Little Mama

On the blog again

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 04:39:00 +0000

It's been a long while since I've blogged and I've decided to give it another try. I took a little break and have to admit, I missed it. And, if anyone still reads, I'm glad you're still here!

Blogging definitely helps capture the everyday family moments that my mommy brain keeps me from remembering .

It's amazing how many times I think to myself during the day ... oh, I need to write that down or I wish I had taken a picture of that! I've even gone back to this blog and looked up a few recipes that I can't find in my cluttered cabinets.

So, here I am. Little Mama ... on the blog again :)

Holy Lemon Squares!

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:03:00 +0000

Sunday, we stayed home from church since the girls were under the weather. But, that evening I was able to head to my Bible study. I look forward to our meeting every week and we have such an awesome group of girls!

This Spring, we are doing Beth Moore's The Inheritance and like the others I've done, it doesn't disappoint. Did you know I'm an heiress and so are you ? :)

This study is a little different than the ones I've taken before because it has no homework. I tried to embed the Inheritance promo video, but no such luck. But, you can see it here! (You'll need to scroll down about halfway down the page). If you have a chance to join a Beth Moore study, you won't regret it!

Each week, we take turns bringing a meal for the class. We have enjoyed some of the best food! This Sunday, it was my turn to bring one of the desserts and I tried a new Lemon Square recipe.

My old standby is from our local Junior League cookbook, but it hasn't turned out right the last few times I made it. The lemon filling doesn't set as firmly as I would like.

So, I broke my cardinal rule and tried a new recipe for the first time before bringing it somewhere. Yes, I'm living on the edge :). I made the Lemon Square recipe in this month's Southern Living and it turned out great.

I have some ideas for a little tweaking (like adding a little more lemon zest), but the problem is I would have to make another batch. And, well, considering lemon squares are one of my favorites, I'm pretty sure I would embarrassment myself with the leftovers! :)

Happy Monday!

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:16:00 +0000

Happy Monday! This last week has been a rough one! The sinus sickness hit our house in a big way. We've gone through shots, anitibiotics, prescription changes, you name it.

The girls have the worst of it, but seem to be on the upswing ... finally! Yay! They have been such little troopers and I'm so proud of them.

We've pretty much been housebound. But, while we've been inside, Spring is finally peeking out all around us!

I've been fascinated with the silhouettes of trees lately from a photography standpoint. At sunset, I'm amazed at the intracies of the branches - how each tree is so different from another.

I noticed last week that one of the silhouettes is changing ... the beginnings of leaves are starting to appear!

If you look closely, you can see the little buds at the end of the branches. Spring is coming!!!

Next year I want to learn to take these the right way. You know, work on shutter speed, use a tripod, etc.

I did get a little break away from the house on Saturday while Big Daddy manned the fort. I actually had a manicure ... my first one in two years. It was so nice and relaxing! I went with a crazy color that I just love ... Chinchilly. It's a really soft, light gray.

This Chanel polish, Particuliere, was my inspiration!

Afterwards, I met up with my friend J and we hit Forever 21. I picked up this cute cheeta trench coat to wear with jeans and red sling backs.

I also got this little necklace.

The best part was that my bill only rang up to 98 cents thanks to the gift card my sister gave me for Christmas!

Don't you just love giftcards?

Tarjay and other musings

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:38:00 +0000

This weekend was pretty quiet, which was nice! I had a chance to go to Target alone for a little bit and I racked up on a few great finds.

I found these cute green and pink melamine plates for $2.50 a 2-pack. My motto these days is one can never have enough non-breakable plates with kids!

I haven't had a chance to get to Target lately, so I've been missing my favorite sparkling lemon water. At only a little over a dollar a bottle, it's like Pellegrino on a budget!

And, it always tastes better in a crystal glass!

I think my favorite find was this Wonder Woman notebook for my To Do Lists. Isn't this fun?

I already feel inspired to knock out my to do list with my magic bracelets and invisible jet! :)

A Southern Gardener's Diary

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:58:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but I'm longing for Spring. We've had the coldest winter here in nearly 20 years. And, this Southern girl is ready for wamer weather!

I'm itching to get outside and start working in the yard. I love to garden, but I'm definitely a novice. I have so much to learn! But, isn't that the fun of it?

Our yard is a mess right now showing the bruises of a harsh winter. What looks like sticks hopefully will recover and bring back some of my favorites.

It's hard to believe that this ...

will become beautiful Chinese Indigo.

Or that my Belinda's Dream roses will ever recover and show me these again ...

I'm really missing some of my old friends from last summer

I was so excited when the new Southern Living came in the mail today. I saw the cover with gardenias and it was instant happiness!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that gardenias are my favorite flower. The flowers are so beautiful and delicate. And, there is nothing more Southern in the garden to me than the scent of a bush full of gardenia blossoms.

http://homepage.mac.com/shelobmarian

But, I can't grow gardenias to save my life! I've tried, but they don't like it this far South and are tricky. But, this is my year. I can feel it. I'm going to conquer gardenias!

