4 tattoos....so far. My first was a star on my foot, then a celtic heart on my wrist, then I added swirls and "leaves" to my the star on my foot, then I have the outline of a closed eye on the back of my shoulder. I think I've talked my hubby into getting a tattoo this year as well!

48. I never experienced labor. I think maybe I had a couple of Braxton Hicks but I couldn't swear by it. I had a planned c-section at 38 weeks because Gianna was completely breech. I could push in between my ribs and feel her head go down and then back up! Creepy!

49. I've always had really small feet. In fact, my dad jokes that he doesn't know how they hold me up because they are so small! Lol! I used to wear a 5 or 5 1/2 but now I'm usually a 6. They grew after I had Gianna. I can still wear 4's in the kid section at Target which is awesome because a lot of times they have kid versions of the adult shoes and they are cheaper!

50. I prefer wearing black to any other color. If someone told me I could only have 1 color clothing for the rest of my life I'd be totally good with replacing everything with black clothes. Not because I'm emo, not at all, I just think black looks chic' and clean and put together.

NYE '11

2011-12-31T17:28:00.001-08:00

It's New Year's Eve and to be honest I've never been a big on celebrating too much. I don't really drink so partying is kinda out. We don't have any really good friends to hang out with or do anything fun with. I'm sorta an old lady and after like 10:30pm I'm practically asleep. So needless to say if I stay up on watch the ball drop on TV that's a big deal. But I've always been with family or at least my husband. I figured tonight would be the same. We went out with my sister earlier and had "dinner" and hit up the mall then headed home. On the way home B had an unexpected call from a family member that needed his immediate attention so he let my sister take Gigi and I home. Gigi and I were watching TV but she's been up since 6am and at 8pm she asked to please be put to bed. Seriously?! Lol. So she's in bed. And B is still not home. I thought about going to bed but I'm not tired so that would be pointless.....so here I am. Usually when I'm bored out of my mind I flip through channels and get on Pinterest. So that's what I'll do now. Lol! Yay for the New Year!

Also, have you checked out my "A Letter A Day" project? We are starting tomorrow and I'd love to know you are participating! You can go HERE or HERE to learn about the project. If you decide to join in leave me a comment and let me know!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Settled.

2011-12-29T19:19:00.001-08:00

“The question for each man to settle is not what he would do if he had means, time, influence, and educational advantages, but what he will do with the things he has.” - Hamilton Wright Mabie

This past year I have felt very unsettled. That's the only word I know to describe it. I wasn't really unhappy, in fact, for the most part I was very happy with life and how things were going. Don't get me wrong, there can always be improvement and there seems to always be a "need" that isn't quote fulfilled, etc. But something just didn't feel right, it didn't feel whole. And I prayed and prayed for the "thing" that I felt I was missing. The thing my heart was aching for. I was just so sure God was going to answer my prayer by Christmas. Truly. I spent my whole year waiting for God to bust out this miracle and drop this "thing" in my lap. And it didn't happen. The closer I got to Christmas and it was very obvious this thing wasn't going to happen I went through a bit of a depression over it. I felt so disappointed, so frustrated with God. I mean, He's the one that planted this seed in my heart so why didn't He deliver? Although I know that God knows even more than I do that we aren't quite in the right place I still wanted it to happen. BEGGED for it to happen. But it didn't. And then I stopped praying for it to happen. I felt guilty. Like I was bailing on my part of the mission or something. But I realized that maybe I wasn't praying right. And instead I started asking God to please give me peace. To help me not give up but to feel settled until the time was right. Because it was really causing some issues - as crazy as it sounds this idea was consuming me. I thought about it in every situation, in every place, in every moment it seemed. My heart felt SO burdened. I felt so alone in. Right before Christmas I asked a wonderful friend of mine....someone I respect SO much spiritually, someone I know is a prayer warrior....I asked her to share my "burden". To help me pray, to help me petition God so to speak. And it's been so nice, I don't feel like I'm battling for this alone. And the other day I suddenly realized that I felt settled. I felt peace. I felt joy. I'm still praying, I'm still hoping, I still want.....but I know that when the time is right it will happen. When everyone involved is ready to step aboard and carry their part then this thing will take flight and when it does my heart will soar with it! But until then I will be settled. I let me heart rest and my mind find peace. I will soak up the moments that are now because they will change and they will be gone. And what a waste to let those pass by because I'm unhappy with how things are at the moment.....so my "word" for 2012 is settled.

.....a holly jolly Christmas!

2011-12-29T17:48:00.000-08:00

I am FINALLY getting around to putting up some Christmas photos. Better late than never! (That's my motto it seems these days! Haha!) This Christmas seemed fairly easy and not super rushed but at the same time I feel like I haven't stopped lately either. Looking forward to the new year and all it holds!

(Christmas tree. Our Christmas card photo. All dressed up.)

(Charlie Brown tree at the cabin. Cabin mirror pic. Cute Glavin.)

(Worlds Tallest Man. Me and my babe. Sisters)

(Outside the Titanic Museum)

(Coming home. Candy cane girl. Gandalf. Handmade snowflakes.)

(Tiniest top knot. Christmasy scarf. Cutie pie.)

(Feeling the red. Our family. Trying on boots (him)

(Checking out Cracker Barrel. Chocolate milk. Blueberry pancakes.)

(Decorating cookies. Santa's cookies and note.)

(Christmas morning. Stocking loot.)

(Opening gifts. BIG dollhouse.)

(Happiness. Christmas.)

Vloggin' on a Thursday!

2011-12-29T06:08:00.001-08:00

Christmas love

2011-12-24T10:58:00.001-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend filled with family, friends, food and fun!

I'm making pot roast and we're having cobbler and ice cream. Keeping it simple and yummy!

Be safe and enjoy every moment!

Talk to you next week!

The "A Letter A Day" Project

2011-12-20T06:07:00.000-08:00

This morning I was browsing around on Pinterest and saw a quote that said, "Noah wrote Allie (from The Notebook) 365 letters, the least you could do is answer my text!". It was funny and I laughed and started to move on but then I totally had an inspiration moment. What if you wrote someone you loved a letter every day for a year? No one seems to write letters anymore and even if it's a short one it's still written from the heart and it takes time and thought. I love letter writing, for me it's the easiest way to say what is really on my mind. It's the best way for me to organize my thoughts and place them in an order that makes sense. It seems like so many days I think of things then forget them or never have the nerve to say them or talk about them or bring them up. There are things I want to remember but then they are forgotten. So this is my project "challenge" - choose someone, it can be your spouse, a sibling, your child, a friend, anyone - and starting January 1, 2012 you write them a letter each day, seal it in an envelope, make sure each envelope is dated on the outside and it has their name on it. Keep them somewhere out of the way where they won't be gotten into, ripped open or peeked at. On New Year's eve 2012 you'll give those letters to that person with the instructions that they are to read one letter a day for the next year. For instance, January 1, 2012's letter will be read on January 1, 2013 and so on and so on.

I know, it may seem like a lot of work but think about how special that person is going to feel when you present them with 365 hand written letters?! Knowing you thought about them each and every day. It doesn't have to be serious every day although I'd encourage you to do that some too but it can be funny, it can be a silly thing your child did, it can be a quote you heard, anything. The letters don't all have to be long but I think once you get into the swing of writing things will flow and before you know it you'll have two or three or four page letters!

I have chosen to write my husband. I miss all the letters we used to write each other when we were dating and lived 7 hours apart. And there are things each day that I think about telling him or thoughts I wish I knew how to share or funny things Gigi says or does that just slip my mind by the time he gets home. I think it would be fun and to give him all those letters at the end of the year will be amazing!

If you think this is something you are going to join me in doing would you leave me a comment and let me know who you chose? And also, would you share the idea on your blog if you decide to do it? When you do leave me a comment with the link to your post! I don't know how to make a button for you to "grab" or how to put up a place for you to link back to me. Lol! Sorry! But I do hope you will join me in this "little" project, I think it would be fun and inspiring and make someones year down the road!

I was tagged!

2011-12-19T06:33:00.000-08:00

Just playing along. I was tagged by Ashley here are my answers and questions!

Rules:
1. You must post these rules.
2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4. You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.
5. Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.
6. No tag backs.
7. No stuff in the tagging section about ‘you are tagged if you are reading this.’ You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

MY QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:

1. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Our family TN trip. It's what Christmas is to me. As crazy as it all gets sometimes we love it enough to keep doing it every year. We were figuring it up and we've had this yearly trip tradition going for 10 years now!

2. If you could have dinner with one person dead or alive who would it be and what would you talk about? Stephen King. Although I would be sorta scared I think he's brilliant and I would just want to understand how his mind works and what things inspire the stories he ends up writing.

3. One kids show you are embarrassed to admit that you actually think you enjoy more than your kid. (I know I have a few) Wizards of Waverly Place! Lol! I used to force Gigi to watch the re-runs just because I liked watching it so much!

4. 5 things you would take to a desert island with you - B, Gigi, my iPhone, endless supply of water and matches.

5. An Infomercial you really want by then end of the commercial. I know there is at least one out there. Any kind of blender! I've never owned a really great blender so anytime I see an infomercial for one I want it!

6. If you won the lottery how would you spend it? Wow. Um, I guess it depends on how much I won but I'd like to purchase a cute little bungalow style home, buy new vehicles for me and my hubby, start a serious college fund for Gigi, go on an amazing vacation, expand our family, and make a few "big" purchases for a few people who need something they might never get, take our entire family to Aspen for a ski trip, and invest some of it so we're set for life!

7. Favorite beverage: Coke. I don't drink it too often but it's my favorite!

8. One baby name you love that you know your significant other would never agree on: B and I like most of the same names. So far I haven't found one that I just LOVE and he doesn't like. I have always liked the name Jubilee and I don't know that he was too fond of it.
9. One country you can't wait to visit: Australia!

10. If you could have someone elses hair who's would it be: I would have Kourtney Kardashian's hair for sure! It's gorgeous!

11. 3 blogs you think everyone needs to know about - Delirious Rhapsody, Enjoying The Small Things, and Camp Patton.

My Questions:

1. What's your least favorite house chore?

2. What is a gift you've received at Christmas that you'll never forget?

3. What's your middle name? Is there a meaning behind it?

4. What kind of car do you drive and how long have it had it?

5. Where were you born?

6. Do you play an musical instruments?

7. If you could just make one thing happen right now what would it be?

8. Do you have a hobby you wish you spent more time on?

9. If you could have any celebrity body whose would you have?

10. Do you have any pets?

11. What's your favorite piece of clothing?

I tag: April, Danielle, Polly, Christa, Jillian and Karly!

Sunday Confessional V.4

2011-12-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

31. We lived in our last place, an apartment, from Dec. '07 to Aug. 2010. So almost three full years and I NEVER used the dishwasher it had! Lol! Now I'm in a house that doesn't have one so I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

32. I am the oldest of five children. There is me (25), Charity (22), DeeAnna (almost 19), Kenneth (15) and Matthew (11). Of us girls I am the shortest at 5 feet tall, Charity is 5'8 and D is 5'6. I got the short gene. I think even Matthew will be taller than me pretty soon!

33. I grew up in a tiny little nothing town called Valhermoso Springs. The other side of the main road was Lacey Springs and that's no joke. You could go barefoot to the gas station and no one thought twice about it! And we lived in a trailer. A nice trailer but a trailer none the less. My parents were in the ministry and lived in "staff housing". I loved it. Rode my bike up and down our dirt roads and had loads of pets. I'm surprised I have any class though! Haha!

34. Growing up my dad would take me fishing occasionally at a local pond. Before we'd go we would go to the local gas station and get crickets and minnows. He'd also buy me a chocolate moon pie and a can of RC Cola. Good times! Those two items together still make me feel like a little girl again.

35. My first "official" pet that was all mine was a little orange and white tabby cat I picked out myself and named Wendy after the girl in Peter Pan because it was my favorite movie growing up. It was that or Tiger Lily.....I went with Wendy. And that cat had at least two litters of kittens every year and would have like 10 at a time. Cuh-razy!!!

36. I am, to this day, scared of any kind of dressed up character. You know like Chuck E Cheese? Terrified. As a child two of my cousins had their birthday parties there for years. I was forced to go twice a year for 3 or 4 years. I would literally get sick to my stomach I'd get so scared. When Chuck E. would come out to greet the kids I would freeze and have to fight tears. I hated it so much.

