Yes, it's a COUNTRY SONG!

You all know I am NOT a country fan but I LOVE this song. I sing it on the top of my lungs, laugh at the same time while it plays LOUD! It's funny, I was this girl at one time. (Not the one he was cheating with of course!!!) I did almost everything she did to the Cheatin' Man's truck! LOL

Many of my friends have called me a "firecracker", but I'm a little more subdued now (well sort of). . . call it being a wife, a mom, a woman in her 30's . . . whatever! I am still a little firecracker, I just don't live the same life that I was living back in my late teens/early twenties - - - THANK GOD FOR THAT!

A Little Sugar in my Bowl Please!

Okay, today's tone when I woke up, well let's just say SUCKY! Yesterday my dryer decided to stop working which was just lovely since I didn't do a load of laundry all week last week while Chris was off!!! I had a load in the dryer ALL WEEK and didn't even care (which you know is insane since I do laundry every day!), well I didn't care until I went into the laundry room smelling a funk! I turned the dryer on, which I usually have to do twice normally since it's 10 years old and realized that the laundry wasn't drying. But I figured no big deal, I'll hang dry them all and still get the laundry done since I was staying home all day anyway. Then, Chris came home from work disappointed that his bonus check was not what we had expected AT ALL, in fact it was pretty much nothing and it breaks my heart when he feels disappointed. He's not the type to get angry easily, but definitely feels disappointment for sure! He's under lots of stress with work and his family so right now things seem a little glum. I am usually the cheerleader for him and found it just so hard to do yesterday since I was already stressed out by the day and by him not walking in the door until after 7 so the bonus (or lack there of let's say) just iced the cake for me. I told him how sorry I was for him and went to bed. It's better for me to do that since I am NO GOOD at hiding my feelings, I wear them all over my face!

I woke up this morning thinking, I am NOT going to the Valentine Play Date that I rsvp'd yes to and made special cupcakes for but knew that I just needed to go. When I am stressed or feeling down, I usually want to lock myself inside and not go anywhere or talk to anyone, but I've learned through all the disc training on personality types I've gone through that I NEED to be around people and socialize, that is what makes me feel better and sure enough it did! I met a new mom with a little boy just 7 months older than Christopher and she loves to scrapbook and do crafts just like me! I can't believe it! So the playdate turned my morning around for sure. I saw my friend Sabrina who was away for a week so it seemed like FOREVER since I last saw her and her hug made a huge difference for me too! I was definitely energized by being around all my friends and my perspective has changed which is great since tonight is one of our Church Leadership Meetings and those are the highlight of my week. I get back on track after Tuesday nights for sure! I'm going to go ahead and start reading 1 Timothy (for my ladies LTG) while Christopher naps and make a nice pot of coffee to go along with it.

I woke up one morning last week and picked up my Bible and just prayed for God to show me what I needed to read and opened up to Phillipians. Never knew anything about that book nor even heard the name before. But I did want to share that I couldn't put it down until I was done which was easy because it's such a short book. I was overwhelmed with all the insight and feelings I got from the readings and fell in love with Paul! Well, you know what I mean! Anyway I couldn't wait to read about Timothy since he spoke of him in those readings so I suggested to my ladies that we read Timothy and here we go. We did a Character Quality Study on "Patience", again one of my suggestions since you ALL KNOW I DON'T HAVE ANY!!! LOL Well, I keep thinking about my notes and the conversation that I had with my friends comparing our notes for discussion and know that I need to go back and focus again on Patience. Will it ever not need to be a focus of mine? Will it ever come naturally!!?? :o)

I'm listening to " A Little Sugar in my Bowl " by Nina Simone and it's what I'm asking for right now!!! Adrianna is dancing around in her panties trying to sing the words while I type and I can't help but laugh and realize, life is sweet....

gotta go dance with the princess.... :)
Thanks for letting me vent!

Amy Winehouse

I HATE to admit that I like her music, but I just do! I don't want to, I don't like all the gossip about her going around but Chris said it last night while watching the Grammys...."Drug use, over dosing, alcoholism, homosexuality, it has always been out there, even in Hollywood, it's just less taboo now to talk about it, and it's so easily spread ALL over the news and net! So even though I can't stand her dancing or her looks, man I love her voice! I love those jazzy like artists!

