Watching Soaps and Eating Bon Bons

Tablescapes and Christmas

2012-01-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! We have safely and happily entered into 2012! Hope you have too! Looking back over my Christmas photos, I saw that there were huge gaps. Usually the gaps were when I was cooking - which was quite often. But I did get a few shots of the completed tables, and they sure were worth all of the hard work. You know you work for 2 or 3 days and then everybody gobbles it up in 40 minutes! This year I was smart and made sure we had leftovers to last a few days! Because once I had reached Christmas Day- KITCHEN CLOSED!

I made the pecan pie- yummy! The cake was store bought and I added the holly from our yard. It is a tradition that Don goes out and cuts me lots of greenery a day or so before Christmas. Then I put it everywhere! That little church was my Grandmother Mottie's! I would not want to collect a "village" like she did, but it reminds me of her, and John Stephen loves to peep in the lit up windows. I am so glad that I ended up with it!

Here is my table before dinner for 16 of Don's family! It was so much fun to host everyone this year. I love to set the table and plan my menu. The Christmas tree in the background was round two of decorating after John Stephen knocked over the first version! It was tied to the wall in two places so we don't know how he did it! But, I usually do lots of colored lights and glass ornaments. After the catastrophe many of my ornaments were broken and the lights had fallen off. Rather than risk another mishap with the rest of my favorite decorations, I went to Walmart and bought $8 worth of white plastic snowflakes. Then I just put any gold, silver, or white UNBREAKABLE ornaments on and we had a reinvented tree! I have to admit that it did look a little more "on trend" to have the simpler, all white tree, but I still like my colored stuff!

Here's the SPREAD! It tasted good,too! Beef Tenderloin, Scalloped Potatoes, Glazed Carrots, and Symphony Spinach! YUMMY! I set up the serving table in my kitchen- it could have used some decor- flowers or votives or something...Maybe next year!

Here is the scene at my sister's house! With all of these kids the presents get out of hand! Her house was GORGEOUS!

Here are the Christmas Cousins!

Stephanie decorated the table with a Gingerbread Train that she and my nephew made! It was so unique, and the kids loved it! She used coconut for the snow! Stealing that idea next year!

Christmas Eve was at Stephanie's house she had incredible food! Here they are cutting the rib roast! I've always wanted to have one on the Christmas menu! Love the little hats!

And, last but not least- Here is the Thanksgiving table at my Mom's! It was very pretty, and the food was excellent! That is Wilson helping put the final touches on! The painting over the fireplace is of cotton on my family's farm. We commissioned it for Mom's birthday one year.

Here are two of my favorite boys on the way to see Santa! It was a fun day!

John Stephen loved the train!

And finally, the Christmas play at church. Sydney is the tall angel! I didn't get a bunch of good pics of the kids with their gifts because I was cooking Christmas lunch. And, as luck would have it, our dishwasher broke a few days before Christmas! SO, we handwashed a LOT OF DISHES! The bright side is that since I was handwashing anyway, I went ahead and used all of the silver and china and crystal that I might have been tempted to leave in the cabinet! But, if you aren't going to use it for Christmas- then when are you going to use it?!! Right?!

I'll be back soon with lots of news! John Stephen has started school! And I am starting a new job in the morning! Very exciting! The prospect of a paycheck has inspired me to do a little online shopping!! So, until next time! Happy New Year!

Crazy Days!

2011-11-15T13:39:00.000-08:00

Hello Everybody! Today is a rainy Tuesday, and John Stephen and I are drying off from a few errands in the rain! Just thought I'd catch up the blog and try to stay in the swing of things around here!

I had my Pre-Christmas Nervous Breakdown this morning, and Shew! I feel better already! Do you ever hold yourself together through a stressful situation, and the when it is over just fall apart over nothing?

Here are Sydney and John Stephen making homemade pizza rolls last Friday night! It was John Stephen's first attempt at cooking, and he LOVED it! Sydney let him wear her butterfly apron, which was hysterical! These tasted terrible, but the kids loved them. I guess it was a nice activity for the little maniacs!

And speaking of cooking...I sent Don to the grocery store on Saturday night with very little direction. I just said," Get a steak or whatever looks good"...Here is what "looked good" to Don...

Yep, that is a 7 lb standing Rib Roast! What most normal people reserve for Christmas dinner, we have on a humdrum Saturday night around here! Ha! It took two big meals to polish that thing off, which is saying a lot considering how much Pax and Don can eat!

I've got Emeril's Red Beans and Rice started on the stove right now. If you haven't tried it, you should! I have to cook meals that can simmer on the stove top while we are waiting for Basketball or Football games to be over. This one has been a crowd pleaser, and it is pretty easy! You can find it on the food network website...

And, I guess most people are looking towards Christmas about now. I sure have been planning and plotting about the season ahead. When they put the Christmas decor out at Walmart a few weeks ago, I had to take a spin through. I am sort of a Decor snob, but I thought the ornaments were pretty cute this year! These vintage style wreaths were like $2- pretty cute! Gitcha Some!

Can't beat that! I refrained from throwing about 10 of them in my cart and moved along...

In other news...
*football season is over, and we have now moved to basketball! Pax is doing well and may get to play on the 9th grade team as well as the 8th grade team!
*I'm helping with the Hospitality Suite for an upcoming convention that Don has to go to each year. And trying to come up with ideas for snacks that can sit out for a few hours at a time. The goal is to NOT be TACKY! Hard for a hospitality suite!
*Don's side of the family is coming to my house for Christmas this year! Gotta get to work on some menu ideas.
*Christmas list done, not much shopping done...next week? maybe?

Toodle Loo, I've got to go back out in the rain- forgot Toilet Paper at the store- and we are OUT. So guess I'm heading back to Walmart! Have a good day!

Puppies!

2011-10-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog Readers! I guess I've been a stranger lately. We've been busy, BLAH BLAH BLAH! It is October and the fall is here! My Dad has a new litter of puppies! He is an avid hunter who likes hunting mainly because of the dogs! At any given time my Dad will have 3 or 4 Labs of his own, and he has a litter of pups each year to sell (and for fun)! Have you ever heard of Field Trials? It is where hunting dogs compete in a series of hunting trials out in the woods/water to see how well trained they are for duck hunting (and I guess any wing shooting). Well, that is my Dad's main hobby. He trains the dogs and works with them every day. He sends them to live with his trainer. He sends them to summer in South Dakota or Aspen. It is safe to say that some of the dogs have more expensive educations than I do! But, he LOVES it! We do not want a new puppy, but it is fun to take John Stephen over to play with these cuties!

I think there are 11 or 12 of the fat and fine little rascals! John Stephen loved them until their little shark bites started nipping at his ankles!

I am sure my Stepmom was thrilled when these little fur balls were moved off of her fabulous screened porch out into a pen in the yard! They are cute, but they can make quite a mess! We have been keeping our mess makers in the yard a lot, too!

These three boys could make your head spin with the messes they make! I am sooooooo sick of laundry! I feel bad for complaining, but I am sure that this is a major theme in my life right now that needs to be recorded in the blog! LAUNDRY STINKS! And I do it all of the time! This pic is an every afternoon routine. After football practice Don throws the ball to pax while John Stephen darts between them and risks his little two year old life by getting under the feet of the two giants!

He wants to be just like Pax, and that is OK with me! They are cute together! Also, I'm not sure if you can tell, but there is a Bible verse on Paxton's practice tshirt from school! I love that and I am sure that we live in one of the last places in the US where that could happen in a public school without somebody having a problem with it.

In case you were wondering, we are playing tons of football around here, but it is not bugging me as bad as baseball did! There aren't any cheerleaders in baseball- that might make me like it a little more. And we are doing it 3 nights a week- yep-3 nights, but I'm not feeling like I need to go to every game!

AHHH! I love this.

And just in case you were wondering where Syd was...Here she is with her friend last Friday night. They made rice crispie treat pumpkins and had a sleepover! I found the idea on Pintrest. Have you joined yet? I LOVE it! It is addictive and I have gotten so many great ideas from other people's postings!
Hope you are having a great fall so far! I bought 3 Christmas presents today and feel like I am going to ROCK IT THIS YEAR!! YAY! Be back soon!

The Terrible Two's and a Trip to the Fair

2011-09-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

Well, we have officially entered the TERRIBLE TWO'S! As you can see, we celebrated in a small way at the lake! Our nephew-in- law, Bryan, was turning twenty nine (again) and we had cake and ice cream to mark the occasion!

The next day we floated around the lake and had a perfect day at the lake! John Stephen is very happy to float around for hours in the water, and that makes us very happy, too!

Then the next week we took a little family jaunt to the County Fair! Let me tell you, I love the Fair! This is just about the most quaint event I've been too since I moved back to the Delta! The fairgrounds are surrounded by mature oak trees, there is livestock, good food, and fun rides! It was really fun, and I am sure we will go back next year!

John Stephen in the Chicken Exhibit!

Checking out a Horsey!

Sydney's drawing got a second place ribbon!

There was a beauty pageant going on! Not exactly Toddlers and Tiaras, huh! I think Sydney wants to compete next year! Looks like fun! The winner is named THE FAIREST OF THE FAIR! How Fabulous!

And, since I have Martha Stewart fantasies- look at the fluffy chickens! They are hilarious! If I was going to have my own coop- I would have to include this breed of hen!

Not much else going- just fighting mosquitos annd anticipating fall!! Have a good weekend!

Lake-N-Bake and a little decorating...

2011-08-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

YooHoo! Have you been squeezing every last ounce of fun out of the summer before it is over? We have, and for a few weeks there -shew, I was BUSY! John Stephen and I joined my sister and her kiddos at our good friend Cortney's house in Heber Springs for a night! All of the kids played, we went to the lake, we got a couple of very brave babysitters to watch the kids so that we could go to dinner, and we had fun! It was really hot on the water, but the kids didn't mind!

Wilson learned how to Knee Board! Steph has decided now that he is old enough for water sports we might be able to convince my brother-in-law to buy a big, nice ski boat! Ha! It would be fun though!
So we have been cooking out, going to the lake, practicing football, and getting school supplies! I have managed to squeeze in a little work- here are some "almost after" shots of a job I worked on this summer...

Yep, my fraternity clients sure are good to me! We did new carpet throughout the downstairs, added a little new furniture and a few accessories. And we did a major overhaul of the House Mother's apartment! It isn't ready to photograph, but I'll post some pics when we get them!

Hope you are getting into the Back to School Swing of Things! Have a good weekend!

Howdy!

2011-07-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

We are just back from the second of our Whirlwind Adventures this summer! After staying home for two years we have certainly been on the go this year! Farm Bureau had a trip to San Antonio this summer that we went on with a bunch of our Farm Bureau friends, and it was tons of fun!

The Pool was the main attraction! And that is a good thing because it was HOT!

The resort where we stayed had pools, a lazy river, and several water slides!

We loved the JW Marriott resort! Only ate at one place that I would recommend- Boudros in the Riverwalk area.

We spent one day in ~~HELL ON EARTH~~ SeaWorld. The pic says it all. It was 104*, John Stephen was not the easiest to deal with, and I really don't like amusement parks. The best thing was that Sydney and Don rode two REALLY scary rides! We did feel like it was a good EYE OPENER about what to expect/plan for if we ever go to Disneyworld. Let me just say that we will plan way ahead if we ever head to Florida to see Mickey! I felt so overwhelmed at SeaWorld. I didn't know which rides and shows we wanted to see, I didn't know what rides John Stephen could go on, I didn't know much. There were lots of tattooed people, and we were aimlessly wandering around rubbing elbows with them all- not my favorite way to spend a day!

Speaking of Tattooed People...Look what Sydney got at the resort! A colorful, butterfly, airbrushed tattoo! Temporary, of course! She loved it!

When we got home Sydney continued with her cowgirl theme for the summer and went to Equestrian Camp! It was super fun, and she learned everything from how to saddle a horse, to how to ride him!

The local college has such neat children's programs for the summer, and I was so happy to see her learn something new! I am having a busy Monday, and have been writing this over a period of 5 hours on and off between loads of laundry and other chores around here. Glad to be home for a while, and planning on enjoying the last little bit of the summer!!

Reunion and R & R

2011-07-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hello Blogosphere! I've been missing you!

I've been around the world in 8 days! Let me catch you up...Last Friday I went to Fayetteville for my Sorority Reunion at the University of Arkansas! My travelling companions were John Stephen and Sydney. I dropped them off in Bentonville with Don and Paxton for the State Championship Baseball Tournament. Don was totally pumped about having all three kids in a hotel room and at the ballfield for the big tournamet by himself! Ha! It went ok- I did spend the day on Saturday with John Stephen at the hotel to give Don a break.

