Life.

I think it's all starting to catch up with me - my constant running for the past week and a half has totally drained me and thought of getting up and going anywhere tomorrow (which I have to do.) makes me wanna cry. I got totally depressed this evening thinking about everything I need to do and catch up with. Bug's room is a disaster, there is laundry in the washer and dryer, my bathrooms need to be cleaned, I need to get my headbands created and get my Etsy shop going, and all I wanna do is curl up in a ball, have a good cry and sleep! I missed working out this morning because I had to be out the door fairly early so I did it tonight, well, attempted to. I had no energy, I can't breathe out of my nose and I kinda flubbed it. I think I did 35 minutes out of 58. Ugh. Some days are just like that I guess. The pouring rain that I had to wade through after Bug's dance class didn't really make me feel any better either....I hate rain and literally 5 minutes after it started the street was flooded and I waded through water like 5 inches deep to get to the Jeep, Bug was soaking wet and crying (she doesn't like rain either.), I had planned to stop and get dinner (Japanese, yum!) but honestly the thought of getting out and getting Bug out in all that mess was so unappealing I just went home. Bug had a waffle and I had a strawberry and spinach smoothie. Yeah. *sigh*

So anyway, it's 9:15pm and I'm going to bed. I need to get up at a decent time tomorrow and get my work out done before I head out to pick up tax paper work and take the rest of the information down to get Bug registered for preschool. It's insane what they have to have just say she can attend school. Maybe I'll have a chance to clean her room and organize my headband making station once we get back.....but I'm not holding my breath. I really want to spend Wednesday and Thursday at home. Maybe I'll turn off my phone those two days! Lol!

Little of this, little of that......

So yeah, hi people!!! I have had quite the weekend.....a wonderful weekend but a busy one! I have started working on my "products" so that I can hopefully start my "shop" soon. I'm wearing one of the little beauties I made in the picture above....it's my favorite so far! Still working on a name for the shop - so far I've only gotten a couple of ideas from people and they have been, uh, creative but not what I'm looking for. I was hoping to get some feedback from my lovely blog readers but I didn't get not one response. I was rather disappointed. But I'm still thinking.....

I just had to share this photo! Bug fell asleep the other day and when I glanced back this is how she looked so of course I had to snap a photo to share with all of you! Poor child!

I wore a hat the other day - this picture is proof! I think I like it.....I think! Come summer it'll be cute once I have a TAN!

Today my hubby and I dropped of Bug with her Grandmother and headed out on our Sunday date. We decided to stop up in Chimney Rock, NC and have brunch at a cute little place called Medina's Bistro. It was quite yummy - I had a bacon, egg and cheese croissant! So good - and Beej's blueberry pancakes were pretty tasty too!

(My handsome Mister at Medina's!)

(Me - so happy to be getting a hair cut tomorrow!)

We finally arrived at the Biltmore House - isn't it beautiful? It was Beej's first time going there in person.....

(What a beautiful view - in more ways then one! Lol!)

(I got so many compliments on my shirt today - totally worth the $4 I spent on it!)

All in all we had a wonderful day out together! We picked up Bug and took her home for a bit, repacked her and she went to stay with her other grandmother, Janou. She is here for the weekend and heading home tomorrow. I'm pretty sure Bug is going to be thrilled to be home for a bit after this - and sleep in her own bed! I know I have slept so much better being back in my own bed......

I'm sick again - not a stomach bug this time but now I have a cold, or allergies or something. My nose is completely stopped up and I hate it so much. Not being able to breathe, trying to breathe through my mouth and it being dry all the time, sore throat.....ugh. It's miserable.

But on a happy note, tomorrow I'm getting my hair cut! Oh yes, I am beyond thrilled. I haven't had it cut since AUGUST of last year. That is so not acceptable....but I got busy and it just hasn't seemed to work out. Then I had to cancel last week, etc. etc. But nothing will stop me from getting my hair cut tomorrow - I had it originally cut into a wedge, shorter in the back and longer in the front (opposite of a mullet, haha!). Now it's growing out and I need to get it evened up and my bangs cut again. SO excited! Even though you might not be able to tell much of a difference I know I most certainly will.

