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Hi all. No excuses. It's been a while. This post will not be for the
quick and hurried, I've got a lot of filling in to do.

First thing: Happy Holidays!
I've been in the least holiday mood (however I should word that...) I think I've ever had in my whole 27 years. The shopping, the C-mas cards, the decorating... I must admit that it's made me cringe instead of giggle with glee. I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a scrooge b/c I have had Josh Groban's version of little drummer boy on repeat for about a month now, but admittedly, we're the only very dark little house in our kid-run subdivision and just yesterday I switched out my Halloween/Thanksgiving wreath for my C-mas one and called it a day. Yep, big beautiful prelit tree in the closet that won't make its debut until 2008 and I'm okay with that. ;-)
I had presents that I needed to wrap (especially the ones for children) and I seriously considered just sticking a bow on them... wouldn't need a name tag b/c the "mystery" will be staring us all in the face. Gift giver and gift receiver... but I didn't think the kiddos would understand and I am above robbing them of their C-mas joy, so I wrapped a few and then had my niece and youngest nephew do the rest (for the adults, and I made them promise not to tell what was inside, although my nephew did manage to write "love, and then his name" on a few, but hey, he's 6 and I'm so impressed with his writing that I'll let the fact that he big-boyed our gifts as though they were from him, slide).
Dirty secret #1: I hate wrapping presents. Birthday, Christmas,
random... I'm very thankful for the gift bag. And honestly, I'm not all doom and gloom although I think that's how that intro might read. We officially started our C-mas tour of Alabama on Friday afternoon(we've done/will do lot of traveling between then and the 26th) and I'm excited about seeing friends and family.

KJ's family does dirty Santa with the big extended group (Aunts, uncles, cousins) and I wanted to take a bunch of Auburn stuff, especially one of those 6-0 t-shirts,
but I'm the ONLY Auburn fan and when I mentioned my idea to KJ, his mom and his sister, I was told that I'd be banned from the festivities. shame. So I let KJ just pick out 2 gifts, and we're going to roll with those, even though the thought of seeing his family pass around an AU t-shirt that's destined to come back to me, still makes me smile (a wicked smile, but a smile non the less).
Lastly on the subject of Holidays: Looky looky what ole St. Nick
brought to my house a little early. hehehe


It's the wall paint! Mom, Daddy and KJ all went in on a collective gift/effort to get my living room/dining room/ kitchen painted for me and really it's a better gift then I could have even thought to ask for. I love it! I feel like I've made progress in my home and I didn't do a single thing. The painters came and did a fantastic job and KJ and my nephew put everything back in it's place before I came home from work. It didn't even smell like paint. The people who love me, love hard and the find the best ways to express it! (disclaimer: for those of you who check out the backgrounds in pictures... I know I do, I'm so curious... please disregard the shoes laying by the barstool and the lack of wall decor, everything hasn't found it's home just yet)

The little mini:
She's doing great! We hit the 26 week mark last Thursday which translates to about 6.5 months. She a strong kicker and tends to really get going early in the morning (I think she gets that from me) or while I'm driving. She generally kicks in the same area and earlier this week the sonagram tech showed me that our little mini likes to push her head up against my womb down toward my hips so that her feet are angled upwards. I'm scared she's going to have the worst crook ever in her
neck. Here's her latest pic (sorry the second one is just a foot, but the tech wanted to show my oldest nephew the 4-D technology {he spent the week with us}and since her face was all squished in my side, the best thing she could get were her toes). I've been told she has long legs (no doubt from KJ's side) and I think her feet look like KJ's. I'm a little concerned about her having man feet, they look pretty large... hehehe



Me:
Pregnancy has made me a little weepy lately. The other morning I had to take a moment and remind myself that misplacing my black camisole was not causing me physical pain and that the amount of tears I felt the need to shed was ridiculous. Really. Over all I'm very conscious of trying not to be an overly emotional pregnant lunatic, and I think I hold up pretty good, realizing that sometimes I just need a moment to myself so that I can be all sad and whiney without anyone having to see that. I've also become quite the klutz, breaking the lower level of glass in our coffee table and spilling my juice being my two most recent episodes. Both were pretty minor and undramatic so no harm was incurred (the coffee table glass broke when I lifted the top level to clean underneath and it titled and broke the glass underneath. KJ
cleaned it up while I sat crying and shaking my head in disbelief and neither of us got cut so no biggie), but still, little things that I think push me to the weepy edge.

