Going on the vein of things you should know about me (or in this case, Techy…).

Every summer, my work offers something called Flex Time. Every other week, you come in one hour early Monday through Thursday and then on Friday you get to leave at noon.

Well, this week is one of those weeks. Therefore, Techy has to take Little Man to day care in the mornings. For me, it’s a 5 minute process. Drop him off, check in with Baby Lady (who, by the way, is still amazing) talk about all things baby (I don't want to bore you too badly) then head out. For Techy, this is a half hour process. He loves it. There is another little boy in our day care who is about a year older than our little guy, and Techy relishes in the things that Little Man will be doing next year at this time. He plays, he talks, he cuts up with him, he talks to Baby Lady. It’s like his little pre-work play time.

After a good 20-30 minutes in there, he will come out and call me to tell me all about how much fun he had and how he can’t wait for Little Man to get bigger and what they are going to do, etc.

And all I can think is, that I am one lucky girl. To think that even 6 months ago, Techy didn’t know anything about a baby is amazing to me. It’s incredible how far we have all changed in 6 months. I look at how much Little Man has developed in that time, and then I think about how far we, as parents, have come. It’s incredible.

Not to say that we haven’t had our share of mistakes. Or blow outs. But we certainly are enjoying the ride. And since I know you are dying to see pics of our happy little fam, and since I am not sure if I showed you these….


Us


Just the 2 of us...


Just the 2 of them...


With Grammy


My sister in law has been in town with my niece, this week. It's been so much fun having them around.


My sister in law has taken a quite liking to the little guy. What you don't see in this picture is her 2 year old, getting incredibly jealous of all the attention someone else is getting. LOVE IT!


Obviously, we have many other pictures of Pop-pop, but this one is too good to pass up.

The last 2 are purely for the sake of adorableness...and to torture you. This is almost as bad as those people who talk incessantly about their kids, huh? Sorry, for that. I have become those people now.


Look at that look of determination!


And I love puppy pics...LOVE...

Ummm, yeaaaaaaaaaaaah...

Remember that day when I put on a pair of shorts that were snug a month ago, and they almost fell off of me cause they are too big?

Um, yeah, that day was yesterday.

And I am afraid to get my hopes up, but it could be possible that all this working out is helping.

Not holding my breath, I guess it could have been some random laundry mishap. But I am slightly hopeful.

Slightly.

Love ya! Hugs!

Now I look totally, completely unoriginal by posting this, but honestly this was on my blog post list. Right at the top. HONESTLY.

But then Ceej (who will remain Ceej, because I still like Blognames, please don't be offended) posted her "things to know about me" post first.

Aw, man!

But since you asked, I guess I will still post mine.

Did you know that I have a really hard time saying “I Love You” to someone? I really hate slinging those words around. Sometimes I do it as a joke, i.e., “and that’s why I love ya!”, but I almost always say “ya” instead of “you” because I reserve the “I love you”’s for the people I really do “Love”.

Literally, I have had ex-boyfriends who said it and I was like, "Wow, how sweet. Yeah, me too." But I would NOT say it. Ridiculous, I know. But I just can't make myself say it.

Now, don’t try to go back in our conversations and determine where you stand. (Not that you would...) Just know that if I tell you I love you, I really do mean it. I am not that girl running around telling everyone I love 'em!

Another REALLY?!?!? Kind of day....

On an otherwise dismal, still-over-the-top-hot kind of day, I thought you could use a laugh.

Now that I have set you up, hopefully you will find it funny.

Oh how it would crush me if you didn’t think this was as funny as I did.

Oh well, here goes.

Today, while sorting the mail at work, I saw this in a magazine:



The descriptions reads:

“Capable of accommodating a Brobdingnagian, this is the portable chair that elevates your prominence--as well as your physical stature--at any outdoor event. Measuring 5 1/2' tall, the chair is certain to provide stadium seating at any venue, and its 9' sq. seat affords ample room for full-body gesticulations or sharing your prodigious chair with a friend. The lofty seat elevates feet well above the ground, where they're free to dangle and sway instead of merely floundering in dirt or sand. The reinforced powder-coated steel frame and 400-denier rip-stop canvas support up to 400 lbs. The chair has six cup holders and folds to just 8 1/2" wide to allow transport in the included duffel bag.”

Umm, what a relief. I can’t tell you how often I am looking for a chair with ample room for full-body gesticulations. And it’s always nice when your seating is referred to as “prodigious”.

Yep. Made my day.

To top it off, my friend Kait sent me more ridiculous news articles that I know will complete your day.

Twilight Fever sends woman over the edge.

Yes, Virginia, there really is a Donald Duck.

Just when I had given up on finding a pair of Virginia Tech Crocs….

This weekend, Techy and I went yard saling. (Is that how you spell yard saling? It really doesn’t look right to me. Probably because it was never intended to be a verb…probably.)

