Playing Catch Up

I am back! Hooray! It was a great conference and experience in DC, but man was I ready to see my girl and hubby, as well as sleep in my own bed. While I was up there, I did manage to eat dinner with a friend from high school and his girlfriend - so fun! And the first two days I was there, I attended a public policy conference that focused on disability-related issues. The third day, yesterday, was all about meeting our legislators at the federal level! There will be a separate DC post (lots of pics!) coming soon, but I just wanted to comment on how great it was to go - and as always, great to come home.

Here is a brief recap of other events recently. I figured this would be a good way to get caught up in the blogging world!

My brother turned 23 earlier this month and we got together and celebrated! Here are a couple pictures from the fun we had. My grandmother makes his birthday cake every year - yummmmmy!

And here he is modeling one of the t-shirts we gave him :)

Last weekend, we celebrated a friend's birthday! He turned the big 3 - 0 and it was so fun to celebrate. They had a catered dinner from Jim & Nick's and two yummy cakes! The party ended up having an Auburn theme - I loved that because it wasn't hard to find something to wear :)

Our friends (and the birthday boy - he decided to wear a sweater vest since he is 30 now!)

Katherine, Ashley, and me - I have another post coming soon about Ashley's sweet baby girl. Let's just say I got to cuddle and hold her sweet three-day-old girl for TWO HOURS today. Loved it.

One day last week, Katie and I were wasting some time and decided to pop inside the Goodwill store. We found a great buy - or, well, Katie did. Like-new Elmo house shoes in just her size! She loves to wear them and then take them off and play with them....

Katie was all decked out for Valentines Day this past weekend!

And she still absolutely loves to read. And I love buying her books. I figure a girl can never have too many books!

I absolutely love this face. She is such a goofball! She will make this face when she's acting silly - when she opens her eyes, she just squeals with delight!

Oh, the life of a dog. Sadie's definitely doing something right....

Wordless Wednesday

Lessons Learned

1) Do not wear a pair of new shoes for the first time at a conference.

2) Take bandaids on all trips, especially when taking a new pair of shoes.

Going, Going, Gone!

What a whirlwind day! It started way early...like pulling out of the driveway when the paper is being delivered early. And then I jumped on a plane to Baltimore. And then hopped into a van to DC! And my feet are so tired from playing tourist all day! I definitely covered some turf! And I do have better pics on my camera, but this will have to do for now. Another fun event was learning how to blog from my phone! So here's to another adventure!

It Really Is The Little Things...

Be warned - this post is somewhat random. And I think it is one of the first in quite some time with no picture of Katie. Anyways, I have wanted some rainboots for a while. I have seen really cute ones out, but I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg for them! On one of these daily deal sites with good deals, Zulily, I saw that they had the brand I had been eyeing, so I jumped on there to see what kind they had. I have to be careful about boots because of my build - I have what some refer to as "linebacker legs". This allowed be to kick butt in soccer, but my calves are larger than some, so I have to get the shorter kind of boots. These ended up being even less (maybe $17??) because I had some credit from a referral. I am quite exciting that I have them now - aren't they cute??

And here they are with jeans...

Another exciting development. I bought some new cleaners to try out. I am also in the process of buying some ingredients to try to make my own. AND I finally decided which kind of steam mop to buy. That topic is to be continued...

There are some drawers right here where I sit at my computer. When we moved in, I thought I was organizing them, but then I continued to just throw crap in there. So I remedied the situation this week. It does make me feel good inside knowing things are in their right spot. It really is the little things, I guess. Anyways, here it is....

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Have a nice weekend, y'all! It is finally sunshiney and almost 50 degrees here - and they are calling for mid-60's by the end of this week! Yippee!!

Fun Day Friday

It is recap time! Fridays tend to be our "fun day" - whether it is with friends or at home! Last Friday we went over to some friends house and played! There were 3 mommies and 5 kiddos...slightly outnumbered! Katie loved having new toys to play with, loved coloring, and had her first juice box! Take a look at the fun they had!