Physically I'm doing really well. Can still wear my wedding/engagement rings, can
still shave my legs, can still see my toes...need to paint them, but hey it's winter time, and even in FL you can wear closed toe shoes in the winter. I've experienced a few "growing pains" where little miss mini is getting larger and my body's stretching to accommodate, but no worries said the doc, so no worries it is.

I get tired a little quicker and am having to remember not to push myself to get things done. This became a funny thought to me as I was in the mall on last Wed for about 2 hours trying to finish up some C-mas shopping and almost suddenly while shopping for KJ's dad a sweater in Sears, I thought, "Okay, sit down, you're over doing it" and I proceeded to sit in the store floor hidden by the clothing racks for
about 15 minutes. It made me remember how we used to get in trouble playing in those racks when we were kids and how thankful I am to be 27 and old enough that someone would think twice about reprimanding me for just sitting there. They may think I'm crazy, but they wouldn't dare fuss.

I did have an ulcer on my eye that drove me bonkers for about 2 days until the eye doc gave me some "magic" drops, but it was my own fault from wearing a crappy contact for too long. Seriously, squinting one eye with the other completely closed driving 45 min to work at 50mph with the morning sun burning my sensitive retina as my eyes watered profusely on the very highway that killed my beloved Kia Sorento 2 short months ago...I've been wearing my glasses since then. Lesson learned. ;-)

Okay, I think that's about it for now.

I hope to blog again soon. Regardless, I'm counting on you all to be consistent b/c I can only comment on the same post so many times. hehehe I'm one to talk!

Merry Christmas all! Hope you have a wonderfully blessed one!

To lure you back...

I've been MIA for a minute, a lot has gone on but I feel like the update I started was way too melancholy for how I actually feel. Let just say that there's be some highs (Thanksgiving) and some lows (passing of a classmate/friend) and that thru it all I'm fully aware that I'm blessed. Thru the frustrations and the elations, God is always better than good.

My dear Colleen (and Candi, Lauren and Monica...) did this on her blog and I thought what a wonderful way for me to come back to blogging since it's been so long... let's get reacquainted, shall we?

1) My face "peach fuzz" are actual strands of hair, not just a glow of down that is seen when the light hits me a certain way, actual hair that if you stand really close and I stand very still, you can count the strands. More than likely, none of you will ever be this close to my face, and KJ and I have discussed this in depth already. What can I say, I have rich blood.

2) I have a random freckle/mole on my right hand (2nd knuckle) that looks like an ink mark. I love it! It appeared sometime in college I believe and I think it gives my weathered hands some youthful appeal. Plus it's a great identification mark should someone have to identify me from my hands only...

3) I HATE marshmallows. In every form, every existence. I don't do smores, rice crispy treats, or even cereal with the little dried up nasties scattered throughout. My daughter will never eat a marshmallow in my presence, I would have said ever, but KJ and Liz have both vowed to feed them to her at some point.

4) I love cold rainy weather. Love it. Nothing better than being under an umbrella, bundled up in a coat blowing your breath into the air to see if you can make those "smoke" rings.

5) When I was little I always said that I wanted to be an artist and I was only going to draw in the color purple.

6) My sister and I used to play Chinese acrobats when we were little (blame Romper Room) and from time to time I catch myself wondering if it would still be fun to lay on my back and balance her on my hands and feet.

7) I can't stand for my natural nails to grow too long. If I can see 1/8 of a nail when looking at my palms, I cut them back.

8) My little toes curve inward to form a "c". KJ didn't notice this until the other day at a baby appt, when he said (a little too loudly), "What in the world is wrong with your feet?!?!?!" Apparently when they're flat on the ground it's more noticable then, I don't know the 50 million other times he's seen my bare feet. ;-)

9) I have an eminent fear of my teeth being knocked out. I've always been this way. HATED having teeth pulled when I was little...

10) My core circle of friends are all girls I've known since high school (and most followed me to Auburn. hehehe). Even though I get lonely as all get out here in FL, I'm not "really" trying to make new friends. A girl at the gym gave me her number twice and I never called and eventually quit going to the gym.

11) I've been working with different church youth groups since I was 16, but the thought being a mom still freaks me out from time to time. I occasionally have the thought that I have no idea what I'm doing. Poor little mini, she's our tester baby and we're banking on learning a lot from trial and error.

12) I'm scared of frogs. Don't like that they jump. I've been known to stand outside of work and call a coworker from my cell to ask them to remove the tree frog from the front door so I could come in. sheesh, Florida...

13) KJ proposed to me when we weren't even dating. I think this increased my love for him by 110%. That man has ganas and I'm so attracted to that.