But yes, we went yard saling. And I was on a mission. After reading all the blogs that I have been reading of late, I was pumped for some sweet finds. Maybe a chair, hopefully some cute accessories….

We lucked out with a couple neighborhood yardsales. You know the type. Where you can cruise the neighborhood from your car and tell if someone has something you are looking for? (By the way, I have decided that there is more leftover baby toys/accessories in the world than there should be. I mean, really. EVERYONE is selling old strollers, old beds, old baby clothes…. There should be a recycling center JUST FOR baby stuff. I bypassed more baby themed yard sales this weekend than should be possible.)

As we cruised through the neighborhood, we bypassed multiple sales. And then there it was, one house shining above them all. I am pretty sure I heard angel’s voices and a light was shining down from heaven. We stopped.

And boy, talk about a find.

For the grand total of $28 dollars, we walked away with a solid wood glider for our front porch (which, you may not realize, I have been looking for FOREVER. I almost bought a cheap one from Christmas Tree Shoppe for $60 last time I was there, but it was sold out – lucky for me!), a $150 badminton set that Techy has been searching for FOREVER, and a pair of Virginia Tech Crocs in my Dad’s size. Because he has been searching for a pair of VT crocs FOREVER. Yeah, we are like that.

Our next yard sale was just as good, but on a lower scale. Techy snatched up 8 Polo/Ralph Lauren shirts (some still had tags on them), I snatched up an Ann Klein bag (still had the tags on it), a set of personalized “P” coasters, a picture frame, and 2 bottles of Bath & Bodyworks shower gel, a Dave Matthews Band cd and a Barenaked Ladies cd, all for $5.

We spent a total of $33. And almost made all our dreams come true.

Unfortunately, I can’t take pictures of our finds because, thanks to all our busy-ness and, well, all our busy-ness, we have managed to fill up all 3 of our SD cards. Which is kind of a feat since between the 3 of them, there is 22 GB of space.

Um, yeah, on the to-do list for this week, is cleaning that little mess up….

My New BFF

Dear Blog Friends,

I am sorry to inform you, but I have a new best friend.

My new best friend has been by my side in my journey to reform my home. My new best friend has helped me save more money than I ever dreamed possible.

And this new best friend has clearly reformed my life.

Armed with the assistance my new best friend provides, I have decked my home out with this little number.


And then this, this, and this






She even gave me the know how to make this happen


And finally, she helped me to go from this


to this


Ladies and Gents, I am happy to introduce you to my new BFF

A 98 Cent can of spray paint.

MOVE OVER WORLD, HERE I COME. AND I AM ARMED WITH SPRAY PAINT. That's right, be afraid. VERY afraid.

Beauty from Ashes

As I was tagging (i.e., labeling) my blog earlier this week, I realized something sad. My "Soul Searching" posts are seriously lagging. And I made up my mind to make a better effort of giving a little more of a nod to God.

And then yesterday happened.

And now, today, I had a chance to see God working again.

I will try not to get bogged down in the details, but this story is just incredible.

Back in December, right before Little Man was born, one of the ladies I work with, Mary, went out for some surgery. It was just a minor surgery, but during her recovery, she started getting violently ill. And then one day, she passed out.
Then more headaches and sickness. A visit to the doctor. Stomach virus.

4 days later, she went to another doctor, who sent her for tests and a CAT scan. She had had an aneurysm. She was immediately sent to Jefferson in Philly for surgery. They doctors didn't give her much of a chance. Hers was a very serious case.

Multiple surgeries, rehab stints, hospital stays, and more rehab visits later, she is almost fully recovered. A walking miracle to say the least. Her story is incredible. There were days we never thought we would see Mary again. Let alone see her walking through the front doors of this building. And yes, I cried when I saw her. She cried. Our other coworkers cried. We are women, what else could be done.

It's just another reminder of what a big God we serve. And even when we have little or no hope, He still has all the power.

I am again reminded of one of my favorite passages of Scripture:

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
-Isaiah 61:1-5

Thankful for the beauty from the ashes

Bargain Diva or Cheap Chic

Remember that post from yesterday about me spreading around my good deal?

My friend, posted in her blog today about her amazing good deal and how the new family additions are getting along in their new home.... She also posted about some competition they found*.

Go ahead, read it.

Can you even believe it?!

Can you see the smirk on my face right now? I am so smug. Not PRIDEFUL, but SMUG.


*In case you want to see the real, live $999 ad from Craigslist, I added the link here.

Somewhere between the heat and PMS…I saw a rainbow.

We are going on 5 days of 90+ degree heat. I function best in the 77-80 degree range. I do not function well at all in 90+ degree heat. It’s miserable.

On top of that, as I mentioned yesterday, Aunt Flo stopped by for a much anticipated visit.

