Welcome 2010! A Year of Change for Me!

We're starting a new decade and this just boggles my mind! I can't exactly remember what I was doing on New Year's Eve 10 years ago. I'm pretty sure that I was at the apartment of my friends Courtney and Emily acting silly and drinking white russians (I had no clue ha, ha). I also vaguely remember some very bad karoke. But, the fuzzy details don't really matter because I do remember where I was every New Year's Eve since...at my Darling Husband's side.

We've only made a big deal of our very first NYE together with a fancy dinner, champagne, and all of that "stuff" that seems like a big deal when you're first dating. Since then, we've spent our evenings the same way every year - at home with a nice homemade meal, wine, conversation, a good movie, and lots of cuddling. *ahem ;)

This NYE will be different because we have another addition to our family. She's only about 8.5 lbs. but she's rocked our world upside down in a good way! No, we will not be cooking an elaborate meal tonight. Actually, I'm just thinking about sticking a frozen pizza in the oven after I suck down another cup of coffee. There's something about having a newborn and not sleeping that makes good food temporarily unimportant. But, DH did come home from the grocery store with a good bottle of wine! So, we're at least sticking to that part of our NYE tradition. I also will not be disappointed if I somehow manage to be asleep at midnight. But, that's up to baby girl.

I can't stop reflecting on how my life has changed in the past 10 years. I'm a planner, a list maker, and a go getter. But, nothing about my life has turned out the way I planned. When I was 20 years old, I knew that I had the world in my hand. I was capable of doing anything I wanted and my life was going to be amazing! I had plans of graduate school, a high level corporate position of some type, power suits, big bucks, a Mercedes, cute shoes and designer handbags, and of course I'd be married to the perfect man with the perfect children and we'd live in the perfect mansion!

Now at 30, I gave up my successful career and my very nice salary which paid for my cute shoes and designer handbags (sigh...) to become a stay at home Mom to two beautiful girls, a Wife to an amazing man who has somehow put up with me for 7 years of marriage, and we live in a beautiful but "normal" home. Oh, and I don't have a Mercedes but I do drive a fully loaded Saturn SUV - Holla!!! Hey, at least it's not a mini-van because I swore that I would never be one of those mini-van Moms. (Don't tell anyone but now that I'm a Mom, I secretly think that having a mini-van with those automatic sliding doors and a TV/DVD player would be a lifesaver).

I never saw my life taking this path but I am so grateful that it did! God really does know my heart, my desires, and how to make me whole even when I don't. Praise the Lord! Having said that, I don't think that I'll make any resolutions this year except for one - to listen more closely to God and to work on being the Woman he gave me the potential to be. This will be a hard journey for me because I'm stubborn and dangit I'm tired! I'd much rather sit on the couch with a piece of cheesecake and watch re-runs of the Real Housewives of Orange County than work on myself. But, I promise to give it my best shot - for myself and my family.

God Bless you and yours in 2010! My hope and prayer for you all is that your dreams will come true and that you may all know the fullness of God in hearts.

Hugs!

I Seriously Need One Of These...

from Wine Whimsey.

But, I think that I should wait until I start getting more than 2 hours of consecutive sleep.

She's Here!

Well, I didn't make it to 12/13 for the original planned induction. Last week, I was having some major back pain and feeling lousy because my blood pressure had started to spike again. I mentioned that the doctor put me on bed rest but after one day of that I just couldn't take it any more. I called Doc back and she said to head over to the hospital. They got me hooked up to an IV and prepped to start the pitocin early the next morning and gave me an ambien to help me get through the night with a little rest. Baby girl #2 was born at 2:55pm on 12/10, exactly two weeks early!

She weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. Even though I don't recommend having an induction b/c in my experience after two of them - they SUCK - I'm glad that we went ahead and delivered. If baby girl was almost 8.5 lbs. at two weeks early, I don't even want to know how big she would have been at her due date. Ouch!



Baby girl is healthy and such a good sleeper. I'm not used to having a baby who loves to sleep and doesn't really cry. It's really weird for me and I kept asking the nurses if anything was wrong with her. LOL Daughter #1 was screaming at the top of her lungs and demanding milk NOW from the moment she was born. So, this time I know better what I'm doing and this baby is easier to take care of - so far. Hope I'm not jinxing it by saying that!

Just wanted to give my friends a little update. I've got so many blogs to catch up on! I've only got 518 posts in my Google Reader right now! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year! Always remember what is important in life and recognize that happiness is a choice! Much love to all!

On Bed Rest!

As I already mentioned, I have preeclampisa. My blood pressure was up way too high at my doctor's checkup today. So, Doc sent me over to the hospital for a bunch of tests. Doc didn't want to induce me if she absolutely didn't have to b/c I'm not quite 38 weeks along yet. After all of the tests, she gave me the option to go ahead and induce tonight or let me go a few more days on bed rest at home. I chose bed rest just to make sure my little pumpkin is done cooking!

Thank goodness my MIL is on a plane right now to help me out and watch DD while I'm on bed rest. My Mother flies in on Saturday to take over for a week. I was already scheduled to be induced on Sunday anyway. I'm going to be monitored closely for the rest of the week. So, I'll be induced sometime between now and Sunday evening at the latest. I'll be MIA for a while but just wanted my bloggy friends to know where I am!

Hopefully, I'll have some time to catch up on my blog reading now that I'm on bed rest. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes once I have the baby and things settle down. If you don't hear from me before the 25th, Merry Christmas Y'all!!! God Bless!!!

The Benefits of Being 9 Months Pregnant

As of Thanksgiving day, I am now in my 9th month of this pregnancy. Praise the Lord - the end is near! :)

There are lots of downsides to being so pregnant which I will leave out of this post because who wants to read about that? Suffice it to say that this baby has dropped way low making it difficult to move around, I'm freaking huge, and just plain miserable.

So, what is the up side to all of this pain and discomfort? That would be my fabulous Husband vacumming and twirling the Swiffer wet jet around the entire house at 10pm on a Saturday night while I'm blogging and eating dulce de leche ice cream. Now that's a pretty sweet deal! LOL

Good night y'all!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'All!

I'm taking a quick break between my T-day cooking duties to wish y'all a very Happy Thanksgiving! After 7 years of marriage, we aren't traveling this year and I'm cooking a turkey all by myself for the first time! No damage done yet, just a slight burn on my hand. LOL Let's hope the rest of the day goes ok! If nothing else, the pumpkin pie looks great and I know that I won't mess up the green bean casserole or mashed potatoes! :)

Blessings to you and yours. God is Great!

Over The Top Y'All!

Thank you to Tiffany at Memoirs of a Munchkin Mommy for this fun tag! I've seen this tag on other blogs and I've been wanting to play too! :)



The rules: use only one word, pass along to your favorite bloggers, and tell 'em you did so. Take it away.

1. Where is your cell phone? Bar
2. Your hair? Brown
3. Your mother? Caring
4. Your father? Loving
5. Your favorite food? Mexican
6. Your dream last night? Crazy
7. Your favorite drink? Tea
8. Your dream/goal? Happy
9. What room are you in? Office
10. Your hobby? Sleeping
11. Your fear? Failure
12. Where do you want to be in six years? Happy
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren't? Perfect
15. Muffins? Blueberry
16. Wish list item? Chanel
17. Where did you grow up? NC
18. Last thing you did? Drink
19. What are you wearing? T-shirt
20. Your TV? Sony
21. Your pets? Dogs
22. Friends? Supportive
23. Your life? Exhausting!
24. Your mood? Tired
25. Missing someone? Family
26. Vehicle? Dirty
27. Something you're not wearing? Makeup
28. Your favorite store? Target
29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? IDK.
32. Your best friend? Hubby
33. One place that I could go over and over? Vacation!
34. One person who emails you regularly? JT
35. Favorite place to eat? MEXICAN!