So until tomorrow......

A Lil' Laugh (& an update).

Ok, so last night on our way out I was trying to put

Gianna into her carseat...

she was holding a bag of random toys she

was taking with her to her grandmother's house.

I was having a hard time getting her

into her seat and out of frustration I said,

"Gianna, I can't get you into your seat with

that piece of crap in your hand!"

She promptly replied,

"It's not a piece of crap, Mom,

it's a WHOLE BAG OF CRAP!"

I laughed so hard!

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I know I have been a terrible blogger lately,

and I keep apologizing for it and I promise I'm going to

be back soon!

This past week has been insane, between issues

with my dad's health, spending a week down in Bama,

coming home and hitting the ground running....

I am completely spent and haven't

even had time to really think

about putting together a decent blog post.

Not to mention I'm trying to figure out how to

start my Etsy shop and get my products made.

I got up at 4:45am yesterday, drove 6 1/2 hours home,

got home, unpacked (sorta), got laundry going,

grabbed a shower, re-packed Bug to go stay at her Grandma's,

then drove an hour and 1/2 with my hubby

to see an awesome band, Campbell the Band.

You should most certainly check out their Facebook page

and listen to their tunes.

They are amazing live and I've known the lead singer

for years - I'm really proud of how professional

and talented they are and I wouldn't

miss the chance to help support them if it's within my power.

We got home around 2:30am.

Yikes.

Got up at 7:30am and I've been going ever since.

Tomorrow morning we are getting up early (like 6:30am)

and taking Bug back to her Grandma's for the day

while the Mister and I go to brunch

and go tour the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC.

Monday I have to get Gianna completely

registered for pre-school,

drive 45 minutes away to get my eye's examined

(I'm so excited about getting new contacts and

glasses soon!)

and FINALLY get my hair cut!

Needless to say, my plan for Tuesday is stay home ALL

day and do nothing but catch up on housework

and work on my Etsy shop.

Hey, any name suggestions for my Etsy shop?

I've had a few suggestions but nothing

"pretty" enough!

I'm totally open to ideas!

Etc.

I have totally missed blogging! For real. It just seems like ever since we got to Bama we have been going non stop and I barely have time to think about blogging much less do it. My mom is an on the go kinda person and she pretty much runs non stop from the time she takes my brothers to school until we crash around 10pm! I don't mind, it can be fun, for the time being. But I do realize how much I relish my everyday simple routine. My working out has lacked greatly while I've been here, I'm not beating myself up too bad over though because I know I'll get right back into it once I'm home. I'm hopefully going to be starting a new workout program in March and I can't wait!!! March is so close and we have my hubby's birthday and then my sweet little munckin's 4th birthday. I have done plenty of mental planning but non of it has gone into action just yet! When I get home, starting Monday, I have a long list of things to accomplish.....

We ended up staying in Bama longer then we had originally planned. Things got changed around, as they usually do with my family and so here we are. I'm not complaining, I have really enjoyed spending time with them but I will admit I'm ready to get home. I miss my husband terribly and like I said before I miss my daily routine.

But I thought I would share a few photos with you from the past several days....we've done some fun stuff and I haven't gotten pictures of it all but here are a few. Oh, and I'm feeling better this morning! Hooray. It's raining here, and I hate the rain but I think we are headed out again for most of the day!!! Phew.

(My mom took us to a lovely little local place to eat the other

day called Cafe' Olivia. It's named after the owner's daughter,

who is adopted from China! Really yummy and quaint and

I had my first Izze drink while I was there. Delicious!)

(We met my Nana the other day for lunch at Applebee's. Not

my favorite place but it'll do in a pinch.

Gianna enjoyed drinking ranch dressing from her

little dish! Silly girl!