14) I'm not grossed out by things like blood or vomit. I was the go-to person for quite a few 911 situations in college. It makes me feel good that I can be counted on to wait in the emergency room with 1) someone who has a roofing tack shoved in the bottom of their foot (ahem, Colleen, ahem) 2) someone who has locked their jaw while kissing a guy (apparently alcohol can cause the muscles to relax...my little pixie April...)

15) The only time I've ever been in the hospital was when I was 10 and my mom thought my appendix was bursting. After giving blood, they determined it was just gas, and we left after 45 mins with a prescription for prune juice.

16) I've had over 7 accidents since I started driving at 16. Thankfully I've walked away from every one unscathed. Most have been when other people hit me, but there are a few like: 1) backing into a parked truck when I picked Colleen up at her dorm and we glued my tail-light back together after we got back from the party, 2) backing into my sister's car in the driveway that I remember glancing back and seeing an then proceeded to reverse anyway, and 3) hitting a curb and totaling my little eclipse on the sign that said avoid the curb, that I have to take credit for...

17) The best first date I've ever had in my life was my first date with KJ. He took me to Red Lobster (fancy fancy in those college days) and we laughed the entire night. I always quiz him on the little details like what I had on and what I ordered and he remembers, but I can't begin to think what he had on...

18) The only time I've ever seen a gun up close is when I was snuggling with a guy on the couch at his house and he pulled it from his pocket and set it on the coffee table. SERIOUSLY. Freaked me out! I started screaming that he could have shot me in my thigh. Needless to say, that ended that.

19) I've never been in a fight. My baby sister was threatening people for me when I was in 14 and she was 9. hehehe She's always been the tough one.

20) When I get really mad at KJ or my sister, I try to poke them in the belly button (gently, just to let them know that I mean business). Don't know where this came from. I once heard you can kill someone if you poke them in the navel too hard...

(Your turn Tricey...)

Happy Wednesday all. I've missed you!

What's the deal-io?

Okay, I've taken to saying that quite often, and I think it has something to do with the weird shape my mouth has to make to say deal-io. Anywho, here are the haps:

1) When I got home from Chicago, KJ was sick. Bad chest cold. He was laying on the couch moaning having only medicated himself with some water, a swig of orange juice that I had left in the fridge, and a tums for I had left the container by the kitchen sink. No he was not having indigestion, the proximity of our bathroom which was stocked full of TheraFlu, Advil cold and flu for day and night, Alkeseltzer Cold and Flu, and other such medicine was just too far for travel. Give him a break, he's sick. ;-) And my husband is pitiful when he's sick.

2) I've managed to nurse said patient back to health. By pumping him full of Vitamin C (juice galore), drugging him in the recommended increments with day and night time meds, and good ole fashioned tissue in a box and sleep, we have conquered the dreaded cold. Not to mention the light misting of Lysol I religiously sprayed over the couch, in the batheroom, over the bed, and on the door handles. I don't do sick.

3) With all the above being said, let me also mention that said patient is an excellent "thank you for nursing be back to health" reciprocator. On Monday he had ventured out and brought home dinner and two movies. A) Mr Brooks= Okay, this is a psycho thriller movie. Kevin Costner does a fantastic job of playing a crazy. The general plot is that he's a serial killer who openly admits that he only kills for the thrill. He's addicted and he's trying to fight it, but his sub-conscious keeps getting the best of him. It's good. Keeps you on your toes. And if you're like me, it'll scared the daylights out of you, because I start to think, "There are really people like that out there." Not to mention that Costner would break into his victims homes and watch them sleep or getting busy and then in a non chalant voice say, "Hello" Creepy!
B)Talk To Me: This was very very good. It's got Don Cheadle, Ced the Entertainer, and a few more heavy hitters. The plot is that there's a convict in prison who hosts a prison radio show for the inmates. He's good. Really good. Kind of a sharp shooter, tell it like it is, man. When he gets out of prison he hooks his way into a job at a radio station and begins to turn the city of DC around with his broadcasts. It's a feel good movie about the base character of a person and the fundamental way that he uses his talents to uplift and that, really, that's all he wants to do. I think it's based off of a real person. So if you're hanging out in blockbuster and have no idea what to get (I ALWAYS go blank when I'm in the video store), give one of these a try.

4) I'm finally finished with the car/medical insurance people. What a battle. I've decided that the quickest way to make any day go sour is to talk to all of your insurance companies on the same day. blah! Anywho, now I'm on the search for a new vehicle. Any suggestions? I'm looking for something with great gas mileage and a wonderful safety rating. Simple enough don't you think? I'm not really into cars, the things on my must have list are things like radio control in the steering wheel (my arm gets tired while flipping when there's nothing good on the radio). A gas ticker (the thing that lets you know how far you can go before the car will quit). Ummm, and that's about it. So what are you driving and do you love it???