Rehab Video

What a Weekend!!

I don't know what else to say but "WHAT A WEEKEND, WHAT A WONDERFUL, AMAZING, ENCHANTED WEEKEND!" Oh and let's not forget, "romantic". That seemed to be Adrianna's favorite word this weekend. LOL

Friday (her actual birthday) was spent going for pizza and purchasing 2 plush princesses at The Disney Store in The Round Rock Outlets. After that we went home, played some games and dressup, took a bubble bath and got ready for the Daddy Daughter Dance! After I got her all dressed up with her "Diamond Crown" (that's what she called it!) and her rose wrist corsage that I made for her special day, she stared in her full length mirror posing and saying "Wow this is going to be so romantic!" Gotta love those princess movies-ha!
After the dance, she went with her friends and their "dates" to Baskin Robbins for Ice Cream and boy was she a chatterbox when she got home! Erika was just leaving after we finished up the Belle Cake . . . (Thanks for working your magic and helping with my low patience level,LOL) Adrianna went on and on about her evening and was SO EXCITED about her Belle Cake.... After she went to bed, Chris and I stayed up until about 2am finishing up the decorating and present wrapping. Our house was truly transformed into a kingdom, at least Adrianna and I completely thought so! She woke up absolutely amazed at the house and so excited for her princesses to arrive that she kept asking over and over again, "Is it 1:00 yet?". Mommy worked extra hard on this year's party and boy was it a success! Everything went smooth, the kids played games, got their fingernails painted, lipgloss applied, danced the day away and ended it with playing outside in our CRAZY 80 degree weather! That was a first since every single birthday, it never has failed to be freezing cold and usually either some snow or freezing rain . . . I swear God was working with me this year to make it work as miraculously as it did, that's for sure. Almost everyone left right around 3:00 and those who hung out, well we turned it into a big barbeque party for the adults, LOL! Beer, wine, burgers, chips and queso, playing outside with the kids and chatting away---now that was a way to end the day or should I say night since my friend Cat and her family hung out until around 11 I think!

So, today I'm beat! We spent the morning taking down decorations, cleaning up, preparing the menu for the week, activities and playdates, as well as laying out work clothes since playtime is over and Chris is back to work tomorrow after a much needed, relaxing week off. Adrianna, Beni and I went over to Hutto Elementary school to register her for TBall, did a little shoe shopping and that is how we went out with a bang for the weekend! :)

I am so thankful for all the wonderful friends and family that came to celebrate Adrianna's birthday, and I'm amazed that it went so smoothly and I wasn't freaking out or stressed this weekend. I am still asking Chris, "How in the world did it all go so well? How did I not freak out this year! This was the biggest thing I've done and it was the one time I didn't freak on party day, so funny!" Yesterday was another reminder of how lucky I am to have the people that I have in my life. I want to cry as I look at the pictures because I'm so happy and my family was so happy . . . okay, enough of the sappy stuff, enjoy the slideshow!

Happy Birthday My Sweet Little Angel!

Taking you home from the hospital. . . new parents,scared to death!

Your FIRST Princess Party at Uncle Jay and Aunt Ruth's House . . .

You've been a "Cake Lover" from the beginning!

"TOO LOUD", you've always been so sweet and soft spoken!
You're 2nd Birthday at The Little Gym. . . (yes I still made you wear a dress even to go tumbling!)

Ready for your 3rd Birthday at McDonald's!
We did a Puppy Dog theme. . . this jump started your LOVE FOR PUPPIES!

Your 4th Birthday Party at Gattiland, now you can actually ride the Bumper Cars my long lean little doll! You love those cars and Mommy does too!

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY
MY LITTLE PRINCESS!

Today will be celebrated by having pizza and getting all "dolled" up to go to the Daddy Daughter Dance with your daddy! All of your friends and their daddys are going too and then you are all going out for ICE CREAM!! Mommy and her friends are going to transform our kitchen and living room into a ballroom, create your Belle doll cake along with baking cupcakes and heart & star cookies. I'M SO EXCITED!

