Yo Gabba Gabba

.. Isn't that a baby show? I'm going to need to brush up on this PG / PG13 crap  stuff. But don't you worry TrueBlood, I'll put the baby down before breaking out the DVR or G-Baby can throw on some fictional ear-muffs for my viewing pleasure.

Moving on...

I'm helping a friend host a Baby Shower this Saturday and I'm so excited! This goes to a much deserved Mother-To-Be and I'm so thrilled to be a part of the celebration.

I'm trying my hand at being Suzy Homemaker and Betty Crocker this week. I plan to make a hashbrown casserole and some banana nut bread for the shower as my contribution. I also am making 'Cowgirl Cookies' which I conveniently changed to "Cooper's Cookies" - can you guess what the child's name is going to be? That's right, boys and girls! Cooper! :)

I've made these for another girlfriend of mine and they turned out great (see post here!) My test-batch was delicious and I can't wait to "test" them again... you know, in case they have changed (even though the recipe is the same)?

I went to Hobby Lobby over lunch and purchased 4 Smooth Ball Jars. I found fabric to cover the tops and will cut them into 4, 6 inch squares. I will then wrap suede around the top to tie them off. See fabric below.

In honor of the theme of Monkeys, I found this little gem at Hobby Lobby. I was hoping for a more green or blue color to match, but this is both green AND blue (ish) so it will work.

The recipe calls for M&Ms, and seeing as Cooper is boy (and we're using greens and blues) I ran to Party City and bought some colored M&Ms for the occasion.

*Side note - did you know these Motha Trucka's cost $6 a pop?! I about popped OFF when I checked out for $20... for 3 7oz bags of M&Ms. I want to punch those cartoon M&Ms in the face.

For the outside of the jars, I will include Cooper's Custom made label and direction on How-To combine the ingredients. I printed them (at work...thanks Boss!) and cut them out using this "thing" measuring 1 7/8". And don't be alarmed, the face is sold separately.

I'm hoping all goes well for me in the kitchen and I don't ruin anyone's taste buds... or kill them from a random kitchen disease. I'll check back with death statics. Wish me luck!

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It's Friday, Friday, Gotta Get Down on Friday...

Is it just me, or has Rebecca Black ruined the joy of waking up on Fridays? It seems that every time I wake up to that which is the GLORIOUS Friday, I sing...

"It's Friday, Friday, Gotta Get Down on Friday. Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend..."

*shoot me in the face* (line credit: Kelsie Jones)

Regardless, I won't let that little jingle ruin my morning!

Today, I woke up around 6:30am - excited to shower and try my hand at my new $100+ makeup purchase from Sephora. I purchased Bare Minerals (starter kit), a couple new brushes and some Urban Decay products. I like makeup, but I've never been "good" at it. I follow blogs, watch tutorials and How To's, but I can't seem to kick this issue I have going on... I think one might call it, Laziness. Either way, I got 'er done and feelin' fine. However I believe I'm still a little on the shiny side... but we will just call that a pregnancy glow. Right?

Since today is Rebecca Black day, I decided to treat myself to a little treat - Tall, Decaf, Non Fat, No Whip White Mocha. Mmm... and oldie but a goodie. Upon ordering, the lovely barista misunderstood and repeated "1/2 Caf?" Feelin' frisky, I replied "Yes Please!" Mind you, I haven't had caffeine in a while. And if I had, it was a bit of a Coca Cola to try and calm my morning sickness down... so that took all the fun out of it. Now that I've killed over 3/4 of my drink, I felt the need to type a million miles an hour and talk about myself. I'm sure G Baby is performing a rendition of Cirque de Soleil in there... at least he/she is gettin' a workout!

This afternoon, the hubster gets home from a 2 week trip to the Cali Swag District where he ACED his second stint of training. The trainer said they have never given a trainee a 20 before, and Jamie snagged it. I'm such a proud lil' wifey.

The hubbie has to work this weekend in the A.T.L. and his boss suggested he bring me along. Thanks Boss! I believe we're staying at the Embassy Suites and he is taking me to a nice dinner tonight... on the company. Score! A FREE filet always seems to taste that much better.  After dinner, we plan to 'retire' to the room, order a movie and snuggle up in the King Size. I'm sOoO excited for this little get a way. A bit of a change from what I would have said 13 weeks ago... we would definitely be hittin' up Club Opera. ;) He will be a busy bee on Saturday morning so I'm hittin' up room service and might just try my hand at the mall. This could be trouble...

And that's my Friday. What are your plans for tonight?

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Knock Knock...

Knocked Up!!

