HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

August 31, 2011

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It's my birthday! As of midnight this morning, I am 25. Half way to 50, as my sister reminds me ;)

But that's okay. It's gonna be an awesome year.

Today has been low-key. M over-spoiled me with a cruiser bicycle and a CHI flat iron. We had lunch at Chic-Fil-A then picked up dinner supplies at Walmart. We were supposed to take a bike ride downtown and stop by the library to grab me some new books. But due to the hurricane, the bike rentals at the store downtown were in storage and the library was still closed.

Instead, we're planning to have a simple date night at the movies. I've been wanting to go see The Help and get use out of my new wedge heels ;) Right after a homecooked meal of chimichangas, rice & beans from my lovely hubs.




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we're bunkering down.

August 26, 2011

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I guess my 24th year is going out with a bang. I turn 25 in 6 days. 3 of those will be spent bunkering down in the house during this major hurricane.


A lot of evacuations are happening on the east coast of North Carolina. So far, we don't have one in my town and until we do, we're sticking it out. Where would we go anyways? This hurricane is HUGE. I wasn't really worried until this morning. Our area hasn't seen a hurricane this size in about 20 years. Yikes.

We are expecting 17 inches of rain and 100 mph winds. Today has been spent cleaning up the yard of any thing that will go flying away in the winds, picking up the floor of the basement and moving things upstairs and we'll be putting buckets/bricks underneath the furniture soon.

This will be my last post for awhile. I expect we'll lose power, probably overnight. Maybe tomorrow. We're hoping for the best, preparing for the worst. At least, without the distraction of the TV and the computer, I can get some knitting & reading in. And, some quality family time in. Maybe a board game over candlelight ;)

I'll be sure to pop-in when all this is over! Until then, if you are expecting the storm - be safe and smart!

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oh, irene.

August 24, 2011

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Go away. No one really wants you here.

                                                                        Source: trifunkalicious.com via kristy on Pinterest


We're expecting our first hurricane of the season this weekend. I am not excited about this. It makes me uneasy knowing our whole life is packed up in a storage unit and we (with some of our bedroom furniture) are living in my mom's basement. That floods. Lia (and all of her stuff) is fine. She stays upstairs in an extra room. We'll have to put bricks underneath all the furniture in the basement. And hope for the best.

We're prepping and planning and trying to get everything ready for worst-case scenarios. My parents have a generator. M took all of Lia's outdoor toys to storage. I'm planning on making a trip to the grocery store tonight to stock up on non-perishables, water and diapers/wipes.

I am really hoping this storm doesn't hit us. We were planning to go see Rodney Atkins on Saturday. Let's hope it's still on, mmkay?

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A FEW THINGS ABOUT TODAY

August 22, 2011

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Today...
  • Was not a great day.I am exhausted. Mentally and physically.
  • Lia did really good at her ophthalmology appointment. And, she got 2 lollipops (her first ever). Gotta do what you gotta do!
  • I did absolutely nothing good for my body/diet. But I did wear a cute shirt and my new Lisa Leonard earrings. They were sent back to me free with the return of my necklace that was being re-antiqued. Uh, I love them and think it's pretty awesome I received them!
  • Ran an errand with Lia.
  • I realized I am not very good at blogging daily or just to write what I feel. I wish I was.
  • Played in the floor with L-bug and was lucky enough to witness a moment of pure sweetness when she climbed into my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed tight. ♥
  • I confirmed for the gazillionth time that Lia is amazing and the happiest part of my life and it blows my mind how pretty and incredible and fun and sweet she is. Oh and did I mention, amazing?
  • All I wanna do is climb into bed and veg out while watching trashy TV.  Bachelor Pad, anyone?

Tomorrow's gonna be better.

                                                                                Source: etsy.com via kristy on Pinterest


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p365 - week 33.

August 19, 2011

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225. My work apron. Because all I did was work that day.
226. Hanging out at Cooper's waiting for her treat. They sell New Orleans style snow-cones.
227. Pretty girl trying on mommy's necklace.
228. Testing out our new (to us!) jogging stroller.
229. Someone loves the iPhone!
230. Sweet tea and peanuts. This southern girl loves them. But I did watch what I ate at Texas that night.
231. She feel asleep during our walk. I love how peaceful she looks.

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CLOUDY

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Yesterday, M and I were butting heads. Just annoying each other a bit.

We hopped in the car a few hours later to run some errands and the clouds outside were dark and dreary. Like us.

I was driving along, thinking about how much I love when the weather matches my mood. And when mother nature let go and the raindrops hit the car, I felt relieved. Less annoyed.