Dreaming about my garden made me think that I want to start keeping a gardening diary. And so I am! (Even if it's just a few blog posts here and there). Every good project needs a plan, right?

Oh, I'm ready to dig in the dirt! Come on in Spring! I've been waiting for you!

Blue and White China

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:52:00 +0000

I love this week's Show Us Your Life topic - collecting!

Since college, I've been collecting Blue and White Transferware dishes.

I used to have these pieces in several areas around the house. But, my mom convinced me to move everything to one place. And, I'm so glad she did!

One of the things I love about collecting Blue and White is that it's easy to find, there are so many patterns to choose from, and you don't have to break the bank to buy it.

All of the pieces I collect are English. You can tell by the mark on the back of the piece.

In fact, the mark will tell you about how old the plate is and who made it. I like 19th century pieces, so I look for ones marked "England" versus "Made in England.

One of my favorite things about my collection is that 90% of it was given to me as a gift.

We received this Blue Willow platter for a wedding present from one of my mom's good friends. This is Wedgewood from about 1870 and is probably the nicest piece I own.

This oval bowl was given to me when I graduated from college.

My mom gave me most of my pieces. She worked for years in an antique and gift store and that's where I first saw the Blue and White. The owner would bring back pieces from England for the shop and I just loved how different each pattern was from another. To me, they are really works of art!

I have several pieces of Blue Willow (pictured above) and the scene depicts a Chinese love story. Many manfacturers made Blue Willow, but one piece is always different from another.

This piece is a Flow Blue Blue Willow. You can tell because the blue is more intense and "blurry."

Here's a regular transferware Blue Willow plate. You can really see the difference!

Some people, just collect Flow Blue

Some people only collect certain patterns, like this one - "Peony" from Johnson Brothers. (This was actually part of my great-grandmother's dressing set).

Some people don't like pieces with crazing

But, I love it all!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! To link back to Kelly's Korner, click here.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:58:00 +0000

I love Mexican food, especially Tortilla Soup. So, I was really excited when I found this recipe! I made a few modifications to make it even healthier and it still tastes great! (This recipe is based off of Emeril's Favorite Tortilla Soup recipe).

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yields 4 servings

Weight Watchers Points: 3 points per serving

(calculation does not include avacado)

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onions
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped, or green bell pepper and 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 tablespoon tomato paste
6 cups organic, lower sodium chicken stock (I use Swanson's)
*1 pound chicken breast, cooked and prepared as directed below
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (more if desired)

Chipotle Crema, recipe below

1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped, for garnish (optional)

Spray a Dutch oven or large heavy pot, with Olive Oil cooking spray. Heat pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, peppers, salt, and cumin for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cilantro and lime juice, and stir well. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Chipotle Crema

Weight Watchers points: 1 point for entire recipe!

Note: I substitute Fage non-fat plain Greek yogurt for sour cream. It's rich like sour cream, fat free, and a good source of protein

1/2 cup Fage 0% plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1/8 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients. Process on high speed until smooth. Serve with the soup.

Yield: 1/2 cup

Note: Chicken

I usually use bone in, skin on chicken breasts for all of my chicken recipes. I learned this from the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. The meat is much more tender this way. (But, I do remove the skin before using). Plus, these are almost always on sale. I just bought some for 99 cents a pound at Winn Dixie.

For this recipe, I rubbed the breasts lightly with olive oil, then seasoned them generously with Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Let cool, remove the skin, and cut the meat off of the bone. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Healthy Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:54:00 +0000

I love to cook. Even more than that, I love to eat! Since November, I've been trying to pick up some healthier eating habits. And, I think I'm finally making progress. Yay!

I've had a hard time losing these last ten pounds of baby weight. With Sister, it was a piece of cake and just fell off by the time she was a year old. But, it's been a different story after Bitty Baby.

Big Daddy's brother is getting married in May and I'm a bridesmaid. Our dresses are really cute and a great motivator to get those last few pounds off!

I'm still keeping up my early morning workouts and have really been watching what I eat. So far, I've lost about 5 pounds. Yay!

Along the way, I've found some yummy recipes that I thought I would start sharing on my blog. All of these are quick, easy and good for you, too! Oh, and they are kid and husband approved!

I've calculated the Weight Watchers info in case that's helpful. Stay Tuned!

Goooaaalll!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:33:00 +0000

This weekend, Sister had her first soccer game of the season. And, can I just say there is nothing cuter than a bunch of four and five-year olds playing soccer?

Pee Wee soccer gear is so adorable. Tiny cleats and tiny shin guards ... I can hardly stand the cuteness!

The weather for Saturday's game was so pretty and warm. Nearly 70 degrees. The kids had a great time. And, this year, they were able to keep track of which goal was for their team :)

I hope Sister will always be this excited about playing sports. Even more, I hope she finds a sport that she loves and sticks with it. Sports are so awesome for girls!

