A Letter to My Firstborn

Your birthday is just a few days away.  I know I say it every year, but I honestly find it hard to believe that you... my little girl... will soon be one year older.

When Monday rolls around, I know there will be several moments throughout the day where I'll think back to that night eight years ago, when you entered the world and my life...  

I had no idea what I was supposed to do with you during those early days.  And although there are some days now where I still don't know what I'm going to do with you, being your mom is my greatest joy.  As much as I don't like the fact that you're getting older (which means I am, too!), it makes me so proud to watch you grow into a beautiful young lady.    

Happy 8th Birthday to one awesome kid... I'm so glad you're mine!

Love,

Mommy

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Candid Carrie hosts Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta each week!

Keepin' it realz, yo.

Thanks to Rachael, Anissa and Em for giving me the following award!

Along with the award comes a meme... I'm supposed to list 10 honest things about myself. So, here goes:

1. I'm a bit of a perfectionist (Shane says I'm anal-retentive... and not just "a bit")


2. I like to do laundry at night. The laundry closet is in the hall just outside our bedroom... I like listening to the dryer run when I go to sleep.


3. I'm thisclose to having a really good cry.


4. I was hit with post-partum depression pretty hard after having both of my girls... I took an anti-depressant for a few months following their births. Some days I think I really need to start taking that little blue pill again...


5. I have no sense of direction... can't read a map to save my life (which will surely come in handy when I'm chosen to be a contestant on The Amazing Race)


6. I've always wanted to learn how to play the cello.


7. I procrastinate way too much.


8. I think I have ugly feet.


9. I'm addicted to lip gloss.


10. I'm way too hard on myself... and I worry about what other people may think of me. This is something that's not easy for me to change, but I'm trying!

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And props to Dana, for bestowing me with this cute little award:

Thanks!

I'm pimpin' out my hubs!

No!  Not like that!  Sheesh, people... get your minds out of the gutter!

Shane has started his own blog... and being the dutiful wife I am, I'm here to get the word out.  I mentioned in my last post how Shane has begun taking an interest in photography (and thank you for all the good things said about his pictures!)... I've been telling him for awhile now that he should start a photography blog so he can show off his mad skillz.  Guess he got tired of my nagging decided to take my advice!  So please go check out Shane's new blog:

Life in Focus

Here's one of my favorite pictures Shane recently took:

Coolidge Park Carousel - Downtown Chattanooga

Frozen Falls

Shane has begun a real interest in photography. He bought a digital SLR camera a few months ago, and will be taking a few photography classes this spring.

This past Saturday, he drove to Fall Creek Falls State Park (about an hour or so north of where we live), just to get some practice using the camera... these are a few of the photos he took that day:

Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta is hosted each week by Candid Carrie... go check out more fab fotos!

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I've got to give a shoutout to my bloggy friend, Brooks! I won a giveaway she had on her blog... and my prize came in yesterday's mail. A beautiful bracelet and pair of matching earrings made by Brooks herself!

Thank you again, Brooks!

My head is still spinning...

In case you were not aware, season 5 of Lost premiered last night (yes, I drink that Kool-Aid)...




Oh. My. Head.


It was quite possibly the best season premiere of the show to date (warning! spoilers ahead):



There were several gasp!-worthy moments (where my hand seriously flew up to cover my mouth as I "huh!"'d out loud):


Halliwax bumping into Daniel below the Orchid station...


When it was revealed to be Ethan who shot Locke in the leg...


When Hurley pulled out of the gas station... and unknowingly to either of them, Kate pulled in...




If you drink the Kool-Aid too, click the button and come check out this new blog that I'm a part of, where all of us Losties can get our freak on:









I imagine its a fruity, tropical punch-flavored Kool-Aid, don't you?

Tuesday Tidbits

I never thought I would be happy to see a "high" temperature of 51 degrees, as I was on Sunday.


Unfortunately, I think I celebrated a tad early, seeing as how yesterday's high was only 34 degrees! We even had snow flurries on and off all day... especially in the afternoon. For awhile, HUGE snowflakes were coming down... I took a few pics and a short video of the girls enjoying the snow while it lasted.

      

Today's high is not going to be much better... another day of temps in the mid-30s! Brrrrrr!