5) My little ones at church are anxious b/c we've been studying Bible characters (from creation up to where we are now with Jacob and Esau) and I threw them for a loop saying that we're going to perform a skit for the younger kids at church. They're really excited and that makes me want to jump for joy and say, "Boo-ya, you all thought you had me when you were being all ungrateful and disrespectful, but Sis Roz has some tricks up her sleeve yet.!" I don't think it would be nice to jump on my desk in class and scream "Boo-ya, in your face!!", but I sure want to. Bless their little hearts, they had no idea who they were dealing with. hehehe

6) Lastly, the little mini and I hit 20 weeks last Thursday! That's right, we're 5 months and over the halfway hump. We've got a name picked out, (still debating if I'll ever post it, call me overly cautious) I'm just trying to nail down the spelling I like. Yes, my Liz, adding the "h" is still my main contender. To my knowledge we're both progressing along really well. She's working on those leg muscles and I'm anxious for KJ to be able to feel her from the outside. I'm thinking any day now. I've also started thinking about the whole birth plan thing as so far I've been concentrating on growing her and not really getting her out of my body. There's a lot of options so I guess I've got my research ahead of me. I'll let you know what I find out (as long as it's suitable to be shared over the web...birthing's not the cutest topic out there...).

Words simply can't describe

how absolutely beautiful, lavish and amazing Sumita's wedding was. I love Indian culture. To witness the sense of love, joy and family first hand in such a momentous occasion for such an absolutely fabulous woman and kind-hearted friend, well... let's just say I would have walked to Chicago just to have seen a small part of the weekend.

It's 10 on Tuesday, but I think these pics do better of capturing the wedding than my words could, so tah-dah to make up for my lack of pictures lately, I present to you: Sumita's wedding! Just click on the pics to see them larger

Jenny-mae and I snuck back to see Sumita before the morning ceremony began.

Sumita loaned us traditional attire. Ohhh, if you could have seen me squeezing my big body into Sumita's tiny clothes. I've never felt so mammoth. ;-)

On the left is Suchit (Sumita's bro), Sumita, and her groom, Navi (Navpreet) on the Right, it's Jenny and I with bride and groom

The wedding party. The ladies in the royal blue were Sumita's bridesmaids.

The morning ceremony. (Actually this is just an audience shot while we were sitting in the morning ceremony)

The reception. Absolutely breathtaking.

Sumita and Navi getting down! We danced from 8pm til 1am. Just when you thought you could sit down, a great aunt or uncle would come and say, "Dance, Dance" and when a 60 -75 year old person is grooving on the dance floor you feel pitiful just sitting at your table. No matter how pregnant you are. ;-)

Me, Sumita, and Jenny. Here's the dress that saved me from the "bosom bursting" incident with the other 2 dresses...


Hope you had a good weekend. So glad it's Tuesday...

Why I *heart*

BCBG, Ross, and Bed Bath and Beyond

I've been wanting to use the I *heart* phrase because I think it's cute typed out. Well tah-dah, yesterday gave me the perfect opportunity.
After work I went on a mad dash to the outlets in search of a cocktail dress for Sumita's wedding. Enter BCBG. I absolutely love this store, because they never disappoint. I found a cute little chocolate brown number that doesn't scream, "I'm pregnant" (maternity formal dresses are not always cute...) and it's got an elastic waist. I went up a couple of sizes to accommodate the bosom that broke the other two dresses and we're good to go. Oh yes and it was on sale from $340 to $39!!! I would post a pic of it here, but it's all packed up and I can't find it on the internet. Hold tight til Monday...

Next jewelry and gold clutch purse. Enter Ross. Went in and found the perfect jewelry set (necklace and earrings) for $6 and in the wallet section I found a cute little gold clutch purse for $3. Yay me! Yay Ross. Again, they never disappoint.

So I was able to get my entire ensemble for the reception for less than $50. Whhoo-hooo!

And then at Bed Bath and Beyond, I had to return a pillow that wasn't doing the trick for KJ. (He's testing out a few pillow options for optimum sleep...) The pillow was $39 but I got it with a coupon so I paid way less and my total bill plus a few more items came to $35. Well when I went to return the pillow the cashier gave me the receipt to sign and I noticed that she was putting $42 back on my credit card. So I stopped and told her that I didn't want her register to come up short, that I had got the pillow with a coupon, so I think she was giving me to much back and she said "Oh, no maam, you get the full price back and I can give you back a coupon if you'd like." What?!?!?! So... sounded good to me. In essence BBandB paid me $7 and gave me another 20% off coupon. ::sigh:: Like I already didn't love that store enough.