Bitty Baby LOVED watching the game and was dying to get out on the field. Finally when the game was over, we let her run around and she was fired up.

And, of course, we couldn't resist ... we taught her to say "Goooaaalll!!!

On a sidenote, here a two of my niece's pics from the art show at the nature center. I can show them now that she's made her debut :)

Oh, and Sister did make the paper with her Mardi Gras picture! It was just the online edition, but we still had fun with it all the same. (If I can figure it out, I'll try and post the pic :) )

Olympics Fever

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 03:53:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but our family is addicted to this year's Olympics. In fact, I've stayed up WAY past my bedtime the past few nights.

Tonight, our niece and nephew came over and it's been fun to see the Olympics through the eyes of kids.

We've had so much fun watching the skiing and snowboarding. Oh, and the men's figure skating was awesome!

Did you see the men's figure skating final last night? Talk about drama! We're so excited that Evan Lysacek won for the U.S.

Sister has really been into the women's competition. She's always asking me, "Are these the girls?" I love that she's watching girls do awesome things in sports!

Last night, she and I watched the women's snowboarding competition and both of us want to snowboard now.

That's pretty funny considering we live where NONE of the winter sports are available! But, we can still dream ... isn't that what the Olympics are all about? :)

Shhhhh

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:15:00 +0000

Shhhhh. I'm blogging and watching the Olympics instead of tackling the massive pile of laundry in our bedroom :)

Speaking of shhhhh ... Bitty Baby and I went grocery shopping today and she started to get a little cranky during the last leg of our trip. I knew we still had to make it through a couple of more aisles ... not to mention the check out line.

So, I thought it would be fun if we started to sing. We head toward the diaper aisle with me singing "Wheels on the Bus" and Bitty Baby looks at me and says, "Shhh." I thought it might be a coincidence, so I start singing again. And, again, she says, "Shhh" and this time I could tell she meant it.

I think today was the first official time that I embarrassed her in public. I'm sure it will happen a million more times ... especially in her teen years :).

The weather has been so pretty this week. It's been great to see the sun again and we actually got into the 60's today. Bliss!

Yesterday we went to a nearby nature preserve with our cousins. It's hard to believe we have over a 100 acres of preserved swamp right in the heart of town.

The kids loved the Nature Center and had fun seeing the different animals that were there. Bitty Baby loved the turtles.

There were lots of snakes in aquariums, but I didn't get close enough for any pictures :)

A local school had a display of art here and I realized it was my niece's school. She is really talented at art and I found several of her pictures there. I took a few pics of them, but won't post them now since my sister hasn't seen them yet!

Once we finished inside, we headed outside for a nature walk through the swamp. We got a great workout pushing two strollers through the gravel!

I've never been here before during the winter time. We really had fun seeing the cypress swamp through a different point of view.

The water was low so we could really see the cypress knees.

The kids had such a great time getting outdoors. I think we'll definitely be planning more fun activities soon out in the fresh air and sunshine!

I hope you're finally getting a hint of Spring where you are :)

Happy Mardi Gras!

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 03:19:00 +0000

Laissez les bons temps rouler! Happy Mardi Gras Day!

We took a little road trip and decided to take in a small town Mardi Gras parade. That's just our speed now that we have little ones!

The parade kicked off with bagpipers playing "When the Saints go Marching In." Saints fever was definitely in the air!

Of course, there was Mardi Gras royalty

And, Big Daddy gave Sister the best seat in the house :)

Sister and Bitty Baby have very different personalities. Sister is all about a party. Bitty Baby ... well, let's just say a picture's worth a thousand words :)

The theme this year was "Romantic Legends" So we saw Aladdin

And, Romeo and Juliet

And Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - who threw apples, of course :)

And then the themes kind of went to the wayside ... like the giant chicken powered by a go cart motor. Only at Mardi Gras!

The chicken's name was really cute with the reference to Mamou

About half way through the parade ... the theme definitely went to the wayside and it became about one thing ...

This was Big Daddy's favorite ... he loved the sign

Sister caught some major loot at the parade. In fact, she had on so many beads, that a newspaper photographer took her photo ... so we'll see if she made the paper tomorrow!

What a great Mardi Gras Day!

Who Dat?! AND Snow?

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:17:00 +0000

It has been A GREAT WEEK around here! The Saints won the Superbowl, Mardi Gras is Tuesday and now it's snowing!!! What a week to be from Louisiana!

http://www.demonid.com/

We are all so proud of our New Orleans Saints - Saints fever is everywhere ... statewide! Signs all over our town say, "Who Dat?" or "Believe Dat!" or "Won Dat!"

Monday and Tuesday regular t.v. programming was pre-empted for Saints specials and of course, live coverage of the Saints victory parade - Lambardi Gras - in New Orleans.

http://www.nola.com/

You can't go anywhere without seeing people in Saints shirts, talking about the game and well, just smiling ear to ear.

