my plate is full ...

Guess what I did ... took the month of June off!

It was somewhat unintentional, because 3 hours ago it was June 1st & now it's July and I have done approximately 1 post in June. Hello, overachiever!

We have done a lot of living in the month of June ...

* Matt finished middle school & is now a high school student ... I can't even handle it!

* Priss  is now a 5th grader & only has 1 more year of elementary school ... again, how?

* We have vacationed hard ... Busch Gardens, beach, pool, pond!

* I read all of 1 book ... The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand ... I highly recommend it!

* & we bought 2 hermit crabs ... because, let's face it, hermit crabs are the only pets I have the stamina to maintain.

And now it is July ...

Our plans include more time in, on, & around the water AND keeping the hermit crabs alive. My plate is full!

our weekend!

My weekend was packed ... but one of my favorite ever!

My brother got married!!!!!

 

 

He waited 42 years to tie the knot ... & the waiting was worth it!

 

 

 

They got married at the cutest little chapel that has ever been built ...

 

 

 

The entire weekend was beautiful & so fun! One of my favorite ever!!!

 

 

 

 

 

when will i ever use Algebra?!?

One of my younger friends was complaining the other day about how she had been out of high school x number of years & she had never once used Algebra.

My response ... just wait until you have kids & they have Algebra homework ... that's when you'll use Algebra!

Our oldest will be in high school next year ... #holdmewhileisob ... and we are in the THICK of ALL SORTS of Algebra at our house .... #holdmewhileisobevenmore. Seriously, there is A LOT of x and y-ness going on in my life.

Have I used the Pythagorean Theorem since 1994? Not until last week when Matt came home with all sorts of right triangles with missing measurements.

And then there are the square roots???? Bless.

SQUARE ROOTS, y'all!

So, teachers and parents ... when those teenagers ask "When will I ever use this in real life?" You have an answer ... You'll use it when you are helping your teenagers do their Algebra homework!

You're welcome ...

Favorite Things Friday: gray cardi update, cuteness, tradition, & Boo Mama!!!!

The first Friday of 2015 ...

Every Friday I love to share with you some

of my favorite things/moments from my week.

This week I've got lots to share!

* the most comfortable cardi ever

I did a little after Christmas shopping with

some money I'd been gifted.

I love to find a bargain & make my

money stretch just as far as I can make it ...

so, TJ Maxx is a perfect place to make that happen.

I found this long, hooded, super-soft cardigan

that is now my favorite thing to wear!

& it has pockets ... BONUS!

Seriously, it's like wearing a comfy robe.

Sunday morning I sent this message to Bestie ...

Because one of my biggest goals in life is

to be comfortable & the new cardi is a big help.

We all need goals!

Comfort is one of mine!

* cute rain boots

Mister gave me these

cute pink Joules rain boots {from Target}

for Christmas!!!!

I've mentioned several times how

much I love a rain boot ...

they just make rainy days

so much more fun!

* New Year tradition

A family in our church has given us

tickets to see Carolina play basketball

for the past 4 years & it's become

sort of a fun tradition for us.

Now, let me go on record & say ...

I am a East Carolina Pirate

through & through.

However, my people love the Tarheels,

so you just do what you have to do.

Our friends , that now live in Texas,

are here for the holidays & happened

to be at the game, too!

So, we had a fun time meeting up with

them before the game to hang out

for a few minutes.

Old friends are the best friends!



* How Boo Mama made my day!!!!

Y'all have heard me gush about

Boo Mama's book A Little Salty To Cut the Sweet!

Well, her new book Home Is Where My People Are

is coming out next month.

Look what landed in my mailbox this week ...

An advance copy of Boo Mama's new book!!!!

 

I have already finished it &

IT. IS. PRECIOUS!

And also, it reminds me about everything

it is to grow up in the South ...

& family ... & home ...

& how God is directing our paths,

even when we are totally ignoring Him ...