I'd like to pass this award along to anyone who hasn't had a chance to play yet. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

The Sugar Doll Award

Thank you to the very sweet Miss Prissy Southern Prep for passing along the Sugar Doll Award to me!

I'm supposed to state 10 interesting things about myself. I apologize in advance but some of this will be pregnancy related since that's all that I can think about right now, as in GET IT OUT!!! :)

1. I have swollen hobbit feet.

2. My new favorite cheesecake is the red velvet cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.



3. I'm looking forward to a nice glass of Cabernet. Maybe for New Years Eve?

4. God has blessed my family beyond measure and I am so incredibly grateful.

5. My younger sister and I could not be more opposite and I wish that we were closer.

6. My grandmother is 88 and her spirit and ability to keep doing what she wants amazes me. I mean she just went on an air boat ride through the everglades. How many people in their 80s can say that?

7. I have preeclampsia and I've become very limited in what I can physically do. Only about 3 more weeks to go before we induce.

8. I have a Masters degree in Accounting but I'd much rather be at home with my kids. When I do start working again I might consider teaching or starting my own business.

9. I want to be able to do another half-marathon in another year. But, I'll settle for a 5k without passing out.

10. I really want to build a custom home on the water and have unlimited funds to decorate it! But, I'll have to wait until we hit the lottery.

I'm passing along this award to the following sweet bloggers...
Buzzings of a Queen Bee
My Flip Flopz
The Little Princess Diaries
20 Times A Lady
A Southern Accent
Confessions of a Control Freak
Footballs and Crowns
Good Gals Inc.
Our Creative Life
Really, Are You Serious?

Just A Little Update...

Hey friends! I thought that I'd write a little update while I'm waiting for DD to fall asleep so that I can take a nap too! :)

My family left Wednesday afternoon. We had a great time together and did some sightseeing and shopping around Naples. I think that they all really liked it here and didn't want to leave our gorgeous weather! Seriously, who doesn't enjoy sunny skies, no humidity and 80 degrees in November? My husband, Dad, and Uncle went fishing for goliath grouper and they had a great time! My husband even caught one that was about 400 lbs.! It took all three of them to help pull that sucker up!

Baby News...my test results came back this week for preeclampsia - yep, it's back. I'm not surprised though b/c I had it for about the last two months when I was pregnant with DD. But, that was a tougher pregnancy than this one b/c I also had the added stress of working long hours. Being a SAHM this time has helped me manage my swelling and blood pressure a LOT! So, I'm very thankful for the opportunity to stay at home!

Anyway, no bed rest yet b/c the preeclampsia is "mild" but I'm familiar with the symptoms and can usually tell when my blood pressure is getting out of whack so I know when to just take it easy. I can't physically do much at this point anyway b/c I'm 35 weeks pregnant and huge! So, Doc wants me to do a stress test every week and continue to see him once a week until the baby is born. He just wants to make sure that I don't cross the line into the danger zone which would mean we'd have to induce earlier than planned. Right now, we're thinking of inducing around 38-38.5 weeks. So, whenever it ends up being, I don't have much time left!

Ok, DD is screaming bloody murder b/c she doesn't want to take a nap. So, I need to go. I still need to post a few awards and thank yous. Please be patient. I'm sure that my blogging will be at a minimum going forward. But, I will still be reading whenever I have a chance. Hugs and Happy early Thanksgiving!

I'm On A Little Vacation...

Hi Y'all! Cooler weather has arrived here in S. FL and just in the nick of time for my family to arrive! I'm so excited to have my Daddy here with us today. Tomorrow my Aunt, Uncle, and Grandma are flying in to visit as well. I will be busy having fun and spending time with my family so I will be away from blogger for most of this next week. But, I see that I've received some awards so thank you! I promise to tell you all about my little vacation when I return plus update you on some baby news.

Have a great week!

What A Hot Mess!

So, this hot mess is who my favorite vampire may be dating? Ewwwww....what is this girl thinking? She looks like her clothes came from a 1980's Goodwill pile of crapola. Don't these Twilight kids get paid good money for these movies?

It's a Fabulous Day!

Hello Blog Buddies!

Today is a fabulous day! Why you ask? Well, DD and I had lots of fun at story time this morning at our local Barnes and Noble. DD loves the stories, songs, and playing with the other kids. I love to socialize with the other Mommas and on our way out, grab one of these (decaf, of course - oh how I miss you sweet caffeine!)...



and one of these...

.

Now that we're home I'm about to eat one of these...



with a large (decaf again) home brewed glass of...



...served in my Tervis Tumbler of course!

Only a very pregnant woman or a person with serious food addictions would base the happiness of their day on food. But, whatever.

I'm Blushing! Thanks for the Bloggy Love!

I received an award from Short Southern Momma! Thank you so much SSM! I really enjoy reading your blog and I'm loving the fonts that you were playing around with as well! I really need to get on the ball and make my blog pretty. Does anyone else feel like your "To Do" list is a mile long? Boo!!!!



Here are the rules of the "One Lovely Blog Award":

Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I haven't been able to spend much time blogging lately but I would like to pass along the Lovely award to some of the newest blogs that I've come across. Please stop by and pay a visit to these lovely blogs!

Simple Daisy
While We're Waiting
The Seattle Smiths
The Charlotte Observer
Step Inside
Memoirs of A Munchkin Mommy

Why I Hate Wal-Mart

At the end of my last post, I mentioned my disdain for Wal-Mart. I've received a few comments in response so I thought that I would elaborate on why I hate Wal-Mart and try my best to avoid shopping there.

Before I begin, let me say that this list is not all-inclusive in my loathing of all things Wally World and is based solely on my own personal experiences in multiple store locations throughout North Carolina and southwest Florida. For your sake my friends, I really truly hope that your local Wal-Mart rocks!

1. DIRTY! With the exception of the fairly new Super Wal-Mart by my house, every other Wal-Mart I've been in is a wreck. The aisles are crowed, the shelves are a mess, and it's just an overall unpleasant environment. Granted, it has to be hard to keep a store that large tidy when you have mass droves of customers with unruly children running through the store. So, I'll give them a little bit of a break which brings me to reason #2.

2. Unruly Children! Ok, you can find misbehaving children in just about any store but lucky me, I run into more of them in Wal-Mart than any other place. I'm still somewhat of a new Mother since I just have a 14 month old and soon to have a newborn. But, I hope and pray to God that my children don't ever act like that in a store. If they do, I would leave.

3. It Smells! This complaint is specific to the aforementioned Super Wal-Mart down the road. Most of the store is ok until you get to the grocery section. You know those grates in the floor where water can run into? I'm pretty sure that something or multiple somethings crawled into those pipes and died. That smell permeates throughout the grocery section. Why does anyone buy food there? It just makes me want to accidentally spill a bottle of bleach down one of those grates.

4. Red Meat. Yeah, beef is supposed to be red when you buy it. But, your filet mignon should not still be bright red after you've cooked it to a crisp because you were so perplexed as to why it didn't look done. Never.Ever.Again. Obviously, we didn't eat it and that's what I get for buying filet mignon at Wal-Mart. My bad.

5. Habla Ingles? You can call me a snob, an elitist, a right-wing conservative nut case. I don't care. If I walk into a place of business in the United States, I expect the employees who deal with the public to both speak and understand English. I shouldn't have to play a game of charades and point to my big pregnant stomach to find out if you sell maternity clothes and then you still don't understand me.

6. Weirdos Galore! What's with all of the weirdos, scary people, and those in denial of all of their jiggly but still wearing spandex doing at Wal-Mart? I've been freaked out and grossed out on more than one occasion. If you can relate, you'll get a laugh out of this website - www.peopleofwalmart.com

For your viewing pleasure, courtesy of People of Walmart:


I so don't need to see this but it happens all the time around here. People think that just because the beach is 15 minutes away, that THIS is ok. Wrong. Oh.So.Wrong!


Seriously?! Honey, that's one rainbow no one wants to see! UGH!

