delirious rhapsody

topical tuesday

2012-03-06T06:01:00.012-06:00

I am really interested in hearing your answers from one of the questions Caitlin tagged me during the 11 questions meme.

"At long last, someone invents "the dream VCR." This machine allows you to tape an entire evening's worth of your own dreams and watch them. However, the inventor of the dream VCR will only allow you to use this device if you agree to a strange caveat: When you watch your dreams, you must do so with your family and your closest friends in the same room. They get to watch your dreams along with you. And if you don't agree to this, you can't use the dream VCR. Would you still do this?"

My answer was: NO FREAKING WAY. Peppy watching those dreams of me and Colin Meloy might become a tad bit awkward. Plus, my dreams are basically the only privacy I get around here.

My dreams have always been crazy for as long as I can remember. Even as a small child I would have some of the most vivid dreams. And that's just kind of a part of me that I like being able to keep a secret, although there have been many times I would like to be able to see a dream again. I remember being about five and dreaming about flying on a unicorn. My brother woke me up and I was SO angry. I hoped so badly that I could go back to sleep and continue that dream. But it never happened.

Sometimes now I have a reoccurring dream where the guy I was dating when I met Peppy is actually the father to my kids, and he comes back to take them away. Weird.

I asked Peppy about the dream VCR, and he also said no. He doesn't remember his dreams (or so he tells me) and he's not exactly sure what might pop up on the tv screen.

What about you? Would you be willing to let your friends and family watch your dreams with you?

Q&A vlog #8

2012-03-05T06:01:00.002-06:00

1. Why do I love Colin Meloy so much?

2. How do I feel about the age difference in my children? Am I glad we waited awhile before having another child?

(I feel that I should also add on to this one that we never planned to have another child after Gage was born. Then when he was around 2.5 years old I decided I wanted another baby. So we jumped on it.)

3. Do I have any advice to new second time moms?

4. How do I deal with unwanted proximity of strangers?

I probably come across as hating people, which I don't. I'm very friendly and I consider myself a nice person. I just don't go out of my way to talk to strangers is all. And when I go to the grocery store my agenda is to get all the things on my list, not to make new friends. (That still sounds bad.)

5. Did I breastfeed the boys?

You can read about my breastfeeding issues here and here. And below is a picture of my backed up milk duct that I was talking about. Yikes!

I also wanted to address an anonymous comment that I received a few weeks ago about another previous pregnancy (that happened a loooong time ago.) It's not something that I want to go into detail about on my blog, but if you'd like to email me (girl.in.a.box@gmail.com) I would be more than happy to talk about it with you.

linky love

2012-03-04T11:00:00.002-06:00

* Haley shared the website Pixel of Ink with me a couple weeks ago. Every single day they offer a handful of absolutely FREE Kindle books. Now obviously there are going to be hits and misses. Sometimes you've just got to trust your gut. But I've tried to stop by every day since I first heard about it, and I've found some really good books. Why not start a stockpile? You never know when you might need a new book to read.

* Michelle is shopping around for new baby carriers for her second child. If you've got a carrier you cannot live without, give her some input here.

* This post about international adoption of children with disabilities really tugged at my heartstrings.

* Paper mache piggy bank! So cute that I'm not sure I would want to even break it after it was filled.

* I don't usually watch the Grammys or the Oscars, but from Jodi's post it doesn't look like I missed much.

* Oh, just a couple quirks of bi-cultural marriage.

* Check out Doe Eyed Dear for that little extra something to add to your wedding or special event.

* While I cannot imagine having a houseful of children, just because it's not 'my thing' I would never criticize anyone for wanting to love lots of children.

* Now is the perfect time to start reading Amanda's blog, because she just posted a mini-introduction for new readers!

* The way Katie writes her posts is really appealing to me. Everything always flows together, almost like a poem.

* If you are a regular reader of Liv's blog, I'm sure you already love a million things about her. One of my absolute favorite things is how much her older daughter hams it up for every addition of Steppin out Saturday.

* Vanessa has a goal to complete 33 projects before she turns 33. Check out the amazing banners she made for her daughter's first birthday.

* There are a million and one different photo challenges going around, but Jenna is participating in the Morrissey 30 day photo challenge. Awesome.

* Check out Motif Number One for Vintage inspired by the New England culture.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! Gage is feeling better and I'm still crossing my fingers that the rest of us don't get sick! It's been a weekend full of cartoons and pajamas over here.

my stories

2012-03-04T06:01:00.011-06:00

This is more like a 'day in the life' but it was a pretty crazy day. So, welcome to my world.

We got home from the Radiohead concert around 3 am, and the last time I saw the clock it was 4:15. Gage came bounding down the stairs at approximately 6:38 am. You do the math. :-/ Our morning was typical of not getting much sleep. Lots of coffee and staying in our pajamas much longer than normal.

Around lunchtime the tornado sirens went off. And they didn't stop for hours. Now, I pride myself on not getting very worked up over tornadoes, because I do live in the South and that's just a part of the springtime around here. But my dear oldest child has the ability to drive anyone to a nervous breakdown whenever we have impending bad weather. The kid will hear thunder in the distance and go hysterical. It's a little insane, and at times I have to remind myself to just take a deep breath and go with the flow.

We dealt with tornado warnings for a majority of the day. So taking into account our lack of sleep from the previous night and listening to Gage's paranoia all day long, Peppy and I were definitely looking forward to bedtime. Owsley goes down to bed, and since it was Friday night, Gage and I settled onto the couch to watch Infested. Gage wanted a snack, and he had an enormous bowl of chocolate Krave cereal.

After Infested was over, Gage began to say that he couldn't go to sleep because his belly hurt. I feel the need to inform you that Gage can be a bit of a hypochondriac (and it's easy for me to look around both sides of our family and see where this little trait comes from.) So a majority of the time I just shrug it off because I'm used to his ailments, especially at bedtime when he is trying to get away with staying up longer.

We brush teeth, read books, sing songs, and then the lights are out. Peppy and I head downstairs to watch some tv when all of the sudden lightening strikes and Gage comes bolting down the stairs in tears. It takes about five minutes to get him settled, and I go back downstairs again. Ten minutes later we hear this bloodcurdling scream, and I meet Gage in the middle of the stairs saying, "I'm so sorry, Mommy. You are just not going to like this one bit."

Ummm....not going to lie. My interested was peaked, but at the same time, I was feeling a bit terrified.

That's when I smell it.

I look down and see an enormous pile of chocolate cereal vomit, as well as a continual drip leading to Gage's room and into his bed, all over Nu nu and his favorite bear. I yell down to Peppy that I need some backup, and begin to strip down Gage's sheets and change his clothes. I leave the 'fun' job to Peppy. Many, many tears were shed as I carried a puke covered Nu Nu to the washing machine.

After about 30 minutes we've got everything cleaned up and Gage has a puke bucket at his side. I reinforce a million times how if he feels like he has to puke again, he uses the bucket FIRST and then calls for us. All is quiet for about 20 minutes, and then the frantic screaming begins again.

I see him at the top of the stairs, attempting to catch his puke in his hands. When I get upstairs, the playroom looks like a sad attempt at a horror movie. There was puke everywhere. It looked like he was running around in circles, randomly puking wherever he wanted. There were three separate piles, as well as drips everywhere. Not to mention the fact that Gage was freaking out because HE was also covered in vomit.

I put him in the shower while Peppy cleans up the floor. Oh man, I can't tell you how badly I felt that he had to clean up the mess. But I really thought I was going to be sick if I had to stick my head in it. Chocolate vomit? NO! Don't give me something negative to associate with my favorite food.

Peppy and I decided to sleep in the guest room, which is right next to Gage's room. The bed is super tiny and not very comfortable, but we'd rather be able to hear him whenever he gets up, and hopefully avoid any more carpet damage.

Gage gets up two more times to vomit, but after that he begins to settle down a bit and goes back to sleep. I guess it's around 1 am by this point. I had just fallen asleep when I hear a loud WHUMP!!!.....Silence......WHUMP!!!

Something (or someone) was beating on the side of our house.

I woke up Peppy and asked him if he had heard the noise, which obviously he hadn't. I swear, men can sleep through anything. (At least the men in his family can.) But just a couple seconds later, the sound came again, and it made Peppy bolt up out of bed. It sounded like someone was beating at the side of our house with a baseball bat. Peppy thought it might be the garbage can lid, but the wind wasn't really blowing much by this point.

After five minutes of hearing the mystery sound, Peppy goes to investigate. In his boxers. With the gun. Now, I hate having guns in this house, but this was the first time I had actually felt relieved that we owned one. Being so sleep deprived already, I was feeling more neurotic than usual, and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep at all until I knew what the sound was.

Peppy didn't find anything, but he did move the garbage can away from the house. We went back to bed, and ten minutes later the WHUMPING began again, but by that point I really didn't care. And the only logical conclusion I could come to was that we are currently being haunted by the ghost of a construction worker.

I think I had to get up with Gage about six more times during the night. Saturday was another day spent in pajamas, watching too many cartoons while Gage's body regained some strength. I also got to play interference, because Owsley couldn't understand why his brother didn't want to act crazy with him. Oh, and can I add that I know why Peppy loves his old Radiohead shirt so much? I bought a long sleeve one at the show, and have been wearing it ever since the drive home Thursday night. (Yuck.) It's just that it may very well be the softest thing that I own.

Whew. Fortunately my kids aren't sick very often. And I'm just crossing my fingers that Owsley doesn't get it, because how do you teach a 16 month old to projectile vomit into a trash can? And as for the mysterious noise, we looked around the house and didn't see any damage. So I'm still sticking to my guns about a construction worker ghost.

gage says v.55

2012-03-03T06:01:00.004-06:00

Gage: When I go camping with my daddy we might have to shoot a bear.
Me: What about a Care Bear?
Gage: Well, one thing is that they live on clouds. And also, they are not real.

"I don't like navy blue because its like black is just trying to trick you."

"Why don't the mens' bathrooms have those tampon machines too?"

"Can I help you clean the kitchen? I really like to put poison on stuff."

Me: You'll never grow to be big and healthy if you don't eat foods that are good for you.
Gage: Yeah, well, at least I drink lots of milk. So I don't have to worry about my bones breaking.

"I wrote a note to remind me to keep my hands to myself. Then I remembered I don't know how to read."

Owsley was sleeping in the car and he started twitching around.
"Well, it looks like my Owsley's head is asleep, but the rest of him is still awake."

In the bathtub:
"My Owsley! You had better not drink any of this water because I peed in it first!"

turds the word

2012-03-02T06:01:00.004-06:00

Since birth, Owsley has been an uhhh....dramatic.....pooper. Even when he was breastfeeding and would poop after every single meal, it was always a pretty obnoxious ordeal. His body would turn purple and the way he wrinkled his face up made him look like a human raisin. Then there was the groaning. Oh, the groaning. And did I mention that he stares right at you during the entire experience? I swear, it's almost like he's looking into my soul. There were times when I was almost certain he was going to burst a blood vein or that his eyes might pop right out of his head. I'm not going to lie though. After I realized that he was in no way hurting himself, and that he was just a loud (and very noticeable) pooper, I began to find it funny. Especially when we are in public and people turn to stare. We have gotten some pretty worried looks. The reactions from perfect strangers usually make me laugh more than anything. And I can see the grins and hear the giggles when I get up during church to go change his diaper. Even in the Lord's house, Owsley isn't very discrete. The only time that it really embarrasses me at all is when we're at a restaurant. It'll be quiet all around us. Hungry patrons are enjoying their meals. When all of the sudden......

UUUHHHHHHHHHARRRRRRGHHHHHHH RRRRAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

People turn their heads at us so quickly that I'm afraid they might get whiplash. I mean, the very last thing you want to see when you're hungry is a fat baby taking a slam. You kind of lose your appetite after that one. (Thanks so much for your consideration, Owsley.) Oh! I forgot to mention that last week Owsley had his 15 month well check. He is in the 50th% for his height, and the 98th% for his weight! Gage was always in the 10th% all around. The intern had the nerve to say he was 'A little overweight.' Haha. I think I laughed in her face. Oops. My big boy is just perfect! And I would also like to add that I don't go out of my way to take pictures of Owsley every time he poops. I don't want to give him some kind of crazy complex or anything. But these might just happen to find there way to his senior yearbook when he graduates. Meh. I'll probably have many more incriminating pictures by then.

Oh, and for those of you worried, he's not constipated either. This is just one of his 'quirks.'

hail to the shirt

2012-03-01T06:01:00.021-06:00

We're going to see Radiohead tonight.....

.....because Peppy needs a new shirt.

We're headed to Atlanta tonight to see Radiohead! We haven't seen them live in almost four years, so I'm pretty excited. I sure hope they play some of their older stuff. :) Oh, and that shirt has definitely been worth it's $40. I'm surprised it's still holding together. And now that I think about it, it probably hasn't been washed as often as it should have been.

Four hour drive (each way) here we come! Going to concerts and coming home in the early morning reminds me of what it felt like before we had kids. Then when our children wake up two hours after we've gone to bed, I'm quickly brought back to current reality.

you got questions. i got answers.

2012-02-29T22:22:00.002-06:00

I did the 11 THINGS MEME back around Christmas time. But what do you know, it's making a second loop around the interwebz. I've been tagged twice (that I know of) but considering I've already given you my 11 facts (as well as told you 100 random things about me in Sunday Confessional,) I thought I would just answer the tagged questions instead.

Questions from Kelley:

1. What natural disaster freaks out you the most? Up until last April, I would have told you that none of them really scared me. But then we had those really horrible tornadoes in Alabama. Tornado season in the south officially starts tomorrow, and we kicked it off by having tornadoes today. I really dread the next couple of months.

2. What period of history would you like to go back to? The 1800s. Who doesn't love the word 'pantaloons'?

3. Manicure or pedicure? Never had a manicure before. I pick at my fingers all the time. But I'll take a pedicure any day.

4. What time period in your life would you like to live again? When Peppy and I first got married until I got pregnant. That was absolutely the best year of my life.

5. What kind of a parent do you think you are? I think I am fairly laid back and easy going. Although I can't tell you how I'll be when my kids are old enough to date. I hope I'm not the crazy overprotective mom.

6. How do you keep your patience with your kids/husband when they are driving you crazy? I ignore them and go on my merry way.

7. Favorite thing on TV. 'Parks and Recreation' and 'Parenthood'

8. How interested in celebrity gossip are you? negative one hundred and fifty one

9. What did you major in in college? Would you change it now? (Or would you have gone if you didn't?) I majored in Communications, minored in English, although I never finished my last year. The only thing that I regret is that I didn't really care about school when I was going. I just kind of breezed through my classes without paying too much attention.

10. Are you a firearm owner? Peppy is the accountant at one of the largest gun retailers in the United States. We currently own three, and I absolutely hate it.

11. Favorite thing about yourself (looks or personality). My sense of humor. I can always keep myself entertained.

Questions from Caitlin:

1.If you had a choice between a year in Europe, all expenses paid plus a $2000/month stipend, or ten minutes on the moon, which would you choose? Danger/possibility of shuttle explosion is not a concern. Neener, neener, neener. I'm going to the moon! And I'm not coming back.

2.Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? Doing the right things. I definitely don't worry if I'm doing things right or not.

3. If you were someone else, would you be friends with you? Why or why not? Yes, because I would see that this Deanna girl always has fresh cookies and cupcakes at her house.

4. Have you ever read a book that totally changed your perspective or beliefs? What book was it if so? Yes. I never believed in the power of true love until I read the Twilight series.

5. What would you do differently if you knew no one was judging you? What about God? He's not judging me either? Well.....in that case....a lot of acid.

6. At long last, someone invents "the dream VCR." This machine allows you to tape an entire evening's worth of your own dreams and watch them. However, the inventor of the dream VCR will only allow you to use this device if you agree to a strange caveat: When you watch your dreams, you must do so with your family and your closest friends in the same room. They get to watch your dreams along with you. And if you don't agree to this, you can't use the dream VCR. Would you still do this? NO FREAKING WAY. Peppy watching those dreams of me and Colin Meloy might become a tad bit awkward. Plus, my dreams are basically the only privacy I get around here.

7. If you could only watch one television show for the rest of your life (all seasons, all episodes) what would it be? Something funny. Probably 'To Catch a Predator.'

8. If you could acquire any talent in the world instantly, without actually working at it, what would it be? I wish I could draw. I mean, everyone knows how to draw. I just wish that what I envisioned in my head is actually what made it's way to the paper.

9. If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Some sleepy little beach in Mexico.

10. What celebrity would you most like to have dinner with? Steve Buscemi. I kind of love him. In a really weird way. I named my first car Seymour, after his character in Ghost World.

11. What are your top five favorite songs? I honestly have no clue because I probably don't even know the names of my top five songs. I can never remember song names. Ever. Especially since most of the time the title has absolutely nothing to do with the song. Way to be vague and cryptic, you artsy musicians.

(what i've been wearing) wednesday

2012-02-29T06:01:00.014-06:00

What I wore to Memaw's house, where we had to leave after an hour because Gage came down with a mysterious stomach virus that lasted four days:
shirt: Burke's
tank: Goodwill
jeans: Forever 21
earrings: Earthbound Trading Co.
boots: Burke's

What I wore to breakfast with Peppy and the boys:
cardigan, jeans, shirt, beanie: Forever 21
boots: Urban Original
necklace: from Peppy
earrings: Earthbound Trading Co.

What I wore to Owsley's 15 month check up and then a coffee date with Peppy:
dress: Marshalls
earrings: Forever 21
boots: Urban Original
This dress has been in my closet for years and I had never worn it a single time. The fit of it has always seemed a little awkward to me, but I thought I would try to step out of my comfort zone for just a couple hours. I mean, this is something I would wear to go to a concert or on a date night. Just not anything to wear for the heck of it.

What I wore to church:

dress: Forever 21
tights: Forever 21
earrings: Burke's
scarf/belt: from Joanna
boots: Burke's
I've worn this dress so many times since I got it around Christmas. You know how your prom dress and wedding dress supposedly 'speak' to you? Well, I never went to the prom and I didn't have an official wedding, but the first time I saw this little shirt dress, it did speak to me. I knew I needed it in my wardrobe. And I feel a little giddy whenever I wear it. Every single time that I've worn it, I've paired it with different tights, shoes, and accessories. It's just so versatile!

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy.

topical tuesday

2012-02-28T06:01:00.017-06:00

This week's question is brought to you by the new season of Degrassi beginning this past week. I can't tell you how excited I was to see a new episode unexpectedly pop up on my DVR list. I've been watching Degrassi for about 12 years, and I just can't seem to turn away. I think it originally appealed to me because the cast isn't your stereotypical 'beautiful' teenage cast. And they actually face real dilemmas, like drug use, rape, and high school pregnancies. On Sunday night, Peppy asked me if I'll be watching Degrassi when I'm 60. The show is just like crack to me. There are so many other teenage dramas that I've grown out of, but Degrassi seems to stay close to my heart. (Even though the cast that I originally started watching have long since grown up and probably now have children of their own.)

Do you have any guilty pleasure tv shows? Do your friends or family give you a hard time about them?

Q&A vlog #7

2012-02-27T06:01:00.005-06:00

1. Can I play any instruments? After I recorded this I realized I said I graduated 8 years ago. It was actually 10 years ago. Ahhhh! Where has the time gone?!?

2. What are some of my favorite hobbies?

3. Did I know I was having boys during my pregnancies? What are some of my favorite girl names?

4. Who is my favorite superhero?

5. What advice would I give for a new vlogger? I don't know why there isn't a screenshot, but it still works.

Anything in particular you'd like to hear me ramble on about? Just drop a comment below! For curiosities sake, who watches these little videos?

mr. earl and his magic hands

2012-02-26T06:01:00.002-06:00

Earlier this week I got a surprise email from Groupon telling me that someone called 'Penisfacio' had purchased a Groupon for me. A 60 minute stress buster massage.....from a blind man named Mr. Earl. (If you are still curious, Penisfacio is apparently Peppy's pseudonym.)

