Sweet Caroline

This may have been one of our laziest weekends to date. But, when it rains...and is just generally overcast, I just can't get motivated! Thankfully, the rain came at a good time though because I definitely needed some extra couch time Saturday morning! Our weekend started Friday night with a SURPRISE 30th birthday party for one of my best friends. Everything went perfect and she was definitely surprised! Yay!  Her husband went all out and had the party catered and stocked with plenty of good libations!  We also had our supper club that night, so a group of us left the surprise party at 8 and headed to supper club for a bit..which was equally as fun. The hostess made an amazing salad that I want to get the recipe for and may even have to share it (I know...me? Share a recipe?  Funny!  But, it was so good.).  We also dined on Beaufort Stew (amazing as usual)...so yeah, Mikey and I kinda had two dinners Friday night...oops.  After supper club we headed ...

So...after searching HIGH and LOW for months, I have finally decided on my fabric choices for the den and breakfast room. Of course, all of this will have to be implemented in stages because you know... I still haven't found that money tree. But, I am just so excited to be making progress.  I may still find a fourth fabric to tie in somehow, but these will be the main three.  1. I'm not even sure where this is from...and it may not be the exact one I use...but something similar will cover the ottoman.    2. I just ordered this fabric (Waverly cross section, also made by Lewis and Sheron but Waverly was cheaper) when fabric.com had 15% off and got 7.5 yards (enough to cover the wing back chair) for UNDER ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS.  Score!  So pumped to send this off to the reupholsterer (is that a word?).  I will need to order a bit more eventually to do pillows as well. 3.  My first love.  I kept coming back to it over and over...so thi...

Next Thursday a bunch of my girlfriends and I are heading to ATLANTIS for a girl's get away to celebrate the year that WE ALL TURN 30.  (womp womp to turning 30) but HIP HIP HOORAY for a fabulous vacation.  There are 10 of us going and it is sure to be a BLAST.  I wish ALL of my besties could make the trip...but some are preggers (yay!) and some just couldn't come because of work, etc.  But, I am so excited about going and I just know we will have the BEST time.  I haven't been on a tropical vacation in a couple of years (tropical meaning a beach outside the UNITED STATES, excluding HI of course...sadly never been there).  Anyways... I foresee LOTS of relaxation, LOTS of sun, LOTS of drinks, and LOTS of fun.  Seriously CANNOT WAIT.  A carefree, laid back vacation with my best friends in a beautiful place?  What's not to love?!  *This will be the longest I have gone without seeing my little love bug....hopefully I will be okay,...

So, after attending a grand total of THREE Pure Barre classes I figured it was time to chat about it a little.  First things first, I've been told on NUMEROUS occasions how much I would LOVE Pure Barre being a former dancer/cheerleader.  Although, let's be honest, the older I get...that part of my life seems SO, SO long ago and my body isn't quite not even close, to what it was during those years.  Anyways, I've always heard how amazing it is...I mean it better be with that price tag, right?  (It's EXPENSIVE for those not in the know)  Like....$150/month expensive.  For a CLASS.  Not a gym, just ONE class.  WOAH.  I don't know about y'all but that is a LOT of money to spend on a workout class.  Nonetheless, I had been dying to try it out...you know because I had been told I would just love it. So, finally....little ole' Columbia got a Pure Barre studio.  It's been open since October...but I finally bought a Living Social deal la...

You know what the best part about this weekend was?? MIKEY IS BACK. WooHoo! Mikey got back around 3am Saturday (ouch!) but I am so so glad:) Collins and I did NOTHING Friday night and it was nice. We played, went on a long walk, and chilled. Then of course after she went to bed I was GLUED to the news. I mean, how could you not be? I am SO,SO glad they caught that guy alive. Now, I just hope we can get some information out of him before he gets his JUST PUNISHMENT. I was in tears watching the "makeshift" parade the people of Watertown did for all of the law enforcement when everything was said and done. I hate that it takes terrible events like these to make us stop and think about how amazing our law enforcement and military are. Seriously, so brave and courageous. I got up at 8 with Collins and let Mikey sleep in on Saturday...but of course he could only stand it so long before he had to wake up to play with his girl. By 9 we were all outside playing and doing ...