Suffice it to say that I have been a little more on edge than normal this week.

Poor Techy.

I have abused him at his worst this week. Including, but not limited to, a waterworks episode, the likes of which he has NEVER seen. The likes of which we have yet to experience in our marriage. The likes of which we hope to never see again. But hey, isn’t that what marriage is all about? Experiencing new things together?

Oh well.

Yesterday was one of those no good, awful, very bad days. The kind we do not speak of. You might say I was in a funk. I wouldn’t, but you might.

And to top things off, I decided to climb on the Wii Fit last night for the first time in oh, 4 months. (What possesses one to do a body assessment when Aunt Flo is in town, I will never know. Except for the fact that Aunt Flo makes one crazy.)

And after reading that after months of hard work and VISIBLE change, my BMI went up, I was at my wit’s end. I had had enough.

So we went to bed. Me, very unhappy, cranky, miserable, tired, upset, & fat. Techy, very unsure how to respond to my craziness. I think he thinks between the combination of the stress that Aunt Flo adds to my demeanor and the heat, I may combust.

And then something magically simple happened.

My phone rang. It was my Daddy. Just calling to tell me that he was thinking about me.
(FYI. Daddy does this about once every 2 weeks. It isn’t a daily thing by any means.)

Within a minute of hanging up from talking to him, my mom called. “Just because I didn’t talk to you today and I been thinking about you…”

And unbeknownst to me, Techy had texted my mom to tell her how badly I was in need of some encouragement. HOWEVER, she didn’t get the text until after she talked to me.

So on a day when I was in the biggest Eeyore sized gloom ever, I experienced something that I haven’t experienced in quite some time. Something Mom and I lovingly refer to as a “God Thing”. A moment in time, when you know, beyond the shadow of a doubt that God has taken a personal hand to orchestrate something special just for you.

The fact that Daddy called at just the right time to provide some encouragement. Then Mom called at just the right time to provide some encouragement. And Techy, who I had been all upset with all day, still cared enough to provided a little encouragement.

Now, you may think, “Coincidence.” But I think, an extra Big God, took an extra minute of His time – at just the right time – to give me some encouragement.

And all I can think is how little I deserve any of it, let alone His time or His love.

And all I can do is say, “Thanks, God. I needed that.” Doesn’t seem fair does it?

Two things that made my day

Just wanted to share with you some of the things that made me smile this morning.

My new sofa table turned foyer table and lamp. A steal from Christmas Tree Shoppe, table for $49 and lamp for $16.99 Accessories thanks to our cruise last year. Conch shell was a great find on the beach in Turks and Caico's (one of the 2 giant conch shells we brought home with us) and the statue is part of a long story where we almost missed the boat in Freeport.



And let's not forget, this little guy...



Who, despite the gaping mouth, is still {in mommy's opinion} one of the cutest little guys in the whole wide world.

Ok, so that's enough of the sap for today.

Later Tater!

Welcome back, Aunt Flo.

After more than a year without a visit from Aunt Flo, she’s back.

I don’t really look forward to visits from Aunt Flo for several reasons:

She disrupts my whole world.

She makes me need medication just to get through the day when she’s around.

She makes me crazy.

She likes to drop by without warning when I am completely unprepared.

She coaxes me into eating that giant piece of chocolate that I know I shouldn’t be eating.

She makes me super emotional when she’s around.

She almost always overstays her welcome.

She gets on Techy’s nerves as much, if not more than she gets on mine.

All that to say, if you see me this week, just know that I am riding the hormone train. Therefore, anything I say or do may not be held against me.

Friendly reminder

Have I mentioned how much I love decorating and redecorating and redesigning and shtuff?

I think most of you have been to my home and therefore know that 90% of my home décor is made up of bargain finds and or craigslist items.

Now, I am not saying my house is the height of fashion. It certainly isn’t. I have made a few faulty compromises in my home, but all in all, I like my house. I like the feel of it. I like the flow of it. I love the fact that we don’t live on the main floor so most of the clutter {read: piles of crap} is hidden from visitor’s view.

And my dear friends, I have painted about 80% of my house by myself. (Including about 7 coats of red paint in my breakfast nook. Man was that a job!)

All that to say, I love decorating and I love color. Oh, and I love Craigslist!

Some of my most amazing finds have come from Craiglist.

Like this $40 armoire that fit the bill perfectly.


And this $60 baby crib.

(Yes, it does meet all safety requirements, and yes, it is totally convertable.)

And a $30 kitchen table and chair set that goes perfectly in my breakfast nook - that somehow I don't have a picture of. I am so remiss

I could go on and on.

But yesterday, I found the best deal ever.

And it wasn’t even for me.

Yesterday I found this!



And guess how much they are asking for this vintage set?!

$100

Oh.my.gosh.