37. I'm totally addicted to shoes. I can't go to a store that has a shoe section without going to at least look. Before I had a child I spent a LOT of my paycheck on new shoes. Once a week or so I'd get a new pair of shoes. Nothing expensive, I have rarely ever spent more then $20 on a pair of shoes. But I do miss getting to buy stuff like that.....now I'm trying to pass my shoe addiction on to my daughter! Lol!

38. If I have something really important to say or something I feel like someone might dislike me or be upset with me for I write it. I can't actually say it. I fall into a mess of blubbery tears and can't force myself to get it out. It started when I had to deal with my parents, I'd feel like anything I had to say that didn't exactly line up with what they wanted to hear that they'd hate me or I'd get in trouble so I'd either not say anything, say what they wanted to hear or if I got really brave I'd write them a letter and say how I felt. Even now it's much easier for me to blog or write my true thoughts and feelings in a letter. For some reason I feel like that gives me some sort of "buffer".

39. I still pick out baby names even though I'll probably never have another child to name! They change each year pretty much. I'll hear another name I fall in love with or think of. I had one name for about 2 years that I held on to for dear life then suddenly this year I heard a name I LOVED even more and now that's my "favorite" name! Lol! But with a name like Alaythea I was either going to love unique and interesting names or I was going to want the plainest most boring names around!

40. I can't eat most pork - surprisingly most of the time bacon and sausage don't bother me too bad but pork chops, pork roast, pulled pork or anything like that makes me really sick! It's something I inherited from my dad and one of my sisters is the same way. We don't know what causes it exactly but the results are far from pleasant!

Vloggin' Vednesdays!

2011-12-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

Relentless (Only 5!)

2011-12-13T10:32:00.001-08:00

So I know I'm being relentless here but I figure if there is something I really want or need badly enough I just have to keep pushing till I get there! I had a goal in mind as far as how much money I'd like to make for Christmas "help" and I needed to make it by today (tomorrow at the latest but really today). Right now I'm $50 away from my goal. $50. That's "it"! Here's the thing....I have 101 followers and I only need 5 of you to make a purchase through my Etsy shop! Only 5! Of course, if more of you want to purchase then by all means please do! I appreciate those who have stepped up so far and made a purchase to help me out. I also hope that you "help" because you like my products as well. I put a lot of time and effort into each one. I make each one myself. I do use some pre-made items but I make all the flowers, rosettes and pom-pom's myself.

These items are made with love and care and I'd love for you to buy one (or 2 or 3!) for yourself or someone you love and pass it along. I have hats, scarves, necklaces, and headbands (regular and stretchy), so something for just about any woman/girl in your life! So would you take a moment to peek in my shop and think about making a purchase today?! It would help me out SO much! And if you use the coupon code CHRISTMAS10 you can 10% off your total when you check out!

Thank you again and I look forward to mailing out your order!

Christmas Gifts!

2011-12-12T11:36:00.001-08:00

I'm still trying to get stuff sold from my Etsy shop. Thank you so much to those who have purchased something or just helped me get the word out to others. It means a lot to me and I appreciate it SO much! I'm still trying to get things sold so that I have some money for Christmas gifts and traveling. Please continue to help me spread the word and take a peek in my shop would you? You might find something you like or something you know a friend or family member would love! I added new stuff yesterday and this morning, so their are lots of goodies waiting for you to snatch them up!

Merry Christmas & Thank you!

ETSY SHOP

10 Randoms

2011-12-12T05:14:00.000-08:00

1. I'm so behind of this whole Christmas thing. I've bought 2 gifts. Yes, TWO. That's it. And I don't even have the motivation to go buy gifts for anyone. I hate buying gifts, not because I don't like giving, I love it but I have no idea what to get people especially on a very limited budget. It just gets annoying and I prefer to just not do anything except I feel obligated because people get me stuff. I'd rather us not get each other anything so we don't have to worry about it!

2. Gigi is sick. I feel like she's been sick none stop since she started school, it's just some times it's worse and then other times it settles a little bit. But she always has a sniffle or little cough or something. But now she's got a full blown chest cold and awful cough. I think we're going to skip dance today because she gets so emotional when she doesn't feel good. The least little thing will send her into fountains of tears. I was going to keep her home from school today but she didn't have a fever and she's already going to be missing a day this week.

3. We're headed to TN for our Christmas trip on Thursday after Gigi is out of school. I'm excited about it. Mainly just getting away and being in vacation mode. I'm hoping that all the unsettled feelings between various family members can be set aside at least for this occasion. I'm really excited about our cabin this year! It's gotten harder and harder to find a good cabin because we need so many rooms now. And it's like when you find enough rooms the actual living space is too small. But this time we've found the rooms and it's got a HUGE OPEN living space. And we got a great deal on it too. So I'm thrilled to see it in person!

4. My hubby has left Facebook. Yup. He's now one of those people who isn't on Facebook. It makes me sad and I don't know why. I liked leaving him sweet little messages on his Wall and tagging him in posts and pictures and now I can't do that. And now it just says I'm "married" not "married to Benjamin Carroll". He says he's going to get a Twitter and Instagram account soon. I hope he does.

5. I am seriously lacking the motivation to eat right lately. And I can totally tell. Even though I'm working out I still start slowly putting on a couple of pounds. I guess ever since Thanksgiving my brain has gone into Holiday/Christmas mode and I can't get myself to eat right. I just wanna eat sweets and junk.

6. I'm working hard to get my Etsy shop out there. I'm made two sales through the shop. I've sold most of my stuff through Facebook though. I just wish I could get things a little more consistent. It's like for a week I sell a good bit of stuff and then I may not sell anything else for a month or more. I was really hoping it would pick up a lot more than it has around Christmas.

7. I'm feeling up and down lately. I feel like there are so many things in my life making me SO happy right now. Gigi is such a sweet girl and for the most part is funny and well behaved & is really getting more and more independent which is nice. My husband is being the best he's ever been ( he's always been good but....), I feel like we are really in love and understanding each other better and better. But another part of me feels so unsettled and frustrated. I think I know what it is but it's something I just can't change or make happen at this moment but I want it SO bad. There is "reason" after "reason" why it can't happen and won't work and we just can't do it right now but I guess I just see it through more of an emotional eye then a logical one. So it really puts me in an up and down mood because I feel like I'm constantly fighting my own thoughts and feelings inside.

8. It's freaking me out that we have only 6 months (or less) to figure everything out about moving to Bama. I'm eager to know where we're going and how we're going to make it work. I'm nervous about finding a job that will work with the schedule I need and about Gigi starting a new school and having to learn new schedules, teachers and students all over again. But more than anything I'm looking forward to a SMALLER place. Yes! I know how crazy that sounds but I'm thrilled to be moving back into an apartment and having less to clean, less to keep up with and less furniture and stuff. I think my hubby's minimalist attitude is starting to rub off on me. Our power bills will be far less in an apartment then this big two story house. I'm sure there will be things I miss about having a lot of the room but for now I can't think of any! Not to mention being back in an actual city and not living in the middle of the country. SO EXCITED!

9. I've gotten where I hate watching movies at home. In fact there has been two movies lately that I've started and actually sent back without even finishing them because I just don't want to bother watching them. I love seeing movies at the movie theater but at home it just bores me. Even when I'm watching TV I'm doing something else or flipping the channels around.

10. I think I'm going to work on changing my handwriting. I do this every once in awhile. I find a font or handwriting I like and I start altering mine. I don't write often enough now and I can tell my handwriting is getting messy and I hate that. I love keeping it neat and pretty. I focused a lot of time on handwriting in high school. I write a lot like my mom who has really neat handwriting. But I recently found a font I'm obsessed with and I want to teach myself to write like that - so I'll do some practicing over the weekend while we're chillin' at the cabin!

HURRY HURRY, CHECK THIS OUT!!!

2011-12-11T14:33:00.001-08:00

My Etsy shop has been updated with new items! I'm going to add a few more this evening....

But tonight ONLY if you order something by midnight you can get 25% off! Yes, 25%!

Use the coupon code MIDNIGHT25 for your discount!

Thank you in advance for your orders!

ETSY SHOP

Sunday Confessional V.3

2011-12-11T04:38:00.001-08:00

21. Growing up I wasn't allowed to wear pants to church, ever. So now I sorta have this thing against wearing a dress to church! Lol! I guess it's a small rebellion. I don't really think about it but I find myself skipping a dress unless it's Easter!

22. My child looks nothing like. She may have my eye shape but that's overlooked most of the time. She looks more like my husband and a little like my sister. Most of the time when I'm out with Gi and my sister people will compliment my sister on her beautiful child and how she looks just like her! Lol! I always wondered if we would have had a second child if it would have gotten my dark hair and skin.

23. I'm terrified of heights - I panic and literally feel paralyzed. Last year my family rode the big Sky Tram up to Ober Gatlinburg in TN. It's basically a big glass cage a million feet up in the air on a little cable. And it swings and bumps around. I thought I was going to die - either the cable was going to break or I was just going to have a flippin' heart attack. I kept my eyes closed and just tried to breathe for the horribly long 20 minute ride.

24. Our Persian cat was a rescue. We got him right after we got married. I wanted a pet and B didn't but we went by Petsmart anyway and saw Gandalf. And after B realized he was already named after a Lord of the Rings character the deal was sealed! He ended up standing in line for him that evening. He was like 7 years old then so Oct. 1st of this year he turned the big 13! We have an old cat. lol!

25. B and I were married in the courthouse in Huntsville, AL. We of course wanted a wedding but my family wasn't really supportive of me marrying B or getting married at 18. So we started planning a small chapel wedding and I put $100 down on a beautiful dress. Then that wasn't working out either so we scratched it all and went to the courthouse and got married August 5th, two days after my parents anniversary (little side not - my parents, Beej and I and my sis and her husband were all married in August. And it wasn't really planned that way either.) So far neither my sis nor I had a real wedding. She was married on the beach - just her, her hubby, the minister and a photographer. My other sis I'm pretty sure will never get married.

26. My favorite cereal is Life cereal. Occasionally when I want a super sweet cereal I like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I also like Frosted mini wheats but I can't just pour them into my bowl, I have to set each one frosted side up in the bowl!

27. I've never broken a bone. I've had a couple of pretty nasty cuts and I busted my nose open when I was a like 7 or 8. I was riding my bike down a wet, muddy, graveled hill and I was going to fast so I slammed on my brakes and flew over the front and busted my nose open on the front tire. I think I may have broken it then because now my nose is crooked but it was never proven broken!

28. My dream job would be naming people's kids. No joke! I love names, I love researching names origins and meanings, etc. I think a lot of people (no all) really don't put enough effort into finding a name for their child. They go with whatever they've heard recently.

29. I studied Cosmetology after highschool. I was licensed and worked as as a stylist for a year before we moved back to NC, I got pregnant and haven't been back to work since!

30. I used to eat my steaks well done. Then I met my husband and he taught me the right way to eat a steak and I can't believe all the years I missed out on eating a steak in it's best, juiciest form. I worked my way up to Medium and recently went to medium rare. YUM!

Help is needed!

2011-12-10T11:43:00.001-08:00

I know it's the holidays and every one is bit strapped for cash - we find ourselves in that boat quite often. Right now I haven't been able to find a job and we are living on one income. For the time being I am doing my best to get my shop, Pretty Nods, up and going well. I sold some items but my Etsy shop hasn't done as well as I hoped it would.

I really need to get $150 worth of my items sold by Thursday. I know it sounds like a lot but if I had 15 people make a $10 purchase I'd be at my goal!!! So as you are shopping around for gifts for your family and friends and co-workers please take a peek in my shop. You'll be helping me out so much and you'll be getting a great item in return! I'm offering a 10% discount for this week as well. Use the coupon code CHRISTMAS10

Thank you and please pass on the word!

ETSY SHOP

POLL Time - I want your opinion!

2011-12-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

I'm contemplating a new tattoo and I need to choose a font for it. I'm also trying to talk my hubby into getting a "matching" one with me. He still doesn't have any tattoos and I want him to get one because it would be SO hot! Maybe you ladies should leave him a few comments and tell him he'd be smokin' with a tat and he'll go get one with me!!! Hehe (No, for realz, leave him some "love"!). But #1 is at the top and then go down. Which one do you like best?