My Kappa Sisters were just as Fabulous as ever, and we had a blast! We spent the weekend in the sorority house and pretty much pretended we were young again! On Sunday morning my real sister, Stephanie (who is also my Kappa sister) and I packed up early and got John Stephen from the hotel. We then headed to LR to pick up my neice and nephew, Wilson and Liza. Then, we rolled out to the beach to meet my mother (aka Nana). Let's do bullets from here:

* Drove Steph's SUV with a "turtle" strapped to the top. Kids were wedged in anywhere they would fit around the luggage. We only made it about 10 minutes out of town before a "good ole boy" flagged us down on the interstate to tell us that our "turtle" was blowing off of the top of our car!! Luckily, good ole boy had a tupperware container full of bungee cords and donated a few to our cause!
*The kids took a little while to get settled in to travel mode- we stopped 3 times in the first 2 hours of the trip, and Steph and I thought we were NEVER going to make it to Florida!
*I learned that DVD players are a blessing and a curse. My job was to keep everyone happy in their movie lineup (not very easy), and Steph drove. Of course, noone would wear their headphones. So we ended up listening to the movies the WHOLE WAY!
*Google maps sent us on a different route through Mobile than we have ever taken. It took us through the older part of town, and through a sketchy neighboorhood. It was so late at night and we had to slow down because of the speed bumps and street gangs that were in the middle of the road. We knew with our turtle and loaded down car we must have looked like sitting ducks! Hysterical laughing ensued!
*The route through Mobile ended up in a lovely old neighborhood with live oaks arching over fabulous homes- it ended up being my favorite part of the drive!
*Once the kids were asleep we decided to press on rather than unload everybody to spend the night on the way. At Midnight we rolled in to Seagrove Beach!

*We ate at our condo most meals, but we did venture to Seaside for dinner one night. We went to Great Southern, and sat on the patio. I had Shrimp and Grits a Ya Ya. Fun time!

*Do yourself a favor and google "Beach Shrimp" from Southern Living. We made it- it was easy, and DELISH!!

*John Stephen loved the beach. I loved the time with my family! We were all just full of love!

*Came back from the Beach and headed straight to the Lake to meet Don and the big kids! We had a fun night and headed back to our house and a LIFETIME of Dirty Laundry! Glad to be home! Happy Independence Day!

I Ain't Gonna Lie...

2011-06-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I ain't gonna lie, this baseball season has been pretty.rough.on.us!

I want to write about it because it has been such a part of our lives this year, and there is a happy ending to the story- this blog is where I record "our stuff"- so here goes. Last year, Pax was on a local city league baseball team. He was the starting pitcher, and played every inning- either as pitcher or first base or third base. A couple of times a week we went down to the local ballpark and watched the game. These were mostly on weeknights, and it was a fun outing for the family. I also loved the fact that I didn't have to cook supper on game nights! Fast forward to this year. Our team had disbanded, and we were anxious to find a team for our little star! Don made a few calls and found a team in our new town that is a traveling team. Now, I was pretty worried about the whole "traveling team" thing. I had heard that those teams spent every weekend at motels away from home, and that the baseball team became your social life, etc...But, Don told me that our team never went far enough that we would need to spend the night, and there were lots of reasons why we thought that this team would be right for Pax! We still feel like this team is right for Pax, but LORD HAVE MERCY, we have had Blood, Sweat, and Tears to get to where we are today!

We began the season with the harsh realization that our boy was not going to get to play as much as we were used to. Don was totally prepared for this, but I can't say that I was. The truth was that he was going to have to EARN his spot on the field. We were in "a different league" now, and if Pax was going to succeed he would have to WORK HARD! So, off to practice he went. Once a week he had practice for a few hours on Tuesday night. Then on Wednesday night he would have private hitting lessons. Followed by private pitching lessons on Thursday nights. Don, being supportive, went to EVERY practice and lesson. I have to say that I was not supportive of his being supportive! After staying home with a toddler all day, I usually watched the clock until Don got home from work. It was so deflating to see him walk back out on the way to practice!

So, I became increasingly cranky. The game schedule was usually a Friday night game at 7:30 or 8:30 and two daytime games on Saturday, and then one or two games on Sunday. Not exactly a schedule that works for John Stephen in his stroller. I usually made it to one game in a tournament weekend. I had hoped that when we were playing in Memphis (most of the tournaments) that I could take John Stephen, and that we could run around at Target and the Mall when he got tired of the ballpark. That just wasn't realistic, and Sydney didn't want to be stuck at the ballpark every weekend either! And, many weekends were bitterly cold and wet! So then, I was stuck at home with John Stephen and Sydney ALL DAMN WEEKEND, EVERY DAMN WEEKEND! Mama wasn't happy! And, the rest of the family wasn't happy either. Despite all of the hard work, Pax was still sitting on the bench.

Paxton was so strong, but it was breaking our hearts to see how hard he was trying, and not getting to play very much. He was very upset that he wasn't seeing results! Don's mood was directly related to how well the game went. There were some depressing weekends. This was not the lifestyle I wanted for our family! But, a couple of weeks ago, our team had run out of pitchers in the championship game of a tournament. They really didn't have much choice but to let Pax pitch. This is where his talent and interest is, so it was a BIG deal for him! Of course, we were soooo nervous as he stepped up on the mound. Anyway, he was INCREDIBLE! Striking people out left and right! The coaches were surprised, I think, to see how well he could throw! We all felt that this was the breakthrough we had been waiting for!

And, we were right, he pitched all of the innings he is allowed to pitch last weekend, and did great- AGAIN! Looks like we will wrap up the last two tournaments of the season getting to pitch! It was such a victory for Pax to see the fruits of his labors, finally! Of course, this has been a wonderful lesson for Pax (and me) about persistence and hard work. And, despite my bad attitude, no one has been prouder than me to see him finally make it! I'll be honest and tell you that I am still not sure if the "traveling team" lifestyle is for me. I want to go to the lake for the weekend, have friends over to cook out, plant a garden, and spend time with my husband on the weekends! I didn't grow up in a sporty family, so this is totally foreign to me! And, I just don't have the slightest idea what to wear to the ballfield when it is 100 degrees outside! But, this is a small town in the south, and most teenage boys play sports constantly. It is a wholesome family entertainment that keeps them occupied and out of trouble. And, Paxton is a pretty good pitcher- I hate to think that we would limit his progress by making him play on a less competitive team. So, I guess I am trying to find a way to be excited about travelling baseball. It looks like this is what we will do until Pax can play on the high school team. And, now that we have had the "breakthrough moment", I am optimistic that Don will not have to attend every practice and in the future. And, maybe we can miss a tournament here and there. I know Pax is greatful for all that Don has done for him this season. He has dedicated every moment of free time to helping Pax get better, and he has sat in the rain, wind, and scorching heat for every. single. game. By the end of the season the team will have played about 60 games! I know he takes partial ownership of Paxton's accomplishments this season. And he should! We all do, in fact! You could say we have all taken one for the team!

So, I am glad to put this little chapter behind us, and move on to the next one...Football practice started today:)! The good news...Field down the street from my house, games on Tuesday nights, Don can't go to every practice unless he wants to quit his job! Toodle loo! If you are still reading, you are a loyal friend!!

2011-05-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been gone so long! May is so busy and hectic! I have 3 million things that I still haven't accomplished, and DON'T GET ME STARTED ON BASEBALL! I'll have to devote a whole post to our sport of the moment soon, but let's just say it has taken over around here!

John Stephen had his last day of Mother's Day Out, I wanted to cry more than the first day I dropped him off! The big question is, What are we going to do all summer? Not that one day a week from 9-2 was that life changing, but it was one day a week that he was occupied. I am thinking the swimming pool will be a good place for our summer entertainment!

And, Does anybody know a night nurse for toddlers? I'm ready to hire one! I haven't had a full night's sleep since Maui! This morning he was up at 4 and ready to rumble! I tried to get him back to sleep, but at 5:30 I finally gave in! For some 5:30 is no big deal- For ME- it's MAJOR! Sorry to whine, but I need to record this for future guilt trips I am planning on putting on this little goose! We had a busy Memorial Day weekend with 5 baseball games and a really fun cookout. Now we are back in the saddle, and the upside to getting up at 5:30 is that I have already done 2 loads of laundry and watered the yard! Have a good one!!

Show and Tell

2011-05-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog Readers!

It has been a while! I have to say we have been fighting the crud around here- John Stephen had it and then I got it. And we all know mamas can't get sick! SO, I have just tried to avoid thinking about how bad I felt- the Scarlett Approach! Here is a random post about random stuff that I thought was blog worthy...

First, My niece Liza turned 3!! She had a Fairy Princess Party, and my sister made the most adorable cake! Isn't this PRESH?

The little "fairy cottage" on the left is made from Pepperidge Farm Pirouettes, and she used ice cream cones for the castle turrets! I love that my sister usually makes her kids birthday cakes! I am not a great baker, but I aspire to bake a cake for John Stephen's birthday this year! Also, note the herringbone tile pattern on her backsplash- I encouraged her to do that and it turned out great!! Here is the Birthday Girl! How cute is she?

Liza's shoes lit up! Oh, she is super girly, and I am so glad- we are going to have fun through the years!!

Next, here are pics of some cookies I made for Easter. I stole this idea from an entertaining blog- wish I could remember where to give credit where credit is due! But, aren't they fun? I do not think that they tasted very good, but they were fun to look at! White chocolate mixed with chow mein noodles and corn flakes made the nests. Then you add the egg shaped candy while it is still gooey. I wondered if they could be made like rice crispy treats with marshmallows- What do you think?

OK, Aren't these cups hilarious? My mom had these at her house, and I thought they were cute for this time of year when everyone is breaking out the white linen and the silver for Easter!

And, If you haven't been watching the news lately you might have missed the fact that the DELTA is FLOODING!! The Mighty Mississippi has risen to levels that rival the GREAT FLOOD OF 1937!

This is the approach to the "Old Bridge" to Memphis! There is normally farmland where you see the water! I40 has been shut down at one point in Arkansas because of the flooding. The detour is adding several hours to the trip between Memphis and Little Rock.

Yep, halfway up those poles! And, Can you see the almost covered street sign? We took these pics today on our way to Memphis. We couldn't miss seeing this with our own eyes! SO, we are praying for our state and all of those affected by this flooding. Our farmers are desperate for some dry weather, and my Dad's real estate business has had countless problems with storm damage and flooding! I think my brother is working into the night to get some cotton in the ground! Good thing tractors have headlights!!

Well, I had to throw in one pic of JSM! We have been driving the Cozy Coup up and down the drive way any chance we get! He is loving the outdoors right now!! And I am LOVING him not messing up my house! So, we might just set up camp outside for the rest of the summer! Ha! Just bring your lawn chair and cooler over! You are all invited!

A Tale of Two Dresses

2011-04-20T18:38:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! Let me start by saying that my last post was written in a hurry, and it may have sounded like Don and I spent our ENTIRE vacation lounging by the pool, and were then TOO EXHAUSTED to go on any excursions or even eat dinner! Just to clarify...We did spend a lot of time by the pool, but we also toodled around the island quite a bit! And, because of the 5 hour time difference, we would be up at 4 AM most days! So, there was one busy day when we just ordered room service for dinner because we couldn't go on any further!! Ha! I just had to let y'all know that we are not TOTAL slackers!! We squeezed every once of fun we could into our vacay...

So, back to the issue at hand, A Tale of Two Dresses...

I typically do not buy Sydney many clothes. Maybe I'm weird, but I just feel like certain areas are not "my turf" as a stepmother. It is kind of like if your Mother-in-Law kept bringing bags of clothes to your house for your kids. If you like her taste, you are thrilled. If you do not like her taste, you would really rather she didn't. So, I pick up things a few times a year for Christmas, birthdays, and special occasions. So far, I think Syd has liked most of my selections. Shew! Talk about pressure! Recently though, I was faced with a challenge. Don offered to buy a dress for Syd to wear in a local talent show that she was participating in. That means I got to pick it out!! Now, a normal person would have driven to the mall, gone inside and bought the cutest dress in her size. Then they would have gone home and moved on to another issue. But, I am an obsessive, over-achieving, people pleaser. So I took Sydney on a scouting trip to the mall, spent a week perusing the Internet, and then thought of different "looks" to go with possible song choices. Then I spent an entire day shopping and ended up with two dresses.

In my fantasy world, Syd would have sung a Disney song like "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" or a classic like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and she would have worn a big, pouffy, princess dress with a little sparkle on it. But, she sang "Blessed Assurance" which is a lovely song- just not very princessy. So, with that in mind I set out to find a perfect dress for the Talent Show and Easter Sunday. More bang for the buck. Here is what I came home with...