So according to his website, this Earl guy went blind in his 20s, and began studying massage. He feels that with one of his senses gone, his other have been heightened, and he has been given the gift of touch. He says he can feel where your aches and pains are, and takes them away.

I don't mention it much on my blog, but I've have moderate back pain since Owsley was born. He's a big guy, and after toting him around all day, there are evenings where I just prop up on the couch and zone out. My back hurts!

I've also never had a massage before. I just don't know how comfortable I would feel about being half naked on a table in front of a stranger. But with Mr. Earl, well, he can't see me, so that makes me feel more at ease. Although, to be perfectly honest, I was a bit intimidated when I first saw his picture.

This is Mr. Earl (taken from his fb page.) I cannot wait to meet him and get my stressed filled back the relief that it deserves.

Have you ever found some awesome groupon deals in your area? Right before Christmas we bought Gage one of those enormous remote controlled helium sharks for $12. Huntsville has some pretty cool local stuff most of the time as well.

gage says v.54

2012-02-25T06:01:00.005-06:00

Gage: Owsley smells like a zombie.
Me: And what does a zombie smell like?
Gage: Well, bad, of course.

"Santa has a bunch of reindeer.......Prancer, Dancer, Cancer, and Rudolf."

Gage: Are giants real?
Me: Nope.
Gage: Well, how do you explain Paul Onion?

"I just wish I was 100 years old because then my daddy would let me go up into the attic."

Me: Do you want to go play upstairs?
Gage: Let's wait to see if Owsley is going to poop. I bet it's his plan to go to my room and stink up all my stuff.

"Do you think anyone has ever played a joke and pushed God off of a cloud?"

"Sometimes when I fart it's kind of funny because it lets out this hot heat from my bottom."

Me: It's getting dark, you won't need your sunglasses outside.
Gage: I know that already. I just like to look cool.

Just so you know, Gage said he wanted everyone to win. :)

come on kindle, light my fire.

2012-02-24T09:58:00.001-06:00

source
It's been a little over two months since I got my Kindle, and I thought I would take a moment to talk about it. You know, give you all my own little review. All opinions are completely mine, and you should remember that I'm pretty much a technology virgin. So I really have nothing to compare it to.

All I knew was that I wanted some sort of E-Reader for Christmas. I had no idea what a Kindle Fire was. I knew what a normal Kindle was, but I was completely unaware what the newer, fancier version that Peppy insisted I get was.

The main thing that I noticed was just how user friendly it is. This is a BIG issue for me, considering how ignorant I am to electronics.

I'm reading more- I have read seven books since the new year! And I'm not talking about The Berenstein Bears or Pokey Little Puppy. I'm talking about real books. I've always loved reading, but we don't get to make it to the library as much as I'd like. Before we moved last year, there was a library right down the road. Now it's about a 15 minute drive, and there is no way Owsley would stand still (or even let me hold him) long enough to pick out a book. **Fun fact-My senior year of high school, one of my classes was as teacher's aide in the library. It was also the librarian's lunch time, so she was never around. In the middle of pushing around the cart to re-shelve books, I would usually end up sitting in the floor and reading instead.

Book sampling- It's so awesome to be able to 'test drive' a book before deciding if you really want to purchase it or not.

Free books!- There are way more free books than I thought there would be. Even someone who is on a limited budget has lots of options. There are children's titles as well. I have downloaded a handful of books for me and Gage to read together. Ohhh! And free audiobooks too. If I need a quiet minute, I'll hand off the Kindle to Gage and let it read to him about dinosaurs or trucks.

There's an app for that- OK, like I said, I didn't know squat about smartphones/tablets and their apps. There seriously is an app for everything. And while I definitely haven't gone overboard, I will tell you that Angry Birds, Stupid Zombies, Hangman, and WordSearch have quickly become my favorite ways to waste a bit of time. I have also downloaded a little piano and this app where you can break light bulbs because Owsley enjoys that.

I can read in bed. This might not seem like that big of a deal to you, but it is to me. I hate getting out of bed to turn off the light, and I don't have a lamp on my side of the bed. Growing up I would often rig a string to the light switch so that I could turn off the light from bed. I love being able to just close my 'book' and go to sleep.

I don't ruin the book for myself. Ok. So I have this bad habit when I'm reading a paper book. If something really interesting is happening, sometimes I'll flip through a few pages to see what happens. I just can't seem to stop myself. I'm so impulsive that way. But I don't skip ahead with the Kindle. It's amazing!

After telling my parents that's what I wanted for Christmas, I ended up reading some negative online reviews. People said it was too heavy, that it got too hot, and that the on/off switch was in a weird place. Like I mentioned above, I have absolutely nothing to place this in comparison with. But in my (oh, so humble) opinion, it is definitely not too heavy and I've never had an issue with heat. (Even when it's been on for 3+ hours during long car rides.) And the fact that someone would complain about where the switch is is absurd to me, because (for the most part) you can rotate the screen to whatever angle you'd like.

Do you have an E-reader or a tablet? What are some of your favorite apps? Anything you especially like or dislike?

pay it forward friday: month 2

2012-02-24T06:01:00.001-06:00

It's the second month of Pay It Forward Friday!
Pay It Forward Friday is my personal goal for 2012. I want to do 12 random acts of kindness throughout the year. One Friday out of every month of the year, I'll be posting a link-up for you to include all the ways that either you have paid it forward to someone that month, or that someone has shown you a spontaneous act of kindness. Now, this isn't going to be a link-up to give ourselves an online pat on the back or to boast about how amazing we are. Instead, I hope that it will help us encourage and inspire others. Reading about the generosity and compassion of other is sure to lift spirits!

Last month Courtney Jo and Jamie mentioned dropping little random notes and goodies around their cities, for lucky strangers to stumble upon. I thought this was a great idea! So I decided to steal it. :)

Earlier this week Owsley had his 15 month well-check, and his pediatrician's office is right next door to the public library. Before we left home I wrote 5 little notes and put them in envelopes. When we got to the library I went straight to the "NEW BOOKS" rack, and put the cards in some of those books. Hopefully reading one of those cards put a smile on a couple faces. I don't know about you, but I would love to stumble upon a random word of encouragement.

I also want to share how someone paid it forward to Peppy's family while he was in Arizona. One afternoon Peppy and Tim (Suzie's husband) were meeting with the preacher who would be speaking at Suzie's memorial service. When they got back home, someone had left two full bags of groceries on the front porch. At such a sad time, it made Peppy feel so good knowing how many people had cared about his mother.

If you participated, link up! (If I somehow screwed up the linky, just do it in the comments!) I'd love to read how you paid it forward (or someone paid it forward to you) this month. The next link up will be on Friday, March 24th. Feel free to snag the button if you participate. Thanks!

what about me?

2012-02-23T06:01:00.010-06:00

I am probably going to apologize in this post more than once. If I were to be the heroine is some novel, my biggest character flaw would be my incessant apologizing. Sometimes I'll even bump into an inanimate object, and I'll mutter a 'Oops! Sorry' before I can even stop myself.

It's been almost three weeks since Suzie's death, and my life has been a nonstop whirlwind since. I feel myself being pulled in a million different directions at once. At times it's so overwhelming that I have trouble catching my breath, and I'm worried that I might start hyperventilating at any moment. Other times I feel like a trapdoor beneath me has opened, and like Alice, I am falling....falling.....falling.

I try to be strong for Peppy. I try to put on a happy face for the boys. Especially for Gage, who is so worried about his daddy. But what about me? I am sad too. I am so freaking sad.

Sad for my husband (and his sister), who will never see their mother again. Sad for Tim who has to go home to an empty house. Sad for Granny and Poppy, who had to lose a child. Sad for my children, who will never get to know their MoMo. Sad for Suzie who had her life cut too short. And sad for myself, because I loved Suzie too. And this is hard for me too.

And I'm angry too. So, so angry. At times I think, 'Dang it, Suzie! Why did you have to die and leave Peppy so sad?' Like it was her fault or something. Then I realize how ridiculous I sound. But it doesn't help anything.

And then I feel like I should say I'm sorry again. Because this isn't about me. At all. But this is my blog. And this is where I come to vent. This is my outlet. And I'm sorry if this is taken the wrong way, but right now I don't really care. (My husband is generally the first one I go to when I'm upset, but that is currently not the best option.)

I feel like everything I say is taken the wrong way. I think a good analogy would be how hormonal and emotional I was after the boys were born. Peppy would say something to me, and I would take it the wrong way and break down. I say things around here, and they are misconstrued. And I am not blaming Peppy in any way, because I can't imagine the pain he is feeling. But sometimes I just want to close down and not say anything at all, because that just seems easier.

Before this, I never thought about how the spouse of someone who lost a loved one would feel. But now I know. And I'm going to make it my goal to ask them how they feel. And here I go, saying I'm sorry again. Because I don't want to sound like I'm some bratty kid, who wants everything to be about me, me, me. That is not it at all.

But I just look around and feel helpless. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say. I'm being ripped in every single direction a million different times a day. With each passing day, things seem to get a tad bit worse, and it is absolutely heartbreaking.

All I know to do is pray. So that's what I've been doing. God has definitely seen me and my most vulnerable lately. I don't want you all to feel sorry for me either. That's not why I'm posting this. Like I said, I just needed somewhere to vent for a bit. Knowing me, I'm going to instantly feel better (and maybe a little like a whiny brat) as soon as I hit 'publish.'

And yeah, I know Peppy will read this, although I don't know exactly when. I know he reads my blog, but I'm not sure of the frequency. Could be today. Could be next week. And for that, I feel like I need to apologize to him for posting this, because it's going to make him feel badly for me. (Me and Peppy. The perfect pair because of our screwed up emotions.) And that wasn't the intention of this post either. He's doing his best, and I can't even fathom how painful this is for him.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4

Then, in the really awkward situations, my main character would do what she does best. And that's change the subject to something more lighthearted. Something that she doesn't have to apologize for.

Wow. My hair sure is getting long. How 'bout those Giants?

(what i've been wearing) wednesday

2012-02-22T06:01:00.003-06:00

What I wore to my Grandmother's birthday dinner (and first place in this week's awkward pose contest):

top: Charlotte Russe
jeans: Target via Goodwill
moccasins: Charlotte Russe
earrings: Forever 21
necklace: from Peppy

What I wore to our cousin's fourth birthday party:
top: Forever 21
earrings: Forever 21
pants: Rue 21 (I think.) I've had these since my junior year of high school.
moccasins/not shown: Charlotte Russe

Owsley was with me when I was taking my pictures, and every time he heard the self timer clicking, he would run around in front of the camera. My other two attempts were half filled with his big head.

What I wore to church, where my dad told me I looked like a smurf:
dress: Ross
striped shirt: Forever 21
tights: Forever 21
earrings: Earthbound Trading Co.
boots: Urban Original

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy.

meet my sponsors.......mr. & mrs. smith

2012-02-21T11:00:00.001-06:00

I'm Natalie, wife to Tyler, and stay-at-home mama to two sweet little dudes - Parker and August. We hail from that old West Texas town of El Paso and couldn't love it more. I'm silly, sarcastic and shy all rolled into one. Currently I'm trying to get my feet wet and start my business of designing blogs at Fifth of August - it's something I love to do and am very excited about. I started Mr & Mrs Smith so that I could have a journal of sorts to share my stories, thoughts, ideas, photos, travels, and life. It is also a catalog of things that I love and things that inspire me.

--personal blog--pinterest--twitter--design blog--

Psss.....Natalie is currently hosting a giveaway for a $50 Target giftcard to one of her readers! Oh! And if you like my blog design, Natalie is who designed it! So if you're trying to rid your blog of it's current ugliness, check out her portfolio!

topical tuesday

2012-02-21T06:01:00.001-06:00

I consider myself a fairly good speller. But there are some words that I just never seem to get right. The first ones that come to mind are 'necessary,' 'conscious,' and the name 'Michael.' (I always get the 'a' and the 'e' backwards.) Oh, and 'diarrhea' too. Although I'm not really sure why I've ever really needed to spell that word very often.

What are some words that you can never seem to spell correctly? Or are you just a bad speller in general? Thank goodness for spell-check!

sneakpeeq giveaway!

2012-02-20T10:00:00.003-06:00

Are you familiar with sneakpeeq? It is the largest and fastest growing social shopping company on Facebook. Sara of sneakpeeq recently approached me about hosting a giveaway for my readers. Having not heard much about it myself, I asked for more info. And it seemed really awesome. Basically how it works is that sneakpeeq is online shopping with short sales, great deals, and new stores daily. Everything has a fixed price, that you can lower further by being more active on sneakpeeq and earning badges.

Taken from the website:How does sneakpeeq work?

Every day, we put a new set of amazing products from new brands on the site. We then take what we know about you as a sneakpeeq shopper (aka "peeqer") and present you with 3 products that we think you'll like the most. The more you participate on the site the better we can predict your personal style. You can also browse through the other stores and like, love, share, and peeq to help us learn more about you.

By playing around on the site, and sharing, peeqing, and buying items you can unlock badges. Some badges have the power to lower the prices even further!

Sneakpeeq is offering one of my readers a $25 giftcard that can be used on your favorite food, style, and home products- that goes a long way in their (600+) amazingly low priced boutiques! But even if you don't win, sneakpeeq is giving you a 20% discount off your next purchase, just for entering. Come see all the thing you love, but haven't yet discovered. Sneakpeeq only has new products that you have never seen before.

Enter the giveaway by clicking THIS LINK and joining sneakpeeq. It's so easy! You don't even have to comment here. (But you do have to have a Facebook account to join.) Giveaway goes on for two weeks. And the winner will be notified on 3/5/12.

*Sorry, but this giveaway is for US residents only!

Q&A vlog #6

2012-02-20T06:01:00.007-06:00

If ever you wondered where our friendship stands, please take note of my marvelous appearance in these videos. It was 8:30 on Wednesday night. I had on no makeup, and my hair hadn't been washed in three days. Plus, I was getting the onset of a cold. (Thanks, Delta Airlines. I knew I should have worn my swine flu mask.) You are that kind of friend to me. No, please don't take it the wrong way. It's not that I don't care about you enough to prettify myself in your presence. It's that I feel we are close enough that I don't need to do anything to my appearance. I feel like I don't have to impress you. That you love me just being plain and simple.

That's the kind of friendship we've got going on. :) The absolute best kind there is. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

All right. All right. Maybe I'm just lazy. But either way, I'm glad you're here. On to the questions!

1. What ever happened to that vein problem I had?

You can read about my old lady hand here.

2. Do I ever get any time to myself?

Yes, you did hear correctly. Gage said, 'Sometimes Mommy beats me up.'

3. Have I always lived in Alabama?

4. Talk about Gage's teeth. (Or lack thereof.)

5. What are my favorite meals to cook?

As always, if you've got a question, just drop it below. I've got enough questions for one more post. So if you want these vlogs to keep coming, ask some more stuff! (The weirder, the better.)

linky love

2012-02-19T06:01:00.012-06:00

Here are a handful of awesome things that have been going on with some of my sponsors this past week. Check them out!

* Pogo is a service dog who has recently been injured. You can read more about her story here. Jamie is hosting a giveaway on her blog to help benefit Pogo. Help a dog, win a book!

* I often think Holly's son Jack is a kindred spirit with Gage. I can tell that we live in similar worlds.

* I obviously have no experience with little girls, but Liv's post about her two dancing queens made me smile so big.

* This is on my menu for next week. Thanks, Vanessa!

* I love sweet potato fries, so why not try some sweet potato chips?

* Jay shares an easy tutorial for a super cute boho bangle bracelet.

* Michelle posted about how her dad looked just like the king from Tangled. See for yourself. (Spoiler...she was right!)

And to wrap up this week, I want to share a little story with you. Peppy was talking on the phone with his aunt, when his uncle came on and started singing Let it be. The song got stuck in his head, and he wanted to hear it while we were in the car. While looking it up, I found what might be the worst (or best) Beatles cover. Ever. Sure, you may not get this 2 minutes and 7 seconds of your life back, but I can't tell you how hard I laughed. (What else were you planning on doing the next two minutes anyway?) I just wish I knew the back story.

gage says v.53

2012-02-18T06:01:00.023-06:00

"Owsley doesn't understand Valentine's Day like I do, because he doesn't know what it feels like to be in love."

"My Granna probably has more money than anyone in the world, because she's always buying me lots of stuff. "

Peppy and I were bantering back and forth over the gross stuff he used to eat as a child.
Peppy: If you don't believe me, just ask my mom.
Gage: Did you forget? YOUR. MOM. IS. DEAD.
(Maybe a little weird to post that one. But the way he said it made me and Peppy laugh pretty hard.)

"I got a real gun. And in case you were wondering, it smells like a real gun too."

"At my school someone said 'balls' and had to go to Time Out. But I don't know why, because balls are not a bad thing to say!"

A black man walked out of the gas station.
Gage: There's my daddy!
Me: Are you sure?
Gage: Well, he does look a little different. Maybe he got a new haircut.

"Ok. So I know that babies grow in the Mommy's belly. But how do they come out of there?"

We had just pulled out of the driveway:
"DADDY! If you do not buckle up RIGHT NOW, I am going to come up there and kick you!"

"Can someone give me a pen, I need to write a new testament in my Bible."

Well folks, can you believe it's been one whole year since I started 'Gage Says'? This calls for a mini celebration, I do believe. So I have let Gage choose a handful of his favorite books for a giveaway! (You can still comment below, even if you don't want to win.)

One reader will win copies of:

All three of these books are favorites around here. And I can give you my personal guarantee that you will enjoy them too, whether or not you have children yourself.

To win, you must be a reader of my blog. You don't have to be a 'follower,' because I know not everyone has a google account. Just leave a comment with a way to get in touch with you if you win.

*Extra Entries* (leave each entry in a separate comment.)
(+1) Be a follower of my blog.
(+1) Tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to mention this link and @deannafike

The winner will be picked on Saturday the 25th. Good luck!

Also.....the winner of the TOMS giveaway was comment #36, Alyssa. Congratulations, Alyssa! I'll be emailing you later on today. Thanks to everyone who participated. I look forward to more fun giveaways like that in the future!

baby burrito, hold the sour cream. order up!

2012-02-17T06:01:00.004-06:00

Look at this kid. This enormous monster who insists on trying to go down the steps all by himself. This child who will climb onto everything like a mountain goat, and has a stomach of steel. My 15 month old spawnling who thinks he is as big as his older brother.

Yeah. That baby who wants to have absolutely nothing in common with other babies. Well, he sleeps like this....

See, my wannabe big boy does have a few baby tendencies left in him. It's actually been a lifesaver at times. When he was small and nothing would console him, all we had to do was wrap him up like a burrito. And he was instantly calmed. Even now, all it takes is a swift twist of your hand to swaddle him up, and he becomes putty.

The only difference is that now his NuNu fits a little differently.

meet my sponsors....soul singing liv!

2012-02-16T11:04:00.001-06:00

Hello, my name is Liv and I am a free-spirited, new experience craving, music loving, peace seeking, soul singing butterfly. My blog is a special place where I store away all of my treasures, a place where I record our daily adventures and reflect on the simple blessings in life. I love writing, learning new ideas, making music, taking photos, and collecting sentimental pieces. I spend my days balancing my time between working as a nurse and building a career I am passionate about while also being a wife and mama to my precious family. Together, we spend our days striving for peace in our hearts, kindness in our words, and adventure in our souls.

--blog--

a (kinda, sorta) picture post

2012-02-16T06:01:00.017-06:00

Things are slowly getting back to normal around here. Well, I use the term 'normal' very loosely because our norm is going to be a bit different than what it was just a couple weeks ago. I'm going to be making some personal changes in my life. And I expect Peppy to be sad for a while. So we're just taking it one day at a time. Although I can tell you that our love is even stronger now (which I didn't realize was possible) and I am appreciating things in a way that I didn't do previously.