(Monday night my Mom and I took an art class with my aunt

and cousin. It was a lot of fun although I'm most

certainly NOT artistic! But this was my painting

starting from the beginning and going as we added

layers. The end result wasn't bad but I'm not putting up

the original for you to compare mine too!! Lol!)

(Yeah, I'm on a sandal kick although it's still February.

I found some good deals and couldn't pass them up.

The awesome thing about Target is, I can wear the kids shoes!

They have great looks but I get them for almost half the price.

In the middle of one of my newest and favorite pieces of

jewelry - my owl on the moon. Isn't he precious?!

(I've have also been contemplating starting my own Etsy shop

for quite awhile now and I think I'm going to do it!

My mom and I started working on some of the

ideas I had to make and put in the shop.

We got all our materials together

yesterday and I made these last night.

I'm quite pleased and I'm excited to try a few more

ideas today!

I have a name for my shop but I'm not sharing just yet,

don't want to spoil it just in case I go with a different

name!

But give me feedback - let me know if you think my

creations are sellable, what you would pay for them

and if you like them at all!!!

I'll post more once they are made!

Don't hate me....

So yeah, I know I keep promising blogs and they aren't happening.

I ended up staying in Bama three days longer then I had

planned. My mom has kept me crazy busy and by like

9:30pm I am completely exhausted and can't even begin to

think about editing and saving pictures, posting them in

order, putting captions on them or making any

sense what so ever. I really did plan to blog

last night but when I sat down at the computer it's like

my eyes wouldn't stay open. So I crawled into bed and

promptly fell asleep.

I woke up sick.

Joy.

My brothers had a little touch of a virus a couple of days ago,

it lasted less then 24 hours and then they were fine.

Bug ran a fever day before yesterday but

a dose of Tylenol and she was fine too.

Mine has last all day so far.

It kinda comes and goes.

For a minute I feel like I have the flu,

I sleep a bit and then feel fine for awhile,

then I start feeling crappy again.....

So tonight I'm going to bed early....

I have started working on some headband creations.

I've had some ideas for awhile and figured I could

do it. I waited till I got to Bama so that

my mom could help me a bit (she has every

crafty thing you can imagine!).

I got two done tonight and I'm pretty pleased with them

seeing they are my first two.

I have some perfecting to do and a few more

ideas to try out but so far so good.

If I like how it's going and enjoy it enough

I may try to start an Etsy shop.

I have a name idea.....

But we'll see.

I can be crafty but I'm not very artsy.

My mom says the difference is,

crafty people can take an idea and copy it,

an artsy person comes up with the

idea to begin with.

I think I'm crafty.

Check Back!

Hello my lovelies!

I know, I know. I have totally sucked at blogging lately

but being out of town and out of my normal

routine has done that to me!

But I will be updating later tonight and putting

up a bunch of pictures I've snapped here and there

over the past several days.

So check back with me later tonight!!!

Oh, and a big HELLO to my new followers!

Nothing excites me more then seeing

my follower number is up when

I log in!!!

Hooray and I hope you enjoy my little

patch of cyberspace!!!

Oh, for the love of.....

...family, friends, Chinese food, shopping and pedicures!!! That's what our day consisted of yesterday. We went to church, had lunch at an insanely huge Chinese buffet and after that my dad graciously watched Bug while me, my mom and my little sis (who was in town visiting too!) could go have some "girl time". We ran by a few stores - I picked Bug up an adorable outfit at Target because they have some of THE cutest kids clothes and another pair of sandals for me. I'm slowly starting to build my Spring/Summer wardrobe. It's easier if I do it a little at a time rather then go out and try to buy it all at once. And since the weather has been rather lovely here in Bama wearing sandals with a cute cardigan (like this perfecting striped one I'm wearing below!) isn't out of the question!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this striped cardigan - it's cute, sassy and the colors are fun!

I generally go for black or grey but this time I went for purple and white!

Wowzers!