It is darling, no? Pink seersucker with a bubble skirt! A big sash! LOVE IT! And it is the kind of dress that she will love to see in pictures when she is grown up. A sweet, innocent spring dress! Excuse the pollen covered porch! I need to hose it down! OK, so after I picked this dress out, I felt a little guilty. It is a darling dress, but, I knew Syd wasn't going to flip out over it. She has a little more spunk than this dress. And, I have to say when you are on stage you need some sparkles. So, dress number two...

Much better for performing! Right? I laid both choices on her bed and when she came home from school she ran back and immediately told me that she liked the PURPLE ONE!! I knew it! So, we decided that she could keep both dresses, and that the pink dress could be a good summer church dress. I love the purple dress too, but it is not easy to find cute dresses for 9 year olds- everything is either too grown up, or too casual, or too pageanty!

She looked adorable, and she sang so well! And, what a wonderful song choice for the beginning of the Easter Season! "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine! Oh what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of Salvation, Purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, Washed in His Blood!" Happy Easter!!

MAUI Wowee!

2011-04-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided to spare the blog readers of a million pictures of me and Don in front of the tropical sunset. This post is just going to be the basics about what we did and what we ate and what we would recommend to our friends.

1. Our Hotel- Hyatt Regency. Loved it, but it is a BIG resort. Fabulous gardens with pink flamingos, penguins, parrots, and swans. Fabulous art, views, concierge was great. The location seemed to be perfect. We could walk along the ocean front path that goes in front of all of the big resorts in that area. The shopping, dining and water sports area was a short stroll away. The restaurants and bar offer as much ambiance as I had dreamed of, and they have servers who take orders at the pool. The food by the pool was spectacular! I was impressed. The downsides are few, but if I had to say a few...Very crowded pool, hard to find a chair by the pool (but we always got one), not a ton of umbrellas around pool, not exactly a "nap by the pool" atmosphere. I had a hard time reading my book and napping because it was so lively. But, I did have friends with me each day, so maybe I wasn't in the mode to nap. The hotel served Pepsi products- bummer for a Diet Coke addict. And finally, there are definite Asian themes in the decor of the hotel, and in keeping with that, the beds are extremely low. They are almost like cots on the floor- no box springs, just mattresses on these cool Asian bed frames. It was very comfortable, but we both found ourselves commenting on these "damn low beds"! We had drinks at the Swan Court restaurant in the hotel. It is touted as the most romantic location in Maui. There is a lagoon like area with swans swimming around and the ocean beyond that. It was romantic, but I liked the outdoor bar better. And a few people ate there and said it was disappointing. We never ate at the sushi restaurant in the hotel- Japengo, but the views alone would have made it enjoyable for me!! I realized that I am at least 50% in for the atmosphere. I mean, it is the tropics, let's have some palm trees and sunsets!! One last note on the hotel, we had a partial view of the ocean, and it was fine. We spent very little time in our room, and unless you are springing for the Presidential suite, I'd save that money to spend on something else!

2. Places we ate- Farm Bureau had meals for us on three nights, so we didn't have a lot of time to try the local cuisine. But, two out of three of our choices will be with me forever!! The least favorite- Sansei sushi. Great reviews and food, but no view. We tried some adventurous things, and I thought the food was GREAT. I just want a view.
-Everyone wonders if Mama's Fish House is worth it. And I can wholeheartedly say YES! It was one of my favorite experiences on Maui. The drive there was fun- sugar cane fields, cute villages, surfers etc...And Mama's was FAB! The food was excellent. This is their famous dessert The Black Pearl!

It was great! But the atmosphere was what I loved. The most picturesque beach front location with open air seating and Hawaiian decor. The service is excellent, and it is just hard to believe that there is really a place that beautiful in the world!! But, beware, it is very expensive. Too expensive to even justify, but I considered it like admission to the most beautiful spot in Hawaii! You gotta go!! Critics say it is too touristy, but I am sensitive to that, and I didn't think so.

-OK, I know you want to know where this is! Merriman's! AHHHHH, Merriman's! This was our favorite!! Arrive before sunset and enjoy wine from the wine bar while watching the sunset! This place is at Kapalua where there is some famous PGA Golf Tournament, and I wouldn't have been shocked if Tiger Woods had walked in- it is the kind of place where you EXPECT to see famous people!! The food was incredible. We dined on the lanai, and it was just Magical!! Expensive, too, but not quite as bad as Mama's!

This is the front of the restaurant! Nice!! Also, loved the Hula Grill. It was just down from our hotel. Great food and views- less expensive, more casual...
The rest of our meals were either Farm Bureau events or room service- we did that once when we were too tired to go out!
3.Activities- We didn't do many! Some people had stuff planned all day, every day, but we did a lot of poolside relaxing! But we did go Whale Watching!!

I even bought the hat to prove I did it! I got a little woosy and decided that it wasn't very fun for me, but everyone else seemed to enjoy! Don LOVED it!!
We did see some whales- incredible!! Other things people in our group did...
-zip lining- if you are the kind of person who likes that kind of thing then you will love it. Some people went because they felt like they should, and they didn't enjoy it.
- the road to Hana. We were on the fence on this. It is a guidebook must see, but it takes a whole day to do it right. And most people in our group seemed to think that they were disappointed that they had spent a whole day in the car. It is a treacherous drive with lots of twists and turns.
-Surf lessons, the girls who did this loved it, but they are very sporty.
- GOLF- everyone liked the golf and the views. One of our friends played several courses, and his favorite was Kapalua. Who knows if I spelled that right!

OK, so I might add more later, but I have to go take Sydney to her Talent Show Rehearsal!! Aloha!

Aloha!

2011-04-08T23:17:00.000-07:00

Aloha! We are jet lagged and delirious from sleep deprivation, but I had to post a few pics from our trip to Hawaii! I am sure that I will have to do another post as I go through the 560 jillion shots from our vacation!
As I write this post, at 12:45 AM, I am waiting for Don to return from a late night ballgame in Memphis. Paxton's game started at 9:45 tonight! So, we hope Don will arrive safely home by 1:30 in the morning!! He is a devoted father and fan!

There is a five hour time difference between Arkansas and Hawaii. And honestly, I never really adjusted. The reentry wouldn't have been so hard except that we were up for 24 hours straight on our trip home! If you are planning a trip to Hawaii, I suggest giving yourself a few days to recover when you get home! And, I would consider staying a night or two in San Francisco or LA to break up the trip. For us, the second leg of the journey was really tough- we were on a full flight, and there never seemed to be enough air conditioning or leg room! I did manage to get us Exit Row seats on the way home, which made a HUGE difference!!

Here is a pic of Don at he Luau! We arrived at bedtime on our first day, spent the second day by the pool, and went to the Welcome Luau on our second night! It set the tone for fun and was a beautiful ocean front setting! The palm trees were uplit with bright colored lights and the flowers were incredible!

These little cuties were there to greet us at the party!

And the entertainment was a very fun Hula and Fire Eater routine! There was also Hawain music!

This is blurry, but I loved the palms lit in different colors!! It is a BEAUTIFUL place! And we had the best time! I will be back with more as soon as I can sort through the camera! Don just walked in- Home at 1:15! He is operating on fumes!! Aloha!!

A Day at the Zoo

2011-03-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

We had quite a few fun excursions over Spring Break! One of my favorites was a day at the Memphis Zoo with some of my friends and their cute little kiddies! I didn't get a shot with all faces pointed towards me, but this was at the beginning of the big day! It was COOOOOLD! I had to wrap John Stephen in a blanket!

We saw lots of animals!

Climbed up on statues that we were not supposed to sit on!

Ate a few snacks!

Saw tons of people we knew...and some we didn't know!

And napped in the stroller!

At the end of the day we were all still having fun! I am so glad that we got to spend a fun day with these friends! I am even more glad that I got to stay up until 1:30 in the morning laughing with their Mommas!!

Let's get this party started...

2011-03-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

YooHoo! Just checking in to let you know that it's SPRING BREAK! We have been so busy that I haven't gotten my camera out much. On Friday night Pax had a pitching lesson, so Saturday morning we headed to the FEMA Dreama for the first time since fall! We made it there in time for breakfast with the family on the porch- delish! It was kind of chilly up there. We had had a few days hovering around 80*, but Saturday was overcast and cool. The kids played wiffle ball while I tried to rig up very sophisticated window treatments out of beach towels for the camper. We spent the night and loaded up on Sunday morning to head on home. Sunday night we cooked a little at the house...

Sydney helped me make a Key Lime Pie! Normally I do not squeeze the juice myself, but WalMart didn't have Key Lime juice in a bottle, and I wasn't up for an extra stop at another store. After squeezing those little suckers I realized I should have run in Hay's to get the bottled stuff!

Don wanted me to take a pic of the table. I hadn't even put out the silverware yet, but you get the idea...Shrimp Boil. We boil the shrimp outside on the burner on our grill. No smell. But, John Stephen wanted to go see what Daddy was doing!

After dinner the kids collasped on the couch. It is rare to see John Stephen relaxin' like this. And Sydney doesn't suck her thumb- not sure what she's doing...

Fun Weekend!

In other news...

Diet Coke has now replaced Pepsi as the number 2 soft drink in America (or something like that)!

Here I am enjoying a DC while John Stephen simultaniously empties my potato bin and the drawer of bakeware in my kitchen! This is not an uncommon early morning activity for us...

I'll check back in soon we have some fun things planned for the rest of the week. Hope you are having a fun Spring Break wherever you are!

America's Favorite Pastime

2011-03-13T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hello Blogosphere! Are any of you holding your eyelids open with toothpicks like I am? Daylight Savings Time Kicks My Booty!! Well, Daylight Savings Time compounded by an EARLY morning baseball game in Memphis! We were crossing the "new bridge" this morning as the sun was rising!

This weekend was our first competitive baseball tournament! Great, but lots of work/commitment from the ENTIRE family! 5 games in three days, hour and a half drive to the field, snack bar meals, and an active toddler strapped into his stroller for WAY TOO LONG! The good news is that I think we have learned a few things after this weekend that will make future tournaments easier.

Sydney spent part of the day on Saturday at a fashion expo where someone put lovely ringlets into her hair, and she also scored a pair of PINK SUNGLASSES! Cutie. Her future is so bright she's gotta wear shades :)!

John Stephen was dressed for the occasion in his new Target "Faux-bees"!

The team won 3 games and lost 2! Pretty good for our first weekend competing! And I must say that the competitive tournaments are run like a well-oiled machine, which is good if you are spending your whole weekend at the ballpark!

Here is our boy, BIG'N. ~~I am mortified~~.I am so happy that the new team has accepted Pax as one of their own, and bestowed upon him a nickname! This team has been together a while so we are thrilled that Pax seems to fit in and has made friends so easily. As he stepped up to the plate on Friday night I heard the boys in the dugout calling out, "Go get 'um, BIG'N" "Knock it out, BIG'N" "Allright, BIG'N". Hopefully this nickname will not stick. Because I cannot have a husband named "Big Daddy" and a stepson named "Big'N"!! I seriously can't!

Hope the Springing Forward hasn't been too hard on you!

The Methodists vs. The Baptists

2011-03-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

No, this post is not about weighing the doctrines of the Baptist Church against those of the Methodist Church! Sorry to disappoint, but this is WAY more fun! Church League Basketball!! Both Pax and Syd have been playing on the Methodist teams this winter, and this past weekend was the HIGHLY COMPETITIVE tournament! This event brings out droves of people- even if they don't have children competing!

Sydney was the only girl on her team this year, and she was so good! Sadly, Sydney's team lost on Friday night. But, they had improved so much from the first few games. Sydney is highly competitive, and she did tune up and cry over the defeat. What do you say? I told her it was supposed to be fun and that she had done her best. That is when she began to cry harder and said that "we NEVER won a game all year!" OK, so maybe she has a point. I let her chose where we would have dinner and we managed to move on.

Telling the Ref and the Coach all about it!!

MeMe didn't miss a game! She was so proud to see Sydney's trophy, and she EVEN cheered for the Methodist's if they were playing against her own Baptist Church team!

John Stephen was a trooper on Saturday night! Paxton's team won after SIX OVERTIMES! It was so exciting! Everyone was cheering- you would have thought we were in Barnhill Arena cheering on the Hogs!
So here they are- the CHAMPIONS!

Last year we lost the tournament to the Baptist's so this year the boys were going in to win! What a fun way for the churches to come together.