This win is about so much more than a football game for us down here. New Orleans, the state and the whole Gulf Coast have had it rough for the past few years.

FOUR hurricanes have seriously damaged Louisiana since 2005. Of course, everyone remembers Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that left us black and blue and well, heartbroken.

www.noaa.org

It is amazing for us to think that just 4 1/2 years ago, we didn't know if New Orleans would EVER be functional again. The devastation was so widespread and I think everyone around here knows someone who was directly affected.

During Katrina, the Superdome became the symbol of the human suffering caused by Katrina.

www.iveknownrivers.org

When the Saints returned to the Dome for their first game after Katrina, something was different in the air ... their return symbolized hope, determination to rebuild, and a sense of destiny.

www.uamont.edu

It's hard to believe that people still aren't home after Katrina. They've settled elsewhere ... Houston, Atlanta, and beyond. We've also lost casualties to our state's brain drain with many of our young people going off to college or accepting jobs outside of our state.

But, everyone who's left Louisiana would agree that they miss the magic here.

No matter where you were, no matter how your life has changed ... for just one night ... everyone from Louisiana was "home" when the Saints won.

I think the ONLY thing around here that would get people to change gears from the Saints win ... is well ... SNOW! Or, sneaux as we call it.

I can't believe it's snowing for the THIRD time in just over a year. I don't think it's snowed three times in my lifetime here before that!

We're hoping it sticks, but it's okay if it doesn't ... we're just enjoying God's little surprise!

P.S. If you want to know more about why we say, "Who Dat?" you can click here :)

Garage sales are not for the timid

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:35:00 +0000

We're back!

I can't believe it's been nearly 2 weeks since my last post. The past couple of weeks have been so crazy busy.

After three rain outs, we were finally able to have our garage sale. Yay!

www.sassysigns.com

It was a big success, but holy cow, are these things a lot of work! And, they are definitely not for the timid. The good news is that we were able to clean out a bunch of stuff, make a little money, and have lots leftover for donations.

I've got a few fun posts in mind, so I hope my budding time management skills this week will help me get them done! Oh, and I've got a little time tonight to catch up on my blog reading. Yay! :)

The Forgive Button

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:05:00 +0000

I had "one of those days" this week. You know, where I wasn't the best Mama in the world. I've felt the burnout coming on for a few days, and sure enough, it showed up ... on Monday.

One of our snafooos has been that our garage sale was postponed because of weather and so we have "stuff" all over our dining room. It's a multi-family garage sale, so we have things lying about that the girls have never seen before ... and, well, they've been dragging stuff all over the house.

Well, Monday, I tripped over my final "breaking point" toy .... and ...well, I yelled.  I sent Sister to her room and fussed at her and told her she couldn't come out until her room was picked up. Oh, how my heart was broken when I saw the look in Sister's eyes.

There we were, both heavy-hearted.

The problem here is ... I did this in anger. Not in a teaching spirit. Not in a loving spirit. And, well, there are things I could have done to prevent me from getting so stressed in the first place.

I retreated to the kitchen. Sister to her room.  I prayed and asked for guidance and forgiveness from my Savior.

Eventually, Sister came into the kitchen, so sweetly, and said she was finished with her room. I knew what I needed to do ... ask her for forgiveness for getting so angry.

We've been talking about forgiveness ever since we've been using discipline. Usually, it's about her saying she's sorry and us saying, "We forgive you. Clean Slate!"

But, Monday, I needed forgiveness from my girl. She would have the opportunity to forgive me.

Sister appeared in an outift that only a preschooler could love. And, she had her Barbie guitar strung across her shoulder. I asked her to forgive me.  I explained I was wrong for yelling and we talked about how we can work like a team to keep things picked up.

She looked at me with a blank look, holding her guitar the whole time. Then she pressed a button that made a silly heavy metal sound ... and she said, "Mama ... that's the forgive button."

And, that was that. She was good. She was happy. It was over. WE were good.

It reminded me so much of the grace and mercy that we are provided through Christ. And, how Christ encourages us to come to him like little children. Simply. Purely. And, then he just presses the "forgive button." That's it. We're done. We're good. We're redeemed.

I'm so thankful for Monday. So, thankful for the lesson and reminders taught to me.  Thankful for fresh starts full of forgiveness from Christ!

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Colossions 3: 12 - 14

Thanks for stopping by my blog. You can link back to Chatting At The Sky here!

Body for Life

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:45:00 +0000

I love this week's Show Us Your Life topic! I've been working over the last few months to be healthier and get off about 10 pounds of leftover baby weight. Well, actually, it's now toddler weight :) I'm in a wedding in May, so that's really motivated me!

image: career owners

My goals really are to feel better, have more energy to keep up with my girls, and get in shape. I tried Weight Watchers online, which is great, but it wasn't motivating me to get fit. So, right before Thanksgiving, I started Body For Life and I love it!

I eased into the plan and did it about 60% before the holidays. After New Year's, I'm now on board 100%.