Katie and Caroline

Carter and Katie loved playing in the kitchen!

The 3 big kids taking a juice box break!

Today, we played at home and then ran a few errands (including finding some awesome Elmo house shes for the Little Miss). We don't typically spend a ton of time in Katie's room or in the bonus room, so it was a welcome change of scenery! Katie loved sitting in the rocking chair reading books (that was my chair when I was little!). Here are just a few!

Girl, dog, books, & rocking chair - life is good!

Always on the move!

Change of scenery for reading - coffee table in Mommy & Daddy's room!

And she took a break to play with the stroller! Excuse me, RUN with the stroller!

Playing in the princess tent! BOO!

Katie & Sadie looking out the window

Katie loves playing peek a boo!!

And you can't have a day of play without breaking out the drums!

And of course a kiss for Momma! Such a sweet girl. She kept giving me kisses, so I had to catch one on the camera!

Dinner Club!

There is a group of several guys that Brad works with (or used to work with) that are pretty good friends, and as a result, the wives have become friends too! And the kids all play well together too! It really is so fun when we get together because it doesn't happen terribly often. We are all so busy and have a million different things going on! We had the crew over for dinner a couple weeks ago. I couldn't believe all of the kids actually sat still, in the same place, at the same time! I guess that is the power of goldfish :) Once I handed the plates of fish out, I quickly grabbed the camera, and this is what I got. Not too shabby, right? And yes, Katie is in her jammies. For some reason, Brad changed her clothes after her nap - into her jammies. I wanted her to look cute since we had folks coming over, but he just didn't get it. I guess that's called "being a guy". I am sure if you are a mom and you are reading this, you totally understand wanting your kids to look cute! It was a great time with great food and great people. I can't wait until we get together again. Maybe we should start planning now so we make sure it happens sooner rather than later!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Hearts: Part Four

I thought there were only going to be 3 parts to that "series" of posts. However, I decided there should be more :) See, as the person who posts here, I can do things like that! (Sidenote: I asked Brad if he wanted to jump on and post about something - a girl can try, right? Rolling his eyes and a little snicker were all I got. I think I'll take that as a no sirree.)

Who can have a Valentine's Day without chocolate?! Certainly not me. And certainly not if it is buy one get one free at Publix!! I love these Dove chocolates - they have a fun message inside! And I figured if I was going to be eating bags of chocolate (let's be honest here), dark chocolate would most certainly be the most healthy choice!

I found this cute light pink shirt with hot pink dots at Target! It was on clearance too :) And then I had a heart applique put on it. I think it is oh so cute! And Katie did wear matching hot pink pants with the shirt, but she came home from MDO wearing a change of pants. I didn't ask questions.

And yet another Valentine's outfit. And PLEASE look....she is wearing a bow! Yes, that's right. She will keep a bow in as long as her hair is pulled up with a rubber band first! VICTORY!! I think she just looks so cute! These pants were from a Christmas outfit that she wore (in her picture with Santa) and I thought they'd be just perfect for Valentine's! So I got a shirt to coordinate - a heart with a "K" in it - and I think it turned out so cute!

And remember, in an earlier post, I had a picture of the supplies for Katie's Valentines for her class - well, I think they turned out rather cute! I did my magic last night, and it felt oh-so-nice to be crafty. Take a peek!

And stay tuned! You never know...there may even turn out to be a Part 5 of this series!!

I also wanted to quickly add a note/suggestion/hint. If you mommies need 5 minutes to sit in silence, may I suggest giving your child some pictures to look at and play with. Good gracious - I had no idea!! I recently ordered a bunch of pictures from Shutterfly. When they mail the pictures, they send an index print with small images of all the pictures you ordered. They also send picture cards trying to sell other products. Well I gave all of those to Katie. And I swear - she will just sit and shuffle through them for a LONG time! Had I known it was that entertaining, I would have done it long ago! She also like to look at the index print and name all of the people in the pictures. So it is educational and gives momma a break. Sounds nice, doesn't it?? I think so! And when these are lost or so gross they need to be thrown away, you bet I will be placing another order STAT! :)

My Latest Kick: Cleaning

Once I get something in my head, I must research it and figure out how to make it work soon. What is it right now, you ask? Well, going "eco-friendly" or "green" with my cleaning products. I have so many mixed emotions with this topic, so it is hard to make a decision! I guess I should break it down into basic thought processes for me in regards to things I am thinking about...