7. Lack of Variety. For such a large store, I find that Super Wal-Mart has a lack of variety particularly in the household products and grocery items. They'll carry only a couple of brands of a certain item and that's it. I've been disappointed several times to find that they don't carry the products I'm used to purchasing either at the grocery store or at Target. I'm guessing they can keep their prices down by negotiating with fewer vendors. It gives them more control and I understand it. I just don't like it.

Well, Little Bit just woke up from her nap. But, I think that this list is long enough for the time being. Feel free to add your comments!

Why, Thank You Very Much!

I'm late to say thank you, but Thank You Very Much to my bloggy friends who have sent me blog awards! I appreciate you reading my blog and your sweet comments!

Prissy Southern Prep gave me the You're A Gem award! Thanks Miss Prissy! Her blog is a private read so if you don't know her, let me tell you that she is such a sweet Southern lady who happens to have the cutest new haircut of which I'm totally jealous!



This award is for the special bloggers who take the time not only to read my posts, but also leave comments, respond to comments, form blog friendships with and support others, answer blogger questions, etc. . . . the ones who are "a real gem" in the bloggy world! The bloggy world wouldn't be the same without you! The only rule for this award is to accept it, display it proudly on your blog for all the bloggy world to see your greatness, and/or pass it on to other bloggers as you see fit. So, to the following bloggers I say, "you're a gem to me" and here is your award!

I'm passing along this blog award to the following gems:

Short Southern Momma
Solar Powered
Melissa's Heart and Home
Hula Girl at Heart
Peppermint Bee

I also recently received the Best Blog Award from my fellow Florida blogger Miss Hula Girl at Heart who also shares a love for the South!



The only rules for this award are to link back to the person who gave it you and to pass it on to 15 new bloggie friends, who have fabulous blogs of their own (and make sure you let them know they an award-worthy so they can proudly display the goods on their blog). Ok, I'm passing this award along to all of my followers with blogs because I can't just choose 15! Y'all are all award worthy!

Happy Friday Y'all! As soon as little bit wakes up from her nap we're off to Publix and Wally World. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate Wal-Mart? Hmmm...there's another blog post brewing I think. :)

The Diaper Genie

When we registered for baby stuff, my Husband insisted that we get the Diaper Genie II - because it had to be new and improved over the original Diaper Genie. He claims to be very sensitive to bad smells as in he has super human smelling powers. I recalled this memory and had to chuckle yesterday morning when he was trying to help me out by changing a stinky baby poo diaper.

I was in the kitchen cooking and I could hear DH at the other end of the house dry heaving and making all kinds of pitiful noises as he endured the baby stank. Then I hear his footsteps coming heavily down the hallway and he started yelling at me to get out of his way. WARNING - this is about to get graphic. Then DH sternly asked me to turn on the kitchen faucet and to pour some soap on his hands. Yep. He had vomited a little bit. LOLOLOL Because he's a big strong man, He claims it was the combination of the baby stank and *Me* because I had apparently left the lid of the Diaper Genie open from the last diaper change (but the lid open doesn't make a difference if you're familiar with how the Diaper Genie II works). Yeah, so this was my fault! Riiigghhhtt....

I don't seem to have this problem. And TRUST me - if he had a problem with a normal stinky poo diaper and the smell that was supposedly emanating from the Diaper Genie, how would he have handled the great 2 week diarrhea episode of August 2009?

So, my question is - since it doesn't bother me, is there something wrong with me or with him? Hmmm....

Third Trimester! Hooray!

I'm in the third trimester now...finally! 12 more weeks to go before my due date on Christmas Eve. 12 Looonnnnnggg weeks. I'm really exhausted these days and feel somewhat handicapped. I do a little bit and then I need to rest - a lot! Part of the joys of being this pregnant coupled with pregnancy induced high blood pressure. But, thankfully we haven't crossed into preeclampsia territory this time and that's what I'm trying to avoid.

I know that I haven't been blogging lately but I have been trying to keep up with some blog reading. I'm slow but I'm trying! I spend most of my days taking care of DD and cleaning up her mess. I'm also trying to finish getting the house settled. It's been just over a month since we moved in. We're about 80% there. It takes all of my energy during the day to take care of DD, cooking, laundry, and to maintain the rooms we've already finished. I can't do much more than that. Some days I don't even get that far! So, my seriously darling Husband has been working on the rest of it on the weekends. He just gave the dogs a bath for me and he's working on my laundry room right now. Isn't he FAB?!

Now, all that is left is the guest bedroom. We keep the door closed because we're dreading dealing with that mess! That's where we've thrown all of the boxes and stuff that we don't know what to do with. Lots of trips to the Goodwill when we start on that room! But, it has to get done before the baby gets here. We're going to have lots of house guests and I need to make sure they have somewhere to sleep!

I've gained about 16 lbs or so at this point though I would swear that I've gained 100 lbs. I feel so huge right now. Some of my pregnancy shirts are getting to the point where they barely cover my belly. LOL Oh, well...12 more weeks, 12 more weeks. I think that I'm a lot less patient with this pregnancy even though I'm not nearly as prepared as I was with my first baby. Well, at least I've definately entered the cranky stage. Be careful what you say to me, or don't say, the way you look at me, etc. You never know when I'm going to snap! LOL I'm a pleasure to live with I'm sure. ;)

Hope you are all doing well friends. There is so much craziness and uncertainty in the world right now. Remember to keep your focus on what's important in life and to love and help one another. God Bless!

Celebrating the South!

Miss Janice is hosting a wonderful Southern Lady Celebration Giveaway. The giveaway includes a package of signed and personalized southern books by fabulous Southern Ladies such as Sister Schubert and Laurie Smith! I love Laurie! She's too cute for words and I just love her decorating style. I've been a big fan since her early days on Trading Spaces. Y'all go over and visit Miss Janice's post here if you're interested in attending the Southern Lady Celebration (wish I could!) or to enter the giveaway!

In honor of Celebrating the Southern Lady, I thought that I'd share a list of things that define the South for me. But, this list is just a small start. It's really the overall culture that defines the South for me.

1. Sweet Tea: This is just a given. As I mentioned before, I don't consider Florida to be the real South. One of the reasons why is because some restaurants don't have real freshly brewed and sweetened iced tea. They either try to serve that instant crap (I can tell the difference!) or they offer that yucky raspberry iced tea (what??).

2. Moon Pies: This needs no explanation. If you haven't had one, you must. Eat it with an RC Cola if you want the full experience.

3. Southern Gentlemen: There's nothing like a man who was raised right by his Mama! Extra points for those Gents who wear seersucker and bowties - oh, and Lilly too!

4. Southern Drawls - Southern Gentleman + Southern Drawl = Swoon! I love to hear a Southern Drawl in Florida. It just reminds me of home.

5. People With Manners: Really, I don't think that people are taught manners anymore. My old boss was actually offended when I let a "Yes M'am" slip out. She would promptly inform me how long and hard she worked to get where she was and that she wasn't some old lady so don't call her M'am because it's demeaning. Really? Does anyone else feel like feminism has killed being feminine? That's a post for another time.

6. Traditional Family Values: You can disagree if you like, but I feel like this Country has long forgot about family values and our children are suffering because of it.

7. Sun Drop: I want some now please. But, that will have to wait until the baby gets here. Dang you pregnancy induced hypertension!

8. ACC Basketball and Football Season: I'm an ACC girl. GO WOLFPACK! (I attended NC State for my undergraduate degree) Girls dressing up in school colors, boys wearing a shirt and tie, cheering on the Wolfpack and jeering those Tar Heels, Deacons, and Dookies! :)

9. Southern Hospitality: This goes back to the Southern Culture that I love and miss so much. Neighbors bring over baked goods when they see someone new has moved onto the street. Women organize enough food to last a couple of weeks when a loved one has passed or a new baby is born. Gentlemen tip their hats to ladies and hold the door open. People smile and wave at strangers because there are no strangers in the South. It's about honest to goodness morals, values, and kindness.