If you couldn't already tell, my plane didn't crash and we made it back home safely. On the first plane to Atlanta (it was only supposed to be a 30 minute flight) we were stuck on the plane for an hour and a half before we took off. They kept stalling and making up excuses. Finally an hour later they told us they were waiting for a mechanic. And since we were all already on the plane, we couldn't change flights. When we landed in Atlanta I was supposed to have an hour and 45 minutes layover. Instead, I had 30 seconds to find my connecting flight. I was the very last one to board before takeoff. It was kind of crazy.

Suzie's memorial service was wonderful. And emotional. Everyone that spoke had such inspiring things to say. And I was so proud of Peppy for getting up there and speaking about his mother. He did an amazing job. Tim let us go through Suzie's things and take whatever we wanted. There were so many memories. And it broke my heart trying to squeeze an entire lifetime into one suitcase.

Obviously my trip to Bisbee was not for leisure, but I did take some pictures of things that I would like to show you. Even though I was only there for two days, I fell in love. Bisbee is an old mining town, and things there just move a little bit more slowly. People there were so friendly. It was easy to see why Suzie loved living there so much.

After I dropped off the boys at Memaw's house, I had about an hour before my ride stopped by to take me to the airport. And what else could I do to pass the time than take nervous looking pictures in the mirror?

That's what I looked like, but this is what I felt like.....

Suzie and Tim's house

This apartment complex used to be a hospital and a mental institute. Don't know if I'd want to stay there or not.

The dinosaur and spider web were from this really cool iron works shop, called Metalmorphosis.

When Suzie and Tim first moved to Bisbee, Suzie worked at the Copper Queen. It is supposed to be the most haunted hotel in America. And it has been featured on Ghost Hunters. Now, I don't know where I stand on ghosts. People have had some really believable experiences, but I've never had one myself. But I will tell you that I was surprised when this little orb showed up on the next shot. Especially since I was not using the flash.

Kind of felt like The Shining.

We were this close to bringing Peanut home with us. Peppy really wants a dog now.

Just what Gage needed. A sucker with a scorpion inside.

My parents put the kids to bed at our house on Sunday night, because our flight was getting in really late. The boys hadn't seen their daddy in a week. And they were SO excited to see Peppy the next morning.
We dropped Gage off at school and the three of us headed to Little Rosies for breakfast. It's one of our favorite places. But we don't go there much anymore because it's all the way across town.

Cupcakes for Gage's Valentines party. Not made from scratch. Nothing pinteresting here.

Peppy brought me this Jamaican gnome after he picked up Gage from school. I guess I really have seen it all. He doesn't necessarily fit into this post, but I felt little Marley Juana needed to be mentioned.

Friday has really snuck up on me. So this month's Pay it Forward post will be next week instead!

calling all march sponsors!!

2012-02-15T10:00:00.009-06:00

**All payments from March sponsors will become a lump sum donation to The Verhelst Recovery House. So not only are you sponsoring one of your favorite (right??) blogs, but you're also supporting a good cause. Just think about it. :)

Think you might be interested om sponsoring my blog? Awesome! There are three ways you can become a sponsor.

1. Host a giveaway. If you decide to host a giveaway, you will have a rotating 150x150 spot on the right column of my blog. You will also be featured in four link posts throughout the month.

2. Send a product for me to review. I'm all about checking out stuff that might be interesting to my readers. However, I reserve the right to determine whether or not the fit is suited for my blog. You will have a rotating 150x150 spot on the right column of my blog. You will also be featured in four link posts throughout the month.

OR

3. Purchase an ad. I'm offering up two different sizes of ad space:

What will you get?
*a rotating ad space on the right column of my blog (larger ads will be above smaller ads.)
*four separate mentions of your blog in a weekly link love post.

Feel free to email me at girl.in.a.box@gmail.com with any questions, or if you'd like to haggle. I'm easy, so I'm sure we can come to some sort of partnership. :)

(what i've been wearing) wednesday

2012-02-15T06:01:00.001-06:00

I honestly don't remember where I wore this outfit. It's been so crazy around here lately. But I will say that if I were to give an award for *awkward pose of the week* this would be top contender:
cardigan: TJ Maxx
top: Forever 21
jeans: Burke's
glitter shoes: made them!
earrings: Charlotte Rousse
necklace: from Peppy

What I wore to take the boys to SciQuest and then lunch at McDonald's (at Gage's request):
top: Forever 21
jeans: Forever 21
earrings: Burke's
shoes: Urban Original
tank: Goodwill

What I wore to spend the day at Memaw's:
jean dress: Ross
belt: Hawaii via my in laws
leggings: Walmart
boots: Burke's
earrings: Burke's

The TOMS GIVEAWAY ends tomorrow at Midnight, so be sure to get those last minute entries in! :)

And as always, linking up with The Pleated Poppy.

the origin of the valentine vampire

2012-02-14T08:42:00.000-06:00

This morning Gage came bounding down the stairs, angrily announcing (in that southern drawl of his) "Ugh! I am just sooooo angry! The Valentine's Vampire did not leave me anything!"

Not true. The Valentine Vampire just happened to fall asleep on the couch and leave his teeny basket outside the bedroom door instead of by his bed. My hyper little boy just chooses to see the things he wants to see.

I went back upstairs with him, walking a few steps behind, until he saw a paper heart vampire happily smiling back at him.

After he looked through his basket, I decided that it was better if I told him the truth about the VV (that it was me and Peppy.) Yesterday when Peppy was picking him up from school, Gage was telling his teacher about it. And she looked genuinely confused. So I told him that it was something me and Peppy had made up so we could make Valentine's Day a little bit more fun.

I was afraid he might be disappointed, but he just said, "Oh, Ok. Well can we still do the Vampire stuff every year anyway? You know, just to have some more fun?"

Of course!

While Owsley is happily playing on the floor with some of Gage's things that he isn't allowed to touch when Gage is home (shhhhh.....) I thought I would take a moment and tell you about the origins of the Valentine Vampire.

Sometime last year before Valentine's Day, Gage had gotten a really crappy box of chocolates. You know the kind. The cheap boxes that only contain the orange and pink filled candies. I told Gage that a vampire comes into the houses with all the bad chocolate, and sucks out the gross stuff with his fangs. That way you're only left with the best tasting chocolate. Of course the Vampire also leaves a couple other little treats, just for the heck of it.

And a new tradition was born.

I really wasn't going to bring it up again this year, because I knew Gage would go to school and possibly start a bit of confusion. But my kid has got a better memory that anyone I know. He somehow remembered, and so the VV will become a yearly custom around here. But that's perfectly ok by me.

Owsley thought the VV might be a threat, so he ate him. (You know, just to be on the safe side.)

topical tuesday

2012-02-14T06:01:00.015-06:00

Growing up I kind of hated Valentine's Day. I never really had a boyfriend, and I hated how everyone made such a big deal out of it. The girls that got chocolate, balloons and flowers made sure everyone knew, and us awkward looking kids were left feeling well....a little bit more awkward. And even now, I continue to think it's a ridiculous holiday. Hallmark does an amazing job at making people feel guilty this time of year.

I just think that if you love someone, you shouldn't be forced to go above and beyond on one chosen day of the year. Plus, spending $20 on a bouquet of balloons is just going to make me snicker behind your back. I went through Walmart last week and looked at the price of cards. I actually laughed out loud. Are they serious? $6 for a piece of obnoxiously decorated cardboard?

I will tell you one thing that I love about V-Day, and that's the red, pink, and white Runts that go on sale. I could eat them by the bag. Oh, and we also have a two year tradition going on in our house that I look forward to.....The Valentine Vampire. It started out as a joke last year, and I had no idea Gage would remember. But a few weeks ago when I mentioned that we needed to pick out cards for his party at school, he was ecstatic because he remembered the V-Vampire visiting last year.

I guess I'm not technically a Valentine Grinch anymore, because I do want to make things exciting for my kids. But Peppy and I don't do anything special. And that's perfectly fine with me.

So, what are your thoughts on Valentine's Day? Do you love it? Hate it? Perfectly indifferent? (And I promise I don't hold it against you if you do enjoy V-Day. To each their own! We all like different things, and that's awesome.)

Q&A vlog #5

2012-02-13T06:01:00.003-06:00

Welcome to the week where I get sidetracked. A lot. (Thanks, Gage.) The questions are slowly dwindling down, so if you don't want this feature to end you'd better start asking more questions!

1. What is my favorite accessory?

2. Are we going to have any more kids?

3. Will we get pets in the future?

4. How did I know Peppy was 'the one'?

5. What advice would I give a blogging newbie?

I would also like to direct you to this post that I wrote a little while back for more tips and tricks (hah!) on growing your blog.

Until next week....holla!

in memory

2012-02-12T06:01:00.006-06:00

When I first met Suzie, I was nervous. I hadn't even met her yet, and I was feeling intimidated. Peppy and I had gotten married a few months before, and here I was, about to meet this woman who's son I had ran off with. I had already met Peppy's dad, but in my opinion, it's always harder to win over the mom. Mom's are more territorial.

But from the moment I met her, she welcomed me into her life. She was warm and inviting, and I felt totally at ease from the start. We spent a little over a week with Suzie and her husband. We even took a weekend trip to Mexico while we were there. Not once did I feel out of place. She tried her hardest to make sure I felt welcome.

She didn't always have a perfect life, and there were times when she made decisions that she later regretted. The day after Owsley was born marked her one year of sobriety. We were so proud of her! In the last two and a half years of her life, she actively participated and held AA meetings, she was a sponsor to many recovering addicts, and she worked with mentally handicapped adults. It is safe to say that in her last years of life, she positively influenced so many people around her.

Suzie and I emailed each other regularly, but she also forwarded me those cutesy emails of baby animals or just anything she thought was funny. I'm definitely going to miss seeing those in my inbox. It seemed like she just knew when I was having a hard day, because some obnoxious (in a good way) email would be waiting for me.

Since her husband's kids were grown and would soon graduate from high school, she and Tim had been making plans to move out to Alabama. She missed her children and wanted to become more involved in the lives of her grandchildren as well. I know how much she yearned to be closer. And my heart aches just thinking about how that will never happen.

Everywhere I look around our house, there are traces of Suzie. Cranberry mustard in the fridge. My favorite gnome and a hanging crystal in the kitchen. A police afghan on Gage's bed. She may be gone, but her memories will continue to linger.

I know a lot of people who don't get along with their in-laws. I was blessed with a mother-in-law who carried such an open heart with her, wherever she went. And I will make it my goal that my children know just how special their MoMo was.

I hope Peppy doesn't mind me sharing this picture. His dad kind of reminds me of Danny Tanner for some reason, and Peppy himself kind of looks like a baby dragon. But I think Suzie looks beautiful. And I think this picture captures her essence very well.

And a big 'THANK YOU' again for your overwhelming response. My inbox was filled with emails and tweets, and you kept coming back and leaving me sweet comments on my blog. I know Peppy read them all, and it touched his heart knowing how so many of you care about us. Knowing that so many people all over the world were thinking about us and praying for our family is a truly amazing feeling. Thanks again. Your words really have meant so much to me over this past week.

gage says v.52

2012-02-11T06:01:00.014-06:00

Yeah, yeah. It's a super short week this Saturday. But we've been so busy with last minute stuff before my flight that I'm just going to go ahead and schedule this and call it a night. :) Plus, I have something fun for next week when it will be the one year anniversary of 'Gage Says.' So I wanted to keep things on track.

"Can we do the Boot Scoot Boobie?"

Opening the garbage can:
"It smells like a Quizno's bathroom in here!"

Gage: What does this heart on your license mean?
Me: I'm an organ donor. When I die, they can give my organs to someone who needs them.
Gage: Maybe they would just like a treat instead?

Looking at a picture of Peppy as a baby:
How is this possible? My daddy was born looking like a girl!

Me: What's that weird smell?
Gage: Well, evidence proves that all bad smells lead to Owsley.

"Do farts go back into your bottom when you can't smell them anymore?"

flying high (in more ways than one.)

2012-02-10T18:00:00.002-06:00

source

I am flying over some of your heads right now at a monumental speed. The airline has graciously offered fliers 30 free minutes of internet time before they start charging you at a fairly alarming rate. (What sweeties.)

I am currently flying high and a bit mellow thanks to a friend (who shall remain anonymous.) I am not promoting drug use here, because trust me, the use of this anti-anxiety pill is definitely not for recreational purposes. More out of a necessity.

Plus, I'm totally doing it for the other passengers as well. I mean, would you rather look over at the person sitting across from you and see a sleepy looking gal, minding her own business and reading the National Enquirer (Thanks, Grandmother!), OR would you rather look over and see someone clinging onto the arm rest for dear life, eyes darting in a million directions? Think John Lithgow from the Twilight Zone movie.

source

See, it's a totally selfless act. It could easily pass for this month's Pay It Forward. ;-)

But see, in all honesty you are getting a bonus post of me after taking a Xanax. And you know what? My writing style is basically the same. But I can tell you that I am able to focus on what I'm doing right now, instead of letting my mind wonder at 19863 mph. And for that, I am thankful.

Can't wait to land and see Peppy. It's been so weird knowing that my husband has been 1600 miles away. Now it's kind of unreal thinking about my own children being at such a distance. I know life isn't going to magically go back to normal anytime soon, but I'm looking forward on us all being back together again.

traffic sources

2012-02-10T06:01:00.002-06:00

Here you go, my amazingly weird traffic sources from January........

* naked at dairy queen
* baby animals with sparse hair
* my baby looks more like a cabbage patch kid
* carrie's mother stabbing her
* funny looking redheaded babies
* my very large nipples
* rooster haircut
* beer with chocolate cat
* thom yorke's wife
* dirty hobbit feet
* ghost in burkes outlet
* billy ray cyrus mullet awesome
* muzzle for a chatterbox
* naked little boys (<--------yuck!) * psychedelic soldier

I'm always left wondering what some of these freaks were looking for, and how disappointed they were when they stumbled upon a mom blog instead. At least the sources for January weren't nearly as X-rated as they have been in the past. Things are looking up!

gage's mom

2012-02-09T06:01:00.001-06:00

source
I had a new parenting experience last week......taking Gage to a birthday party where I knew absolutely no one. This wasn't Gage's first birthday party, but they are usually for family, a kid from church, or even the child of one of my friends. This time it was for one of his classmates.

I walked in totally aware of the potential for an awkward situation. And at first, I was pretty right on target. The birthday girl's parents had invited friends and family, who all hung out in one clump. Then there was a clump off all the ethnic parents, who know each other from work already. (Not being racist here. Just trying to describe how it was.) Then you had a handful of couples who had come with their children. A few single parents just standing alone. And then you had the three or four who were sitting on benches, looking absolutely miserable. And I didn't want that to be me.

I was instantly transformed back to high school. The cliques were being made. I easily remembered how I felt being the only junior in a math class full of seniors. The only thing different was that this time instead of being awkward and anonymous, I was 'Gage's mom.'

Within seconds Gage had taken his shoes off and ran off to catch up with his classmates. (The party was at one of those indoor inflatable jump places.) It was really awesome to see Gage interact with his friends. I had one of those moments where I was completely caught off guard when I realized just how old my son is. He shouldn't be turning five this year. It was the first time I had seen him in a big social situation like this. It was a really awesome thing for me to get to experience. It was also interesting to see how all the little girls have already staked a claim to who their best friend is, while the little boys chose to all play together.

I made a conscious effort to be friendly, and not look like the miserable parents on the bench. I walked up and introduced myself to another mom, who had moved from California to Alabama three months ago. So maybe I made the situation a little less uncomfortable for her as well? Who knows. By the end of the night I had talked to probably half of the parents there. That should at least be a little bit of insurance in knowing that the next party won't be completely awkward. (Especially since there have been two more invites since then.)

I'm glad to have another parenting notch in my belt. I'm proud of myself for putting myself out there, even if I probably said some pretty ridiculous things to keep the conversations from becoming silent and weird. I was totally unlike the Deanna who would have attended the party 5 or 6 years ago. Go me!

an update

2012-02-08T06:01:00.008-06:00

Thanks to everyone for their kind words on the passing of Peppy's mother. It's still very emotional around here. And we've just been trying to keep ourselves busy and our minds occupied. I thought I would give you a little update as to what is going on.

Apparently Suzie had mentioned before that she would like to be buried with her parents (who are still alive) in Florida. So her body is being shipped to Florida, and there will be no funeral in Arizona. They are having a memorial service in her honor over the weekend instead.

Peppy flew out yesterday so that he could go through his mother's things, and just have some extra time in Arizona. We decided to not take the boys because Owsley is at the stage where he refuses to sit still. One of us always has to take him out during church. So we couldn't imagine how the memorial service would go with him acting up. Peppy felt like he would need me there with him, and I wasn't sure I could do that with Owsley around. We also felt it better for Gage to stay home as well. Even though he knew Suzie, he is so loud and has been running around asking Peppy over and over what's wrong, and still insisting that someone might be playing a joke. I'm not sure how Tim's family who don't know Gage would react to his...ummm....enthusiasm.

I felt that leaving both of the boys with my parents from Tuesday until Sunday was much too long. Especially for Owsley. Gage has also had some major separation anxiety at school over the past couple of weeks, and I think five days might be pushing it with him as well. So I am going to fly out on Friday, and the boys will stay with my parents until Sunday.

Please continue to think about us. Especially this weekend. It still feels like it's not real. Like she's just in Arizona. I'm not ready for this to be real. Also, please send good thoughts MY way, because I am terrified of flying. (And alone, for that matter.) Yeah, I know it's an irrational fear. My dad is even a pilot. But still, I'm not looking forward to it. I will be fine on the plane ride itself, but I'm not looking forward to maneuvering around through check-in and then finding my connecting flight.

I've been the rock in this house since Saturday. I haven't had a chance to slow down, and I've been supporting Peppy as much as I know how to, all while keeping a happy face for my children. But now with him gone, I'm given a chance to sit and think. And I really wish I had some other way to keep my mind occupied. So I'm going to keep blogging. I'm going to clean my house from top to bottom. I'm going to organize the closets. Whatever I can do to not have idle time until Friday afternoon. The moment Peppy left I broke down. I know I always yearn for time alone, but this is not what I meant.

meet my sponsors.....art&love&me

2012-02-07T11:15:00.002-06:00

Good morning/afternoon/evening/night
whatever and whereever you happen to be right now.

I'm Jay, the girl behind the blog Art &Love & Me.

When Deanna approached me to send her
some text in order to introduce myself to you,

her lovely readers, I
didn't really know what to write.

I've already seen a lot of ways of how
other sponsors introduce theirselves on a blog

and I really tried to
think of something unique and something that might express the way I
am.

Which is why I finally came up with this:

At the beginning I've used my blog
mainly for sharing my love for art, be it (analogue) photography,
painting, writing, music and of course art of life in its purest
form.

But after I discovered that it just not
me trying to distance from any personal content and trying to avoid
sharing my thoughts on life I began to figure that indeed art IS
life. Art is not about the essence itself but it is also about living
and loving. I feel a huge part of the purpose of my blog is to
encourage, to inspire, to get to know each other and to ensure each
other that they are not alone and that a siginifant change can be
made.

So without further adieu I'd like to
introduce myself and my blog to you by stating a few main values I
try to stick to.

...Be bold...

I still can't believe that I was
actually bold enough to post a video of me singing.

And still I'm embarrassed because it's
such bad quality. Just...please don't judge me. I've learned a lot
about good quality pictures and videos. My picture taking skills have
somewhat improved but making any more video will not happen until I'm
able to purchase a DSLR camera.

A tribute to one of the strongest souls there ever was - A tribute cover to Odetta

...Use your blog/the internet as a
platform for inspiration

and not for hatred...

With having a blog about art comes a
whole new inspiration source.