1) It would be hard to do this and use coupons for these products.
2) I don't know which "green" products are best.
3) With both of those items said, maybe I should make my own?? And if I do, what should I try to make? Hardwood floor cleaner? Granite countertop cleaner? Laundry detergent? Multipurpose cleaner?

So that about covers it for now. I guess I should back up a little bit and explain how I got to this topic. We do have some cleaning ladies (best money spent EVER) that come every other week. They recommended a floor cleaner for our laminate hardwood floors, so I just went ahead and bought it and trusted them. Well, I've noticed that it looks quite streaky when they use it (or when I do). I want the floors to look clean and for it to smell clean (yes, I like the "clean house smell"), but I do not like streaky floors! So I was just looking at the bottle of cleaner and the first thing I read was "Not safe for pets and children"...!!! Now, I do know this is in mass quantities - i.e., drinking it out of the bottle. But that made me start thinking about all of the cleaning products and chemicals and all that jazz. I am not one to do the "trendy green thing", but I do want to make sure that these products are safe for my family! I also want to get Katie to help me clean as she gets older.

So, I started Googling. And I found mommy blogs with ideas. And I found websites with "professional grade eco-friendly cleaners". I did learn that the basics of making your own cleaner involve water, rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, baking soda, ammonia, lemon juice, olive oil, and then scented oils to give it that clean fragrance (lavender or orange or peppermint). I have found "recipes" for multipurpose cleaner, hardwood floor cleaner, furniture polish, window cleaner, granite cleaner, stainless steel cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, fabric softener, ant repellent, and laundry detergent. Whew. I'm not even about to do an overhaul at once. I may make a multipurpose cleaner and see how I like it - baby steps! I will be sure to do posts about what I find for the recipe and if I like how it works or not.

When I started looking online and asking people for advice (where else but Facebook!), some folks suggested steam cleaners for the hardwood floors, as well as the tile floors we have. It must be safe - it just uses water! I have done some online research, and I think have it narrowed down to two very good options. I have them below. If you are reading this and have any feedback, please comment with your thoughts (in regards to the green/homemade cleaners, as well as the steam cleaners)!!

OPTION #1: Euro-Pro Shark S3501 Deluxe Steam Pocket Mop (originally $149.99, on sale for $79.99 on Amazon)

OPTION #2: Haan FS20 Plus Steam Cleaning Floor Sanitizer with Deluxe Sanitizing Tray (originally $99.99, on sale for $79.88 on Amazon)

If I were buying one right this very second, I think I'd lean towards the Haan one. From what I read, it heats to a higher temperature (212 degrees), and the higher the temp, the more likely it is to kill bacteria and germs. Just thought I'd go on and let you know that - but if you have an opinion that could sway me, please do tell!

Do you make any of your own cleaners? Do you like how they work? Do you have any websites/blogs you follow that has good suggestions? I would love to know more!

More Resolution Recap: January

I had some pictures from January to coordinate from some of my resolutions and wanted to show some proof of my progress! So here it goes...

One of my dinners - and I even cooked for myself while Brad was out of town! And please know I use the word cooked lightly - it was coconut shrimp and spicy sweet potato fries that just had to be unfrozen in the oven. It did mean I used the oven and a cookie sheet...so it totally counts! And I didn't eat out and spend extra money! Progress :)

For the de-clutter and simplify, what did I do? I bought a book - it has ideas to help you do just what it says - Organize Now! - with week-by-week suggestions. I definitely look through it to find ideas of areas to focus on, and by the end of the year, it may just count as one of my 14 books I will have read! Two birds with one stone, right?