And this screamed one of my friends names at me. SCREAMED. Like hearing voices in my head. Scary, yes. But good for her.

So, like any good friend, I emailed her.

ME: “Why does this remind me of you?”

HER: “MAYBE 'CAUSE IT'S AWESOME”

Conclusion, she and her fiancé are picking it up today.

See, it pays to be my friend. I spread good deals around.

Change of mind, change of direction

I am already rethinking my labels.

ALREADY

I am thinking a bit more creativity should be required of me.

So instead of the oh.so.boring Health & Exercise, how's about "Team Jillian"
Instead of Decorating, I like "Artsy-Fartsy"
Sticking to "Complaint Department"
Little Man is going to be "Jungle Love"
Faith will be "Soul Searching"

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Filing, not just for fingernails

I am trying to come up with specific labels for my blogs. Rather than being randomly random. Most of all I really am trying to shy away from anything to do with the word random at all.

Alas, I am a failure.

Here are the labels I want to hem myself into:

Health & Exercise
Decorating
The Complaint Department (since most of my random posts end up being complaints that I don’t realize are complaints until later) {ugh! There it is again. That word…I can’t get away from it!}
Little Man
Faith

But if you know anything about me, you probably know that I am the type of person who likes to look organized on the surface, but in reality, is anything but organized. For instance, I have a whole drawer in my office filled with files, arranged alphabetically for bills, health insurance, mortgage information, tax information, etc. The only file in the whole drawer that has anything in it is the tax file and that’s only because I have to have that info next year at tax time.

I have a feeling that if I ever tried to categorize myself or, gasp, label a post with one of the above labels, I would suddenly become completely disenchanted with the idea and never label anything.

But I could be wrong.

Which is why I am labeling this post under “The Complaint Department”.

Now I have to try to go back and label all of my old posts for kicks and giggles. And organization purposes.

Because I like to be organized and historical and stuff.

Nerd Herd

Oh.man. Do I love to learn.

But only about things I wanna learn about.

For years, I have worked out for hours at a time on my treadmill or elliptical while reading books. And in those years (we are talking like 4 or 5 years of this now) I have read hundreds and hundreds of books.

In that time, only a handful have been educational.

(One of which, I am currently reading - It’s one of those nonsensical, parenting how-to books that most people tell you will never work, but it comes highly recommended, so what can I say...)

But in the 4 or 5 years of reading while exercising, Techy has suggested, advised, recommended, admonished, rebuked, and even scolded me for not utilizing those hours and hours to learn something while exercising.

And admittedly, I see his side, I do.

But I can’t handle hours of exercise with a dull book. I get bored far too easily. I used to try to listen to music. But that’s dull, too. And I went through a tv watching phase, but alas that didn’t work. (When mom and I used to go to the gym together, we started watching the same Elvis video everyday and making fun of it. Man, that’s a fun memory I almost forgot. It was like a collection of hits and there were tons of clips of him standing on one side of the screen while his face faded in and out on the other side of the screen. That must have been the height of video editing in the early 80’s. They did that in like every music video back then. Check it out. Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Elvis, Johnny Cash…they all have similar videos, it’s ridiculous)

So book reading it is. And I like to read for entertainment. Not to learn. (I have had a Jillian Michaels weight loss book sitting on my dresser for months now that I haven’t even picked up because it would probably be too boring to read.)

So mostly, I read romance novels or comedies, or my Bible, because man, reality is better than fiction sometimes! (See if you can find the story of Dinah and Shechem...man oh man, talk about drama! That should be made into a Lifetime Movie. I mean, really!)

Sorry Techy for continuing to fail you, but as soon as I finish this parenting book, I have got to get my hands on another fun book. This learning thing is for the birds.

Random words make random sentences

I feel like I should start a quote of the day column made up of random comments that I never dreamed having a baby would add to my daily life:

Things like:
(at home)

-Today, I walked upstairs for the first time in 6 weeks!
-Nah, I feel good. I got to sleep 3 hours straight last night.
-I didn’t even know it was possible for someone to poop 6 times in one day.
-Is that smell coming from you or the baby?
-I don’t even know how it happened! There was actually poo on the wall!
-Honey! He’s peeing! Cover it up! Cover it up!
-Can you move the high chair out of the way, it’s blocking my view of the tv.

(from my friend at work who is OBVIOUSLY potty training her 2 year old)
-he figured out how to take off his diaper (he went up thru his pant leg and pulled it out!) and then he stood up and peed on the floor!!
-he doesn't like his toilet..won't sit on it even when I bribe him. Brought down the step stool so he could stand and pee, but doesn't like that either. I brought the potty into the family room so he could get more familiar with it. Now he thinks that it makes a great garage for his cars!

