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.

Labor-Free Fun

Holidays are the best. Fun, sun, friends, family and great food.


Friday
LoLo and MaMa hit the splashpad for the first time. Oh.My.Goodness. this was so much fun. Granted I got us there an hour before the fountain started and I thought we were going to have to bail on the whole idea, but we stayed in it and were able to enjoy some fun in the sun.

 

Saturday

This is an ALABAMA Football family. Aunt ReRe is in town and the game is on. Roll Tide!

Sunday
Our budding artist created a masterpiece on canvas, the floor, her face and my car. Lucky us these great acrylic paints are non-toxic and easily wash away with soap and water. It was well worth the mess.

 

  

Yummy smoked wings in every flavor we could mix up in the kitchen, kickin' chicken, buffalo, honey & brown sugar glazed, honey bbq, garlic and pepper. Great job on the grill DaDa!

Monday
Happy Labor Day Y'all!

Yes, the celery is still her snack of choice and that is road rash on her sweet little noggin' from a tricycle wreck in the driveway. My sweet little wild child!

 

Celery Saved the Day

Our first day went exceptionally well. I was in Super Mama mode trying to prove to myself (I guess) that I could get it all accomplished. So strange. I have taken care of her by myself a hundred+ times but for some reason it just felt different.

I did manage a meatloaf dinner. WARNING: I am notorious for taking well thought out recipes and changing them for some unknown reason. Nothing too major this time, but I thought I would let you know in the event future recipes result in disaster.

I picked up a cookbook at Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House in Lynchburg, TN after the Jack Daniels Distillery tour. I give all credit to Miss Bobo for this quick easy recipe.


Boarding House Meat Loaf
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3/4 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup onions, chopped
1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup catsup
2 eggs, beaten
Meat Loaf Sauce

(I added a 1/4 cup of celery, chopped because I wanted to use it up and I figured - what could it hurt? That's what Mama's do, right? Hide veggies in meatloaf. Lola was pleased with snacking on the celery to sooth her gums as her 7th tooth makes it's way onto the bottom row. I bet she devoured 4 celery stalks by the end of the day, she loved it!)

Miss Mary Bobo says to grease a 9x3 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and form into a loaf. Place into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Pour off the juice and bake 10 minutes longer. Place on a platter and cover with sauce.  

I did a free form meatloaf  (shape it on a foil covered cookie sheet and bake as directed) just because I like it better. Stays juicy and you have more surface for the Sauce, which in my opinion is the best part. After the first hour of baking I covered the meatloaf with half of the Sauce and placed it back in the oven for the final 10 minutes of cooking. We used the remaining sauce on the table as needed.

Meat Loaf Sauce
3/4 cup catsup
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
2 tablespoons bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

In a small saucepan simmer the sauce over low heat until the onions and peppers are tender.

Plus mashed potatoes and peas, I estimate this meal to have cost about $9. We all three ate, there is a lunch plate for Dada tomorrow and plenty of leftover meatloaf for sandwiches this weekend. Success.

Our Daily Grind

Sorry...somehow I deleted my post, so here is the repost. 

I am a research it to death kind of Mama. Over and over again I keep hearing the need for a schedule. Recommended to keep her on track and me from going insane. I am sure it will change a million times in the coming weeks and hopefully become a natural daily flow rather than Mama Boot-camp.

Mama and Lolo’s (Proposed) Daily Schedule

6:30 a.m.    Up and At ‘Um

-       Fix coffee

-       Dada’s lunch

-        Prep Lolo’s breakfast

7:00 a.m.    Bye-Bye-Dada

-       Kiss and hug!

-       Blog Post

-       Check Daily Schedule

7:30 a.m.    Lolo’s Up

-       Books, snuggling and milk cup

-       Breakfast

-       Outside we go

o   Morning walk with the pups

o   Swing, sandbox, riding toys

o   Garden, flower beds

-       Bad weather back-up plan

o   Indoor play

9:00 a.m.   Prep Dinner

-       Leftovers

-       Crockpot

-       Check the freezer

9:30 a.m.    Daily Chores – Lolo Playtime

-       Make beds, straighten up, dishes

o   Monday: Floors

o   Tuesday: Bathrooms

o   Wednesday: Dust

o   Thursday: Laundry

o   Friday: Porches

10:30 a.m.  Mama and Lolo’s Daily Learning Activity

-       Monday: Arts and Crafts

-       Tuesday: Music and Dance (we will probably do this everyday, but it will be official on Tuesdays)

-       Wednesday: ABCs and 123s

-       Thursday: Games

-       Friday: Fun Day (weekly recap of our favorites)

11:30 a.m.   Lunch

-       Fix lunch

-       Clean up (her and the floor)

12:30 p.m.   Lolo Naptime – Mama Time

-       Finish up any daily chores

-       Shower

-       Crafting

-       Chill

2:00 p.m.   Lolo’s Up

-       Books and Snuggling

-       Snack and milk cup

2:30 p.m.    Daily Adventure

-       Library

-       Go see Grandma

-       Park

-       Run errands

4:30 p.m.   We Made It!

-       Fix Dinner

-       Repair house from day’s destruction

-       Lolo playtime on her own

5:30 p.m.   Dada Home

-       Hugs and Kisses

-       Dada and Lolo time

-       Mama finishes up dinner

-       We eat together

6:30 p.m.   After Dinner Clean-Up

-       Mama straighten kitchen

-       Dada and Lolo time (Mama may opt to bail on clean-up and spend time with Dada and Lolo, clean-up can wait)

7:00 p.m.   Lolo Bath Time

-       Mama and Dada tackle this job together

7:30 p.m.   Lolo Bedtime

-       Milk cup, PJs, story time.

-       Silly Play - she doesn’t have the strength to stand up anymore, but won’t give in to lying down.

-       Nite-nite

8:00 p.m.   Quick Straighten-up

8:15 p.m.   Mama and Dada Time

-       Chit-chat

-       Snuggle

-       Mindless TV

-       Glass of wine (or two)

11:00 p.m.   Pass Out