Now it is time for the REALLY competitive stuff! Baseball. Paxton LOVES baseball! And it is gearing up right now! There was a tournament this past weekend that got rained out, but the weather looks like it is going to cooperate for the coming weekend. And we will be ready! Paxton has been going to regular practices, as well as taking a few private lessons from a pitching coach. This family takes their sports SERIOUSLY! It has surprised me how much I love these sporting events- especially the baseball games! Who would've thunk it?

I'll be back soon with signs of spring around here!! Hope you feel like a Champion today!!

Baby Needs a New Pair of Jammies!

2011-02-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

Anybody with a Toddler out there? Well, let me say that John Stephen is not really wild about wardrobe changes! I am sure some of you have been through this before! He kicks, wiggles, flops, whines etc...everytime we change his clothes or diaper! I have learned that singing a song while changing diapers works wonders (thanks for the advice, Mom), but even the BEST rendition of Old McDonald won't get us through a full outfit change! As a result...sometimes we cave!

If you see a little boy running around in his diaper in my yard this summer, don't call DHS!

Oh, and if you see a little boy with long hair and a pony tail at my house...again, DON"T call DHS! We are just about to break down and cut the hair! I will probably need counseling to get through it, but I SWEAR we are getting there!!

This is John Stephen watching TV this morning. Interesting lounging position! You can tell I let him wear his jammies too much...

Oh Brother! I am unfit! We have SPRUNG THE TOE OF OUR JAMMIES!! I will be making a trip to Children's Place soon for a new assortment. And hopefully, somebody will get a better attitude about changing clothes!

Do you SNOW how much I LOVE YOU?

2011-02-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

Hello Loves! Hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day! We are FINALLY enjoying pleasant weather here after a couple of weeks of inclement weather! Everything tends to shut down when a few flakes fall here, but when you get two 4-5 inch snows in a week- well...

Everybody shuts down!! And we sure joined in! There were a few days that John Stephen and I never left the house! Finally, I decided we should take a family walk in the snow...

Yeah, that didn't go so well. I put John Stephen's hood up and tucked a blanket over him, but by the time we had gotten down the street he was screaming bloody murder! Don had to scoop him up and walk as fast as he could back to the house- leaving me with the wagon and the dog! As they walked, pieces of John Stephen's snow garb were falling off in the street, and all of the neighboorhood surely could hear him crying! A little embarrassing to cause a neighborhood scene! I guess he was cold- poor baby! Anyway, I am a little dissapointed that my idea of a family tromp through the snow didn't pan out!

So, after the snow thawed we turned around and it was Valentine's Day!!

I made Chicken Picatta for dinner and we shared a bottle of wine. And we helped Pax (he did not share in the wine:)) work on his science project! I guess in retrospect we should have saved the science project for a night when we were not going to have a bottle of wine! Just Kidding! We did the work before dinner and wine:)! I enjoyed Valentine's with all of the men in my life! (Sydney wasn't here, but I got to deliver her Valentine earlier in the day!)

And, today Don had a meeting, and I have been working on my computer. Everything is great except that I am here with this...

Hope it is thawing out where you are! Pray for my self control!!

Snow Day!

2011-01-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

Thought I would share a few pics of John Stephen in the snow! We have had two snows in the last few weeks! Add that to Martin Luther King Jr day and we have had a leisurely pace around here lately! We have been cuddled up by the fireplace eating comfort food for WAY TOO LONG! I am ready to stop the insanity! Speaking of fireplace...

We have two gas log fireplaces in our new house. I have always preferred a wood burning fireplace, but my allergies are so terrible that sometimes a wood fire gives me problems. And, since our house came with gas fireplaces- we didn't see the need to convert them back to wood burning. Anyway, getting to the point, the fireplaces are the only things in our home that run on gas. And we have been very liberal in our fireplace use age- every night, all day on weekends, all day on snow days etc...I have been dreading the bill from our gas company! My biggest fear has been that it will be exorbitantly expensive and I will have to ration out my fire time! So it came today- $11.96. That is what it is every month when we do not even use the gas! So, I guess they decided not to check our meter every month? My big delima now is whether to leave well enough alone, or call the gas company. I could see us getting a $6000 bill in April after a winter of glowing fires! Oh well, at least we are toasty here!

Back in the Saddle!

2011-01-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

Well, If I had any sense at all, I would have announced that I was taking the month of December and part of January off from blogging! It is always hectic at Christmas, and I was a little bit overwhelmed this year. But, I think we are back in the saddle over here!!

John Stephen was so much fun this Christmas! I never knew how much fun it would be to have a little one during the Holidays!

We went to 5 or 6 family celebrations, shopped for gifts for about 30 people, had people over a few times to our house, cooked, cleaned, wrapped, enjoyed the fireplace, hung twinkle lights, and sang along to my Christmas music on my IPOD! It was great!! It was a lot of work, but it was so fun!!

John Stephen got to see his cousins- and he loved it!

On Christmas afternoon I found the whole family napping on my bed! John Stephen and Sydney woke up right as I came in with my camera! For all of the Moms out there I have to say..."Why were they all getting the NAP while I was washing dishes??" Oh well, at least they had the wild man trapped up there with them!

A few thoughts:

Love the new Oprah Winfrey Network
Ready for Duck Season to be OVER
We are going to MAUI in April!
Need something to wear to a wedding in a couple of weeks
John Stephen is getting his EYE TEETH
I've got cabin fever- it has been very cold!

So, I hope to be back soon- with some good posts! Stay WARM!

Around Here...

2010-11-30T18:47:00.000-08:00

Well it only took from August 28th until last week for us (Don) to put together the wagon that we bought for John Stephen for his first birthday! We have perfected the Art of Procrastination around here! Once we got her all put together we went for a spin around the yard! I think he liked it!

And we also have been running around outside looking quite dapper in my brother Rafe's "heirloom" sailor coat! Everyone knows that I love classic baby clothes, and they aren't easy to find these days! We feel very blessed to enjoy such a beautiful coat!

And, we finally took pics for the Christmas Card! It took an Act of Congress to get all three kids here and dressed at the same time. Not to mention how hard it was to get all three looking happy-smiley-cute at the same time! This is not the shot I chose for the card- that I will save for later!

And in other news...

-We took Pax to his FIRST Razorback game last weekend! Hogs beat LSU! It was fabulous and FUN!

-Wondering if Hogs will go to our FAVORITE city (NOLA) for the Sugar Bowl??

-Great Birthday for me- #37! The best part was that I had gotten confused and thought I was turning 38 until a few days before! So, I feel young now!

-I have been scraping wallpaper for a few weeks! The hall bath is looking pretty! I'll post pics soon!

-Put a tree up in Sydney's room and John Stephen thinks it is MAGICAL! He loves it, and I love that!

-Went to mini storage this afternoon to get Christmas decorations, and lost my keys inside the very messy hoarder paradise! It started to get dark before I uncovered them and was able to drive home! CRAZY!

-Going on a two day adventure to Little Rock/Hot Springs. Hope to get to shop a little- haven't started Christmas shopping yet!! '

-Had my Traditional Pre-Christmas Emotional Break Down this morning while trying to get to a meeting, digging out from under four baskets of dirty laundry, surveying my disgustingly dirty house, and my cranky baby, and very cranky husband! Whew! Glad that's over! Things are still a little nuts here, but I feel the LOVE!

Wishin' and Hopin'

2010-11-20T20:07:00.000-08:00

OK, I know this is selfish, but I have been thinking about a few items that I would love to see Santa bring down my chimney this year! And, since my Mom and my Husband both like ideas...here are a few things I like for my two loyal readers!

These are Merrells, and I like them because they are easy to slip on! I always find myself in yoga pants, a fleece and white socks when I need to run to the grocery or to drive carpool, and my little black slip on tennies look terrible! All I can see is the black shoe/white sock thing, and I hate it! OK, moving on...

The Kindle! Now $139 on Amazon! This is AWESOME! I can read a book at home in my small, little town that has no bookstore whenever the mood hits! I can see myself on lazy Sunday afternoons just downloading a great book when the boy is sleeping and being able to upload titles that my friends recommend to be in my lineup! So cool!

LL Bean Tote- I want a BIG one for taking sheets and towels to the lake! It doesn't need to zip. And I don't care what color! A classic!

There are a few other items on my wish list, but I do not have photos...

-an address stamp with my new address

-a noise maker to drown out a certain someone's snoring!

-and a REALLY long gold necklace/pendant.

- an INA GARTEN cookbook- Isn't she awesome??

And that is all I have come up with so far- isn't it enough? Hope you have started your wish list! Just in case you were wondering, we are not really doing well on my HOLIDAY ORGANIZATION PLAN. I'm not really shocked. I am going to slam it into gear next week, and have my scheduled nervous breakdown in two weeks- right on track! But I have been doing some home improvement projects that will be featured ASAP! Have a good weekend!!

Free Range Chicken

2010-11-07T16:40:00.000-08:00

Things have been so crazy around here that I almost forgot to post pics of our Free Range Chicken! I was calling him a Funky Chicken until we tried to wrangle him for a couple of pics before the Thursday night Halloween Party- that is when his true identity as a Free Range Chicken was revealed to me!

There is a neat parade in our old neighborhood that we went to again this year! John Stephen's buddy was there!

Lots of kids come and they have games and fun stuff for the kids all along a beautiful street.

We caught up with Sissy bobbing for apples! The Raggedy Ann costume won "Best Costume" in John Stephen's age group! It was soooooo cute!

Free Range!

Sydney the Vampire with John Stephen the Free Range Chicken!

Tuesday Night Lights?

2010-11-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

Well, the seventh grade football season is over. The team was 2-2-2! Every Tuesday night we went to watch the games, and we usually had quite a crew! Don's mom went to almost every game- that is commitment for someone who just turned 81 years old! Tons of family members turned out to support the team and to cheer Pax on! Let me tell you, this family takes their sports seriously!

Paxton played Tight End and Defensive End. And he occasionally played Quarterback. We were all very proud of him, and the last couple of games showed that things were really starting to "click" for our boy!

You can see in the huddle that Pax is quite a bit taller than the other seventh graders- They come in all shapes and sizes!

Getting a drink after playing both offense and defense! It was a good season. Pax had an interception, and a fumble recovery that were highlights for us! Now we are taking a break from athletics for a little while. I think he is going to play on the church league basketball team which is sort of low key. Now we can focus on school and fun!

It's gonna be a BIG week!

2010-10-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! It is going to be a BIG week around here! We have Mother's Day Out, 7th Grade Football, Parent/Teacher Conferences, Kids out of school for Parent/Teacher Conferences, Halloween Party at the Country Club, Halloween Parties at school, a BIG high school football game Friday night, a birthday party, and Halloween Parade! Shew! I'm tired just thinking about it! John Stephen is going as a Chicken! It will be cute! I just worry that he will be hot- the costume is furry and the high on Sunday is 79*!

John Stephen doesn't have Parent/Teacher Conferences, but if he did I feel like they would suggest we work on his table manners!

Do you watch Pawn Stars on the History Channel? Don loves it! Anyway, I keep forgetting to mention that Don has borrowed a nickname from that show for John Stephen- BIG HOSS! It makes me laugh so hard! He is big, but he is soooo sweet and cute- not at all BIG HOSS material! His wild streaks are showing though, and this week I have found great comfort in ELMO! He has saved me a couple of times! The funny thing about John Stephen watching Elmo is that he will STAND on the sofa and watch like he is mesmerized!!

I will be back soon with some pics from Halloween!

Sometimes...

2010-10-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes John Stephen has to RUMBLE! He gets antsy, and he NEEDS to GET OUT! The signs are always there- sweeping items off of the coffee table, ripping pages from his books, turning the tv on and off, getting in the trash can and pulling out trash...You get the picture!

And, when those times come upon us, we are glad that we live very close to a little park!

Daddy joined us on a little outing recently- good to have another "swinger"!

Too little for the teeter totter!

Have a good day!!

Dirty Little Secret

2010-10-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

Last night Don took the big kids to the high school football game. I wanted to take John Stephen, but he is hard to control these days! Without a stroller I wouldn't have a prayer! And, sadly, the stadium is not stroller friendly! So, after I pouted about being left behind for a few minutes, it occurred to me...John Stephen goes to bed at 7:30...Then I would be ALL ALONE...with NOBODY to clean up after, cook for, or supervise...HMMMM. What would I DO WITH ALL OF THAT FREE TIME?

OK, this is a TOTAL REDNECK recipe! It is not really something you want to serve at an elegant dinner or take to a party. If you have ever made this Apple Dumpling Recipe then...YOU MIGHT BE A REDNECK! So I prefer to shroud my preparation of this little dish in secrecy! It's not good for my image!