So anywho,
I'm leaving on a jet plane (song lyric... I have no idea what song it is, but I can sing the whole chorus if you'd like), and I'll be back on Sun morn. Look out Chicago here I come, I've packed my coats and scarves (whoo, hooo now this is why I never parted with my beloved wintery collection) and I'm ready for some wedding goodness.

Have a great weekend!

Peer pressure

I told myself that if Colleen and Trice had both updated their blogs today, then I'd have no choice but to update mine as well. I was pretty sure I'd be good to go since Trice hasn't updated her blog since Dec of 1908 (just messin' girl, but you know it's been forever), but low and behold...

Anywho, this is pretty much what's been going on in my corner of the world.

1) Fussing with insurance people who are determined to act like I caused the accident for fun, that I enjoy not having a car, and that I just did this to "get over on them" when they're number one objective is to obviously take our money every month and then question why I'd want them to pay anything back. sheesh.

2) Had Thanksgiving lunch at work yesterday and I was assigned to bring green bean casserole. I've never made it, never had it. So I found a few recipes on line and then did my own little combo adding cheese and garlic. Used waaayyy too much garlic. Also decided that I do not like green bean casserole. I'm with you Colleen, I think the cream of mushroom soup messes it up.

3) Leaving for Chicago tomorrow to go to my friend Sumita's wedding. The reception is cocktail dress formal and I thought I'd be good to go with either of the dresses I got just before my bday because they're both flowy at the bottom. Didn't bank on the "top" portion of me being a problem. Yep. I broke one zipper this morn and the clasp on the other. Hitting the outlets in search of a discount cocktail dress for the big bosomed.

4) Today me and the little mini are officially at 20 weeks. That's right, 5 months! We're over the half-way hump and I've only had one case of heartburn to boot. I'd say she's taking it pretty easy on me.

5) Next weekend is the first weekend that KJ nor I have anywhere to go/anything to do and I'm counting down the days. I'm also trying to "fix" our blockbuster list so that we just "happen" to have more of my movie selections on hand.

6) Someone I know shared some incredible news with me on Tuesday. Let's just say that left hands are filling up with bling and I couldn't be more excited.

7) This is the room that I will magically transform into a nursery. And no, as it looks now, I AM NOT PAINTING IT. I'm a graphic designer by trade and I'm excited about solving this little "visual problem" in a way that makes everyone say, "By golly, she really did it." Get your "by-gollies" ready. ;-)


8) It's been getting really chilly here lately and I'm proud to say that I've burst out the ole' sweater collection. For the most part me and the little mini are still fitting snug in clothes that are non maternity (with the help of a few rubber bands and safety pins on work slacks and jeans... bootleg, but very economical...hehehe).


9) Eggnog should now be on the shelves at your local grocer. I'm one very happy woman.

10) A lady stopped me on my lunch break and asked if I wanted to be in a beauty pageant. I told her I thought I was a little too old and a little too pregnant. ;-) So now I've kind of committed myself to being a judge. It's a Friday night and it'll run about 5 hours. I'm trying to talk my coworker Rae into judging with me to increase the anticipated fun level. I have a feeling that if she can't come with me, I'll want to pour glitter in my eyes and gag myself with the Miss Congeniality sash by 5:45pm.

Happy Thursday all!

Itchy itchy

We have a pretty laid back work environment. People can bring their dogs into work if they want (no cats, haven't quite figured that out, but if I ever get a bird or another turtle I'm going to see exactly what animals our little rule discriminates against...). Anywho, the owner of the company has a big ole' lovable chocolate lab. He's extremely laid back ( I think b/c he's feeding off the vibe of 2 60+ year old people 24 hours a day) and friendly. A food thief, and trash digger, but still lovable none the less. Well a couple of days ago a coworker mentioned that while combing through his fur, she noticed a couple of what she thought to be fleas. Ummm, what?!?! So having come out of a meeting, finding a little bug crawling on my desk, I've convinced myself that I have the dog's fleas. I'm one itchy girl and although 95% of it is probably just a mind thing, I think this constitutes a justifiable reason to go home.

Hope you all are having a wonderful day! It's Thursday and you know what that means...Greys! Can you believe Callie and Christina are going to be room-mates?!?!?!