Body for Life is completely different from any plan I've done before ... it's comprehensive, covering nutrition, physical and mental strength. My friend finished it a couple of months ago and went lost 7% body fat in 12 weeks! Her brother did it and lost 45 pounds on his challenge.

Here are a few basic things about it, but be sure to visit the Body For Life website or pick up the book for the best info.

image: McCormick

You follow the plan for 3 months or a "12 week challenge"

You eat 6 small meals a day, balancing a protein and complex carb at each meal

ex. egg beaters and whole wheat toast
     chicken and brown rice and salad
     yogurt and cottage cheese
     protein shakes
   lots more options!

The diet looks pretty restrictive, but it's not! You'd be surprised how many recipes can be modified for BFL.

There's no measuring of serving sizes. Your portion size is individualized. Protein portion = the palm of your hand. Carb portion = the size of  your clenched fist

image: dicks sporting goods

You exercise 6 days a week - 3 cardio workouts - 20 minutes each, 3 strength training workouts (super easy to learn) ... you can do all of this at home or a gym.

You get one free day a week - no exercise and you eat whatever you want. Really!

Now here's where the plan is different. You'll drop inches before you'll see it on the scale. That took me a little while to understand.

But, now that I'm starting to fit into a few pre-Bitty Baby clothes and develop muscle tone, I get it! It changes your body from the inside out. I really do feel so much better and stronger. Also, I was picking up a cold just about every week this fall, but I haven't been sick at all since I started BFL. Yay!

Hands down, though, the best part is that Sister, who is almost 5, has started asking me about healthy foods and exercise. That really drove home that she's looking to me to learn the right things to eat and how to take care of herself. Wow!

You can see some before and after photos on the BFL website here.

Check back this week and I'll post some yummy recipes for Body For Life that I've been making! Also, if you have questions about BFL, I'll try to answer them for you. (I'll do it through the comments section).

Thanks for stopping by! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's posts and picking up some more great healthy tips here!

Not so tough!

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:52:00 +0000

Whew! I can't believe it's been almost a week since my last post. Things have been a little helter skelter and we're slowly getting back into a normal, post-Christmas routine. Routine = Bliss :)

We've had some super cold weather around here lately and, well, I found out I'm not as tough as I thought!   We dipped down into the teens, which is rare for the land of Little Mama and oh my, it was colder than cold. The news said it hasn't been this cold here in over twenty years. We had night after night of hard freezes and all of the pretty Southern plants around here are just looking so sad.

This Deep South girl did learn a few things about super cold weather:
* Don't wear shorts to the gym when it's 18 degrees.

* If you have ice on your windshield,
   chances are that your windshield wiper
   fluid is frozen, too.

* Driving with ice on your windshield only
   makes the ice more frozen. One should
   probably scrape it off before starting to
   drive. (Um, yes, I learned this lesson in
   the dark).

* The heater in my car takes a very long 5
   minutes to get going.

* I rode in my friend's car during the cold
   weather and holy cow ... heated seats
   rock.

* This one's from my Mama : "I totally get
   snow birds now."

* Shea butter is my best friend.

* Scarves aren't just for cuteness. They
  keep you warm, too. :)

Speaking of scarves, Sister snagged one off of one of her stuffed animals to help keep her warm. She loves to accessorize!

Last week, the girls only went to preschool one day because of the weather. So, I didn't quite get as much done around the house as I had hoped. My Christmas decorations almost outwore their welcome!

Thankfully, I finally got everything packed up and ready for the attic. Yay!!!

I spent most of the week getting ready for our upcoming garage sale. That's no easy feat considering that we've turned a corner and Bitty Baby is into everything, everywhere!

While I was working (in the same room), I found her putting her snack in the fireplace!

And, throwing toys out of the doggie door. She loves to do this!

She is starting to play better on her own, though, which is so fun to see. This girl is crazy about Little People!

I had the craziest thing happen this week ... a total, happy surprise! I won this pretty Dayspring bag from ... The Nester! I left a comment about the Christmas Tour of Homes and didn't even realize I entered the drawing. So fun! Winning the bag just made my week.

This time of year down here always brings the prettiest sunsets. This week was one of the most brilliant I've seen in a long time. Sister and I watched as the sky turned from peach to pink to orange. I ran and got my camera and played around with the settings until the colors came through.

I needed a tripod with the slower shutter speed, but this was a completely spontaneous pic! I'm having so much fun learning to take pictures, but oh, I have so much to learn. That's the best part!

Hope you had a great week. The weekend's almost here. Yay!

Read and Run for 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:20:00 +0000

Please forgive the formatting ... I have no idea how to fix this! It looks normal in the preview and compose mode, but a mess in the post. Does anyone have any tips?

One of my favorite things is a clean slate. So, I always get excited about making changes for the New Year. I have to admit that I've never been very good about keeping New Year's resolutions. But, this year will be different!