To be honest, I've never really given this topic much thought.  I, much like a lot of other people I have witnessed/encountered during my 29 years have always harped on the "SHARE" philosophy when interacting/babysitting younger children.  Sure, I try to negotiate and help the children realize that they can't get what they want WHEN they want it, just because THEY want it, but I typically have always been a big proponent of SHARING.  I mean, I feel like that's common, right? Well, that was until I read this article.  It definitely got me thinking.  And at first, I was all...oh yes, this totally makes sense...I am all on board.  But, then I got to really thinking about it.  And, I just don't know if there is any perfect solution. I think sharing should and is generally event specific.  In the article, in the scenarios she mentions, I do believe NOT SHARING was okay.  In fact, more than okay.  But, in some ways...I feel like it can ...

Little C bug is 14 months old today. Tear. It's just TOO, TOO fast. Just wanted to write out a quick update. Collins is becoming a little bit more picky about her food, some nights the only thing she will eat is yogurt or applesauce (you certainly can't tell she's missing any nutrients though!).  She has started to throw any food on the floor she doesn't like, fun times;-)  I promptly take it away and she thinks that's funny.  Slowly, but surely she is adding a few more words to her vocabulary.  Lately she's started with no and uh-oh.  All in all, she says bye bye ALL.THE.TIME., mama, dada a few times, and now, no and uh-oh.  We are getting there!   Still chunky as ever, and I can't get enough of those leg rolls. We are still using size 3 Pampers swaddlers and use size 3 Pampers night time at night.  She's definitely getting in some more teeth and these last two are giving her the most problems.  You can tell sometimes they just plain ...

I am so, so saddened over this whole Boston marathon nightmare.  My first gut reactions when these terrible things occur are always "what is wrong with this place?" "are we ever going to feel safe again?" "What is our world coming to?"  I just cannot fathom people who commit these evil, heinous crimes.  But, lately it seems like they are getting more common and that TERRIFIES me.   With all of the awful school shootings, the movie theater and now a marathon, it's hard to get back our sense of safety.  Those malicious, evil people have completely robbed me of that now. HOWEVER, I'm sure many of you have read some of these positive posts somewhere on social media but they have been striking a chord with me, and are exactly what I need to hear at a time like this.  This was one of my favorites: "We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil.  We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago.  So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or into...

We started off our weekend getting totally wild with a little grocery shopping.  And yes, I got called out on multiple social media sources for taking a picture of my child on the ADULT DIAPER aisle, haha!! Mama needs her Depends, y'all.  Joking.   But, C does love a good ride around a store in a buggy...she thinks it's fun.  Then later Friday, my best friend came to play for a bit.  We hadn't seen each other in WAY TOO LONG...so she came over and spent some time with Collins until it was her bed time and then the two of us stayed up talking until MIDNIGHT.  So nice to be able to catch up...even if it meant I was a WEE bit tired and got a late start to the BEACH Saturday morning.  But, really...it's Collins' fault...she slept late and didn't wake me up! We took off around 10 to head to Sullivan's Island for the day/night.  A group of my girl friends rented a house for the weekend and it was a BEAUTIFUL day on the beach.  This was the firs...

So, here we are another week without daddy at home.  Boo hiss to work training in New Jersey. But, it's almost over and NO GOING BACK. WooHoo! I may have a long winded "how in the hell do single parents do it" post to share with you soon. Get excited. Anyhoo...I go back and forth on taking lots of pictures of the munchkin...I'll go a few days without ever pulling out my phone and then some days I'll take 20. She's at the stage now, where pics are getting harder...as she either doesn't want to sit still or definitely doesn't want to smile. But, with Mikey being gone, he likes me to send him lots of pictures...so I am trying to oblige. This is what we have been up to this week: LOTS of time spent at the neighborhood playground after work. This is a look of PURE JOY mid swing.   We (FINALLY!) went to a Carolina baseball game with my parents Tuesday night.  At this point last year we had already been to 4 or 5...with a newborn!! Of course, ...

So, I just realized I never blogged about our ski trip.  *Sidebar* I can NOT narrow down pictures, so here we are yet again, with a billion pics...or, just 25...but you get the point.  But, since I am printing my blog as a scrapbook of sorts for myself, I guess that's okay!  ;-)  Back at the end of January, my family packed up and headed to Snowshoe, WV for a long weekend ski trip. And when I say packed up and headed, we left at 2 am and drove thru the night so the babies could sleep and we could get a full day skiing...crazy!  We were chomping at the bit to go skiing again, but didn't want to invest the time or money into a big vacation out west, so we decided Snowshoe would have to do.  Snowshoe can be tricky, sometimes the weather is perfect...and sometimes...nada.  However, we hit the SNOW jackpot.  Fo' real, it was almost *dare I say* too cold .  Seriously, the wind chill was -22.  Y'all, that is COLD.  I mean, FREEZING COLD...