10. A True Love for God, Family, Freedom, and Country.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to add to my list!

PAR-TEY On A Saturday Night!

Yeah...some of you are out on dates, hanging out with friends, or wining and dining tonight. Whatever. I organized my kitchen pantry! Now, that's a party let me tell you!

We've been living here about two weeks now and I just couldn't take the chaos in my pantry any longer. I couldn't see what we had to eat! When we were moving in and brought our food over to the new house, it was literally about 9pm and my Husband was rushing me to just throw everything into the pantry so we could drive the 1.5 hours back to the old house and get some sleep before the movers showed up in the morning. This is the result...



This picutre is after I asked my sweet Husband to move all of the left over floor and wall tiles that were being stored in the pantry to the garage. There were also several leftover bags of grout mix hanging out on the pantry floor. Apparently the previous occupants never bothered to move it. That floor was gross y'all! But, it's all better now!

After about 45 minutes of scrubbing the floor and organizing our food, I have a neat pantry where I can actually see what I have! Now I won't keep buying the same thing at the grocery store. :)

Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Program...

So our first house guest in the new place flew in on Wednesday morning, got some crappy news from work that night and had to turn around and fly back home on Thursday afternoon. We're all very disappointed because we had a lot of fun planned through the weekend. Oh well.

The good news is that I got a lot of rest yesterday and I'm feeling more productive today. As soon as little bit wakes up from her nap we're going to the mall to find some more clothes to cover my ever expanding belly. That should be fun!

Then we're coming home to get busy on the housework and unpacking again. I've got a serious goodwill pile going and it's growing everyday. DH and I keep wondering how we ended up with so much crap?! I decided that the problem is that this is the 4th place that we lived in 7 years of marriage. Each time we moved, we moved into a bigger place so we had room to just stuff the extra junk somewhere so we could deal with it later. Well, obviously we never dealt with it - out of sight, out of mind! Now, I'm paying for it! But, it feels good to get rid of clutter. So refreshing! I'm just ready to get all of this mess out of the way so I can finish the fun stuff - decorating!

Alrighty, have a lovely day friends!

I'm Back Online - Sort of...

Hey Y'all! Well, we survived the move and we're now living in our new house in Naples. We already have an offer on our old house but I'm not getting excited until closing. You never know what will happen in this crazy Florida real estate market.

The movers were great and got everything loaded on the truck, moved, and unloaded in 6 hours! I think that's pretty good considering that we moved out of a 4 bedroom house. I'm currently working on de-cluttering because we only have 3 bedrooms now even though the new house is basically the same size. I'm short a closet too. But, this move has just made me realize how much crap we have that we just stuffed into the extra bedroom or closets. So, I'm going back to Flylady principles and if I haven't used it in a year, it's not a sentimental object, or especially if I didn't even remember we had it - it's out the door!

So, there's still lots of unpacking to do but I'm mostly done with the kitchen. My goal is to finish a room per day so that we can get back to some form of normalcy by next week. Oh, and we have our first house guest coming next Thursday! So, I've got to get busy!

I hope that y'all are doing well and enjoying the rest of your summer. Only about 1.5 months left before the summer heat and humidity leave and we're left with gorgeous 75 degree non-humid sunny days. I can't wait! I'm tired of staying indoors because I just can't handle this heat being pregnant. I'm almost 6 months pregnant now so I tend to swell up if I get too hot.

Ok, baby girl is sleeping and I'm going to sneak in a well deserved ice cream break. Then back to more unpacking. I can't wait for things to settle down so that I can get back to reading all of your blogs. Until then...take care!

It's A Girl!

I'm still on a blogging break but thought that I'd just pop in to say that we found out this morning...



Everything is looking good so far. Baby Girl is in the 86% percentile because she's measuring long right now. DD #1 was the same way. Actually her 1 year old birthday is tomorrow and she's been wearing 24 month size clothes for a while now. My OB saw her for the first time today since he delivered her and he couldn't believe how big she is! She's not a baby any more! :( But, at least I'll have another newborn to cuddle for Christmas!

Have a wonderful weekend!

On A Blogging Break...

Hi Bloggy Friends! I am going on a blogging break for the next couple of weeks. I have about 2.5 weeks to pack this 4 bedroom (!) house before we start moving while chasing my almost 1 yo around the house while Hubby is working. It's going to be a challenge for sure! I will miss you all!

I will post pics and an update as soon as I can. But, chances are that I won't be back until after September 1st. In the meantime, please pray for my little Missy dog. She's almost 8 years old and I'm seriously thinking of putting her to sleep. She has a condition that seems to keep getting worse, meds just aren't working any more, and I know that she's miserable. I hate to do it. It just breaks my heart. DH and I got her when we were dating. She was my first baby. :(

Can't Sleep Again...

I'm having another one of those early, early mornings. Once again, I got up for my normal 3am prego potty break and couldn't fall back asleep. I tried laying in bed for an hour and no zzz's! So, I decided to get up, check on Facebook, and read some blogs in the hopes that I'll get sleepy again. Dang these pregnancy hormones that are messing up my sleep!

Speaking of pregnancy, I just hit the half-way mark the other day! It's gone by quickly! I'm getting nervous because I'm getting bigger by the day and there's so much to be done. Plus, we're seriously thinking of moving about 1.5 hours from here in the next couple of weeks. My poor Husband has been commuting since last December for his job and he's beat after commuting nearly 3 hours everyday. Plus, the cost of gas is killing us! We can't sell our house for what we want right now so it looks like we'll have to rent it out. We don't want to be stuck with two mortgages since only one of is working. So, we found the most beautiful rental house in the town where my Husband works. It's in a gated community that even has a cute kiddie pool play area. So, I'm excited about that! I'm not sure if this plan is 100% just yet. I'll probably know for sure by the end of next week. But, I'm hoping that it works out so that I can actually see my Husband more than an hour before bed during the work week. Maybe we can sit down as a family and actually eat dinner together at a decent time? Wow!

In addition to making a final decision on our living situation next week, we are also going to find out the gender of baby #2! Plus, DD is having her 1 year birthday party next weekend. So much going on this upcoming week!

My Grocery Bill is INSANE!

Inflation, what inflation? I heard Mr. O say on the news this past week that his stimulus plan is fixing the economy. Honey, not at my house! DH and I are working on widdling down our budget the best that we can so that I can continue to stay at home at least for the duration of this pregnancy without completely depleting our savings. Ideally I'd like to stay at home with the kids until they start school but that remains to be seen.

Unemployment is over 13% in our area of FL so I might not have much of a choice but to stay home should I decide to go look for another job. Anyway - back to the subject at hand - My Grocery Bill!

Y'all, for the last several weeks I've spent on average of $170/wk. on groceries for two adults and one baby! This is pure insanity! Over the past 5-6 months I've seen my average weekly grocery bill go from $120 to $150, now to $170! I promise that we aren't eating filet mignon every night either. However, I do buy quite a bit of fresh fruit and veggies and I know that gets expensive. The good news is that we hardly ever go out to eat and I pack DH's lunch everyday. But, I am buying baby food and formula at the grocery store. Sometimes I'll see the baby stuff on sale at Target. If BJ's carries something that I use for DD, I'll get it there.

So, I need your help! If you're a coupon queen, please let me know what websites you use. Also, any links to frugal meal recipes, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Has anyone else noticed their grocery bill going up? I expect groceries to get even more expensive (along with everything else) if Cap & Trade passes in the Senate as well. I'm very concerned about the Obama administration bombarding our system with all of this new legislation that we (the Country) and we (tax paying families) can not afford. Any thoughts?