And with orange sandals yesterday I was quite the colorful shopper!

We went for pedi's - had quite a time finding a nice place open on

a Sunday afternoon. But we found one, thank God, because our

feet were in desperate need after a super dry winter

stuffed in socks and boots!

It was my mom and my sister's first EVER pedicure!

I think they were pleased with them.

I do wish they would slow down a little,

I always feel like they are rushing to get me done

even if there is no one waiting after me!

But my legs and feet are blissfully soft,

and my toes are a lovely

chocolate brown!

Yes, you can be jealous of my uber adorable sandals!

$13 at Ross? Yes, please!

I'm fashionable on a budget people - I find good deals

and I wear them proudly.

I guarantee I look just as nice (or maybe better! Hehe!) then

the people who spend a small fortune on their clothes.

But I am in love with these sandals

and I can't wait for it to be warm enough to wear them

with an adorable sundress and a cute hat (which I got one of those too,

I'll have to show you later!)

We are off in a bit to hit up some great thrift stores.

I love looking for bargains and great finds at thrift stores.....

I've gotten Bug some great stuff there - like almost new Nike sneakers.

Don't knock a bargain till you try it!

For now I'm off to make myself miserable for 30 minutes by running on the

treadmill. Goodness, I miss my Insanity dvd's!!!

What A Day!!!!

We have had quite the day! It's been great but long and quite exhausting......I feel like I've been up forever, of course the fact that we went to bed at 1am last night and got up at 7am probably has something to do with that! I don't do late nights, I'm an early to bed and early to rise kinda gal. But last night we had cupcakes to ice and I had to make a tutu for my cousin to wear at her 4th birthday party today. Plus my sis was there, we stayed in a hotel last night and it just seemed an occasion to stay up late and laugh! Totally worth it!

The party was quite a hit - there were loads of kids there and my cousin was happy. We had too many cupcakes but that's Ok. After the party was over and everyone cleared out my sis and I hit up Accessory City and Ross - I picked up a few cute things including some amazing owl jewelry. If I've forgotten to tell you I will tell you now.....I am obsessed with owl jewelry! Don't know why but I love it!!! Owl earrings, owl necklaces, etc. Can't get enough of it!

Tomorrow we have church and then I think my mom and my sis and I are going to go get pedicures! Hooray! I need one badly especially since it's starting to warm up a little and we'll be breaking out the sandals oh-so soon! I always keep my toenails painted but sometimes it's nice to just relax and let someone else do them for a change.

Monday our plan is to go thrifting (H'ville has LOADS of great thrift stores) and eat at a cute little cafe near by! I'll have to snap some pictures of my lovely items I got today and let you have a peak and then if I find anything good on Monday I'll share that too!

But for now enjoy a few pictures from our day!

(The lovely cupcakes! My sis, the photographer, loved

this shot so I'm quite proud of it!)

(Ms. Ava's "Ice Cream Parlor")

(The birthday girl and Bug playing with the bubbles!)

(My lovely mother making paper ice cream "cones")

(My sweet girl serving up some ice cream!)

(Just me.)

(My beyond adorable, oh-so-super-sweet, perfectly delightful,

uber funny cousin, Glavin! I could just eat him up!!!)

I'm Still HERE!

Hello all my blogger lovelies!!!

I just wanted to jot down a quick blog and let you know

I'm still alive and I'm still here.

I've had quite the week, lots going on

emotionally for me. Quite stressful.

I had to pack me and Bug up unexpectedly a day

early to head down to Bama with my

dad. He's been having some health issues and needed

to get back to the doctor but didn't want to

travel alone.

So I packed us up in about an hour and headed

to Bama yesterday. We are here now and

it's so good to see my family!

But we are staying quite busy.....

So you may not hear from me a whole lot this weekend.

But I promise, I'll be back soon

and hopefully with lots of photos of our

weekend!!!

Project 31 - Day 1

Day 1 - What does beauty mean to you?