Ok, so it's easy! Just peel and core 2 Granny Smith Apples,and cut into 8 pieces each. Then roll them up into crescent rolls, and place in a greased casserole dish. Melt 1 cup of butter, and add 1and 1/2 cups sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Pour over the dumplings along with 12 oz of Mountain Dew! (I know, yuk! And, sadly if you buy a 2 liter bottle you will have some rowdy kids for the remainder of the weekend-it is like crack for an 8 year old!)

Then you put it in a 350* oven for 35-45 minutes. I got the recipe off of All Recipes, but it is on a million websites. After putting it in the oven you will want to look around to see if your baby is ok with that bowl on his head!

Then, I suggest you put the baby to bed, and take a bite of this wonderful, redneck, concoction! YUM!

So there it is, True Confessions on the blog! A Dirty, Little secret that is really a good fall dessert! And kids love it!

A Little Birthday Dinner

2010-10-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

This is a short little post, but I wanted to post a pic of my "Tablescape" for Don's Birthday Dinner. Now, if you are related to me and you are wondering why you didn't get invited to this Birthday Dinner, it is because I planned it two hours before we ate it! And, really, it was just supposed to be white chicken chili chased by a little Chocolate Praline Torte! Since Don was celebrating his 45th in Canada, we had to just celebrate upon his return. And, since I was pretty sure that he would not want 45 candles on his cake, I decided to make this little cake bunting! You may have seen them on the Internet lately. Several blogs I read have shown cakes with these little cuties, and I thought- "I can do that!" The pottery is sort of a local obsession in these parts- made by Mississippi and Arkansas Delta Potters- I mixed McCarty's, Peter's, and Miller's Mud Pottery. It works for almost any casual occasion, and I love it. The leaves are from Williams Sonoma. The bunting is scrapbook paper taped onto some gold ric-rac and tied to a couple of bamboo skewers! It was fun setting the dining room table on a whim!!

Two Years Ago...

2010-10-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

...I Got Married! YEA! It was a LONG TIME COMIN"- at age 34! I was really glad to have finally found my "Mr. Right". Since we were a little on the older side, and a big local wedding seemed a bit much, we headed down to the Big Easy with about 100 of our nearest and dearest and tied the knot! It was a really fun weekend and a perfect way to begin our lives together! Happy Anniversary, Dear. I love you!

Thinking about Christmas

2010-09-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, every year I plan to do my Christmas shopping early. I dream of having everything wrapped and under the tree by the first week in December and then spending the rest of the season baking cookies and singing carols! I imagine a season with no stress and peaceful candlelight church services! In my perfect world, not only is my shopping done early, but I also have thought ahead about my "party clothes", and each event we attend is easy and stress free with outfit, shoes and accessories ready to go! Ha! Dream On! My typical routine is to still be shopping the week before Christmas, still be wrapping the gifts on Christmas Eve, and to be running around trying to find something to wear while my husband sits in the car waiting for me to hurry up for each event! WHY? Why do I do this to myself? And my family?

So, this year I need to change my ways. I have a Christmas Party at my house the second week of December, and a trip out of town the first weekend of December. I have to be bringing my "A" game in order to not embarrass the family!! And, let's face it, I have John Stephen to think about- I cannot continue this craziness! So I am going to really try to to do better this year!

1. Make a list of all gift recipients and their gift ideas.
2. Buy all of the men something and quit agonizing about the perfect gifts for them.
3. Plan to buy some clothes in November for the Holiday season
4. Order personalized/monogrammed gifts early for a personal touch
5. Make a hair appointment for the week before Thanksgiving
6. Christmas Cards/ AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
7. Plan with family and get our family stuff on the calendar before things get crazy!
8. Do a little cooking and freezing early!!

A note on the Christmas Cards: John Stephen is growing so fast that I feel like I need to take the Christmas Card photo in November or early December so it will be current. But I really could get it over with and ready to mail if I would take the pic early. Oh, what to do? I really wanted the Christmas tree in the background! Also, since we have moved for the millionth time I should put our new address on the card and get them out early so that we can get some cards here!!

Welcome to the mind of a crazy person. I realize that these types of thoughts in September are not rational or normal, but if I don't get it together now then we will be right back in the same routine! I always feel like the perfect gift is going to come along at the last minute! I just can't pull the trigger! Oh well, that is how I was when shopping for houses, and husbands too! Better late than never! I'll keep you posted!

Happy Birthday Baby!

2010-09-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

Today is my husband Don's Birthday! He is 45! He is celebrating his big day on a goose hunting trip in Canada! Don is not one of those fanatics who lives to hunt and who spends all of his free time in the woods, but he does like to hunt a few times a year. And he likes to spend the rest of his time with me! He called me from the lodge tonight and we got to visit for a few minutes. I sang "Happy Birthday to You" in my best Marilyn Monroe impersonation! Just Kidding, but I would have if I had thought of it. He is on this trip with my Dad and my Dad's dog, Horton. They are having fun and got 117 geese just today!!

Don's nickname since elementary school has been "Big Daddy"! Tons of our friends call him "Big Daddy"!! And since he is 6'4- it just works! I NEVER call him Big Daddy unless I am joking around! But in my best Marilyn Monroe singing voice I just want to say..."Happy Birthday, Mr."' Big Daddy", Happy Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiirthday toooooooooo YOU!

Greetings from the Land of Cotton

2010-09-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it is cotton picking time here in Arkansas! And since I come from a "Farm Family" I thought I would share some pics of my cottontop in the cotton!

We had lunch with my brother Rafe today and then we went out to the farm for a quick look at the cotton. Something about a field of cotton makes me feel connected to all of the generations of my family that are now long gone. And it also makes me feel like Scarlett O'Hara after the War of Northern Aggression- "Cotton oughta go sky high next year!"

I meant to get some cotton to put in a big bunch on my breakfast table, but I forgot my clippers! Shoot! I made a wreath of cotton one year and it was really pretty- maybe I need to do that again this year!

There are a lot of things in my area of the country that aren't really pretty to look at. We have a lot of poverty, trailer parks, bad perms, architectural blunders, BUT we have miles and miles of breath taking cotton fields and bean fields and rice fields. And they are so pretty that they make up for the other stuff! I'll be back soon with some pics of our favorite 7th grade football player!

So Long Seersucker...

2010-09-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Bye Bye white shoes! Summer is officially over, at least in the world of fashion. Too bad it will feel like summer here in the South until at least October! Hope you had a nice Labor Day Weekend! We had a great time at the lake. Maybe one of our best weekends yet! We ushered in football season with a win for the Razorbacks! Pig Soooie!

As you can see, we had things set up in "high tech redneck" fashion for the big game! Since we were expecting a big crowd, and everyone wanted to be outside with the grill and the PERFECT weather, we put the TV outside under a tent!! There were kids playing everywhere, people throwing the football around, and tons of yummy food coming off of the grill! The outside TV was a perfect setup!

Pax and Syd had time on Sunday morning to play a little wiffle ball!

And, John Stephen had some fun swingin' and watching the wiffle ball game! Good weekend, great friends!

I hate to say goodbye to summer, but the busy fall has arrived! Time to shift into overdrive!! And I guess I need to buy John Stephen some clothes since I made the mistake of buying tons of seersucker for the summer, and now I have to pack it away (like any good Southern mother)! Toodle Loo!

It's Been Too Long!

2010-08-31T20:42:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog, I have missed you so! The technical difficulties have sent me OVER THE EDGE! I bet you could hear my cussing tirades at your house! It has taken way too long to figure out what was wrong with my photo uploader, and I am still not sure if I have figured this thing out! But, I have missed blogging lately! And there is so much to catch you up on!!

As you can see, John Stephen had a big birthday!! Yes, he is ONE YEAR OLD! I didn't do a "party" because my Mom told me it would be OK not to. And because this house isn't ready for the debut that it deserves. So I got a cake from Wal-Mart, 15 blue and white balloons, and we had a little Sunday afternoon celebration with the Grandparents and some of our siblings. Perfect!! John Stephen got way too many toys, but he had lots of fun! I'd also like to say that I found myself remembering the 23 hours of labor and the C Section on the big day, and I have concluded that I didn't get nearly enough attention for the whole ordeal! I know, I know, you are thinking that I am not the first person to ever give birth. I will probably be one of those mothers who tries to make their child feel guilty for their difficult delivery-OH No! Did I mention he weighed 9 lbs and 2 oz? Well, he did. And he is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me! Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

The small cake in front of the birthday boy is called a "smash cake"! This is a new concept to me, but it did make serving the real cake easier, and I thought the petite cake looked cute with the giant ONE candle! Oh, and I made the birthday hat! Isn't it funny? Just put fabric on a cheap paper hat and attached the ruffle and pom pom! Honestly, I could have done a really cute hat if I had thought about it before an hour before the big candle blowout moment!

We barely had time to straighten up the house before the party since we had spent the weekend in the TRAILERHOOD! Don was dying to get up to the FEMA Dreama since we have stayed here working on the house for the last several weekends. John Stephen is very advanced and has now decided that he is old enough to drive the boat himself! It is hard work keeping him occupied for several hours on a Party Barge without falling overboard!

But, we did have the kiddos contained for a few short meals on the deck! This is John Stephen and his cousin who is 8 months old! I swear I would feed John Stephen anything he wanted to get him to sit still for 5 minutes! We are enjoying milder weather, and it is back to reality here. We had our first day of Mother's Day Out today. What a milestone! I thought about crying after I dropped John Stephen off and then I decided to go shopping instead (ALL BY MYSELF)!! Woohoo! Hope you are having a good day, too! Be back soon!

Technical Difficulties!

2010-08-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

I have been having problems with Flickr's new photo uploading setup, and the stuff I spent weeks trying to learn is all different now! BOO! So while Don has been flipping channels between two of the worst movies I have ever seen, I have been trying to figure this thing out! SO here goes- hopefully this will post as a nice large pic of John Stephen dining topless in his highchair!

Fraternity House Project!

2010-08-15T12:35:00.001-07:00

Lambda Chi 002, originally uploaded by mrsmills1.

Maybe this will be a larger pic?!

Just Hanging at the Fraternity House!

2010-08-15T12:27:00.001-07:00

Lambda Chi 001
Originally uploaded by mrsmills1

Well, I had a very busy week! There is a Fraternity in Fayetteville ( I won't mention their name, but I like to call them the "Lamb Chops" behind their backs) that I have helped in the past with some of their interior design delimas! Basically, I work for cheap and they go through furniture really fast! I have a long relationship with the "Lamb Chops" and they are a really neat bunch of guys! So when they called this summer and asked if I could do a spruce up of their living room I was thrilled! We were working with an extremely limited budget since the fraternity had quite a bit of maintenence to do this summer. And, I knew it would be hard to pull this off with all of the moving and crazieness here. But, I went up to my old stompin grounds on Thursday and whipped this Formal Living Room into shape. I think it looks great- kind of clubby and "Ralph" as in "Lauren" (hopefully, the spot on the wall has been aimed at the shelf by now) I had a great time working on this unusual project and am feeling inspired.
Sorry the posts are slow coming, just as I am getting back in the swing around here, I am having technical difficulties! I am not good at computers and everytime they decide to switch something around it throws me for a loop! I have tried to load these pics for three days! And I am not sure how they will look when they post!!

Hello! From the Trenches!

2010-08-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

We are still unpacking! And all of these boxes are SUCH a PAIN! John Stephen has taken to biting them! We took a HUGE load to the dumpster over the weekend, but we still have so much to unpack! If I hadn't moved so much in the past few years, I could have been featured on HOARDERS! I am resolved to take a carload of clothes to Goodwill tomorrow!

Pax and Syd have been here this past week! They have gotten along famously! Really! We didn't have cable the first two days of their visit, and it nearly killed them. And Don. I guess they could have gone outside to play, but it has been 103 degrees! None of us have wanted to go outside at all!!

And, in other news, WE HAVE A WALKER ON OUR HANDS!! He is motoring everywhere!
The new house is all on one level so it is easier to keep an eye on John Stephen now even though he is walking- I never knew how hard stairs were with a baby!! You can see some background of the new house in these pics! Sorry, but I am not ready to do "the big reveal"!! My blue/grey cabinets have not turned out to be the color that I dreamed of. Of course, I only decided this after the painters had been here for two days! So now I am stuck! I may do a glaze over them...We will see!

