A Treeless Christmas

I had decided that putting up a Christmas tree this year would not be worth the stress. It was bound to be a battle of glitter, glass and garland...one that I wasn't sure LoLo was old enough to appreciate and that I was strong enough to survive. Nevertheless, I could not stand to see the twinkling lights and colorful decorations in windows from afar. A treeless Christmas just didn't feel right.

After an evening of string light tug-of-war and sparkly ball toss, the tree was complete. There were moments of regret. What have I gotten myself into? Why did I change my mind? Should I just put it back in the box now? How much shock would a Christmas light inflict on a small child? Who knows how long the tree will last, but I tried and thankfully no one was injured during this annual family tradition. Decorated with handmade and plastic ornaments topped with a tutu, this tree may survive a crash or two...just maybe.

The Bush Family Christmas Tree 2011

LoLo Christmas 2010 (wearing what is now our tree topper :)

Giving Thanks (con't)

Thank you to all of our friends and family who helped us reach our goal of $1,500 for the St. Jude's Give Thanks. Walk. Two St. Jude's children from our area participated in the walk and it was so heartwarming to know that we helped them Fight Their Brave Fight!

 Team Bama!

 Lo loved window shopping.

I am so thankful for these two. I love them dearly.

Treat yourself, enjoy your loved ones and find a way to give back to those in need this holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Recycled Christmas Cheer

All of my closets are full, under the beds are packed and not a drawer in my house opens or closes without a struggle. So what in the world could I possibly need (or want) for Christmas? Nothing, really.

However, seeing a loved one's face full of fright and confusion as they try to figure out why exactly you purchased them a set of deer-head flannel PJs is simply an experience I am not willing to give up. Since no one wants to do away with gifts entirely, I proposed an alternative to the standard tradition. After a 3-way family conference call, we came to a compromise, one that I am proud to say has pleased the masses (very hard to do with this bunch)...we are going to Recycle Christmas.

We can only give gifts that we already own. No store bought, Black Friday, stressed out retail purchases this year (for the most part). Re-gifting and crafting are encouraged and expected. I am excited; this should be entertaining.  I can only imagine the interesting trinkets that will be pulled from the depths of closets and drawers. 

We will of course do our part to stimulate the U.S. economy this holiday season by playing Dirty Santa with one $25 As Seen on TV item. You know you want that stuff and what better way to get it than to have someone else spend their money on it. Ho-ho-ha!

Of course, the kiddos will be showered with as many gifts as Santa's sleigh can carry, but that is what it is all about, right? I can not wait to watch Lo's sweet face brighten at that sight of all things Elmo. 
            

Life's Lessons

I apologize if you have already received this in you inbox. I am sure there is a blogger's law somewhere that says you shouldn't post an email forward, but I really like this one sent to me by one of my besties. I don't see how a little dose on inspiration could hurt as the hectic holidays approach. Hope you enjoy!

45 Lessons Life Taught Me 

Written by Regina Brett

 

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Change the way you think.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. Release your children when they become adults, its their life now

9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay cheque.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye.

16. Take a deep breath It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Just because you  believe you are right, doesn't mean you are. Keep an open mind.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. Your job is to love your children, not choose who they should love.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that  truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come... (Can’t wait to find out what! )

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield..

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Giving Thanks

The time is almost here, St. Jude's Give thanks. Walk. is Saturday, November 19th. DaDa, LoLo and I walked last year in memory of a co-worker's grandson who lost an epic battle with cancer. Wow! that little boy was such a warrior...to be so small and innocent fighting such a ruthless disease.

St. Jude has always captured my heart with those sweet-faced children and touching stories, but I had never actually picked up the phone to make a difference. After seeing and hearing the St. Jude stories first-hand, I want to sing their praises from the highest mountain top. In an effort to give back and give thanks, we are making the walk a family tradition. Last year we were tickled to raise $250 and this year we are well on our way to $1500.