Christmas List

2011-12-07T05:40:00.000-08:00

So everyone is putting up their Christmas wish lists. I usually don't make much of a list. My family just kinda gets me whatever they want whether I send a list or not. Which is totally fine by me, I have a hard time narrowing down what I want especially because you don't want to put stuff on the list that's too expensive or over the top, etc. But these are a few things on my "wish list" for now.

A new tattoo!!! I'm dying for some new ink! Trying to talk my hubby into

"matching" tattoos.....we'll see. Lol!

Women's size 6.5 Black Stone Washed Cord Women's Classics

This family tree hand stamped necklace. LOVE!

(http://www.etsy.com/listing/76308202/handstamped-family-tree-charm-necklace?ref=sr_73513caf3aee632ccc963481094152b834d421f0edf0c171b23ce161b2f46722_1323264738_14101878_handstampe_necklace)

A Houndstooth iPhone cover.

An HOUR long hot stone massage! Yes, please!

Christina Perri's Lovestrong album. Listened to it last night and there isn't one song

I didn't like!

The rest of the Twilight series books. I only own Eclipse.

Spandex work out pants

100 Followers!!!

2011-12-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

I just want to say a great BIG HUGE thank you to all my sweet followers! You have no idea how much it means to me that you actually take interest in and/or enjoy reading what I post. Today not only did I make my first Etsy shop sale (YAY!) I also reached 100 followers! And for me that is such a big deal especially since I don't do sponsors (at least not yet.) or anything. It's just word of mouth and blog hopping (and those random Google searches!). I'm very happy that for the most part people stumble upon my blog via Google by searching for stuff about smiles or tattoos! Lol! Makes me feel so cool.....

But anyway, again, thank you so much! It means the world to me! And in honor of this special occasion I'll be giving away a couple of things from my Pretty Nods "shop". So stay tuned for that. It probably won't start till Monday because I have a lot on my plate this week getting ready for a holiday craft bazaar......but it's coming!

My First Etsy Sale!

2011-12-06T09:58:00.001-08:00

So guess who made their very first

Etsy sale today?

I DID!!!

I'm so excited because to be honest this Etsy thing has been discouraging for me.

I've of course made sales through friends and Facebook but to actually make

one through my online shop makes me feel very happy!

I'll be updating it with new items after this weekend so stay tuned!

You can check out my Etsy shop HERE.

Obsessive Visionary

2011-12-05T16:31:00.000-08:00

“V ision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others .” - Jonathan Swift

In January of this year God gave me a vision for our family. And I do not say that lightly. I'm not one to run around saying "God told me....". I see way too many people doing that and 1. it's not God or 2. They never act on it and then people are left wondering if it was God at all. And I know it was God because it just wasn't something I'd ever come up with on my own! It wasn't something I ever thought I'd consider or think about in my future or our future. I spent almost an entire month agonizing over it to be honest. Trying to "figure it out" in my mind because that's how I am. I want to have a complete plan in place before I even utter it to anyone. After that month I finally built up the courage to talk to my husband about it. I remember being so nervous and almost on the verge of tears bringing it up. He was very receptive to what I had to say and I left it at that, for awhile. But the seed was planted and it was growing in my heart and I couldn't shake it.

Here's the thing - once I open my heart to an idea, vision, person, etc. I can get almost obsessive. No one else may see it but I'll think about it, day dream about it if you will. And this vision has grown and grown - I think about it constantly, imagine what our lives will be like once we start down the path towards it, how we'll get there, how others will react, how we'll react.......

To be honest, when I first started envisioning this I really expected us to be farther on the journey by this point. I didn't realize that just because I felt so strongly about it didn't mean everyone else would. Or that the time wasn't right then. I didn't think that almost an entire year later it would still be a dream, still something I am carrying around almost alone (I've shared my vision with very few choice people so far.). There are days I think about it and I get discouraged. I get angry with God (yes, sometimes I get mad at God!) because He hasn't made it happen yet. How could He give me this dream and desire and then just make me wait with it burning inside me? Doesn't seem fair. And I've spent far more time trying to figure out a way to make it happen then I have praying that God would start moving. I'm afraid I'll mess it up, I don't know when it's the right time to take the first step. Things don't seem "right" for it to happen, things are perfect & in order, we don't have everything we need to see it through. But then again, does God ever ask you to do something when everything seems to be there and in order? We wouldn't need to trust Him if that way the case. Don't get me wrong, you can't jump blindly into something and just hope it all works out. There is preparation that has to be done but when is that period over? When is it time to start taking steps?

I have let visions die before. I've let them go because I didn't know how to make them happen and I guess I wasn't mature enough in my faith to trust God to make them happen. Up until now there hasn't been anything in my life that I've had to have HUGE amounts of faith for. Don't get me wrong, we have to trust God and have faith daily in day to day things. We have been on the edge many times and had to trust that God was going to come through for us and He always had but it hasn't been for anything that I honestly viewed as all but impossible. I'm scared that I'll miss out because I don't know how to take the first step or I'm waiting for someone else to lead me.

For now I'm an obsessive visionary. I'm obsessing over my vision and I want so badly to be able to share it with everyone, to start the journey and be making strides towards it no matter how small they may seem at first. I want so badly to be working towards it. For now I feel stuck. And to be honest it puts me in a bad mood some days, I don't want it to because it's a beautiful vision full of joy and hope but the waiting is killing me! I'll keep day dreaming and waiting....I hope that in another year I'm not writing another post similar to this one. I hope I'm not saying "I'm still day dreaming...." I guess that's what scares me the most.....I don't want to see this vision die because I wasn't brave enough to step up and claim it because circumstances and life didn't seem right yet. If I wait for that I may be waiting a looonnnggg time!

What's your love language?

2011-12-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

Today Casey talked about love languages on her blog. And it got me thinking about love and how it's expressed. You can go HERE and take the 5 love language assessment test. I think I've taken it before when my parents went through a 5 Love Languages course. They have one for children as well as adults. I took the test this morning and I think it was pretty right on. Obviously the language with the highest score is your love language. I actually scored 9's on 3 languages. And I would put them in this order - not 1,2,3 but 1a.,1b.,and 1c.! Words of Affirmation, Physical Touch and Quality Time.

For me, words means a lot. This was their "definition" for Words of Affirmation and those who have that as their love language.

"Actions don't always speak louder than words. If this is your love language unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, "I love you", are important. Hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten."

I love hearing that B say he loves me and more then anything I like hearing WHY he loves me. I love to hear encouragement from him. And after that his touch is very very important me. It fixes things for me. I can be upset and just him wanting to hug me or give me a kiss makes things so much better in an instant. Quality time is another love language for me - getting time alone with him is so exciting for me - just talking and enjoying each other's presence.

I'm eager for B to take the assessment test so I can find out more clearly what his love language is. Because I want him to feel loved and just because I have a certain way I like love to be expressed to me doesn't mean it's the same for him and sometimes I honestly forget that. I want to make sure I'm doing the best I can to express love to him the way he needs it.

I also want to help Gi take the children's test too. She's not quite 5 but fairly close and I'd like to hear her answers. From my point of view I would think that Words of Affirmation and Quality time would be Gi's love languages. She absolutely lights up when you praise her and she seems to seek hearing that's she does well or that she looks pretty or that you care about her. And of course spending time with her too - I think she shares such a bond with B because he takes the time to play with her and be silly with her. Something I sometimes struggle with.

I want to get better at loving both B and Gigi better. I want them more then anything to know HOW much I love them. I feel so inadequate as expressing how much my heart loves them and how much they mean to me. I fail at it so many times I know but I want to learn all I can so that I'm better equipped to love them better.

I can honestly say that I think, whether he realizes it or not, B has really been using my love languages more lately to show me how much he loves me and I couldn't be happier with our relationship right now and I couldn't be happier or more in love with him!

So what's your love language?

*** Update on love languages....my hubby took the assessment and luckily we scored about the same. Words of Affirmation and Physical Touch seem to be very important to both of us! It's hard when your love languages are opposite because you really have to push yourself past your comfort zone to meet the other's needs.

Holiday Questions!

2011-12-05T05:16:00.000-08:00

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Hot chocolate! I hate egg nog but B loves it! I think he's been through two containers of it so far and it's not even Christmas yet! Lol!

2. Does Santa wrap the presents or just sit them under the tree? Lol! No idea, we didn't do Santa growing up and even though I don't have a problem with him we don't pretend he's real. I wrap the gifts and put them under the tree randomly before Christmas. Gi has started insisting on Santa all on her own and when I laugh and say he's not real she gets offended!

3. Colored lights or white lights on the tree/house? I personally prefer white lights. I like how clean and pretty they look.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope. I'm not even sure what mistletoe looks like really? There is plenty of kissing in this house without having to hang mistletoe up. LOL!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Growing up we ALWAYS put them up Thanksgiving evening. It was a big tradition. But now that I have my own home they usually go up the day after Thanksgiving. We cook and clean up all Thanksgiving day and by the evening I just wanna crash not drag out a tree and figure out lights.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? I don't really have a favorite - probably mashed potatoes and croissant rolls! Or ham. And of course all the sweets are a favorite of mine!!!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? I think our TN trip every year are some of my fondest memories. We've been doing it for like 10 years now or something.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Like I said, we didn't do the whole Santa thing so I knew from the very beginning he wasn't real.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No, we open all our gifts on Christmas morning. Of course we get some before when we're in TN because we do Christmas with my mom's side of the family. So we can wait till Christmas morning for the rest of our gifts.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? White lights and a little garland and then all our ornaments. Most of my ornaments I got the first year B and I were married - we went to Pier 1 Imports during a big sale and bought lots of pretty ornaments! And then each year on our TN trip we all bring ornaments to share with each other. So I've collected quite a few that way.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I love it if it's on Christmas Day but any other time I could pass. We live in the middle of nowhere and the roads stay bad for a LONG time and I'm terrified of driving out on snowy icy roads.

12. Can you ice skate? I've only been like once or twice and I wasn't very good! I think I held onto the rail the whole time! Lol!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Yes! Last Christmas B got me an iPod Touch (before we had iPhones). It completely took me by surprise, I had NO idea! It was awesome!

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Getting together with family. Even though every family has their up's and down's for the most part at Christmas it's set aside for lots of fun and love.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Um, probably peppermint bark. It's SO good! I could eat loads of it!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Our TN trip! Seriously, I look forward to it starting in September when we book the cabin. It's just so much fun, lots of good fun, cold outings and just that great Christmas spirit.

17. What tops your tree? A silver wire star.

18. Which do your prefer, giving or receiving? I like receiving of course and I like to give but my only problem is I'm so bad at picking out gifts for people. Even people I know really well like my family. I'd rather us not give or get gifts at all so that I don't have to think about what to get everyone and worry if they really liked it or not.

19. Candy canes - yuck or yum? Yum! I like a few, I can only eat like a couple eat each season!

20. Favorite Christmas movie? White Christmas with Bing Crosby! Loved it growing up and I still think it's so magical!

21. Saddest Christmas song? Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg (so sad but I still kinda love it!)

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas by Michael Buble'

Sunday Confessional V.2

2011-12-04T05:32:00.000-08:00

11. I really miss my hubby's earring. I know, it sounds stupid but I thought it was so hot. He had to take it out when he worked at Outback and it started growing back and he's never gotten it re-pierced. *sad face*

12. My first kiss was in the basement of my then boyfriend's grandparent's house and we hit teeth. No joke. It wasn't pretty! Lol!

13. When I was about 7 or 8 I was helping my dad sharpen his pocket knife collection and he stopped to take a phone call. I was opening some of them up and even though I KNEW proper knife protocol and I knew not to touch the blades - I went to open one and it wouldn't open all the way so I put my thumb on the blade and pushed.....yup, popped my thumb right open! Blood everywhere! I should have had stitches but we didn't have insurance (and I was terrified of the doctor anyway) so they just wrapped it up really good to keep me from bleeding to death and I finally healed up!

14. When Gianna was born she was way too tiny for the little newborn outfit I had brought to bring her home in so my mom and sisters went a bought a few preemie outfits for me to choose from. One was a super ruffly dress that my mom wanted her to wear - I remember flipping out and saying (in a totally irrational manner) that she would suffocate to death in it! Lol!

15. If it wasn't for Benjamin I'd probably still be listening to nothing but Pop music and totally missing out on the amazing world of Indie/Rock music!