We had a few surprises after we moved in the new house. First, our refrigerator wouldn't fit in "the hole"! Not only that, but most refrigerators in the world would not fit into "the hole"! After one weekend of going to the garage each time I needed a refrigerated item, I was ready for any fridge! Heck, I'd take a DORM FRIDGE! SO, I marched down to the local Sears and bought the only fridge that they had that would fit! Now we have a lovely mixture of Black, White, and Almond appliances- I know you can't wait to see:)!! But, I am a patient girl, and I will wait patiently on the kitchen of my dreams! Here is Sydney doing the Happy Dance after our fridge got here! As an eight year old, you can imagine how many times Sydney got sent to the garage to fetch the milk, cheese, etc....

The second big surprise we had upon moving in our new digs was that one of the two AC units was KAPUT! I know you are wondering how an interior designer/realtor could mess up her paint color AND buy a house with a bad AC! But, we bought the house "AS IS" and gambled! The AC worked when we were looking at the house, and well, the blue paint is still a mystery! I loved the swatch on the wall! My skills are a little rusty, but we are very happy in our new house! Hopefully I can reveal a room soon for your entertainment!!

What I did over summer vacation...

2010-07-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

Well, this is not a before and after post because we do not have an "after" shot yet! But, this is what I did over my summer vacation! This is our master bedroom from the real estate listing. Notice the BLUE grasscloth! I have been painting this grasscloth a lovely ivory color ALL WEEKEND LONG! At least 4 coats! And, to put salt in the wound...we were supposed to be in Bonita Springs, Florida this weekend on a FAB vacation! We canceled the trip because we had to be here getting the house ready! SO, this pic is LITERALLY what I did on my summer vacation!!

I took down the "high-water" curtains, ripped out the carpet, and the fan/globe light is going down ASAP! We are so excited about the house, and all of the work is going to be so worth it when we are settled in! Stay tuned!

One More...

2010-07-19T05:53:00.001-07:00

Good Morning! And Happy Monday! I am in a particularly good humor this morning since my boy slept until 7AM!! Yea! He was exhausted from his big weekend at the lake. We decided to get a good dose of the lake because we will be tied up with the house and the move for the next few weeks! And then somebody HAS A BIRTHDAY! A FIRST BIRTHDAY! So we spent the weekend cruisin' and floating in the water- Anything to beat the heat! Here is my little skipper at the helm of the party barge!

This nice boat is Chuck and Vicki's! We are so glad that they invite us to ride with them! The boat is appropriately named- "One More" - a lake mantra!

I would have loved to stay one more night! This is going to be quite a week- with kids, meetings, packing and getting the keys to the new house!! I have already packed quite a bit- but I still have tons to do around here! SO, I'll be back when I can- hopefully with lots to report!! Have a good week!

Friday Lagniappe

2010-07-16T05:37:00.001-07:00

Well, Friday has rolled around again! And I have a few random thoughts to share before we get the weekend started...

1. Why is there a Port-A- Potty in the yard at my new house? Well, It is not my house yet, but we get possession next week. There is an auction at the house on Saturday, and I suspect that they plan on making the bathrooms off limits. But Don and I were laughing that we hope it doesn't mean that none of the toilets in the house work! Can you see me running out to the Port-A-Potty in the middle of the night with a flash light? P.S. We have a few projects to do in the new house- one of which is to change some of the outside lighting. You can see a couple of the fixtures that we are going to change on the side of the garage.

2. Here is John Stephen doing his favorite thing- standing up at the front door. I lock all doors now after our little trailer tumble! I am disturbed about his sleeping patterns lately. Is it normal for him to wake up at 5:30 AM ?? He has been going down at 6:30 PM- sometimes I can push him to 7:00. And, about 2 or 3 nights a week he wakes up crying in the middle of the night and won't go back to sleep without a bottle. He takes 2 naps a day, and is generally happy and easy except when he is tired or hungry. So, can I really complain? The thing is that I am not a morning person- never have been! Last night I tried to go to bed at 8:30- if you can't beat'm, join'm! I have tried to think positively about the 5:30 wake up call- maybe I could get all of the housework done before 8:00? Maybe I could watch the sunrise, have a quiet time, sip a cup of coffee, get a few loads of laundry out of the way, but none of these things have happened yet. Basically, I just stomp around in my nightgown feeling sorry for myself until I get a diet coke and GMA comes on. It is something for me to work on- I am going to TRY to be a MORNING PERSON!

3.Yesterday, we went to LR to pick up a mattress that my Mom graciously offered us! Thanks Mom! It was comical to see me and Don loading up a King size mattress together, and we just prayed that it wouldn't fly out on the busiest street in town! But, it didn't budge, and we made it home easy breezy! I need to give a product endorsement for the mattress bags at UHaul. They make them for all size mattresses, and if you are moving one in a Pick up Truck they are a must! We actually were able to sort of drag the mattress out to the truck since it was protected by the bag, and I didn't have to worry that the dirt in the bed of the truck was going to get on the mattress!

4. Have you discovered the beauty of pre made pizza crusts? I had tried them and dismissed them a long time ago, but I was DOING it WRONG! You do not use pizza sauce from a jar- use fresh tomatoes or stewed tomatoes if they aren't in season. And you have to brush the crust with olive oil first! Then add basil, S&P, Mozzarella, Feta, and we throw on some shrimp. Then pop it in the oven for 10-15 mins! It is DELISH and easy- perfect for days when you are not interested in cooking a big meal and do not want to do take out! This pic is before I added the cheese and shrimp...

5. I've begun packing and thinking like someone who is about to move. Anything I can use up in the pantry is going down. Simple meals or take out will be the norm around here until we get to the new house. I am ready! Don is Ready! We will probably NEVER MOVE AGAIN! In case you were wondering - this will be the 5TH HOUSE IN TWO YEARS!!!!!!!

That's all for this Friday! I'll be back soon- have a good weekend!

Blink and It's Over!

2010-07-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

Well, Pax and Sydney went back to their Mom's yesterday- Two weeks flew by! Do you ever wonder how we got so busy? Sydney and I did not cook anything, and we never went to the swimming pool! But, she did take tennis lessons every morning! I think she had fun, and I lived vicariously through her because I think tennis players are cool!

Baseball is officially over for the season, and we are already talking about football at our house!

SO if you are wondering what we did for the last two weeks, let me tell you! We went to the lake for a good long weekend- this involved 4000 trips to WalMart, 2000 hours of food preparation, and 5000 hours of packing and laundry! Don said that we couldn't fit another cotton ball in our car when we left on Friday! So really 4 days at the lake kills 3 days at home preparing- it does! Then we spent a lot of time in the backyard, and we went to a nice party at my Dad's house and spent the day with family. And then it was time to pack up and send the big kids back to their mom. Blink- it's over!

John Stephen had his first injury while we were staying in the FEMA DREAMA! My little redneck baby fell out of the door of our camper and scraped his nose, lip and chin! Traumatic to say the least! And quite embarrassing to admit to everyone who asks "What happened??" I am considering making up a lie so that I do not have to tell people that he fell out of our trailer!:)

And to satisfy your curiosity...Here she is!! THE FEMA DREAMA!

We haven't had time to landscape yet, but you can see that we are going with a patriotic color scheme!! It is so fun and we are glad that Chuck and Vicki are nice enough to invite us to park on their lot!! Notice the American flags in the dirt. That is the only place soft enough for Sydney to stick them in the ground. Maybe next year I will have potted plants for seasonal decor!! OK, gotta go- John Stephen is PITCHING A FIT!

Let the Games Begin!!

2010-06-26T09:03:00.001-07:00

Well, Hello! And Happy Saturday to you! I just returned from an estate sale! I had scoped it out ahead of time, and went hoping to get a couple of chests for next to nothing! But, the chests weren't as cute as I remembered once they had a $95 price tag on each one! SOOOOOOO I bought 3 pewter mugs! $10 for them all- not bad for some Saturday entertainment!

I don't know why that picture is soooo big! Sorry, but speaking of Estate Sales...Have you ever read any of Mary Kay Andrews books? She writes the cutest books and the heroine is almost always an interior designer, or an antique picker, or an estate sale junkie! I love them because they are light and fun! And Mary Kay loves to "junk" in real life and she obviously has good taste! If she describes a room, you think, " HOW CUTE!". So, put these on your summer reading list- My fave is Hissy Fit.

Yesterday, Pax and Syd arrived for a 2 week visit! Within 15 mins we had a "red kool-aide and entire bowl of chicken salad disaster"{Lord, give me strength!} Then, I was going downstairs to give the "everyone work together and pick up your messes lecture" when I spotted a BIG WAD of RED Bubble Gum "resting" on the arm of Don's leather chair. I was about to spin into orbit- "WHAT is THAT?!!" That is when DON admitted that it was HIS GUM! OMG! COME ON! I just rolled my eyes and went upstairs. That is when I discovered that Don had put my BLACK IRON skillet in the soapy water in the sink to soak!! AGGHHHH! {Lord, PLEEEEAAAASE give me strength!} SO, here we are on Saturday. Pax has a Baseball Tournament today, Sydney went with her Mom to get her "bridesmaid"-(not flower girl) dress fitted for an upcoming wedding, my washing machine is acting up, I have to make 160 Pineapple Delight hors d'hourves for a cocktail party that we are hosting with some friends tonight, and I am avoiding all reality on my computer!!

Here are all of the little darlings last night in the back yard! They had been playing a homemade version of Hide and Seek where you look for the person who is hiding and then you chase them around the yard until you get a good position and then you throw a tennis ball and try to hit them as hard as you can with the tennis ball! It is a lovely new game that quickly had everyone in tears- I am going to get a wiffle ball set today so that we have some outdoor activities that won't be quite so violent!

Truthfully, I am really looking forward to the next two weeks! We have so much fun when Pax and Syd are here for long stretches rather than for a few days at a time. We settle into a routine, and I always cry when they leave. Hopefully Syd and I can do some cooking, and we can all spend some time at the pool! The heat is oppressive here- so STAY COOL!

Monday! Monday!

2010-06-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

We are back from a big weekend in Little Rock for Amber and Martin's Wedding! I did not want to drag my big camera around like a geek all weekend so I do not have any pics of the super elegant rehearsal dinner at the country club, or of the wedding day brunch at a Tuscan style home that was spectacular, or of the BIG wedding and reception at the Clinton Presidential Library! Sorry to disappoint, but my little evening bag was the only accessory I needed. Of course, I would love to have pics of the wedding and of the Capitol Hotel where we had a room- what a treat!! So we will have to get by with these pics from last week and last night!

Here are Rafe (my brother) and John Stephen. Rafe is a farmer and he wears a large brim hat everyday to keep him cool. Ever heard of a "farmer's tan"? Well, he has one- the real thing- white forehead- tan face, tan arms and white legs!! This is a hard time of year for farmers- they have to water their fields and spend a lot of time worrying about the next rain! Luckily, Uncle Rafe could take a break and enjoy a BBQ with us last week!

For Father's Day we went to my Dad's for a burger cook and dip in the pool! Sydney swam with some of my Dad's dogs!!

This is about 2 minutes before the fun came to a screeching halt! Sydney tripped over the big dog on her way to do a cannonball into the pool! She fell half way in and half way out of the pool and scraped her foot up pretty bad! It scared us all! She had to spend the rest of the evening with her foot elevated and a big bandage! I guess we won't swim with the dogs anymore! Who is it that said, " the only trouble with trouble is that it all started out as fun"?!!!

So, here we are back on a Monday. I am doing laundry, trying to get our lives back into order. We made an offer on the house- looks like I am about to begin a BIG project!! I think it will make for some great blog material!! OK, back to the grindstone!!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

2010-06-14T10:10:00.001-07:00

Well, baseball season is in FULL SWING around here! We were at the ballpark every night last week, and there was a tournament this weekend- six games!! The team won second place in the tournament! We were very proud of them! John Stephen and Sydney have been there for the games, too! I did skip a couple of the games because it was too hot to take John Stephen out there in the 110*F Heat index!! You should see the gear I take to each game...two chairs, camera bag, diaper bag, battery operated fan for baby, bug spray, sunscreen, and my purse! Not to mention, Don's hat, sunglasses, and Blood Pressure Medicine:)!!

Here is Don. Straight from work. Apparently, he had some coaching wisom to share with someone who was playing! I think we all know who that person is!!

Sydney and the other "little sisters" have been entertaining themselves quite well. Her favorite treat is "frozen pickle juice"! YUK! I do not understand how we can even give her money to pay for such a treat, but she loves it!

Who's on first? Paxton Mills! MVP on his team this weekend!

And here he is pitching! Very hard to watch as a parent- each pitch makes you hold your breath and hope for the best! And I have to say that I really love watching the games- who would have thought?!

