Disney '09

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I got ten thousand words for ya! We had the greatest time imaginable in Disneyland. Papa and Nana spoiled us silly and it was great to go on our first out of state vacation as a family.
Thank you Papa and Nana!
♥ We love you ♥

Until Then . . . Check This Out!

Until I can get my feet under me again and my computer is co-operative, I leave you with this short post. I hope to post some Disneyland pictures soon. It was tons of fun. Okay.




If you haven't checked out the Nester's Blog, now is the perfect time. She is doing 24 giveaways in 24 hours. This ends at midnight Tuesday. There is plenty to choose from including; baby stuff, jewelry, home decor, do-it-yourself craft supplies and even furniture! SO. FUN.
By the way, there are plenty of gift ideas and even some Thanksgiving/Christmas items!

Disneyland or Bust!

We are on a plane this morning heading for Disneyland with two children under 3 years. Insane? Perhaps. We will see. But, Papa and Nana are coming along so we should be good.
However, I don't know who's more excited. Luke or mommy.
I've only been to Disneyland once for half a day when I was 17.
I've never seen the entire park.
Haven't ridden on all the rides.
Never seen a Disney parade.
I'm soooooo excited!
And Luke, since we told him a week and a half ago that we were going to Disneyland. . . has stated every single day "Mom. I go Disneyland."

My favorite was the day after we told him we were going, we were sitting at the breakfast table. I asked Luke, "what do you want to do today?"
Luke said, "Mmmm . . . go see Buzz and Disneyland."
(Refering to the Toy Story 3D remake movies coming out October 2nd).
Ha Ha!!!
Say a prayer for smooth plane rides, and peaceful nights.
I'm sure I'll have a few stories when I return ♥

Move Over American Express!

American Express is well known for having their exclusive credit card, only available to the ubber rich. Well, watch out. You may soon see me on commercials for the exclusive Visa Black Card! You think I'm joking? I got some mail the other day. It was a black envelope. Inside was an invitation for the Visa Black Card. Say what? Seriously, this card has an annual fee of $495 A YEAR. Add Baker to the account and there is another $195 annual fee per person. Yikes. That's a lot. You know why that's A LOT? Because I'm not a millionaire. Or billionaire. I notice fees because I would much rather spend that money on something useful. Apparently, this card is only for an exclusive 1% of the population. Huh. While that makes me feel special (not really), there has been a serious mistake. Because, there is no way I would qualify. Ahem. I'm a stay at home mom. Last time I checked, I don't receive an annual income for this position. And you know what? I don't even care if I would or wouldn't qualify for the Visa Black Card. All that to say, I may not be a millionaire, but I'm a richly blessed stay at home momma! That, and who does the advertising and mailers for Visa Black Card?! Someone may need to look into quality control. . .

Sew What?

This is what happens when I sew. And let me just say, I tried to "fix" a dress prior attending a family wedding this weekend. I ended up with small little holes in the shoulder seams where I tried to shorten the straps. Patrick and I have come to an agreement that all hemming and alterations will from now on be taken to a seamstress. Some things are worth paying for.

What I'm Doing

• Writing thank you notes for Natalie's birthday party.
• Researching strollers for our trip for Disneyland. (Because ya'll, the Sit and Stand just isn't cuttin' it anymore. When both children cry EVERY single time you use it . . . it's time to move on)!
• Cleaning out the kids closets and dressers.
• Starting to pack for Disneyland.
• Trying to pull together clothing for a family wedding on Saturday. (Realizing I need shoes at least).
• Recruiting for the next Biggest Loser competition at the gym.
• Trying to figure out how to squeeze in a trip to the Fruit Loop which would also involve making applesauce and canning pears and possibly peaches (if they're still around).
• And I may be slightly addicted to Farmville and Farm Town. Maybe. Slightly.

Tonight's the Premiere!!!

I know I've said this about a gazillion times, but I luv watching The Biggest Loser TV Show. And, tonight is the season premiere folks! (Channel 8 from 8-10pm on the West Coast). There's something about watching people go from feeling helpless, ordinary, even apethetic and seeing them change.

Watching people gain a new perspective.

Hope restored.

Persevering towards a goal.

Seeing a dream that is attainable.

Seeing lives transformed!

Starting out one way and ending up . . . different. Mentally, spiritually and of course physically.

Ladies, change is always happening or is just around the corner.

What is it you need to change? Perhaps its a relationship that needs some tender loving care. Maybe you need to pull out your running shoes and breathe the crisp fall air. Maybe your Bible needs dusting off and your schedule needs to be cleared for some much needed time with the God who loves you and created you.