Oh yeah- just a little fyi on the mini: We kept our originally scheduled appt for yesterday (to just double check things after the accident and to keep us on schedule). All still looks great. She's still a she (KJ asked if anything had "popped-up" since last week. Ummm, no love, babies don't grow in pieces. hehehe), and measuring in at 9oz. She was bouncing all over the place so I'm starting to think how upset she'll be as she gets bigger and that space becomes smaller and smaller. Bounce while you can little mini!

And it's Tuesday

1) April's wedding was b e a u t i f u l . Sunset wedding in a little 200 year old church facing the bay. Very soft, very romantic, very April. We didn't dance (but the dj was really doing his thing. I thought even KJ was going to have to jump up, but he's got willpower like nobody's business), but we did sit at a table with some very entertaining people and the food was FABULOUS. They served shredded pork straight out the pig, yummm, yummm!



2) Things are so unbelievably slow at work. I've managed to organize all of my photo files and order a few wayyyy past due prints for friends (Viki-lynn's wedding, Kendi's visit, Trice's shower... etc)

3) I'm on the hunt for a new car. Kia is dead. Sadly I really want to replace it with another Sorento, but I have to consider the bigger picture which has something to do with gas mileage (I put 500 miles on my car per week driving to and from work. yep.).

4) Kj's started playing flag football and basketball again and I haven't been to a single game yet. (I know, I've already given him the unsupportive wife disclaimer, his games just fall on nights that I've got Ladies Bible study and church). Alas he'll start having games on Mon (football) and Thurs (basketball) so I'm getting my game face and cheer voice ready (although in football I tend to yell things like, "Don't Touch Him" which is generally met with Kj just shaking his head).

5) Tricey's coming to visit this weekend. Yay!!!!!!

6) My sister turns 22 on Thursday. When did I get old enough to have a baby sister that's 22?!?!?!

7) I'm not dressing up for Halloween, although I am fooling with the idea of wearing an orange shirt and pining a felt jack-o-lantern face on my belly.

8) I've decided that dealing with insurance companies is one of my least favorite things to do. Blue Cross Blue Shield - please just do your jobs, and AllState - I'm starting to wonder about that "we're in good hands" thing...

9) Liz, my heart is aching a bit as I have been unable to find these cookies anywhere this season. If I find some I'm going to buy them in bulk and store them up for years to come. I'm pretty sure they'll keep.


10) Okay... I don't think I have a ten. Wait, yes I do. I believe the little mini is in there doing her thing. I can feel "bubbles" occasionally and since I'm no foreigner to effervescence, I'm pretty sure that's her moving about. Tah-dah. Ten.

Happy Tuesday all!

Weekend Plans

Okay, so in theory I'm going to:
• Straighten up the house which means doing laundry and hanging some pics that have been laying around waiting on my hammer and nail to attack them

• Make pumpkin bread for my neighbors on both sides since we'll be in church Wed night and their kids are the only ones that I really care about giving goodies to.

• Attend my dear friend April's wedding. (She was my little made-from-scratch pixie at Auburn. Tiny as can be and could cook up a storm! Threw the best "themed parties" EVER!) It's only 2 hours away and it's a night wedding. I don't think I've ever been to a wedding at night and it's conjuring up all kinds of thoughts of romance (dancing in candlelit room, whispering sweet nothings over tasty appetizers... but funny thing is 1) KJ does not like to dance at weddings and 2) KJ can not whisper to save his life, so I guess I'm thinking of another couple... hehehe).

• Return my unread library books. I give! Plus I've noticed that there are a few books that I've never read that I own so I'll probably have better luck with those.

• Start and maybe finish the decor to revamp my church classroom. (oh side bar- Wednesday went really well. I typed up a rules, regulations and respect guideline sheet for all my students to read over with their parents and then return to me with both theirs and their parents signature. I let them know that we would NOT have a repeat of the previous Wednesday night EVER. That I will not go home as disappointed in my class as I was that night. That they will not come into my class with stank attitudes and the mindset that they would dictate how class would go. And yes, I did say "stank attitudes" and I think they understood. My bad apple 8 year old included. I'll keep you posted on this.)

•Maybe, just maybe start cleaning out the office/manroom in preparation of its nursery revival.

hehehe, just typing this up, I already know that there's quite the possibility that the only thing I'll be able to check off on Monday is attending April's wedding.

Happy Friday all!

From the wreckage...