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Good morning Y'all! I'm sneaking in a few minutes of me time to catch up on blogs and post a quick update on my life. My pregnancy is going well but I get really tired. The good news is that I've been a SAHM for about 1.5 months now and my blood pressure is back down to a normal range. I haven't really had trouble with swelling yet but I'm getting close to the 5 months mark and that's when I started having problems when I was pregnant with DD. I'm hoping that this pregnancy goes a little smoother since I'm not at my stressful job this time. But, that doesn't mean that I haven't been busy!

DD is 11 months now and she is all over the place. I swear that child is half monkey. I told my Husband that we need to bolt whatever furniture we can to the walls and floor. I've caught her trying to climb the bookcases and just yesterday she tried to climb onto the back of the couch. I'm pretty sure she would have jumped had I not caught her. She also likes to hang from the handle bar on the dishwasher and stove. So, let's just say that I can't let her out of my sight for too long because who knows what she'll be up to next. My MIL asked me the other day if she's done something to hurt herself. My response was "No, she seems pretty tough and it doesn't bother her too much if she falls down or even hits something hard enough to get a bruise. My concern is more about - ok, what did DD break this time?" LOL. She's a character and I just love her to pieces.

She learned a couple of weeks ago how to hug you if you ask her for a hug. But, the most precious hugs are when she walks up to you and hugs you when you don't ask. Just melts my heart every time. This past week I've been trying to teach her how to kiss. As of yesterday she figured it out. She'll pucker up her little slobbery baby lips and plant one on you. So cute! Now, I just have to make sure to keep her away from the boys because she is certainly a flirt! Her Dad will kill me if she starts walking up to the little boys and kisses them! LOL.

I'm also working hard to de-clutter my house and get things ready for company. We have several family members coming to visit throughout the rest of the year. I know that I won't have the time or energy to get rid of all of the clutter hiding in our closets and garage after baby #2 gets here. So, I'm slowly working on that each day. I was thinking of having a garage sale when the weather cools down but that will mean sometime around October and I'll be in my third trimester by then. So, I might just give it all to the Goodwill or something. As long as it's gone, I don't care.

I'm having lots of fun staying at home with DD and adjusting from my former fast-paced, high stress professional career to being a SAHM. I've still got some learning to do but I'm getting a little better each week. I'm so proud of myself because now I cook dinner everyday and I pack my husband's lunch every morning. This is a serious accomplishment for me.

Whatever, I'm proud of my Husband for working hard and supporting his family so that I can stay home with our kids. It's a big sacrifice on his part and I so appreciate it! If I can show my appreciation by taking 10 minutes out of my day to make his lunch then I'll do it.

Ok friends, I need to wrap this up. On the agenda today - pick up some stuff from BJ's (like Sam's Club but they have coupons!), get a 1 yo birthday gift for my nephew, and check out some cars. We're thinking about trading in DH's truck for something more commuter friendly. Have a wonderful weekend!

I Hate Stupid People Especially at 4:30AM!!!

Yes, I'm awake and sitting at my computer before 6am. Why you ask? Because of some stupid idiot who called my cell phone at 4:30am. Middle of the night telephone calls terrify me. They only mean really bad news in my experience. So whenever the phone rings in the middle of the night my heart skips a beat and the anxiety takes over before I can even get to the phone.

So, at 4:30am I stumble into the living room and find my cell phone sitting beside the couch. The caller id says "Restricted" so I should have known better than to answer it but I did anyway. There was some creep on the other end of the line with a raspy evil voice saying some stuff that I couldn't understand in my half-awake state. Then I heard F*ing B@tch and hung up. Excuse me?! Two seconds later, my phone rings again with the same "Restricted" number showing up. I immediately turned my cell phone off. But, that call really freaked me out. I'm telling you, whoever was on the other end sounded possessed!

So, then I checked on DD and climbed back into bed and told my Husband about it. He seemed concerned but a few minutes later he fell back asleep. Me? Not so lucky. When I'm pregnant I have a hard time sleeping soundly as it is. I guess it's all of the crazy hormone stuff going on? Anytime that my sleep gets interrupted I have a hard time falling back asleep. After an hour and a half of trying to fall back asleep I decided to go ahead and get up. I'm not freaked out anymore -- just ticked off that some drunken idiot messed up my sleep and nearly gave me a heart attack by calling in the middle of the night. It's going to be a long Monday!

Fun at Michael's For Under $10!

Savvy is on a budget y'all now that I'm a SAHM. I've been reading about how so many of you have scored some awesome deals at Hobby Lobby lately. But, there's no Hobby Lobby around here! So, I stopped in at Michael's today hoping to find something on the cheap and I did!

I found this cute faux Garden Herb wrapped in brown paper and twine. Originally $4.99, Clearance $1.99! I think I'll find a spot in my kitchen for this.



I might wrap some real herbs and make the cute popsicle tags to give away as gifts. Wouldn't that be cute for a hostess gift at a tea party?

Then I spotted this sweet little bird. I haven't decided where to put him yet but for $.79 on Clearance I had to take him home!




Finally, my biggest deal of the day was this beautiful candle stand. It fits in with my decor perfectly. I want to put it on one of my end tables beside the living room couch but I have a feeling that little baby hands will not be able to resist it. So, I'm going to try a few spots tomorrow. Oh yeah - originally $29.99 but Clearance only $5.99! Score!



Ok, gotta run. Dinner is almost ready. We're running late tonight on eating because I got dragged into helping DH set up all of his electronic components in the new entertainment center. It looks good and I can't wait to sit down with my homemade potato soup and turkey & cream cheese toasted croissants to watch Burn Notice on USA! Have y'all seen that show? I love it!

I Need Your Help for Birthday Gift Ideas!

Hi Y'all! The entertainment center was delivered earlier today and it looks great! As soon as we get the TV hooked up and I shop the house for some accessories, I'll get some pics posted.

In the meantime, please help! Do you have any ideas for fun birthday gift ideas for a very actice 1 year old? Yes, she is walking and can practically run at this point! I'm trying to think of something that she can play on/climb on/jump on inside of the house that doesn't take up a whole lot of space. It's so hot here and will continue to be hot until about mid-October. So, I'm trying to find something that will help get her energy out inside the house where there's air conditioning because her big pregnant Momma can't take the heat for long! Thanks for your help!

Oh, and my Dad already bought her one of those rocking/bouncy horse things that she can ride on. I was thinking about a baby trampoline. I'll have to search for one online but I've seen one with a handle bar on one of DD's Baby Einstein videos.

Finally, we're getting a new entertainment center!

DH and I have been talking about and shopping for a new entertainment center for several years now. It's just one of those expensive purchases that you don't you really want to spend the money on until you find the right piece, for the right price. We finally found an entertainment center that fit our needs and our budget this weekend and I'm so excited to have it delivered on Wednesday!



I love this piece of furniture! It has dark wood like the rest of our furniture, a slight tropical look to it which is great for our decor here in FL, lots of storage where DD can't get to the DVDs and hide them all over the house, and no sharp corners for DD to bang her little head on (problem with our old TV stand). Now, I'm just thinking about how to accessorize!

Need Help With Your Nails? Enter This Giveaway!

Gwen over at Confessions of a Control Freak is hosting a fabulous giveaway in celebration of her blog's birthday! I have total nail envy towards Gwen. Her nails are always gorgeous and she's wonderful with sharing her nail tips. If you need some help with your nails like me, go check out her blog and enter her giveaway!

Any Ideas For Organizing Shoes?

Do y'all have any ideas for organizing shoes by the front door? We don't have a closet in our entryway. It's an open area. We always take off our shoes at the front door. It wasn't a problem until now that my 10 month old is walking!

DD loves to steal our shoes, put them in her baby doll stroller, walk them around the house, and hide them. LOL Who knows where you'll find your shoes! I don't like her playing with dirty shoes and I don't like searching for them. So, does anyone have any ideas for storing shoes at the front door that #1 would prevent my little one from playing with them and #2 is NOT ugly? I've seen all kinds of shoe caddies, etc. online but nothing I've found looks nice. Time to get creative!