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H and M both have birthdays next month. I'm at a loss as to what to do as far as parties go. Should they each have their own party? Or should I just do one big joint party, like they had last year? Honestly, right now I'm leaning toward not having a party at all... just having our family over for dinner and cake one night.

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My sister gave Shane a down vest for Christmas. He wore it the other night when we met my family out for dinner. On the way, I said to him, "Aw, sweet... you're wearing your vest so my sister can see you in it."

"Yeah", he said... then continued with,

"Good thing she didn't give me underwear."

Inquiring Minds Want to Know, Part III

Here is the final installment of the Q&As... thanks again for the great questions. In case you missed the earlier editions, here's Part I and Part II.





Michelle wants to know, "Does Shane read your blog? What does he have to say about it?"


Yes, Shane reads my blog. He doesn't read it daily, but he will go back to see what posts he may have missed since reading it last. I haven't asked him what he thinks of it, but I'm almost positive he wishes he never suggested I started one in the first place! Oh, yes... the idea for me to start blogging was Shane's. I tend to do most of my blogging late at night... I'm sure he'd prefer that I get away from the computer and come to bed for some *ahem*






Rhea asks, "What do you normally have for breakfast? What would be a really intriguing, fun job you'd love to have, if you didn't have kids?"


I'm not much of a breakfast eater... if anything, I'll just grab a bowl of cereal. But if we happen to go out for breakfast, then I load up on carbs: pancakes or waffles, toast or biscuits, hash browns... and throw in some bacon for a little protein!

When I was in high school, I thought I wanted to be a journalist. So not having kids, being able to just pick up and go to where the hot news stories are happening... I think that would be an intriguing job.

Rhea also asks, "What's your favorite animal and why?" and Jen asks, "If you were an animal, what would you be and why?"

I guess I would say horses are my favorite animal. They are beautiful creatures... and it is hard work, but sometimes I think I would like to have one...

As for what animal I'd like to be... I think I'd make a pretty good panda bear. They're cute and roly-poly... and they eat a lot. And I've learned that since their diet doesn't have much nutritional value (hey... just like my diet!), pandas tend to be lazy not expend much energy.

Yep... I could definitely handle being a panda.

Kat asks, "What is your favorite thing about living in the South? Least favorite?"

My favorite thing would be the weather.


Least favorite: the weather.






Frizzy wants to know "What is your most embarrassing moment?"

Oh, I could give you plenty of answers on this one... plenty. The time I had a soccer ball hit me in the face during PE freshman year... and the captain of the boys' soccer team ran over to me to make sure I was OK. Or another time while in high school where I had a carton of milk spilled in my lap during lunch... and I just happened to be sitting across the table from the guy I had a crush on.


My most recent moment of embarrassment happened on Christmas Day while we were over at my mother-in-law's house... I went to step over M as she was sitting on the floor. I guess I didn't get my foot up high enough because I sort of kicked her in the head. Not only that, but the little bow on my shoe got caught in M's hair... not only did I then fall down, I also managed to rip out a good chunk of hair right out of my daughter's head.

Sigh. At least this time it happened in front of family, right?

Anissa asks, "What is your favorite thing to do with your family?"

I think we have the most fun just hanging out at home. We've been playing a lot of games lately... Uno, Life, Disney Channel Scene It... it's just nice to have some "together" time with Shane and our girls.

The Blonde Duck asks, "What is your favorite pie?"

I don't like cooked fruit... therefore, I don't eat pie (or tarts, fritters, cobblers, etc). My favorite pie would be the peanut butter kind:

1 graham cracker pie crust (I prefer to use a chocolate or Oreo pie crust)

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 Tbsp milk

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup Cool Whip

Mix ingredients together and pour into Oreo pie crust. Freeze for a few hours until firm... enjoy!

Elizabeth wants to know, "What are your blog pet peeves? What kind of things do you read that would turn you off a particular blog completely? What kind of things keep you coming back?"

By no means do I profess to be a pro at this blogging stuff. But one little tip I think everyone should do is to include their email address on their Blogger profile... it just makes it easier to reply to someone's comment by replying via email than it is to find that person's blog and leave a comment to a question they might have asked.

I think the only thing that would turn me off a blog would be posts that were derogatory or mean-spirited. I don't mind profanity... but I don't want to read posts that are malicious.