Now is a great time to be purposeful and do something that makes you feel alive! And if you want to see a little inspiration, you could always tune in to watch the Biggest Loser!

I ♥ Fall

Fall is in the air around here. This last weekend I picked up a few things to decorate for fall. I ♥ fall. Baker and I both have fall birthdays, I love the cool crisp air, the leaves changing, football and of course the anticipation of Thanksgiving followed by Luke's birthday and Christmas!
My SIL April and my friend Emily came over Saturday night while the guys were at the Duck vs. Purdue game and helped give me some fresh ideas on how to decorate my front room. It turned out wonderful and makes me even more excited for the upcoming months. Thanks ladies!
BTW - I found an ad for this decor company called realdeals.net Check them out - there are multiple locations in states across the U.S. I would luv to be able to check one out in the near future!

PS - Thank you ladies for entering the Shop 'Til You Drop Giveaway! Because only a few of you entered, you all won - and I sent extras! You should be receiving your gift checks in today or hopefully tomorrow at the latest.

Musings of a Two Year Old

Heading to the gym Luke has his blue blanket in his hands.
He suddenly drops it in the middle of the floor and says, "bye blankie." "See you later!"
I then hear a Mmmmwah!
I ask, "did you just kiss your blankie goodbye?"
"Yeah!"

It's the little things that make this momma laugh out loud.

Don't Forget!

Check out the giveaway that ends today!
Hurry and enter before 7pm tonight.

I Am THE Biggest Loser!

And proud of it! That's right folks. I won the competition at my gym. I lost 5% body fat in the last six weeks and walked away with $100. Not bad. Not bad at all. Not only that, but my pants are falling down (I apparently went down a size) and my shirts are getting to be too big. Which means that I'll be able to get some new clothes this fall! I would however like to lose another 20 pounds approximately which would mean another 2-3 sizes. Therefore, I won't be getting a whole new wardrobe just yet. The next round of biggest Loser starts on September 16th. And I'll be there!
(And maybe . . . just maybe if I remember, and am feeling extremely confident, I'll post some pictures. Just don't hold your breath).

Shop 'Til You Drop Giveaway!

~GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED~

For those of you with babies, toddlers and preschoolers who don't necessarily do back to school shopping . . . you are in for a treat. Even if you do have children in school and didn't get everything you need for fall, today may be your lucky day!

I have FIVE sets of gift checks to give away. Each giveaway includes: 2 - $10 gift check for Carters and 1 - $10 gift check to OshKosh B'gosh.

In order to use these gift checks you must first spend $35 dollars between September 14-27, 2009 (ex: spend $35 minus $10 card = $25 total)or (spend $70 minus $20(2 $10 cards) = $50 total).

Because I have Five sets to giveaway, your chances of winning are high!

Here's the rules (for one entry each):

• Leave me a comment telling me what you love most about fall.
  
• Follow my blog by logging in and becoming a follower (see right hand side of blog).


• Blog about this giveaway and leave your direct link in your comment.


• Facebook or tweet about this giveaway and leave your direct link in your comment.


• Refer a friend and be sure they namedrop YOUR name in their comment.

That's all there is to it! This giveaway is short! It will end Thursday night at 7pm so I can notify winners and try to get you your gift checks BEFORE Monday, Sept. 14th! Let the shopping begin!

It's A Happy Birthday Day!!!

Baby Girl turns one year old today. At precisouly 8:08 am she will turn one year! Not only that, but she shares her birthday with her Nana (Baker's mom) and Aunt Patty (Baker's aunt, Nana's sister). We will be out celebrating today and livin' it up. Well . . . as much as a one year old will allow. Ha ha! And, by the way . . . Duck season officially starts today. What a great day!

Happy Birthday Nana!

Aunt Patty~Natalie~Nana

Squeaky Clean

I luv Tide detergent. My favorite scent is original. Can you believe that? Out of all the scents there are for laundry detergent I like the original scent of Tide. So why is this important? It's not. Except that I have tried a couple of the fragrance "free" detergents and my laundry doesn't smell. Like anything. It's kinda weird. My latest laundry detergent experiment was with a brand at Safeway - Bright Green detergent. And I honestly don't like this detergent. So, I pulled out a little bottle of Tide original scent and fell in luv again. So much that I'm having a hard time using up the big bottle of Bright Green. And with all my smelly gym laundry that I'm doing these days I need to know my clothes don't smell like sweat. With Tide, my laundry smells clean again. Sometimes it's the little things . . .