OK, in other news...We have to move...again! We knew this was a possibility when we rented this house, as it has been on the market for over a year! But, we hoped that we would find a permanent residence before someone made a deal on this one!! We have our eye on a house down the street, but it needs a lot of work. I think we will make a decision this week because we have to be out August 1st! Someday I will look back on this last few years and wonder how I did it! Deep Breaths! Be back soon! We have a busy week and a Wedding in LR this weekend!

Bubble-Licious!

2010-06-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

My Bubble-Licious Boy! I just want to squeeze him and kissy kissy!! His entire wardrobe consists of Bubbles this summer- sorry, but I can't help it! I love chubby little baby thighs- so much more appealing than chubby mommy thighs! I took this photo on Memorial Day Weekend. Remember my camper? Well, we got it! And we spent the whole weekend in it!!

I hardly had time to drag out my camera- I am working on keeping it handy for the "kodak moments". But, anyway, back to the camper...We parked it in the yard at my in-laws lake house (their idea- we are NOT Cousin Eddie). It was too wet to park it in it's permanent place and hook it up to electricity and water. So we hooked her up to a generator that provided just enough juice for AC. Not enough for lights and other luxury appliances! Needless to say, a weekend with 3 kids and no water was INTERESTING! I had to give myself little talks all weekend about my attitude:)! And when we left I did tell Don that it was going to be a looooooog time before I was ready to take all 3 kids to the lake again!

Pax relaxing on the porch! We spent most of our waking hours on Chuck and Vicki's Porch, or in their kitchen, or their bathroom, or in their den. We did go out on the water for a little bit, but holiday weekends are so crowded-- we think they are like New Year's Eve- overrated and for amateurs!

On the last morning the kiddos left their bunks and made their way into our bed! The mattress is 4" thick and we found it to be way more comfortable than our mattress at home!! I guess we need a new mattress-a new FIRM mattress! Hey we are just making memories around here! Fun and Bubble-licious!! I'll be back with real pics of the camper soon- we are trying to decide on a name for our new home away from home: Shangra La, The Palace, The FEMA Dreama, Tin Roof...The list goes on...I am going to have our towels embroidered with the name we choose!

Bye for now!

Caught in the Act!

2010-06-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

Well, Today was the End of an Era! I put John Stephen down for a much needed nap, and he just wouldn't go to sleep. Finally...silence. So I went up to investigate and here is what I saw!

Yep, He is now pulling up! And playing with the very dangerous blinds on his window!! I guess he was interested in the HUGE garage sale going on next door!

He was crying for so long, and I can only imagine that the Garage Sale Patrons were able to hear his plea to be rescued! How sad, to look up and see a this little cutie crying in the window!!

This was his expression when I discovered his new trick! Uh Oh! So, Don came home to check on something and I roped him into lowering the crib for me. Now he is all the way in the lowest slot. I have to say that his new abilities (Crawling, Pulling up, etc) are cramping his style in the nap department. Or should I say they are cramping my style? I can feel the baby weight melting off as I chase him around- I am too old for this!! Have a good weekend!

Happy Mother's Day- Belated...

2010-06-02T06:06:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog! Long Time- No Post! Well, I've been busy, OK? Being a MOM is so time consuming that we can't even find time to celebrate Mother's Day on Mother's Day!! Well, actually, we did have a really nice Mother's Day with Don's family. His sister planned an awesome lunch with all of these great salads- very girlie! Chicken Salad, Pasta Salad, little muffins, and lots of family!! It was so nice to spend time with Don's family, and I got a new IPOD! Mine died a slow and miserable death by drowning in Diet Coke that was split in the console of my car- so I was thrilled to get a new one!!

But, my REAL Mother's Day treat was a special two day trip to the lake with my very own MOM! And my Sister- who should write a book on making motherhood look easy! We went to Steph's In-Laws' condo in Hot Springs for our little trip. Steph brought Chicken Spaghetti from a new Gourmet to Go business for our first night, and we enjoyed the patio's lake view. On the next day we headed to Garvan Woodland Gardens- a gorgeous botanical garden here in our state.

Wilson and Liza fed the fish along our woodland path!

John Stephen enjoyed the stroll. Maybe he can feed fish next year!

Wilson took his time- enjoying every morsel!

When we got back to the condo it was baby pool time! John Stephen really liked it! yea!

John Stephen and Liza in their Jammies! Liza is Two- and John Stephen is almost her size! Yikes! They had a lot of fun, and we were happy to put them to bed so that we could enjoy a great dinner that Steph made! Snapper, lemon artichoke orzo, and a fab salad with avocado that Mom made! Note: I made nothing! It never even occurred to me. I need to contribute next year- Steph and Mom did everything!

We decided to make it an annual event- I am glad! Spending time with my Mom and Sister is so much fun!! I did hear a comedian on TV say that all she wanted for Mother's Day was for someone to take care of her kids so that she could take a bath, drink a glass of wine, and cry herself to sleep!! Ha! There are days we can all relate!!

Gotta run- JSM is trying to crawl down the stairs!!!

Movin' and Groovin'

2010-04-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

Hello World! I am still standing! Shew! The last few weeks have certainly been crazy, but I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel! To catch you up...We moved to a new town that is about 15 mins away from our previous town! Don has been working over here for a few months, and we knew we needed to hurry up and join the community...so here we are! I will post pics of the rent house soon. We are hoping that our "Forever House" or at least "For the Next 10 years House" will reveal itself to us soon! But until then...Rental City!!

Here are pics from moving day. My mom was fabulous enough to come and get John Stephen for a few days. We had Pax and Syd for the weekend, and I'll admit that I wondered if it was a good idea to have kids around during the move, but they were such a help! We will have good memories of this day!

Pax loaded and unloaded like a champ! And look who I caught trying on my hats!

At one point I looked out the window and saw this sight!! I guess everyone needed a break!

Sydney was quick to befriend the movers and find out where their snack cooler was! Everytime I turned around she was enjoying a gatorade or a Little Debbie from their stash!!

So, we have arrived! And besides a few things that are still over at the old house, we are all here. I can't decide how settled we are going to get- To hang pictures or not to hang pictures? That is the Question! I'll be back soon!

Packing Up!!!

2010-03-31T20:09:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say we are are packing up over here! The cabinets and bookshelves are packed, and we are in that very strange phase where the house is in TOTAL chaos. John Stephen has not cramped my style as badly as I had feared, but he has slowed the process down a tad bit! Luckily, Nana is coming to the rescue in the morning!!

He is going to stay in Little Rock for a couple of days. Don's mom is going hang out with Sydney tomorrow afternoon while Pax helps Don move a few things from storage. The movers will be here Friday morning- I hope we make it!! I am worn out already!

Of course, I shed a few tears this morning thinking about leaving this house where we brought the baby home and where we basically began our lives together! I don't know how I have become such a cry baby! This move is only to a town 15 minutes away and it will be great for us! It may be a while before I resurface- moving and unpacking can detract from personal time. But stay tuned- I'll be back with pics and more fun stuff!!

What a Weekend! What a Week!

2010-03-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

Whew! I made it through the weekend! Let's just say it was CRAZY! Sydney was very sick with an ear infection. She felt terrible and was throwing up all day/night Friday! Pax was super busy with a basketball tournament. He did not get back with the team until 1AM last night!! Don went to get him at the bus, and we were all pooped out. And John Stephen was just a BABY! All weekend, I had to feed him and carry him around and change him- OH WAIT, I have to do that EVERY day! Ha Ha!

When I started blogging I made a conscious decision not to use my blog as a place to vent about things in my life. Nobody wants to read about the stuff that is hard for me- after all, everybody has their own "hard stuff" to deal with! So, all I am going to say is...This past week has been really hard for me! Like, REALLY HARD! Nothing dramatic or really bad- just life. Today, I feel like I have come back from the trenches and my emotions are raw! Here is a pic of something lovely from my refrigerator. It pretty much sums up my mood last week! Poor Don. Poor Pax. Poor Sydney. Poor John Stephen. Poor Me.

Hopefully, this will not discourage you from accepting any dinner invitations to my house! I am just "keepin it real"! (I know that saying is so last year)! So, cheers to a new week, a new start, and hopefully a new attitude from me. Don has been telling me that you can find great freedom and control and contentment in the way you choose to react to situations in your life. I am thinking about that this week...I'm not sure if I buy it, yet.

I'll be back soon with all kinds of good stuff- we are moving- I'll have pics and details!

The Baptism

2010-03-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

Well, Sunday went really well, and my heart swelled with pride as John Stephen was baptised. I was really worried that I would cry- I did through my whole wedding, but I managed to keep it together until I was safely back in my pew. The congregation sang Amazing Grace which makes me cry typically, but with the emotion of the day- I didn't have a chance- Alligator Tears! Look at the 3 kiddos in their Sunday duds! This was a major accomplishment that took the better part of a week. Pax is too big for boys clothes, but still growing too fast to buy an "investment priced" blue blazer. We all laughed that the one I finally found at Sears was MACHINE WASHABLE! Normally, I would wonder what kind of person buys a machine washable sportcoat, but now I know- a 12 year old!

Here are my Dad and Gail. She brought several yummy dishes and helped me with the baby the week before while I shopped for a dress for me.

Here are Mom and Steph. Mom came and helped me for the ENTIRE day on Saturday. We had so much fun! And we cooked all day long!!

I didn't get very many pics of the day. After all of the dishes and trays had been cleared away, I remembered that I hadn't taken any shots of the table!! So here is my flower arrangement- I think it looks pretty good for an amatuer. I used Hydrangea, clusters of white carnations (cheap) and leftover pansies from the pot on my front porch.

And here I am holding the "man of the hour"! What a great day! He did not cry at all, and he sat through the entire service without getting too squirmy!

We had all of our parents and most of our siblings and their families for lunch. About 20 people! Menu: Pork tenderloin, marinated asparagus, sweet and sour green beans, tomato casserole, sister schubert's, cheese grits, salmon torte, strawberry pretzel salad, and lemon ice box pie! And iced tea! Yes, we are worn out- the time change did not help matters!! Be back soon! I'm planning Ruben Sandwich Night with the kids for St. Patrick's Day...

Beware the Ides of March!

2010-03-15T09:53:00.001-07:00

Hello! I hope that everyone is having a good day! Watch your step and keep your wits about you- it is the Ides of March!! Julius Ceasar was murdered on this day in the year 44BC! And the famous saying "Beware the Ides of March" was written in Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar! So with the literary theme in mind I want to make two book recommendations! The first is for grown-ups, and the second is for kids (or the young-at-heart)!

1. I haven't read much for pleasure since John Stephen was born, but I did read a great book a few months ago that you have to read!!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Now, I will read fluffy, chic-lit whenever I feel like it, but do not lump this book into that category because of the cutesy title. Please, DO NOT JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER! This is a delightful story about pen pals after World War II. It takes you back to the German occupation of Guernsey, one of the British Isles. Anyway, it is one of my favorites that I've read in a while, and you should keep it in mind if you are looking for a good read!

2. And secondly, I have tried to read books with Sydney whenever she is going to be here for a long enough stretch to complete a whole book. I hope to show her how much enjoyment can be found in books, and it is something we can do together that doesn't make a mess. So, we were thrilled when Santa brought the complete box set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books!! Sydney is 7, and these are perfect for her reading level. We pile up on my bed, and I read to her. She reads a chapter to me here and there. The first book, Little House in the Big Woods was great, and I think she liked it. We started the second book, Farmer Boy, which hasn't interested her as much. But I am hooked! I have read it the past couple of nights because I have to see what happens!!

The Little House Books

I will pull these out and read them to John Stephen when he is older. The stories about bears, bobsleds, making homemade candy, and farming are very appropriate for a little boy or girl!

And, on another topic, the Baptism was GREAT! I will be back soon with pics and stories! Today, we are recovering from the busy weekend and the TIME CHANGE! I heard a DJ on the radio say "Quit complaining about the time change! It's just like going to New York for the weekend! Get Over IT People! " He has a point, but it does seem hard to adjust!

This week at Church...

2010-03-13T19:53:00.000-08:00

It has been a BIG week for our family. Don had a three day meeting in Little Rock. Usually, he stays at a hotel for this meeting but he had to drive home each evening for one reason or another. The best reason he had to drive home for is this seven year old cutie patootie! She sang a solo at the Wednesday night Lenten Service at our church! It was GREAT, and we were shocked, thrilled, and tickled to see her confidence, poise, and stellar performance! We didn't even realize she could sing!! All we ever hear is Miley Cyrus tunes coming from the shower!! So well done Syd! (Don and I both cried through her entire song- WOW!)