I think for the most part when you think of the word "beauty" you automatically think of how someone looks or appears. There are people who we define at beautiful and others that we don't. But even though I have put these labels on people I know that God doesn't. He created each and every one of us in His image and He sees us all as beautiful. Not to mention He created each of us to see beauty in different ways and in different people. As far as outward "beauty" goes I look at my husband and I see someone insanely handsome and attractive. I think a lot of people see him that way but I know that not everyone does. The same goes for other people's significant others, they see beauty in them whether someone else does or not. One of the definitions for beauty is:

The quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind,

whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or

pattern, or something else (as apersonality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).

So I know that beauty goes much deeper than just skin or outward appearances. Although I'm not one of those people who believe you should never look at or focus on outward beauty. I believe that it is part of our job as just people in general to look our best. Perhaps the world doesn't put the "beauty" stamp on our forehead but that doesn't mean I can't rise to be the best me I can be. Working out, eating right, dressing to look tasteful and pleasing, wearing make up, fixing your hair, waxing your mustache (hehe! Ladies!), etc. I know that I may never be Hollywood's definition of beauty but I am beautiful to my husband and yes, he loves me "the way I am" but that doesn't give me to right to look or act like crap. Because he does love me it makes me want to look and feel and be the very best I can for him.

But beauty does have to do with more than just how you look......someone can be absolutely stunning on the outside but if inside they are bitter, hard, snobby and despicable is probably going to make them less attractive those close to them or those who them. Same goes for someone who perhaps is less "attractive" but is endearing, warm, sincere and sweet. They will be probably more attractive because of their inner beauty. Being a beautiful person can have three different meanings - inner, outer and sometimes both.

Beauty is subjective - it depends on the eyes of the person looking at it. What I find beautiful someone else might find completely unattractive. I think it's a wonderful thing that we don't all see beauty the same way. It would make it hopeless for some and overwhelming for others. But the truest kind of beauty is the kind that radiates from inside out!

R.I.P Gypsy

July 27, 2010 - February 14, 2011

Last night we tragically lost Gypsy, very unexpectedly. It was a horrible accident. One I don't want to rehash or talk about....simply put it was an accident. And he will be, and is, very missed.

Today I've already seen all the ways he was usually there and wasn't - he wasn't there for his morning treat, he wasn't there to make making up our bed a game, he wasn't there to lick the last little bit of milk out of my cereal bowl......all his toys are still scattered around the house. I missed him climbing into bed this morning and purring so loudly! He had a kinda annoying habit of sneezing in your face but I'll miss that too. He was such a huggable, lovable, curious little fellow. He will never be able to be replaced. I know that over time I will find peace about it and my heart will mend, but for now it is still broken and every time I think about him tears start to prick my eyelids and a lump forms in my throat. I absolutely fell in love with him even when he was tiny - he grew into quite the fluffy, plump little fellow. I loved him, we all loved him, so very very much......I still can't quite swallow the fact that he's gone for good.

We buried him today, along side some of his fellows furry friends who have gone before him. Even though I know he's "gone" it still makes me feel better knowing he's not alone. He was my little buddy! I'm sure at some point we will get another cat but for now I can't imagine taking the place he's left behind.

Much love, Gypsy boy!

A Mostly Picture Post....

So I know, I'm already behind on my Project 31 posts. I had planned to start yesterday, actually last night but something unexpected and tragic happened last night. It isn't something I want to talk about or blog about so please don't ask. Just keep our family, me especially, in your prayers. Thank you. I will try to start the Project 31 tonight if I feel up to it. But for now I'll leave you with a few pictures from our weekend and Valentine's Day.

(Out to lunch after church on Sunday)

(Bug on Valentine's morning.)

(Goodies for Bug!)

(Bug's Monkey Pals and her candy.)

(Bug got a Justin Bieber poster from her daddy for V-day!

She was thrilled!)

(Bug at dance class.)

(Waiting for Bug at dance.....)