It makes you want to create art.
Awesome art. Just click the link. Before I begin to annoy you
bragging about myself. Seriously. Click it already.

Keep on rocking in the free world - A painting of Neil Young

...Make people aware of the need and their
ability to change the world...

(This point/advice may not appeal to
everyone)

With the determination to open up to my
readers, which was one of the best decision I ever made, comes a lot
of honesty. A lot of heart. A lot of feelings. About things that are
just unbearable. Like truly unfair inequality. Children suffering
under unreasonable circumstances.

On human right

...Provide useful content...

I'm sure you all know
pinterest. It's a great source for diy stuff and awesome smart pants
ideas. So is a blog. I try to stay creative and provide unique
tutorials on my blog as a way for all of you and all the internet
pewps who, like me, are a pro at googling things like „How to
[insert any hilarious and ridiculous How-to's you aren't bold enough
to admit googling about]“

Tutorial#1

Tutorial#2

...Let God lead you on whatever path you
choose to go...

Trying to become more aware of what I
want to change in my life I suddenly realized what I had missed for
such a long time. The presence of God in my life. This post still
tears me up every time I think of it.

Seeking God - Finding Good

...Get used to tearing up reading other
bloggers posts or try to avoid them...

I guess every blogger might experience
this feeling sooner or later.

It was when one night I couldn't stop
browsing around the blogosphere.

It was all so new to me and I wanted
to get to know each and every corner of it.

Which thankfully didn't
brought me to those nasty sites but to those I just wasn't able to
deal with.

I found myself reading through extremely personal stuff
about blows of fate, about death and loss,

about deep grief those
people felt so comfortable sharing with whomever may stumble upon
there blog.

I couldn't stop tearing up, sobbing whilst reading about
car accidents and flight crashes.

Since I'm a very sensitive soul I
get caught up in feelings of sympathy and empathy very quickly.

Which
made it hard for me to cope with incidents which didn't even have
something to do with me.

Struggling with blogger.com

...Don't punch above your weight...

My first attempt of hosting a link up
party. Ehm...which...well...was a complete failure. ;)

Nobody entered. Which I
feel is a experience I'm lucky enough to be able to learn from.

Try to learn from failed
attempts of trying to be cool and acting like you can punch above
your own weight.

Failed - a link up party

...Try to express your
honesty and feelings through your art...

I feel like I soon have
to make an actual commitment to being some-what crazy about wanting
to have children so bad. Which anyway won't happen in the near future
though because after all I try to stay realistic and rational with my
wishes (Before any babies enter my world I will have to finish
college, marry, work and own a house or at least a car ;)).

Two - a painting

...Make progress...

I love my blog as a
platform to document any progress. I love seeing progress and growth
in my art. And I love knowing I can inspire and affirm other people
when progress is made.

Making progress - analogue photography

I would love to welcome you on my blog.

Love.

Jay.

topical tuesday

2012-02-07T06:01:00.002-06:00

This week's post is a little different. I'd like your input today. What you would like to see more of on this blog? What about less? What are your favorite and least favorite features? Maybe you'd like to even see me try something new.

When it comes down to it, I really do blog for myself, because it's my favorite hobby and I thoroughly enjoy it. But at the same time, I like putting out material that you enjoy reading. Knowing that I have active readers is like an added bonus for me. Any comments or (constructive) criticism would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Q&A vlog #4

2012-02-06T06:01:00.007-06:00

Another Monday. Another chance to get up close and personal with me. As always, if you've got a question you'd like me to try and coherently answer, just comment below. I answer them in the order I receive them, but I do promise to get to them all.

1. What is your favorite kind of ice cream?

2. What do you do when you're fed up?

3. Have you ever made homemade porn?

4. Do you and Peppy have other rings, or just the tattoos?

5. What was your reaction when you found out you were pregnant with Gage? Was Owsley planned?

linky love

2012-02-05T06:01:00.050-06:00

I was talking with my tweeples (twitter+people=tweeples) last week about sponsored posts. The general consensus was that most people just skip right over 'Meet the Sponsor' type posts, and that kind of bums me out because if you are gracious enough to sponsor my blog, I want you to get something in return. Like exposure. So this month I'm changing it up with how my sponsorship works. I'll still have my sponsor posts, but a couple times a month I'm also going to put together a link list of interesting stuff that's been going on on my sponsors' blogs. (As well as other random goodies I have found online.) I don't know about you, but I really like link list posts. I've found so many new blogs that way.

*Liv has a new feature: Ask a nurse. I cannot wait for future installments of this!

*Natalie gave her blog a makeover. She is also who did my design, so if you're interested, check out her info and portfolio here.

*Sometimes as an adult it's hard to find new friends. Join Jay for her new feature: Who Needs Friends? Not me. I hate people. (Just kidding!)

*Beatrice debunks some myths about homeschooling. "Living in a world where you don't know who Lady Gaga is, that sounds like heaven." I agree.

*Check out Michelle's adorable DIY headboard. It turned out amazing!

*I always look forward to seeing Vanessa's 10 Dollar Bill posts. She shares her amazingly awesome and cheap internet finds.

*Jodi has reached 150 followers and is hosting a giveaway for a Scentsy plug-in and bar. We have a Scentsy burner over here, and I absolutely love it. So head on over for your chance to win!

*Ok, so you know you're going to fail the test anyway. Now what?

*Holly had a post series this week titled Week of Recklessness, where she made a week's worth of ill-advised decisions. Read along for a good laugh.

*Did you see Jess' pregnancy announcement video? I was in happy tears.

*Why put a bumper stick on a Ferrari? Most of you have probably already seen this. But after reading her reply it made me a bit sad for her. She's just a student, doing her own thing. And I really don't believe she expected the response she got. It's one thing for someone to write a reply to her (we all have opinions), it's another completely different thing to bombard her with profanity and name calling. What good is that?

*Does anyone else read Cake Wrecks? It is my favorite blog....except for on Sundays when they actually show pretty cakes. I laugh so hard when I look at some of the wreck submissions.

*I have kind of had a thing for Ryan Gosling since he played a tween a-hole in the Disney Channel show Flash Forward when I was 12 years old. I had no idea he was so popular now. You know, with the bubble I live in and all. This tumblr made me snort coffee out of my nose.

Happy Sunday everyone! I haven't decided if 'My Stories' is officially over or not. Maybe it's just taking a little hiatus.

2/4

2012-02-04T19:00:00.001-06:00

Peppy's mom unexpectedly passed away early this morning. She was only 49 years old. We're flying out to Arizona for the funeral, probably on Monday. Suzie and her husband were supposed to come stay with us for two weeks at the end of March. My heart aches that the last time she saw Owsley he was only four months old. She was so excited to see them again. I actually started this little blog so that Suzie could keep up with her grandchildren. She loved them so very much.

Please say a little prayer for my family, especially Peppy and Gage. Gage keeps asking me over and over if someone is playing a trick on us. I feel like I'm in a dream. Like maybe I'm on drugs. The only person close to me who has ever died was Papa, and he had Alzheimer's for eight years. Suzie's death was so sudden. It seems unreal.

I have been thinking about a lot of things today. Life is short. We can't take it for granted. We need to grab onto the ones we love and never let go. It's been a very emotional day.

Goodbye, Suzie. We will miss you very much.

(I already had a couple things scheduled to post, and I'm just going to leave them up because I don't feel like messing with anything right now. But I don't know when I'll really be back. I think maybe I'll just turn the laptop off for a little while.)

gage says v.51

2012-02-04T06:01:00.002-06:00

Peppy leaned over and kissed me at a stop light.
Me: You better be careful. That's how babies are made.
Gage: Well, I still love you Mommy, but I just don't think I'm going to kiss you ever again.

"All my favorite songs are about the devil."

Me: Would you like some broccoli?
Gage: No. Who do you think I am?

"Why don't the men's bathrooms have tampon machines too?"

Gage: Are you going to come to my wedding?
Me: I sure hope I can make it. Who are you going to marry?
Gage: Well, she goes to my school. But I don't know what her name is.

While driving down the interstate:
"Where is my favorite billboard? You know, the one with the naked lady holding the sign?"

He mumbled something rude under his breath.
Me: What did you just say?
Gage: Oh, that must have just been your imagination.

"Me and my daddy are going camping, and we're really going to rough it. We'll eat things like rocks and sticks. And sprinkle some dirt on it for flavor."

Approaching me with a pair of scissors:
"How would you like for your hair to look more like a wig?"

"Lauren at my school has a lunchbox with God on it! He's dressed in black and fighting some guys!"
(Turns out, God is Darth Vader.)

the toothless fairy

2012-02-03T06:01:00.010-06:00

My dear sweet Owsley screamed like a freaking banshee for two hours straight on Saturday. Let me tell you, it was no fun at all. He went down for his nap and woke up early in a bad mood. I thought some cuddles on the couch and Blue's Clues would be a cure-all, because isn't it always? Well, no. Not this time. From 3:45 until almost 6, he screamed bloody murder. (You know, it was the sound that makes you want to punch babies.) I'm not going to lie. I thought some pretty nasty thing about him in my head. At one point Peppy took him upstairs and gave him a bath. I was unloading the dishwasher downstairs and could hear him screaming like he was being beaten. Times like this I can't imagine living in an apartment complex with a loud baby. I know these things can't be helped, but I would still feel horrible for the people who could hear him.

The next day he had two new teeth. Only they were his lateral incisors. He's still missing the top front two.

It's actually kind of crazy because the week of Christmas he was in a funk, but I didn't see any teeth popping through. On New Year's Day we were driving home from my Memaw's house and I turned around to look at the kids. It looked like Owsley had a rock in his mouth, so I stuck my finger in to dig it out. Turns out he had four molars, that I had been totally unaware of. What is odd is that the only other teeth he had were his two bottom ones. No top teeth at all. (Ewww...and do you want to know what he does with those four molars? He grinds them all.day.long. It's kind of like nails on a chalkboard. My younger brother used to grind his teeth in his sleep. I could hear it through the walls at night. Ahhh!)

Gage is missing his lateral incisors and Owsley still doesn't have the front two. Do do doooo. I make babies that ain't got no teeth! I feel like maybe we should have named them Cooter Clyde and Bubba Otis. I guess I should have laid off the moonshine while I was pregnant.

the real krill

2012-02-02T15:18:00.001-06:00

I hate seafood. I mean, really hate seafood. I hate the way it smells. I hate the way it tastes. I kind of even hate the way it looks.

When I was pregnant with Owsley I started taking fish oil. There have been many studies showing the benefits of Omega-3s during pregnancy. Fish oil is also proven to help with the production of breast milk after birth. My biggest issues were the enormous size of the pills and the disgusting aftertaste. Pregnancy makes you gassy enough as it is, and fishy burps are just plain nasty. I remember mentioning to Peppy once that I needed to gargle with tartar sauce after I burped. (I think I might have just gagged thinking about that.)

Even though I am no longer pregnant or breastfeeding, I continued to take the fish oil. It has been proven to boost your energy, alleviate PMS symptoms, and relieve joint pain. As a stay at home mom, my body is my most important instrument. I've got to take care of it by all means necessary. And what better than a natural way? Recently I heard about krill oil and began to take it instead of fish oil. The pills are practically half the size, and there is absolutely NO nasty fish aftertaste. I didn't even realize that fish don't even make the Omega-3s, they just eat them. Krill actually make Omega-3s, and so basically you are cutting out the middle man, reducing the size of the pill.

Since replacing the fish oil for krill oil, I can actually see a difference. I feel like my back pain isn't nearly as bad as it had been. And I can definitely tell a change in my PMS symptoms. I usually have one day of pretty bad cramps, and they have really dwindled down.

Does anyone else take fish or krill oil? What has your experience been? If you don't take either, you really should think about it. (Especially if you loathe seafood as much as I do.) The benefits of Omega-3s are endless, from promoting heart health all the way to supporting mental and emotional well being. If you're interested, you can read more about the fish vs. krill debate here.

Oh! And I just wanted to add that if you have any sort of seafood allergy, stay away from both krill oil and fish oil. I don't want to kill off any of my readers or anything. :) And since we're kind of on the subject anyway, what natural remedies and medicines do you swear by?

the one where i talk about eating disorders

2012-02-02T06:01:00.008-06:00

One of the questions for my Q&A vlogs was how much my weight typically fluctuates. And while that's a valid question, it's not really one that I could answer via vlog. At least not without rambling on and on and on. So I thought I would type it out instead, and hopefully my words will sound a little bit more put together.

I mean, if I were to vlog this, I would start out by saying that I have no idea how much my weight fluctuates because I don't make a habit of weighing myself. And then I would feel the need to explain why, and that's when it gets lengthy. So brace yourself, because here goes.....

I have lost weight three times in my life. The first time being when I was 21 and between July and February I went from 190 to around 128 pounds. When I got pregnant with Gage I gained 65 pounds, and then during my pregnancy with Owsley I gained 45. All three times that I lost weight I did it the healthy way. The first time I lost weight I did the Weight Watchers plan. I didn't join, but my mom had been a previous member and had all the books and materials. After Gage was born I was breastfeeding which helped me drop the weight. But I also exercised and ate right. The same after Owsley was born.

The problem really arose after I lost all of my pregnancy weight with Gage. I became addicted to staying thin. Parts of my life I felt so out of control in, but my weight was something that I could totally dictate. And so I did. Some days I would only eat 700 calories. And I was proud of myself on those days. I weighed myself every Tuesday morning, and if the needle didn't land exactly on 121 (or a bit under) I was so hard on myself that next week, restricting my calories even further. I never voiced this anger aloud, but I harbored so much hatred for myself in my head. Peppy called me out on having an eating disorder a handful of times, but he always said it in a joking way as not to make me close off from him. He was right though, although I always told him he was wrong. In my head I saw fat, fat, fat, and I was a size 2. Who does that? Oh yeah, I know. Someone with an eating disorder.

This mindset lasted until I got pregnant with Owsley, so a little over two and a half years. I was completely normal around everyone and no one knew how strict I was on myself when I ate. If we had a family get together I would eat normally while we were there, but that's all I would eat that day. Peppy worked nights, so he didn't know what I did or didn't eat in the evenings. I was happy in every other aspect of my life. I enjoyed life and loved my family. But thinking about my weight could easily consume my mind if I wasn't careful.

When I got pregnant again I was terrified. I wanted another baby, but the thought of gaining weight again made me so anxious. I kept tabs of everything I ate, and one day Peppy saw it and read through it. Then he wasn't so humorous when he told me that this was not the healthy way for a pregnant woman to eat. So I kind of just gave up because I knew he was right.

At my six week postpartum checkup, I was horrified to learn that I had only lost 15 pounds. I had remembered losing so much more by then after Gage was born. Weight loss was a lot slower for me the second time around, and I could feel myself slipping and getting more angry and frustrated with myself. And I didn't want to be that person again. One day Peppy heard Gage counting aloud, and he asked what he was doing. It only took me a second to realize that he was copying me, when I would sometimes count my calories aloud without even knowing he was paying attention. It was like a punch to my face. My habits were rubbing off on my three year old. This kid who was looking up to me, and this was what I was doing to him. I was so mad at myself. So I just stopped weighing myself. My clothes slowly began to get looser, and when I finally did weigh myself I realized I was only 7 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight.

So now I don't weigh myself. As long as my clothes fit I don't worry about it. It's not a healthy habit for me, and I don't want to be a negative influence for my children. Instead of being in total control of my weight now, I'd rather be in control of my happiness. (This is not to say that I don't have days where I just feel gross, but I honestly think that everyone has the occasional day like that.)

Whew. All you asked for was how much my weight fluctuates, and this is what you get. Be careful what you ask for around here. ;-)

TOMS giveaway!!

2012-02-01T10:21:00.001-06:00

What better way to start the month of love than by hosting a reader appreciation giveaway? You know, to show you all how much I LOVE YOU. How does a TOMS gift pack sound?
The gift pack includes:
a DVD of the TOMS documentary, For Tomorrow: The TOMS Shoes Story
a poster
and a $50 giftcard redeemable at TOMS.com

To win, you must be a reader of my blog. You don't have to be a 'follower,' because I know not everyone has a google account. Just leave a comment with a way to get in touch with you if you win.

*Extra Entries* (leave each entry in a separate comment.)
(+1) Be a follower of my blog.
(+1) Blog about this giveaway.
(+1) Tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to mention this link and @deannafike (You can tweet daily. Just come back and leave a comment daily for your extra entries.)

This giveaway will end on February 16th, and the winner will be notified via email. Good luck! And a very special 'Thank You' to all my sponsors, who make reader appreciation giveaways possible!

(what i've been wearing) wednesday

2012-02-01T06:01:00.002-06:00

What I wore to my cousin's 12th birthday party:
cardigan: Forever 21
shirt: Ross
jeans: Forever 21
beanie: Forever 21
earrings: Earthbound Trading Co.
shoes: Burke's

Had I known how much air time that beanie would get this winter, I would have bought one in every color. I don't know what I'm going to do when the summer comes and I can't just stick a knit hat on my head and be ready to go.

What I wore to breakfast with my three weenies:
shirt: TJ Maxx
jeans: Forever 21
shoes: Urban Original
earrings: Forever 21

What I wore to church and then my Memaw's birthday party:

dress: Forever 21
headband: Forever 21
tights: Burke's
shoes: Payless
earring: Earthbound Trading Co.

What I wore to take Gage to a classmate's birthday party. (Did someone say fiesta?)
shirt: Forever 21
jeans: Burke's
earrings: Burke's
bracelets: Mexico
shoes (not shown): Old Navy flip flops. It was 67 degrees! And if it's above 60, that means flip flops to me.

When I ordered this shirt I didn't think about how it would look on my translucent skin tone. I like the shirt, but I kind of wish it was a different color.

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy.

topical tuesday

2012-01-31T06:01:00.011-06:00

Let's talk the birds and the bees, shall we?

Did your parents ever discuss sex ed with you? I honestly don't remember my mom ever talking about it with me. If she did, I must have permanently erased it from my memory, because I have no recollection at all. (But I did know from a young age that whatever sex was, it was WRONG outside of married, and it would be a one-way trip to Hell. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.)

I remember this book that my best friend from elementary school had. It was called "What's Happening to my Body: A Book for Girls." Definitely peaks your interest, huh? I would go spend the weekends at her house, and we would scour over that book, trying to figure out the mysteries of the human body. I can still vividly see some of the pictures in that book, but no memories of my parents discussing any details with me.

This topical tuesday brought to you by Saturday's question from Gage of how babies are made. For now, the answer was something like, "Oh, you don't find out about that until you get married." Hah. I had no idea these questions would come so soon!

Q&A vlog #3

2012-01-30T06:01:00.005-06:00

Just in case you thought Gage was camera shy, he more than makes up for it on the last two questions this week! I'm really enjoying this new little feature, and I hope you are too. Keep the questions coming, because it's been a lot of fun so far. :)

1. Do you really never brush your hair? Would you dress differently if you didn't have children?

2. Talk about how you and Peppy met and fell in love.

3. What are you looking forward to doing with your 52 hours of child-free time?

4. Will you show some tattoos?

5. Is Peppy religious?

And....an outtake! I've never had an outtake before. You always just get whatever rambles I happen to record. But I really did have a brain freeze and could not remember anything at all.

gage says v.50

2012-01-28T06:01:00.019-06:00

Gage farted right on my head.
"That's the secret password. It was 'poot.'"

"I know what Scooby is. But what's a doobie?"

"I already have too many miles on my feet to go on a bike ride today."

There were two knives missing in the butcher knife block:
"This means that Mommy only killed two people today."

"My life sure was more easier before my Owsley started walking."
(I'm pretty sure he said something similar when his Owsley started crawling.)

"I have learned that if I don't want daddy to eat my cookies, I should just cough on them first."

"Me and you and Owsley all have on gray pants and a red shirt. That makes us a gang!"

Me: Do you want us to go play in your room?
Gage: Nah. I'm trying to grow out of playing all the time.