I reached for M's hand. My white flag. He grabbed mine. And that was that. Our storm was over and mother nature's storm cleared out.

We ran our errands, had a nice family dinner and when we got back in the car for the ride home I realized that I was just as peaceful on the inside as the skies were outside.

Life isn't always rainbows and sunshine, but there always rainbows and sunshine in life. Just remember that life is this incredible, amazing and suprisingly simple thing. I believe that things always work out and everything has a reason.

Just gotta ride it out like a storm.

                                                                    Source: blogginwithbobbi.blogspot.com via kristy on Pinterest

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to today. I really am glad I wrote this while waiting for my work shift to start yesterday. Today is not a peaceful sunshiney day. It's slightly annoying. The L-bug feels the need to be extra whiny. The DMV visit cost me $100 extra than what I was expecting and once again, the cable company is having an outage. For the countless time this month.

So I am riding out today's storm with Mexican food and a nice walk/jog downtown today. Good combo, huh? It would so be fro-yo. We just don't have one in our town yet.

PS.
This whole change: I think it's really coming more natural this time. I don't feel I am forcing myself to do (or not do!) anything, I am just making better decisions as they come along. I'd still love your recipes though!

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A SUMMER LIST UPDATE

August 18, 2011

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 I wrote this last night, scheduled it to post this morning at 9 AM. Instead, it posted late last night and deleted itself from my blog (but not Google reader) at some point between then and now. Thanks, blogger.

                                                                                   Source: todryfor.com via kristy on Pinterest

I posted my summer to-do list about a month ago. And then, I left it alone. I wanted to have fun this summer and enjoy what we did. Not just check things off a list. So, I didn't.

But, now I am! Summer will be ending before we know it. I know school is back in session in some places and that definitely puts an end to summer. I thought I'd repost our list and check off what we've done. And see what more fun lies ahead!

My summer to-do list:
Watch classic summer movies like The Parent Trap and Dirty Dancing. We got these through Netflix and I loved watching The Parent Trap! We had a mini-marathon watching The Parent Trap 1 & 2 and the remake with Lindsey Lohan. Even M enjoyed it! *wink*
Go to a baseball game. We made it a family event and headed out to the Kinston Indians game on military night.
Make homemade popsicles.
Raleigh Flea Market. Total bummer. We went later in the day to try and beat the heat and most people had left. Most likely because of the heat. But, we ended that night with a rodeo so we still had some summer fun!
Fly a kite.
Have a picnic. Bought a new picnic basket & blanket and we have put it to good use. Several times!
Take Lia to the aquarium.
Play a round of mini golf.
Feed ducks at the park.
Go to a fair or street festival.
Take a trip to Myrtle Beach.
Go to the Outer Banks.
Wash our cars.
Play croquet.
Perfect my chicken salad recipe. It's a classic miracle whip vs mayo debate.
Start my herb garden.
Sonic happy hour.
Rent bicycles and ride downtown. We'll be doing a repeat of this for my birthday!
Take Lia to the library for story time on Fridays.
Water park.
See fireworks!

We haven't gone crazy with our list but we've crossed off a few and genuinely had fun! Now I have some ideas for the remainder of the summer.

Did you make a summer list? How's it going?

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p365 - week 32.

August 17, 2011

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218. Date night with the hubs ended with drinks and appetizers!
219. Enjoying an ice cream cone.
220. Piles from when I went organizing crazy! *wink*
221. Flowers my little sister received from her boyfriend. Cute, huh?
222. Pretty girl hanging out in mommy's bed while I was trying to make it!
223. Just hanging out with a big container of cheerios while I bake.
224. Waiting for our table to be ready at Ruby Tuesday.


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GET MOVING

August 16, 2011

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Lately, change has been on my mind.

                                                                     Source: thehealthychange.tumblr.com via kristy on Pinterest


Attitude change, perspective change, body change. I just really want to improve myself. When I started this blog a few years ago, I really didn't know what I wanted out of it. Heck, I didn't even know who I was. I was (still am...sort of) young and growing. In the past year, I've really started finding myself. What I like and how to express that. The interwebs is chock full of inspiring things to help with that. Hello, pinterest!


My mind has been rolling around with the thought...do I still want to be like this/look like that/not do this or that when I am 30? Because in my almost 25 year old head, 30 sounds adult-ish to me. More settled into life. If that makes any sense.

Moving right along...

I just keep thinking if I want to change something, I should do it now. Step by step, make a change. And, everytime I think that I keep brushing it aside. Fear, maybe? Laziness, probably.