Team Bush 2010

If you can, please help support their cause. I know it is a good one, and what better time than the Thanksgiving Holidays to take a moment and share the love! Please click the link below to contribute! Love You and Happy Thanksgiving!

Love at First Snout!

LoLo fell head over heals for this awful seahorse costume. I had all intentions of crafting some unique little family get-up that we would cherish for years to come. Nope, not this year. From the minute DaDa pulled it from the shelf at BigLots, LoLo kissed and hugged it like they were long lost friends. So the whop-sided seahorse came home with us and I feel certain it will be a regular part of our lives until the tail falls off or it miraculously disappears into the depths.

She was too stinkin' cute in her awful little costume. People had a fit over the thumb sucking seahorse on their front porch with chocolate running down its face.

 

 

 

 

Out of this World!

I know all online love posts are cheesy, but I can't let the day pass without thanking you for allowing me the opportunity to stay home with our adorable creation, eating my bad cooking, not stressing when the house is a wreck, loving me when I am not that lovable and understanding me when no one else really does. You are one of a kind and I am so grateful to have you by my side!

Happy Birthday to a Husband and Father that is truly Out of this World.

Pickin' and Grinnin'

Since DaDa's birthday is on Halloween, we take the holiday very seriously. We started out with our first Bush Family Pumpkin Pickin'. Thanks to Peter's Pumpkin Patch in St. Florian, the trip was a picture perfect success. I loved the unique varieties while LoLo loved the wide open spaces for running, dancing and cheesing it up for the camera.

Where to start?

 Running

 Dancing                                            Cheesing

My little pumpkin.

 I bet I can destroy these little beauties!

 Confined, at last.

 

Alien Pumpkin from outer-space.

 

Costume pics coming soon to a blog near you, stay tuned.

Because it's Friday

and if this doesn't make you smile, then I can't help you.

Aren't they just the cutest little things. It took me all morning to accomplish a somewhat acceptable pedi on a 16th month old, but it was worth the effort.

I want to be just like you...Mom

As a child, teenager and young adult one never fully understands the sacrifices a parent makes. My Mom celebrated her birthday early this month and now more than ever "I Get It!" The unconditional love, the countless dirty diapers and mounds of throw-up, the fact that is very difficult to dress a small child and parents should not be held (totally) responsible for (all) bad hair and mismatched get-ups, putting a career on hold to watch children grow, to nurture them them and try to teach them life's lessons.

I can remember a few of my major breakdowns throughout my adolescence and I am sure there are hundreds more that are fleeting me at this moment. Mom always handled them with grace (and still does for that matter). Sure we had our fair share of arguments and full on hard-headed battles, but I see now that she was right. Watching out for me, protecting me and trying to instill in me the coping mechanisms to be successful in life.Wow, what a job.

Thanks Mom. I appreciate everything you have done and continue to do for me and our family. I want to be just like you when I grow up.  Happy Birthday and many, many more.

Schedule Update

LoLo and I follow a schedule. It isn't anywhere close to the original schedule that I rogued off the internet and adapted to my likings, but I think it could still loosly fall into the schedule category. Our day actually goes something like this....

