living in the land of all of the Spring Breakness ...

Rainy days & Mondays ... O! Karen Carpenter, I know what you were singing about all those years ago!  However, if you couple that rainy day with the Monday after Spring Break you take that sad song to a whole other level.

Mondays are tough all on their own, but a Monday after living in the land of all of the Spring Breakness is rough times 10. Back to the real world of early mornings, packing lunches, homework, & carpool lines.

BUT the Summer countdown is in full effect at our house! There is hope just over the horizon ... I'm telling you, I can almost see it!

Every year Spring Break wets our appetite for Summer vacation & the Bircher party of 4 is ready! There are parents that dread having the kids home for 3 months ... not us! Give us lazy mornings, pool days, & late nights ... we'll take it all!

So, here's to the last few weeks of school ... may your weeks be short & your weekends long!

10 things you'll notice in every single last episode of Dancing With the Stars ...

My family looooooves Dancing With the Stars ... ok, Big Brother could care less about it, but the rest of us love it!

We have to be on at least season 417, give or take a few, but I have loved just about all of them! To me, there will never be a better season than Alfonso Ribeiro's (aka Carlton) winning season! Ever! ABC just started a new round of dancing last week & some of the "talent" is lacking (I'm looking at you Charo & Mr. T) ...

Watching this week, it occurred to me that there are at least 10 things that happen on EVERY SINGLE EPISODE! I don't care what week we are on, who the celebrities are, or what the theme week is ... here are a few things you are bound to see:

1. Somebody is going to have an emotional breakdown during the rehearsal footage! Whether it is from exhaustion, hurt feelings, the professional dancer being too hard on their partner. It is going to BREAK DOWN at some point. There will be tears, walking out of rehearsal, & the inevitable sappy making up.

2. There is always that 1 "celebrity" that you have no idea who they are, what they do, or where they came from. Every. single. season.

3. When the cameras pan the audience you can spot past contestants out in the crowd. Which makes me think that contestants are given lifetime passes to the live recordings!

4.  Bruno will lose his mind while he is judging.

He will jump on the judges' table, he will stroke Julianne's face, he will flail his arms like he is going to take flight! & it makes me love him all the more! Bruno is the BEST!

5.  Carrie Ann will write in her DWTS journal. She has it with her every show.

What is she writing in there? Am I the only one wondering about this?!?!?

6. Len will remind us of those old grumpy guys that sit in the balcony on The Muppet Show ...

seriously, he's the one on the right!

7. And, of course, we all get blinded by Julianne Hough's beauty ...

I give her a 10.

Or as Bruno, would say it ...

10!!!!!!!!!

8. Somebody is gonna get hurt! It is all fun & games until somebody tears an ACL or has a fainting spell on live television!

9. You wonder how many sequins & spray tan solution they go through in a week's time. Am I right?!?  It's just an awful lot of skin & unseasonable tans! Nobody has that kind of tan in March!

10. & lastly, there is ALWAYS that 1 celebrity contestant that is so awful that it makes you anxious to watch.

In the words of Mr. T ... "I PITY THE FOOL!"

my ultimate cheat day ...

I hear rumors that there are people that are very serious about their diets. I see posts on Facebook ... I hear friends talk about it ... I even see lots of tips pinned on Pinterest. "Eating Clean" seems to be a very popular thing to participate in.

Well, I'm going to honest with you ... I don't have the stamina nor do I have the self-discipline. Please, don't try to convince me otherwise. It's good to know our limitations & friends, this is the hand the good Lord has dealt me. I can't say no to a Reese's Peanut Butter Egg & that is just a cross I will have to bear.

I also hear a lot about "cheat meals" or "cheat days" from people who spend the majority of their time eating all of the healthy food. You know ... giving yourself a little food reward for following your diet.

Well, it made me wonder what me cheat day would look like ... if I could have 1 day to just eat ANYTHING I wanted ... no limits, no worries about calories ... just all of my favorites!

So, my friends ... here it is ...

Breakfast:
3 "hot now" Krispy Kreme donuts
Diet Pepsi that has been in the freezer for about 30 minutes & has ice chips in it!!!!!

Lunch:
Bacon Cheeseburger with chili & 247 sauce from 247 Craven (if you live in Eastern NC ... you MUST try this burger ... it's the best cheeseburger I've ever eaten)
Cape Cod sea salt & cracked pepper chips
Large vanilla milkshake from Chick-fil-a

Dinner:
Shrimp & Grits from The Chelsea Restaurant
Macaroni & Cheese from Mike's Farm
plain Cheesecake (I cannot be bothered with any sort of fruit topping on my cheesecake)
Water with ice from Zaxby's

& all God's people say "amen" ...

What about you???? What would be your ultimate cheat meal????

41 & a time change ...

Today I'm celebrating my 41st birthday!!!

What does one do to celebrate 41? Get the kids off to school, go to the office, participate in carpool, & get the mister to bring home dinner! That's what my 41 looks like. My 40th was spent at a spa ... so, needless to say, this year's birthday will be a bit less glamourous & just a tad less relaxed.

My last day of 40 was spent waking up to snow & losing an hour of sleep ... which, if you know me, is truly a cruel twist of fate. There are only a couple of things I love more than sleep & warmth ... they happen to be Jesus & my family. Thankfully, the snow didn't last long & a Sunday afternoon nap was had.

I'm sure I'll spend the better part of this week trying to catch up on that 1 hour of sleep we lost Saturday night. How can 1 little hour throw me off so much? & Can all the mamas with older children say a loud amen for not having to worry about our kids' sleep schedule being totally upended by the time change?!?!? Mamas with young children ... your day will come!

But, while my internal clock will have no idea what time it is this week, I will be enjoying all the extra daylight that isn't really extra ...

I read somewhere this week about places that don't observe Daylight Savings Time & all I could think about was ... how do they know what time "This Is Us" is going to be coming on.

I don't think I could risk it ...

the facebook quiz ...

I have an announcement to make that just might make you question everything you thought you ever knew, trusted,  and hoped in on this earth ...

Facebook quizzes can not be trusted.

I am sorry to be the one to have to bring you this sad news, but 'tis true, y'all.

How do I know this?

I came across a Facebook quiz today entitled, "How Long Would You Survive in the Wilderness"

 

 

Upon completing this very scientific Facebook quiz, I was told I would survive in the wilderness for at least a week. 

I ask you ... does this look like someone who could survive 1 full week (7 entire days, 168 hours) in a wilderness type situation????

 

I can answer that for you ... NO!

 

Let me remind you of the overnight camping trip my mama guilted me into going on with Mister a couple of years ago ... the one where I slept in my car & not the tent because I felt that steal & metal of my Jeep was a more trusted barrier between me & all of the nature than the nylon of the tent. Common sense.

 

So, if you take a Facebook quiz that tells you your personality is green, or that you'll live to be 187, or that you are most like Snow White ... it should not be trusted ... your personality is probably yellow, you'll be lucky if you see 64, & you are just as mean as Elsa!

 



weariness & naps

I have total Spring Fever ... & also an uncontrollable urge to take all of the naps!

Me and sleep go way back ... she has been a good friend of mine for a long time.

As a matter of fact ... I have been wearing a Fitbit for a couple of days and I am much more interested in seeing how many hours of quality sleep I get at night than how many steps I have made in a day. Which ... I am sure is exactly what the fine folks at Fitbit had initially envisioned for their product and not at all counterproductive to my overall health & fitness.

It is what it is, y'all.

Other than the naps & tracking my sleep ... I am just trying to power through the last few weeks of school.

Confession: I am over it. If you've ever read Jen Hatmaker's post, "Worst End of School Year Mom Ever" ... those are my feelings. I have grown weary of all of the homework, carpooling, trying to make Priss dress like something other than a hobo ... weary.

Thus ... the naps!

little pink couch on the prairie ...

We have had all sorts of inclement weather this week ... which means snow, no school, horrible roads, a lot of eating & TV. I would tell you there has been very little excitement, but that would be categorically untrue!

See, I have watched so much Little House on the Prairie this week that I'm almost embarrassed to have indoor plumbing. It been an exciting week in Walnut Grove, y'all!

 So far, I have seen the following:

Carrie fall down a well & get rescued
Mary suffer from a horrible intestinal infection & have to go through 2 surgeries
Charles get trapped in a mine
Willie Olsen stand in the corner at school approximately 37 times
Laura steal a music box from Nellie & have nightmares for a week over it
All the school children get trapped in a blizzard
Mrs. Olsen pay $27 for a wig for Nellie to wear in a school play (for price reference, Charles paid $8 for his land ... so obviously, Mrs. Olsen has lost her mind)
Mr. Edwards get beaten to a pulp over a poker game

So, while the rest of the South is at a standstill .... me & the Ingalls family have been living a lot of life.

 

i'll BE being today ...

You may, or may not, remember that my word for 2015 is ...

I know .... such an exciting word! This year, I have decided to just BE what I need to BE for today.

Well, friends ... today I will BE sitting on my couch, wrapped up in no less than 3 blankets, cleaning up my DVR (that I am still having a mad love affair with) while this ...

 

 

is happening outside!

Awwww, thanks, Oprah!

Mister left for work before the snow starts ... which leads me to believe he'd rather be snowed in at work than at home with me, Brother, & Priss. I can't imagine why ... I am so pleasant under cold, winter weather conditions.

If you are home enjoying a snow day ... you should just BE, too!

how is it Monday already?

How is it already Monday???? How????

This weekend flew by ... which obviously means we had all sorts of fun!

Our weekend was full of friends, sleepovers, basketball, birthday celebrating, naps, & football {which didn't end the way I was hoping it would :/ }.

Now, it is Monday & it is raining ... which means the pink rain boots are working hard for me today!

If you need me this week, I'll be knee deep in hot glue & foam board helping Big Brother & his cousin finish (did I say finish ... I meant start) a project for math class. They have to build a model of a house plan they picked out. And I do believe they picked out something from Frank Lloyd Wright (God bless!).

{floorplans.com}

When they showed me the nonsense they (& when I say they, please know I mean WE ... Mamas everywhere know what I'm talking about) have to build, I tried to explain to them the whole "tiny house" movement, but they weren't budging. 

:/

Less is more ... teach your children well!

excitement & anticipation ...

I have taken a bit of a bloggy break this week. And really ... you all should thank me.

The most exciting & interesting thing I've done all week is think about all of the reasons I am in love with my DVR.  And who wants to read about that?!?

 So, obviously, I have done you all a favor by not writing.

You're welcome.

Over the weekend, I went to visit Bestie. I could tell you all about that, but while we find ourselves hilarious ... I have a feeling our hilariousness does not translate well into written word .. or probably not even to those sitting in the same room. So, there's that.

The kids had 2 days off of school this week. So, there have been all manner of staying up late, sleeping in, wearing stretchy pants, & watching all of the shows I've DVRed (so in love). Again ... not quite what makes for exciting material.

I can share with you that we have had temperatures near 70* the past couple of days! That, my dear ones, has me in all sorts of good spirits! BUT not good enough to make me try on the bathing suits that Target has so prematurely put on their racks. It is January & all I want to try on are clothing made of fleece &/or elastic.

Tomorrow is Favorite Things Friday & hopefully, I will be able to scrounge up a somewhat interesting list of favorites from this week (obviously, 70* temps ... & I will try not to mention my DVR again for fear of a restraining order).

I am sure you are all on the edge of your seats with anticipation ...

Until tomorrow!

unrelated observations & thoughts ...

OK ... I have several absolutely unrelated observations and thoughts about overall unimportant weekend events

* Prince at the Golden Globes ...

I don't know of another 85 pound, 56-year-old man that could pull off this outfit ...

 

& also ... I want information on whatever skin care regimen he is participating in.

 

* Mister's Fitbit ...

 

I plan on dedicating an entire post to Mister's Fitbit, because I have many thoughts & feelings about the topic. But I did want to share that over the weekend he walked 20,000 steps in one day ... which happens to be twice as much as what is normal. Now, Mister is very fit & works out & also, can't stand to just sit around. So. obviously the whole "opposites attract" really applies to our relationship. Anyway, late Saturday afternoon it dawned on me that had I been wearing a Fitbit the nice people at Fitbit headquarters would have probably called 911 to do a well check on me just to make sure I had not died whilst sitting on the couch clearing my DVR.

 

* the DVR ...

 

People ... the DVR! Here is what you need to know about me ... I resist new things.

 

DVD player ... took me years to embrace it because ... hello! what am I to do with all of these VCR tapes!?!

 

Iphone ... don't have 1 & it drives Mister & Big Brother crazy. I know how to work my android just fine, thank you very much.

HD television ... Bestie's husband finally shamed me into getting HD about 18 months ago because how is Mister supposed to watch football & basketball with a poor quality resolution?

Well, last week we changed TV providers & now we have DVR.... & my life has been forever changed. Friday I kept sending Bestie texts like, "I want to record ALL of the shows" ... "DVR! Best thing since sliced bread!" ... " think I've just identified a new condition ... DVR hoarding ... can't stop DVRing!"

So, let's hear it for technology advancements ...

the truth about the pouf ...

{target}

 

I was gifted several Target gift cards over Christmas ... because, what better gift is there?!?

 

Well, in deciding upon what to purchase with said gift cards, I was doing a bit of online Target research.

 

I've had my eye on these poufs for MONTHS, but there was no way I was going to spend $80 bucks on them ... home training! Well, they are deeply discounted right now ... which makes me very happy! I decided to read a few of the online reviews just to make sure about the quality & other details. I came upon this review from "Brittney" & it was full of all sorts of helpful information that I had truly not considered ...

★★★★★ 5 out of 5 stars.

· 22 days ago  

God help you if you have to clean this thing!

I love this pouf. LOVE it! It is mushy, comfortable and yet firm. I bought this for cheap, like 70% off cheap. I loved it when it was 60 bucks but now I love it even more. Anyways, I use it as a chair for my child for in his room. My child is almost two. He loves this chair and has used it every single day from the day I bought it. Laying on it, sitting, leaning etc. Loves it. Today he threw up, where? You guessed it! On my beautiful chair. Now the tags say to throw away the chair if broken and to never, for any reason open the chair..... I see why. One shipping box, two trash bags and what can only be described as packing peanut babies being thrown at each other my husband and I finally managed to empty the chair. It is now in the wash. Please pray for our souls as we will have to refill it by hand. We will of course put the staple back in before giving it back to my child but dear lord, God help you if something like this happens to it. Anyways, I love it and HIGHLY recommend getting one to anyone without the following: Dogs, Cats, Children, Exes who hate you and have knives, Birds, Messy Parents, Messy Teens, Teens, Weird Aunts that don't like to wear underwear, Boyfriends that toot, and of course hide it please when your Husbands friends come over for a drink to watch the game. Other than that, love it. It is amazing and I would highly recommend it!

✔ yes,

  I recommend this product.

 

Even though I don't have any exes with knives or weird aunts that don't like to wear underwear (that I know of) ... I am really second guessing the purchase of the pouf, because I fear every time I look at it, all I'll be able to think about is Brittney's online review & weird aunts ...

 

 

 

 

How the Hallmark Channel has changed my Christmas ...

A few months ago, our cable provider had some sort of domestic disturbance with some other company & ended up dropping a bunch of our channels (thank the Lord, Bravo was not a casualty). At the time ... I was very upset, because how am I supposed to get through my weekend without watching CMT's "Making the Team" ... it has been a struggle.

Well, one of the new channels now offered is the Hallmark Channel, & y'all ... I don't know how I've ever survived a Christmas without it! It's like a non-stop, never ending buffet of sappy Christmas goodness over on that channel! 24 hours a day of Holiday movies!

I am almost certain that on December 26th I will go in complete withdraw & have to go through some sort of 12-step detox program ... which I am sad to say will probably include Lifetime movies.

I have enjoyed all of the predictable story lines & sub-par acting so much this season ... 

Of course, we have also enjoyed our usual Christmas favorites like Elf, Polar Express, & Home Alone ... & it's just not Christmas at our house until we've seen Clark Griswold kick his plastic Santa across the lawn in Christmas Vacation.

How about you guys??? What are your favorites????

Hello, December!

{rose hill designs}

 



I am 2 days into December & I already feel like it is flying by!

December is always, allllwaaayyys the busiest month of the year for us. Which also happens to make it feel like is only lasts about 9 days.

The one month I should really slow down, take it all in, enjoy every moment, soak up time with our kids, remember sweet baby Jesus & all his birth means to this fallen world ... it never fails, gets filled to the brim with parties, practices, shopping, & all sorts of unrelated "happy birthday, Jesus" stress. When will I learn???

I have eliminated a couple of things this year that always suck our time away & it has made a bit of a difference. However, trust  me when I say, I am not at risk for having too much spare time on my hands. Which is truly a shame, because I love having spare time! Spare time is my favorite time of all of the times!

 

** & a quick December bloggy note ...

this month on Mondays I'll be posting {pink couch approved} gifts .... things I have & love & I think your people will enjoy, too!

& on Wednesdays leading up to Christmas, I'll be sharing passages from The Jesus Storybook Bible (like I did last year). So, be sure to visit tomorrow for the first passage.

&, of course, Fridays will still be Favorite Things Friday!!!

 

aaaannnndddd  .... I'm over at Momfessionals sharing our Christmas decorations today!

 



why I don't shop on Black Friday ....

Surprising fact about me .... I have never been shopping on Black Friday {except that one time I accidently went to Target the day after Thanksgiving for diapers because ... parenting}.

Me ... a girl who loves to shop ... and loves a bargain even more .. never been Black Friday shopping?!?!

Here is my list of why:

* I am an introvert & can do without ALL of the people ... some of the people are fine, but not ALL of the people.

* I do not do well with confrontation & I have seen enough footage on the CNN of Black Friday stampedes to know that confrontation is a key ingredient of shopping the day after Thanksgiving.

* I like to go to bed early ... which gets in the way of all of the standing in line at 3am to be the first one in the door at 6am.

* Which leads me to .... I do not enjoy cold temperatures. I am morally against standing outside in line in anything under a nice 75* temperature. Usually, the end of November does not afford this type of "standing outside" condition.

* Along with going to bed early, I am a big fan of sleeping in ... which gets in the way of arriving for any door buster sale situation.

So, while I hear many of you fine folks enjoy all of the aforementioned details of Black Friday ... I however, do not. BUT ... don't get me wrong, I will be cheering you on {mid-morning, warm & cozy in my pj's} from home.

May you not get trampled to death ... & if you do, my prayer is your last moments on earth will be spent in the wide, shiny aisles of the Target!

rainy days & Mondays ... & other completely unrelated news.

Yesterday was a rainy Monday.

I have come to the conclusion that Karen Carpenter must not have had a pair of monogrammed coral rain boots to help her Rainy Days & Mondays situation,

because I was almost giddy that I got to wear mine! Well, the 70* temperatures helped, too.

However, I am sorry to report our one day respite from frigid temps has been replaced with much coldness today ... and I am afraid the evil that is the Polar Vortex is going to be all up in our Winter again this year.


In other & totally unrelated news .... She Reads Truth started a new series yesterday! Their In Everything, Give Thanks reading plan is a 12 day study that will take you all the way through Thanksgiving.

 

A study pack is available, but the study is completely doable without it. I have their app on my phone & spend my carpool time doing these studies. It's a wonderful way to pass the time!

Have a great Tuesday & stay warm!

sleepover mama ....

I have a confession to make ...

I am a horrible sleepover mama.

There. I said it!

It is no secret that I am a big fan of all of the sleeping. However, if you've ever attended a sleepover, you are aware that sleep doesn't really play a big role in said event. They should really be called, "let's stay awake until the wee hours of the night & eat all sorts of crap - over."

As long as I have been alive, I have been an early-to-bed type of girl. As a teenager, I never even had a curfew because Mama & Daddy knew I'd be home & in bed by 10pm.

Now, don't get me wrong ... early to bed - yes .... early to rise - no! Bestie has determined I am at my best between the hours of 10am & 2pm. I have a very small window of greatness.

So, dear parents of my kids' friends ....

Please know that when your child has a "let's stay awake until the wee hours of the night & eat all sorts of crap-over" at my house, I will going to sleep by 10pm {maybe 9:30} & all sorts of nonsense will ensue.

You have been warned ...

this is my life ...

4 things that have happened so far this week that will give you a HUGE peek into my life ...

* My oven is broken & I don't even care.

* I started Monday morning with a nap!

* This morning I heard that they are making Sharknado 3 & got way more excited than I should have.

* The Reese's Cup pumpkins are out & have pretty  much been one of the biggest highlights of my week!

This is my life ... it's ok if you are jealous.

If it's good enough for JC, it's good enough for me ...

Remember that time Jesus was in the boat taking him a little nap while all of his buddies were freaking out about the storm they had come up on???? 

Well, dear friends, this morning I took a page out of Jesus's playbook ... I delivered 4 children where they were supposed to be before 7:30 ... then I came home & took a nap.

 

Because sometimes you just need to take a nap & hope when you wake back up your perspective will have improved.

what i learned in nashville ...

Over the weekend, Mister & I traveled to Nashville ... by way of 11 hours ... in a car.

 My husband is a saint & my fear of flying seems to be not quite as bad after spending all day in the car ... twice in 4 days. Bestie & her husband met us there & it took them 1 hour ... clearly they flew & have much better sense than I do.

We planned the trip months ago when one of our dearest & best friends asked us to come & help him with a wedding. We love him, we love Nashville, we love weddings ... no brainer!

Bestie's other half has family in Nashville, so we stayed with them. Let me tell you something, they entertained us thoroughly! I could've sat in their living room all weekend & listened to them tell all sorts of Nashville stories & been happy as a clam! They are a sight & I loooooved getting to spend time with them. Seriously, they need their own reality show!

Thought I'd share a few things Nashville taught me:

* Being allergic to crazy in an actual condition ...
Saturday night we had dinner at Puckett's Grocery in Franklin & watched Don Schlitz perform. You may not recognize his name, but you would definitely recognize some of the hundreds of country hits he's written .... The Gambler, On the Other Hand, I'm Gonna Love You Forever, When You Say Nothing At All, I Feel Lucky ... to name a few! He performed a few of his newer songs & my favorites were I'm Allergic to Crazy, So You Gotta Go & Tattoo Redo.

{don Schlitz - allergic to crazy}

 He also sang another song he wrote for Kenny Rogers & Dolly (I DIE) .... Old Friends. Bestie & I were an emotional wreck by the end ... tears & hugs ensued!

* Don't eat Shrimp & Grits at the Richland Country Club ...
Our first night in Nashville, Pappy's cousins took us to their country club for dinner. I don't care where I go, if Shrimp & Grits is on the menu .... that's what I order ... the Richland has remedied that particular condition. There is this thing called the Scoville scale that measures the spiciness of food. I am no scientist, but the Richland's Shrimp & Grits would rate up there with a habanero chili sprayed with law enforcement grade pepper spray & then lit on fire. Now, I tried to power through. I ate what I could & gulped down water & Diet Coke like I was walking through the Sahara. However, I am sorry to report, that my night at the Richland ended with me in stall #2 of the ladies restroom throwing up ..... keepin' it classy at the country club, y'all! Bless!

* I have a southern accent ...
OK, I knew this. I hear myself talk all day long. But when someone from Nashville tells you they love your accent, it makes you realize how much of an accent you really have. I ordered dinner at a restaurant & the sweet little waitress giggled, asked where I was from & then told me she looooved my accent.  It was like that time on Friends when Janice told Ross he was too whiney ... pot, meet the kettle!

* I love a man named Wilson ...

Our most gracious hosts have a dog named Wilson & I fell in love with him! Here's the thing about Wilson ... he doesn't know he's a dog. He thinks he is totally human. I'm not a sucker for animals ... I know, character flaw... whatever! BUT Wilson won me over & I fell for him!


Super fun weekend!!!! Nashville was gooooood to us!