(from my sister)
-She also says "Mama" and "Ma'maw." Mom said she woke up last night and kept hollering at her till Mom finally realized she had a poopie diaper she wanted changed! (does anyone see a theme?)

(from our friends, whose baby hit on ours in church, Sunday, as seen here)
-Now that she's crawling, we keep catching her trying to eat the dog's food.

Just a day in the life, people...a day in the life...

Babies, babies, everywhere….

So, yesterday was Father’s Day.

Techy’s first real Father’s day as a matter of fact.

Yesterday was also special because it was Baby Dedication Day at church.

It’s an exciting/daunting time for all of us knew parents.

We take vows in front of our whole church that we will raise our child up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord”. Then the church as a whole takes a vow to help us raise our children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord”, and then each child is prayed over.

The ceremony, in and of itself, is beautiful. The idea that as parents, we are essentually vowing to the God of Heaven that we will do everything in our power to make sure that our children know and serve him is not something to be taken lightly.

I assume you know me well enough to know that it was everything I could do to hold back the tears the entire time.

Lucky for me, babies know nothing of religious traditions or sanctity and these kids decided to provide a little {adorable} comedic entertainment.
Here's how it went down...


Little Man: Wow...bright lights. All those people....




Little Girl: Hey! How are you?!


LM: Wait, Dad, No, she was talking to me!


LG: Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyy...


LG: Hey there, big boy! {batts eyes}

And that was the very first time Little Man got picked up by a girl in church.

One more for the road...

So, as I continue to blog {read: complain} about my weight, I have discovered a whole new world of mommies just like me who are desperately trying to lose this baby weight. And I love you all!

For knowing how bad I feel to have gone from this:



to this:



And now this (which is obviously even worse than the pregnancy pic - absolutely nothing cute about this...):



Admittedly, this is the most unflattering picture I could find, but you get the point.

And I am proud to say, this week I lost another 2.5 lbs. I am still below Techy. But I have not worked out the way I wanted to.

My girlfriend is training for a half marathon, but since I work 9-5 every day, it's nearly impossible for me. But I am not complaining. I am doing what I can and every day is a new day.

So, now, I am off to hit up the elliptical and bust my way to the next few lbs of weight loss.

Hopefully, pretty soon, it will start paying off and the weight will come rolling off.

I think if I could have one big week, it would just pump me up. I need a 7 lb week.

But since that will never happen, I am relying on the power of positive comments. And that's where my mommy friends have come in so handy. We believe in each other to shed the pounds and get back on track. Keep up the good work girls, and I promise not to hate on you too much for getting back to your pre-preggie weight before me.
So keep it up!

For the first time

Do you have secrets?

We do…. LOL, it’s not what you think. I promise. But we do have secrets. To be honest, I think good secrets are pivotal to any marriage. Things that just the 2 of you share. Little inside jokes, a look, a word. It’s called intimacy, people. And I am not talking about the Nasty.

I am talking about good, ole fashioned, just between-you-n-me type stuff.

Our biggest secret to date happened about a year ago.

The day I told Techy that he was going to be a Dad.

Man, oh man. That was a fun {read: terrifying, hilarious, scary, delightful, and all other synonyms/antonyms you can come up with}day.

And for us, it wasn’t a just-between-us situation because I had to call my sister to make sure that that 2nd light pink line really did mean something.

But still, it was our secret that just the 3 (or 4) of us knew about.

And to think, Techy has been a Dad for more almost 6 months is incredible. This strange, techno-geek that I married has transformed over the last few months. And he is a great dad. He entertains Little Man like crazy. I can already tell that this is going to play out to be a Daddy-Connor vs. Mommy thing. You should see this kid’s face when Techy walks in the room. It usually looks something like this….


(By the way, this is what happens when Techy walks up while I am taking a picture. Notice the kid isn't even looking at me anymore....)

This morning, as I was getting out of the shower, I saw Techy sneek into Little Man’s room and run out with the little guy wrapped in his arms. Apparently, it’s become something of a morning routine now – Techy will go get the little guy, and keep him occupied with all things technology (iPads, cell phones, etc.) until I finish getting ready. And I would venture to say that it is Techy’s favorite part of the morning.

All that to say, I don’t know what I was so worried about all that time ago when I was worried about having a baby with this man…. He is an amazing Father.

So, here’s to you, Techy! I love you so much! Happy Father’s Day to one of the most amazing husbands and fathers that I know!

Eh, it's ok. I don't mind...really...

So…I have a friend…. And she will read this. Because she reads my blog RELIGIOUSLY and then emails me about it. Or comments about it on her blog. She's THAT type of person. Go figure.

So anyway, my friend is a self-proclaimed hater of all things passive aggressive.

And yet, she loves to dole out advice with very passive aggressive, albeit humorous tones:

Your husband won’t put the seat down? Glue it UP, so that next time HE needs to sit, he can’t and see how he feels getting is tail splashed….