    6:30 a.m. - Barely open an eye to kiss DaDa good day.
    7:00 a.m. - Wake and get a cup of coffee immediately! This is my only real time to do any  
                       housework. Once she gets up, it is nearly impossible.
    8:30 a.m. - LoLo wakes for milk and breakfast. I try to fix something healthy, but sometimes resort
                      to junk (DaDa isn't a fan of the junk). If I do fix something health, I spend an extra 30
                      minutes cleaning it from the walls and floor.
   9:30 a.m. - Outside. We have been managing a neighborhood walk every morning. Somewhere
                      between 1.5 - 2.5 miles. Yay! me. After the walk, LoLo loves to walk the yard, play
                      with the dogs, swing, play in her sandbox and eat cherry tomatoes off the vine. I try to
                      get some yard work done and maybe clean out my car, but any accomplishments on my
                      part result in the complete destruction of something else by her.
  11:00 a.m. - She is so filthy by this time, she goes directly in the bath. Sand in her hair, paint on her
                      face, wet from playing the dog's water bowl. A mess.
  11:30 a.m. - Lunch. Fast and easy. My child loves corn dogs, leftovers, lunch meat and cheese. I 
                       may or may not remember to pull something out of the freezer for dinner at this time.
  12:00 noon - LoLo nap. MaMa takes an hour to eat lunch and veg out. I was originally trying to
                       tackle all my chores, but it was killing me. Some days I veg out the entire time she
                       naps, others I will take care of the chores that are impossible while she is awake.    
                      Hopefully I will get a blog post or a shower in, but there is no guarantee. One maybe,
                      but not both.
   2:30 p.m. - LoLo is up and ready for milk and a snack.
   3:00 p.m. - Dance party,  coloring book, episode of Yo Gabba Gabba or some other distraction.      
                     This usually gets her in the mood to play so that I can get started on dinner. O' it's
                     still frozen! Might as well play with LoLo.
   3:30 p.m. - All the neighborhood kids are home and we have to go outside to see what all the
                      dogs are barking about. We go outside and play in the sand, eat dirt and wreck the
                      riding toy in the driveway.
   4:30 p.m. - We come inside crying and go play in LoLo's room to calm down and cool off. This is                           great fun! Dress-up, singing, ball toss, cooking (O no! dinner, what about dinner!).
   5:30 p.m. - DaDa is home. He takes over while I manage to whip something up to feed the hungry  
                     gang. Again, no guarantees here - just a hot meal, hopefully.
    6:30 p.m. - LoLo is fading fast. She is cutting 2 teeth right now, so DaDa and I both
                      have to hold on for dear life to make it through the last hour. Some nights are better
                      than others and we all enjoy yet another trip outside or a little floor playtime, but
                      sometimes we resort to TV or some other forbidden parenting No-No.
   7:30 p.m. - LoLo is out for the night. Shew. MaMa and DaDa take a few minutes to rest and do
                      nothing, absolutely nothing.
   8:30 p.m. - More than likely we are still sitting in the same place we sat down in at 7:30. Either or
                      both of us may be passed out. If not, we are on the computer, I may put the dinner
                      dishes in the dishwasher or veg out watching some mindless reality TV show.
  10:30 p.m. - We are both out like a light. Hopefully one of us wakes to drag our tails to bed so we
                      don't sleep on the couch.

Tonight is Date Night! Thanks to Gammy. Saturday we leave to visit Grannie and Grandfather at the beach. Grannie's Birthday! We will be on Grandparent time, so out the window with the schedule anyways. Who needs a schedule? Only thing I need to schedule is some more MaMa time!

Budget Boutique

Baby shower gifts were a challenge with travel and hostessing expenses, so I got crafty. I can't wait to see Baby Adler in her boutique style onesie. This traditional little number will be cute all on it's own, with a pair of leggings or paired with her favorite tu-tu.

 I started by making ribbon flowers.  All you need is felt for the backing, ribbon, scissors and a glue gun.

             
 Cut a circle from the felt and tie a knot into the end of the ribbon. With a dab of hot glue, secure the knot to the center of your felt backing, add a little hot glue, twist the ribbon and press it into the glue as you circle around the knot.

 

 Continue by adding another bead of hot glue then twist and press the ribbon until you complete your flower. Secure the end of your ribbon to the back with hot glue.  

I made 3 little flowers to attach to the front of the onesie and a matching headband, but it still needed something. So I decided to add the coordinating ribbon. 

 I turned the onesie inside out and measured down an inch from the underarms.

 I carefully opened the seams on the onesie just wide enough to accommodate the ribbon, turned the onesie right-side out and fed the ribbon through the openings. Using no-sew heat bond, I attached the ribbon to the front of the onesie.

 

 To secure, I turned the onesie inside out, stitched the ribbon in place and trimmed the excess.

With a matching headband, this made the perfect little gift set.

Home Again. Home Again.

What an exciting week. Lolo and I went on the Great Southeastern Baby Shower Tour to celebrate the upcoming arrival of two new little misses.