Owsley was straining to poop:
"My Owsley! You just have to be careful with that or you might break some bones!"

2.5 years old

I'm taking a personal day tomorrow. Both of my kids have had the sinus crud for a couple weeks now, and so sweetly passed it on to me. I think I have held Owsley more this week than I have since he started walking, and he has made my left shoulder his own personal kleenex. When they get sick I sometimes feel like a kamikaze pilot. I know I'm going down. There's only a matter of time. Anywho, see you all Monday!

the rat in the hat

2012-01-27T06:01:00.003-06:00

Gage is really terrified of a handful of things. Tornadoes, lightening, my brother's dog. And now....giant rats. It's all my fault. I could really kick myself in the shin right now.

sourceGage and I enjoy watching this one show on Animal Planet, called Infested. It's about homes that have been taken over by rodents or insects. I'll record it whenever it's on, and we'll sit and watch it together. On Saturday he wanted to watch an episode, but we didn't have one on our list. So I went to OnDemand and looked on the Animal Planet channel for similar shows. Not paying much attention, I saw one about 4 foot rats, and Gage said he wanted to watch it.

About 30 seconds into the show I found out that it was one of those 'SURPRISE! You're on hidden camera!' type deals. This guy was scared of rats. They pretend like he has a job surveying old houses, and he comes across proof that there might be some giant rodents in the house.

So, the thought crossed my mind that this show might be a bad idea. I even told Gage that we probably didn't need to watch it because he might get scared. He promised me over and over that he understood it wasn't real. There wasn't anything really scary in the show. Gage ended up laughing through most of it, and he even made Peppy watch it again when he got home.

Bedtime was a different story. The moment we finished reading books, he insisted that he was terrified of giant rats. My child, who has been requesting to sleep in absolute darkness since he could speak, suddenly needed lights on and doors open. He clung to me and Peppy for dear life. He was certain that giant rats would lead to his sudden demise during the night.

After about an hour of extra hugs and kisses, doors open and bathroom light on, and a crapton of Monster Spray sprayed everywhere, Gage finally attempted to go to sleep. Peppy and I went downstairs to eat our dinner.....that had been sitting on the table for an hour. 5 minutes later we hear this bloodcurdling scream and moments later Gage's footsteps come pounding down the stairs. He runs to us in tears.

"Something tried to eat me!!!"

No it didn't. You just fell asleep and thought something happened.

"NOOOOOOO! Something jumped on me and attacked! Come see!"

So I went upstairs, laughing inside my head. When we got to his room I actually laughed out loud. Gage has a My Morning Jacket poster in a really cheap frame above his bed. Gage had been wildly bouncing on his bed during his bedtime stories, and a part of the plastic frame had come loose and fallen off. I can only imagine the horror that went through his little mind. Already scared of a giant rat, and then something lands on his head in the dark.

We finally got him to sleep. But then the next night was basically a repeat. We eventually got him to calm down after I put ~~the lid of a 40 gallon tupperware container~~ an extra large sticky trap for a giant rat in his bedroom floor.

.........

Two hours later a big storm came through. I slept through it, but Peppy was still awake and he said Gage stayed up for a couple more hours, terrified. We had a repeat again on Monday night. On Tuesday we finally gave in and bought him this enormously obnoxious nightlight.

Great. Just when we thought we were getting to sleep like normal humans again. Lesson learned this week: Never assume anything in parenthood. It just comes back to bite you in the butt. (Or at the very least it will fall on your head in the middle of the night.)

as long as i'm living i'll climb through your window at night like a creeper.

2012-01-26T06:01:00.010-06:00

Longtime readers of my blog already know that I'm an emotional gal. I will tear up at Halmark commercials or even Rod Stewart's Forever Young. (If you have kids, just listen to the last verse. It's a rough one for me.) And although I do tend to shed a few tears over little stuff, there are only a handful of things that will make me full-fledged cry.

This book is one of those things.

source

I received this book as a baby shower gift when I was pregnant with Gage. Looking back I realize that this person must have secretly hated me. Why else would she have given me a gift written by the anti-christ? (I'm just kidding.) But I really do think the guy who wrote the book must have had some sort of deep seeded loathing for his mother. Why would he want to put her through such torture every time she read his book? (You're a sick, sick man, Mr. Munsch.)

For those of you not familiar, I'll give you a little rundown of this book. A new mother has a baby and rocks him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, while singing to him:

"I'll love you forever.
I'll like you for always.
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be."
We are taken through all the phases of this little boy's life, from childhood all the way until he's a grown man living on his own. Even though there were times when the boy could drive his mother crazy, she would always come into his room when he was sleeping and rock him, singing her little lullaby. When he's a grown man she even ties a ladder to the top of her station wagon in the middle of the night, and breaks in through her son's window to rock him. Creepy, yes?

At the end of the story the mother calls her grown son and says, "You need to come visit me, because I am old and sick." When the son gets to his mother's house, she is too sick to hold him, so HE holds HER and sings:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always.
As long as I'm living
My mommy you'll be.

I hadn't read this book to Gage in a couple years, for obvious reasons. I could always make it until the last few pages, and then my voice would crack and I would sound like an old frog trying to finish the book without letting on to Gage that I was actually crying. That stupid book had remained nestled in Gage's bookshelf, untouched, since we moved into this house last year.

Until last week.....when Gage pulled it out. And has insisted that we read it every night since, substituting the 'baby' for 'Owsley.' The first couple of nights were horrible. I tried to read it in silly voices to camouflage my own trembling voice.

The only way that I can make it through without incidence is if I completely remove myself from the book. Read it on autopilot. Take myself to my happy place. (You know, a place where my kids will stay young and I'll never get the urge to climb through their windows at night.)

Upon looking it up, I found there is not a little girl version of this story. Is there an equally horrifying book directed towards the mothers of girls? I kind of just want to burn this book and call it a day. Who's with me?

Edit: Many of your have mentioned The Giving Tree, and yeah that's not a good one for me either.

(what i've been wearing) wednesday

2012-01-25T06:01:00.000-06:00

Since I skipped out last week, here's a little bit of what I've been wearing the past two weeks.

What I wore to church this week:
top: Ross
skirt: Goodwill
earrings and headband: Forever 21
shoes: Walmart

This top has been in my closet for years. I don't think I had ever worn it. And now I know why. Something about it just looks awkward. I think the length of the sweater vest combined with how high on my waist the skirt comes just looks weird on me. I don't know. I probably won't wear it again, and I kind of felt like I belonged in the cast of Clueless.

What I wore to church last week:
dress: TJ Maxx
boots and earrings: Burke's
striped top: Forever 21

What I wore to take the boys to Sci Quest. We were the only people there. It was awesome!
cardigan: Forever 21
top: Michelle's shop
jeans: Forever 21
shoes: Walmart
earrings: Earthbound Trading Co.
beanie: Urban Outfitters via Dirt Cheap ($2!)

What I wore to spend the day at Memaw's:
top/tunic: Urban Outfitters via Dirt Cheap (also $2!)
leggings: Walmart
shoes: Urban Original
earrings: Forever 21

What I wore for most of our weekend getaway:
coat, beanie and jeans: Forever 21
earrings: Burke's
sweater: Goody's from a hundred years ago. Guess that makes it vintage.
scarf mittens: my mom

I know I've already shown my Gatlinburg pictures, so you've seen this outfit a lot. I just wanted to post this one because it had the monkey scarf mittens in the picture. And I love them. I was actually kind of glad that our trip was cold, because I hadn't had a chance to wear them yet!

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy

ad space giveaway!!

2012-01-24T11:35:00.000-06:00

Can you believe that January is almost over with? I know I can't. 2012 is already speeding by, and this gal has been overtaken with a major case of Spring Fever. :-/ You all are so awesome and it makes me so happy that you come back daily to spend a few moments of your time on this little corner of mine. SO.....what I want to offer one of my readers is a free ad space for the month of February. You'll get a 150x200 rotating ad, as well as an individual blog post showcasing your blog/etsy shop/pet alpaca/whatever you'd like. If you're already signed up to be a February sponsor, you can use this as credit for a slot in March!

Since it's already the 24th, this is going to be a 48 hour giveaway. The contest will end at noon on Thursday. If you'd like a chance to win, just leave a comment with your email address. :)

Good luck! And thanks so much for reading!

topical tuesday

2012-01-24T06:01:00.003-06:00

Night terrors occur in at least 5 percent of young children, and can start as early as 9 months. These mysterious disturbances happen during deep, non-dreaming sleep. A child in this state will cry, whimper, flail, and even bolt out of bed. Though his eyes may be wide open, he's not awake and isn't aware of your presence. Once the night terror (which can last anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour or more) is over, your child will return to a sound sleep and have no memory of the incident in the morning.

source

Both of my boys suffer from night terrors, although Gage hasn't had an episode in about a year. Now his sleeping disturbances include sleep walking and falling out of bed on a nightly basis. (And waking me up to tell me all about it.) Gee, thanks.

If you're not familiar with night terrors they can be pretty scary. Nothing wakes you up quite as quickly as hearing the bloodcurdling scream of your baby over the monitor. Fortunately they often sound much worse than they actually are. The first time Gage had one, I knew absolutely nothing about them. He was sitting up with his eyes open, but he was staring straight through me, waving his arms around, and screaming at the top of his lungs. Nothing that I could say or do would calm him down.

The next day I found out that he was actually still sleeping, and trying to wake him up from this 'trance' was the worst thing I could do. When he got older I would ask him about them, but Gage had absolutely no recollection of what had happened. They became a monthly occurrence for him, and for some reason or another they stopped around a year ago.

And I forgot all about them.

Until a couple months ago....when Owsley began having them. To be honest, they are more annoying than anything else. I know it isn't hurting Owsley in any way to have them, but I wake up to my heart beating a million mph, and then I can't go back to sleep. The one thing that I don't understand is that not getting enough sleep is a huge factor in causing them. That's insane to me, because both of my boys sleep. A lot.

Has anyone else had experience with night terrors before? Do you suffer from any sort of sleep problems? I have had sleep disturbances my entire life (sleep walking, talking in my sleep, falling out of bed) so I can only assume genetics has a part in it as well.

Q&A vlog #2

2012-01-23T06:01:00.011-06:00

Thank you to everyone who commented on my post about Peppy's job. I smiled as I read through every response. I have such a wonderful blog family. :)

Yikes. These may possibly be some of the worst screen shots ever. Thanks a lot, YouTube.

1. How do I keep a house clean with two boys?

2. What do I order on my pizza?

3. How many times have I been married? Have I had any other pregnancies?

4. What are my plans for the future?

5. What motivated me to lose weight?

I realize that I was kind of rambling at that last one, and maybe I didn't accurately answer the question. You can go here and read some weight loss tips that worked for me. :)

If you watched til the end and saw Gage join in, you were probably wondering why he wasn't talking. That's a very valid question. He was sick last week (if the snotstache didn't already give it away), and you can always tell when he's not feeling 100% because he doesn't talk all day long. So there's your answer!

See you next Monday with another vlog. And as always, if you decide you've got a question, just leave it below!

my stories v.7

2012-01-22T06:01:00.034-06:00

When Gage was about a month old the three of us went to a drum circle at a local park. It was a beautiful day, and we were enjoying being out of the house for a change. We were minding our own business, but I kind of got the feeling that someone was watching us. I noticed this one lady who was probably in her mid 30s looking at us. But if you've ever had a baby, you know that newborns draw a lot of attention. So it wasn't anything too odd to have her looking in our general direction.

As time goes by I notice her walking around, but she seems to be getting a little bit closer every time I look up. And she's always looking at us. We moved to a different spot, and five minutes later she comes and actually sits down right beside us. She asks us how old Gage was, if we had any other children. You know, basic chit chat about children.

Then she asks if she could hold him. Something flashed a red light alert in my head. Something about her just seemed odd. I told her sorry, but I was a paranoid first time mom, and I only let family hold him. She said ok and moved on.

She approached us again about 10 minutes later, and asked again if she could hold him. We told her we were leaving, but we really just went to another area of the park. (It's a big place.)

When we actually were getting ready to leave, we saw a bus for a mental health center pull up. Some uniformed people got out and brought her to the bus, and she didn't seem too happy about it either. I'm not sure if she 'escaped' or what, but it was still a creepy experience. Especially since I was a new mom and totally neurotic about everything.

gage says v.49

2012-01-21T06:01:00.011-06:00

We were eating in a Mexican restaurant, and there was a fake parrot facing Gage's direction:
"That bird won't stop looking at me and it's giving me such a hard time."

Owsley: (shrieking) AHEEHIHIHIHIHAYA AYE!!!
Gage: Owsley just said, "I'm drunk! I'm drunk!"

"Ugh. This cold is just so horrible. I feel like my brains are about to explode out of my nose."

I came downstairs and Gage's spilled milk was all in the kitchen floor.
Me: Why did you just leave that in the floor?
Gage: Well, when you went to put Owsley down, you told me I had better not get up from the table until I was finished. So I didn't get up.

I gave Owsley a bite and he spit it out.
"I think that means 'better luck next time.'"

Me: Huh, the internet won't work.
Gage: That is just preposterous!

Pointing to a picture of a margarita:
"I think I'll have one of those. It looks fruity and delicious!"

Gage: Mommy, do you think it would be OK if I shrink your head?
Me: You want to cut my head off?
Gage: Well, I mean, after you are already dead. I would like to bring it to my school and show it to everyone.
(Owsley was asleep in his car seat and lets out a random shriek.)
Gage: Don't be scared of shrunk heads, my Owsley. They don't do that in Alabama.

Two years old. And he looks so tiny. :)

pay it forward friday: month 1

2012-01-20T06:01:00.015-06:00

It's the first month of Pay it Forward Friday! I didn't really have anything in particular planned. I just thought I would go with the flow and see what happened. Well, as it turns out, in my effort to simplify my life, I am getting rid of things that we don't need or haven't been using. We have an envelope filled to the brim with giftcards. Some of which we have had for a couple of years. My mom always gives us a bunch at Christmas or Easter, and we just save them up. We don't go out to eat very often, and at one point last year we had over $400 in restaurant vouchers.

I decided to take one, put it in an envelope, and place it under a random windshield wiper. I thought about dropping it on the floor somewhere, but I didn't want it to get thrown away as trash. I didn't stick around to see the results, but it was a minivan, and I did notice that it had the little family decal on back with three children. So hopefully it was a pleasant surprise and they were all able to go have lunch together. While we were playing in an arcade in Gatlinburg, we won about 90 tickets from skeeball. Instead of picking out some tiny junk to bring home to Gage, we found a little boy about his age and gave him our tickets. Maybe he was able to pick out something bigger for himself. See, I told you that paying it forward didn't have to be anything extravagant. Just a random act of kindness. It helps the world go round! We couldn't have afforded to go out and buy a giftcard, but if we're not using it, why not give it to someone who can? I have had so many people do generous things for my family, it's nice to be able to do something in return.

If you participated, link up in the comments! I'd love to read how you paid it forward (or someone paid it forward to you) this month. The next link up will be on Friday, February 17th. (And I promise to have a real linky by then!) Feel free to snag the button if you participate. Thanks!

the end of a chapter

2012-01-19T09:54:00.001-06:00

For those of you who don't know, Peppy works two jobs. He's got a business degree, but has had trouble finding a real job that provided benefits and insurance for us. He works as an accountant at a gun store, and he is also a server at Carrabba's. Until I was 5 months pregnant with Owsley, we both worked. Opposite shifts. We did this so that one of us would always be home with Gage and so he wouldn't have to go to daycare. It kind of sucked only seeing my husband on Sundays and Mondays, but for the time being, it worked.

For the past 18 months Peppy has worked 65+ hour work weeks. Our schedule was something like this:
6:45- I wake up
7:30- Peppy wakes up
8:30- Peppy leaves for work
11:00- pm Peppy comes home from work

Most nights when Peppy came home from work, I was already passed out on the couch, with drool creeping out of the corner of my mouth. We barely said hello before I was headed upstairs to go to sleep. Peppy was wired from working and would often stay up until 2 or 3 watching sports, and eventually pass out on the couch.

18 months of this. A year and a half of seeing my husband maybe 30 minutes out of a day. A year and a half of our children's lives has flashed before Peppy's eyes. It's gone, and he'll never get that time back. It has been hard on all of us. At times we often felt more like roommates than husband and wife. And our children didn't get to see their daddy nearly enough as they needed. There were some days that Peppy would be so busy at work that I wouldn't hear from him at all the entire day.

But we never blamed him for not being around. Hardly. If anything, he should be praised for his effort at taking care of us. We have never done without. He is a wonderful husband and father to us. Years of working at Carrabba's has paid a toll on his body. He suffers from carpal tunnel and severe shoulder and wrist issues. He has gone through numerous treatments of steroids and recently had blood-work on a golfball sized knot on the back of his neck. And yet he continues to take care of us.

All this being said.....

At the end of the year, Peppy's boss at the gun store asked him what it would take to keep Peppy around. He knew that if he found a better offer he would take it. But he also knows what a hard worker my husband is, and he wants to keep him around. They sat down and talked for a while about what our family needed to keep us afloat.

Starting at the beginning of the year, Peppy got a wonderful raise. It is basically what he was making at both jobs combined. He's still picking up two shifts at Carrabba's a week, but his hours have gone down from about 65 a week to 45. It has been a prayer answered for us. It is so nice to have him home in the evenings now. I can tell how our spirits have been lifted. We are husband and wife again, and it is such an amazing feeling to have that again. I don't feel so alone anymore. Peppy's not tired all the time. Our children have two parents. It is such an incredible thing. It's only been a month, but so, so much has changed in this little bit of time. I can't even begin to accurately describe what a wonderful change this has been for us.

I don't know if anyone will read all of that or not, but I thought it was something that needed to be mentioned. :) My husband doesn't get much air time on this little blog. Although he should.

Also.....I am so confused. I know blogger now has the 'reply' option, which I love. But I've got all the settings the way they should be, and it's still not working for me. Does anyone else have that problem?

iceburg, right ahead!

2012-01-19T06:01:00.049-06:00

While perusing for cabins in the Smokey Mountains, I came across the website for the Titanic museum. I was scrolling through the page when I came across a banner for Mommy Bloggers. Would I be interested in visiting the museum for free, and writing a blog post about it? Ummm...yes please. I contacted the website, and they were actually having a special mom blogger event that weekend. Sign me up!
You weren't allowed to take photos inside the museum, so I don't have anything to show you. But I can tell you what I thought.

The actual museum is in the shape of the Titanic, which I thought was awesome. When you first enter, you are handed a boarding pass with the name, age, and brief bio of an actual passenger on the ship. Throughout the museum you will randomly find pictures and little snippets about you. And then in the very last room, there is a memorial wall, and you find out if you were a survivor or not. Peppy and I both lived, but just seeing the names of all the people who didn't make it out alive was emotional. In one of the rooms, you step outside of the ship and can feel the chill of the cold night. You touch a real iceburg, and you can also feel the 28 degree water. Another portion of the museum that really stood out to me were three ship's sterns that you get to stand on and experience the different angles of the ship as it gradually descended into the water while sinking. It definitely makes it more realistic to experience what some of the passengers went through (to an extent.)

All of the employees of the museum were dressed up like actual crew members on the Titanic, which I also thought helped really bring the exhibit to life. And when they spoke to you, it was as if you were actually a passenger.

I really enjoyed the museum, and I'm glad that Peppy and I were able to check it out....child-free. While they do have a special section for smaller children, there is so much to read that I can't imagine lugging my kids along and actually being able to enjoy myself. I probably wouldn't want to bring a child under 7 with me. Or at least one that can read and has a basic knowledge of what Titanic was.

KISS

2012-01-18T06:01:00.004-06:00

source
No, you're not the stupid one I'm referring to. I promise. And yeah, I realize it's Wednesday and this not a WiWW post. I apologize. I'll come back atcha double hard next week.