On Tuesday morning, driving into work, I had a car accident. Let me say that God is better than good and we (baby and I) are fine! I drive the highway to work and it's been raining here a lot lately. It wasn't raining that morning, but as I was driving suddenly my steering wheel felt loose and when I taped my brake to release the cruise control I started spinning. In the middle of the highway. Complete and total blessing that no one was even near me and in all that spinning God shifted the car for the guard rail on the right which ultimately stopped me. I jumped out the car, grabbed my purse and sat on the guardrail. Looking around the area was probably just as scary as the accident. It could have been bad. Really bad, but it wasn't at all. My fine piece of Korean craftsmanship didn't fair so well, but it's just a car. Again, I'm so very blessed and very thankful.

Now that being said, I really did like my car. It served me well... very well for the past 5 or 6 years. So with the possibility of it being totaled, KJ started asking what I might want to start looking for. Ummm, a white Kia Sorento (just like the one I just sacrificed) ....I don't always fair well with change.... My girl Connie called to tell me that her and her husband were in the market for a new car and since I've talked up my Sorento so much since they've known me that they were thrilled when they found a great deal on one! She's got her heart set on it, and this morning I contemplated what kind of damage it would do to our friendship if I drove to Bham and she saw me at the bank signing paperwork on her car... hehehe just messing, I don't think I could do that to her, but if they decide to go another direction, you just might see me in a local Regions bank displaying all 28 (my teeth are large so I don't have as many... really, it's the truth, KJ and I counted them...) of my pearly whites in a ridiculous grin. Love you dearly Connie-lee! ;-)

Okay so besides sharing my blessing and God's goodness I also wanted to fill you in on this.
When we went to the dr. just to be sure everything checked out and that the little mini was also okay, the sonogram tech asked if we wanted to know what we were having. Ummm, yes! (I don't do surprises) Frankly the countdown to Halloween was starting to drive me nuts. So she scanned around and proudly announced that this baby:


would indeed be someone who could use one of these:


;-) I have a feeling she's going to be a daddy's girl , and I'm perfectly okay with that.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Trice's Baby Shower

Oh, I'd say that we had a good time. ;-)
Ladies and babies showed up on Sat. to shower Tricey and Miss Reagan with some love, and they really pulled out all the stops.
There were presents, games, good food, scrumptous cake, and lots of smiles and laughter. Here are a few of my pics, but Dionne, Colleen and any others who had their cameras, please send (email, upload, whatever technology lets you do) me your pics so that I can put them all together and get to Trice before the end of the month (you know if I don't give myself a deadline, Reagan will be 14 wondering where she was in these shower pics...). Kendi and Dionne were my right hand women and helped make sure all went smooth. My mom was beyond amazing in letting me use her house and helping me with all the prep and helping keep the kids occupied during the shower. My daddy and KJ were good sports when I had to kick them out of the man room and banish them to a bedroom to indulge in their Saturday football fest. ;-)

Yep, little Miss Reagan and her momma were definitely VIP on Saturday.

3 Secrets I'm willing to share:

1) I've discovered the BEST time to go to Walmart. No really, I'm not teasing, I understand how it is as I live in a town where there are elderly people who love to mingle between 5am and 10am, housewives that feel the need just to get out and let the kids have an adventure running around like wild animals between clothing racks, and teenagers who apparently think their school is located on aisles 8, 9, and 10. There's never a good time. But ahhh-haaaa I dare you to go when it's pouring down rain (like I did last night) and tell me if you bump into 25 people in the whole store. And I'm talking a super Walmart. Test my theory out, I'm pretty sure it could be written in stone somewhere.

2) When your office-mate is out, do not use the opportunity as free range to release a little effervescence as it is Murphy's law that everyone in the company will immediately flock to your office and stand by your desk just to chit-chat.::shame::

3) I opened my "maternity shipment" of clothes from Old Navy and let me tell you THEY ARE THE BEST. And yes I'm basing that off of the one t-shirt I pulled out to wear this morning. This one:


Isn't it cute??? It makes me feel artsy-fartsy pregnant and I love it. So much that I've deemed this my favorite shirt after only wearing it for ummm, 2 hours and 39 mins.

Happy Friday!
We're showering Tricey with some baby love this weekend so pics will surely follow (I know you're thinking, yeah right, I've heard that before, but this time I really mean it....)!!!

I've got a bad apple...