My best friend CiCi is having a girl on October 18, so we helped host a beautiful shower in Birmingham. It was long distance teamwork at it's finest and the final result was just adorable.

I just know LoLo and Adler will be B.F.F.'s too :))

Handmade Banner (Made with Love by GiGi)

 

  It all came together so well. 

LoLo even wore her frilly outfit for the occasion. Too sweet.

Aunt Shelly's Shower took us to Eastern Georgia. We spent the week crafting with Gammy; creating all of the decorations and food ourselves. It was no small undertaking, but it was tons of fun! We had glitter, glue, tulle and chocolate EVERYWHERE. Paradise for this MaMa.

 Tulle wreath. Bring on the frills.

 Homemade strawberry cake pops dipped in chocolate, yumm.

We even crafted the sandwich tray....way out of hand.

LoLo loved her cake pop!

It was such a joy being a part of these events, spending time with friends and family while celebrating new additions. New baby girls for LoLo to grow-up with...tea parties, mud pies and butterflies. I am so excited.

Simplified Kind of Life

In an effort to minimize, simplify and refocus, we have our high maintenance "fun stuff" for sale. Yes, the boat, jeep and truck are up for grabs.

I know this is a painful process for DaDa; he has worked so hard to obtain, maintain and execute our weekend warrior lifestyle for 8 years now.  He did a fine job and I am so thankful for the memories (tearing up)! No lack of adventure here....rock climbing, camping, floating on the river, sunset cruises and dips in the Tennessee River on a hot Summer day. I miss it already.

I know we are making the right move. Our stuff is holding us back.  We have been dragging anchor - getting more stuff, needing more space for our stuff and breaking our backs to keep up with our stuff. It is time to cut the rope and see where our ship sails! It is a wicked cycle that we hope to nip (for a while at least). 

It will be an adjustment in lifestyle, but our new adventures in parenting are way more exciting. The ultimate weekend warrior challenge is on!


LoLo has enjoyed the extra play space she has in the yard, as well as, quality time spent with DaDa cleaning and prepping for the sale.

Happy Birthday and Roll Tide!

Last Friday LoLo and I gathered up the paints and brushes to celebrate her Cousin D's birthday. Since he is a huge Alabama football fan, we decided a Roll Tide birthday wish was in order.

LoLo's "hand"made card turned out super cute. A little paint and a whole lot of patience went along way.

Happy Birthday D. and Roll Tide!!

There isn't enough coffee in Columbia...

to put a pep in my step.

Yes, after one week, I am exhausted. Complete fatigue has set in and I can hardly hold my head up.
I guess it is the non-stop go, go, go 13 hour days in addition to the miles walked pushing a stroller, 100s of baby-lift ab crunches, dozens of caring-for-little-one arm curls and constant disco dancing daycare entertainment. I suppose being At-Home-With-MaMa is a workout in itself.

LoLo just went down for her nap and this worn out MaMa is about to do the same.

Happy Friday Y'all. Enjoy time with your family this weekend.

For the Love of Glitter

I am not typically a nail painter, but lately I have been inspired by all of the advances in creative nail art, so I had to give it a try.

I L.O.V.E. my new glittery gradient nails. It was super simple and I used polish I had on hand. Who knew glittery goodness was at my fingertips the whole time.

This is the video that inspired my creation. http://youtu.be/ZEepadDNZEw

Here's what I did...

1. 2 coats of white iridescent polish
2. Using a transparent peach colored glitter polish... I did one coat covering 3/4s of my nail, the second coat covering 1/2 of my nail and the third coat on the last 1/4 of my nail. Let this dry completely.
3. I still needed more sparkle, so I used gold glitter nail art lacquer (they have this stuff for a $1 at Dollar General) to highlight the very tips of nails.
4. Top coat to smooth and seal.

As LoLo would say, "Ta-Da."

 So, it is really hard to take pics of your own fingernails and it didn't take long for me to bump a few once MaMa time was over and LoLo was back at it, but I still really like the look.