Ugh...Tourists!

Why is it that tourists think it's ok to come Florida and walk into my grocery store in their bikini, shakin' their jiggly up and down the aisle? Honey, that mesh cover-up is not helping much either! Seriously people... Would you do that where you live?

The Good Life...

...is sleeping on new 800 count cotton sateen sheets on your new fluffy pillow-top King size mattress. DH and I aren't exactly petite people. He's 6'4" and took up most of our old Queen size bed! For the first time in almost 7 years of marriage, I was able to roll from one side to the other last night without pushing him out of the way! Plus, those sheets - amazing! If you're looking for a new set, I got mine at SteinMart. King size was only $90 for the set including flat and fitted sheets and two King size pillow cases. Go get some - you won't be sorry! How much longer until bed time? :)

It's Day One of My New Job!

Whew - I've almost survived day 1 of my new less glamorous, payless, thankless, but amazing job. I'm now a Stay At Home Mom! It's a long story how I got here but suffice to say that my long hours, stressful, high paying job (that part I will dearly miss) was a bit too much for my prego body to handle while trying to take care of a wild 10 month old who is walking rather well and a husband, two insane dogs, and oh yeah if I have time - myself!

I had preeclampsia for about the last two months of my last pregnancy and at my 10 week prenatal check-up my blood pressure was already high. So, Doc said to back off of the stress or else I'm going to end up putting myself on full bed rest early. Well, I certainly don't want that and most of all, I don't want to harm the baby. So, after a lot of discussion, DH and I decided that I should stay at home with DD at least for the rest of this pregnancy. I've been slowly backing off of my hours at the office and transitioning my case load to others for the past couple of weeks. I already feel so much better and my blood pressure went down 20 points! It's amazing what a little less stress can do for you!

Anyway, I'm really happy about this decision and I think that it will be great for our family. It's going to be really tight financially and we're going to have to make some major lifestyle adjustments. But, we can make it work. I told my Husband to remember how broke we were back in the grad school/early marriage days when we lived on ramen noodles and peanut butter and jelly. We survived that and no matter what, God has always taken care of us. I know that this change will be no different!

I have lots of chores to keep me busy for the next couple of weeks or so. Housework is a slow process when you're supposed to not be pushing yourself too hard and chasing a 10 month old around the house at the same time. But, once I get caught up on the housework I think that I'm going to try my hand at starting an online business. I have lots of ideas that I've toyed around with over the years but I've always been too busy with my day job to do anything about it. So, I figure that this is my chance! I'm going for it before baby #2 gets here in December b/c I have a feeling that I won't be doing much of anything other than taking care of babies at that point.

Y'all I'm seriously concerned about having two kids so close together! I know that this was part of God's plan and that He only gives me what I can handle (with His help of course!). But, seriously, DD and baby #2 will only be 16 months apart. The reality of the situation is starting to hit me and I'm thinking that I must have lost my mind! LOL. But, I'm not the first Momma to have two little ones in diapers and I won't be the last. Right?

So, that's what's going on with me right now. I think that's quite enough thank you very much. Everything is looking great with the pregnancy and baby #2 is measuring right on schedule with a strong heartbeat. I'm very thankful. Now, if I can just keep my blood pressure, swelling (ugh FL summer!!!), and stress under check then hopefully everything will continue to be great.

Have a blessed week friends!

My Exciting News!

Hey Y'all! I know that I've been gone for a while but I've been dealing with lots between work and home. Plus, I've been home sick with a fever since Wednesday. But, I'm feeling a little better right now so I thought that I'd write a quick post and let y'all know that I'm expecting a special delivery on Christmas Eve! That's right - I'm pregnant!

Everything looks great so far with the baby but my blood pressure is a little high for this point in the pregnancy. I had preeclampsia towards the end of my last pregnancy so given what happened last time and the current level of stress I'm under at work, I have to make some changes. I've already discussed it with my boss and it looks like I'll be a stay at home Mom by the end of the month and just working on a project/as needed basis from home for the time being. I'm not sure how this arrangement will work out but I know that this is really the best thing for our family, my body and the little baby I'm trying to grow! This change will be tough for us financially but God has always provided and has always taken care of us and I know that He will see us through.

I'll keep you posted. Now I'm going to lay back down and see if I can get rid of this stinkin' fever. I hate being sick! I'll be back when I'm feeling better.

Things That Make Me Happy and Wow! HE wasn't kidding!

It's been a while y'all but I've had a lot going on and the last thing that I want to do when I get home from work is to get back on the computer. Things are really stressful at the office right now but let's not talk about that ok? Happy thoughts, happy thoughts....

So, here's a list of things that are blessing me right now:

1. My family (love you DH and lil' DD!)

2. Sweet tea in a tervis tumbler

3. My beautiful orchids

4. The chinese take-out that DH brought home so that I wouldn't have to cook because I stayed up until midnight working last night like a chump! (Being a salaried employee = corporate slave)

5. The Real Housewives of NY coming on tonight!

So, do y'all remember this post where I talked about how I felt God laying a change on my heart? He was not kidding! God revealed this change to me about two weeks ago. I can't share just yet but it's a good thing! :) He truly does work in mysterious and wondrous ways!

Good night lovelies!

My Top 10 Google Analytics

Sweet Polka Dots and Protein Bars just posted some of her fave search terms for her blog. I haven't checked out my Google Analytics in a while so I decided to give it a look see. Here we go:

1. 21% southern savvy - Well, this makes sense!

2. 17% when can you be induced - Huh? This one took me by surprise because I haven't shared DD's birth story with y'all. Yes, I was induced a week early due to high blood pressure, swelling, and DD was getting BIG. But, I don't want to scare any of you with my 36 hour labor story so I'll just leave that one alone! :)

3. 12% when do you get induced - The answer is when your doctor tells you it's time! In my experience, it's not pleasant so really, there's no rush!

4. 9% bergdorf blondes blogspot shasta - Awesome! I love Shasta. She's just a sweetheart and has a great sense of style!

5. 7% tea giveaway - Must have been my Tax Day tirade post.

6. 7% "the metal is ready" ten commandments - Oh, this post was really heartfelt. If you're going through a tough time, take a look here.

7. 4% my life "wasn t" supposed to turn out like this - Seriously...I guess a lot of us feel this way some days!

8. 4% when is the right time to get induced - Honey, give it up already. You can't make your doctor get that baby out before it's time. Believe me, I tried! LOL.

9. 4% when can you get induced - Seriously? Someone is really ready to get that kid out! So, I looked and the word "induced" appears once in my entire blog when I talked about how I have a recession induced mental disorder. How funny!

10. 4% "southern belle" movie - oh ok. What actress should I choose to play me?

11. 4% amazing tea - I agree. Tea is amazing!

Miss USA + Perez Hilton = HUH?

First of all, I can't remember the last time I watched the Miss Usa Pageant. But, apparently it was on TV last night and Perez Hilton was one of the judges. Perez Hilton - seriously?! If he is qualified to judge class, beauty, intelligence, moral character, and refinement then this country is in serious trouble.

Just sayin' y'all...

Savvy Is A Domestic Goddess Today!

I rocked it today! We had the day off of work today for our "tax holiday" now that tax season is over. Though I don't really do many tax returns, I'll take the day off - thank you very much!

So, my poor house has been terribly neglected as of late due to an overwhelming workload, sickness, and taking care of DD who is now 8 months old and all over the place. She can pull her self up on the furniture, door frames, drawers - you name it - and walk all over the place. I'm continually finding things that need to be baby proofed that I just never thought of.