But tonight, I took a different step. Which led to another good choice and then another. Like a domino effect of good choices, if you will. It felt feels good. If I remember this feeling, maybe I can keep it going.

We bought a jogging stroller today. I am NOT a jogger, by any means. However, I have dreams of being the kind of girl that can tuck the babe in a stroller, leash the dog, grab my headphones and hit the pavement. In really cute workout clothes, mind you. It's something I aspire to do. Because I never have. M and I have been toying with the idea of getting a bike & baby seat or a jogging stroller. We both need to get out and get moving. I found our stroller on craigslist. It's an oldie but goodie Jeep stroller that only cost us $40. Little dirty and old (like 2004 old) but I figure it works, it's affordable and we can learn what we want/don't want when we can afford to upgrade.

Despite her terribly unhappy face here, she really liked the stroller.
I think she was made I was taking a picture!

I have been feeling dizzy all day but I really wanted to test it out so we took it to downtown and ended up walking 2.6 miles! That felt good. It was a nice night where we didn't feel like the heat was sweltering us. Once we got home, I was hungry from not eating dinner (not one of my good choices haha) so I made a snack of apple slices, a granola bar and a glass of water. Trust me, the queso and chips were calling my name. But I didn't want to ruin the walk I just took. It makes me feel 1000% horrible if I eat or drink something I know is unhealthy after a workout.

I just need that willpower all the time.

I am making no promises to myself except to start each day fresh and try my best to make good choices. My big-time goal is to lose at least 50 lbs. But, I'll start with a much more attainable 10 lb goal. Ashley over at The Domestic Wannabe has really inspired me. She started her goal and kicked it's butt!


With my birthday coming up in 2 weeks, I just really want to make the best of this year. 
Here's to life, good choices and being a positive & inspiring role model.

PS
I'd love any inspiration/motivation and recipes you've got! Send 'em my way!


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LAST FRIDAY NIGHT

August 12, 2011

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...was SO much better than this Friday night.

This one pretty much blows. Went to work early. Got off late. Spent money on dinner out that was no good and got food thrown on me by my toddler who wanted nothing to do with sitting still.

Cable/Internet has been off and on for days. Company sucks and doesn't seem to care. Jersery Shore didn't record last night.

And I get to go back to work in the morning for most of the day.

Yeah, I'm cranky and tired.

Sunday can't come soon enough!

On a not-such-a-debbie-downer note, M took this picture today while I was at work. Super bad quality? Yes. Super adorable? Oh yes!



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breakfast in bed.

August 11, 2011

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Lia loves digging through my bags to find snacks. The other morning, when we were hanging out in bed, she found yogurt and a spoon.

It turned into breakfast in bed.


Big brown eyes. Chubby hands. Baby feet. Silly yogurt-covered faces.  I live for the little, sweet moments in life.

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i'm organizing my little heart out.

August 9, 2011

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                                                               Source: save-on-crafts.com via Meaghan on Pinterest

I know life doesn't fit nice and neat into boxes, but at least my stuff can.

Here, at my mom's house, we don't have much space. It's summer and my nephews are spending time here so even though my parents have a good amount of space - we've all kind of maxed it out!

I don't do well with clutter and disorganization. I hate it, in fact. It clouds my mind up as bad as it clouds a room up. In fact, I don't even think I could watch the show Hoarders knowing what is going on in those homes.

So since we don't have lots of living space and this isn't my home, I'm focusing on our storage unit. It literally holds our life. And all of our crap non-needed stuff that we didn't have time to organize into yard sale/goodwill piles. It's been bugging me for a month or so. Just knowing that when we do move, we have to deal with that. Luckily, there are 2 large marine corp bases close to my home which means we have this yard sale site. It's what it sounds like. A site full of people trying to sell stuff instead of a yard sale. It's actually pretty cool. I used it when we were stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC. I'm using it again! It's hot as all get out so I'm M is bringing box by box from storage to our home and I'm sorting through it.

It's work. A lot of it. I don't mind though, it's just nice knowing I'm organizing what and where I can. And making a bit of money!

And, I have found a TON of fall/winter clothes for L-bug I forget we had. She's got one box full + more.

Don't you love that "i am woman, hear me roar" strong and clean feeling you get when you accomplish something? I do!

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LETTERS TO LIA - 19 MONTHS

August 8, 2011

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My babe turned 19 months last week. It's getting to the point where she's looking more like a kid than a baby. I love it and I hate it.


L-
You are such an amazing little girl. I love seeing your personality develop and see who you are.