16. I grew up eating nothing but Breyer's ice cream and thought it was THE best of the best. Up until recently and now I'm a Blue Bell girl, another great thing my hubby introduced me to!

17. I have a large mole, or more nicely known as a "beauty mark", on my left cheek. I'll admit, I love it! But it didn't show up until I was 10 or 11 years old. If you go back and look at photos of me up until that point it wasn't there, at all. But I don't remember the day it "showed up" either!

18. I have this bad habit of standing on the sides of my feet, the outsides. I turn my feet out and balance on the sides. I've been doing it since I can remember and now it's resulted in an extremely strained left ankle, the pain in it reminds me not to stand that way whenever I start to.

19. I'm obsessed with tattoos. People that have lots of them really mesmerize me. I would totally have LOTS more if it weren't for the fact that a good tattoo artist costs a good deal of money. My next one is going to cost $250 and that may not seem like a lot but it IS! Lol! I'm DYING for the day my hubby actually gets one, I may faint from how hot I think it is!

20. Taco Bell is my favorite fast food but we eat it every Sunday now so I skip it any other time. But McDonald's still have THE best fries and Burger King has the best burger. If I could blend them together I would!

Saturday

2011-12-03T19:33:00.001-08:00

We got up this morning without an alarm clock which is so nice. I now look forward to Saturday mornings because even though we don't sleep in a lot (we're usually up by 7:30am) it's still nice not to wake up to a beeping alarm. And it's also nice to just lay in bed even once we're awake and talk and check stuff on our iPhones.....and that's what we did this morning! Then I tackled a work out and then we ran around for about an hour and picked up the house. It was quite a mess, stuff here and stuff there. Then we decided to make a run out of town to do a few things. We live in a really small town and Wal-Mart is our biggest store. If we want anything besides Wal-Mart we have to drive about 40 minutes to a few bigger cities near by. So we usually make a little event of it when we need to go out. I needed to run to Hobby Lobby for some supplies to fill a Pretty Nods order........

We decided to stop at Fuddrucker's for burgers. You pick your burger (they even have 1 pound and 2 pound burgers!) then they have a condiment bar and you "fix it up" yourself. Gigi and I split a burger and fries. It was super yummy! The hubby got onion rings and they were the best I've had in a long time.

After that we ran by Hobby Lobby and Plato's Closet.....I needed some new skinny jeans but didn't find anything there.

We made a run by Wal-Mart to pick up some flea treatment for our poor kitty - he's been battling fleas and we have tried everything under the sun and he's still got them. Ick. And I found some jeans - cheap jeans seem to fit me best. Lol! Guess I shouldn't complain too much.

Gianna was in a second parade today - it as pretty chilly out and we made a wrap out of my scarf to help keep her warm on the ride.

(It's crazy how grown up she looks lately!)

We grabbed pizze on the way home and finished watching the LSU/GA game. Then I decided to start tackling the load of headband and necklaces I have to make by next Saturday. I'm going to have a table at a local Holiday Craft Bazaar. Hoping to sell a bunch of stuff and make some gift/trip money for Christmas.

So far we've had a great weekend.....they seem to go by so fast but I'm looking forward to our trip to TN in 12 days so I'm ok with it flying for now. Then it just needs to slow down already!

Happy weekend-ing!

Feeling funky....

2011-12-02T15:29:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I was completely out of sorts (and yes, I know what you're thinking, ladies, and no, that isn't the "issue"! Lol!). I can't really put my finger on what it was. I've just had A LOT on my mind lately and sometimes I can sort it all out and only worry or stress or get frustrated over one thing at a time but yesterday I just felt it was all crowding into my brain at once making me feel a myriad of emotions and feelings all at once. It was sorta confusing even for me - I felt mad, sad, frustrated and down all at the same time. Maybe they call that being depressed? I dunno but I don't like it. Most of the time I can talk myself into feeling better or being more upbeat but yesterday it just wasn't happening. I've taken quite a hit lately emotionally with a lot of things that have been said and done and going on......that's no excuse and not the sole reason but it hasn't helped any. There are a lot of changes coming up and even though I'm excited I don't handle change really well and I think maybe I'm feeling a bit panicked and I don't realize it fully. I'm feeling frustrated because I was just sure I'd have a job by now and I don't. I had a lot of plans for Christmas but they sorta all revolved around me having a job and "extra" money. So now that hasn't panned out and it's kinda left me hanging. And then there are just other things I wish so badly I could make happen right now and I can't.......and it seems my self confidence is in the crapper again. And no, I don't say that so that people will compliment me and say I have no reason to not be confident. I appreciate those things and I think the people who say them mean them from the bottom of their heart. But no matter how much people tell you to feel a certain way you just can't make yourself. And I feel like just about the time I start feeling Ok about myself something else comes along to knock me down again.

I'm feeling better today. I had a wonderful morning out with my hubby. He really gets me and even though my moodiness really frustrates him sometimes he's gotten a lot better with dealing with it and helping me through it. He took me out to breakfast and something about just driving with him (it was about a 40 minute drive to the Cracker Barrel) really loosens me up and allows me to just talk. So many times I hold things in because I'm afraid I'll sound stupid or something (it's all in my head.) but once I open up and talk about it I feel better and he understands and comforts me, gives me advice, or just lets me talk. It was very much needed today and I came home feeling much better!

Can't say I'm completely out of my "funk" but I'm getting there.....I hate not being able to nail down that one thing that's getting me in the dumps but I'm sorting through all my feelings and thoughts and trying to make sense of them all and "fix" them as I go. Some have no solutions for now but I'll keep trying to figure it out!

Of love and exes....

2011-12-01T05:32:00.000-08:00

Let me say this - I have no regrets when it comes to my past boyfriend's or my relationships with them. I think in the end, thankfully, I ended up with my true love and for that I'm forever thankful. But whether we like to admit it or not exes have shaped a big part of who we are today. Hopefully in a good way but there are negative effects too I'm sure. I had four boyfriends including my husband. I wasn't allowed to "date" until I was 16. Even then it was considered more "courting" by my parents. We weren't allowed to go do a lot of things by ourselves which probably kept me out of a lot of trouble but at the time I hated it! I consider Benjamin my first "boyfriend" although I was never allowed to call him that and we only went on one "date" and that was to Olive Garden for my 15th birthday.

I'm thankful that I have no super painful pasts with any of my boyfriends. I'm happy to say I'm friends with them all to this day (on Facebook at least!). My first real boyfriend after Benjamin was probably my only really serious relationship other then B. We were only officially together 6 months although we had been hanging out and working towards being together for several months before that. We got serious fast and I had every intention on marrying him when I turned 18 and as far as I knew from him he had the same plan. I was 16 and he was 19 when we started dating. He bought me a "promise" ring which basically is being engaged to be engaged.....Halloween Eve of 2003 he broke up with me at a high school football game. Lol! It seems funny now, it felt like the end of the world then. To this day I really don't know why he broke up with me - I heard that he had kinda gotten interested in a girl at a new job he had started. His mom didn't like me and I think she bribed him into breaking up with me (he needed a new car and he got one right after he broke up with me, she bought it.) and I think part of it was he felt so much pressure to "grow up" and be a man because he was supposed to get married in a year and a half.

After that I had a brief "re-bound" relationship with a young guy I met through some mutual friends. He was super sweet, very kind to me and spoiled me with great dates and lots of gifts but even though I liked him I knew I wasn't in love and didn't want to "play" him so I broke it off after less then two months of dating. I broke up with him like 2 days after Valentine's Day - I remember hearing through the grapevine that his mom had some not so kind words to say about me because of that! But he had/has a wonderful family and I think very highly of them all. He's happily married to a really sweet girl and they just had a little baby boy and I couldn't be happier for them all.

I moved to AL after I graduated high school in 2004. I met a guy through my church's college group. He was cute, funny and outgoing. I needed a friend. We dated...on and off, on and off. He was really struggling with what he was supposed to do in life. He had been in some relationships in the past that had complicated things a bit for him. I didn't understand that at the time because my relationship history was brief and pretty uncomplicated. We dated then he broke up with me because he didn't feel like he needed a relationship at the time then 2 weeks later he called me and wanted me back (couldn't resist my charm I guess! Haha!) and we dated again for a bit but he wasn't settled and I wanted a serious relationship and he didn't so he broke up with me again. I was hurt but had seen it coming and was more prepared then I realized. I cared for him but again, I don't think I was truly in love.

And that brings me to my point(s). First - are there things you wish you could ask your exes? Things that maybe for you are still unresolved after all these years? Or maybe things are resolved but you're just curious. You wonder why they made the decisions they did or how they felt when you left, etc. Not because it would change anything but just because maybe like me you're nosey like that! Lol! Like I said, I have no regrets, I know I ended up with the best of the best (lucky for me!) but I do wonder sometimes why things took the turns they did. And I do wonder, not because I wish that had happened instead but you have to think what if they hadn't left or what if you had made yourself stay in spite of yourself....where would you be now? Where would they be? You see who they are now and what they've done in life and you wonder if they would be different if they were with you or if they would have chosen different paths in life. Who would you be instead of who you are today?!

Second - it saddens me to realize how many people have such a twisted version of love. They view all the hurt and disappointments and failures in their lives as "love" and they hate it and despise "love". It saddens me to think they may never know what it is to feel completely, utterly in love with someone and trust that they are loved and respected in return. And that they have that persons undying love. True love. I know that I was loved by all of my boyfriends, they were respectful to me, they cared for me but we weren't in love. And more then anything I would say to all three of the guys I dated that I am thankful to them for not ruining love for me. For not making me hate it or not want it or not believe it existed. In their own ways each of those guys taught me a new dimension of what love is. They didn't twist it or scar me or make me feel worthless. In the end we both knew that we weren't the best for each other and we moved on. Doesn't mean the initial growing apart didn't hurt, it did but they were shallow wounds that healed quickly.

But more then anything I am thankful to my husband, my truest love, who has taught me without any doubts what love is. Love is faithful and strong, it is unwavering even in the face of arguments and fights, it is tender and caring, it is protective and lifting, it is truthful and open even if it hurts for the time, and it is beautiful, it is warm, it is all consuming. I am so grateful that I feel like I've experienced what it is to be truly in love, deeply in love. It doesn't mean love doesn't have rough spots or down times but it's always there and it will always rise back up!

Vloggin' Vednesday - Thanksgiving Recap

2011-11-30T11:58:00.000-08:00

Currently.....

2011-11-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

I saw this over at Danielle's lovely blog, Sometimes Sweet, and just had to do it too!

Obsessing over: Oh, so many things......mostly babies. I've already said I have baby fever and I just want to snatch up little babies I see everywhere I go. Itty, bitty, tiny babies. I'm also obsessed with full sleeve tattoos (or tats in general), kiddo clothes that look like mini adult clothes, baked goods (I'm all about baking around the holidays) and of course, Christmas!

Working on: Getting things together for a holiday bazaar a church is hosting. I'm going to "buy" a table and advertise my Pretty Nods stuff and hopefully sell a bunch of it. I'm also working on reading through The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. And I'm working on getting through the week on the Cabbage Soup Diet!

Thinking about: What life will be like next year - all the preparations for moving and then actually moving and wondering what exactly our lives will be like once we're there. So different from here. Finding jobs for both Benjamin and I, having B work much closer to home (He drives an hour one way to work right now), Gigi going to a new school and probably a new dance studio, etc. It's all overwhelming. There are a few other things I'm hoping we'll get the ball rolling on next year, right now it seems sorta "impossible" but I have to believe that nothing is impossible with God or I get really discouraged.

Anticipating: Our TN Christmas trip. Every year the weekend before Christmas my mom's side of the family rents a cabin in Gatlinburg and we get together and have Christmas together. There has been a lot of chaos going on lately but I'm hoping it can all be set aside and we can all have a fun enjoyable trip. To me it's what I think about when I think "Christmas". We always have so much and Gigi loves getting to spend several days playing with her cousin Ava.

Listening to: Music wise - Adele, Regina Spektor and loads of Christmas music, Michael Buble' being my favorite this year! At this very moment, I'm listening to Giada cook on TV!

Drinking: Water and unsweetened fruit juice. It's all I can have on this "diet".