I live and breathe for you, your brother and your daddy!

I LOVE YOU ANGEL!

Deceptively Delicious Mac & Cheese

I know I promised to start putting some of these AWESOME recipes on my blog and just got an email from a friend with a "Mac & Cheese" lovin' son so I made this tonight for dinner, here is Jessica Seinfeld's Version with my revisions....

Kraft Mac & Cheese, follow instructions on box :o)

Add in:

1/2 cup of yellow squash puree ( one good size yellow squash, sliced and steamed till soft then puree in food processor or Magic Bullet - love this thing!)

1/2 cup of pureed Can White Beans

Top with Mild Shredded Cheddar Cheese!

Make some whole wheat toast and slice it into sticks around the bowl and wha-la!

Big hit in this house! My son is also picky, Lord help me! This is a new experience since Adrianna ate anything and everything at his age!!!!!!

I've also done this with 1/2 cup of sweet potato puree, ground chicken breast left over from the previous night, or 1/2 cup of cauliflower puree.

YOU CAN GET CREATIVE! Give it a try!

A Princess Party ! (of course)

I have about one week left to prepare for my little princess's 5TH BIRTHDAY! I cannot believe she's going to be five in a week! Time goes by so fast, even more so when you have two instead of just one, that's for sure. I asked Adrianna what she wanted to do for her party and she of course said she wanted a Disney Princess party. There have been many variations on the exact "theme" over the last couple months but I've decided to keep it simple. Decorate the living room like a ballroom, have the breakfast area decorated with tulle, tons of pink and purple and balloons! I took a bunch of pictures from our Disney trip of her with each of the princesses and uploaded them to Walmart and had a 16x20 collage poster done for $12 and it came out GREAT! Her closest friends (girlfriends) are coming over dressed up as their favorite princess and well the rest hasn't been fully ironed out yet. I know we'll be playing a "Kiss the Frog Prince" game blindfolded trying to put the lips sticker on the frog but that's all I have set in stone right now. There will be royal music playing in the background, a backsplash for each princess to have her photo taken with the royal princess which I'll print and use with my thank you cards, and CHRIS AND I ARE DRESSING UP TOO! Yup, the King and Queen of course! :) It's going to be a ball! Literally....LOL

I have pictures of her from each of her parties that will be framed around the table, I may make a canvas or two for the occassion and give them as gifts (not sure about timing for that one though), and whatever else my fairytale mind can come up with. I LOVE LOVE LOVE having a little girl! And I really am looking equally forward to Christopher's upcoming Elmo 2nd Birthday party too in April, I promise.

Now back to reality, I'M WAS STRESSED THIS MORNING! :) I love party planning, I love creating my own invitations, I'd love to bake my own cake (but I'm not!), and I love to be busy! But this morning when I woke up I was stressed! So instead of dwelling on it, I made my chore list, my bill list, my extracurricular list and spent the ENTIRE day all in our pj's rearranging Adrianna's room. Gotta love personalities like mine! To de-stress I have to have a task at hand, a physical task and now I LOVE the way her room looks, have the house clean, kids fed, we just came back from a walk and I get to blog while they watch Sesame Street. I did NOT think my day was going to turn out like this because my attitude was CRAP when I woke up that's for sure.

But you really are the one who can change your entire day. Focus outward and all the "junk" that was bothering you inside just disappears. We had an incredible Church meeting last night and that's one of the things we talked a ton about, just giving yourself, like Jesus did. When I pour out, I am filled right back up. I'm amazed at how that happens, and I've seen it happen now time and time again so I just hope to get better about letting go of that selfishness we all have! I know it takes time and I look so forward to the future, especially with where we are going as a church! Our Preview Party will be at the end of March and everything else that's coming after that is just INCREDIBLE! I cannot wait and I get so excited to be witness to seeing God work, not just on me, my husband and children, but in the lives of all the people we are connected with. We really are living a community life, no doubt about that!

I am blessed,
beyond measure . . .