He is faithful!

 

Sophie's book made me laugh out loud, cry,

made me say things like, "YES! Me too!"

"I know what you mean, Soph!"

& "Amy Grant was the soundtrack to my youth, too!"

 

It is wonderful!!!!!

You need to buy one for you & all your people!!!!

 

 

What a great week this has been!

I love having all of the extra

time to just be with

family & friends ...

all the undecorating, I could do without.

But the hanging out {in my new

super-comfy cardi, of course}

is right up my alley!!!!

 

 

In case you missed this week's posts,

you can find them here ...

Favorite Posts of 2014

A New Year? A New {FREE} Calendar!

The Truth About the Pouf!

 

 

Enjoy your first weekend of 2015!!!!

Hope it 's filled with all sorts

of your favorite things!

 

linking up with Andrea at Momfessionals!

special delivery ....

Now, let me start by saying, I do not do Elf on the Shelf because I just don't have that type of stamina. I am all for the magic & creativity of it, & enjoy seeing how other families put so much effort into it. However, my efforts are reserved for such things as getting my children to school in the morning & also making sure they are fed 3 times a day ...

It's just good to know your limitations, y'all.

I came across a fun Christmas idea on Pinterest the other day that has the magic of a North Pole delivery without me having to remember to participate every 24 hours ... we are talking 1 & done, people.

A special delivery from Mrs. Claus's bakery!

I used Pic Monkey to create a shipping label from Mrs. Claus, herself! The website is super easy to use & totally free.

Then, I  purchased cake mix, fun cupcake liners, icing, sprinkles, a cute spatula ... packed it all up in a box with tissue paper, a few snowflakes, & a note from Santa's #1 lady ...

... put the shipping label on the outside & it was ready for delivery!

The plan is to leave the box on the front porch, so when we get home Priss will find our special delivery waiting for us! Then, we can get busy baking our Christmas cupcakes from Mrs. Claus's Bakery! How FUN!!!!

 The only thing better would be if Mrs. Claus would've cooked them first & THEN sent them ....



laundry for 2 ...

One of my friends posted this on their Facebook page on Friday ...

 

 

 And this is almost exactly what my weekend looked like ... just replace the leaves with all sorts of dirty laundry! Wash ... rinse ... repeat, y'all!

 

Late Saturday night after the last load was dry & folded, Mister announced that Priss had just brought down another basket of dirty clothes from upstairs. And for a split second I thought ...this must be what it's like to work in a post office ... no matter what  you do, it just keeps coming in ... it never stops.

 

BUT ... before I let frustration set in {too deep}, I thought about what it's going to be like in a few short years when I'm doing laundry for just 2 again. I think I might miss those rogue baskets of dirty laundry. 

 

The days are long, the laundry pile is high, but the years are short ...

missing in lots of action ....

First off ... yes, I have been absent for a few days. I wish I could tell you I have been relaxing on the beach without a care in the world to distract me. Wouldn't that be a great reason for all of my  absentness!?!?

However, I am sorry to report that was not how the end of my week played out last week.

It seems Priss met up with some Poison Oak in some of her travels & good Lord alive it took over the last half of my week. I was up to my elbows in ointments, salves, & prescription steroids!

It all started Tuesday night/Wednesday morning around 2am .... I was awoken from a dead sleep by Priss & her red, puffy, sweet little face ... one of her eyes was almost swollen completely shut & I went into a complete panic.

You see, completely overreacting to medical situations when I am jarred awake at 2am is what I am just naturally good at. Mister, on the other hand, is the voice of reason. I woke him up & told him Priss needed to go to the doctor first thing in the morning ... He said OK & rolled over & continued in his slumber. While I gave Priss allergy medicine, made her sleep on a palate beside my bed, & watched to make sure she was breathing for the rest of the night!

So, the next morning, after a visit to the doctor & 3 prescriptions later, I did what everybody tells you NOT to do ... I googled Poison Oak & read this ....

Let me tell you this, if I would've read that at 2am I would've just had a heart attack & Poison Oak would've been the least of our worries! (note to self: never go on WebMD during the middle of the night)

I did learn something very valuable in all of the Poison Oak treatment ...prednisone makes 9-year-old little girls especially chatty! I made the mistake of giving Priss a dose of her medicine before bed one night & woke up to her skipping around in circles beside my bed at 1:45 & declaring she was ready for her next pill & also, she wasn't tired anymore & should she just read a book? how about Moby Dick? I think I will read that!

BLESS!

Needless to say, I sent her to school the next day with a note that asked her teacher to please have a little extra grace while dealing with my child, because the steroids had made her "extra bubbly!"

I am happy to report that the ointment, salves, & prednisone have worked their magic & Priss is back to her unpuffy  .... somewhat less chatty self ... & neither she nor I required emergency assistance.

extra bubbly ...

Big Brother's first official football game of the season was last night. They had a big win ... 46 - 8!

It was exciting & yes .... I was loud & borderline obnoxious. I am one of those & I just can't help it ... I am easily excited. Or as my 2nd grade teacher once wrote on my report card, have "an extra bubbly personality" & sometimes that translates into what others may observe as loud & obnoxious.

{the most perfect football shirt ever created!}

After the game, we all piled into the car & Priss announced she wanted to give her brother a pep talk ... because apparently he didn't appear peppy enough to her after winning a football game by almost 40 points.

Obviously he didn't inherit my "extra bubbly personality" ... but Priss sure did!

 

spelling & 4th grade stereotypes ...

Like most 4th graders ... Priss has a list of spelling words every week. One of her assignments is to draw the meaning of each word.

Well, one of her words this week is "sailor" ... you know, someone who navigates a boating vessel, a mariner, a seafaring type individual ... & according to Priss, smokes like a freight train ....

My apologies to all sailors everywhere!

Thank God she isn't familiar with the expression, "cuss like a sailor" .... I would have loved having to explain that depiction to her sweet little teacher!

vacationing with the in-laws ... again!

Last year we took our summer vacation with the Mister's family.

We had such a fun time that we decided to hit the road all together again! You know how sequels are never as good as the original??? Not the case with our vacationing with the in-laws, part II !!!! We had a blast again this go around!

{this year's re-enactment of the wall mural

at colonial Williamsburg welcome center} 

Our family of 4 left a couple of days early & headed to the Virginia mountains to spend some time with my aunt & uncle & their daughter's family. They live right in the middle of the Blue Ridge, Allegheny, & Appalachian Mountains. Can I tell you this ... the Virginia mountains are GORGEOUS!!! BREATHTAKING!!! & every other word that describes beauty! 

Our first stop was at Monticello ... Thomas Jefferson's home.

 The next day we went to Virginia Safari Park & did this ....

... fed all sorts of exotic animals that have never been told about personal space. Although we left the park feeling slightly violated, we left with all of our digits still in tact ... so clearly, it was a success!

Seriously, crazy! Camels ... Emus ... Elk... things with big, spirally, pointy horn things ... & Priss swore she saw a unicorn!

We had planned on visiting Natural Bridge while we were in the area. That is, until we found out how much it would cost for our little family of 4 to behold the beauty of a natural rock formation. So, we did the next best thing ... we googled a picture of Natural Bridge & just showed that to the kids instead.

Then, we floated down the James River on inner tubes ... & it was the laziest river I have ever experienced ... just like I like them!

Theeennnn ..... we headed back east to meet the in-laws in Williamsburg!!! On our way, we spent a little time on the Blue Ridge Parkway ...

until our low fuel light came on. Now, if you have never been on the BRP, this would be a great time to tell you that there aren't a whole lot of options in #1 gas stations & #2 bathrooms, along the aforementioned BRP. I can tell you this because of the following .... #1 we coasted down the mountain in neutral until we found a gas station & #2 I was in a desperate situation once we found the gas station. However, I was told the bathroom was "outside, right next to the woodshed." YES! an OUTHOUSE, ya'll!!! Needless to say ... my bladder muscles got a great little workout until we came across some indoor plumbing further down the mountain!

So, with a full tank of gas & my empty bladder, we made our way to Williamsburg & met up with the mister's family.

 Over the next 4 days I got really good at smuggling food & drinks into Busch Gardens, sweating ... a lot, & enjoying the rides that didn't require some sort of safety harness!

{not pictured:  ME!}

{See the gray-haired lady on the back row??? That would be my mother-in-law ... God bless her!}

We had so much fun! AND bonus ... Busch Gardens has all the indoor plumbing a girl could ever wish for!

& 1 more picture ...

 ... just because I love this one of me & Priss wearing our monogram gear!

when did this happen?

Well, today it is official ... Big Brother is an official teenager ... 13!

I'm not sure how this happened so fast, but it's here.

He was 10 days late & came into this world weighing 11 pounds & 8 ounces and was the hugest newborn I had ever seen in my life!

 I was 25 years old & had no idea how to take care of a baby. I couldn't believe they let me leave the hospital with him. I didn't know how to make a bottle, how to bathe him, how to make him stop crying. I was a nervous wreck & tried to convince Mama to move in..

I felt completely inadequate, but I knew I had never loved anything like I loved that baby. I just kind of faked my way through the first few weeks of motherhood & I remember waking up one morning & thinking to myself ... I think I have the hang of this. After all, we had both survived one another so far!

It helped that he was an easy baby ... laid back. I swear he was born with the soul of an 80 year old man.

I have loved every stage of life I've had the honor of mothering him through.

He is my joy ...

He's made my heart grow in ways I never knew were even possible.

He made me a Mama ...

I don't know anything about being a teenager's mama ... but he'll help me learn. Just like I did 13 years ago, I'll fake my way through until I wake up one morning & tell myself, "I think I have the hang of this." Of course, I'm sure as soon as I tell myself that, I'll be put in my place.

Happy Birthday, Matt! I am so proud of you. I love you to pieces. There is not another soul I would have rather taught me how to be a mama than you. You are precious to me .... always!

 

 I can't wait to see what God has in store for your life!

after Arthur ....

I had a great weekend celebrating July 4th ... well, after this paid us a visit ...

Right before Hurricane Arthur rolled in, we made a Target run ...

for 2 reasons: #1) if I was going to die or be significantly injured in the hurricane, I wanted to make sure I'd been to Target at least one more time & #2) I felt like I could use a good wedge to ride out the storm ... after all, they were 30% off. Hurricane preparedness & big savings. Killing 2 birds with 1 stone & my Target Red Card, y'all!

Thankfully, we woke up Friday morning to a beautiful day & only 1 limb down in our yard from Hurricane Arthur. He was kind to us. And I must say to all of the doubters, the emergency run to Target obviously paid off.

We always spend the week of the 4th at my parent's river cottage. If you remember last year, this happened ....

If you are new to {fmlpc} you can read about this nonsense HERE.  I can only assume Daddy felt like tempting fate twice in one week ... you know, with the hurricane & all ... would not be a wise decision on his part & I am happy to say, he did not prove to us again this year he can still ski without getting his hair wet.

However, this happened ....

I went out on the pedal boat with my oldest niece & I can assure you, only one of us was pedaling & it wasn't her. I counted it as my cardio for July & then enjoyed my dinner free of guilt ...

We spent Saturday morning over in the nearest town for their annual Croaker Festival. They have the best little parade ...



I mean, how more American

(& better protected from the sun)

can you get???

The entire weekend was spent enjoying the water, eating, watching sunsets that take your breath away, eating more, & belly laughing with my family.

Love weekends like that!!!!