Wishing: for many things. But mainly that differences can be set aside and our family can have a good time over the holidays. And I'm also wishing for a *secret*, a new tattoo, a hour long massage, a date night with my hubby and for Gigi's hair to be to the middle of her back by next Christmas (LOL!).

How about you? What are you up to today?

Thanksgiving - Finally!

2011-11-29T05:32:00.001-08:00

Just a few pictures from Thanksgiving. I had my camera all charged up and ready to go and hardly got any pictures! My sis and I got busy cooking and by the time we were done we sat down to eat and I didn't even think about pictures of the food or anything until we were done and groaning from over stuffed bellies!

Sticky buns made from canned biscuits and LOADS of butter and sugar!

So yummy!

Helping Aunt Char Char.....

Yeah, we ate off paper plates. So not ashamed. I don't have a dishwasher

and the less dishes the better!

And mini apple pies!!! So yummy and cute!

Seriously, they take my breath away!

Then we headed downtown to watch the "Lighting of the Lights". Lol! It was fun for Gi. It wasn't that cold out but fun. There was a jazz orchestra playing that was actually really good and I enjoyed that part. Surprisingly we didn't see many people we knew. I ran into one of my ex-boyfriend's. He and his wife have a little son now and I got to see him.....so tiny!!! But yeah, it's was a good end to the evening!

Gianna looks JUST LIKE her daddy in this picture!

My sis, Charity, and her hubby, J.

And on another note I started the Cabbage Soup Diet yesterday. And yes, I've already heard all the negatives about it, thank ya very much! And yes, I understand that you lose mostly water weight but at the same time your bound to lose a few actual pounds eating fruits, veggies and lean protein. I'm still working out while I do this. But I'm mainly doing it because I just wanted to sorta cleanse my body from the past few weeks of eating and especially the weekend. I haven't gained but a pound or two but I just feel bloated and yuck. So I'm hoping this will help me feel a little better.

Yesterday wasn't bad. Eat all the fruit you want and the soup, drink lots of water and unsweetened juice. So I was good yesterday. Today is no fruit and all veggies and soup. It's gonna be a long day! The one good thing is today I get to "reward" myself with a baked potato and butter for dinner. You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to that! Tomorrow is fruits AND veggies. Woohoo! Lol!

The Parade & the ER

2011-11-28T17:02:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Gianna was in one of the local parades with her dance studio. She's going to be in another one Saturday afternoon. She was a little nervous but once she was on the trailer with all her other little friends she was fine. It was weird for me to just leave her. Once she was on the trailer we left and went and stood on the street and waited for them to come through. From the time we dropped her off to the time we picked her up was about an hour and a half. But she had fun and waved like a little pro!

After the parade we went by Wal-Mart and picked up stuff for me to start the Cabbage Soup Diet and then we went by McDonald's (going out with a bang! lol!) and it was busy. A whole high school was there eating but we found a seat and Gianna was hyper and happy as usual. She started eating and suddenly started saying her lower back was hurting. Usually when that happens she has a kidney infection. Usually a glass of water will settle it down till we can get her to the doctor and get meds. But she kept complaining more and more then suddenly started crying saying it hurt really bad. I asked if she needed to go to the potty but we had just been and she said no. She was finally crying and kicking her legs saying it hurt really bad so I decided we needed to take her to the ER and get her checked out.

It was about a 12 minute drive to the hospital and she screamed and cried the whole time. Yelling it was hurting so bad and kept kicking her legs which I've never seen her do so I was freaking out! We finally got the ER and they graciously took her right back to a room and triaged her there. She was still crying and saying it hurt so bad. They needed a urine sample once they found out her history with kidney infections. She had just peed 30 minutes earlier and I doubted we'd get anything. But she managed a little then said she needed to go #2 and went a little. Then suddenly she said she felt better. What?! I was like surely this wasn't just a tummy ache. I've never seen her act like that, EVER. After that we sat in the room while they tested her urine and she seemed perfectly fine. Said she wasn't hurting anymore. They came back in and said there was bacteria in her urine so they put her on antibiotics and sent us home. The nurses kept saying how adorable and pretty she was and she was just eating it up! One nurse was just enthralled by the her tutu and kept saying she was going to be such a gorgeous "prima ballerina" - she told us all she had was boys and always wanted a girl. So we made it home exhausted but Gianna was fine and ate a cheeseburger! Lol! She's on meds now and hopefully it'll be cleared up but I'm concerned that she's had two infections in the past few months. This isn't supposed to be happening now that we've had her kidney reflux corrected so we may need to go visit the urologist again after the first of the year to make sure everything is still in tact.

Sunday Confessional V.1

2011-11-27T17:56:00.000-08:00

So I've been reading Deanna's "confessions" over on Delirious Rhapsody for awhile and now Karly over at Three in Three is doing it so I thought I'd jump aboard too. I don't know that I can come up with 100 things to tell you about myself that you don't already know (I'm sorta boring that way!) but we'll see!

#1. - The middle finger on my right hand is permanently crooked at the top and has a slight hump from how I hold my pen when I write. Growing up I wrote A LOT - I loved penmenship and took calligraphy classes and wrote loads of letters to penpals so I created this hump on my finger from it!

#2. - I rarely wear my engagement ring. I stopped wearing it for a few years after Gianna was born because I was too fat, then I lost weight and I can wear it now but it just feel super fancy and I usually only wear it when I dress up. Otherwise I wear my diamond wedding band and another plain band. I LOVE my engagement ring though, it's gorgeous!

#3. - I had the name Eisley Tatum all picked out for a girl but never planned to use it since I was positive I was having a boy when I was pregnant with Gianna. 2 weeks before we were going to find out the sex I had a dream it was a girl and suddenly I was convinced I was having a girl and obsessed with the idea and suddenly wanted to change her name to something more girly. So we changed it to Gianna Elyn.

#4. - Most people think I'm Italian especially when they hear my daughter's name is Gianna. But I'm actually part Lebanese. My mom's dad is full blooded Lebanese! It's funny because out of the 5 kids in my family every other one has the dark skin and dark hair - the other two in between are more fair skinned.

#5. - We've had nothing but long haired cats as pets since Benjamin and I got married. A total of four (Gandal, Esme', Gypsy and Gemima) and Gandalf is the only one we still have. After Gandalf passes (whenever that may be, he's 13) I swear I will NEVER own a long haired cat again. In fact, I plan to get a hairless one next.

#6. - I can't sleep without two pillows. It sounds strange but I have to have one between my legs, in between my knees. My knees rubbing together when I'm sleeping on my side irritates me!

#7. - As much as I talk about and think about coloring my hair something other then black I can't actually do it. And the few times I have I've hated it and died back to black within a couple of weeks. I have nothing against blondes, brunettes and red heads but for me I think black is the sexiest!

#8. - I'm very proud of my legs. They define without a lot of work and when I do work them out they look great! My mid section though I haven't felt proud of in about 10 years. I'm still hoping there will be a day I'll actually like it.

#9. - I have baby fever in a serious way. I NEVER ever thought I would. I never planned to have kids and after my daughter was born I just knew I'd never ever want to go through having a baby again. So I had my tubes tied. I never regretted it up until around January of this year.......

#10. - When I get nervous I yawn. It's uncontrollable. I just keep yawning over and over! I also twirl my hair but I do that when I'm bored too. It almost drives me crazy because I do it so much. The longer my hair gets the worse it gets.

(So that's my first set of 10. You are supposed to do it every Sunday for 10 weeks. If you join in leave me a comment and a link so I can read yours as well! It'll be fun!)

Winner, winner, baby!

2011-11-27T05:08:00.001-08:00

For those of you that don't know we are HUGE Alabama Crimson Tide fans. We don't miss a game, unless it's a life or death kinda situation, and we always dress up for the game even if we're just watching it at home (a friend of my sister's thought that was really funny!). The funny part is my husband is from NC but we've successfully converted him to Bama's side. I'm thinking he may be more die hard then any of us now (well, except my dad and sister and I'm pretty sure my dad doesn't own any piece of clothing that doesn't represent the team!).

Yesterday was the BIG game, the Iron Bowl. We played our biggest rival, Auburn. We hate Auburn. Plain and simple. I can't stand them, their colors (orange and blue) make me sick to my stomach (this has been bred into me since the beginning of my days! Lol!) and I refuse to wear any orange or blue together and that include an orange shirt and blue jeans. Too close for comfort! Of course we were pretty sure we would win since we're #2 in the country and they're....uh, way down the list, but whatever. Last year some how we managed to goof up and let them come back to win by like 1 point. ONE point. Talk about being P'O'ed.

Gianna was ALL in the Spirit - we even painted her face (her favorite part!)

Showed off our Team colors. Everyone was pointing us out when we went to lunch

and out to Wal-Mart. We even ran into an Auburn fan. And we flew our car flags

very proudly!

(Being cute, as always.)

(Oh, and the night before I colored my hair. Jet Black. I went outside to show you

how black it is! I love it, I've missed it being this dark. Most people can't tell a big difference

but I can!)

So we beat Auburn last night, spanked them! 42-14 and we went to bed super happy!

We did traditional Game Day food - yummy wings, hand cut fries, chips and dip and lots of left

over pie (pumpkin, pecan and apple) and ice cream. Seriously, my body is SO ready for a

good cleansing starting tomorrow. Whew!

Gigi's going to be in a parade today. Her first one. She's riding the "float" with her dance

class downtown. She's excited but says she's nervous to wave! So adorbs. Friday night I made her tutu. They have to wear black and pink which is the studio's "colors".

I had to sew this sequin band on my hand. It seemed to take forever and it made my back

ache but it was totally worth it, really takes it up a notch!

Showing off her tutu - who knows what's with that pose but she's cute & she knows it!

Several people stopped and commented on her face paint yesterday or just how cute

she is in general. She finally said (with all sincerity) "Why do people like me so much?!"

Lol! Just like her daddy.....I'm kidding....sorta. Haha! Then later in the Wal-Mart parking

lot some guy cut in front of our Jeep without looking, his wife waved and mouthed "Sorry!" and Gianna goes "She was waving at me....." Lol! Gotta figure out how to teach confidence WITH humility!

P.S. I just realized I don't think I ever shared any Thanksgiving Day photos. I didn't get a lot but what I do have I'll try to get up tomorrow along with some photos from the parade!

We did managed to get our Christmas tree up Friday night and Gigi was so thrilled! I think she's messing with the tree and ornaments more this year then she ever has.

Loving your spouse "more".....

2011-11-26T11:38:00.000-08:00

This article was great! Exactly how I feel! Take a moment to read it.......

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/loving-husband-more-kids-key-good-life-181900983.html

Vloggin' Vednesdays - Disney "Vent"

2011-11-23T14:05:00.001-08:00

Photo Personality

2011-11-23T10:58:00.001-08:00

(I got this idea from Ashley over at Hudson's Happenings.)

1. My name

(I don't know anyone else with my name except my little namesake Alaythea Jade!)

2. My favorite food

3. My favorite color

4. My celebrity crush

5. My favorite movie

6. My dream vacation

7. My favorite drink

8. Currently reading

9. My favorite holiday

Straight Up

2011-11-22T16:07:00.001-08:00

I am doing my very best to choose happiness lately. Benjamin and I have both been working on staying positive no matter how negative things and people around us are. We fail. Don't think we just decided that and now we're perfectly happy people. But it does help. Trying to make a conscience effort to think about the good and focus on getting out of the bad. And it seems lately we've had A LOT of practice. It feels like every time we turn around there is something else in our faces to deal with. We are trying to focus on the things we do have, the family that does love us and care enough to be apart of our lives, how far we've come and how happy we truly are with each other. These are things that I'm grateful for and focusing on this Thanksgiving.

Besides the issues with vehicles and finances we seem to be dealing with an overwhelming amount of confrontation and issues with family. Again, neither of us come from perfect families, but lately things just seem to be spinning out of control. We have family members on his side that won't speak to us because we're "too spiritual", everything we say and do they twist and try to turn into a fight and still other members on his side that think we aren't spiritual enough and want nothing to with us. We've expressed some concerns to another family member and their way of dealing with it is by cutting us off as well and rarely seeing us. It's hard for me because family is such an important thing for me. And I want Gianna to know family but not at the expense of stress and frustration like Benjamin and I have dealt with over the years.

