Northern Girl in a Smallish Southern Town

New Website

2013-01-24T08:38:00.002-05:00

Guess what?

You can find me sharing at my new address-

www.northerngirlinasmallishsoutherntown.com

Hope to talk to you soon =)

Photo Card

2011-11-29T15:44:00.001-05:00

Love Hope Faith Religious

Get personalized Halloween invitations at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Wow!!!

2011-06-25T10:27:00.000-04:00

It is Saturday morning. I am exhausted....completely and fully.

I was awoken by a 6 yr old at 7am who just had to tell me the Monte Carlo comes out on July 1st. What????? I am not sure I have recovered yet.

At about 8am I was asked if they could play outside. I almost said yes because I was craving the quiet...but then I figured my neighbors would hate me. So instead I told the kids I would take them swimming at 10:30 while their daddy was playing tennis.

It is 10:22 right now. I have absolutely no desire to put on my bathing suit. I have less of a desire to swim. But I am about to drag myself off the computer and away from my coffee to get on my suit.

Happy Saturday friends!!!

May madness

2011-05-14T12:38:00.000-04:00

We brought the month in with a bit of madness. Between softball games, baseball games, birthday parties, mother's day muffins and tea at the kids schools, end of the year parties, field days, family picnics and registering our little man for kindergarten I feel like I am losing my mind. But the kids are happy so I guess that is what matters.

Tyler will graduate from preschool on Wednesday. It is hard to believe that in August he will start kindergarten. I am still not 100% sure it is the right decision for him. I am worried that his lack of interest in school and learning is going to make for an interesting first year. I can only hope that he has a teacher with lots of patience. I also hope she has a good sense of humor because he can come up with some doozies.

Rebecca has almost finished her first year in kindergarten. It is amazing to me to look at all she can do. She loves to read and says science is her favorite subject. She clearly gets that last part from her daddy. She played softball this season. She loved it. She wants to play again next year. So far she isn't interested in trying any additional sports so I guess she will stick with just that.

And Jason... he will finish up his first year in preschool on Tuesday. In July he will turn 3 years old. That is the hardest thing for me to believe. He is Mr. Independent and has at least 3 tantrums a day. His screaming occurs so often I honestly don't think I hear it anymore. He thinks he is as old as his brother and tries to do everything Tyler does.

The hubby and I have been busy as well. He put down all new floors in the first floor of our house. It looks so good. I can't even describe how happy I am to be rid of the carpet. He also helped coach Rebecca's softball team. She loved having her daddy as the coach. He has also been playing tennis. As for me, I have been mostly busy trying to keep up with everyones activities. But I have managed to have lots of nice "me" time as well as nights out with the girls.

Still working....

2011-05-14T09:28:00.000-04:00

Here is my new project...
We are still working on it and official launch will come soon.
But I wanted my friends and family to see it first ;-)

Apples to Peaches

Spring Break...

2011-04-06T08:39:00.000-04:00

Okay we have had a busy spring break (pics will follow another day this week).

So far, we had a baseball game and family pictures. Sunday we celebrated Grandma Tina's birthday. We spent Monday at the park. On Tuesday we went to Chuck E Cheese (headache check!). Today we are hitting up I.N.K.! I should be showering and getting ready but instead I am enjoying a slow(er) morning.

Will update more later....

Apologies

2011-03-22T14:39:00.000-04:00

Okay so I haven't posted in a while. Last time this occurred I promised you I was working on something big. Same thing is true this time. Once the consignment sale ended (and I took a week off from working), my BP and I got to work on phase 2 of the business.

If I thought the sale was hard (which is was but only b/c it was our first one I think), this has proven to be much harder.

I spend hours upon hours working on it. And typically it feels like I haven't gotten much accomplished. Except we are almost done. It is almost ready to be launched. I can't wait, can you?

I promise to tell soon. And then I will get back to blogging, pinky swear!

Sale, Sale, Sale

2011-02-16T10:07:00.000-05:00

So our big sale is over! It was great. Extremely tiring, but wonderful. I feel like I have lost about a week of my life. It was such a blur.

Now we are all back to normal or our version of normal anyway. The hubby and I celebrated V-day on Sunday. We went out for breakfast and for a walk at the park sans kids. Then we went to the bookstore to peruse and have a coffee. It was extremely nice and relaxing.

I woke up Monday morning to the little dude and little man being sick. Yesterday, I took all 3 kids to the doctor. All three kids had double ear infections and terrible colds. The little dude also is wheezing so breathing treatments for him. Yuck! The Little Dude may get renamed the Drama King soon. He "hurt" his foot yesterday. He refused to walk all day and crawled everywhere. I figured he would forget but today he is only walking on the side of his foot. But at least he is walking.

This weekend is the Little Man's last indoor soccer game of the season. And on Saturday evening he has his first baseball practice. The Angel has her first softball practice on Thursday night. The cycle of craziness is starting all over again....

Food update

2011-01-25T16:48:00.002-05:00

We did very well following my meal plans. Three of the nights we didn't follow it but we didn't go out to eat either. We ended up being invited to friends homes these past two Saturdays so we ate there instead.

However the plan ended last night. I haven't had time to come up with a new one...so we are going to Burger King tonight.

A call for support

2011-01-19T20:22:00.000-05:00

This is our friend from Ga. Please let think about ordering a wristband!

Robert the Great: 1/15: "I am a modern gal who knows how important it is to accessorize, but appreciates the importance of a good value. On..."

Grocery Shopping & Meal Planning

2011-01-13T16:21:00.000-05:00

Okay so I am trying extremely hard to cut the grocery bill in 1/4 (at least) for 2011. One way I read to do this (besides extreme couponing) is to try and only go to the store once a month. As I am not one for drastic changes, we are going to try to only go once every two weeks. In order to do this I came up with our meal schedule for the two weeks.
So here it is:
1/9 -- crock pot lasagna
1/10 -- chicken enchiladas
1/11 -- pork chop skillet (I've posted this recipe before)
1/12 -- chicken breasts with french pan sauce
1/13 -- crock pot chicken with black beans
1/14 -- leftovers
1/15 -- farfalle, peas and goat cheese
1/16 -- crock pot pork roast w/ apples, sage and rosemary
1/17 -- Date Night with hubby (kids will eat leftovers)
1/18 -- king ranch casserole
1/19 -- crock pot chicken tortilla soup
1/20 - ravioli lasagna bake
1/21 -- leftovers
1/22 -- my famous meatloaf (which is actually my friend Susan's recipe)
1/23 -- sesame chicken

So far, so good. We have stuck with the plan but honestly we haven't left the house so we had no choice. I will keep you updated on how it goes.

Snow Days 2011

2011-01-13T00:44:00.000-05:00

Well for once the weather forecasters got it right here in Atlanta...

They predicted snow Sunday night, followed by sleet, followed by freezing temperatures, not to be better until Saturday.

I think we ended up with close to 6" of snow. For the first time ever my kids have sledded. Two of them even seemed to really enjoy the snow. I got to sled once. The hubby got to a lot more. I will admit to being jealous.

The Little Dude, he enjoyed it as long as he didn't have to walk in it. He seemed scared to walk. It may be because on Day 1, he fell down a lot. In the picture below, he is crying. But when I held his hand, he was fine.

It is now Thursday. The kids have missed 4 days of school. Don't worry, they haven't even noticed. Although I was asked once on Wednesday when they could play with their friends. We had a happy hour playdate with some of our neighbors. Other than that, they are completely content to have their daddy home, drink hot chocolate all day and play.

I heard on the weather channel that the only place state in the country that doesn't have snow right on the ground right now is Florida. Even Hawaii has snow. I am contemplating a move to Florida...

Reflections and Resolutions

2011-01-03T10:13:00.000-05:00

Well I said I would post by goals for this year but first I need to go over 2010's resolutions. So I am going to list them out and let's see how I did.

1. Cook dinner at least 4 times per week.

2. Use the crock-pot for 1 meal per week.

3. Keep my house clean.

4. Only volunteer for things I really want to do.

5. Stay on top of the laundry.

6. Exercise more and eat better.

7. Do not yell at my kids.

Okay, so I would say I had success with #'s 1, 2, 3, and sometimes 4.

I tried with #6 and did fairly well when I was able to get to the gym. It is definitely going back on the list.

I started off well with #7 but now I babysit anywhere from 2-6 kids somedays and really I lose my patience. Plus the Little Dudes tubes came out. So for about half of the month, he is whining non-stop because of the fluid in his ears which is a little trying. I would say I failed at this. And it probably not going to make the list again.

I completely failed at #5. Consistently and regularly. I am going to attempt it again, I think.

So on to 2011! Here are my resolutions!
1. Have *me* time daily.
2. Complete laundry in a timely manner. No more than a one load backup.
3. Say no more often than yes to favors/volunteer opportunities.
4. Make money for our family.
5. Use the cash system to save money and pay off debt (car, house, etc.) I am not going all Dave Ramsey crazy but going to take steps in that direction. We already use the cash system for weekly purchases but we are amping it up big time in 2011. We have some big financial goals this year :-)
6. Coupon more.
7. Say yes more than no to the kids.
8. Have one family time activity/event/outing a month (or 12 in the year).
9. Make time to exercise(at least 3 times/week).

Okay so I think this is it for 2011! I will check in and let everyone know how it is going.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T09:45:00.000-05:00

More Christmas posts are coming this weekend but I wanted to take a moment to say Happy New Year!

We spent the night at home with the Sportsmans (our 3rd year) of us all hanging out. For the first time in the 3 years, all the kids made it until midnight.

We enjoyed lots of appetizers, played Wii, and watched Dick Clark.

I am thinking of my posting my resolutions at some point and reflecting on last years. Hopefully in a little while. But first I have to put away laundry (a definite resolution failure from 2010)...

Breakfast with Santa

2010-12-29T16:29:00.000-05:00

On the first Saturday of winter break, my moms group planned a breakfast with Santa. It was at Lake Lanier Islands. It was a buffet breakfast where the kids got to go up, sit with Santa and talk to him. We had a big group go around 50 people. The event was great for the kids but not what us adults signed up for. Our service was also much less than desired. Here are some pics I took of the kids with Santa.

Christmas programs

2010-12-29T11:24:00.000-05:00

All three of the kids had Christmas programs at the three different schools. Even the Angel in Kindergarten had a Christmas party and her concert was earlier in the month. I am happy to report the school even had a Christmas up on display. So not all the fun has been taken out of school.

The Little Man was Joseph in his nativity play. After his program (the kids sang songs in the worship space), his class shared milk and cookies, and had a book exchange. This picture is from following the event with the Little Man and Little Dude.

The Angels party was the same day. They had lots of activities to do. We made reindeer and reindeer food (which we forgot to put out on Christmas Eve...oooops). We made necklaces. And the kids decorated cookies and had a snack.

The following day was the Little Dudes program and party. School was on a 2-hour delay that day because of ice and the Little Mans school was actually cancelled. His program was so cute. It is always interesting when the little ones perform. I don't think he actually sang any music but he didn't cry (like at Halloween) so I was happy with it. Afterwards we went to his class for a pizza party. They also had a book exchange.

It was a fun time at all three schools. I am happy that I was able to attend it all.

Prayer Request

2010-12-21T10:10:00.000-05:00

Finding my MOMs group 5+ years ago was a godsend. Sometimes I get frustrated with it all. Need I remind you how a bunch of women can be/act?

But this week, I was reminded by how great these women are.

One of the wonderful ladies in our group, her son was diagnosed with ALL (a form of leukemia/cancer) on Friday. Her husband has started a blog to keep everyone updated on him and them.

As a mom my heart hurts for her. I think about this could happen to anyone. But then I think about it happening to this woman and her son. He is such a sweet boy. It really will test your faith, bad things happening to good people. I know you have to trust your faith to make it all right again but sometimes my head gets in the way.

My MOMs group has gone above and beyond. Our group banded together to make a basket for the family. We asked on Sunday for some things. And boy did we receive. All day yesterday and since 8am this morning the moms in our group have been dropping off stuff. It has been a continuous stream at my house. We outgrew our first basket and I am thinking today we will outgrow the second one soon. I am completely amazed at what these women are doing. And the ideas of more things we can do just keep coming in.

So if you are a stay at home mommy and are reading this....do you have a MOMs club? You should consider joining one.

And if you are just a friend reading this, please send prayers for the Hart family. They really need them.

I am freezing...

2010-12-14T15:47:00.001-05:00

The weather here is absolutely freezing. I can not even get comfortable in the house. I am either so cold or hot because of all the layers. Plus my hair is all static-ey which I hate.

The drama queen said this was the coldest day ever. I am not sure but it is record breaking cold here...A record from the 1910's.

I moved to the south because I hate cold weather. This is one of those times when I just want to ask "Seriously?"

My Newest Job

2010-12-04T22:08:00.000-05:00

Even though I love being a stay-at-home mommy and a part-time babysitter, I am really excited to do something more. I am so happy to finally share part 1 of my new endeavor. I am starting a consignment sale with one of my friends!!!! Visit my website http://www.applestopeachesconsignmentsale.blogspot.com/

We are back

2010-12-04T22:05:00.000-05:00

We got back from Disney on Thursday afternoon. We ran out to the Angel's concert. Friday was her and her friends pool party. Today the Little Man had soccer, we went out to lunch, stopped by a friends house, decorated the tree, and did some Christmas shopping. So sometime this week I will be blogging but not tonight. Tonight I am editing pictures in the hopes to get my Christmas cards soon (ha ha). Tomorrow I am taking the Angel to the American Girl store with a friend and her daughter and my mom. I am getting her a doll for her birthday. Yes, I have given in. I realized my kids really aren't as spoiled as I always fear they are. So for once, I am just going to get what she asks for without thinking about the how I shouldn't and the why not.

Oh Thanksgiving...you came too quickly this week!

2010-11-24T23:24:00.001-05:00

Wow.As I am sitting on the couch typing this post, I am literary exhausted.

I have spent the last week with a sick, cranky 2 year old. One who will not leave my leg. He has been clinging to it when I am not holding him. The hubby took him to our wonderful md (and I mean that sincerely) last week. He had double ear infections. So they put him on a heavy dose antibiotic. Said antibiotic gave him such diarrhea that he developed the worst diaper rash I have ever seen in my 6 years as a mommy. Yesterday I took the almost 6 year old to the md (more on that in a minute) and mentioned the problem to my md. I didn't have the Little Dude with me and of course she wanted to see him. So back we went today. And I found out he had developed a staph infection from the rash. Ugh! So I had to fill another script for him. Now he is taking two antibiotics. I am sure this will be great for the tummy.

Yesterday I took the almost 6 year old drama queen for her physical. She is doing well. Nothing to report. She is still tiny. But still on her own little 8% curve. The md. said she much rather her be on this end than the other. And especially since she eats well. So I was happy for that. We also were able to get her asthma diagnosis reversed because she hasn't had an "attack" in over a year. She was diagnosed at 1 year old and I have been trying to get the label taken off her chart ever since. I do think she has breathing issues when she gets a cold, but I am not sure she needs the asthmatic label. So I was very happy about that. The doctor was also able to give her the flu mist instead of the shot because of it. But she was up for a immunization of some sort. Yes, I should no what they gave her. But I don't. I am not that kind of mom. I give my kids immunizations so that they don't get funky diseases. I respect the opinion of those who don't believe in them, but I am just not one of those people. So anyway back the Drama Queen...as we are sitting in the room she tells me "Mommy, if I get a shot today I am not going to cry". I was like "yeah okay, why?". And she told me that now that she is 6, she can't be a baby and only a baby would cry when getting their shots. So I was a little shocked at this new attitude. I mean she isn't one of the kids who I have to drag to the md., nor do we have to hold her down when she gets shots, or chase her around the room, but she definitely cries. But yesterday my trooper squeezed her eyes really tight to stop the tears and just smiled after the shot. I was in shock. And very proud of her!!!

On Monday, I started to feel my own throat getting sore. I started drinking tea and honey to ward off the sickness. I also had a milkshake to try and coat it. Which really just hurt my lactose intolerant stomach more than helped my throat. And yesterday as the day went on, my throat got worse and worse. By midnight when I could barely even swallow. I had taken 4 Motrin (800 mg) and felt like I was going to have to call in sick today. Ha ha, I know. I would have told the hubby but he was out at poker night with the guys and not even home yet for me to complain to. So instead I took some benadryl and prayed it would put me to sleep. Oh yeah and at like 11:30am, I tried to get seen by the md. because I was slightly worried it could be strep. The kiddos I babysit for had it last week and I had spent all day Monday with them. But of course I couldn't get an appt. until 5:30 on Wed. What a pain! But anyway, it must have been a nasal drip because the benadryl dried me up and my throat really isn't hurting anymore. But luckily, my kids wonderful md. took a look in my throat and ears and gave me a strep test when I was in the office. She said it seemed like I am coming down with a cold. Sometimes I wish God knew that there is no time for a cold in my plans until at least January. I mean, seriously?

So today, I took the Little Dude to the md. We were there forever. And then stopped at my friends house to pick up the kids. I had a glass of wine because she twisted my arm. After the kids cleaned up the toys, we headed on home to pack them up for a night at the grandparents.

The hubby and I went to Wal-Mart to pick up some beer and wine for tomorrow. Then we came home and started prepping the food. I made an gooey butter cake from Paula Deen. I'll upload a picture later and a recipe.

While the cake was baking, I finished up all our Disney plans. I printed out our touring plans and made an itinerary with all our meal reservations and what not. I was supposed to pack tonight but I think I will as soon as I get up in the morning.

Then I have to finish all the prepping, insert the leaf into my dining room table, set the table, pick up the kids, and clean up the kids rooms, especially their bathroom. I also need to plan out the Black Friday plan of attack. P (the bf) and I are going shopping together. I don't think either of us know what the heck we are buying so I need to figure that out soon.

Okay I think I need to go to bed now. Have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow and remember to think about all you have to be thankful for!

Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean Concert

2010-11-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

Last night the hubby and I had a great date night. It was his birthday present because Jason Aldean is his favorite county male artist right now. I got us tickets to see him and Luke Bryan at the Gwinnett Arena. We went with my SIL and BIL and a bunch of their friends.

We went out for dinner first. We went to a Japanese steakhouse. I haven't been to one in a long time. It was surprisingly good. We had a nice time at dinner and then we headed over to the concert.
I can't remember who the first opening act was. I do know that when they were singing the last song I looked at my hubby and said "I recognize this song." To which he replied that I should because it was a cover. Ha! I guess I may have had a couple of beers by then.

Luke Bryan came out next. He was great. He sang a new song of his which was really good. And of course lots of the ones from his album which came out last year.

Jason Aldean was also excellent. He sang lots of his hits. He also has a new album which just came out. His new songs from that album were really good. I am really excited to buy it.

Both guys are from Georgia which was neat. They made a lot of home state references. They sang some songs together which was really cool as well. Plus it was the last night of their tour. So I'd like to think the energy was better than normal. And it seemed to be.

All in all (besides the early wake up by the Little Dude...who is quickly becoming the Little Monster), it was a great date night!

Last Day of School

2010-11-19T15:36:00.000-05:00

So today was the last day of school for the big kids until Dec. 2nd. It is going to be a lot of together time for us until then. I think it should be great. But I am worried about how well I will really handle it. Plus I am starting to feel the holiday crunch.

I have made my Thanksgiving menu. I will grocery shop on Sunday or Monday evening. Mon-Wed, I have to babysit and it will be a full house for us. Four kids plus my three kids = a major margarita happy hour one night. Just kidding...sort of. To be honest, it has taken a while but I have a good group of girlfriends who every once in while I invite over to have a cocktail while the kids play. We just watch them, feed them dinner and sit around talking. It is a nice relief at the end of a long day. And we all need that time to talk (read: vent) with other moms so we know we aren't crazy.

I have been researching recipes but here is my menu as of right now. We will have 9 adults (possibly 10) and 6 kids.

Turkey
Stuffing (in the bird)
Stuffing (in the crockpot)
Green Bean bundles (I am skipping the casserole this year and trying something new. This is my friend Amber's recipe so I am excited to share it)
Whipped Mashed potatoes
Sweet Potato casserole (in the crockpot)
Corn (my MIL is making this; we normally make a casserole but she said she may try something new)
Macaroni and Cheese (in the crockpot, my Mom is making this with a recipe we have been making a lot and love at our house)
Gravy
Rolls

Dessert
I am still mulling this over so I will share later when I decide.

So the day after Thanksgiving, I will do my annual black friday shopping. Although I really haven't decided on many gifts yet for this year. The two big kids want a puppy and the hubby is not giving in. So I think we are going to get them a Wii but other than that we haven't picked out any other things yet.

Also on next week, we are leaving for our trip to Disney World. So excited! I have to pack our stuff next week at some point. So far the kids still don't know we are going. We have been working really hard to keep it a surprise. I also need to make our touring plans for the trip. I haven't had a chance to do that yet although I just figured out which park we will visit each day.

I just realized I have a lot to do. I need to stop writing for now and get on it. Plus I have two loads to put away. And my BP is meeting with our mentor this afternoon, so I am going to try to get there to ask her a million questions. Yes we are getting closer to launching. I can't believe how long it is taking us. I imagine everything will be up and running by the first of the year. And our other project should have some news on it by the first week of December. So exciting!!!!

New Computer

2010-11-15T14:58:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time coming but this weekend I finally got a new laptop. I am so happy. We are keeping our other computer in the office but the new one will allow me to get so much more work done. I have been watching two additional children so I am seldom home alone with only my kids. Having this laptop is allowing me time to be on the computer while downstairs with the kids. It means I might actually get some stuff done!

Plus today I put away 2 loads of laundry and have one in the dryer. I have managed to make dinner. I have managed to keep the house clean (keep in mind I know this is a relative term). But the laundry always alludes me. I have less than a month before I have to make it a resolution again. Ahhh!!

Yummy Dinner

2010-11-14T22:03:00.000-05:00

This is one of my go to recipes. We typically have the ingredients in the house. It is quick and easy. Best of all, everyone LOVES it. I got it from Family Circle magazine.

Farfalle with Peas and Goat Cheese

Here is what you need to make it:

8 oz farfalle pasta

1-1/2 cups of frozen peas, thawed (I normally leave this out b/c I am not a fan of peas)

1 large red pepper, seeded & cut into 1/4" strips

1 TB cornstarch

2 TB olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 ts dried oregano

1/8 ts red pepper flakes

1/2 cup white wine

1-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 ts salt

1 bunch chives, cut into 1/2" pcs.

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (I always leave this out since I am allergic to nuts)

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

* Bring a medium size pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, about 12 minutes, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Add peas and red pepper to pasta pot for last 2 minutes of cook time. Drain pasta mixture and set aside.

*Meanwhile, stir together cornstarch and 1 TB water; set aside. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Stir in wine and bring to a boil. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in salt.

*Add pasta mixture to the skillet and stir together with sauce. Stir in chives, walnuts, and 1/4 cup of the goat cheese. Add pasta water by the tablespoonful if mixture appears dry. Sprinkle with remaining goat cheese. Serve immediately.

Like I said, we love this meal. It is extremely easy. It is quick. It requires little to no planning. It is a perfect last minute meal.