I return to my favorite blogs for different reasons. I read Happy Hour Sue because I find her posts hysterical. Trooper Thorn is another one whose wit keeps me laughing. Others I read because I feel I've made a connection with them, and I want to know what's going on in their lives.

Missy asks, "If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?"

I tend to worry too much about things I have no control over... especially about what other people may think. So not being such a worry-wart over the little things is what I would change about myself.

Well, that's it for the questions... except now it's your turn. Take any of these questions (from Part I, II or III) and tell me your answer...

Inquiring Minds Want to Know, Part II - All About the Mouse

In case you missed it, you can find Part I of the Q&As here.

Hope y'all are ready for more Q&As... this time, it's all about the mouse... Mickey, that is.  I had a few questions regarding Disney World... and a few others who didn't have questions, but demanded requested I post about my trip there!

So Heather, Kat, Leah, and Michelle (and Kori, too)... this post is for you!

We spent a week at Disney World back in October of 2007. I had been twice as a kid, and Shane once... but we had yet to take the girls. We also attended Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party during our trip, which was fun. I'd like to go back to Disney World sometime during Christmas. I also think it would be a blast for our whole family to go... I'm talking the four of us, my mom and dad, Shane's mom, my sister, and the rest of them... 22 people in all!

Now, on to the questions:

"What was your favorite part of Disney?"

I'm taking this to mean what park was my favorite (Heather, if that's not what you meant, let me know). Hands down, my favorite park in Disney World is the Magic Kingdom. My least favorite park was MGM Studios (I think it's now called Disney Hollywood Studios).

"What was your favorite memory of your girls?"

I'm not sure if I just have one favorite memory of my girls' first experience of Disney World... hearing M's squeals of laughter while on the rides, H's excitement over meeting Buzz Lightyear (seriously... Buzz. Light. Year.)

H & M both say meeting the characters and the Halloween Party were their favorite. And the rides, of course. And the fireworks. Basically just about everything about our trip was their favorite.

"What was your favorite ride?"

M loves loves loves water rides... she'd ride nothing but those, if the choice was left up to her. Her favorite was Splash Mountain. I think we rode that one three times! Shane says this was his favorite, too.

H's favorite rides were Kali River Rapids @ Animal Kingdom and Test Track @ epcot.

I like roller coasters and wanted to do Expedition: Everest but didn't get a chance to. And Thunder Mountain Railroad was closed for refurbishment the week we were there. I guess my favorite ride was Tower of Terror. Shane would not ride it with me, so I convinced H to. She didn't cry when it was over, but, oh, the look on her face! Needless to say, I was not able to talk her into going on it again with me.

"What was your favorite restaurant?"

We opted to add the Disney Dining Plan to our travel package. We did three character meals that week (breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and friends @ The Crystal Palace... lunch with the Princesses @ Akershus... dinner with Mickey and friends @ Chef Mickey's). In my opinion, this is the best way to meet the characters and get autographs (they come to your table! no lines to stand in!)

Our favorite restaurant was Boma @ the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The food was delicious! And the atmosphere of the place was cool. As soon as we walked into the lobby of the resort, Shane said "I want to stay here!". The place is gorgeous... HUGE step up from All-Star: Movies, which is where we were staying.

During our dinner @ Boma

Another place we had dinner at that was a big hit was the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. The food was really good, second only to Boma. And the whole experience of the place is a lot of fun.

M & H in the front seat of our "convertible" at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater

While we're on the topic of food... I had a little surprise for Shane on our last night. I had called Chef Mickey's (where we had our last dinner) and ordered a cake to be delivered to our table to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary (which was actually the week after our trip, but you can celebrate anything at Disney World!). The cake was inscribed with "10 years of magic" and when it was brought out, Minnie Mouse came over to our table and gave us hugs.

"What was your favorite character?"

Me: Capt. Jack Sparrow!

This is the only time we saw Capt. Jack, on one of the floats during the Halloween Party Boo To You Parade:

H & M both had many favorites: Kim Possible, (the aforementioned) Buzz Lightyear, the Genie, Pocahontas, Jasmine and all the other Princesses...

H & M with Kim Possible and her crime-fighting partner/ boyfriend, Ron Stoppable

The girls with Shane's their favorite princess, Belle

Now it's your turn... have you ever been to Disney World and/or Disneyland? Who is your favorite Disney character?