My side of the family has their issues as well - don't get me wrong, we have some family members on my side that we love to death and we know they'd do anything for us and we know they love and respect us for who we are, where we are right now. My mom has never liked my husband - she was dead set against us getting married. And even now, 7 years later, she still doesn't care for him. They are cordial to each other but things are always strained. And that's hard for me, I feel divided in some ways. But ultimately my allegiance and love is with my husband first and it will always be that way. I have other family members who are quick to jump on me if I say anything about anyone yet all they do is run down everyone ALL the time. And I think I've finally snapped. I'm sick of their hypocritical behavior and I'm not going to let it drag me down anymore. Benjamin and I have decided that we aren't going to pretend we like people we really don't! Lol! We aren't going to run their names in the mud or anything but we just don't care to be friends or close to them.

On top of all of this I recently had a family member who took it upon themselves to let me know they felt that because of my love for the Twilight series that I had opened myself up and "delved" into "witchcraft and sorcery." When I received the email (yes, they emailed me this!) I was shocked! Shocked that people actual felt this way over a love story and that they actually had the guts to pretty much tell me they thought I was into witchcraft over it. Seriously?!! And first it pissed me off, BIG time. Now, I find it funny! Funny that this person thinks they are so spiritual and think they have the right to call me out on something so minor. They're ok with Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia which involved magic, spells and " unearthly creatures" but Twilight's too far. They even included some scriptures - scriptures that were written to real witches and sorcerers, people who were worshipping Satan and sacrificing babies and children. These scriptures were taken way out of context and used to "make their point". We are Christians, we loved Jesus and we serve Him daily in the best way we know how. And for someone that I loved and trusted to come against me and my family in such a vicious way was just too much. I'm not going to fight with them. I expressed my point, they emailed me back and said "No matter what you say you are wrong." Lol! Mmmm, hmmm. Right. So anyway, I feel like there is alot of emotional turmoil going on. I want to do what is right but at the same time I'm tired of being walked on and kicked around just because I try to be the "peace maker" and keep my mouth shut 90% of time.

In spite of everything I actually feel fairly settled. I feel like I've let these people know how I feel and that's it. I'm not going to take their crap just to keep the "peace". I want everyone to get a long but that seems to be an impossible request so I just roll with it as it goes. I'm happy to say though that in the midst of all of this I think it's brought Benjamin and I closer and we understand each other better then ever. And we realize that we want to raise our daughter in a home where we aren't phony. Where we don't pretend to like people or agree with them on the outside and then bash them later on. It creates a negative atmosphere that we don't need.

So this year I'm thankful for a honest, strong, dependable, trust worthy husband. I'm thankful for an innocent daughter whose love is unconditional and whose energy is boundless! I'm thankful for people who are real and who show the true essence of who God is. I'm thankful for the strength I'm finding to stand up for myself and my family after I long time of just "taking it." And I'm thankful for the future ahead of me and my family - there are some exciting things ahead and I'm eagerly awaiting them. I feel the anticipation in the air!!!

Memory Lane....

2011-11-21T18:19:00.000-08:00

(If you haven't read mine and my hubby's story you can go HERE first!)

Occasionally I take a little trip down memory lane and think about all the things we've been through as a couple and a family. Most of my memories are good. Isn't it funny how your mind selects which memories to keep and which ones to let fade? But anyway, sometimes random things just pop into my head. Like how when we were first together (that first photo - I was 14 and he was 17.) we said we'd name our first boy Preston Bailey. We're way over that name now! Lol! And I can't imagine ever wanting a boy after our sweet daughter.

I remember another time riding with Benjamin to eat somewhere and he played this really sweet song for me and I remember very shyly holding his hand for a few minutes......back then I wasn't allowed to "date" and there was to be absolutely NO physical contact so I was sure I was going to be grounded for life if my parents found out I had actually touched him! Haha!

(When we got back together in 2004)

I remember running into him at our local post office where his dad worked in the summer of 2004 after I had graduated. I still remember what he was wearing and I remember what I was wearing! Lol! I know, I'm silly. I wasn't dating anyone and I was moving to AL to go to Cosmetology school. But since I was moving out of my parents home I could date him if I wanted to (finally!). I remember my heart racing when I saw him! We chit chatted briefly. I knew he was dating someone else (and it broke my heart!) and he was very respectful of that. But I told him if it didn't work out with her to please get back in touch with me because I still cared about him. I figured I'd never hear from him again although I wanted to......

I moved to Bama and briefly dated a guy there but in October 2004 I was headed out the door to go help my Grandmother (I lived with my grandparents while I was in school) and I heard my phone's text alert and I almost left it but decided to check it before I went outside. All it said was "I've missed you." I remember my heart almost stopping completely because I thought it was his number. Here's the funny part, I had a good friend in NC whose phone number was the exact same digits except the last two were reversed. So for a split second I thought maybe it was her! Lol! So I texted back and said "Who is this?" and he texted back, "Who do you think it is?!" And I knew it was him and I seriously almost had a heart attack I was so happy because I knew that he was getting back in touch with me because he had broke up with his girlfriend and he still wanted to be with me. We talked on the phone and texted a lot for the next month. Then on Black Friday in 2004 I met up with his mom for some shopping while I was in town for the holidays. He met up with us - I first saw him again in Bath & Body Works. I'm pretty sure time stood still and I fell in love so hard I thought I might drown in it! He kissed me that night while U2 sang "City of Blinding Lights" and we never looked back!

He was visiting me in AL February 2005. It was Valentine's Day and I had to work.....the salon at worked at was "closed" on Monday's but I still went into make calls, take calls and do inventory. He came and sat with me all day (awww!) and all of a sudden he looked up from what he was doing and said, "I'm going to move down here!" I was like "What?!" I never expected that, we have never even talked about it. And he did - he moved down June 2005 to be with me! But I've since learned that Benjamin's does that - when he decides on something it's seemingly out of the blue and then we do it and it works. I'm still waiting for a few really special "out of the blue" moments to happen - and when they do I may pass out from all the happiness it'll cause me to experience! Lol!

I can't believe that the 26th of this month will mark us being together 7 years! I remember asking him in Panera Bread that day if we were an "official" couple and he said he had thought it was official the moment he had text me a month before! If for some reason Benjamin and I hadn't ended up back together I still never would have gotten over him - I loved him from the moment I saw him and never stopped. And even though we both had to travel separate roads for awhile and endure things and go through things we wish we hadn't in the end we're together and that's all that matters!

I am _____ because.....

2011-11-21T05:01:00.001-08:00

(I got this idea from Casey leigh......)

I am weird because...

I hate mayo.

I stand on the outsides of my feet when I brush my teeth.

I can't sleep without two pillows.

I always towel off the exact same way after I shower, every time.

Bananas make my mouth itch if I eat them by themselves.

I am a bad friend because...

I expect people to be a good friend in return.

I'm horrible at buying good gifts.

I can feel very easily "left out"

I am a good friend because...

I am loyal.

I am honest.

I'm always willing to help if you'll just ask.

I'm a good listener.

I am sad because...

Someone I love has come against me & my family in a extremely negative way.

I don't feel like I have any friends I can truly trust.

I can't seem to find a job.

Things take so much money.

I am happy because...

My husband and I are the happiest we've been in a long time with each other (not that we were unhappy before.)

My daughter loves school & is growing into a beautiful young girl.

I lost 2lbs this week without even trying.

The holidays are here and that always makes me happy!

I believe my dream is much closer to coming true then everyone thinks!

I am excited for...

Thanksgiving cooking.

Our Christmas trip to TN.

Gianna's 5th birthday

Moving to Alabama next year

Exciting things to come for my family!

Smile for the camera!

2011-11-20T17:56:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I forget that some of my lovely readers either don't follow me on Twitter and Instagram or you just don't have Twitter or Instagram (but if you do you can find me on Twitter - @alaythea and on Instagram under Alaythea). So I don't realize how long some of you go with out seeing any pictures. I'm putting them up all day long and then forget to post them to my blog! So I thought I'd remedy that and share a few photos with you from our weekend! Enjoy!

My little artist tonight - messy but she had so much fun!

And luckily that paint washed right off!

Me, trying out a new iPhone app (that I didn't really like or keep by the way.)

Gigi found a little bead kit from a while back and wanted to make a necklace.

But after about 6 very frustrating beads she gave up!

I took a break from reading today and snapped this of myself, up close!

I've been reading the Stephen King Dark Tower series and it's amazing but

really in depth and really long books. The one I was reading I've checked out of the

library three times in a row and it's due back tomorrow so I had to finish it!

Made blueberry muffins this morning. Gigi and I have a deal - she likes the

bottom of the muffin and I like the top so we split it and she eats the bottoms

and I eat the tops! Totally a great deal for me!

My handsome hubby, I love candid shots of him. Not that his posed ones aren't any

good but he just always looks so handsome and I love just capturing him naturally!

He melts me!

Gigi's little table turkey she made at school - she was so proud of it!

My new kicks (someone commented that this looked more like Gigi's feet then mine,

but I have pretty small feet & the angle makes them look even smaller!) - my sis

got these for me for like $1! Lol! Awesome!

Ok, so I admit, occasionally I take a photo of myself that I really do like and this

is one of them. I love my glasses so much, total nerd and for $12 they were worth

every penny!

Me and my girl - goofing off with the webcam.

The morning after seeing the midnight premiere of Breaking Dawn. I think

I was still half asleep at that point! 3:30am bed times do not settle well with me.

I've never had a hang over but I assume it feels sorta like that.....

Me and my sis at the Breaking Dawn premiere. It was so fun!

What I wore Thursday night/Friday morning to the movie.

Boots: Dirt Cheap (Target brand) only $8!

Leggings: Wal-Mart

Black tunic shirt: Target

Jean shirt: Wal-Mart

Scarf: Gift

Earrings: Gift.

So happy about this short week! Gigi's only has 2 days of school and the hubby only works 3 days. We bought everything for Thanksgiving dinner today and we're ready to cook.

Oh, by the way, I was totally going to make homemade pecan pie (I hate it but others like it so we have one.) but when I went to buy pecans, HOLY COW! They are so pricey!

I needed almost 2 cups for one pie and a 2 cup bag of pecan halves was almost $7. Plus everything else I have to buy for it would make it like a $12 pie. So I opted out of that a bought a $5 frozen pecan pie. Lol! But I am making homemade mini apple pies and I'm thrilled about that. Plus Wal-Mart was selling turkey's for $.79 a pound but was price matching another grocery store making them $.59 a pound so we got a almost 15lb. turkey for $8.60!!! Win!

Now I'm going to eat a bowl of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream (which is dreamy!) and then call it a night!

(P.S. Thank you SO much to all my new readers! I think I've gained about 13 new readers in the past week or so and I'm over the moon happy! I'm really sorry that I still don't have "About" tabs on my blog. I'm pretty much html illiterate and have no idea how to put them up even though I've watched dozens of tutorials. So when I find someone who can do it for me I'll have them! Lol! For now just read through posts and figure out if you like me or not! Haha! Just kidding, about liking me or not.....I hope that if you are here you've already decided you like me! Lots of hugs!)

Conversations with Gigi

2011-11-19T16:57:00.000-08:00

Breaking Dawn

2011-11-18T14:48:00.001-08:00

Last night was the night those of us who love the Twilight series have been looking forward to for awhile - Breaking Dawn Pt. 1 came out at midnight and you bet I was there! I wasn't at the midnight premiere of Twilight, I got started a little late but I've managed to be at the midnight premiere of New Moon, Eclipse and now Breaking Dawn Pt. 1. And I'm so looking forward to Breaking Dawn Pt. 2 now!!! I'm going to be so sad when it's all over and they are done with all the movies. :-(

I went with my sister and we had a bit of a girl's night out. It was weird leaving for a movie at like 9:15pm! We don't have a decent theater in our town so when we want to see a movie we have to travel about 40 minutes to a larger town to go to a nice theater. But the theater we went to last night seated you as you arrived so you weren't standing in line for two hours. We got there around 10pm and found really good seats before our theater filled up. It helps going in smaller numbers. Some of the big groups of 5 or 6 girls/women have a harder time finding good seats. Going alone is not a lot of fun but you can find a seat just about anywhere!