I've made a few for this year that hopefully I'll be able to keep. I think if I can accomplish the first one ... maybe I'll be able to get to the others ... :) .

Changes for 2010

1. Get more organized.

I love things in order and organized, but oh my,

things have gotten a little out of control lately! I spend

way too much time looking for things around here

or doing the same work over and over.

The #1 reason this is at the top of my list is that I want to spend more fun time with my little family. I love the saying

"Behind every good mom is a pile of dirty laundry."

But, gee, it doesn't have to be 6 piles that take all day to

finish :).

Last summer I bought this book,

The Family Manager Takes Charge and it has tons

of good tips on getting organized room by room ....even

down to the linen closet. It also has a "Daily Hit List" to help organize to dos. Linen closet .... here I come!

2. Read and Run

I once saw an interview with a successful exec and he

said the key to his success was that he reads and

runs every day. That really stuck with me!

I really, really want to finish a 5K this year without

stopping. Or throwing up ... ha! There's a race in

March around here, so I think I might shoot for that one!

Also, I've always loved to read and used to read a ton

of books. But, after college, grad school, work and now staying home with our two girls, it's been a loooong time since I've picked a book for fun. I'm really excited about this one and hope I can stick to it. I got a little fired up at the library and picked up not one, but these three books to start.

Maybe I should simmer down a little! :)

3. Marriage vows

Last but not least ... Big Daddy and I made 5 resolutions

for our marriage. We've been married 8 years and

never done this! I think my favorite one is to have

date night at least once a month.

Between Big Daddy's work schedule and having two

little ones, we've never been very good at doing this.

We have our babysitter booked and plans for

Saturday night and I'm SOOO excited!

Out of all the hopes for 2010, I really want to look back

and see that we kept everyone of the resolutions we made together!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! What are your resolutions for the New Year?

To link back to Kelly, click here.

Welcome 2010!

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:39:00 +0000

Happy New Year! We've been out of town visiting Big Daddy's family and really enjoyed our visit. I haven't posted in awhile and have a bunch of pics saved up, so I thought I would share a little holiday randomness :)

Bitty Baby is feeling so much better. She's finally back to her old self.

Her appetite was really down, so she didn't eat much for about a week. But, oh my, she has made up for lost time! One day she spent just about the whole day either in her high chair or asking to get in it!

Before we left to go out of town, I met my nemesis ....

Laundry! I get so behind on our clothes. Maybe in 2010, I'll finally get caught up ... ha!

We headed north to Big Daddy's hometown for New Year's.

(Yep. I got the new do. Still learning how to fix it ... right now it takes me longer to fix than it did before I got it cut "curly." But, I think it's because it's been SO dry and cold these days.)

On the way up, we always stop at "Pickle Barrel" as Sister calls it. You probably know it as ...

They had their Christmas decorations 70% off and I picked up a few ornaments ... yay!

The girls did really well on the trip, but on the last leg, they started to get the sillies!

Bitty Baby thought she would mix it up a bit with a game of peek-a-boo! She loves to be the straight man :)

It was great to visit familly and the girls had a ton of fun!

We found out that Bitty Baby loves blueberry turnovers. Her bedhead just cracks me up here!

Our niece gave Sister this ring that she "bought" at school. She even wrapped it herself ... so sweet!

On the way home, the girls were such good travelers. They are really starting to play together and I hope they will always be close! Sister and Bitty Baby were watching a movie during the trip home and I looked back to check on them and saw this ... to me, this is the best Christmas present in the world!

The Christmas Update

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:08:00 +0000

Yay! I finally have a new computer! Thank y'all so much for the suggestions. I really appreciate it! We were able to pick up a Dell for a really great deal, thanks to the Christmas specials.

Oh, but it would have been nice to pick up a Mac! I had one in college ... in fact it was my first computer and I loved it! One day! BTW, the first laptop we brought home crashed right away. My sister is a huge Mac fan and said, "It's a sign ... go get a Mac." :)

We really had a nice Christmas. We stayed here in town and had everyone over to our house. Bitty Baby has been sick with a cold for a couple of weeks and she took a turn for the worse on Christmas Eve.

Right after opening presents Christmas morning, she threw up everywhere. Big Daddy and I just started laughing hysterically because whatcha going to do?

I'm so glad my family braved the germs and came anyway! It was so much fun to be around my girls and my niece and nephew. Kids make Christmas so much fun!

My sister gave Sister a personalized set of scrubs. Oh my goodness, they are hysterical! She had so much fun listening to everyone's heart with the stethoscope.

I think is my favorite pic from the day. My mom gave Bitty Baby a rocking dog and she loved it! I just love the look on Sister's face ... so sweet.

The next morning, Bitty Baby did not look well at all and so we brought her to the doctor. I'm so glad we did! It ended up that she has a mild case of pneumonia. After a shot and some antibiotics, she is feeling so much better! We were supposed to go out of town to visit Big Daddy's family, but it looks like we're staying here for now so little one can get some rest.