I am officially 9 weeks pregnant!! :) Seeing as this wasn't "entirely" planned, we are over the initial shock - and by "we" I mean ME, my husband has been nothing but smiles (isn't that backwards?) - and we are beyond excited!!!

At 7 weeks, I thought I had missed the boat on the whole "morning sickness" - but that little gem punked me. At 9 weeks, I have been feeling less than 100% (more like -100%), which causes me to eat WHATEVER sounds good to me at that moment. For example - about a week ago, nothing sounded better than Chicken McNuggets and Fries. Let me clarify that I haven't eaten McNuggets since my happy meal days, and I'm fairly certain I shouldn't be "craving" anything yet. BUT that didn't seem to stop me from eating crappy, paired with not working out...bc I'm too tired. So if you see me in a bikini with, what seems to be, a little bump - that's not a baby. That's 10 McNuggets, 4 pancakes and a Frosty. Isn't pregnancy beautiful? :)

In related news, I am on a hunt for some cute maternity clothes! I know I'm not REALLY preggers yet, but my pants aren't fitting just the same (thanks a lot McDonalds!). I love maxi dresses which cover my problem areas and don't cut off circulation to my upper/lower half of my body. Target seems to have some cute options and I look forward to shopping there once I'm "bigger."

Recently I was online reading the latest celebrity gossip and ran across an actress (can't remember her name) who had the cutest little dress on. I found it - online - at Bloomingdales and it has been bookmarked since. I believe she paired it with a cute leather jacket and she looked adorable.

I also found another designer (Isabella Oliver) that I really liked but seems just a bit pricey. I may splurge and buy ONE thing when I get a bit bigger. After I find out the sex of Baby "G," I can imagine most of my purchases will be for the lil' one. So maybe I'll be selfish until then. ;)

Has anyone seen any cute maternity clothes or designers? I need some guidance...

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June Bug

For the most part, I sign on everyday and read all the Blogs that I follow. It wasn't till recently that I discovered that I haven't actually posted anything since April. Whoopsie! Boy how time flies.

I blame that  on the fact that I was absent for 7 days in May due to our Annual Work Trip - a 7 Day Cruise to Belize, Honduras and Cozumel! Like, how cool is my company?! :)

I was a bit worrisome beforehand. I mean, 7 days at sea? For starters, I didn't want to be the girl hurling over the edge of the boat in my bikini. Not a good image. I was also worried we would all get sick of one another. This couldn't have been further from what happened (not counting any barfing that may have taken place in the toilet...from other consumption reasons). We had the best time and I can't wait to go on another cruise.

The week before we were to set Sail on the open seas, we went through a very bad storm in which Huntsville, AL and our surrounding cities lost power for 5 WHOLE days. In saying that, we got off light compared to Tuscaloosa and Hanceville, who experienced an EF5 Tornado and loss of lives. So sad.
During the power outages, a few of us jumped in our bosses truck and hit the road towards Destin, FL. to stay 3 nights for the Annual Wine Festival .

Our last night in Florida, we became refugees at my Bosses Brother's house, since we didn't want to go back to Hsv where there was nothing. We enjoyed a warm shower, grilled some fabulous steaks and had dinner in the backyard. Oh, did I mention they live on the Bay. Gorgeous.

Another fun tid-bit is that my folks visited this month!! Sure love having them. And it was nice to have them over Jamie's Birthday too! 

Dad recently flew back to Oregon but mom is still here. She leaves us on Monday but am thankful for the time I got to spend with them both. 

(On the way to dinner to celebrate Jamie's Birth)

Unfortunately, the month is almost up but I still have some FUN and EXCITING things to look forward to!! June 9 - 12 marks our Annual Girl's Trip to the beach. This year we will have 14 girls in Panama City. Oh dear. 

Upon my return, Jamie and I have a schedule "meeting" (yes, I have a meeting with my husband), to discuss our next move in regards to our Florence Home. No more renters = paying rent AND a $1200 mortgage. Not gonna happen. I've spoken with my Boss about what is to come and they are sorting out whether or not I will be driving 3 hours/day to work (and back) or if they will allow me to work from home a couple of days, which they are not too thrilled about. Either way, this will be a fun change for us and I am somewhat excited about living in this house. It will be nice to live in a NEW house and experience a small city for a while. But obviously once we sell that bad boy, we are back in Hsv. :)

June 14th is a Benefit Concert down in Birmingham, AL - Bama Rising -  that my husband and I will be attending with one of his coworkers. Artists who will be playing - 