This past weekend I was without internet access. We had no phone service, and we didn't even turn on the tv. I loved it. I didn't check my email for three whole days. And considering I've been checking it daily since I was 15, that is a big deal for me. You know what? It was so liberating. It was amazing not just idly spending time online, or just checking my email out of convenience.

The day before we left for our trip, I received a phone call about taking over a particular website. I agreed, and happily chatted with Peppy about it on our drive. I was looking forward to taking on a new project when we returned home.

But over the weekend something in me changed. I want to spend less time online, not more. I don't want to constantly be available 24/7. I want to be able to go days without even turning the computer on. I want to detox my life of all things that aren't pertinent. And although I am admittedly a fickle person, this isn't one of those rash decisions. I want to spend less time online, and more time in real life. I really want to simplify my life. Maybe even figure some things out about myself. This little blog isn't getting chunked, but some other things probably are.

I need to remember to just keep it simple....stupid. I felt bad for having to turn down the offer so soon after accepting it. But sometimes you just have to do what you think is right for yourself, you know?

topical tuesday

2012-01-17T06:01:00.040-06:00

The cabin that we stayed in for our anniversary getaway had a pool table in the upstairs loft. Peppy tried (in vain) to teach me how to correctly hold the pool stick and hit the balls. But I just don't get it. I never have. Something in my brain just can't comprehend how to accurately hit the pool ball instead of just scratching up the table. At first I think he thought I was just messing around, but as time progressed he just gave up.

While I do consider myself a fairly smart person, there are a handful of things that I just can't grasp. Like pool, driving a stick shift, and anything related to chemistry. Back in high school I had to go from the advanced diploma to the standard because I failed chemistry. I had never failed a course before, And it wasn't like I barely failed either....I made a 32. After years of trying, my ever patient father also gave up on trying to teach me how to drive a manual transmission. It just didn't make any sense. Are any of you that way? Are there random things that you just don't get?

Please tell me that I'm not alone. I asked Peppy, and the only thing he could think of was that he can't figure out a Rubik's cube. Apparently he is a genius at everything else.

over the river and through the woods (a picture post.)

2012-01-16T11:01:00.001-06:00

Uhhh....this post was supposed to go up on Wednesday, but blogger decided to play a trick on me. Even if I deleted it, it would show up in your google readers. So here you go, a double post day!

Picking out a cabin was an interesting process. We instantly crossed out anything with a name that could signify an STD, like.......Burnin' Love or Knotty Desire. Then I went ahead and made the executive decision that I would not be staying anywhere that had a heart shaped jacuzzi. Oh, and I also wanted something with a more rustic feel, and less like a country bed and breakfast from 1985. Green carpet and porcelain dolls everywhere? Talk about a nightmare. We ended up staying in 'Making Memories,' or as Memaw called it, 'Making Babies.' Freudian slip?

Peppy had wanted to drop the boys off at Memaw's house around 9. But when she asked me when to expect us, I told her around lunchtime. We got there at 11:30. :)

Let's get this show on the road!

I told Peppy that I wore my sexy socks for him.

Even though the children had already been dropped off, their presence lingered.

You know you're in Gatlinburg when you start seeing signs like this. If you're not from the South, this probably just amplifies the redneck stereotype for you.

Our cabin:

After we got settled in we drove back into Gatlinburg, grabbed a bite to eat and just walked around the strip. We went to a little arcade and took silly pictures. It was about 25 degrees outside, but it was still nice to just be walking around and talking with my husband.

hahaha
The next morning we got up and went to the Titanic museum (which I'll talk about more on Thursday.) Then we had lunch at Dick's, where the servers are sarcastic and rude. They make you wear these paper hats that they have written crude things on. And while it is expected to play off of your server and be silly right back at them, there was a table of teenage boys behind us who were letting it go a bit too far. At one point after the server dropped off their food, one of the boys shoves his untouched steak onto the floor. Hmmmm....Don't know how I would have felt about that if I worked there. We had planned to go up to Ober Gatlinburg, a ski resort, but signs said that the parking lot was full, so we took a 2.1 mile tram ride up the mountain instead. There was some sort of high school convention going on that weekend, and Ober Gatlinburg was busier than I had ever seen it. We had planned to go snow tubing (sold out) and ride the incline slide (shut down) so we ended up not doing much of all up there (aside from enjoying the snow). The tram ride was actually a little ridiculous because it was so busy and we were crammed in like a bunch of sardines. When we got back down we went to a tour of the oldest (legal) moonshine distillery, took some Old Tyme Photos, and went to the Ripley's Museum.

There was no way I could sample any straight up moonshine without gagging, but I did try a bit of Hunch Punch.

This guy was outside of a haunted house. Most people would walk by either talking or texting, and paying no attention to him. He would scream out, and they would flip out. It was so funny. Peppy and I sat on a bench for about 30 minutes, until the guy went on break, laughing so hard. There was an older couple sitting next to us, laughing along, and it was like looking into the future.

I hope this was supposed to say 'GREAT RATES.'

Peppy had never been to a Ripley's museum, and since this one was basically a staple of my childhood, I thought no trip to the Smokey Mountains would be complete without a visit.

Before we left on Sunday, we enjoyed some coffee and donuts....outside in the hot tub. How awesome is that? :) Oh, and Peppy threw some lumber around the backyard. You know, 'man' stuff. I came home feeling refreshed and ready to take on motherhood at full force. It was so awesome to get away for just a little while. I wish we could get away more often. It was nice to be able to put 'mommy' on the back-burner for a couple days. Sometimes it's hard to remember that I was a wife before my children came along.

Q&A vlog #1

2012-01-16T06:01:00.024-06:00

Thanks to everyone who have been asking questions on my Q&A vlog post. Since I received a pretty good amount of questions (and none of them were really repeats) I decided I would post 5 mini vlogs every Monday for the next few weeks until I run out of questions. I thought it would be faster for me to upload the questions separately with my sorta slow connection. Plus, this way, you can skip some (or all) of the videos if it's something you don't care to hear about. If you've got a question you'd like me to answer, feel free to do so here!

Oh, and I only watched the first video to make sure I didn't have boogers hanging out of my nose or anything. So if I look like a total moron, just keep it to yourself. Thanks. :)

1. Are you and Peppy originally from Huntsville?

2. When did you get your nose pierced?

3.What have you studied and what are you planning/hoping to do after kids go to school?

4. What is the most rewarding feeling to you?

5. How did you decide on your kids names? What was the hardest thing about adding a second kid? How do you find time to do your blog?

Until next Monday, this is Deanna. Signing off!

my stories v.6

2012-01-15T06:01:00.018-06:00

This is a slightly different take on my usual 'stories.' But I thought it was fitting, considering this is my anniversary weekend. This flashes back to last year. Owsley was a newborn and Gage was three and a half. It was one of the first times that I felt brave enough to venture out with both boys. I mean, come on, I was just going to pick out an anniversary card for Peppy. How hard could it be?

Below is what ended up being written in the handmade card for him.

One would assume that buying a card
Really wouldn't be all that hard.
But getting out with two children and driving to the store,
Can sometimes feel more like a household chore.
Buckle in the kids and we're ready to go.
Back out the driveway and into the snow.
Owsley's not happy to be in his seat,
But as long as we're moving he won't make a peep.
Park the car, grab the baby, hold Gage's hand,
I'm sure my entrance always looks grand.
Grab what we need to make yummy cupcakes.
Gage is excited to get to help mommy bake.
Owsley is sleeping so sound in the cart,
We left early, so it's pretty quiet in Walmart.
We look at the toys to appease the older child.
Owsley is starting to stir, but so far it's mild.
I pull into the card aisle and put on the brakes.
Owsley wakes up, and I think, "Oh...this is great."
He begins to let out that blood curdling scream.
The one he saves for special occasions- You know the one I mean.
I put in his paci, but it works to no avail.
Sometimes I feel like I might be in hell.
Gage is running around, showing me Hello Kitty cards
The old woman to my left is staring me down quite hard.
The baby is screaming, my nipples are dripping.
It's easy to tell my composure is slipping.
I begin to get hot, as the sweat pours down my face.
Really, hormones can make you feel like such a disgrace.
I give up and we went to self checkout to pay,
So this is your card for our fifth anniversary.
Welcome to our life. It's a little crazy now.
But I wouldn't change it. No way. No how.

calling all february sponsors!

2012-01-14T10:30:00.002-06:00

Want to sponsor my blog for February? Here are some stats for you:

*My blog is 14 months old. (And growing daily!!)
*I average around 700-850 page views a day/22,500 views a month.
*99.99999999% of my readers are female, ranging from the age of 16-50.
*I blog about a variety of things from parenting, fashion, baking, crafting, and everything is tied together with a nice string of sarcasm and humor.

Think you still might be interested? Awesome! There are three ways you can become a sponsor.

1. Host a giveaway. If you decide to host a giveaway, you will have a rotating 150x150 spot on the right column of my blog. You will also be featured in a group 'Meet the Sponsors' post.

2. Send a product for me to review. I'm all about checking out stuff that might be interesting to my readers. However, I reserve the right to determine whether or not the fit is suited for my blog. You will have a rotating 150x150 spot on the right column of my blog. You will also be featured in a group 'Meet the Sponsors' post.

OR

3. Purchase an ad. I'm offering up two different sizes of ad space:

What will you get?
*a top ad space on the right column of my blog (Spaces will be rotated if there is more than one top ad sponsor.)
*an individual blog post featuring your blog/etsy shop/twitter/facebook/whatever you'd like.

What will you get?
*a rotating ad space on the right column of my blog
*a group blog post featuring your blog/etsy/twitter/facebook/whatever you'd like.

Feel free to email me at girl.in.a.box@gmail.com with any questions, or if you'd like to haggle. I'm easy, so I'm sure we can come to some sort of partnership. :)

(P.S. Every cent that I make on this blog is returned back into blogging, whether it be advertising on bigger blogs, or purchasing giveaway prizes for my lovely readers. Kind of like the circle of life going on over here.)

gage says v.48

2012-01-14T06:01:00.005-06:00

"Sometimes I fall asleep when I'm driving my motorcycle. Let me tell you, it's not a very good thing."

We had a missionary come visit at church.
Missionary: You are going to be a wonderful soldier for the Lord!
Gage: I am NOT going to be an army man! I am going to be a police officer!

Overheard at my Memaw's house:
"Does your water have caffeine in it? Because my mommy says too much of it makes me crazy."

"I was thinking, and I don't know why they send bad guys to jail. Just take them to live with the devil."

About our trip to Gatlinburg:
"Can you bring me back a book about cooters?"

"This Brunswick stew won't kill you, but it might make you wish you were dead."

Our kitchen table is about to fall apart because Gage keeps pressing his body weight on it.
Me: I can't believe we're going to have to buy a new table. This one is just a year old!
Gage: Mommy, you should look at it happy. At least you won't have to buy new chairs too!

Owsley spilled a cup of water on the floor:
"My Owsley! This is a major carpet violation!"

Officer Fike-Spry's new haircut. (And Owsley pooping in the background.) For those of you who don't know, my maiden name is 'Spry' and for the past six months or so, Gage will tell everyone that his name is 'GageHendrixFikeSpry.' All in one breath. It's a little confusing when you hear it, but also kind of cool that he also wants my old last name too!

if we took a holiday.....

2012-01-13T06:01:00.009-06:00

Tomorrow marks 6 years that Peppy and I eloped. (After dating long distance for three months.) I'm a firm believer that when you know, you just know. Today we are dropping off the boys with my parents, and heading to a weekend getaway in the mountains. This is the first time that I'll be away from Owsley for more than a night, but I'm going to try not to worry, because I know my babies are in capable hands.

I want to savor this weekend alone with my husband. We don't really get chances like this anymore. And we only made plans a week ago. With two children, a week's notice is about as spontaneous as things get around here. :) There are a couple touristy things I want to do this weekend, like getting an old timey photo made (duh) and maybe going to the Ripley's Museum. But most of all, I want to just sit back and enjoy not having two little ones to run after all day long.

I'm not going to post a whole plethora of photos, but you can go here and see way too many pictures of our first five years of marriage.Happy (early) sixth anniversary, Peppy! I'm so glad that we started this little adventure of our life together.

Oh, I also thought this might be a good time to respond to one of the questions that was left in my Q&A. This is my first marriage. I was unofficially engaged once. But I haven't had any previous marriages. Unless maybe I was abducted by aliens and don't know about some sort of extraterrestrial marriage I've got going on.

owsley turns 14!! (months, that is.)

2012-01-12T06:01:00.028-06:00

I haven't done a proper Owsley update since his first birthday. Since that was two months ago and this did originally start out as a baby blog, I thought I would go ahead. A lot had changed with this little boy in two short months.

When he first turned one, he was wobbling around, taking unsteady and nervous steps. Now if you looked at him, you'd think he'd been walking since birth. He runs everywhere he wants to go, and the only time he trips is when he's going too fast and falls over a toy, or if he trips over his Nunu (which he never, ever lets go of.)Owsley wants so badly to not be a baby anymore. I think his dreams are filled with images of being as big as Gage, and doing the things that a big boy can do. This often causes small tantrums with him, because he just doesn't understand why his body isn't capable of doing all the things that he sees his older brother doing. Owsley can say about 20 different words, although I'm fairly certain that he understands over half of what we say. And while he can say these words, he's not one of those mechanical monkey babies who will speak on command. If you ask him to perform, he's going to look at you like you're an idiot. (Trust me. I've been there.) Although he will say 'Thank You' every single time you hand him anything. As he gets older I can see lots of my personality in him. He'd rather be left alone, and prefers to play by himself, with me at his side. But oh, does he have Peppy's expressions. I swear, the kid could stare daggers through you when he's angry.He still takes a morning and afternoon nap, but I have to walk him to sleep. He will put himself to sleep at night though, which is much relief to my back. (While my mentality is youthful and vibrant, my back often feels like it belongs to a 90 year old woman with osteoporosis.) He loves to sing, and he's still a big eater. And if any man tells him 'NO!' his lip will start quivering and he'll run to me and cry. It doesn't matter who the man is, but if a woman tells him 'NO!' he just laughs. Go figure.

With his newly found independence, we have also had a few problems, like....Owsley thinking he is too cool to sit in his high chair. And bibs will be immediately removed and thrown to the floor. He also runs away at naptime, and it's usually a struggle to get him to be still long enough to change his diaper or clothes. Owsley is still such an amazing kid, and it is such a joy seeing my two boys interact and play together. Even if learning to share might be the death of me.

Oh....and he loves talking to the baby inside the oven, which is probably just as creepy as it sounds.

(what i've been wearing) wednesday

2012-01-11T06:01:00.023-06:00

A couple weeks ago I bought my first pair of skinny jeans, and my life hasn't been the same since. Ok, so it's not that drastic. But seriously, why hasn't anyone told me how awesome skinny jeans are? I only bought one pair and I've been wearing them basically every other day. So I think I might need to invest in a couple more. I just never thought an item of clothing with the word 'skinny' in it could be so comfy!

What I wore to spend the day at Memaw's house:
cardigan: Wet Seal
top: Forever 21
jeans: Forever 21
shoes: Walmart
earrings: Burkes

What I wore to run some errands and just get out of the house for a little while:
top: Forever 21
jeans: Forever 21
tank: Goodwill
earrings: from Alaythea
shoes: UO

What I wore the next week to Memaw's house:
(I was in the middle of a one person hoedown when the self timer went off.)
sweater: Forever 21
jeans: Forever 21
earrings: Charlotte Rousse
shoes: Burkes

What I wore to church and lunch with my family:

dress: Forever 21
tights: Forever21
earrings: Burkes
boots: Burkes
scarf: from Joanna
I bought this dress at the same time I bought my new jeans, and I absolutely love it. I wish they had made it in different colors. It's so comfortable, and I know I'm going to be able to wear it paired with so many different things. I was feeling pretty confident...until I came downstairs and Peppy told me that I looked like Link from The Legend of Zelda. :)

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy.

meet my january sponsors: round one!

2012-01-10T10:33:00.000-06:00

I can't help myself from keeping it real about motherhood, womanhood, and personhood at So Dang Brilliant. The blog chronicles my adventures in pop culture, personal nostalgia, mothering, and self-betterment. My interests include being my best self, Elvis Presley, and admiring all things handmade. And boys! And ice cream! And TV! And boys again! I am also your biggest fan.
--blog--twitter--

Hi, I'm Vanessa. I live with my husband, our 10-month-old daughter, a cat, too many projects and too little time. I will never turn down chocolate or beer or new friends. Come say hi!

--blog--twitter--pinterest--etsy--

My name is Jodi Hall. I am married and live in Central Illinois, in a town called Champaign/Urbana. I am a work-from-home housewife, I have a Etsy store called The Crafty Cake Girl on etsy and I am also a photography student partial self-taught and I will be taking a few classes both online and at a local college here in town. I love spending time with my husband and my fluffy cat, I love listening to music, baking (I am the cupcake queen), hanging around online (totally addicted to my social media), Starbucks, and crocheting/sewing/knitting/crafting in general. I just recently restarted my blog Sweets and Shutterclicks and I blog about my life and learning photography, I show off stuff I make for my shop, I review things I use, and just have fun!

--blog--pinterest--etsy--facebook--twitter--

I never wanted kids. I thought life would be way more awesome with just traveling and eating crazy expensive dinners with the hubs. I thought wrong. Brixton was like the missing puzzle piece for me. The motivation I needed to take myself to the next level and to be the best mom I can be. I never could understand until I became a mom and I don't think you can unless you have kids. It's been amazing (and poopy).

My blog is real. Sometimes I talk about things that might not paint me with a flattering brush, but I don't mind because someone out there can relate. My blog is honest. I'm writing to share with people who want to read, but this is also my life. My journal. My memories. So they aren't going to be altered. My blog is just me. Quirky, sarcastic, sentimental, dramatic.

--blog--

topical tuesday

2012-01-10T06:01:00.009-06:00

If you haven't noticed, I like words. A lot. I like hangman and word searches. And one of these days I will be on Wheel of Fortune. In my head, words look like their meanings. If I think of the word swinging I see the letters of that word going back and forth on a vine or a swing at the park. I see butter dripping down a warm stack of pancakes. I love the way words roll off of your tongue, and I am probably the biggest fan of alliteration and assonance.

With all that being said, today I want you to pick one word that best describes you as a person. While I wish that my descriptive word could be 'laid-back' or 'creative' or even 'witty,' that's not top on my list. If I were to list one single word that best describes me, it would be fickle. (Which just so happens to look like a beautiful rose, who might just decide to prick you with a thorn at the very last second.)

It's true. While maybe not the most exciting (or even positive) way to describe someone, that's me, to a t. I'm moody, I'm indecisive, and like the song by The Verve, 'I'm a million different people from one day to the next.'

Back a couple years ago when I had livejournal, I mentioned that Peppy and I were thinking about having another baby. A month later I announced that I was, in fact, pregnant. Someone commented and said, "Well, with as fickle as you and Peppy are, I knew if it was going to happen it would happen NOW before either of you changed your mind."

This doesn't mean that I am not a loyal friend or companion, because when it comes to friend and family, I will always be there for them. But for myself, I am as fickle as they come. If I get really excited about something, I better do it then and there, or else I will think about it and probably change my mind a hundred times.

What about you? If you could choose just one word to describe yourself, what would it be?

Also, thanks to everyone who commented on last week's topical tuesday and recommended a book. Over the past week I looked up every book that was mentioned, and I can't wait to start reading.

chatterbox

2012-01-09T11:00:00.006-06:00

One thing that I need to work on as a parent is learning to take a deep breath and just let Gage keep talking. I have always enjoyed the quiet. Growing up, you could often find me in my bedroom with the door shut. I've just always liked being left alone and to myself. Well, when you become a mother you lose all privacy, and you really do learn just how golden silence can be.Sometimes I think God gave me Gage as a test of my will. Now, I love the kid with all my heart, but when he has his days where he doesn't stop talking all day long, I feel like I might just crack. Saturday was one of those days. He wasn't even being bad at all. He just wouldn't.stop.talking. He did not stop speaking from 7 am-8:30 pm.