You don’t appreciate it when people drop by without giving you warning? Walk around naked all the time. Yeah, SURPRISE THEM! See how THEY feel.

Hate it when the hubby constantly leaves his half-empty cup on the counter? Hide it from him.

People, this is the kind of advice I get on a regular basis. It takes everything I have not to go with it. Because obviously, it’s working so well for her.

So last week, when she was complaining about a particularly irritating situation, I gave her some extremely sound advice. The kind I can usually depend on her for….

Just swish his toothbrush in the toilet. He never has to know…but you will.

How afraid are you to come visit me, now?

Alone in Blogworld...

I am sure you know what I mean when I say that I have a few favorite blogs to read. And every morning, I come into work with my cup of coffee, looking forward to reading my daily posts. But not this morning.

Apparently, this morning the rapture happened in blog world. I had like 6 posts from one blog and no others…. And I follow about 13 blogs. Strange? I think so.

What are the chances? Like 1 in 13?

Just saying…. A little more consistency, people! I rely on you guys to make my mornings more interesting.

Help me! Elizabeth, I'm comin!

Who loves some good photography? (Raisin' my hand over here...)

Well, first of all, I want a well deserved pat on the back for my accomplishment.

I photoshopped my first photo yesterday.



I expect at least a dozen comments on that, peeps. That was a-lot of work.
Or not. But really, at least I know which button in Photoshop does what.

Also, can I tell you how thankful I am to have the Techy husband who makes sure we have this kind of software?

Anyway, I love some good photography.

And I mentioned the Sassyfras girls last week. Well, oh.my.stars.and.bars, just when I thought they couldn't impress me anymore, they go and do this.

If you are in the VA, NC area, you should definitely look into their giveaway.

I know I would, if I weren't 600 miles away from them.

Daddy - No other title fits just right....

With Father’s day fast approaching, I want to talk about one of my heroes, my Daddy….

See this guy?

He’s MY daddy. Well, and my sister’s and my brother’s but still, he’s mine.

And he’s a pretty awesome Dad.

The poor guy, he had 2 girls for a really long time before the boy came along. But he was so good with us. He babysat us, he taught us to play ball and fish and watch football…. All the important things in life. He taught us about the Civil War and what the South was really fighting for. (It wasn’t all about slavery, people. If you don’t believe it, ask my dad!) He took us sledding and taught us how to build a fire. He taught us how to punch boys. He taught us to always be on time. Man, has he been an awesome dad. I am so thankful for my Daddy….

And to be honest, all of that almost never happened.

You see, my daddy was a police officer. A real life, Sheriff’s Deputy. And almost 17 years ago, he was serving a paperwork on someone when the would be defendant opened fire on Daddy.

When the bullet actually hit Dad, he didn’t really know it. He was actually hit twice. One bullet grazed the side of his head, taking his glasses off. That really didn’t set well with him – Daddy has a little bitty temper, you see. And he got a little upset. So like any level headed police officer, he broke down the front door, barreled through the house, dragged the guy out and managed to handcuff him, never knowing that he had been hit in the neck.

When they took him in for surgery to remove the bullet, the doctor was amazed. He went on and on about what a miracle it was.

You see, the bullet had come to rest right on Daddy’s coratid artery. It was just chilling up against it.

Now, I don’t know how much you know about anatomy, but apparently this is one of the main arteries that carries blood from the heart to the brain. Had it been severed, Daddy would never have walked away from that.

Now, I know what you are thinking…Man, did you have to go and drag up the dark stuff again…. And I know what you mean. I hate the dark stuff.

So instead of being all dark about it, let me put it in perspective.

I didn’t lose my Daddy that day.

And not one day goes by that I take that for granted.

Because, you see, my Daddy is one of my best friends.


We have laughed together.



We have cried together.



We have been through some pretty tough times together.

He has been pretty rough on me throughout the years, and actually, I am so thankful for it.

I have been pretty rough on him from time to time when he needed it too.

Did I mention that I am really thankful for my Daddy?

But I love my Daddy.

And he loves us.

And he really likes his grandbabies.


And I am so glad that I get to see him enjoying them.

{And I don’t feel bad, I choked up just looking at it, too.}

We need to talk...again

In case you saw the random video that my husband posted on Facebook last night...I am so sorry.

Somehow he coerced me into playing along with is new video editing skills.

And boy is he impressed with himself....

And I...I just look like I got off the treadmill. But actually it was the elliptical and no sooner had I made it back upstairs than he was all, "Come on! It'll be way cooler if I get you to do it!"

Oh, and if by chance you saw the nasty video that I posted on Facebook last night. I am sorry. And even I spent a good portion of it going "Ew! Oh my gosh! EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! Honey, you have to see this! OH.MY.GOSH."