Alabama Montgomery Gentry Rodney Atkins Martina McBride Dierks Bentley David Nail Bo Bice Jake Owen Luke Bryan Brad Paisley Sheryl Crow Kellie Pickler Sara Evans Darius Rucker Taylor Hicks Ashton Shepherd Little Big Town Needless to say, I already have my cut off shorts and boots ready to go. June 24th Weekend, I was invited to play in a Basketball Tourny in Nashville!! I haven't made any plans just yet, as we are still waiting on confirmation from the rest of the girl's who expressed interest in playing. Our sponsor is paying for us to play but I'm not gonna lie, I'm a bit nervous about being the only white girl on our team...and in the entire tourny perhaps. The only other thing I have left to talk about is a possible trip to L.A. July 15th - July 17th. My husband will be in Valencia, CA for a week (and 3 days) on business and we are hoping it works out where I can fly out for a weekend and experience Cali.... dude. And there ya have it. My novel of a post to make up for a month absence. To Be Continued...

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Look for Less...

Every Monday I hit up all my lovely blogger friends and see what I have missed over the weekend.

This weekend I found a post talking about a great shirt-dress that Jillian Harris wore on an episode of Extreme Home Makeover that the Possessionista identified as a surprisingly affordable dress from Urban Outfitters. $59.99

As I browsed through the world wide web, I found a similar shirt dress on sale at Kohls for $30!! It has it's differences but I think I can compromise. Although it seems this Look For Less may be missing something -  My Claim to Fame - the infamous... POCKETS. Which comes on the original dress from UO. *cue dramatic music* Dum Dum DUUUUUUUM!

Needless to say, I plan to journey to my nearest Kohls and spend $30 of my remaining $64. Who says I need I food this week, when I can look fab in this Olive Green Shirt Dress!?

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Sugar Daddy - Apply Within

Well, it's been a few weeks now and I have been successful at keeping my promise to Sweet Baby Jesus on giving up SHO...SHOPP...SHOPPI... I can't even say it. *hand shaking*

Today I made an executive decision that I did not need to earn my keep at work, rather I should sh*p (we're going to treat this word like a cuss word today) around the internet and catch up on what I've missed for the past 3 weeks. Might I add - this was a BAD choice...much like Milk on a hot summer's day.

MUCH to my surprise, I have four word documents full of hyperlinks of different items I would like to revisit and either try on or purchase. I'm secretly hoping my computer will shut down and I will lose all of the unsaved data. 

Amongst the Word Docs, I have two browser windows open with nine tabs open within the two. Since I've been gone from both the clothing and makeup following world, I have a few new things on my wish list.

First up, I want to purchase the L'Oreal Voluminous Volume Building Mascara. Why? Because. :)

More times than not, I find myself looking thru Ulta's website and wishing they would open a Sephora here in Huntsville. In the meantime, I will just search their website until I convince myself that I can't live without it, and will order it online...which rarely happens. Thank goodness.

Sticking with the eyeball theme, I would love to try Kiss Me Mascara by Blinc. 

Urban Decay makes some b*tchin' eye pencils. This set below would be a glorious gift!

Most of my online shopping ends with a Blog Post or a Bookmark, never to be revisited again. But occasionally I run across items that I really need and I pull the trigger. Today would be one of those days... if Rent and Mortgage weren't due...

Micro Modal Jersey Chimay Dress

Today I received an email with this picture attached and I just fell in love with Ali's Peacock shirt. I had to have it! Unfortunately (Thank God) they were sold out...

Wendy Topslip- Peacock $88

So this helps. I can now walk away from the day knowing that I have seen the light. And even though I won't be receiving any special packages in the mail anytime soon, I can at least go back and open this post and play pretend. 

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Don't Put Off Joy

Theme: A Joy Filled Life

Don’t Put Off Joy

This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

My neighbor Sally had high expectations about how her life was to proceed. She had four active kids, a husband who worked long hours, and twenty post-pregnancy pounds she couldn’t get rid of. “When I lose this weight, then I’ll be happy,” she’d tell me. “And when these kids grow up and stop being so messy, I’ll get new carpeting and keep this house cleaner!”

Unfortunately, as long as I knew Sally, things never got good enough, and she kept putting off joy until some far-off day. If, like Sally, you think joy will come when you lose weight or land that great job you want, when your kids shape up or your marriage improves, that day may never arrive. There’s nothing wrong with these goals, but if you stake your joy on having those things happen, you may find yourself perpetually frustrated and may miss out on the very blessings God has for your in this season and this day. We can’t control our circumstances or change the past, but we can choose our attitude. We can see the life we have today as a gift, no matter what challenges we are facing, and choose to live it to the fullest.