Peppy had to work that day, and I'm sure he thought I was over-exaggerating when I told him how talkative Gage had been. When he got home from work he realized just how insane it actually was. It was like Gage had been smoking crack or something. He just would not stop talking.

Usually he'll either play in my bedroom or the playroom when I take a shower. But not on Saturday. He insisted on sitting in the bathroom floor and talking to me. And then at nap time he didn't go to sleep. Five minutes later he came bounding down the stairs talking at 100 mph. You would think the kid would run out of things to say. But he didn't. Kind of like the energizer bunny. He kept going, and going, and going.

It's not like he was talking to himself or while playing with his policemen either. He was directly speaking to me. And in the rare instance that he didn't have anything legit to say, he would fill the empty space with random sounds of gibberish.

"Wouldn't it be nice if it were warmer outside today? We could make some cupcakes with the bake oven later. Or maybe we could make some play doh dinosaurs. There is this police guy that I work with that has been really sick lately. I think I need to fix this lego satellite because it keeps breaking. My Owsley is not allowed to play with these legos because they are so small and he might try to eat them. What day is it that I get to go spend the night at my Granna's house? I wonder if we will get to play outside at school next week. I don't really want to go to school. I miss you when I go to school. I was talking to Steve (his bear) and he told me he had some special undercover stuff going on. Bleee-doooooo gooo go leedle gobagabbbi loooooooooo."

At one point in the afternoon I even suggested that we play the quiet game. I bet him that he couldn't be quiet for 5 minutes. He barely made it two minutes before he was chattering away again.

It was actually amusing.....to an extent. In my head I was just wishing I could tell him to shut up. But he wasn't doing anything wrong. He was just talking. And talking. And talking. And talking. I feel happy that he wants to be around me so much, but I might have to invest in a muzzle.

Does anyone else have a chatterbox for a child? Gage has been speaking in full sentences since he was 18 months old. And he hasn't stopped since.

?

2012-01-09T06:01:00.001-06:00

It's been a while since I posted a vlog. I thought it might be fun to answer questions from you (my loving readers) via vlog. So if there's anything you've always wanted to know, or even just a silly random question, ask away! Depending on how many questions I get, this might become a mini series over the next couple of weeks.

Don't be shy! And even if you are, just ask anonymously. :)

my stories v.5

2012-01-08T06:01:00.006-06:00

Shortly after Peppy and I were married, we flew to Arizona so that I could meet his mom and stepdad. I had never flown commercially before, and was a little anxious. Our flight there went on without a hitch. So I wasn't too concerned about the flight back.

We had gone to Mexico for a couple of days and had much more stuff to pack in our suitcases for the flight home. We waited until the last minute to pack, and it took us a little bit longer than we had anticipated. So we were on a bit of a time restraint to make it on our flight before the cut off.

After we had our luggage taken care of, we got in line at security. The line was going pretty quickly. Well, at least until it was my turn. I was feeling calm because I knew what to expect, so when I 'beeped' I thought there must be some sort of mistake.

I walked through again, and I still beeped. Ok. So I was starting to get a little nervous here. I knew I didn't have anything suspicious on me, but the paranoid look of my face probably painted me as a big suspect.

The officer had me walk over to the side and into that little clear phonebooth looking box, where everyone was obviously staring at me. He pulled out his little wand, and began to wildly wave it all over my body.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep Beep Beep Beep
I don't really remember because my mind was racing by this time, but I was probably sweating. I used to sweat a lot whenever I would get nervous. I glanced over at Peppy, and he looked just as confused as I was.

The officer got out his walkie talkie and called for a female officer, who could do a proper pat down of me. I stood there in silence, getting redder by the second, until the female cop came over and began to pat me down. She couldn't find anything, and I could sense her frustration as well. I was beginning to worry that they might want to perform a body cavity search.

I really don't know how much time had gone by. By this point, time had seemed to pretty much stop.

One of the officers (I'm not sure which) finally decided that I was setting off the alarm with all the bobby pins in my hair. My hair was pretty short at the time, and I always pulled it back with about 15 different pins. The female officer, very angrily warned me against wearing bobby pins in my hair for any future flights. It was pretty obvious that she was hoping to make an arrest. I understand that she was just trying to do her job, but I thought it was pretty ridiculous that she wanted me to be guilty.

Needless to say, I was a little shaken up for the flight home, which by some miracle we managed to make on time.

When we got home and unpacked our luggage, there was an official note that said our suitcases had been searched. I don't know if it was directly related to my frisking or not, but still, it was an eerie coincidence.

traffic sources

2012-01-07T11:27:00.001-06:00

I think I'm going to start doing a monthly roundup of my weird traffic sources.

*huge forehead
*dragon slut
*poop stain girl bed
*how to fix your face with naked pictures
*winnie the pooh tramp stamp
*naughty adult video
*my true love gave to me a beer
*christina aguilera is nasty
*reindeer poop recipe
*veins stick out of my palm
*try not to laugh at ugly babies
*hitler baby takes a bath
*delirious doggy peanut butter bones
*she rode in on a camel
*oh no! my legs are two different sizes
*spank my kids every day

And the favorite for the month is......
*if a dog humps you can you get pregnant?

I am pretty certain that a lot of people who do google searches are pretty disappointed when they stumble upon my little blog. I doubt they were looking for mommy blogs, and probably have something a little more risque in mind.

(Original picture was ripped from the wiki article about traffic lights.)

gage says v.47

2012-01-07T06:01:00.037-06:00

This post is severely lacking and a bit unedited. We have a crazy virus on the laptop and I tried to finish up on the Kindle. It was NOT as easy as I had originally imagined. Every single time I tried to center the text it would try and auto-correct it to say 'venture' instead. Stupid technology. I know what I want. Quit trying to think for me. I WILL NOT BE YOUR SHEEP!

I had planned to show you Gage's new haircut. He decided he wanted it done after a server at Steak n Shake refered to him as 'Baby girl.' Poor kid. At least now he thinks he has a police officer haircut.

Anyway, without further adieu....

"Go away, my Owsley. I'm working on some important stuff, and it's no kids allowed!"

Gage: Don't call me clumsy!
Me: But you are.
Gage: It's still not a very politeful thing to tell someone!

In the car.
Gage: I want that rooster that Owsley has.
Me: He's playing with it right now.
30 seconds later......
Gage: I traded with him. I took the rooster, and I gave him some trash I found in my seat.

After Peppy got his hair cut.
Gage: Your hair looks pretty bad.
Me: That's not nice. Why did you say that?
Gage: Because I was telling the truth.

Me: Your feet kind of stink.
Gage: Just don't smell them, if it bothers you so much.

I heard a loud WHACK, and then Owsley started crying.
"Don't worry, Mommy. I just remembered I didn't give Owsley a birthday spanking. So I was giving it to him now."

To my dad:
"We went and ate at Steak n Shake. It was pretty fancy."

Peppy: You didn't take a very long nap.
Gage: What can I say, I'm sorry.

pay it forward 2012

2012-01-06T06:01:00.015-06:00

I've been inspired by so many people lately. Online and off. So many wonderful acts of kindness spiraling all around me. Many of you have sent me random goodies in the mail. (I won't even try to name names, for fear of leaving someone out.) And then there were the wonderful parents who want to pay for Gage to go to school an extra day this year.

All of this has led me to a new monthly feature for 2012.One Friday out of every month of the year, I'll be posting a link-up for you to include all the ways that either you have paid it forward to someone that month, or that someone has shown you a spontaneous act of kindness. Now, this isn't going to be a link-up to give ourselves an online pat on the back or to boast about how amazing we are. Instead, I hope that it will help us encourage and inspire others. Reading about the generosity and compassion of other is sure to lift spirits!

Paying it forward 12 times in 12 months....I can do that. While I do consider myself a nice person (I will hold the door open for someone, or pick up something that was dropped,) I don't often find myself going out of my way to do something randomly nice. Not because I'm incapable of doing so, but more-so because I usually just stay in this little bubble of mine. So I think it will be a wonderful goal to set for myself. Doing things for others has always made me feel better as a person. I don't know why I don't do it more often. And what a great habit to get myself into. (Goodness knows I've got enough bad habits.)

It doesn't have to be anything big either. Maybe sending a card (not a text!) to someone sick. Or even offering to watch the neighbor's kids for a few hours so that she can go get groceries....alone.

Years ago I read this blog that belonged to my boyfriend's friend. He would see the same car at school every day that had numerous Radiohead stickers on it. He had bought a really obscure live album, and he made a copy and put it under the windshield of the stranger's car. Then he hid and watched as the owner of the car found it. He never even introduced himself. That incident has stuck with me. I think stuff like that is incredible. Almost magical.

The first link-up will be Friday, January 20th. I hope to see you there!

invisible mothers

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday as I was refilling Gage's milk for the third time without any kind of acknowledgement to my existance, I was reminded of an email that Peppy's Granny sent me this time last year. I reread it, and as I smiled through (happy) tears, I knew it was something that I wanted to pass along. And although there is a bit of a religious tone to the message, I know that mothers everywhere can take something from this and find encouragement.

So to all those mothers out there who sometimes feel invisible, this is for you.

"It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible....The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order,'Right around 5:30, please.'

Some days I'm a crystal ball; 'Where's my other sock?, Where's my phone?, What's for dinner?'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history, music and literature -but now,they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devoured - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
2) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
3) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
4) The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last minute errand is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, he'd say, 'You're gonna love it there...'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers."

I have no idea the source of this article. But whoever it is, thank you.

i quest. you quest. we all quest to sci-quest.

2012-01-05T06:01:00.024-06:00

Monday was a nice day. Peppy didn't have to work. When I heard Owsley making noise on the monitor (at 6:30) I might have punched Peppy and told him that it was his day to get up with the boys. I ended up sleeping in until 9. It was pretty amazing. It has been many, many months since I got to sleep in.

Part of the boys' Christmas present from my parents was a year pass to Sci-Quest, a local science museum. Peppy's cousin had given us a pass back when I was pregnant with Owsley, and Gage and I used to go every single Saturday. So I know we are definitely going to make use of having passes again. They have tons of fun experiment areas, as well as a life-size playhouse for the smaller kids.

Owsley went down the slide, but got stuck in the middle and tried to climb his way back up.

What kid doesn't need to know the science behind farting?

Guess the smell. Here are your choices.....

This was supposed to be what it felt like to be in a minor earthquake.

Owsley loved it. He even climbed back up it and turned it on himself. I thought it would scare him. But he held onto the rail and laughed. And then turned it on again.

What your nightmares are made out of.

Poor Owsley. He didn't understand why he couldn't grab a ball.

Afterwards we went to Steak n Shake. All around me were people on their smart phones, oblivious to whatever was going on around them. To my left there were two guys in their early 20s, only looking up once, when Owsley let out his war cry that declared it was time for him to poop. To my right, two teenage girls, busy texting away. In front of us was a young mom with her small child. The only time that she put down the phone was when her food arrived. That's when she put on some cartoon for her child to watch. (Come on. Parents have been pacifying their kids without the use of technology since the beginning of time. I am far from a perfect parent, but this kind of stuff annoys the crap out of me. How about putting down the phone, and engaging your child?) And I'm not talking about the parents who occasionally lets their kids play on their phone. But I think we've all seen the mom or dad who seems to rely on the phone entertainment 24/7.

And then, here's the real kicker. In the booth behind us there was a family. The parents and their two teenage kids, a girl and a boy. The server comes to take their order, and the kids are clueless as to what is going on. The mom has the audacity to say to the server, "Kids and their phones. I guess YOU just have to get used to it."

Are you serious??? As someone who wasted too many years of their life waiting tables, I absolutely loathe when parents promote rude behavior in their children. Yuck.

Remember that one time when I was posting pictures of going to the science museum with my family, and then got off on a tangent about smart phones? Yeah......I should have been born in a different century.

razzle dazzle

2012-01-04T06:01:00.006-06:00

Yes, I wore clothes this past week. No, I'm not starting to practice nudism or anything. But I never got around to taking pictures, and I'm pretty sure most of the things I wore have been posted here before. So I'm going to postpone until next week. Please try your very best to be patient.

A week or so ago Jess post a tutorial on how to make your own glitter shoes. I had tried this years ago, back when Old Navy sold super cheap flimsy ballet flats. I think it was probably around 2004. But for some reason mine didn't turn out. Maybe the shoes were too silky of a material, or maybe I just didn't use enough Mod Podge. Either way, my dream of having a pair of ruby red slippers turned into me leaving a trail of red glitter wherever I went.

"Hey, where's Deanna?"

"I dunno. Just follow the red glitter trail."

FAIL.

I already had glitter. I already had Mod Podge. Heck, I even had those little foam brushes. But I didn't own a single pair of pumps. Truth be told, I only wear flats. Peppy is thismuch shorter than me AND he slumps. So if I wore heals, it would look like a giraffe standing next to a hairy (currently hairless) leprechaun. (Sorry Peppy. You know I love you.)

As ~~luck~~ ~~fate~~ life would have it, I found these amazingly dull shoes on clearance for $3.

(They had little bows that I clipped off. But unfortunately they were connected to what held the shape of the shoe, so I couldn't cut it all off.)
So on New Year's Eve, while everyone was out doing whatever you do when you have a social life, I made glitter shoes, while Gage watched intently from his bath.

I'm kind of in love with them. They make me want to dance. And sing. And spray rainbows of happiness wherever I go. I wore them to church the next day with black tights. I couldn't stop looking down at my feet.

(Glitter shoes, glitter shoes, glitter shoes, glitter shoes. Razzle Dazzle! Razzle Dazzle!)

Like I said, I don't know what I did differently this time around, but whatever it was, it worked. I didn't make a picture tutorial, because you all know how ugly my 'how to's' can get. So go here and find out how to make your own pair!

I had to buy varnish and the clearance shoes. So the total cost of this project was $8! Wada-tah! (Oh, and for the glitter, I mixed silver, gold, red, blue, and green together. )

transformer

2012-01-03T11:00:00.004-06:00

Most bloggers probably wouldn't take the time to acknowledge the fact that their husband got a haircut. Then again, most of their husbands probably don't go from looking like this:
To this:I felt like if I didn't mention his recent change from dirty hippie to clean cut McGee, I might post pictures in the near future, and you would be left asking a hundred questions. Like....'Is Deanna a polygamist and she never mentioned it?' or 'Did Deanna and Peppy seperate and this is her new boyfriend?'(His hair was wet. He's not trying to pull off a greaser from The Outsiders. I promise.)

He went from looking like a member of My Morning Jacket.....
To a band-mate of Weezer.....
He does this about every 6 months. So while I'm pretty used to it, for the first couple of days it feels weird. Almost like I am cheating on him. Or like I actually do have two husbands, and I just switch back and forth. Because honestly, these two Peppys don't look anything alike to me. Gage has even been calling him 'Grandpappy' (Peppy's dad) because he thinks that who he looks like now.

He did this once when Gage was around Owsley's age. Gage freaked out when he saw his 'new' dad. Although he was a glorified (clingy) mama's boy, he held onto his daddy and did not let go for days. He refused to even look at me. I think he was afraid that if he let Peppy walk away, he might come back an even stranger person.

Owsley's reaction was a little different. He hid behind my legs and refused to walk out. I think he was scared of Peppy at first. But he's warmed up to him the past day. And me personally? Well, Peppy's hair grows really fast, so I'll be happier in about a week when he's got a bit more facial hair. I just prefer a bit more scruff. More woodsy and lumberjack-esque. But he knows I love him either way.

topical tuesday

2012-01-03T06:01:00.004-06:00

Now that the weather is finally cooling down a bit in the South, it really gets me in the mood to wrap up in a quilt and read a good book. (You know, whenever I actually get some down time.) I have favorite pastimes for every season of the year. And cold weather is definitely book reading time!

So recommend one book to me! I know you could probably go off and list lots of books that you like, but if you could have an afternoon to yourself to wrap up, grab a nice hot drink, and read the hours away, what book would it be?

Today I am going to pass along Audrey Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry. Have any of you read it? It's by the lady who wrote The Time Traveler's Wife, which was another book that I really like (much more than the movie!) I read Her Fearful Symmetry around this time last year, and it was one of those books that I just couldn't put down and had to know what was going to happen next. Plus, it had one of those 'are you serious!?!' endings, and I'm a sucker for stuff like that. :)

Hopefully you'll find some new suggestions in the comments. Happy reading!

out with the old, in with the new.

2012-01-02T06:01:00.056-06:00

Goodbye 2011! You could have very well been the fastest (and most stressful) year of my life. I've been seeing these yearly review posts, and I thought I would do a little roundup myself. Maybe you're a new reader and want to see what we've been up to this past year.

Or maybe not.

Either way, it was fun for me to go back and read some of my older stuff. Kind of like looking through a photo album. I had forgotten just how difficult things were for me this time last year. Out of sight, out of mind...I guess.

January

*I started out the year proclaiming that sometimes I just don't like being a mama.
*On the 14th, Peppy and I celebrated our 5th eloping anniversary. We went on our first date since Owsley had been born and had dinner at the Melting Pot.

February

*This month was all about my issues. I talked about my body issues a bit, as well as my main source of anxiety.
*What no one tells you about being pregnant.
*I did the dialect meme, where it was made pretty obvious that I am from the South.
*Peppy's mom and stepdad visited from Arizona, and Suzie shared this amazing apple dumpling recipe.
*The 'Gage Says' feature was also started up.

March

*Gage begins to take more of an 'interest' in Owsley.
*I dressed up like (Mrs.) Cat in the Hat and read to students at my mom's school.
*I give my two cents about the Mirena.
*I made the executive decision that Peppy would clip the boys' nails from now on.
*Why your server hates you.
*We took our annual trip to the circus.
*I discussed blog etiquette.
*I revisited my pregnancy with Owsley.
*I created the Naked Face Challenge.

April

*After an emotional struggle, I stopped breastfeeding Owsley.
*I vlogged about music.
*I talked about gender and toys.
*You were introduced to 16 year old Deanna.
*We celebrated Easter.
*A tornado ripped through Alabama, leaving us without electricity and water for over a week. So we went to the beach.

May

*My brother got married.
*We had an ant infestation.

June
*I talk about my love for gnomes.
*I sing a song about how much I hated waiting tables.
*I talked about my past experiences with social phobia.

July
*I celebrated my 27th birthday.
*Gage turned 4 and had a Scooby Doo party.
*I thought I might be having a nervous breakdown.
*We took a trip to the zoo.

August

*We saw The Decemberists for the 5th time, and I stood thisclose to Colin!
*Gage had his first day of Montessori school.
*Take me to the nuthouse.

September
*Surviving the preschool years.
*Peppy had his 27th birthday.
*We took the boys to the Space and Rocket Center.

October

*Took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch.
*YOU picked my Halloween costume.

November
*We took a trip to the aquarium.
*We celebrated Owsley's first birthday with a Bigfoot party.

December

*It was our first anniversary of being home owners.
*Gage's behavior really begins to get much better.
*Christmas!

I like how my bullets started out with nice, long descriptions, and then tapered off by March. :)

Thanks for sticking around with me in 2011. Here's to a great 2012!

my stories v.4

2012-01-01T06:01:00.013-06:00

So all of my previous 'stories' have been a bit on the creepy side of things. Today's edition will (hopefully) bring out the LULZ.

This takes place about two years ago. Back when Gage was an only child (that sounds so weird to say,) Peppy and I worked opposite shifts so that he wouldn't have to go to daycare. But we worked our schedules so that we always had Mondays off together. It didn't matter what we did on Mondays, so long as we all did it together. We were a little tripod.