You are so independent. In the past couple months, you've really grasped that you are capable of doing things on your own. You climb on furniture. You can climb into your booster seat when it's time to eat. You can tell us what you want, mostly with your body language. You understand most of what we say to you, you just choose when to listen!




We are in that stage where some days are incredibly fun and some days are incredibly tiring! You know you can do things on your own but you still don't understand some things are best for mama and papi to do. Like touch ovens...


You are learning to push yourself in your coupe car.

You copy EVERYTHING! The other day, I was showing you how to bake cookies. I was opening the oven with potholders and I closed the oven door with my knee. Well, you went right behind me and lifted your knee to help close the oven then threw your head back laughing!

That's another thing. When something is really funny to you, you throw your head back and laugh. Which makes us laugh. Which makes you do it even more!

In the past week or so, your vocabulary has been growing!
You have started saying papa (for grandpa), Ashley, Blake, & Maddie. Family names!
You've started saying papi (for M) alot more, which makes your papi really happy.
Please - has been heard by everyone BUT me.
And, Yo Gabba Gabba is what you say almost non-stop. You see a TV - yo gabba gabba? Phone - yo gabba gabba? PlayStation remote - yo gabba gabba? Laptop - yo gaba gaba? You are a big fan.

You've mastered the art of tantrums. Seriously. Yesterday alone, you threw yourself in the kitchen floor with loud cries about 5 times. In the span of one hour. I know you are a toddler and you are testing your limits and learning right from wrong but some days? It's just hard. You like to throw things now. I think that's partially mine and M's fault from playing around in front of her. We're trying to un-teach that one!


You can count to 3 with help from us. When you feel like doing it. Because you are in charge of everything these days! You love clapping when you do something right. And you really love helping out. With dishes, with laundry, with cleaning up the table and your toys.

You are still really shy around people. You get scared easily too. Loud noises, new people, doctor appointments. Freaks you out and you cling to mama.

You weigh just shy of 25 lbs.
You are 32/33 inches tall, I believe.
Wearing mostly 18-24 month clothing. Size 5 shoes. Size 4 diapers.
Napping at least once a day. On days where we stay home, we can usually get two naps out of you. You go to bed around 8 pm and wake up around 7 am.
You have almost a full set of teeth, minus ones in the very back. And you love to brush them!

Eating-wise, you are still big on snacking and not so much on meals. You love to feed yourself with adult forks though. And, it's getting harder and harder to get you to take sippy cups. You want big girl cups and straws. You still love all the same foods, with a new found love of fruit loops and ice cream cones.



We are still attempting potty-training, at a very slow rate. I don't believe you are completely ready but I am following your cues and introducing the potty. You understand we go pee & poop in the potty and you've got a new obsession with throwing toilet paper in the potty or wiping yourself. We can get you to sit in the potty for a few seconds but you get a little freaked out. Or annoyed.

You are growing up so fast and so beautifully. I know these days won't last long so I am soaking them in. I love you little girl, with everything I have.

XOXO,
mommy

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p365 - week 30 & 31.

August 7, 2011

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204. Saturday night at the rodeo.
205. My nephew made me a Harry Potter cookie. It's supposed to be the deathly hallows.
206. A healthy & yummy lunch.
207. Dinner and a movie. One of the things I did while M and L were away in New York.
208. Getting ice cream with my nephew.
209. L-bug in New York, looking too grown.
210. My new shirts. Compliments of my amazing hubby.


211.  Breakfast in bed!
212. Pool party.
213. Tried a new dessert (I had a coupon). Not too bad!
214. Library books.
215. Teaching Lia to bake cookies. Her daddy's favorite
216. Being silly with mama at the pool.
217. Saying "cheese" during family dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Lia was such a big girl - no tantrums!

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FRIDAY NIGHT

August 5, 2011

2 comments
Friday nights used to mean relaxing. And dates. Oh, the dates.

I love date nights. Even in pre-Lia times, date nights were special. There's just something about setting aside time and making a point to spend it with a special someone.

These days, I always have a date. With a toddler! Our Friday nights now are full of bath times, family moments and nightly routines. Occasionally, we will venture out for a few errands or shopping. We spend more time chasing after a toddler than shopping. Sometimes we try our hand at a family dinner in an actual restaurant. We I usually plead quietly that L behaves and gives us a tantrum-free time.

Friday nights are totally different these days. But that's okay. It's our life now.

I wouldn't trade our Friday nights for anything, tantrums and all.

PS
Tonight we went the shopping & dinner route. Lia was amazing. She acted like such a big girl and we didn't get any tantrums. I am one proud mama. Because in the past month or two, she has learned the art of tantrums and she tests her limits. Often.