Anyone can sing when the sun is shining and the living is easy. But you and I have reason to sing in the dark when the clouds of trials descent on us, for we belong to Christ and he is with us in those trials. That’s why we can choose joy in the midst of uncertainty and in situations that aren’t ideal. A good place to start is to rehearse today’s verse each morning: “This is the day the Lord has made. [I] will rejoice and be glad in it.” Then ask for the grace to do just that.

My Lord and my God, this truly is the day you have made. You have not promised me tomorrow upon tomorrow in which I can experience joy. You have given me the gift of the moment, the gift of today. May I rejoice in that gift and in you.

"We’re like a child standing in a beautiful park with his eyes shut tight. We don’t need to imagine trees, flowers, deer, birds, and sky; we merely need to open our eyes and realize what is already here, who we really are." - Unknown

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Valentine's Day

After a short discussion with my sweet husband about what we would do this Valentine's Day, we both determined we would forgo gift giving this year and save the money. We toyed around with the idea of an "Old School Date" which means we would wear sweats to a movie at the Rave and get some 'Cookie Don't You Want Some' ice cream from Cold Stone. This sounded fabulous, but a part of me wanted to make this date special. Meaning, we could dress up, have a glass of wine, etc. While talking about all our options, he mentioned dinner at the Scene. We ended up settling on this with a movie at Monaco.

The tickets were purchased and the plans were set. Around 3:00pm, Jamie calls to tell me I MUST be home at a quarter till 5. I questioned him and he didn't budge. At promptly 4:30pm, I get a call from jamie saying "You're not still at work are you?!" I was. It was then I realized that he was up to something and very serious I get home and be ready by 5:15 and NO later. We get off the phone and I head to the house.

I walk to the door and find Note Number 1 -

Let me add that the "this is madatory" line saved the whole operation. My immediate thought was "I don't want wine right now, I have to get ready!" He knows me so well.
I walk to the kitchen and he has purchased one of my favorite bottles of wine by Chocolate Box. Under the wine glass next to it is Note Number 2 -

I walk to the bedroom and he has my Purple Dress laid on the bed. It is now I realized, "Crap, I haven't shaved my legs. Crap I haven't shaved ANYTHING!" 4:45pm and I jump in the shower for a quick 'once over.' Ouch.
Under the dress is Note Number 3 -

After giggling at the Jersey Shore reference, I walk to the bathroom. Note Number 4 is under our toothbrushes -

He's so clever.
I walk BACK to the kitchen and find Note Number 5, under the butter -

And just in case I needed clarifying...

I love my man.

The cab arrived at 5pm. I grabbed my coat and my gift (which consisted of a recent Walgreens purchase of Jerky, Peach Rings, Stride Gum, Airheads and a small bottle of one of his favorite colognes - Curve) and I was off
in the cab. After sharing a spider roll, Monaco burger and 2 Lucky Cat Martinin's, we went into the theater and watched 'Just Go With It.' The rest of the night, we will just say, consisted of your normal Valentine's Day (Night) happenings. ♥

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Hello. My name is Lindsey and I have a problem...

As the weekend approaches, I find my Browser History to mainly consist of the following websites...

Bebe.com
Francescascollections.com
Dsw.com
Aldoshoes.com
Dillards.com
Lulus.com...

HELP!

And rather than constantly Skyping Brandi about my wants and NEEDS, I decided to take it out on the blog world.

I would like to start out by saying that our weekend trip to Atlanta has been a 2 week obsession amongst the 6 girls going... ok let me rephrase... at least 4 of the girls going. We have talked about what we are going to wear for 2 weeks now and I blame my obsession on that very fact.

First off, we are going to dinner at PF Changs in Atlanta and we are dressing UP but would prefer not to wear our 'club' dress to din-din. I plan to wear the dress below (in purple)...

Oh but wait! Now that I have my dress, I HAVE to get accessories right? After drooling over a necklace I saw on a Look for Less Blog a few weeks back, I had to get the knockoff from Forever 21...

...but will this color blue go well with Purple? I think so, but what about earrings? Luckily the necklace is gold and I can wear my $40 (I have issues) Kenneth Cole gold earrings I bought a while back. Done. That leads us to the wrist area. Since this is for dinner, i will probably wear my gold Michael Kors watch and my beautiful Juicy charm bracelet I got from Kelsie. What about my feetsies? Shoes are a no brainer. After drooling over some Steve Madden pumps in November, I found them on Clearance at DSW a month back. SOLD

Outfit Number 1, done - pending husband approval. Eek! If all else fails, I'll wear my black, long sleeve dress from Lulus. :)