And, I have been racing around getting ready for John Stephen's Baptism. Here is a "sneak peak" of the gown. I cannot really justify why I had to have this gown, but I LOVE it. It will hopefully be a special heirloom for John Stephen to pass down for many generations. Don pointed out that John Stephen might marry someone who doesn't like this gown or who has different plans! I said, " That Little B*$%H better think about who she is dealing with! My grandchildren WILL wear this gown!!" HA HA! Well, heirloom or not, I am looking forward to tomorrow. Mom has been here helping me ALL day- hopefully the luncheon will be nice- I'll post pics as soon as I recuperate- like on Wednesday!!

Isn't it lovely? It will only be about 4 years until John Stephen is wearing camo cargo pants so

I am getting my fix of lace while I can. And I am trying to focus on..."Every good and perfect gift is from above"

Spring has Sprung!

2010-03-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah! Spring has Sprung! I saw the proof with my own two eyes on our walk this morning!! Here they are...Jonquils! Don likes to call them "buttercups". They are the first sign of Spring after a LOOOOOONG winter with lots of dreary weather. Thank you Lord for buttercups! They save my not so sunshiney attitude!
John Stephen was delighted with the first sign of Spring himself! Or maybe he was just glad to be out and about! Yesterday, we had to cut our walk short when we met a couple walking their very ferocious looking pit bull. Yes, it was on a leash. And it was probably fine, but those dogs scare me (and I'm a "big dog" person)! I just kept thinking of the news reports where children are attacked by pit bulls. My head was saying, "please don't let my stroller spook that dog, or my baby's coos and gurgles, or my PONYTAIL"! And then I realized that I had forgotten my cell phone, and that I couldn't even call for help if something happened! Totally irrational- I am sure. But I have to say that it was a gorgeous day yesterday, and lots of people were outside walking and playing. I am sure that I am not the only person who found that dog to be a threat to their children. And in my opinion it is tacky to do that to people! (wow, I sure am getting controversial on my little blog!)

So, here is John Stephen after the jonquil sighting! He is wishing that something else would sprout- his teeth! The anticipation is KILLING me! He has been really drooling and chewing this week, and I just KNOW that we are about to sprout the first tooth!!

In the meantime, I guess he will cope by chewing everything in sight!

Well, I am energized by this mild weather. We have a big week ahead...John Stephen will be baptised on Sunday. We are hosting our immediate family for a luncheon after the service. We need to go do our grocery shopping and get started ironing napkins...Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the first jonquils in your neighborhood!

Small Town Friday Night

2010-03-05T19:57:00.001-08:00

This picture has nothing to do with this post, but I haven't posted a pic of me on the blog. And it seemed like I should. This was taken in December at the Christmas Tree farm where we go to pick out our tree. Despite the fact that I have terrible allergies, I remain in the "real tree" camp- as opposed to the "fake tree" camp. But, I digress. The point is that - this is me! And I did not have a photo to go with tonight's Friday Night Post!

So, it is Friday night and I am just tickled enough by tonight to blog about it! When I lived in Little Rock and was Single and Fabulous I wouldn't have predicted that my life could come to this! Not that it is bad- just soooo different. And I am sure that after you have a baby your life changes dramatically no matter where you live, but tonight was just "SMALL TOWN"!

First, and worst of all, as soon as Don came home I practically RAN out of the door...are you ready...TO GO TAN! Like, in a tanning bed! Hello, 1993. I am fundamentally opposed to "tanning". I have fair skin, I do not like deep, dark tans, and everybody knows it is bad for you!! But, I have to wear a cocktail dress tomorrow night, and the nearest spray tan is an hour away. Hopefully, I can get one in the morning, but just in case that doesn't pan out...

Then, Don forgot to pick up pizza from the only place that makes pizza worthy of Friday night consumption on his way home. So we had to regroup. We picked Paxton up at basketball practice and headed up to our favorite Mexican restaurant. It is located in the lobby of the Holiday Inn. We all had on gym clothes and I had just gotten out of the TANNING BED! Of course, the whole town was there. There was a constant stream of people coming over to say "hi"- and I guess I learned my lesson about wearing sweats to dinner on Friday night!! I mean, what has happened to me :)?? !!

But then, when I was just about to label the night as a loser- something happened. The best part about small town living. The high school sports hero who has already signed with" The University" for next year came in. He is just as cute as can be, clean cut, and all of the young boys idolize him! He was straight from his baseball game, still in uniform, and he came over to OUR table to say "hello" and to chat about tonight's game. Now, I don't really care much about sports, but PAXTON was absolutely awestruck! He couldn't even speak! I am talking about completely mesmerized! Pretty cool Friday night for a 12 year old boy. And that makes me big-time happy in a small town kind of way!

Goodnight! Sweet Dreams!

Happy Campers...

2010-03-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

Well, it looks like we are the proud 1/2 owners of a summer home! I am so excited! We have gone in with Don's brother and sister-in-law and bought a little jewel! We haven't actually seen this new aquisition, but we get to park it in my in-laws yard at the lake. And you know what they say...If you're lucky enough to be at the lake then you're lucky enough! It is a 30 foot camper and it sleeps six! And the best thing is that we won't have to stay at the "no tell mo-tel" this summer like I had feared! Of course, Don hasn't given me ANY details other than the basics- forcing my imagination to go WILD! I wonder if it will be PINK?!!

I would DIE and go to heaven if it turned out to be a PINK CAMPER!! How cute! Or maybe it has a cute little awning with fringe around it or a scalloped edge?! I did find out that it has a shower and that the refrigerator doesn't work. Oh darn, I guess I won't be able to cook at all!

Do you think a pack-n-play will fit in a camper? Or will we have to leave the baby at home? That is a nice idea...Hubba Hubba!!!

This is me on weekends when we leave John Stephen with the grandparents! Of course, when we have the kids with us I will be wearing pearls and setting up lovely picnics of fried chicken, deviled eggs, and my signature dessert- "Motor-home Marvelous"! I think I found the recipe in one of the Sweet Potato Queen books, and it totally goes with my "June Cleaver goes Camping" theme!

Oh well, I am so honored that the family doesn't mind if we camp out at their house some this summer! I'll post the real camper pics as soon as I see it! I think we are going to have a "work weekend" real soon!! And I know we will be "happy campers"!

A Quick Trip

2010-02-24T14:52:00.001-08:00

We are back from a quick trip to Little Rock! So much fun to "do lunch" and visit with my mom and sister! John Stephen had a great time and was quite intrigued by my mom's furry friend- Baxley the Westie!

We also got to have dinner with these two cuties! Wilson and Liza! They were way more entertaining than Baxley the Westie.

But, John Stephen was pretty curious about Bax. It was his first time to see a dog up close and personal...Baxley was less impressed with John Stephen.

I have been doing lots of laundry today, and trying to put the house back together- Will it ever be again? Seriously, the laundry could blow your mind! But, I better get it done since this cutie will be coming tomorrow...

And, she will probably want to be my sous chef. Sydney has a future as a chef- she can't get enough. I need to send her to Aunt Stephanie's "culinary school"- she could learn so much more from her!! Can't wait to see her and Paxton who is never still long enoough for a photo shoot...

Luckily, I caught him right after his shower the other night chillin with John Stephen! Don and I think this is sort of a "before and after" pic since John Stephen looks so much like Paxton! Well, not much else here. Just cold. I have never been so ready for spring! I'll be back soon!

12 Packs and 12 Steps

2010-02-16T09:56:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Elizabeth...And I am an addict!

HaHa! Mom, before you call and make my reservation at "The Betty", let me explain...
They were on sale! $11/4 for 4 12-packs! And I am getting good at buying things on sale. In my dream house we will have a super large pantry where all of these things can live. Right now these are riding around in my car until I figure out a good home for them...

Here is a new pic of my boy, who also likes his beverage of choice- Enfamil - Premium Lipil. In fact, he drinks until he passes out! See it dribbling out of his mouth! It is probably one of those things that only a mother finds hilarious, but I do!!

I love his chubby cheeks! Gotta Go! I have a hair appointment today, and I am so excited! I swear people have begun to wonder if I have been casted in the upcoming season of "BIG LOVE"! Time to remedy that!

Be Mine!

2010-02-13T13:43:00.000-08:00

Be My Valentine!

Happy Valentine's Day! It has been a good one around here. Don sent me flowers and brought me breakfast in bed (donuts and diet coke- the breakfast of champions!) And we have a babysitter tonight while we go to dinner! Nice!

I just got back from a stroll around the block with the baby, and now we are going to doze off with a little golf on the TV! I guess that is a sign that Spring is just around the corner!
YEA!

Ripping the Bandaid Off and a Little Surprise!

2010-02-08T10:10:00.001-08:00

I have always heard that it is hard to get back into your social life after having a new baby, but I never really thought it would happen to me! I am a PEOPLE Person! So I guess it became apparent that I have a problem when John Stephen turned 5 months old and I had barely left the house! Stephanie, my sister, said it was time to RIP THE BANDAID OFF! I guess she was right, and let me tell you it was PAINFUL and FUN!

Here are the shoes I wore on my big night out- that should explain the pain! They are brand new, as was the dress I wore! Last week when I wasn't cooking dinner for the board meeting I was schlepping a 5 month old and his humongus stroller through every store in Memphis looking for
the one dress that would make me look like I had not given birth to a nine pound baby recently!

And then, once I found the dress, none of my shoes looked good! So I had to get new shoes! That's how it goes!

We went to a fundraiser for the Children's Museum of Memphis with our friends Allen and Lauren. And we had so much fun! The event had a circus theme. There were fire eaters at the front door, and acrobats hanging from the ceiling doing cirque de soile style routines! And they had face painters doing elaborate patterns on the guests faces- I had a huge design painted on the side of my face with glitter and sparkles! It was so neat that I wanted to wake Sydney up when we got home just so she could see it, but since it was 2 am...I decided she could just hear about it! Here is the program from the event- we did not take any pictures...But we did dance the night away, and I would say my "Coming Out" was successful!

So I took two naps yesterday, and was so exhausted that Don asked me if I thought I could have MONO! I told him" NO, I just had a dinner party for 30 and took a 5 month old out of town for 2 days of shopping, and stayed out until 2 am dancing! All in one week! I can't imagine why I am so tired!" We went to bed early and woke up this morning to a little surprise...

SNOW! Buckets of it! And it is still falling! We had no warning that snow was coming our way, and Don had to slide to the store this morning for formula and diet coke (the two essentials). The cupboard is bare so I do not have anything simmering on the stove. Guess I will just hibernate here with my little snow baby.

Hope you are warm and cozy at your house...

Do they make sleep masks for babies?

2010-02-04T07:21:00.000-08:00

John Stephen has a hard time winding down at night and at naptime. He is very social, and he likes to hang out with me and Don. He fights sleep until he can't make it any longer! As soon as we begin feeding him his last bottle he puts his hands over his eyes. It is like he is shutting us out so he can get some rest! He needs a sleep mask!

Not much going on here this week- I'M JUST COOKING DINNER FOR 30 PEOPLE TONIGHT!

It is for a Board Meeting at Don's office, and I should be getting a full length mink as payment for all of my efforts! On the menu: Shrimp Creole (yes, I just deveined 7 lbs of Shrimp), salad, bread, and WHITE CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING!

Luckily, John Stephen took a nap while I worked in the kitchen. Here he his with his covers over his head- another alternative to putting his hands over his eyes. Of course, I uncover his face as soon as he does this because it totally freaks me out!

Oh, and then I got started on paying bills- while my pots and pans soaked in a bubble bath.

Well, If you see any sleep masks for babies we could definitely use one!

Snow Day!

2010-01-29T07:30:00.001-08:00

Don't you just LOVE doing dishes? This is just one way I try to trick myself into enjoying housework- cleaning accessories!
It is a snow day today, and we might just stay in our pajamas all day long! Of course, I have to admit that this is nothing new for John Stephen!
He likes staying in his jammies all day, and since I am such a sweet mommy, I let him do it quite often! He seems happy about our dress code.

So we are going to do what everyone else in town is probably doing today- make a big pot of chili!
And think warm thoughts!

The bad weather has cancelled school, and they are predicting icy conditions! But, we are warm and cozy here! It might be cold out, but we definitely have a tropical vibe going on!

My House is a Wreck!

2010-01-27T19:31:00.001-08:00

I will start by saying I have no business starting a blog, BUT I love reading other people's blogs! And since I am just hanging out, watching soaps and eating bon bons all day- Why not? Honestly, my house IS a wreck and John Stephen is teething and cranky, but I can't help myself! I'm jumping on the Blog Bandwagon! Hopefully our out of town family and friends will enjoy keeping up with us here and I will be able to peel myself away from my domestic duties frequently enough to keep you coming back to visit us!