Just a spoon full of sugar...

So, I have been thinking and shtuff.

I am pretty sure that I have shared my love for all things blogginess over the last few months.

But can I even begin to express how much I have learned from them?

Thanks to blogworld, I have watched one of my friends blossom through her pregnancy.

I have also listened and learned all about troubleshooting these first few months of mommyhood.

I have enjoyed my friend Ceej’s quirky sense of humor and her random obsession with Bonnie Hunt.

I have been a listening ear to my friend who has been fighting to keep her faith strong while struggling with her MS.

I have cooked new recipes and laughed at random rural atrocities thanks to PW.

I have been inspired to get back in shape from my friend Sarah, who despite moving 400 miles away from home, has established her GYRO club in her new community and is training for her 2nd marathon.

And I was almost coaxed to paint my whole house white and decorate with sea shells and driftwood thanks to The Lettered Cottage.

I watched 2 of my friends, Katie and Erin, go through the hardest things they have ever been through.

Thrifty Décor Chick made me wanna throw beadboard over the hideous tile backsplash in my kitchen.

And let’s not forget the Sassy sisters that made me wanna go out to the nearest wood shed or rusted truck bed for a photo shoot with my little guy.

Not to mention the snazzy, cheap, door desk and sweet lighting the Petersiks are practically forcing me to implement in my home….

And completely getting it when my friend posted about her new mommy body and the fashion woes that accompany it.

All in all, I would say that blog reading is good for me. Look at all I have learned.... Techy begs to differ. All he wants is peace and quiet, and all he gets from my blog reading is more work – usually a lot of photography assignments, housework, or exercise.

Oh well.... These are the things I LURVE!

Be impressed...be very impressed

One more thing, to those my avid blog readers who will laugh at the fact that I took the time to write this....

I LOST 2 LBS THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be proud of me...I worked very hard for that 2 lbs.

(HARDER THAN TECHY - and he lost 4 lbs. Man do I hate male metabolisms!)

Gotta get it off my chest

So, this has been another one of those wretched work weeks where nothing went right (and I can't even type the word right right - I started typing wright) and the email server was down, then the internet server went down, then I worked through lunch to make up time for my doctors appointment and then my doctor called me to reschedule my visit. And that was just ONE day this week! All that being said, it's Friday. I got off work early today. The baby is napping {read talking to himself and putting his feet on the mesh sides of the Pack n Play because it makes him happy}, and I am playing on the computer. And I realize something. I have been gifted with one of the most amazing gifts I could ever ask for - peace.

I know, odd for a week that I spent the majority of my time saying, "SERIOUSLY?!" and "OH NO, NOT AGAIN!?"

But I am talking about something much bigger than you or me or my bad week or the fact that someone, somewhere has hurt feelings because her friends leave her out, or the fact that the Bachelorette kicked off one guy this week without even going on a date with him (did anyone else notice that? I mean, really? Like, he just came all the way out there to sit in the house for 2 weeks until you decided you didn't want to go on a date with him? but I digress....)

I am talking about how funny life is. 9 years ago, I was in the middle of one of the worst relationships ever. I was crazy in love with the completely wrong person for me. COMPLETELY wrong. And he broke my heart.

I hated him for a long, long time afterwards. I opted for maturity and wrote him a hate letter about 6 months after. A vicious, "I know all your secrets and I can slander you to the world" kind of letter. I tend to think it was all apart of the healing process, but man, did I hate him.

But time moves on.

And I met Techy, had alot in common with The Ex, but was oh so different. It was because I dated The Ex, that I had more in common with Techy. I understood what he was saying when he complained about his classes and his teachers and COBOL. (The Ex was a techno geek too, with lily white skin and a penchant for all things non-athletic)

It's been almost 9 years since The Ex broke my heart, and looking back, I am so thankful. I don't hate him at all anymore.

Thanks to the world of Facebook, I know that he has a beautiful family and a pretty decent life. And thanks to the Good Lord above, I have a the best hubby ever and the most gorgeous baby boy of all time.

And I am so thankful that he broke up with me. Look what I could have missed out on...





Sorry, guys, I just needed to get that off my chest....

Like a bunch of Pixie Sticks on the ground...

Wow, guys, so for those of you who{ever} read my blog, you know I am as close to having ADHD as possible. I mean, seriously, I can’t seem to get serious about anything. I am the person who has too many irons in the fire.

Case in point…

I haven't been able to decide what to blog about lately.

On Sunday, I was all serious and wanting to post about finding your passion and being everything that God wants you to be. And then I was like wait, that’s too serious for me. So, no post.

But then on Monday, I wanted to know if anyone knows how to find the sweet light fixtures that were used in the HGTV Green Home.

Geez, I am sweating those.