I hope you had a Merry Christmas! I've really been trying to soak in the true meaning of Christmas ... our Savior's birth. Every year I say I'm going to slow down and every year, things just get so hectic. This goal is definitely a work in progress for me!

Now that Christmas is over, I've been thinking a lot about Mary and what she must have been thinking. Being a mom brings a whole new meaning to the Nativity for me.

This fall, I did Beth Moore's "Jesus the One and Only" study and really enjoyed our time learning more about the birth of Jesus.

I love the verse from Luke's version of the Nativity that talks about what Mary was thinking when the shepherds visited Jesus and spread the news of His birth ...

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19

What a sweet verse because Mamas really do ponder so much in their hearts about their little ones. I think the time right after Christmas is really my favorite because I'm able to quietly ponder the true meaning of season.

On a completely silly note, I have a hair appointment tomorrow and am in the mood for a new do for the New Year! My hair is naturally wavy and it's gotten so much darker and curlier since I've had my girls. I have to straight iron my hair everyday and I'm thinking about going crazy and going curly.

I think I'm going to bring this pic tomorrow .... we'll see if I actually go through with it ... ha!

P.S. - Excuse the formatting on this post. Windows 7 and I are still trying to work out our friendship. :)

Please help a girl out!

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:37:00 +0000

Hi Sweet Blog Friends! I need your help!

My laptop led a good life, but sadly it is no more and died this week. I've been having trouble with the DC adapter port for a few months now. And, it decided to take it's last breath ... yes, just a week before Christmas. Sigh.

Big Daddy and I had agreed not to exchange Christmas presents this year, but it looks like we are giving each other a computer!

There are some great sales going on right now, but the choices are overwhelming.

I would love to hear what kind of computer you use and why you love it ... or don't! Oh ... that would be lovely!

I'm a little bummed and so I'm having Eggnog ... for dinner. Ha! I'm breaking my health kick ... but don't worry ... I measured it out with a measuring cup. Don't diets make people do the weirdest things??? :)

Christmas Tour of Homes!

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:22:00 +0000

Welcome! I'm so excited to participate in the Nester's tour of homes! Yay for Christmas!

The theme of my Christmas decor this year really revolves around one thing ... repurposing!

I didn't have a big budget to spend on holiday decorations, so I had to dig into my Christmas stash and make the most of what we had already.

Let's start inside!

I'm obsessed with vintage Shiny Brite ornaments. One of my favorite things to pull out at Christmas time are my Grandmother's Shiny Brites ... I just love these lime green and aqua ornaments!

These are glass and I have a toddler. Not the best combination. Ha! So, I just hung them on our breakfast room chandelier. We all get to enjoy them this way!

Here's our front entry. This is pretty much what it looks like all year round. I like to decorate around what we already have in our home, rather than replace our everyday things. So, the Christmas things here are pretty subtle. For me, that makes things more homey!

I added a couple of vases of holly from our yard and filled this crystal biscuit barrel with cheapy ornaments I bought when I was in college.

I love frugalista finds! A couple of months ago, I bought this crystal nutcracker and crystal angel for .99 cents each at goodwill.

I tried these in a couple of places, but they just didn't make sense. I knew I wanted them to be somewhere with plenty of light. So, I put them on a silver tray of crystal decanters that is there year-round and I love them here! They blend in, but when you do a double-take, you see Christmas!

Here's our Willow Tree nativity that sits in a corner in our dining room.

Big Daddy gave this to me one Christmas and I just love it! I'm amazed at how much detail there is in these simple figures.

Mary with Baby Jesus is my favorite. Jesus' birth means even more to me now that I'm a mama.

Now, for the living room!

Here's our babyproof Christmas tree! Bitty Baby is 19 months old and into everything! So, instead of pulling out the breakable ornaments and saying "Don't touch" all season long, I decided to simplify and put only non-breakable things on the tree. The colors of everything are red, green and gold.

The only things I bought new for the tree this year are some red metallic mesh (which I LOVE), lime green glitter snowflakes from Dollar Tree, and supplies to make pinecone ornaments on the cheap. This was definitely a stress-free tree!

I think decorating the mantle is my favorite thing to dress up every year.

Maybe because I love stockings so much!

The mantle is still a work in progress! I am on the hunt for some squatty, gold candles to finish the mantle. Hopefully, I'll find them before Christmas :)

Big Daddy collects a Christmas village, which he L-O-V-E-S! He wants to have a gigantic village one day and then invite people over for "the lighting!" But for now, this spot will have to do!

For a little fun, I wanted to do a tree for our girls. I thought about getting each of them a little Christmas tree, but it wasn't in the budget this year. (Although, I might have to pick up a pink one for them after Christmas!)

I already had an ornament tree, so I bought some super cheap hot pink and lime green mini-ornaments from Wal-Mart.

This sits in their bathroom and they love it!

That's it for inside, so let's go outside!

This grapevine wreath usually hangs undecorated on the door to our backyard. But, I added some rustic decorations for Christmas ... and all for $1!