Now - what to wear to the club?! This always leaves me at a crossroads and I seem to end up in skinny jeans and a baggy top. This is fine, but all the other girls will be in dresses so this is an excellent excuse to go shopping! (or at least drool over my keyboard)

After a failed attempt at Forever 21 - in which Brandi & I decided we are Forever NOT 21 :( - we ventured to Pleasures (but that's neither here nor there) and then on to Bridgestreet to speed walk thru the wet snow. As a last resort to stall for Julie's surprise party, we dipped into Bebe. In what started out to be solely a distraction, ended up with drool on the floor. I now want 4 Bebe dresses that are each priced at $98 and above. Good times. I take that back, one is on Sale for $69... what a STEAL! *insert sarcasm*

Dress Number 1 has great reviews and I feel will look really cute with a spray tan. :)

I love the bangle set she is wearing too, but I'm fairly certain their jewelry is priced at $50+ and, for bangles, you can find some cheap ones all the same. The set on the left are $5 from Forever 21 and on the right is $18 from Francescas. :)

But what color shoes? Nude?

Dress #2 is not listed on Bebe's website but is too cute. It's printed and fun but still slightly flattering and I feel that my sweet husband might like this choice more. :) Did I mention it was most expensive? grr...
Dress #3 is on the Sale Rack at Bebe and is from the Kardashian by Bebe line. It is taupe, suede, one shoulder with a gold belt. So cute. But doesn't suede stain very easily? That would just be a mess if I wore that OUT and about --> $60 down the drain. Either way, I have that dress on hold till Friday.
Dress #4 is a cute peacock lookin' dress that I would post a picture of but have just now ruled out. SO, no need. :)

Dress #5 is this dress from Modcloth I bought 6 months ago and have NEVER worn.

As you can see, it wouldn't be the easiest dress to dance in. Eek! Not to mention, I might have to suck in the entire night... or at least until I slip into a liquid coma and no longer care.

MORE on the wish list is this button back shirt...

This bracelet...

And this cross-body bag...

*Sigh*

I feel better.

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Trippin'

The past week has been filled with talks of travels and I couldn't be more excited. My girlfriends and I have finally decided on a date for our "Annual Girls Trip" and we are getting closer to booking a cruise for our Company Trip. Below is a list of what is to come in the year 2011...

Feb 4th - ORLANDO/BRADENTON

Jamie and I are flying into Orlando where my dad is attending a conference and Mom is flying down as well. Once we land, Dad is picking us up and we are driving out to Bradenton, FL to stay with my Aunt Kellie. My Grandmother also lives nearby so we get to see her as well! I haven't seen my dad's side of the family since the wedding and I can't even tell you how long it was before the wedding. 

Feb 12th - ATLANTA

It's Julie's 25th - Silver Anniversary - Birthday and we are celebrating in the A.T.L.! We are driving up early Saturday for a day of shopping and staying at the Twelve Hotel, where we stayed for Kelsie's Bachelorette Weekend. :) We are going to a nice dinner and then dressing to the nine's for a night out and about!

April 28th - DESTIN, FL
Pending a reservation, we are going back for the Annual Wine Festival in Sandestin Florida. We had a blast last year and Mark wants to return for more consumption of our berry friend.

May 7th - WESTERN CARIBBEAN
Pending a reservation, our company will be sailing the open seas with Carnival where we will visit Belize, Isla Roatan and Cozumel!!!

June 9th - PCB, FL
Annual Girls Trip!!!

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Feel Good Friday

Lots of new, exciting things popping up for the year 2011. This week has been full of talks about travel for the upcoming year. For starters, my folks will be in Orlando (rather Bradenton) for a Business trip turned family vacation. My Aunt Kellie lives an hour and half from Orlando and I haven't seen her, or my Grandmother, since October 2009 - and don't even ask me when I saw them before then. Sad really. I have been looking at some cheap flights to Orlando to visit them the weekend of Feb 4 so I can visit with ALL my family. Pretty excited.

March presented us with a possible Vegas Trip, which will more than likely be declined by the simple slogan "Go Big or Go Home," which presents us with the problem of not having the means to "Go Big." Sucks. Although, I'm still not ruling out Jamie making millions before then so we shall see...

April is the Annual Sandestin Wine Festival which I will be attending with the Boss-Man. Ya know, to research...stuff.

In May, we should be cruising the Eastern or Western Caribbean during our Annual Company Trip. If we sail into the Eastern Caribbean, we will be going to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas & Nassau Bahamas. If we head out West, we will stop in Belize, Isle Roatan & Cozumel. Seems to me that you can't go wrong in either direction.

And somewhere after, before or in between will be our GIRLS TRIP to the beach!!

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