I won't give away too much because I know a lot of people haven't been to see it yet. But it was even better then expected! Truly. I felt like they stuck to the book for the most part. The ending scene(s) was a little different but I think it filmed better that way. The wedding was breath taking of course, we all knew it would be. Her dress was perfection for her! One of my favorite scenes was one I hadn't even thought much about - and it was the part of the story where Jacob imprints! Very well done and really beautiful.

I was interested to see how they'd depict the birth scene since it's very gruesome in the book but I think they captured that without going over board. I think Kristen Stewart is an amazing actor but I really felt both her and Robert Pattinson were much more comfortable in their roles this time, if that makes any sense. And I felt her acting was really superb.

Overall, I'd say it's the best of the Twilight series so far - and Twilight would be second. I didn't care too much for New Moon but Eclipse was good so it's third on my list. I think the ending of Breaking Dawn was the perfect way to end it and leave you totally thrilled about Part 2!!! So if you haven't gone to see it yet or if you haven't bought a ticket to see it yet then do so - it's so worth it. Being lost in beautiful romance and love for almost 2 hours is totally worth it!

Although I will say that by the time I got home at 3:30am this morning I was out of my mind tired. I managed to drag myself out of bed at 6:30 and get Gigi ready for school but then I crashed again and let the hubby take to her school by himself. And then I slept till about 8:30 and then napped again this afternoon. I still feel a big foggy! I don't do late nights so when I do it's for something important! Lol!

Beat Down

2011-11-17T05:13:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in this post that things have been a bit rough for the past few weeks. And "a bit rough" is kinda an understatement. It just feels like every time we turn around something is going wrong or messing up or in general, just taking more money. And that's life. We understand that but usually things are kinda spread out so we have time to recover in between. But lately it just seems to be one thing right on top of another. And I'll be honest I'm feeling a bit beat down. I've been doing my very best to stay positive, I keep telling myself that this will pass, we'll get through it. And we will but it seems endless.

I mentioned a few weeks ago the alternator went out on our main vehicle, totally didn't see it coming and then boom! Then yesterday I noticed the battery gauge on my Cherokee seemed to be under what's normal (and our mechanic told us that should never happen and if it does most likely something is wrong with the alternator.). Then last night after we met my mom & sis for dinner it had gotten dark so I had to turn on the lights and it completely drained the battery and died. I killed the lights and was able to crack it and get it moved into a parking lot. Luckily my mom was right in front of me and was able to help me call a tow truck and then take Gi and I home. So my car is in the shop now.....which means we only have one vehicle. And that meant Gi and I had to get up earlier this morning and take my hubby to meet his ride to work and then I'll have to go pick him up this evening. Seriously, I just keep trying not to think about it all together - the car issues, the extra bills, the normal bills, the holidays, etc. because if I do I think my brain may melt and ooze out my ears from sheer panic!

I still can't find a job, I've put in about 14 applications (and in this small town that's a lot) and I haven't heard back from one. Not one. I had full expected to have been working for like 2 months by now. I had figured that at this point we'd be in really good shape financially because I'd be bringing in extra and it would just be awesome. My plans never seem to work out, maybe if I quit making any then I won't be disappointed! And on top of it my Pretty Nods business has become pretty much non existent. I was so excited because for about a month people were buying stuff left and right and I was staying busy and making enough extra money to cover at least my weekly gas and an occasional outing or whatever. But now, nothing. It's like as soon as I got a Facebook page and an Etsy shop no one is interested. I haven't sold ANYTHING on my Etsy shop. Not one item. I think if I could just sell one item on Etsy I'd feel like a million bucks! I've been doing giveaways on blogs and trying to drum up business. But so far, na-da. I just don't know how to advertise or push it any more. I'm planning to be apart of a Holiday Bazaar a church near me is putting on but I'm even worried about that.....I feel like I put out quality work and I keep the price as low as I possibly can - not even counting my time in most prices. But I guess too many people are doing stuff like this right now.

I don't mean to dump everything on you, my dear readers, but occasionally I just need to get it out! And I guess I don't want you guys to think I'm living the perfect life or anything! Lol! It's weird because amidst all this I feel like my husband and I have grow much closer and we've even been fairly happy through most of this. We have our moments of sudden stress and frustration with each other but I think we're both trying really hard to keep at least one aspect of our lives in order and under control. Because being angry and ill with each other isn't helping our finances! So there has been some good amongst the bad.....

Giveaway Link

2011-11-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in another giveaway over on the

THREE IN THREE blog!

Hurry over and enter to win two headbands and a t-shirt necklace!

What Makes A Marriage....

2011-11-14T05:17:00.001-08:00

I'm no marriage expert but occasionally I do have people ask me what keeps mine and Benjamin's marriage going. I mean let's face it marriages lasting more then a few months these days seems pretty rare. And I'm a pretty sure that people find out that I'm only 25 and I already have over 6 years of marriage under my belt and they wonder what we've done to make it successful. I wish I had a magic formula to share with you but I don't. I do have some things we try to live by that seem to be working for us!

1. Benjamin and I met very young (14 & 17) and if it hadn't been for my parent's feeling like it was too much too soon we probably would have stayed together until I was 18 and we would have gotten married. But things didn't happen that way and a few boyfriend's and a girlfriend later we found each other again. But I think the biggest thing is we still find the magic in each other. It isn't always easy and we have bad days but ultimately we remember why we fell in love and bringing our focus back to that always brings us back around!

2. Divorce isn't an option. Yes, in heated moments I'm sure I've said something along the lines of "I want a divorce" but to be honest this is something I've done my best to ban myself from doing. Because I don't want a divorce, I want us to work things out. And I know that we are capable of this. Benjamin and I can both be very stubborn and we both like to be right. But we know that deep down we want to be together more then anything.

3. Honesty. It sounds so easy doesn't it? Just be honest. But it's not always. You don't want to hurt the other person, you don't want to mess anything up, you don't want to feel rejected because of how you feel, etc. And this is something I'm only getting the hang of here recently. Don't worry, I didn't lie to my husband but I'd keep things to myself and they would grow and fester until I'd explode and it would completely blind side my husband. Now, even though it can be difficult for me, I do my best to be straight up. If something's bothering me I say so, if I don't agree I say so.....doesn't mean we always agree but when I do that in a fairly calm way and Benjamin does the same we can hear each other out, see each other's view points and come to a compromise on fixing the problem.

4. Compromise. So many people think compromise is when one person gives into the other person and are good with it. That's not compromise. Comprise is when you give a little and the other person gives a little and you meet somewhere in the middle. You don't necessarily get your full way and they may not get their's but it's somewhere but of you can be satisfied with. We recently dealt with an "issue" and to be honest I wanted to cut it off, not have to deal with it at all. But I knew, whether I wanted to admit it or not, it meant something to my husband. So we compromised. Now I'm fairly comfortable with the situation and my husband is fairly happy with it too.

5. Faith. For us, one of the BIGGEST cornerstones of our marriage has been our faith. We love Jesus and we try to treat each other with the love and respect He expects us to give. I think we struggled with this the first few years of our marriage the most. We both were reacting so selfishly.

6. Treat each other as you want to be treated. Again, it sounds simple. But naturally you want what you feel is best for you. I spent the first couple years of my marriage trying to make Benjamin treat me like I wanted to be treated. Not realizing that I wasn't giving that to him. When I stopped thinking solely about myself (and I still think about myself, don't think I have it ALL together!) about started focusing on treating him with kindness and respect and love then I started getting that in return.

7. Be quick to say you're sorry. This isn't easy for me. Not at all. I don't like to admit I'm wrong, I don't like to admit that I reacted wrongly or said something harsh or mean. But the reality is I do. Last night, we were outside enjoying a bonfire and Gigi was acting up, I was on edge with her already, Benjamin said something and I got mad and made a harsh, hurtful comment. I regretted it immediately. I wish I could say I apologized right then and there but it took a sink load of dishes for me to swallow my pride, walk upstairs and tell him I was very sorry. And then things were ok. We try hard not keep our arguments going too long!

8. Don't forget to let them know you love them. I think for a few years I just assumed Benjamin knew how I felt. You know, I married him, didn't I?! We have a child together, don't we?! Doesn't he know I love him, think he's hot, think he's funny, think he's smart, think he's a great dad? He probably does but isn't it so nice to hear it?! See it?! Yes! So I am trying so much harder to let him verbally hear it from me, and see it. I tell him more often (or try to) that I love him, that he means so much to me, etc. And he does the same and I love it!

9. Be physical. I don't talk about the physical side of love much because growing up I was sorta "taught" that PDA was inappropriate even among married people. It was something for the "bedroom". And for the longest I kinda struggled with being affectionate in public. Besides sex I'm talking about just signs of affection. I started realizing recently that sometimes Benjamin and I would go days without kissing each other or hugging. Not because we wanted to but we were busy, tired, in hurry, etc. We get into a routine and forget to step out of it. I think we are both trying to make a more conscience effort to touchy-feely. Taking time to kiss each other, hug each other, snuggling on the couch instead of sitting at opposite ends, holding hands in public more. It can be little things - a leg squeeze and a smile, a brush on the arm, etc. Little things. They make you feel wanted and needed.

10. Trust. In marriage trust is obviously a HUGE thing. If you don't trust then nothing is going to work. And there will be situations that test your trust. But that's when you find out for sure if you really do trust that person or if you doubt them. I'm happy to say I can trust my husband! And I hope that he trusts me (I'm pretty sure he does!).

Marriage is work but the reward is wonderful! I'm proud of how far we've come - the first couple of years were rough. Don't think we've had perfectly smooth sailing all along but we worked at it and now we're here! I know that there will be many more lessons to learn and we'll have more things to grow in and trust each other on. I'm excited to see where our future goes and what it holds for us!!! And more then anything I'm happy I get to share this life with my husband....the love of my life!

Countdown to T-day!!!

2011-11-13T04:23:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is SO close, people! I'm not one of those people that like to skip over T-day. To me it is nearly as important and wonderful as Christmas. To me it's the official start to the Holiday "month". From Thanksgiving on everyone (for the most part) seems to adopt this happy hurry-scurry attitude that is just so festive. We don't decorate for Christmas until Thanksgiving day (or the day after!) - nothing irritates me more then seeing people's Christmas trees up right after Halloween. I was actually ticked off when I went to pick out Gi's costume at Wal-Mart and they had aisles of Christmas stuff right next to the Halloween stuff. Geez. Slow down already.

This past Thanksgiving was a bit different then what we "normally" do. My family moved to Alabama in August of last year and we do a good bit of traveling around Christmas so Thanksgiving is certainly spent at home for all of us. So needless to say, we were here in NC and they were in Bama. Normally my sister's and I help my mom cook but last year I tackled the majority of the whole meal. My sis, Charity, came to help and I'm SO glad she did or it would have been overwhelming. But we managed to put on the whole spread without any serious issues! I'll admit I was crazy proud of how good my turkey turned out. Since it was the first turkey I've ever done (and I guess I've never paid much attention to how my mom did hers) but it turned out super moist and flavorful. Beej's parent usually join us - to be honest his family isn't really "close" and the holidays don't mean getting together for them. Which is such a strange concept for me. It's so strange for me not to have my family around on Thanksgiving and for them it's totally normal. He has two older brothers but they rarely keep in touch. Not because that's how Beej wants it but that's just how it is. But at the holidays family and people mean so much to me - I love having people around. I love the festive hustle and bustle it brings!

This year though I'm so excited to cook again - my sis is coming over again to help (her hubby is going to have to work T-day. Boo.) and I'm already forming my menu!

Turkey (of course!)

Mashed Potatoes (mountains of them!)

Croissant rolls

Cranberry sauce

Green Bean casserole

Pineapple casserole (another must!)

Sweet potato souffle

Pecan pie (last year I bought pre-made, this year I'm making homemade!)

Mini apple pies (saw this on Pinterest and I LOVED it!)

And I'm serving it all with Blue Bell Homemade vanilla ice cream!

Seriously, my mouth is watering as I speak! I love cooking but baking is certainly my favorite. What are some of the things you always make or always expect to see on the T-day table? Where do you go? What are some of your traditions?!

Time to let go?