Anyway, I made the most of my day and did some housework. Yes, I took DD to daycare this morning so I could knock some of these chores out. But, on the way home I stopped at a plant nursery and picked up a new bromeliad to replace the one that died on my front porch. It was nice to walk around the nursery this morning all by myself enjoying the scenery, peace and quiet, and my Hazelnut Dunkin Donuts coffee! :)

I have so much more left to do but I think that I was pretty productive today:

• Cleaned DD's room and did all of her laundry
• Cleaned guest room, finally changed bedding (yeah, company left 3 weeks ago!)
• Cleaned main guest bathroom
• Dusted and polished breakfast room furniture and high chair
• Cleaned kitchen
• Mopped floors and a little vacuuming, got some more to do
• Soaked up mess in kitchen when my dishwasher started leaking everywhere! (of course the 1 year warranty just ended. Hopefully DH can fix it this weekend!)
• Boiled DD's bottles and sippy cups
• Countless loads of laundry
• Facebook
• Caught on up Google Reader
• Watched the Bravo A-list awards (b/c these last three are important too you know!)

Whew! I'm exhausted! I've been waiting for the pest control guy all afternoon. He was supposed to be here some time between 12-4pm but no sign of him yet. I really want to jump in the shower but you know he'll show up as soon as I get in there. Plus, I need to go pick up DD in about 30 minutes. I'll think that I'll stop at Starbucks on the way. I could get used to this stay at home Mom stuff! Oh but I guess I left out the taking care of child part. Hmmm...that could prove to be more difficult!

Have a great weekend lovey doveys! I plan on getting up in the morning for a quick trip to the Farmer's Market for some produce and then a haircut. Hope to BBQ tomorrow as well. I'm craving my famous potato salad!

Dear Washington,

I was advised by multiple news sources today that the Treasury Department has advised GM to start laying the groundwork for a bankruptcy filing by June 1st despite GM's claim that they can reorganize without filing. You have officially put me over the edge.

I'm a lady so let me just summarize by saying "WTF"? Where's my tax money that the government so recklessly handed over to the Big 3 in Detroit which they in turn used to cut more than 10,000 American jobs, slash wages, and oh yeah my favorite -- send $1 billion in TARP funds to Brazil! Many opponents to this legislation waved a red flag last year when talk of the bailout started because despite what you may believe, many voting Americans are smart enough to know that throwing good money after bad is well, a bad idea! Maybe you would have learned that concept in Economics 101 if you knew how to read which apparently most of you don't since you passed a $1 TRILLION dollar stimulus bill without reading it.

Don't write me back with talking points about how the Obama administration inherited these problems and you all are working hard to fix them because I've already heard it. Don't worry, I have plenty of words for the last administration as well. There's nothing we can do to change the past. But, we can change the present. Aren't you supposed to specialize in "change"? So far, the only change I've seen is an increase in our national debt and a decrease in our liberty. In case you've lost sight, let me remind you who is paying that debt -- me! That's right, I'm spending time away from my family and my home to earn a living and pay taxes and this is how you treat me? That's it! I'm steeping mad! So, tomorrow I will be joining thousands of other American Patriots at a Tax Day Tea Party to protest what is and has been going on in Washington. Enough is enough. We are Taxed Enough Already!

Most Sincerely,

Southern Savvy

Visit Bergdorf Blondes for an A-mazing Giveaway!

Sweet Shasta over at Bergdorf Blondes is hosting an amazing giveaway in honor of her 300th post! Check out her website and leave her a comment to get entered for this Clarisonic brush system.




Shasta is one of my fave bloggers. She has great style, a beautiful family, and a fabulous attitude!

Are you being tested or cleansed and purged for the Maker's hand?

"...Cleansed and Purged for God's great Purpose. Until at last, at the end of human strength, beaten into the dust from which he came, the metal is ready for the Maker's hand." Excerpt from The Ten Commandments movie - Moses walking across the desert.

I was watching the Glenn Beck program last night with my Husband as we normally do and I was surprised to hear Glenn give a wonderful Easter message. I've posted a clip for you to enjoy as well. You know, life gets hard. We're bombarded by the stresses of everyday life - kids, spouses, work, money, will my job be there tomorrow, family issues, hurting loved ones. I'm guilty of saying "oh, God's testing me". But, what if I've been looking at it all wrong? What if He is trying to cleanse and purge me, make me ready to be pliable in His mighty hands for His great Purpose? Have I been resisting?

I have felt changes laid upon my heart lately. I'm not completely sure about what all of those changes will be but I do know that it won't be easy. So, on this Easter weekend, I'm thinking about how God may be preparing me for His mighty Purpose in my life.

God is faithful and He knows what we need, what we need to experience to be the person He created us to be. If you're going through a hard time right now, know that God may be molding the clay. But, it's still your decision. You can resist Him and choose to let all of the struggles in your life take over. Do not drown in your despair but look toward the Heavens for a renewed spirit.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Is it just me? (So High School - I can't believe it!)

Or is Facebook just another way to be rejected by the cool kids from High School? Just another immature popularity contest? LOL! What-ever you know who you are...at least I don't need some serious botox yet. ;) Ok, no more ugly thoughts. Lord, please forgive me for being hateful.

So, do people from High School still pop up in your life from time to time? Some people never grow up and live for the drama. But, guess what - the high school glory days are far behind us at this point people. Very sad! Moving on...

I Don't Get Paid Enough for This!

WARNING: Do Not read if you aren't in the mood for a whine fest.

In case you've been wondering where I have been...I've been at work! First of all, my husband was gone all last week for an out of state funeral. I've been at home with baby girl working like crazy. Then DH comes home Friday night at the same time that my Dad, Sister, and Nephew arrive for a visit while I'm at work. Or course, on Friday night I had to work late b/c of a last minute work crisis. I got home around 8pm. Crisis isn't over so I work from 11am Saturday morning to 5:30AM Sunday morning with only a 3 hour break to get out for lunch and a little shopping with my family. Then I get about two hours of sleep and arrive back to my office Sunday morning at 9:30am and worked until 5pm without stopping. At least it's done! Of all of the weekends, I can not believe that this work stuff had to come up this weekend. I feel like I still haven't really been able to have a conversation with my husband since he got back.

Yesterday and today I had to work from home with a sick baby. She's doing much better and things should be back to normal tomorrow. But, instead of focusing on my daughter I've been having a sick anxious feeling for two days and feeling guilty about staying home with her (even though I'm partially working) just because I know that there is so much expectation coming from work. I hate feeling like this because work is NOT the most important thing in my life and I shouldn't feel bad about taking care of my sick child. Ugh! This anxiety just makes me want to turn in my resignation. Seriously, after this past weekend I felt like applying for a job at Publix. But, they'd probably tell me I'm over qualified to be a cashier or stock girl. I'm screwed!

I don't need the stress and $$ that comes with a fancy title if it means that I can't have a life and visit with my family who drove 800 miles to visit. Bitter much? Yes! Ok, I feel better now. Venting over. :)

Gettin' Busy!

Just wanted to share a funny story from this evening...

Mr. Savvy (on the phone with his brother who has a 2 year old little girl let's call her little Susie): Wow - it's 9:00pm and Susie is wide open!

Uncle Savvy: Yeah, she's wild. It's like this every night. She doesn't go to bed until sometime around 11pm.

Mr. Savvy: So, ummm, are y'all going to have any more children anytime soon? Personally, I'd love to have two or three more.

Me: (in the background) WHAT????!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Uncle Savvy: Oh, LAWD! Oh, Hellz no, I couldn't handle that. One more of these would run me out of the house for sure!

Little Susie: (in the background) I want a little brother, I want a little brother, I want a little brother!

Uncle Savvy: Susie, can you belive that Mr. Savvy wants 4 kids?!

Little Susie: (to Mr. Savvy on the phone) Y'all better start gettin' busy then!

What the heck are they teaching this child????!!! LOL!

My Saturday and a Mommy Question...