 Excuse the bad, blurry phone pic. But L was saying cheese for the camera and it was to-die-for cute.

PPS
I got L some cute, new skinny jeans while we were out. I'm slowly building her Fall/Winter wardrobe when I can get good deals. The basics, at least. She is gonna look so adorable. I'm excited! Fall - we are so ready for you to take over.

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FIST PUMP, BABY

August 4, 2011

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Jersey Shore premieres tonight! Is anyone else as excited as we are?



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taco night.

August 2, 2011

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I actually made dinner tonight. As opposed to our weeks of eating take-out, fast food and Kraft mac & cheese lately. I like to cook in my own kitchen...not so much others.

But, we've been spending a lot of money on food and it's getting old. I crave a full bank account and yummy homemade dinners. On that note - I clipped coupons, made a meal plan and wrote down a grocery list. Oh, and went shopping.

Tonight was taco night. Tuesday Night Tacos. I confirmed it is indeed Tuesday. Has a sort of ring to it, right? I really like to have staple recipes (you know, the classics. spaghetti, chili, tacos, macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes, rice, cookies.) that I can make from scratch. Not semi-scratch. Scratch. It makes me feel good knowing what goes into our meals.

I used this recipe for the taco bowls and this recipe for the taco seasoning. It was good. Like, so good there isn't a bite of food left!

The only tip I have is use flour tortillas and a muffin pan for the taco bowls. I used a cupcake pan and the spaces between the cups made my bowls a little larger than I wanted. But, they tasted great!

And for the seasoning, I didn't have cayenne pepper so I used ground red pepper. 

It makes quite a bit.  
No more need for those high sodium-ingredients you can't pronounce seasoning packets!

Tacos:
Cook your ground beef. Drain the fat.
Toss the meat back in the pan.
Add 2 heaping tablespoons of taco seasoning, a pinch of salt & pepper and a cup of water.
Let simmer until most of the water is gone.

Fill your bowls with meat and toppings! I like mine with lettuce, tomato, cheese and tapatio (our fave hot sauce). Serve with rice and beans.

Sorry for the bad quality phone picture!

I can make yellow rice from scratch, but I cheated with this meal to save time. Besides, it's too darn hot to be cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

For the rest of this week, I'm planning:
Mini meatball sandwiches
Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
Crockpot Chicken Stew

If any are amazing, I'll be sure to post recipes!

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OH, BOY.

1 comment
I am tired!

It's been a very busy morning/afternoon for us. I, being so smart, stayed up until 1 AM watching The Bachelorette. Smart, right? I thought she was going to pick JP - I just hope it isn't a disaster like most of them end up as.

Then, we had a busy morning of things to do and places to go. This summer, I've been taking L-bug to the public library for toddler time. She isn't the best at sitting still and she mostly clings to me because crowds and noise are starting to freak her out but...she did improve in class week after week. She even clapped her hands a few times ;) So, today was the big reading party for those who read/or had someone read to them 10+ books. L isn't big on sitting still to read listen to books, unless Yo Gabba Gabba is plastered all over it. She squirmed her way through 10 books! And, she squirmed her way right out of that party shortly after we got there. She wasn't feeling it.


So instead, we picked out some books then headed to her pediatrician appointment. She has had some kind of bite on her finger a couple weeks and it's looking nasty and infected. After a very traumatic weight and temp check (she's almost 25 lbs thankyouverymuch!) the doctor gave us some topical cream with instructions to call if it isn't better by Friday. Let me tell you, doctor appointments are very hard now. 

We topped the day off with a trip to the Honda dealership, lunch at Bojangles where little miss ate food and drank her chocolate milk and sat in her highchair (a rare occasion these days), a trip to Target which entailed a few tantrums and new t-shirts for mama ($5, anyone?!) and finally a trip to the car registration place.


Luckily, we are back home and L is napping. We are both tired! And this mama still has to go to work tonight...until 12 AM. Fun times!

I just wanted to pop on here. It seems I have all the time in the world to blog and I have no time to blog.


I know it's a boring-day post but these days make me thankful. Thankful for my little family. Thankful things always end up okay. Thankful that I have a job. Just thankful.

I'll be back later this week for L's 19 month letter and one (maybe two) P365 posts.

Happy Tuesday! It is Tuesday...right? 


P.S. 
I am finally using something I found off of Pinterest...maybe I should join this challenge ;)
I'll be making these for dinner tonight. Doesn't it look yummy?


                                                                     Source: annies-eats.net via kristy on Pinterest



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