Ahhh...fresh flowers. And yes, I might have gone out at 8:00 PM on January 31 so I didn't fail at a resolution the first month, but I am so glad I did! They are so happy :)

And for my 2 hand-written notes/cards a month...I saw this cute set of paper and envelopes at Office Depot and just had to have it. It has DOTS! My favorite :) I can't wait to use it .... and I figured I'd be more likely to write on something that has dots. So fun!

Shower Fun

One of my good friends from growing up is getting married at the end of March and there was a bridal shower to celebrate! It was so nice to see some folks that I hadn't seen in quite some time! It was such a nice time - beautiful home, great food, Mimosas, and a good time to catch up! Here is the centerpiece of the food table. Isn't it beautiful arrangement of flowers??

If you thought to yourself, "Why, yes it is!"...take another look. Yep, that's right. Those aren't flowers. They are CUPCAKES! Isn't that amazing?! Another friend of the bride-to-be owns a local bakery and she made those. Pretty cool if you ask me!

And here we are - Tanja (one of my bestest buds since kindergarten!), Meghan (the bride-to-be), and me! It was so fun. And yes, if you think you've seen a picture somewhat recently of the 3 of us, I did post a pic of us from the day we went to brunch around Thanksgiving! It definitely was so fun, and I'm so excited for Meghan!

Matchy-Matchy

My mom (aka "Cee Cee") likes to knit scarves. She made me one in bright tones of blue and green for Christmas - I love it! After one of our recent snows, I thought about how nice it would be if Katie had a scarf to help keep her warm during our crazy cold winter. Cee Cee did not disappoint! She made Katie two scarves - one to match mine, and another one that is pink (and actually matches the baby blanket she made for her)! How fun that Katie and I can be matchy-matchy. Here are some pics (of course)!

A mommy-daughter picture sporting our fun, matching scarves!

A mommy self-portrait (I just love that scarf!)

And a fun picture of Katie wearing her scarf!

Y'all stay warm!!

Current Katie-isms

I wanted to make note of some of the things that Katie is doing that I am loving right now. Recapping the little things helps me remember how blessed I truly am, and makes me get a good laugh too!

• Katie always knows just when I need that tight squeeze of a hug and slobbery-lipped kiss
• Katie has been afraid to get too close to Uncle Will. He uses a wheelchair and has a deep voice, so I think that is why. Last week, I was holding her and she leaned in and kissed him on the nose. So special!
• I sometimes put Aquaphor on Katie's cheeks and lips and under her mouth where it gets chapped. We call it "lipstick" - and she loves it! She has to carry the smaller tubes in her purse with her. And anytime I'm putting chapstick on, she has to have some too!
• Katie and Sadie playing is hilarious! When Katie wakes up from a nap or from overnight, she loves to scare Sadie by yelling BOO!! as she walks in. Also, when we get home from being out, she loves to chase Sadie and give her a kiss.
• Katie is quite free with kisses these days. She kisses her food before she eats it. She kisses the Elmo card on her memo board before bedtime. She blows a kiss at trucks as they drive by. She kisses the bug on her nametag that is on her cup.
• Katie hasn't met a stranger! She will stare at people in stores or at restaurants until they acknowledge her. I wonder how teaching her to be polite and friendly vs teaching her about strangers will go one day!
• I absolutely love the way Katie says "okie dokie" ... I said it the other day and she imitated me. I don't even think I can explain the way she says it, but I ask her to say it at least 5 times a day! :)

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Hearts: Part Three

Though Katie was having way too much fun to think about stopping and smiling, I did get a few pics that captured her having a blast on Saturday. It was the PERFECT day - sunshiney, around 65 degrees, and full of fresh air. It made me quite eager for spring to come and stay for a while. And we got to go to the park 3 days in a row. In January. Not to worry, it is supposed to back to winter weather tomorrow. Hurry up, Spring!!

Anyways, doesn't she look like a little Valentine? I absolutely love this outfit - bright colors (especially pink!) and so fun. Fits the little lady's personality just perfectly, I think!