Yes, I'm totally a slacker in the blogging department. But, rest assured that I've been keeping up with your posts! I managed to steal a few minutes to blog this morning while I suck down coffee #2 and DD is taking her morning nap. I need to wake up DH as well and he won't be happy about that. Poor thing has to get up so early during the week for his long commute so I try to let him sleep on the weekend but today we've just got so much to do:

1. Mad dash total housecleaning b/c we have company staying with us next weekend and this work week is going to be insane!
2. Yard work
3. Grocery shopping, errands
4. Pre-cook/freeze a couple of meals
5. Clean out my car and wash it!
6. Tackle that mountain of ironing in my bedroom. But, hey, at least the laundry is done. Oh - except for our sheets. That's another reason I need DH to get out of bed!
7. Soak up lots of love from DD! She's growing up so quickly!

Speaking of growing up quickly - I have a question for you Mommies... Is it normal for a 7 month old to eat two Stage 3 foods at a time? For both lunch and dinner, DD is now eating a Stage 3 veggie/entree and a Stage 3 fruit/dessert. She waits about an hour or so after that and then drinks her bottle. She's never been one to eat baby food (no matter the amount) and then to drink a bottle immediately. It just seems like a lot of food but I'm not forcing her, she keeps opening her mouth and wanting more. So, I guess it's okay - what do you think?

She's not crawling yet b/c she hates to be on her stomach. She gets so mad at me! But, she's been able to walk since she was 5.5 months old (she just needs to hold onto my finger and she's off!). She's actually pretty fast at walking now and loves to chase the dogs and laugh while she's doing it! She's just not ready to walk on her own. Her daycare teachers agree that she will probably walk by herself before she crawls. I don't think it will be too long. So, DD is very active and burning off a lot of calories.

Ok, I have to jump in the shower and wake up my handsome grumpy bear so that we can get to DD's photo viewing on time. Oh, I can't wait to see her pictures, they are going to be soooo cute! I'm also preparing myself for WWIII b/c DH is so adamant about saving $$ these days (such a good hubby) and I have no self-control when it comes to DD's pictures. Seriously, I could easily spend $1,000 a pop if he'd let me. :) But, I'll try to exercise some restraint. Have a fabulous weekend and I hope that the weather is warm and sunny wherever you may be my friends!

An Amazing Tea Party!

Today I had the pleasure, no the absolute HONOR, of attending a tea party to recognize three amazing women in our community. All three women are over 90 years old, have overcome obstacles, personal tragedies, and wars. They also all have a building named after them in our area. How many people can say that?! I just can not even put into words how inspired and awestruck I was by these women, their true class, and utmost wisdom today.

About 400 local women attended the Tea which took place at our off-Broadway theatre. I would not pick that theatre to hold a Tea but the organizers did a fabulous job and it just looked perfect - pick and green was the theme of course! :)

The program was set up so that the Ladies sat on stage while one of their relatives introduced them and gave a little background on their lives and involvement in the community. A group of teenage girls in an at-risk program I'm involved with also attended. They had the opportunity to prepare questions for the Ladies and their answers had us laughing and crying.

Each Lady brought something unique to the program. The first Lady was a true Belle, full of poise, grace, faith, and humility. The second Lady was full of wisdom and her depth and sincerity will stay with me always. The third Lady is just a hoot. One of the girls asked her if a boy had ever broken her heart and how she dealt with that. Oh, Miss Thang prepared her answer by going back to her old diaries. She told us the exact dates and gave us all of the juicy details. I will never forget the date October 24, 1931! She had all 400 women in attendance laughing until our sides hurt!

As the program wrapped up I took a quick minute to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to spend the afternoon with these lovely Ladies at the tea party. I couldn't help but recognize that the three of them all had such an air of grace and class around them that I only see in old movies. Why don't women speak this way, act this way, and present themselves this way anymore? Have we been trying so hard to be successful in a man's business world that we've lost our femininity along the way? I wonder... Whatever it is, I wish, hope, and pray that one day I can live at least half the life that these Lovelies have. I think that would be pretty wonderful.

Can You Get a Rx for Recession Induced Stress, Anxiety, and Depression? Just sayin'...

I just fired up the Keurig and while everyone is still asleep, I thought that I'd steal some time to blog. I haven't posted in a while and it's because my life is moving a little too quickly right now between the demands of work and family. There's also a lot of health issues going on in both my side and DH's side of the family. So, we're worried about our loved ones. Plus, we're trying to relocate for my Hubby's job. I don't think anything else can be added to my life right now, thank you very much. LOL.

I'm also obsessed with Fox News these days. Well, just the news in general. I can not believe all of the spending that is going on in DC right now. I don't want to go into a rant here but let me just say that I feel as though we're losing our freedom and enslaving ourselves and future generations to debt and it just makes me sad and infuriated and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Ugh! With all of that going on, I barely have a few minutes to read the Twilight series before I pass out at night!

But, I'm desperately trying to work on ways to simplify my life and find more time for the things that are important and make me happy. It's just a slow process. But, progress is progress, right? Maybe I should start by going on a media fast or ask my Doctor if I can get a prescription for recession induced stress, depression, and anxiety. Do you think he'll go for that? Hmmm...

So, what have I been up to? Well, I already mentioned the Twilight series. I can't stand Bella but I like the story line and I love Edward. Nuff said. I'm on book 3 right now. I'm also working on some ideas for my own business. I've always wanted to start my own business and I write down these great ideas all of the time but I never execute. I have to change that! I want to do something fun and creative rather than so stressful and logical.

I'm also trying to cook more so if you have some easy and quick healthy recipes, send them my way! Here's one that I love and it's so easy. Plus, leftovers taste even better!

Chili Soup
1 lb. ground beef
1 med. onion
3 cans of Campbell's minestrone soup
1 can of chili beans
1 can Rotel (I like the HOT but you may want to stick to Mild or Original)
I can stewed tomatoes
3 cans of water (use the soup can)

Brown your ground beef, chop up the onions, and then throw everything into a large pot or your crock pot. It's that simple. I like to add some shredded cheddar cheese and a scoop of sour cream on top of my bowl. It's really yummy!

On the to-do list today - made dash cleaning and laundry, grocery shopping, and some sobbing over the fact that we've lost an hour of our weekend due to stupid daylight savings. Have a great rest of the day!

Savvy has been grounded. Boo Hoo!!!!

That's right y'all...I've been grounded...by my Husband. This is what I get for complaining about how much I do and how little he does. So, he offers to take over the family finances to help take some stress off of me. I have been managing our finances since before we got married. I mean, I'm an accountant. Being anal with money is what I'm all about. I have everything set up and automated on my computer and I've been doing it this way for about 6 or 7 years. You have no idea how hard it is for me to give over control like that! But, I recently joined an all girls money club and this "control" issue is one of the things that we discussed and I know it's something that I have to work on because our finances really should be a joint effort. Anyway, I reluctantly handed everything over to him after a quick session on Quicken (P.S. - QuickBooks is much better but Quicken does a better job downloading and automating transactions for personal use in my experience).

So, after I handed over all of the passwords, etc. I was feeling a little less stressed. One less thing for me to worry about right? I was even so proud of DH b/c he was up early the next morning making sure that everything was updated and reconciled. A couple of days go by and then I realize, "Oh, crapola! I have a hair appt. on Saturday and DH is going to flip when he finds out how much I actually spend on my hair!" See, like any good wife, I've been sheltering him from all of the costs that we women have to go through b/c really, men just don't get it. I'm not that high maitenance and I honestly buy most of my beauty products at Target. But, I learned a long time ago that some things I just need to leave to the professionals and that includes coloring my hair and bikini waxes.

So, I come back from the salon this afternoon, and before he even turned around to look at my hair he wanted to know how much I spent, so he could update his numbers. Now who's anal? LOL! So, my dirty secret is out and I'm in trouble! He likes my hair but said it isn't worth the price. He thinks that I need to let him color it next time and get it cut at Great Clips for $15 like he does. Are you freakin' kidding me? What's a girl to do?

Oh, well. I'm going to let him simmer down and hope he forgets about it by the time my next appt. comes around in 8 weeks (cut only, no color!). Then I'll deal it. he, he.