Oh, and how to get over the fact that we are morphing into those parents, ya know the ones that everyone hates, who thinks their kid is the most adorable kid on the planet and enters them in baby contests and stuff. Oh.dear.



Yet again, no post.

And then, yesterday, I get all angry at the world and wanna post about empowering women. Wow, how dark of me.

But then, I changed direction, cause those Petersiks, did it again. One of their posts yesterday may enable me to make those sweet hallway pendant lights from the HGTV Green Home, or at least something similar. Thanks, Petersiks. You gave me a bright spot in my otherwise dark day yesterday.

But still, no post.

And today…I still don’t know what I feel like today.

So, for now, enjoy a laugh at how scattered, I am. And for heaven’s sake, admire my {adorable to me} baby!

See ya!

And The Frustration Sets In....

As most of you know, I have been working on losing some of this baby weight for like 10 weeks now. To date, I have gained about 8 lbs. Taking me from 172 to 180.

No, I have not increased my eating. I have, in fact, cut it almost in half. I quit nursing. I upped my exercise. And I've seen no results.

People, I am in a very bad place.

How on earth do I not feel completely frustrated when I am doing everything in my power to get this weight off and every week when I step on the scale it goes nowhere.

I guess the good news is that my heart is getting in better shape.... But am I destined to be trapped in this larger body forever? Am I destined to fight the same battle my mother has fought every day of her life? Some say that weight issues are not genetic. Some say they are physical - purely physical. Some say mental. I say, if genetics aren't involved then I have some serious physical and mental issues to deal with.

Ha.ha. Don't go there. Not today.

So, on a day when I am asking myself, "Is it really worth it? If what I am doing is not helping me to lose weight, then why am I doing it?" On a day when I am looking at all of my friends and seeing them get back to their pre-pregnancy selves with ease and saying, "why do I keep going...." I needed this email today:

"So, whether you like it or not, I'm choosing you as my motivation to lose weight...you are my wonder woman, you work full time, are a full time mom (whether you work or not, a mom is full time) and find the time to work out at least once a day..."

To my friend who offered that little motivation to me, THANK YOU! You don't know how badly I needed that today. And for the record, she has an 8 week old and a 2 year old on her hands, AND she is already ready to get on the weight loss band wagon.... SHE is my hero!

Recovery successful

Ok, right now, I should be getting ready for our hot (double) date tonight. But instead, I am blogging. Because I miss it, because I have so much to say, because I had a hideous week at work and by the time I got home, I was way too tired to blog.... Because, because, because.

I want to take this opportunity to talk about something that I am really falling in love with. Something that has changed my life. And no, this time it isn't Google reader...although.... Ehh, I won't get started on it.

It all started last summer when Techy won this at work:

He immediately loaded it with several thousand songs from his library of hits and we took it everywhere.

And then, it fell out of his pocket in Atlantic City. Never to be seen again. Sorrow of all sorrows.

But the obsession had begun.

You see, we are not Apple people, never have been. But you can't deny the sheer genius of the iPod revolution.

So, when my mom asked me what to get Techy for his 30th birthday, it didn't take me long to come up with this fancy number....



And it was a total lifesaver for my maternity leave. Kept me sane and all.... But then it disappeared.

Not to worry, though, because not to be outdone, Techy came up with this for mother's day/my birthday....



And we loved it. But because I had lost his iTouch, I had to share it with him.

Well, peeps, let me tell you, determination pays off.... We have recovered the iTouch! And I have my iPad all to myself again! Will wonders never cease?! I don't know who's happier...me or Techy!

Engaged and Overstimulated...Geez these mommy terms are eating away at my cerebral cortex

Wow, whatta weekend. I’m beat. Techy and I are always on the go. I feel like all we ever do is run, run, run. Rarely, if ever, do we get days off to just sit on our duffs and do nothing. And life after baby means even less down time. (Although, feeding him always gives me at least 20 minutes to sit and watch tv.) Even typing about it makes me tired.
Suffice it to say that it was made up of way too much running and way too little rest, topped off with an amazing engagement party and a giant Memorial Day Bash.

I don’t know how you feel about engagement parties, but I LOVE every excuse to have a party or go to a party and see people that I usually only see in passing. I also love to people watch and chit chat with people that I don’t know. Combine that with grilled shrimp straight of the barb-y, and man, that’s my kind of party. Mix in a little beautiful summertime weather, lights in the trees, and all natural fruit spritzers – I was in heaven.

It was in my girlfriend’s backyard. And it was magical. I thought the setting was perfect when we first arrived. Then the sun went down. Oh, man. The little lights in the trees, the candles scattered around the yard, the little tables and folding chairs. Perfection. I could have stayed there all night. I’m sure they would have loved that….

Note to self: we NEED little lights strung through our trees as soon as possible.

And I can’t even get into the Memorial Day party without needing a nap.

So, on that note…