2011-11-12T12:26:00.000-08:00

"To be successful, you must decide exactly what you want to accomplish, then resolve to pay the price to get it." - Bunker Hunt

"Act as if it were impossible to fail." - James K. Van Fleet

We all have things that we dream of having, or doing, or being. Some of those things are simple and perhaps "small" to others. Some of them are huge and seem to overwhelm you and any body else that happens to know about those dreams. I think the first thing we do when we have a really big "dream" or something that seems far out of our reach is to try to wish it away or, in my case, logically think it away! I'll be honest I don't like big overwhelming projects or dreams or goals. It's far easier to fail at those and I hate failing or feeling like a failure. That's why a lot of times I'm perfectly happy just staying where I am because I'm doing Ok where I'm at. Trying to accomplish dreams or goals or even reach for bigger and better things means stepping way out of my comfort zone.

But sometimes there are those things that no matter how much you reason inside yourself you can't make them go away. You try your best to makes the cons out weigh the pros but no matter how many cons you find the pros always seem better. You know it's going to be hard, it's going to be a tough journey but the destination, the prize, seems worth every bit of effort. And seeing the prize that awaits makes you want to start right away. You do have to make sure the timing is right, obviously if its not you won't probably won't get where you are going or it's going to be even harder then it's supposed to be. But sometimes the perfect timing doesn't always seem "perfect" in our natural mind's eye.

I think the hardest thing is when you feel so strongly about something or you desire it SO much yet you can't explain that to anyone else. No one else feels that same passion you feel or the strength of your desire and this can lead to feeling defeated and alone. There is so much happiness is this dream yet it almost becomes a source of sadness for you because whether we like it or not as humans we are meant to share. We want someone else to share in our joy, our pain, our up's, our down's, etc. We have the need for someone to feel what we feel. And that's why if we don't find that kindred spirit in one place we search until we do - we find someone who has obtained what we so badly desire and we watch them, we drink their words, we may even become happily "jealous" of that person because they have what we so strongly crave. It's not that we don't want them to have what they have, we just want it too!

My biggest struggle is deciding when I absolutely have to give up on something I desire. You hear "Never give up on your dreams!" all the time but is there a time to give them up? If so, how do you know? We so often say God's timing isn't our timing but then do we just wait our whole lives hoping that time comes or do we set time goal? It's so hard to know, right?! When do you take people's advice and walk away and focus your energy on something else? I struggle with waiting, I know that you can't just jump into things but at the same time do you just sit back and wait and hope it happens on it's on? This is why hopes & dreams frustrate me - there are too many variables, there are too many people you have to consider along the way, there is no super clear path. I end up feeling overwhelmed and frustrated and I give up and continue right where I am.

I grew up in a family where decisions were made by my parents, as they should be for the better part of growing up. But even as I got older I seem to always have to defer to them to make decisions, the decision I made was either "wrong" or not the right one for the situation or whatever. I never grew confident in my ability to make a decision and it be the right one. Even now I always feel like there is someone to point at my decision and make me question it. I simply defer to keep the peace. I'd rather not having something I desire then to have it and feel like I've made others unhappy or have other look down on me for making the "wrong" decisions.

So when do you let something go? Or do you just keeping holding on forever?

This is only a season (right?!)

2011-11-11T13:32:00.001-08:00

Don't let my smile fool you too much - the past couple of weeks have been a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me. Feeling some of the lowest lows and some of the highest highs. I do my best to stay on an even keel for the most part but occasionally life sneaks up on me.

A couple of weeks ago we very unexpectedly had to have about $400 worth of repairs done on our Jeep. Our Jeep is 11 years old but it's been taken care of and it's paid for our it's our "main" vehicle. It has a butt load of miles on it....other then the year we lived in Alabama when we first got married I think my husband has always had a job at least 45 mins. - an hour away so there has been ALOT of miles put on it. When we first met my husband had just gotten that Jeep and now we're married and carry our kid around in it so it holds a lot of special memories as well. But anyway, it was unexpected and kinda set us back a bit. We did our best to just roll with it.....

Then we had another little "hiccup" that really put us in a bind - I spent most of that day working out because I honestly was so stressed I just had to put my energy into something so that I didn't dwell on it too much! That same day, later that afternoon when I went to pick up Gi at school, I'm pulling into school and my Cherokee dies. It's old, really old but it's been a good vehicle for around town and getting Gianna to school and I haven't had any real issues with it. But that was just not the day for it to happen......my mind totally blanked for a minute and then I said out loud to myself "You've got to be bleepin' kidding me!" I managed to get it cranked back up and got us home. Took it to the mechanic this morning and thankfully it was "only" an air filter - apparently some lovely squirrel had tried to build a nest in the air filter and clogged it all up! Seriously.

I feel like every time we turn around there is something else we've got to pay for or find money for on top of all the regular bills and living expenses. Somehow we always manage to pull through and for that I'm very grateful. My husband and I have done our best to try not to overly stress about it all, we haven't always succeeded but I think we have both realized that we have to really focus on the good things happening and simply work on righting what's wrong. Stressing about it doesn't help us at all. It doesn't solve anything, it doesn't make solutions suddenly appear. It's just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other and making the best decisions for can for the moment.

On a happier note I feel like my hubby and I have connected on a much deeper level lately. I feel like every year or so our marriage takes another step up. And I'm glad, I'm glad that our marriage is growing and getting better. I feel like we are on the same page with a lot of things and I think I was struggling with that for a little while. I felt like what he wanted in life and what I wanted were so far apart. But I think with a little effort on both our parts we have figured out that maybe there is a way to see both of "dreams" come together. I'm still working on a lot of mine but I have bits & pieces. I think our communication has gotten better. I still have a hard time voicing myself - it's something I've struggled with since I can remember. I often write letters or emails because I feel like I can better communicate my feelings and thoughts in a less jumbled up (tearful) way. But I'm getting better and I appreciate my hubby's patience with me!

The new year is going to bring a lot of changes for me. The first half of the year is going to be a lot of preparation for changes. There is SO much to moving especially now that we have a child. We can't just up and go - we have to think about her welfare. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that next year we'll have a new place to live, new jobs for me and Benjamin, a new school for Gigi and probably a new dance academy, a "new" car, new goals, etc. I have a hard time seeing past today and I think that a lot of times that translates as me having no vision. But I do think about the future but I'm busy trying to make the most of where I'm at now and I have such a hard time with change most of the time that thinking about too much leaves me nervous and anxious. Yet I'm excited too, I know God will direct our paths. There are other exciting things I hope that we can start pursuing sometime next year, some things have to line up and fall in place first but it's something I've been praying about and holding onto for awhile. Just waiting for the right timing and that's oh, so hard for me!

But I do remind myself that this is a season in life. It may seem hard at times but it's also a joyful season. Not just because the holidays are close but because there are beautiful things happening around me every day and those out weigh the difficult ones. This probably won't be the only hard season I face in life but hopefully as I grow and mature (mentally! lol!) I will be better equipped to handle these seasons with ease and grace and most importantly unwavering faith!

Doo Gro Review

2011-11-10T15:51:00.001-08:00

About a month ago my 4 year old and I started using the Doo Gro products. I wanted to try them because my daughter has really fine hair that doesn't seem to grow very fast. At 4 1/2 her hair is still only a shaggy "bob" above her shoulders. So I figured it wouldn't hurt to try them on both of us. I'm trying to grow mine out so any help I can get it good. And I'll say that after a month of using them almost daily I've been really pleased with what I've seen so far!

We use the Moisturizing Growth Shampoo - it only takes a small amount and lathers fairly well. It has a sweet almost candy like smell but it's not super strong after it's rinsed out.

Deep Down Intense Penetrating Conditioner - this stuff is great! It's not super heavy or greasy like some conditioners. You put it in after shampooing and leave it on for several minutes before rinsing. And it doesn't leave your hair limp and greasy afterwards. My hair is fairly fine as well so some conditioners are really heavy on my hair even after rinsing.

Mega Thick Growth Oil - This stuff is really good and I think it's actually been the most helpful. The smell isn't the greatest but it's not the worst either. You put it in while your hair is wet but for me I can't style my hair afterwards. Even with the smallest amount it makes mine and my daughter's hair super greasy. A couple of nights a week I put it in my hair after I wash it then I just pull into a ponytail while it's wet and sleep in it overnight and wash it the next day before I style it. I do the same for my daughter. She gets a shower every morning before school so the night before I wet her hair down, put in a generous portion of the oil (like a quarter's worth) and rub it in really well and she sleeps on. It does wash out very easily though. I don't have a problem with my hair being greasy after I shampoo the oil out.

This is my daughter's hair after exactly a month of using the product. I can see a good half inch of growth on her hair already. I've also noticed that her hair appears thicker and "fluffier" when I blow dry it. I've also noticed that I'm not shedding as much hair as I normally do. I still shed some (that's natural) but it's about half of what it used to be so that makes me happy! I've also noticed my hair seem fuller as well.

The price isn't bad either - I paid like $17 for all three. The shampoo and conditioner have last just over a month with two people using it almost daily. The oil will last FOREVER! I've barely made a dent in the bottle after a month. I personally think it's well worth the price! I haven't used any of their styling products yet but if I do I'll let you know how I like them!

We made it back (photo overload!)

2011-11-08T14:41:00.000-08:00

Thursday evening my sis and I loaded up her car (and packed in Gigi as well!) and headed to Bama to see our family. Mainly because Friday was my dad's big 50th birthday and we wanted to be with him to celebrate. What he didn't know was that we had all been planning a surprise party for him Friday night! He has always wanted a big birthday party and we've just never worked it out to do one so this seemed like the perfect time. It was so hard to keep it a secret and he couldn't figure out why we had come up for just a day because he was headed up here to NC on Saturday! We couldn't tell him we had come to help with the party. Mom couldn't do much because he'd wonder what was going on so my sisters and I spent Friday afternoon running around picking up food and the cake and decorating. He was surprised right up until he was about to walk into the building. We had all the lights out but he saw someone's face in the window and knew something was up! But it was still a ton of fun!

(My wonderful dad - can't believe he's 50!)

My sisters and I - I'm the oldest, then Charity (on the right) and DeeAnna (on the left)

(We finally got to sit down and enjoy some cake!)

(Excuse Dad's slightly goofy face, I thought it was sweet!)

Charity and our cousin, Glavin! How cute is he?!!!

(L-R: Charity, me, my cousin Ashley, my cousin Hannah and their mom, my aunt Debbie (Dad's older sister)

My cousin Emma (she is one of triplets!), Gigi and my cousin Ava.

My mom, her younger brother Tony (my uncle!) and Gigi.

My Aunt Becca and Uncle Brian ( Ava and Glavin's parents/my mom's younger sister)

My mom and DeeAnna (this is so rare, them taking a nice photo together! lol)

My photo's are kinda out of order here. Sunday we went out to lunch before we left and this are a few pictures from lunch.

My mom and I - everyone says we look just a like!

Charity and our little brother Kenneth - he's 15 and that's his look most of the time!

My cousin John and my youngest brother, Matthew.

Saturday we did a little shopping. I had to go find Gianna some Bama gear because I forgot to bring hers and she couldn't not wear Bama gear for the big Bama - LSU game. Which we lost (barely) by the way. But we are still HUGE fans and we'll win the next one!

Even mom's dog, Shiskabob, was feeling the spirit!

Watching the game!

My little Bama girl!

Roll Tide!

All in all we had a great time - we came home pretty exhausted but it was totally worth it! It's crazy how fast the weekend's go by especially when you are having fun! Benjamin didn't go this time because originally we weren't going to stay very long but since my dad was coming up here Saturday us girls decided to stay and hang out with mom. Dad came up here and they had a "guy party" while they watched the Bama game Saturday!

So that's where I've been all weekend, and I'm still trying to get back into the swing of life here at home.....

Bama

2011-11-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

Hey, people! Don't think I've forgotten about your or my little blog here. I haven't been able to say anything because my dad is super cool and has a Facebook and a Twitter account but my sis and I, along with Bug, made the trip down to Bama Thursday afternoon to surprise my dad for his birthday yesterday! We helped my mom pull off a big surprise party for him last night.....it's been so much fun and I'm worn out but enjoying spending time with my family. I'll be back with a regular post on Monday so I can recap everything for you! For now we are going to hang out with the family, sport our Bama gear and watch the big Bama vs. LSU game tonight. ROLL TIDE!!!!

Feature & a giveaway!

2011-11-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Take a moment and head over to

SNEAKERS OVER STILETTOS

I'm being featured as a "fashionable momma" and she's hosting a

giveaway from my Pretty Nods shop!

Go follower her blog and win a headband and a t-shirt necklace!