Doing our part for the economy: Check out my upgraded kitchen!

Say hello to our newly upgraded kitchen!



Considering renovation of our master bath now.... do we dare?

WW: Bounce, Run, Slide!

Sometimes we've just gotta get out and have fun!



Happy Wordless Wednesday!

WW: Future Reality Star

How many years until she can audition for So You Think You Can Dance?

 

Kids are funny

Amelia's three-year-old mind is bursting with creativity. Her art projects are colorful and detailed, and her made-up songs are getting better every day.

Last night, in a (successful) attempt to stall bedtime, she decided to perform. Here is one of my favorite Amelia originals:

"Carpet Carpet, Don't Ya Know"


I am beginning to think my advertising background is coming through. She could write a pretty catchy jingle! Carpet companies... email me for her rates.

Lookin' Good! New hair & a new vlog

A new vlog!
See how a sponsored/guest post made me take action:




Read the post that inspired my change HERE

In the Atlanta area?
Want to know who transformed my hair?
Email me!

Wordless (almost) Wednesday: Hop

This photo hangs on my fridge with a cheerful bright green magnet. It is a photo of my dear grandma, taken last month to show off a birthday gift she personally selected for Amelia. She saw this singing, dancing bunny in a store and knew it was the perfect birthday present for her great-granddaughter.

Amelia met Great Grandma a couple times, but distance kept us physically apart most of the year. Modern technology, however, could always bring us back together. This photo was included in the package so Amelia would know exactly from whom it came.

 My grandma passed away four weeks later after a very brief illness. This was probably the last photo taken. I'm not sure how long it will stay up on my fridge... but I don't foresee it coming down anytime soon.

- - - - - -

And thanks to my iPhone, we were able to send Grandma a video of Amelia enjoying her new friend. With a real-life thank you. I'm sure it brought her joy.

Fashion Show

The fashion stylings of a part-time working mama.

Video Blog!

Got 5 minutes? Please watch my very first vlog!

Talkin' About 3 Moms In 1

Easter Festivities

Good Friday and Easter Sunday are coming up! We have been enjoying some gorgeous spring weather and fun holiday festivities.


Amelia's very first Easter Egg Hunt:




"All Afloat On Noah's Boat"
Amelia's first preschool performance:



Bravo!
Bravo!

These are the kind of days where nothing beats being a parent. So proud!

Wordless Wednesday: Quack

Sunday afternoon. Took a walk with our (self-dressed) little girl. Brought some bread along to feed the neighborhood ducks and one greedy goose.

Somewhere

She sits in the corner, all alone.
Nothing to do, no one to call her own.
All she can do is sit and stare,
Huddled in her world of bleak despair.
The world is dark, the rain pours down,
Sadness fills the air.
For when she needs someone the most,
You are never there.

I wrote this poem when I was 11 years old. I was a sensitive child, to say the least. Often struggling with feelings of loneliness and and a major lack of self-worth. I had (and still have) a supportive, loving family. My parents were (and still are) attentive and caring. But something in my pre-teen heart just felt sad.

My very best friend and I were locked hand-in-hand since age two. We were friends as well as neighbors. I could even see her house from my parents' bedroom window. The summer before 4th grade, she and her family moved to Florida. My family was on vacation the day they left. I remember feeling like I did not get to say goodbye. Through 5th grade, I was in a small Catholic school. We never had a class with more than 10-15 students. So when Christine left, I didn't have any new friends to take her space. I got in trouble quite a bit in 4th grade, lashing out because I felt angry and alone. It helped to meet so many new friends in middle school, but those hormonal years were difficult for many more reasons.

In 1986, Universal launched the movie An American Tail, a story about a young immigrant mouse who became separated from his family upon arrival to America. Throughout the movie, he faces unknown dangers and battles his fears and loneliness.

The feature song from that film is a classic. A beautiful tune performed by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, Somewhere Out There was my theme song for several years. It gave me hope and made me feel less alone.




I still adore this song.  Now, it makes me smile.

Breath of Heaven

I love this song. One of my all-time favorites.

I guess someone else likes it too. Enough to sync their Christmas light display! Fabulous.

Sugar rush!

Woah... give the child ice cream and this happens.

Sometimes you just gotta dance

Our little arm-flapping booty shaker really enjoyed herself at Texas Roadhouse Friday night!

Drama queen in action

I wish I had the energy to write thought-provoking posts each night. But not so much right now.

It's hard to live life in the "real" world when something so truly real and difficult to grasp is right smack in the middle of my world. SIL is doing well, by the way... but the ups & downs will continue. And the physical change she needs to accomplish is still a while away. (But we know she'll get there!)

When I can't coax my brain into a place to write, I tend to rely on photos. Shame on me, I know.

But hey - deal with it. :)

Since I've already done a couple photo posts in the past week, I'll graduate to a video instead.

Enjoy - my favorite drama queen in action!

Need a laugh?

Busy, crazy day today. Worn out, hoping my little one will lay on the couch for a bit and chill out. Logged onto Facebook (for probably the 11th time today - I have an addiction), and was greeted with a pretty funny video. The laugh was a welcome stress reliever.

Moms, have a laugh at this one:
Single Ladies by a Pregnant Redhead.

Priceless!

A pilgrim? Or a pilgrim lawyer?

We've been trying to grow Amelia's hair out. Recently, I've realized that she looks similar to the shaggy dog in the Roadrunner cartoons. You know, the one that cannot see because of all the hair in his face? That's our girl.

We rely on hairbows to pin those crazy bangs back, but this is not always practical or successful with a child of Amelia's, um, enthusiasm. She is a wild and crazy girl with very little time to stop and get her hair fixed.

Tonight as she was eating dinner, contained nicely by the straps of her high chair, I gave in to my inner nagging. I got out the scissors and cut her some bangs! Of course she moved and the bangs got a little crooked. With another snip here and another snip there, they were acceptable. Maybe a little too short, but at least the child can see. And her extensive hairbow collection can now live to its full potential in the accessory world. No longer necessity.

Steve says "it looks okay... for a pilgrim." I'm not sure what this lovely male-perspective hair critique actually means, but it doesn't really matter. The hair will grow back quickly. I bet we're going to love her new look before that time even comes.

You can see the haircut in this new video. Amelia has a future as a trial lawyer, I think. Although she'll have to stop making up her own language. Maybe this is pilgrim speak? Hee hee.