I spotted these jingle bells on a Dollar Tree door hanger and I thought they would work here. So, I deconstructed the hanger and attached the bells to the wreath using the original twine that came with it.

Then, I just added some holly from our yard to the bottom.

Finally, here's our front door, which ties in with our tree with lots of fun, metallic red mesh!

Thanks so much for stopping by Little Mama! I really had fun posting these pics and am really excited about seeing the other posts! I love to get inspired!

Merry Christmas!!!

To link back to The Nester, click here.

Southern Pecan Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:22:00 +0000

Warning! This recipe is not for the faint of heart! It calls for lots and lots of B-U-T-T-E-R! And, that's what makes these Southern Pecan Bars SO good!

Here in the South, nothing says it's the holidays to me and my peeps like pecan pie. These Southern Pecan Bars take pecan pie to a whole other level!

So here's the recipe:

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Southern Pecan Bars

crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup salted butter, softened (no subs)

filling
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup salted butter (e.g. 10 2/3 TBSP)
3 TBSP heavy whipping cream
3 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Sift flour and powdered sugar. Add butter.

Cut 3/4 cups softened butter into flour and powdered sugar until it resembles coarse meal

Pat mixture on the bottom and 1 1/2 inch up sides of a 9 x 13 baking pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool pan on cooling rack.

Once crust is cooled, bring brown sugar, honey, 2/3 cup butter, and whipping cream to a boil over medium high heat.

Remove from heat and stir in 3 cups chopped pecans.

Spread mixture evenly over prepared crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Cool bars completely before cutting.

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I'm too embarrassed to show you the dent we've put in these goodies tonight. As I was trying to take a pic of the finished proudct, Big Daddy stuck his hand in front of the camera! Can I just tell you as soon as I took this picture, this cookie was a gone pecan!

Frugalista Find - $6 Vera Bradley gifts!

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:31:00 +0000

Need a last minute gift? Don't want to spend a ton? Well, my sister found this adorable frugalista find!

She heard about these super cute Vera Bradley eyeglass cases for only $6! (These are $17 regularly).

Everyone may not wear glasses, but we all have a pair of sunglasses, right?

Several patterns are available on the Vera Bradley website. You can see more selections here!

Weekend Update - yes, we have glitter in our hair

noreply@blogger.com (Little Mama) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:49:00 +0000

Something very strange happened around here Friday ... it snowed! We heard stirrings on the news, but didn't think it would actually happen.

But, low and behold ... it did! We just got a light dusting, but hey, that's a big deal around here!

What's even crazier is that it snowed last year, too. A BIG snow (at least for this deep South girl!)

Here's a pic of our backyard during God's surprise in 2008

Since it was so cold, we built our first fire of the year. There's nothing better than a warm fire on a Friday night with the family!

The rest of the weekend was spent decorating for Christmas ... and, of course, chasing after my peeps. The girls are so excited about the holidays and were amazed each time I opened one of the Christmas storage tubs. They had so much fun looking through everything.

Not much made it out this year ... I just did the babyproof tree, the mantle, and put out a few other decorations. I was strong ... I held to my deadline and if it wasn't done by Sunday night, it's going to wait until next year. That's a pretty big deal considering I'm a recovering perfectionist. Ha!

Big Daddy helped Sister put the star on top of the tree and she was so proud of herself!

A lot of my decorating time was spent "wrastlin" with the ornament wreath I've been working on ... I finally finished, well, sort of ... BTW, scuze my pics ... it was really rainy today, so the lighting was not so lovely

I followed the Eddie Ross tutorial, which basically gives great instructions to thread ornaments on a wire hanger twisted into a circle. If only it were as easy as it sounds! I had a couple of snafoos with this thing. I'm 100% positive it was user error, though.

I bought these gold tone ornaments from Dollar Tree. I loved the color and I really loved that they were glittery! I was feeling pretty smug since I hot glued all of the caps onto the ornaments like the tutorial recommended. Then, I just threaded the balls onto the hanger and voila ... until the ornaments starting popping off.

I learned something new ... lots of ornaments have plastic caps ... did not know that! So, sadly, the plastic part broke when threaded on the hanger wire. I ended up wrapping these puppies with floral wire at the top and then attaching them to the wreath form. Whew!

Finally, after help from my Mama and Big Daddy, lots of sweat, and a few prayers, I finished! It's definitely not perfect, but it'll do :)

But, do you see something wrong with this picture?

I planned to hang the wreath here ...

But, the command hook didn't hold it and the wreath fell, twice! So, now it sits here.

Mama suggested I use it as the centerpiece for Christmas dinner ... maybe with a glass hurricane and a candle? Big Daddy suggested a mega suction cup hook ... now that, I would need to buy!

I can tell you, too, that this sucker has dropped glitter all over the house. I even found some of the glitter in Bitty Baby's hair while we were at Wal-Mart this week. So cute!