The Fuschia News

Words on Motherhood

2012-02-07T06:05:00.001-06:00

Sometimes motherhood is tough. I will be the first to admit it. Sometimes I put on a really good front that we have it all together, and that I am the perfect mom, when in reality, some days are FAR from it. Yesterday was one of those days. Being a mom is the most rewarding, yet challenging jobs there is. I am home with the girls, so I'm with them all the time, except while they're at school, and the occasional outing when I run errands alone (rarely), or squeeze in some much needed girlfriend time. Sometimes that has it's advantages, and sometimes it has it's disadvantages. Sometimes I feel like I snap a little too quick when it's been a long day/week, sometimes I feel like my patience is worn thin because I'm their sole caretakers since Gerrad works long days. I also feel like sometimes I'm entirely too hard on myself, yesterday was also one of those days.

With out over sharing, Macie has been having some issues at school with friends. Some her fault, other's not her fault. She is learning a hard lesson that all of us females learn, and it's tough on my mom heart to let her make the mistakes, and not be able to control what she says/does. I know children have to figure things out for themselves, but watching them do it, and sometimes fail is HARD.

I try so very hard, to show my girls God's love, and set good examples for them, but I fail on a daily basis. Sometimes I need extra help, from my husband, my mom, friends, etc... I wish there was a handbook I could just pick up when times got rough, and there would be a simple solution for my problem right there in writing. Why hasn't anyone invented this yet?! (Kidding, kind of)

These words are so true.

Sometimes I think I need to give myself a little credit, and try not to be critical. I need to put my controlling nature aside, and give it to the One who knows what's best.

Tonight before bed, the girls and I tried something a little different. We each said one thing that we love about each other, and I wrote them down. I think positive reinforcement/praise is something our family needs to work on. Negativity stays with you for so long, and breaks you down. I want to make a change for the girls, so I'm praying this sticks. Conveniently, in the girls' devotional tonight, the topic was about loving yourself. Thanks for the sign, God.

Things That Make Me Laugh-2

2012-02-01T06:05:00.001-06:00

I've blogged about my love/disgust for Toddlers and Tiaras before. Some of you agree, some of you think the show is ridiculous, I agree with both sides. The mothers of these children have some serious issues. Can we say "living vicariously through your child" ?!!

Mackenzie is still my all time favorite pageant girl (maybe), but last week I was watching the show, and discovered Alana. There are no words, other than WOW. The mom, talk about hot mess, but an oh so funny hot mess, at that.

I'm ashamed to say, I've watched this video no less than probably 50 times. Aly and I spent the better part of last week joking about it. I think I have the whole video memorized by now, don't judge. Laugh a little!

Lately

2012-01-31T14:11:00.001-06:00

Hey all. I thought I'd finally make an appearance on the 'ol blog. I miss y'all so much, and think my blogging break is finally over. I have been debating shutting down my blog, but then I'd miss out on so much I think. I promise I'll catch up with each and every one of you soon. Sometimes it's hard to find the words and/or the time to dedicate to blogging, but I desperately miss it. It's been a few months since I opened up this blog and freely spoke my mind. It's like therapy sometimes, and I need it back!

So what have we been up to lately you ask?

The girls are doing great. It's been such a mild winter (knock on wood), that we've been enjoying going with out our coats, playing outside, taking walks, having the windows open and just enjoying life.

I feel like my 'baby' turned into a big preschooler over night, and it makes me sad. This girl can write her name with the best of them, makes this momma SO proud.

My big girl has such a big heart for Jesus. She is constantly making these signs for her door, her sisters door, her walls, etc... She spends time reading her bible, praying with her sister and I, and makes me strive to be a good example for her and Addaline each day.

I've decided, thanks to Jenn posting this on twitter, that I think I'll join this fun February photo challenge. What better way to keep track of a month, than by photos?! Thanks again Jenn for the inspiration. It will also give me something to blog about hopefully. Double win!

Gerrad and my dad have gotten me hooked on a new hobby... say hello to my latest purchase, a .45mm handgun. Look out world, momma's packing heat :)

Hopefully you'll see more of me around here, and that G will be back with his Friday Funnies. If you have any fun link ups you participate in, send them my way, anything to give me a little help getting back into the swing of things.

Friday Funnies! #2

2011-12-23T14:49:00.001-06:00

Hello again, seasons greetings to everyone! Hope you are finishing up all your holiday shopping and getting ready to enjoy some great holidays w/ the family!

Thought I'd bring you some more Friday funnies

There would be a lot of upset Americans!

I would have two or three pairs of these and need to wear them daily!

Who doesn't like quality outdoor time?

Now for my favorite: Funny Vids

Hope you got the extended warranty on that new flat screen!

All i can say is, better him, than me!??

Stupid Bike!

I guess that's one way to get it into the water???

The scary thing is....I've seen this happen first hand! Water has some ridiculous power!

My Favorite:

Friday Funnies!

2011-12-16T10:29:00.001-06:00

Welp folks, I'm back again. I have coerced molly into letting me take over her blog on Fridays to post my version of Friday Funnies! These Fridays will consist of my views on some of the funny stuff i find searching the web. Of course, not all will see my posts as being funny...but i guarantee they will be funnier than that dumb 4th of July tribute Molly loves so much!!!!

I love the Dos X's commercial.

We got coach purse, and fendi glasses, but no pants???

Hilarious! But mean!!!

Why cant all women be this understanding???

That's all for this week! I don't wanna waste all my material the first week! Until next time! Adios!!!

Behind the blog: The husbands point of view!

2011-12-09T13:07:00.002-06:00

I finally got Gerrad to blog for me. Not too bad for his first time. My comments are in pink :) Enjoy! Thanks again G.

Welp, here we go. My first guest blog. Molly has been begging me to do this for some time now, and I guess since I did just get a new laptop I might as well put this thing to use. In exchange for the daily motorcycle parts search and funny video watching. I think I have found mollys newest biggest pet peeve. I am a sucker for hilarious, viral videos. The thing about the videos I watch…they are not anything molly would. I find these hilarious videos and forward them to molly only to get the response “quit sending me this crap” (Y'all most of these videos are SO raunchy, you'd die). Its funny, what’s good for one isn’t good for the other. I’m supposed to be just uber thrilled to watch “crap” molly sends me. Prime example seen below.... (This video is hilarious, clearly Gerrad has no sense of humor)

Molly and her friend Ashley have contributed to at least 261,XXX views of this video. No one else could watch this and think its funny.

Here lately in the Hall household we have been on this chill on the couch and watch movies mood. We haven’t been out doing too much. Its actually quite nice to be able to just take a break and hang out with the girls. This sounds like I’m part of some woman's group but being in a family of all females its always a woman's group around here. I have just learned to deal with all the estrogen flowing abundantly here. I have lately gotten our youngest to take some interest in some fun guy stuff (She's still MY baby and always will be). We watch football together whenever we have the opportunity. We recently attended our first Demolition Derby (Where you'll find our towns finest). To see this little girl so amazed that people just crash cars for no reason is so hilarious.

We had an awesome time and she loved that her little friend chloe and her brother jacob got to attend too!

When molly first asked me to guest blog for her, i was totally shocked. I really wasn't into the whole blogging thing...but have recently been asking molly why she hasn't been more consistent on blogging. I never thought blog reading would be something i could take part in...but i have found a few lately that i read on a daily basis. Of course they're not crafty, pinterest ideas. But i seem to enjoy them....find them here. (He is in denial that y'all care about his football blogs ;))

I've been instructed to cut it short cause i'm not talking about girly things....maybe i should just start my own blog and be able to talk about testosterone and sports etc. Until next time....thanks for reading!

Feel Your Boobs

2011-12-08T10:04:00.000-06:00

This post will probably be a little too TMI for the men who read this (my dad, Gerrad, G's dad)... So if you can't handle 'boob talk' stop reading now.

First I have to say thanks to all of you who said a prayer for me when I simply just asked "Please pray for me today." Y'all rock the house.

For a while now, I've had sore breasts (which I chalked up to a side effect of having the Mirena IUD). Monday the right one was really painful, like almost in tears painful. I did a self breast exam and found a lump. Scared.me.to.death. I told Gerrad about it, and had him feel it when he got home from work. He said he felt it, but that it was probably some type of bruise (a bruise, really babe?! MEN!), and I should wait it out for a few days just to see if it got better. I agreed, and went about my day. Tuesday rolls around, and I have this little voice in the back of my head saying "Just call your Dr and see what the nurse says." So I did, she acted somewhat alarmed, and scheduled me for an appointment the next morning.

I remained calm, and simply called my mom to come over and cover for me with the kiddos, she agreed, but not until I told her what was wrong. I knew she would cry, and in turn make me cry... so I hesitated. Of course I told her, and we both cried for a split second, then we told each other to STOP, and calm down. I calmed down, and immediate started praying. Whatever was going to happen, was going to be OK. I didn't panic, and knew it would all work out. Usually I am a total over reactor, but that's mainly with my kids. I did really well, and was proud of myself, only cried once.

I had my appointment yesterday. My Dr agreed she felt something abnormal, that she didn't believe it was a cyst, but more of some type of irregular breast tissue, and wanted me to have a breast ultrasound (this is when I cried). She said if anything abnormal was found on the ultrasound, we would move forward with a mammogram, which also freaked me out. Went to hospital to have the ultrasound, and all is well. The tech said I have very dense breast tissue in that area, which I guess is common in younger, child-bearing age women. My Dr's office called late afternoon, told me they got the results from the ultrasound, and that all was OK. They said that I should take some type of calcium supplement, and decrease my caffeine (GAH).

I really tried not to let my mind wander, but decided if anything serious came about, we would deal with it, and it would be OK. It's hard when you hear of so many young women getting breast cancer, scares me to death. Some of our best friends just lost a friend in her mid 30's who had breast cancer go into remission, and come back several times. She left behind a young school age daughter. Makes me tear up just thinking about it. I'm so thankful that I'm aware enough of my body to know something was up. My Dr stressed repeatedly how important it is to do self exams monthly, and always call if you notice even the smallest thing you didn't notice the month before. I will be sure to do a MUCH better job from now on.

Thank you to those who emailed, text, tweeted and called me. I didn't want to tell too many people, and alarm everyone until I knew more details. Simply asking for prayers was more than enough, so thank you!

MIMO Monday

2011-12-05T08:49:00.000-06:00

So Chelsea and Holly do this super fun post called 'Make it My Own' Monday. You find an outfit for inspiration (mostly on Pinterest) and then try to make it your own.

Here is my inspiration outfit...

Love the tunic with belted cardi, leggings and boots. So cute!

Here is my adaptation of the outfit (although I opted for skinny jeans instead)... P.S. Pardon the blurry photo, that's what happens when you rely on your children to take the photo with your phone :)

Tank: Old Navy (tan and cream)

Cardigan: Old Navy (coral)

Jeans: Target

Boots: Target

I'm about the furthest things from being a Fashionista (only because I spend my days wearing my mom gear- sweats), but I love to dress up on the weekends when I actually have places to go.

Go find yourself an outfit for inspiration on Pinterest and link up with these 2 fabulous ladies!!

Who Doesn't Love a Good Laugh?!

2011-11-30T13:08:00.001-06:00

Everyone loves a good laugh, so why not share some of the things I find hilarious that I see on Pinterest. I'm sure Gerrad and a few of my girlfriends get tired of me sending these goofy pics to them, but as long as it makes them laugh, I don't care ;)

Here is the photo I shared this morning. I could not stop laughing. It's the little things in life!

Truer words have never been spoken :)

Amen to this statement. WalMart brings out the worst in me!

The greatest costume from Napoleon Dynamite EVER!

I know a few people who would be disappointed by this.

Thankful

2011-11-24T10:50:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to some of my favorite ladies. This morning as I'm sitting here with my family, I'm counting my blessings, big and small. I feel like there is so much to be thankful for this year. We haven't had any significant life changing events over this past year, but I feel more grateful than ever before. Just to have our health, a God who allows us second chances, family that loves us, friends we can count on any time, jobs that provide for our family, and so much more. I've seen people in the social media world listing things they are thankful for every day, and I love that idea. Sometimes we need to just take a minute to be thankful for at least something.

So today, with a full heart, I'm thankful for:

A husband who makes me laugh every day.

A first born daughter who is so much like me, we butt heads daily.

A second born daughter who has no filter, who was born to entertain.

A set of parents who I consider my very best friends (aside from Gerrad).

A Heavenly Father who forgives me for my short comings daily.

Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes, they really do make the chilly fall days a little brighter.

Social media/blogging, and the lifelong friendships I've made with women who I would have never known otherwise.

The smell of sweet little newborn babes.

A job that allows me to stay home with my children, and love on others children at the same time.

Our sweet lab Riley.

Laughter. It really is the best medicine.

Netflix. (Keeping it real here people) Gerrad and I have spent countless hours watching the silliest shows, but it's a way we spend time together.

My niece, who is SO much like Macie, it's crazy.

My girlfriends. They all have such kind hearts, and would be here in an instant if I needed them.

Photographs. Being able to document my children's every milestone is one of my greatest joys in life.

Music. My productivity would be null and void if it wasn't for internet radio.

My inlaws. We always have such a fun time when we're all together. I love holiday family gatherings.

My children's heart for Jesus.

I hope everyone has family to be with today, and takes time out to be thankful for just one thing, no matter how small. Just being with these two little blondes is more than enough to fill my heart!

The Blessed Life

2011-11-17T13:58:00.001-06:00

At church our pastor is doing a series called 'The Blessed Life.' He is talking about giving to the church and seeing God's blessings flow out onto your life. It got me thinking about all the things that we are blessed with. It actually kept me up a few nights, just praying thanking God for his faithfulness for our family.

Sometimes around this time of year, I feel like people can get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, with Christmas approaching, people are SO focused on money, and buying gifts, that we forget what we're even celebrating. People can get so caught up with money... not having enough, having too much, spending too much, making ends meet, etc... As I've said before, Gerrad and I are not rich by any means. We live a normal, middle class life, but I don't consider having gobs of money, a blessing. What I consider to be a blessing, is that I have a loving and faithful husband who works his hands to the bone to make sure his family is provided for. I have a roof over my head with heat to keep me warm, clothes on my back, food in my mouth, 2 beautiful daughters who make every single day worth living. A God who loves me, and forgives me for my short comings. Supportive parents, who even though their marriage didn't work, they still manage to tolerate each other to be there for me and my children. A family I gained from my husband, who love and care for us through it all.

I've been dealing with some serious resentment issues where my sister is concerned, for quite a few years. I wrote a while back about finding contentment where my sister is concerned, and I've finally found it. We are trying to move forward and heal our broken relationship, and there is a part of me that is scared.to.death. She is going to meet my children over Thanksgiving for the first time (she was around Macie a few times up until she was about 2), and I just have to pray that it goes ok. Giving it up to the One who knows her heart, is the only thing that I can do.

Feeling like you're blessed can come from so many different things. Sometimes I feel like we just need to take a step back and look at all the things we have, instead of all the things we want, or think we need. I'm obviously on a random tangent today, and needed to break my non-blogging streak. And maybe one day soon, I'll actually blog all of our pumpkin patch and Halloween photos :)

The One Where I Punked My Child

2011-11-04T07:51:00.002-05:00

Have any of you seen this Jimmy Kimmel video where he asks parents to tell their kids they ate all of their Halloween candy, and video tape their reaction? It's SO funny. Especially being the mom of a toddler who I knew would totally flip out. Aly first shared it on facebook, and then her and I started tweeting about doing this to Addaline.

P.S. The last set of kids on this video are a HOOT! I swear the kid in the red jammies, is way too grown up for his age. Goodness he made me laugh so hard.

After watching the video I thought (yes I'm evil) "I wonder how Addaline would react if we did this to her?" Gerrad wanted no part, and thought she would flip her lid, so I did it to her this morning. I think it took her a minute to realize what I was saying, but she definitely reacted just like all these poor kiddos.

After this video, I showed her that we in fact, did not eat her candy, and all is calm on the home front. Enjoy your Friday morning laugh!

*No children were harmed in the taping of this video. She happily has her candy back in her possession.

You Asked, I Answered. Part 2

2011-10-31T13:38:00.000-05:00

It's clear that I've been slacking on blogging lately. I think twitter took over my love of blogging, whoops! So here are the rest of the questions and answers for y'all.

Emily asked: What made you start blogging, and how do you become so close with your blog friends?

I started blogging to keep track of our family, to have a place to keep track of the girls growing up, to be able to build relationships with other women in the same area of life as us. It's so fun to have a place to keep all of our family happenings, to share all of our photos, and the things going on in our lives. Building relationships with fellow bloggers definitely takes work. Most of your corresponding is done through email, and sometimes texts and phone calls. I have made SO many wonderful friends through blogging. I also find that a lot of my favorite bloggers are on twitter as well, and we do a lot of our communicating there.

Mateya asked: What did you used to do before you started your daycare? Mateya and Rebekah asked: Are you originally from KS, did you grow up where you live? When are we going to meet? Mateya and Melanie asked: Did you go to college? Where and what for?

I was an administrative asst for the Dept of Labor before I started my daycare, not too exciting, but a great job, that sometimes I miss. I live in the same town that I was born and raised. We moved to California for my dads job for a few years when I was younger, but moved back to our home town. I didn't go to college. Right after high school, I had Macie, and started working. Mateya, I really do hope we get to meet sometime soon. We'll have to arrange some type of meet up :)

Rebekah asked: Is there another place you would rather live? What would be your dream vacation?

I love living around our family and friends, but eventually down the road (MAYBE) I would love to try living in another state. Maybe Florida? Who knows?! I think that we will probably live here for most of our 'working life,' but maybe when we retire, we'll move somewhere warmer. My dream vacation would be a family beach vacation, probably to Jamaica or Hawaii. Seeing the girls play on the beach, and just giggle with excitement is one of the best memories I have!

You Asked, I Answered. Part 1

2011-10-25T10:43:00.001-05:00

Thank you to all you ladies who asked me some fabulous questions. I finally have time to sit down and answer. Our weekend was non stop, I didn't get to sit down and relax at all until Sunday evening, phew!

Ok here are the questions, and answers...

Caroline asked: What is your favorite thing about your family?

My favorite thing about our family (just our family of 4 I'm assuming she meant) is that we're always laughing and being silly. I think laughter is good for the soul, and I definitely feel like we spend a majority of our time laughing. The girls are such a wonderful source of entertainment, and always keep us laughing (and sometimes crying).

Katie asked: What is your favorite bible verse and why? What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to social media?

I have 2. The first one is: James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above... I love this verse in reference to the girls.

My second favorite is: Ecc. 4:12 ... A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. I love this verse in reference to Gerrad and I, staying strong and forming a united front.

My biggest pet peeve in social media? I don't know that I really have one? I think common courtesy applies, if someone communicates with you on facebook, twitter, blog, etc... it's polite to reply, and it's fun to build new relationships.

Meghan and Mateya asked: How did you meet your husband? What is the best thing about being a mom? What is the most challenging?

Gerrad and I met the summer after I was out of high school. A gf of mine begged and pleaded for me to go ride motorcycles with her, a guy friend of hers, and another guy (Gerrad), I agreed (this was in my more 'wild child' phase by the way, you couldn't pay me enough to get on a motorcycle now that I'm a mom). We spent the evening cruising around town until all hours of the morning, and the rest is history, 10 years ago this past summer, We have had our ups and downs, and relationships take work, but I am SO thankful he is the one for me!

The best thing about being a mom? There are SO many things, I'm not sure I can say just one. Discovering that love and heartache and laughter and tears have no limits and some days, I experience them all within a single moment. Watching them conquer something new, and seeing the pride on their faces, best reward EVER. The most challenging thing about being a mom? Sometimes not being able to heal their hurt, or fix things for them. I struggle with this the most, because I'm such a control freak, and want everything to always be copacetic.

Aly asked: If you had to chose one store to shop at the rest of your life, where would it be? How did you decide on the girls names? Any special meanings?

The shopping question is tough! I would probably say Target, because they pretty much have EVERYTHING. My frugal clothing voice in the back of my head says Old Navy (I'm SUCH a mom, goodness).

The girls names? There was definitely no exact science to it. Macie's name we kind of decided on my default. Gerrad wanted to name her Maddy, and I wanted to name her Chloe, and somewhere along the way, we decided on Macie. I had remembered a Spanish teacher in high school named her daughter that, and I loved it. Now it's super popular, and everyone has the name. Hind sight is always 20-20 ;). Addaline's name I had heard in reference to some elderly woman quite a while back. I knew it was an old name, and not very popular at all. I suggested it to Gerrad, and we quickly agreed. We had a boys name picked out super fast, and we ended up deciding on Addaline's name fairly fast as well. Although Addaline's name almost changed a few weeks before her birth... Everyone kept asking if we were going to call her Addie, and Gerrad and a few others even started to refer to her as Addie. I LOST it, and decided I wanted to change her name to Campbell. I love the name Addie, don't get me wrong, but I absolutely adored the name Addaline, and did NOT want it shortened. Plus I was 9 months pregnant, and super hormonal. I'm SUCH a baby name spaz, and already have names picked out if we ever decide to take the plunge again. And no, I'm not sharing them here. If you really want to know, just ask :)

This just turned into the longest post ever... SO I'll answer the rest of them in another post later this week. I promise if you didn't see your name, I didn't leave you out. I'll get to you :) Thanks again ladies! It's always fun to share little pieces about yourself that people may not already know.

A Little Q&A...

2011-10-19T12:32:00.001-05:00

Who doesn't love a little question and answer session? I thought it would be fun to do a post where you all can ask me anything you want, and I'll answer your questions over the next few days in a blog post. So ask away, nothing is off limits! Family, motherhood, crafting, etc...Can't wait to see what you ladies come up with :)

Family Photos

2011-10-17T08:31:00.001-05:00

A few weekends ago, we did the same thing we did last year... loaded up the kiddos, and our group of friends, and we all headed out to take each others family photos for Christmas cards. It was pretty entertaining, having 5 families all taking pics. I think I'm going to retake a few of ours, because I'm not really loving my hair/myself in the pics. Selfish? Maybe! We did get a few cute pics of the girls, and one family photo that I absolutely LOVE!

This is my absolute favorite photo of the girls! I need to print/frame it asap!

This is my favorite family photo out of all the ones we took.

Side note: Gerrad always has something to say about people who take photos on railroad tracks (because he works for the railroad), and then low and behold, where do we take a family photo. HA!

It was fun to be with all of our friends taking photos, and seeing how much all the families have changed and grown over the last year. Can't wait to design our Christmas card, yes I'm already ready. I like to plan ahead :)

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day

2011-10-15T06:15:00.001-05:00

I blogged about this 2 years ago...to share our story, and to get it off my chest. So many women have been there, and sometimes it helps to just let it out. I think about it from time to time, and thank God daily for the 2 special blessings in my life.

Fall Swap Revealment

2011-10-14T06:15:00.004-05:00

First of all, I'd like to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you wonderful ladies who participated in our fall swap. It wouldn't have been the success it was, if not for you all. There were only a few snags in this swap, and we definitely apologize for having to push the link up back a week.

I was paired up with the lovely, Aly, who happens to be one of the first real blogger friends I made. I just adore her, and her sassy personality. She sent the most amazing gifts, and was SO generous. She even sent some fun Halloween socks for the girls, which they adore. Thank you, Aly for all the great gifts. I LOVED them all :)

Look at all these goods! The scarf, I've been dying for that scarf for a while, just haven't bought it for myself. Aly is a mind reader, beat that ;) And that zebra pumpkin yard stake, L.O.V.E. Seriously!

This pumpkin, it now has a new home outside my front door! The Halloween socks for the girls are just adorable too!

This turkey candle holder is super cute too, it will be on our kitchen table asap.

The scarf... perfect mustard color. Yes, I'm obsessed!

Thanks again Aly for all the amazing gifts, you're the best!

Scarf Necklace WINNER!!

2011-10-11T15:56:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the late posting of the winner, I've been trying to keep a sick toddler down and resting. She is on the mend, thankfully. Momma is worn out and hasn't left the house for 2.5 days.

Anyway... The lucky winner is #23- Rebekah!!! Rebekah, email me your address and I'll get a teal scarf necklace out to you in the mail asap :)

Date Night with my Girl!

2011-10-07T09:33:00.000-05:00

A while back, I found out Miranda Lambert was coming to concert here, and really wanted to go, but didn't end up following through and purchasing tickets. Yesterday, I kept seeing people talking about going to the concert on facebook, and I immediately regretted my decision in not buying Macie and I tickets to go. So, cue the whining to Gerrad, and my friend Jamie, via text message... and then a phone call from G that he found a steal of a deal on tickets in the town he was working in, on craigslist. He got 2 tickets, $60 seats a piece, for $50, WHOO HOO! When Gerrad got home from work, he casually handed the tickets to Macie and then we waited for her reaction. She was super excited to go, and was such a trooper, even though we were at the concert 2 1/2 hours after her bedtime.

We had a dinner date with G and Addaline, and then headed for the concert. I left my camera at home because I was certain they would search my bag and wouldn't let me bring it in. That's what I get for assuming, no one searched my bag, and all Macie and I got was crappy cell phone pics from our night, boo :(

My girl and I waiting for Miranda to come on.

Macie was super excited.

Miranda rocking the house.

Miranda's new group, Pistol Annies was there as well, LOVE them!

This is how close we were to the stage. Not too shabby for last minute tickets huh?! Thanks again G for getting us the tickets. Such a fun night!

P.S. If you're looking for the Fall's Favorite Finds linkup, come back NEXT Friday to link up your post. We had a few people who didn't get their packages on time, so we wanted to give everyone the chance to receive their package, and have time to blog their goodies!

P.P.S. Don't forget to enter my scarf necklace giveaway. I will close the giveaway Sunday evening, and announce the winner Monday morning!

DIY Scarf Necklace Tutorial and GIVEAWAY!

2011-10-05T10:53:00.001-05:00

How many of you have seen the scarf necklaces floating around pinterest? I for one, have been obsessing over them for a few weeks. When I saw Michael's had tshirts on sale this week, I decided it was time to bite the bullet (they're 2/$5.00 until Saturday at close). I bought 2 tshirts, and ran home to attempt my first one. In hind sight, 2 tshirts makes it a lot fuller looking, so my first one is a little bit different. First one down, I decided that I should make a hot pink one for Addaline to wear for family photos, since I was struggling with what she was going to wear on her top half... enter another trip to Michael's for more shirts. Made the hot pink one last night, and decided this morning that I wanted to make my teal one as well. It's a sickness folks.

After I posted a pic on twitter last night... I got a reply from you lovely ladies that you all love them. So was born the idea of the tutorial and giveaway. I *may* have even gotten a few threatening tweets about rigging the giveaway, but I won't mention any names (Chelsea, Mateya, Lindsey and Holly, cough cough) :)

On to the tutorial... Be patient with me, since I'm not a professional, and might have missed a step. If you are confused by any of these steps, visit THIS tutorial as well if you need. I used part of this for making mine.

*Start with 2 size LARGE tshirts, any color will do.

*Cut off the bottom hem of shirt (save hem for wrapping later), then cut (until you reach the armpits) into 1 to 1 1/2 inch strips. You don't have to measure, just guess, and cut.

*When you're done cutting, you should have a nice pile of tshirt strips, like so.

*Next... pull strips as far as they will stretch... like this (I just put them over my thumbs, and pulled until I couldn't pull anymore).

*There is no exact science to it, just stretch them until you can't pull anymore, and they don't all have to be the same length, just as close as you can.

*The braids: Take as many strands as you want for the braids. Today I used 9 strands for one braid, and 6 for the other. Last night I made a wider braid, and used 12 strands. Gather the strands together, and cut one end, so now you'll have LONG strands (double the length of your loops basically since you're cutting them). Divide by how many strands you have, if you grabbed 9 strands, you'll use 3 for each part of the braid. I hope this makes sense. Tie off one end with thread. I imagine you could even use floss if you don't have any thread. You just need it to keep the braid together, like so...

*Braid all the way down until you get to the end, and tie off again with more thread, just like the top. If you don't want any braids in your scarf, then you can skip these steps. Make as many braids as you want! I made 2 for each of mine I believe.

*Next step- gather up all your loops like this (just set the braids off to the side for now)

*Bring both sides together. Feel free to twist them as you're bringing them together, or just simply bring them together if you don't want a twist look. Use your hem line (just cut it so it's not a loop anymore, but now a long strand) to tie a knot so the 2 ends are tied together. Like this

No they're not 2 separate circles like it looks in this pic, I have the necklace wrapped around my knee while tying this, and while tying the braids on as well.

*Tying in the braids: Simply measure how long you want the braids to be, I make one longer and one a little shorter. Lay their ends over the knot that you created when you tied the 2 ends together.

Then wrap the rest of your hem strand around the braids and necklace loops, creating a wrap for the back of the neck basically. You may have to trim the braids if they're too long, simply cut the ends off once you've got the wrap stabilized, and continue covering ends with hem wrap. The finished product will look like the above photo.

And there you have it ladies. I probably missed something, and some of this might not make sense to you now, but it will when you start making it. I linked to another tutorial if you need extra help, if any of my directions are not clear enough.

Here is the finished tshirt scarf necklace, being modeled by moi, sans makeup and clean hair...

Now for the giveaway part.... Who wants to win one of these? Since I haven't done any fun giveaways in a while, and because I love you gals, I'm going to give one of these away. All you have to do is....Leave one comment for each:

1} Be a follower of my blog, pretty easy right?!

2} Tell me what a few of your favorite colors are? So I can attempt to make your scarf necklace in said color (pending Michaels has the color). Colors I can remember off the top of my head that they have are: red, blue, black, white, orange, green (lime), yellow, brown, hot pink.

Pretty easy ladies!!! I'll close the giveaway Sunday evening at 6pm. GOOD LUCK :)

Momma's gettin' a new 'do

2011-09-29T10:27:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night I'm getting my hair cut. Let me just say, that I haven't had anything done to my hair (other than coloring it myself) in a YEAR, a YEAR! Seriously! Being a mom has definitely made me a lot less glamorous, that's for sure. I don't want to take much off the length, maybe an inch or two, but want a change... enter- bangs!

This is my hair now

Hello, long and boring

These are a few styles I'm thinking of doing. (NOT the blonde color, not for me)

I also really love this style.

So, what do you all think? Any other suggestions for keeping my hair long, but spicing it up a bit?

Happy Birthday Sweet Addaline!!

2011-09-27T10:46:00.000-05:00

Addaline,

Today is your birthday. You are 4 years old, FOUR! I keep saying it to myself over and over, because I can't hardly believe it. I feel like just the other day, you were a sweet, chunky, squishy baby, and now you're all grown up (not really, I'm just being dramatic). Looking back on pictures today definitely has me feeling sentimental, and teary eyed, which doesn't take much for me. I wish I could keep you this little forever, but I know that's not possible. I just feel like you're at such a fun age, that I don't want you to get any bigger!

I know I saw this all the time, but you are such a character. Sometimes I never know what is going to come out of your mouth, and cringe when you start talking. You are definitely the life of the party, and pretty much always have been. You love to entertain, and make people life. I think you have made your sister come out of her shell a bit and have her loving to be the center of attention as well. You have such a special relationship with Macie, and I love watching you two interact with each other (when you're not fighting).

Thank you for giving me 4 of some of the best years of my life. It is such a joy to be your mother, and I can't wait to see the kind of young lady you turn into, but not for a LONG time, OK?!

Love,
Mommy

Photos of Addaline over the years. Just uploading them is making me teary eyed. Someone please find that pause button for me, kthanks!

7 months pregnant with Addaline

1 tooth grin

1st birthday

Love these girls

On her birthday, today, waiting in line at preschool

Being a mother is such a blessing, and I thank God for it every day!!

Photo Booth Pics

2011-09-27T06:30:00.000-05:00

The photo booth was definitely a hit at the party. The adults, and my kiddos, had a great time with it. Seriously, best $20 I've ever spent!

The expression on Macie's face cracks me up in this photo.

Addaline and my niece Kamryn

Addaline, Kamryn and Macie

Addaline and my dad. I think this is one of the funniest pics from the night, I can't look at it with out cracking up!!

Some of us girls. The mustache and lips were some of the funnest props!

Love this pic, and my girls!

I think I might have to do this again, maybe for the girls' birthday's next year, with different props of course. I loved this idea, and thought it was a huge hit!

Gerrad's Surprise 30th Birthday Party

2011-09-26T06:30:00.002-05:00

This summer I decided I was going to do the unthinkable (in Gerrad's mind), and throw him a huge surprise 30th birthday party. I started planning in July, and spent 2 solid months stressing myself out with all the details. It all came together perfectly, and we all had a wonderful time. Two of Gerrad's loves are the Texas Longhorns (football) and playing golf, so was born the cake. I had a 2 tier cake made, that turned out so great. I also found a few different ideas on pinterest that worked great as well. I made a few things with the slogan '30 sucks,' incorporating suckers. I also decided I wanted to take photo booth type photos, but didn't want to pay the $600+ to rent the local photo booth company...so I went to the Dollar Tree and spent $20 on props for the photos, which turned out to be HILARIOUS! I'll do a post on it's own of all those photos tomorrow, they're great!

I had arranged the day of the party, that G and his friends would go play golf for his birthday, and the guys would be responsible for getting him to the party location (a party room at a local bar). Things were going great all day, until the guys got done 45 minutes early with their golf outing, and had to seriously think something up to stall. So they had a putt off, which in hind sight, G thought was the strangest thing ever, since after golf they usually just hop in the car and everyone head to their respective home. Thankfully their stall tactic worked, and they arrived to the party shortly after their scheduled time. It went off without a hitch, and G had NO idea what was coming to him. He was floored! He said SEVERAL times, "I can't believe you did this" "I can't believe you pulled this off!" I was so excited! I was a little worried he might be upset, because he doesn't like to be the center of attention, but I think he really appreciated the party, and everyone being in on it. I've spent the past few months just knowing something would go wrong, or someone would slip up, but nothing went wrong, and no one slipped up, YAY!

Here are some photos from the party... Thank you to everyone who came out and helped us celebrate, you all mean the world to us! I couldn't have pulled the party off if it wasn't for some of our closest friends and family, so a HUGE thanks to you all!

The photo booth prop table

The cake, which not only looked good, it was delicious too!

Gerrad's big gift. He has hinted a few times over the years that he wants to learn to play the guitar. He thought that I just let those statements go in one ear, and out the other. I've been thinking for the past few months, that I thought this was the year to get him an acoustic guitar so he can learn to play. He was SO excited, and has been playing it (watching youtube videos to teach himself) since he got it.

All the guys walked in before G, leaving him the last one to enter the door, he stood outside the door for a second looking SO embarrassed!

Love this pic!

The 'You dirty rat' look!

Happy 30th Birthday to the man who I love and appreciate, more than words can say. You've brought so much light into my life, and I'm grateful for you EVERY day! I hope your birthday was the best one yet!