Wishful Thinking

I know other parts of the country are seeing colder weather than what I'm currently dealing with...

But this is the South, y'all! For the love of all that is good and holy, it is not supposed to get this cold here! Overnight temps in the single digits. Daily highs only in the mid-20s.

Someone seriously needs to tell Mother Nature to back off.

Right about now, I wish I was here:

Preferably sipping a fruity cocktail with one of those little umbrellas in it.

Even better would be if those fruity cocktails were served by a cabana boy who just happened to look like this:

Inquiring Minds Want to Know, Part I

Thanks for all the great questions... as I'm still having a mild case of blogger's block, I'm going to stretch out answering them for as long as I can!

So without further ado, here is the first set of Q&As:



Jennifer asks, "What is your favorite thing to order at Starbucks?"

Four words: Salted. Caramel. Hot. Chocolate. As far as I'm concerned, it's the only thing to order at Starbucks! I don't drink coffee... I've never acquired a taste for it. If you've not tried a salted caramel hot chocolate, I urge you to do so! I believe Lula described their taste best: "it's like a Snickers bar melting in your mouth" ...mmmmmm!



Brandy's questions are, "If you had to give up one luxury, what would be on the chopping block? What would you fight to keep?"

I love TV way too much to give it up, but I could probably survive without cable... so that would be my luxury item I could do without, if need be. I would fight to keep our internet connection. Mama would not be happy if she couldn't blog everyday!



Bylinda (whom I've known since 7th grade!) wants to know, "Are you planning on attending your high school reunion?"

Um... probably not. Did we even have a 10 year one? If we did, I didn't go to it! It's hard to believe next year will be our 15th!



Lisa asks, "What is your go-to meal, the thing you know the kids and hubby will eat and not whine about?"

Steak, salad, baked potatoes, corn-on-the-cob and rolls. We all love a good ribeye!



Hot Tub Lizzy wants to know, "What article of clothing that you own would you be most embarrassed to be caught in public in?"

I have this one tee shirt... my sister gave it to me for my birthday. I only wear it around the house, as I don't have the chutzpah to wear it out in public:

Dawn is just dying to know, "What would the perfect date be to you? What would the perfect date be to your husband?"

My idea of a perfect date involves Shane and I dressing up, going to a fancy-schmancy restaurant... OK, that's a big ol' lie. I'd rather be dressed in my comfy jeans and eat yummy country cooking at Cracker Barrel! Maybe catch a movie... then go back home and *ahem*... I'm sure you can figure out the rest! Shane says this would be his idea of a perfect date, too... especially the *ahem* part.



Em asks, "If you were a fruit, what would you be?"

My first instinct was to answer "strawberry", just because that is my favorite fruit. Then I Googled 'what kind of fruit are you quiz' and took one:

You Are a Strawberry

You are friendly, outgoing, and well liked by many people. You are popular, but there's nothing ordinary or average about you. You a very interesting person, and you have many facets to your personality. Sometimes you feel very conflicted. Your different sides of your personality pull at you. You are a very sensual and passionate person. You are fiery... you can't help it. In general, you keep your passionate side under wraps. You are only wild in private.

Guess I should always trust my first instinct...





Stay tuned for more answers!

An Afternoon Downtown

Great questions, so far... keep 'em coming! I'm working on my answers...

*Now to our regularly scheduled post:

During winter break, Shane, the girls and I spent a day downtown. We had free passes to two of the museums that needed to be used by the end of the year... but it also gave us a chance to get out of the house and do something fun.

First we headed to the Hunter Museum of American Art. The featured exhibit at the time was called "Object Project". Fifteen artists from across the country painted one or two works that had to include a ball of string, a glass of water, a moth, a bone and a mirror. Unfortunately, cameras aren't allowed in the museum, so you'll just have to take my word for it that there were some pretty *ahem* interesting pieces!

Originally the museum was just housed in the turn-of-the-century mansion, but a few years ago a modern expansion was built (the silver building over to the left).

After leaving the Hunter, we grabbed a yummy lunch at my favorite downtown restaurant, Southern Star... good ol' Southern cooking at its best!

Mmmmm.... fried chicken. Mac & cheese. Cornbread, green beans, fried okra...

Sorry, where was I?

Oh, yeah... museums.

Our day continued at the Creative Discovery Museum (do I even need to tell y'all that the girls were way more excited to go here than to the Hunter?)

So... do you like going to museums? Do you have a favorite one? During trips to NYC, I've visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as the MoMA and the Guggenheim. By far, the Met is my favorite as it houses one of my all-time favorite paintings:

Artist: Auguste Renoir (French, 1841–1919)

Title: In the Meadow

Bring It!

My mom has fallen into a routine every morning. Once she is dressed and ready for the day, she goes downstairs to fix herself a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. Then it's off to the computer to check her email and read my blog (although she reads it every day, she has only commented once). If there is not a new post for the day, she calls to ask why. Because surely I don't have anything else to do other than make sure my mom has new blog posts to read (Momma, you know I love you).


Anyway, my mom would find it hard to believe that I am currently at a loss for words. At least when it comes to this little blog o' mine, which is why nothing new has been posted since Saturday. So while I collect my thoughts, I'm going to let you do the asking. If there are any questions that you have been wanting to ask me, now is the time to do just that!


So, bring it on! Leave a comment with a question (or two) for me and I will answer them... sometime.



*ETA: My mom left a comment! TWO, in fact! I can hardly believe it... (my mom's Blogger name is "D", btw)

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

This past Thursday night after watching "Private Practice", I kept the TV on to see what the next day's weather would be like.



When the 11:00 local news began, this was the lead story:


(Sorry, but you'll have to click on the link to watch the video)


http://tiny.cc/16U5Y




Did I mention that was THE. LEAD. STORY?

Take one...

Take two...

Third times a charm...

Candid Carrie hosts Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta each week... go here for more fun fotos!

Yet another update on the broken arm...

Michaela had another appointment with the orthopedist this morning.  Her 2nd cast came off and more x-rays were taken... the doctor said her arm is healing just fine, but because of where the break is, the healing process is very slow.  He prescribed a brace for her to wear... and she has to wear it for the next four weeks.  

  

(I don't know why she insisted on pointing at the brace...)

The good thing is she can take it off to bathe and sleep... but other than that, she is to have the brace on during the day.  We'll go back to the ortho next month for what I hope to be the last time...

Honorable Mentions

I've seen a few "recap of 2008" posts on some of my favorite blogs... but my favorite of all these comes from the one-and-only Lula, who went in a different direction; she wanted to mention a few events from the past year that failed to make a post on her blog.

I thought I'd steal borrow her idea... sort of.

I didn't start this little blog o' mine until July... so I thought I'd show a few pics from before my blogging addiction began!

In February, Hannah and Michaela celebrated their birthdays with a joint party... Hannah Montana-themed, of course.  The morning of the party, I took the girls to Club Libby Lu for some rockin' hair-dos...

Also that month, Hannah's elementary school had a Daddy/Daughter Dance...

Aren't they the cutest couple?!!??!?

In March, we adopted a puppy from a local shelter... 

Izzie's just a little camera-shy.  

Shane and I had the bright idea to get a puppy while the girls were at my sister's house during Spring Break.  We had been talking about getting a puppy, but decided to surprise the girls when they came home from my sister's.  Shane's at work all day... no kids in the house all that week... who do you think this pup bonded with?  Yep.  ME.  The dog still follows me around everywhere.  She's worse than the kids about barging in on me when I go to the bathroom!  

Shane took Hannah fishing for the first time in April...

When Michaela was asked if she wanted to go fishing, too... she replied with a firm "NO."

That's my girl.

May saw Michaela graduating from preschool...

I couldn't believe in just a few short months my baby would be starting kindergarten!

My brother is a huge baseball fan... both major and minor league.  In June, he won a chance to throw out a first pitch during a Chattanooga Lookouts home game (that's him in the red tee, middle of the picture)...

Heading to the mound...

In July, my Nana celebrated her 87th birthday!  The girls and The Boy call her "G.G" (as in great-grandma)...

Well, there you go... a few occasions from last year that I've not mentioned before!

Christmas Day

More pics of our Christmas...

These are from Christmas morning, when Shane, the girls and I opened our gifts.  And the girls found what Santa brought them, of course.

     

     

     

     

We went to Shane's mom's house around 1:00 for dinner.  Then it was time for more presents... but only a few of those pics turned out well...

     

Our Christmas was a great one... hope yours was, too!