This particular Monday we had to go on a weekly grocery run, so we headed to Kroger. Now, if you know my husband in real life, you know he's a thrifty guy. He is by no means stingy, but if there is a deal to be found, he's your man. He always goes straight to the discount table, and that's the first thing he did when we entered the store. He comes skipping back, with this enormous grin on his face, and a discounted container of lube in hand. And he obviously thinks it's the best thing ever. I'm talking kid in a candy store excitement. By this time we had been married a little over three years, and I'm used to his thrill over discounted stuff. So it's really no big deal.

We finish grabbing all the items on our list, and head to the fastest checkout, which just so happens to be run by a 16 year old girl. She begins scanning our items, and when she gets to the lube....it won't scan. She looks at the lube, she looks at us. She quickly looks down. She tries to scan it again, to no avail. Her face is beginning to get red, and she is obviously humiliated. She calls another cashier over, who is also a 16 year old girl. She can't seem to remedy the situation either.

By this time there is a line forming behind us, and there is really nothing the girls can do except.....

"I need a price check on aisle three."

Instead of coming to our lane to assist us, the manager sticks his head out of the office and calls out, "What's it for?"

"Lube."

"What? I didn't hear you."

"Lube."

"Huh?"

"I SAID....LUBE!"

...............

There appears to be a hushed silence over the entire store. I think maybe I even heard crickets chirping. That's when I fell over the buggy and started laughing so very, very hard. I was actually afraid I might pee on myself.

The manager rushes over and accesses the situation: Two very embarrassed teenage girls, one husband with an enormous grin on his face, one lady in hysterics, a toddler happily eating his Teddy Grahams. Oh, and the line of about 10 people behind us, who (by this time) were all intently paying attention to what was going on.

"Oh...Umm.....just give it to them," The manager says, and shoves the lube into a separate bag.

Let me tell you, I think my little family became famous in Kroger that afternoon. And I'm pretty sure those girls made certain to avoid us during our future visits.

gage says v.45

2011-12-31T06:01:00.007-06:00

While in the bath:
"Look Mommy! I'm a naked police officer!"
When I looked over, he was laying there with a police badge over his privates.

Referring to a mechanical dog that broke:
"Well, at least he lived a good life."

Pulling a pack of underwear out of his stocking:
"I knew this was too good to be true!"

Me: When we first moved in this house, we said there would be no kid toys downstairs. They would all stay up in the playroom.
Gage: Haha! That's a funny joke for you, Mommy!

He bit his tongue.
Me: Are you all right?
Gage: I think I'm going to last.

Gage: Joy to the world, the teacher's dead!
Owsley: Le le la la!
Gage: My Owsley! Stop it! You don't know the right words!!

"We need to get out my bake oven and make some donuts, because the police guys at my work are pretty hungry today."

Me: What kind of popcorn do you want, butter, cheese, or caramel?
Gage: Is it made from a real camel or just a pretend one?

"If your water tastes weird it's because I sneezed in it."

While making play-doh pizzas:
"I just farted. But let's pretend that it's a burnt pizza smell instead."

2.5 years old. The face only a mother could love.

on faking it.

2011-12-30T06:01:00.010-06:00

I promise I'm not intentionally calling anyone (in particular) out in this post. But it's one of those times where if I don't speak my mind, it's going to be looming over my head like a dark cloud. And it'll just get bigger and darker as time goes by. There's no sense in harboring anger. So I'm here to let out my frustrations so that I can move on.

There are fake people wherever you look. On tv, on the radio, in real life. And yes, even here in the lovely land of Blog. (Egads! Say it's not so!) My life is not perfect, and neither am I. I hope that I never send out that message at all. Actually, I think my blog persona is pretty in-sync with the real life me. I'm sarcastic, sometimes lazy, and have an incredibly amazing sense of humor. :) Obviously there are aspects of my private life that I choose not to include in this blog, but I feel that I'm not putting anything out that's not true.

Maybe a week ago I was on twitter and saw a tweet from Sara. It said something along the lines of, "Stupid mommy bloggers. They help amplify postpartum depression."

That really stuck with me. And it made me angry too. (But not at Sara.) I started thinking about how all these new moms look at bloggers with seemingly perfect lives. Their perfect husband, their babies who never, ever, ever have a bad day. (Or even a spill on their onesie, for that matter.) These perfect bloggers who pop back into their pre-preggo size in 30 seconds flat. And it's no wonder these new moms feel so helpless and fall into a depression. Motherhood is no cake walk, and it really bothers me how new moms will compare themselves to these other bloggers. These fake bloggers. Not quite fictional characters, but more like 'loosely' based on a true story.

I know some bloggers don't want to be negative Nancy's all the time, and I get that. No one wants to read about bad stuff online when they've got their own issues in real life. But at the same time, no one wants to feel like they are the only one having a hard time. Feeling ostracized is just going to make it worse.

Oh, and please don't think I'm telling you what blogs to read. You should read what you like. I'm just telling you not to believe every single thing that you stumble upon. I can spot a faker a mile away. I sure hope you're not falling for it either.

Ok. I just needed to get that off my chest.

Have a great weekend. And Happy New Year! :)

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas (is over.)

2011-12-29T06:01:00.074-06:00

Christmas this year was nice. We had some incidences....like when Owsley fell down three steps and landed face first onto the hardwood. Or when he dropped an entire glass bottle of sparkling cider on his foot. But considering we were going nonstop for almost 72 hours straight, I think the kids did really well. Although by our last family dinner on Monday afternoon, I think we were all just ready to come home and go to bed.

So here I am, a few days late, bombarding you with Christmas pictures. Enjoy!

Christmas Eve lunch at Memaw's:
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.

If I had a facebook account, this would be my profile picture. Love my little guys so much.

Gage actually asked Santa for an Easy Bake Oven, so his smile really is genuine in this picture.

After I uploaded the pictures, I called Peppy over to look at this one. Gage just looks so grown up. He got a Vtech tablet from my Parents, and on Monday he was showing me how he can type his name. I'm tripping out over here. He's growing up much too fast.

Opening up her Tokidoki Barbie. She was a really good sport about it.

But I think the biggest kick came out of tattooed Ken.

Why do you look so guilty, Owsley? He had walked off about a minute earlier, and then it got too quiet. I usually shut all the doors when we go to Memaw's house, because he likes to roam. And splash in the toilet.

Yup. Guess who got to fish that one out?

I probably shouldn't share this. But I kind of have to.

My heart fears for that cardboard house. I have caught Gage attempting to swan-dive through the windows (more than once.)

Peppy's dad and stepmom came over after we got back home, but none of my pictures turned out because the lighting sucked. But I did want to show you the awesome framed picture that had made of our family. We don't have any family photos hung up, so it was really nice.
After they left, we sprinkled magic reindeer food outside and looked for Rudolph's nose glowing in the distance, and Peppy read The Night Before Christmas.

And then.....Santa came!

Owsley was really excited about that hippo. He actually picked it out a couple weeks ago.

We waited too late and didn't get that shark filled with helium before Christmas Eve. I would have given anything to have had it hovering over the tree when the boys came down the stairs Christmas morning. :)

Peppy cooked French toast.....in my yoga pants. He said that if I'm going to start wearing all his pj pants, he's going to wear mine.

Sometimes Gage really looks like mini Thom Yorke.

Check out the sweet pictures of me and my brothers, circa 1989.

See all those bags? Those were our 'stockings' from my mom. She goes a little overboard.

We went to Peppy's aunt's house (where we played a PG version of Dirrrty Santa) after we left my parents' house. And I only took two pictures. Whoops. When we got home that night, Peppy and I stayed up and sorted through all of our stuff. I packed up half of the boys' toys and put them away for a rainy day. They don't remember half of the things they get, and this way I can pull out something new on a day they are getting on my nerves.

So far this week we've caught up on sleep (Owsley slept from 5:30 pm-7 am on Monday night) and I've been trying to find places for all our new stuff. I don't know about you all, but clutter=stress to me. I don't really mind if my house is dirty. But if it's cluttered, so is my mind. I actually don't really care if the upstairs is jumbled, it's just the downstairs that bothers me. I can sense a big overhaul coming soon.

If you read all of this, then you are so awesome. (Really. You are. This was a super long post.)

(what i've been wearing) wednesday

2011-12-28T06:01:00.001-06:00

What I wore to spend the day at Memaw's house:
sweater: Forever 21
tank: Goodwill
jeans: Burke's
earrings: Burke's
shoes (moccasins): Charlotte Rousse

What I wore to our family stuff on Christmas Eve:
turtleneck: Ross
skirt: Burke's
earrings: Burke's
shoes: Burke's

What I wore to church on Christmas day:
sweater: Target via Dirt Cheap ($2!!)
dress: Old Navy
shoes: Payless
earrings: Forever 21
necklace: Whispers and Willows

What I changed into after church on Christmas:
cardigan: Wet Seal
shirt: TJ Maxx
jeggings: TJ Maxx
boots: Burke's
awkward pose: 100% me
Am I about to saddle up on a horse? I mean, really, what's going on here?

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy.

meet my december sponsors: final round up!

2011-12-27T10:58:00.001-06:00

Hello! I'm Dita, 24 year-old free lancer, rain lover, blogger, crafter, and desperately needs a clean bedroom. Currently in love with food my boyfriend cooks. Find more about me here for surprise sale, findings, and more handmade and pretty things.

--personal blog--etsy--facebook--shop blog--

***********************************************************************

Hi! My name is Cat and I'm a stay-at-home-mom to three rambunctious toddlers. In my 'spare' time I have a little shop called Mimi Baby Boutique. I sell hand made jewelry, hair bands and other accessories. I have lots of one of a kind items, but also many customizable pieces and I take "ground up" custom orders as well. Thanks for checking it out!

--etsy--facebook--blog--

***************************************************************************

My name is Lauren and I live in Bulgaria. I'm an American gal from Philly, who once upon a time, went looking for adventure in the great state of Alaska. I climbed mountains, I danced under the midnight sun, and I met a boy who changed my life. He happened to be Bulgarian. We traveled, we spent long months apart, and eventually we got married in Vegas. Flash forward 3 years later and here I am in Bulgaria, with my Bulgarian boy and our dual citizen baby. Now I find myself trying to fight the monotony of stay-at-home motherhood in this foreign land. I'm an expat who doesn't read or speak the language here; without my husband as a translator, I'd be hopelessly lost. In my spare moments, I enjoy listening to music and catching up on my blog roll. I'm also addicted to Mahjong. So that's a little bit about me. I hope you'll stop by and say Hello.

--blog--

*************************************************************************

topical tuesday

2011-12-27T06:01:00.025-06:00

Well, Christmas is over and done with. And I think we can all go ahead and take a deep breath. My boys got some great gifts, and I kind of racked up from my family as well. I got a new camera (which is basically just the updated version of my old one. I didn't want to have to learn a different camera.) I also got a Kindle Fire, which I am super stoked about....although I haven't had a chance to do anything other than purchase the new Chuck Palahniuk book. The Kindle is kind of a big deal for me, because I just don't do nice technology. So it's a little exciting to own something (that I consider) fancy. And I also got a Pandora bracelet with the boys' initials, which is pretty cool because it's something that I would never buy for myself.

What about you? What was your favorite gift this year?
I'll get around to posting Christmas pictures later this week. You know, when you're already sick and tired of looking at everyone's Christmas stuff. :)

undercover brother

2011-12-26T06:01:00.002-06:00

It's the day after Christmas. I hope you all had a great holiday. I'm actually typing this on Wednesday the 21st, because I had a free minute. I knew I would want to have something posted for Monday. But at the same time, I also knew that after going nonstop for 48 hours back and forth from different houses, the last thing I would want to do on Sunday night would be upload pictures and blog.

In fact, I hope that when you're reading this I'm playing with my kids and checking out the new stuff they got from Santa and our family. Unless of course you are reading this at 6 am. If that is the case, I hope I'm still in bed.

Early last week I got this bulky little black package in the mail, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out what it could be. When I got inside I realized the label was from Maker's Mark, and I actually got a little bit excited. Now, I don't even drink, but when we first moved back to Huntsville I was scouring for websites that sent out free address labels, and Maker's Mark was one of them. So I became an 'ambassador,' and every Christmas they send out some weird (but somehow cool) swag. One year they sent a wax stamp seal. One year it was bottle labels with our names on them. I actually forget that I am an 'ambassador' until Christmas time, when my yearly gift arrives.

And this year....an ugly sweater to insulate all my bottles.Somehow my name has gotten on their mailing list twice, and I actually received two separate sweaters. But like I said, I don't drink. So they became sweaters for Gage's animals.
Gage decided that Owl and Duckie were undercover cops at the mall, and this was what they were wearing. This might seem odd to you, but I promise that everything around here has to do with cops. All of his cars that aren't official police cars are undercover, according to him.

And if you ever wondered what I did with all the extra time I had before my kids came along, well apparently I spent much of my time looking for free stuff online.

santa claus is coming to town.

2011-12-24T22:51:00.000-06:00

Santa came!!!!
And he didn't wrap any presents either!

Christmas morning is going to be super hectic around here with us getting ready to go to church and letting the boys play with their gifts a bit, so Santa got lazy with wrapping. Plus, my 'Santa' never wrapped our gifts, and I always really enjoyed that overwhelming feeling of taking in every.single.present all at once. It was kind of like when you go down the first big dip on a roller-coaster and it takes your breath away. Hopefully my children will feel the same.

Yeah.....and I kind of hate wrapping presents anyway......
I mean, Peppy could have done it if it were that big of a deal.
Poor Owsley's side looks a little sparse compared to Gage's. (The coupe came from Peppy's mom.) But truth be told, Gage didn't get any presents from Santa when he was 5 months old, and Owsley didn't get anything last year when he was 6 weeks either.

Dude, I am already looking forward to next year, when both of my boys will be anxious for Santa to come. Holidays are just so awesome when there are excited little ones involved.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! Or a Happy Holiday! (Whichever you prefer.) :)

gage says v.44

2011-12-24T06:01:00.021-06:00

Peppy was resting on the couch:
"Hey! Pull open that blanket and let me get in the sausage mobile!"

Me: You need to finish your food, or you're not going to get one of those cookies.
Gage: You're not a very nice server today.

"Mommy, I've got to tell you something that you aren't going to like. I was peeing and there was a big boomer, and pee exploded everywhere. But it wasn't my fault. It was my penis' fault."
(No clue what a 'boomer' is. Sometimes it's better not to ask questions.)

I was singing in the car:
Mommy. Mommy! MOMMY!!!! That song is going to be better for just listening to."

Gage: Did you know that Jesus' mommy was named Mary?
Me: I did. Do you know what his daddy's name was?
Gage: Joseph and the pussycats.

Unwrapping a candy cane during church.
Me: You can't eat that right now!
Gage: Don't worry. I was just going to lick it.

"Why do people in jail get to play basketball? That sound like something fun to me."
And then, later on while we were playing 'jail.'
"All right guys! It's time for your fun airplane ride!"

Gage: I bet there is a police car in that big box.
Me: Believe it or not, not everything you get for Christmas is going to be about police cars.
Gage: Well, I believe it. But I don't really want to.

"Sometimes after I poop, it makes me walk kinda like a cowboy. Do you know about that too?"

Yesterday I let Gage and Owsley open their presents from each other. 'Owsley' picked out a super cheap rescue set, featuring a scuba policeman wearing flippers. Gage was ecstatic, and exclaimed this was the best present ever. He immediately went over to give Owsley a hug, who in returned, punched him in the face.

away in a balcony

2011-12-23T06:01:00.005-06:00

So you all may remember that we don't celebrate the holidays with any sort of religious relevance, but in the spirit of Christmas I thought I would share a little story with you.

Mary was 9 months pregnant. She was going to go into labor at any moment. But there was no room inside the inn. What were Mary and Joseph going to do? Oh wait! The innkeeper comes running out and tells them that although they don't have any room inside, Mary and Joseph were more than welcome to climb up onto the balcony. Now, I don't know how Mary managed to maneuver her body up to the top of the inn. But somehow she did. And that's where baby Jesus was born.

This was the nativity scene that we saw coming from our back window, for three years. I always wanted to go ask them 'why?' Why not put it on their front lawn instead? Oh well, to each their own. It always gave me something to look forward to each December. You know me. If it's weird, I'm going to love it.

okie dokie tokidoki

2011-12-22T06:01:00.002-06:00

My dad and I have a very similar sense of humor. We like to "pull peoples' chains," as my mom calls it. Basically we pick at people. But it's all in good fun. We're never mean about it. And honestly, if I don't 'pull your chain' just a bit, I'm probably not very comfortable around you. I only pick at those that I'm closest to, and who I know will take it all in jest.

A few months ago, my dad called me and sounded as excited as a small child on Christmas morning. On the way to work he had heard about a new limited edition Barbie on the radio. A new tattooed Barbie. The absolute perfect present for my anti-tattoo and Barbie collecting mother. He wanted to know if I would order it and have it sent to our address.

Of course. But only if I got to be there when she opened it up on Christmas morning.

source

My only regret is that we only bought one doll. She was $50, and now the cheapest one I could find on Amazon was $365. There was even one listed for $1700 on ebay! Hey, if my mom doesn't want her, I'll take her and little bastardino (her dog) as well. I think she's cute, and I don't even like Barbie.

Oh, and to make this gift just a teeny bit sweeter, some of my dad's coworkers made my mom a tattooed Ken. :) (Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics, but I really had to show you their handy work!)

I love the 'Gage' and 'Owsley' tattoos. :)

Oh, and I'm not worried about my mom seeing this before Christmas. She doesn't even know what a blog is. (I asked her a while back.)

a very thrifty christmas- magazine tree

2011-12-21T10:17:00.000-06:00

I am going to consider this another edition in the 'Very Thrifty Christmas' series because I wanted to use the graphic at least once more. So here's a last minute (easy) craft for you!

Yesterday I took the boys to craft day at the library. One craft in particular caught my eye, but it was a little bit older than something Gage could handle by himself.(And I was busy wrangling Owsley every couple of minutes.) They had a stack of magazines that you folded the pages together into a cute Christmas tree. I thought about making one, but I didn't want to take a magazine away from a kid who might possibly use it. So instead, I just looked up the directions and made one when I got home. Instead of taking really bad 'how-to' pictures, let me share the instructions through this link.

I think this would make a really cute centerpiece, or even a fun hostess gift. (What an awesome conversation starter!) And once I got the hang of folding the pages, it only took about 30 minutes to finish.

I was so excited to post about this, and then I realized this little craft has probably been on pinterest for weeks. But I refuse to get an account. I just can't. I have such an addictive personality as it is. Not to mention that I'm always looking for ways to procrastinate and waste time. So it's probably best if I just say NO. :)

(what i've been wearing) wednesday

2011-12-21T06:01:00.010-06:00

What I wore to church and lunch:
jumper: TJMaxx
turtleneck: Burke's
boots: UO
earrings (that you can't see): Forever 21
headband: Forever 21

What I wore to the Christmas program at Gage's school:

shirt: Goodwill
vest: Ross
jeans: Burke's
shoes (moccasins): Charlotte Rousse
necklace: c/o Mimi Baby Boutique

I love my birds nest necklace that Cat sent me. It's gorgeous, and the picture doesn't do it justice.

What I wore to spend the day at Memaw's house. The weather was 70 degrees (!!!) and we spent most of the afternoon outside.
tunic: Ross
leggings: Walmart
shoes: UO
necklace: from Peppy
earrings: Earthbound Trading Co.

What I wore to decorate cookies at my parents' house:
shirt: Goody's from about 10 years ago
jeans: Marshalls
shoes: Sketchers, also from about 10 years ago
beanie: Forever 21
earrings: Burke's

So I got to thinking that whenever I list my boots as coming from 'UO' that is probably looks like Urban Outfitters. I've never even been in that store before. My boots are actually from the website Urban OG (formerly Urban Original. Their shoes are generally around $20, and I've never ordered a pair that weren't super comfortable.

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy.