Sunday, January 30, 2011

A New Page!

I am having so much fun with my embroidery that I decided to make a facebook page for it all. I hope you all check it out and "like" it. hehe. I have not added all my pics yet - that will definitely take time. But it is up and running. I have had quite a few tutu orders lately and have been busy doing those. They are so much fun to make. Elleah LOVES putting on a tutu and dancing. I keep having to tell her that these tutus "are not for you sweet pea". lol. So since she is being so good, I think I am going to attempt to make her a new one and maybe try new colors. I will be sure to post pics up. I took Elleah out in her "Team Edward" shirt yesterday and sooo many people loved it. haha. So I think I may make her a tutu to match it. As for embroidery, I have a million ideas, but like I said before, I can only do so many for just Elleah. So I am going to try working on just general items that can be personalized later. I never thought I would get so obsessed when TJ bought me this machine. But it is addicting. So glad I decided to share it with all my pals. Anyways... this blog is short and sweet. Just wanted to give everybody a heads up on the new page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wonderful-You/142686882458507

PS~ I was going to try switching the name, but this one already has caught on.....lol.... oh well...

Thursday, January 27, 2011

I'm the Lucky One!

I guess I am always mentioning how lucky I am. I like to acknowledge all the amazing things and people in my life that make me so lucky. But there is one major person in my life that I do not feel gets the credit he amazingly deserves as much as he amazingly deserves it. My man - TJ. Oh sorry, I misspelled that... T.J. <~~better. lol


T.J. is the MAIN reason I am so lucky. He is the one that makes everything so possible. He works so hard to make sure us girls get/ have whatever we need. I know that doting on your hubby can be a big "cliche" fest. And that is mainly what this post is all about. In this case, however, it is sooooo true. It is definitely worth mentioning how awesome my man is. 


What is the main thing that makes T.J. so special? At this point in our lives, the answer to this is easy---- he truly understands how tough and important my job/role is in our family. And after a long day on the boat, he still comes home and helps me to the fullest. He is constantly reminding me to take some time to do some things for myself. And he always backs me up when there are things I feel I need to do. 


I get to stay at home with my sweet girl and watch her grow and learn everyday. This makes me so lucky and it is all thanks to how hard T.J. works and all that T.J. does. Going down to a one-income family has not been an easy transition. But T.J. has been willing to make the adjustments and to cut things out to make this possible for me. He has taken side jobs and worked on random things to earn a little extra money. Not to pay the bills.... our bills are paid. It was for Elleah and I ~ to have a little extra spending money for our girly afternoons out. 


T.J. (whether he admits it or not) is kinda wrapped up with his two girls. There really is not much we cannot get him to do. ;-) Especially the two of us together - although I cannot lie, Elleah is 90% of that. He can  be a "tough" guy. He likes to speak his mind and does not like to deal with too much crap. But he is MUSH sometimes. I love that soooo much about him. 


He is silly. Funny. At times, he is soooo random. He is thoughtful. Loving. Trustworthy. Honest. He always has my back. He always supports my hobbies and ideas. He is always trying to think of what HE can do to help make our family stronger every day. He does not subject us to drama. He is goofy. A prankster. A man willing to sing "The itsy bitsy spider" no matter how many times it is required (by a certain sweet girl). He is a man of God and prayer. A man of integrity and strength. He is never influenced to do the wrong thing. He loves to laugh and even more than that, he loves to make ME laugh. He is the best hubby and one of two of the best daddy's ever!!!!! Truly one of the good guys. 


I am so lucky I tell ya.... so so so so LUCKY!!





Saturday, January 22, 2011

.5 times out of 10

I think for the most part, I am a positive and happy person. I like to see the good side of things and try to stay optimistic as much as possible. I have posted before about learning to appreciate and like the "little things" in life. I really do believe that 9.5 times out of 10 I am able to uphold this mindset and stay positive. HOWEVER, there is a .5 time. That small, measly .5 time when I just CANNOT see the good and am so easily frustrated. I turn into THAT person - you know, the one that cannot find the good in ANYTHING?! So I thought that instead of a happy little post about loving things.... I would post up a cranky little post about things I HATE!


I hate when Austin snores too loud, so I turn up the TV, but TJ is trying to sleep and asks me to turn it back down. I hate the fact that I could vacuum and mop everyday, and you would never be able to tell, because 5 seconds later, something will spill, a dog will shed, and a boot with dirt will come walking though. I hate when people ride my tail so close that I cannot see their head lights. I hate when someone is in the express lane with MORE than 10 items. I hate not getting a parking spot next to the buggy return. I hate when you can hear a pin drop in a quiet public bathroom. I hate when a restaurant does not have many options on their menu. I hate when  Elleah grows out of an awesome pair of shoes. I hate when I am walking on my carpet and I step on an ACORN (yeah... it happens folks... it hurts). I hate when the guide on the TV says private practice is gonna record, and when I go to watch it... it is Off The Map. wth?! I hate that the off season for baseball is a million years long. I hate when TJ has control of the remote. I hate that I live 45 minutes from the nearest hobby lobby. I hate that I live 50 minutes from the nearest Joanns. I hate that Lois & Clark the Adventures of Superman was only 4 seasons long. I hate that Elleah no longer stacks the pillows. :-( 


OK I will head back to positivity. Maybe. One day. Ok today. Maybe. 


Ok one more - I hate that blogger only gives you 7 font options!!! Boo!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Elleah's Antics Pt1

My daughter cracks me up! As I was sitting here, she must have done 865465465418 things that had me laughing at her (or laughing WITH her). Some things she does by accident, others are on purpose. I thought I would share a few: 


Ok, so it cracks me up that she brings me her entire chair and tray when she is hungry. It is not light and she knows the word "eat", yet she chooses to bring me her chair. Another thing, if I do not get up fast enough, she takes the loaf of bread off the counter and brings it to me. It seems as though no matter where I put the bread, she can find it and REACH it. I think she might have a little "inspector gadget" in her. We keep a salt and pepper shaker on the table. Recently, she has climbed up on the chair, learned to shake the salt out on to the table, and run her finger through it. She licks the salt off her finger and goes "MMMMMMMM". hahaha. She also insists that we salt and pepper the food on her plate before she will eat (I think she sees her daddy do it and thinks you are supposed to do that). Speaking of the TABLE, she likes to put her toys on the table. No no, I am not talking about her dolls and books, I am talking about her ROCKING HORSE and play STROLLER. 


When she wants to watch diego or dora, she brings me the remote and starts yelling "Da-go Da-go Da-go." -which is her word for diego. After dinner, she pushes her plate away when she is full. After we get her out of her chair, she likes taking her own plate to the kitchen. It is adorable! Not very helpful since she does not know to keep it steady and straight, but the dogs dont mind and it is definitely a good habit. She also loves unloading the dishwasher. Sure, she puts everything in the same drawer, but she is so proud of herself when she is done. She refuses to say "one, two, three" but if you are on a count down to swing her around or something like that, and you get stuck on "one." She will yell, "TWO, CHEE (three)". Almost in a hurry up manner. haha. 


I am not sure where she learned the word "OW"!?!?! But she thinks that all through a diaper change she is supposed to yell, "OW, OW, OW....". Seriously?! And "HELP".... she uses this word when, well... when she needs help! lol. But it is so dramatic and not always necessary. For Example - she yells help when one of us are trying to brush her teeth OR when she cannot reach something on the counter (which she should not be doing any way). She tells the dogs to GO when they get too close to her snacks! And when she eats something, she likes to dip it in ketchup.... does not matter what she is eating! 


I love her....... she is kinda amazing!!!


To be continued.........

Monday, January 17, 2011

Dinner Plans

So even though I am a stay at home mom, does not mean I cannot find a million productive things to do to fill my day. Most days, I can barely keep my head up by 8pm. I absolutely love to cook. But at the same time, who wants to add that to a daily chore list?! So I decided to try something new this week. I spent about 2 hours yesterday (a Sunday so that TJ was home to help with Elleah) preparing food to eat throughout the week. I know that everybody has heard of this idea. I have always been afraid to try it. But I figured if I started small, maybe I would not be discouraged. So I made a list of 6 simple meals: Meatloaf, Spaghetti, Roast, Chicken, tortilla soup, and grilled salmon.

When I made the meatloaf, I separated the meat into two different bowls. The first bowl I made up as meatloaf. The second bowl I made up as meatballs and added them to cooked noodles and sauce for spaghetti. I love homemade mashed potatoes with my meatloaf, so I made a double batch of mashed potatoes. The second batch I can store away for another meal, or eat with my chicken later in the week. While I was cutting up potatoes, I cleaned and cut potatoes for my roast as well. I will throw those in the crock pot one morning (my second fave kitchen invention). I went ahead and made the citrus glaze for my salmon and I already have the sauce for my chicken ready. Tortilla soup is easy... we buy it in the bag. haha. Add water and presto!!! Then after all was made and cooled, I used my FIRST favorite kitchen invention - the FOODSAVER.

I sealed everything up and popped it into the freezer. I will still have to prepare a veggie or two, and some rice for my salmon, but I am hoping the hard parts are done. I would not normally make all of these particular foods in one week, but like I said, they are all pretty simple to prepare and if this is going to be successful, I had to start SIMPLE. I did not dedicate any one meal to any particular night, I like to have SOME options. lol.

I will let everyone know how this plan turns out......

I wanted to mention that I did also get some frozen pizzas for a night when all else is failing! haha. Ya just never know!!!!!

Also, I have to admit, I finally decided to try this plan partly because I wanted an excuse to use my awesome foodsaver!!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Wonderful You!!!!!

I have developed a hobby. I love to sew and craft. But I have made so many things that Elleah never even got to wear. I love making tutus and dresses. I love my embroidery machine - borderline obsessive. I can only make so many things for Elleah though. So in order to support the cause, I have decided to try and sell a few things that I have made online. The tutus and dresses are already made, the sizes are listed with the item. The embroidery items I can personalize for you. And let me know if you have any ideas for anything specific because I am constantly trying to come up with new projects! But like I said, I can only make so much for just Elleah! This is just a starter for me.... the online "store" will hopefully get better with time. lol. Check a few things out, tell your friends. I seriously need to get a few of these things out of my closet! lol. 



PS - Why "wonderful you"? because it was on the suggestion box!! lol. 




Sunday, January 9, 2011

What the Heck?!?

You ever have one of those days (or weeks) where you are like "What the Heck is going on here???" I had one of those weeks. It started when TJ, Elleah, and I decided to make a trip to the grocery store. While the grocery store experience was an OK experience, we returned to a MESS. While we were gone, Austin decided that rummaging through the trash can was his new thing.....
..... When we walked in, we went to the kitchen with the groceries and immediately noticed that the dog's water was RED with blood. After further investigation, we realized that there was blood all in the food bowl as well (it did not take THAT much more investigating because, ya know, the food bowl was right next to the water). So we knew one of the dogs must have been bleeding, but they both were acting fine. Then we found it... an open can on the floor that HAD been sitting on top of the trash (we forgot to close the trash lid). We immediately assumed it was Gracie because trash rummaging is her M.O. But she is not tall enough to reach the top of the trash. So we checked Austin and saw where he had cut his lip. It just could NOT end there could it?!? After we ate dinner and started getting ready to put Elleah to bed, I walked into Elleah's room and saw what I thought was a murder scene!!!! WHAT THE HECK?! Austin had gone in there and rubbed his bleeding lips AAALLLLL over the carpet, AALLL over Elleah's bed, ALLLL over her pillows and animals, and there were blood splatters alll over the walls and toys. Gross right?? WHY HER ROOM!?? And I am sure you are thinking "Oh poor Austin." But I was thinking.... "oh poor ME." Because here it is, BED TIME, and I (along with TJ of course) am having to steam clean, change sheets, clorox toys, wipe down the walls, and even throw away some things!! A MESS. (I have pics, trust me you do not want to see them.... even my bro said they were DISGUSTING)

Lets move forward two nights. My poor baby starts crying in the middle of the night. I get up and hurry to her room only to realize that my poor angel was getting sick. She had gotten sick ALL over her bed, floor, blankets, pillows, and some of her toys. I was thinking "MY POOR BABY." But I was also thinking, "I JUST steam cleaned and cleaned in here." lol. I was a mess and had to take a 1am shower. I cleaned what I could and put her in bed with me and TJ. About an hour later, she sits up and gets sick again, I then took ANOTHER shower at 2:30am. After getting her cleaned up and a new change of clothes, she did it AGAIN. This time, I was not hit, but the sheets on the bed were awful. TJ had to move to the couch, and Elleah and I slept in my bed on top of an old quilt covered with an old blanket. She ended up feeling ok the next morning. But after that night, I had a LOT of cleaning to do. Let's just say that after this past week, Elleah has the cleanest room in Georgia! lol.

**(I think that it is important that I mention that Elleah's door was closed. Austin has learned how to open the doors in this house with his paws. They are not knobs but handles, and he pulls them down and pushes the door open. Never thought I would have to get baby door safety things to keep AUSTIN out of certain rooms. What the HECK?!?)**

As if that was not enough, I ended up getting SOOO sick Friday night. I thought I was going to die.... no really... I REALLY thought it was the end for me. I was was miserable. You know that feeling where you feel so awful that you forgot what it is like to feel better and you are afraid that you will never feel better again?!? Yeah that was ME. Thank GOD it only lasted one night. I was still feeling a little queasy yesterday, but today I have been able to eat. YAY. Just glad this week is over.....

Monday, January 3, 2011

Into the new year....

CELEBRATING THE BIG 2-7:
So as if Christmas fun was not enough... my birthday rolled around too!! The BIG 2-7!! My parents were able to make it into town and that made it such a great day! Shopping and lunch at the Town center!! Dinner and cake!!! AND PRESENTS! Elleah, of course, thought the presents were for her. Such a great day! And Thank You to every one that sent me birthday wishes! 

BIG GIRL BED:
We started Elleah in a toddler bed almost a week ago. I knew it might be time to try when she decided she was going to become an Olympic climber. I was scared she would hurt herself. She is doing pretty good so far! Nap time can be a struggle, but bed time is great! I do our normal bedtime routine and then walk her to her bed. She climbs in and we say our prayers and she covers up with her favorite blanket! Then I leave and close the door. She goes right to sleep! The bad part - She has been waking up at 6 - 6:30 in the morning. She used to sleep until 7:30 - 8. I try getting her back to sleep... but it has not worked yet even though she appears to still be super tired. I am debating whether I might just try an earlier bed time too.... but 7:30 seems early as it is!?!?!? idk

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: 
Just an update on my New Year's resolution... I have had a coke every day so far! I know, I suck! But in my defense, I bought a 20 pack and still have half the pack left. Once it is gone, I am sure it will be easier (out of sight, out of mind)! I think....

PROJECT365:
I found this App on my phone called Project365. It is basically a calendar and you add a pic for every day of the year. I took a snap shot of it with my phone... it is kind of neat so I think I am going to try and keep up with it in 2011. It will be fun to look back and reflect on all the days of 2011. 
As you can tell, I took this pic at 10:44 am with 88% battery life on my phone....lol.
But look at that awesome reception I am getting...... go AT&T hahaha

ELLEAH STARTS MORNING SCHOOL DAYCARE:
On a sad note, but maybe not so sad - We are starting Elleah in a morning school daycare two days a week starting TOMORROW!! It is not so much for me, but for her. We really want her to come out of her shell a bit when other kids are around. I try taking her to the story-times and play-dates, and she does OK. But she is very very clingy to me! I am hoping she will learn to play with the other kids and have fun getting to do crafts and stuff. And while I will miss her, it is important that you know that I WILL NEVER EVER TAKE HER GROCERY SHOPPING WITH ME AGAIN! Not that I don't enjoy her throwing cans and boxes out of the buggy and trying her darnedest to get out of the cart..... but why worry with that. Ya know?! I bet ya 9348573489573498 dollars that my shopping trips will go from being 1 1/2 - 2 hrs long... to 30 min tops!! Count on it!!  

Hope everybody is enjoying their 2011 so far!!!