Okay so last night I had the toughest time teaching at church that I've ever had. There's one little boy. He's 8. He's relatively new to my class. And he's a hellion. He does so many things wrong that the culmination of him, last night, was my breaking point. He's rude. He's disrespectful. He's ungrateful. He's got an attitude that he's 8 and he can do what he wants when he wants. Ummm, no sir. So, honestly, I don't like this little boy. Honestly I don't like his mother. (Now yes, I love them b/c they are my family in Christ, but I don't care for their actions one bit). So after fussing at him all thru class and barely getting thru my lesson I decided to have a quick meeting with him and his mom after church. I had hope. I wouldn't say that she's a terrible mom b/c she provides food, clothing and shelter, but I think a few parenting classes would do her some good. Anywho, we meet, and as I'm telling her about the debacle of his behavior, she's plum ignoring me looking over my shoulder and behind her as if I'm taking up too much of her precious time. Okay fine. She says she'll handle it when she gets home and walks off and it's obvious that I've bothered her and wasted her time.

Sidebar: When we were little my mom used to do this thing where if we said something she didn't like or if we were acting like we didn't want to hear what she had to say, she would firmly caress (grab) our jaw so that we had to look her in the eye and she let her voice go very low and calm (that scary calm where as a child you're pretty sure that when she's finished speaking she's going to bite your head off) and speak to us matter of factly with a look that dared us to act like we weren't going to straighten up. I didn't grab his jaw, but that's purely by the grace of God. ;-)

So I get home and I've decided to kick him out of my class. He's broken. He's my bad apple and I don't want to deal with him anymore. If I don't have the help of his mom, then I'm surely not going at it alone. Hand him a pistol and let the ball start rolling on his mission to be a menace to society. I'm done. Yeah right, people, you know me! About 2 secs after I had resolved to kick him out, I start talking with KJ and then I call my mom and I realize that I'm letting an EIGHT YEAR OLD defeat me. Ummm, no sir. So I'm on a new mission. I'm going to help him grow to be the best man our little FL town has ever laid eyes on (at least in my class... gotta start somewhere). I was wrong. I wanted to put the heel of my shoe thru his esophagus* last night, and that was wrong (of course I didn't do it, but somewhat only because my balance is a little affected by the little mini that's taking over my womb). Okay, so I got great advice from both KJ (who was/is willing to put a sleeper hold on him or break his little tail-bone* so that he'd behave better... don't mess with his wife, he doesn't care if your 8 or 80 and I love him so much for that hard-coreness) and my mom and I've got a few solutions I'm going to start implementing.

1) I'm going to pair him up with the 14 year old boy in my class. The 8 year old wants attention and wants to run with the big kids, well, if my 14 year old lets him know that what he's doing isn't "cool" then I think it will crush his little menacing spirit. (Mom's idea)

2) I'll give one warning and then you go sit outside my door and work on the lesson's worksheet. I'm a good teacher, we have fun, they're learning not only bible stories, but moral lessons and how to be better children of God. If you can't handle the interaction of class, then sit outside and study that lesson on your own and then present in front of the church. (KJ's idea)

3) I've got to be more structured. Last night I didn't have enough copies so I had to take time to run some off and that 7 minutes was all he needed to feel like I'd handed him the reins.

I've got a few more ideas, but I'm anxious to hear any suggestions you all may have. I know a lot of you are teachers (Candi, Kendi, my cousin Tasha) or work in the school system as counselors (Tasha (frogqueen)..I think, and Connie), or have kiddos of your own (most of the aforementioned, Lisa, Cindy) who you refuse to let run the show. I'm not plucking my bad apple just yet, so hit me with your suggestions.

*And just because I have no idea who stumbles across my blog, let me say that KJ nor I are violent people, but we both believe firmly in discipline, not abuse. I'm not really going to put my heel in a child's esophagus, my shoes are too cute for that. ;-)

Happy Thursday all!

Forget Tuesdays, Wednesday's where it's at...

1. I'm avoiding work like the plague. There is one little task that's been on my to-do list for the last week and here I am avoiding it again (Just a little fyi, I despise doing instruction sheets...)

2. I don't consider myself accident prone, or clumsy, but if you glanced at my right arm, you'd promise that I was trying to get rid of my useful appendage. About a week ago I accidently got my arm caught in the door at church (I can't even begin to explain) and yesterday I burned my arm on my curling iron while brushing my teeth. A true testament as to why I hardly wear my hair straight anymore. :-)

3. I'm thinking of designing a halloween t-shirt for myself since there are none on the market that have caught my eye.

4. We have been on the go every weekend since the last of Sept and we won't have a chance to slow down until the weekend after Veterans Day (Nov 17th -ish). Then we'll jump right into the holidays.

5. I have not made a single casserole and I'm unsure as to exactly what we've been eating to maintain our existence. Oh yeah, Monday I had a work dinner and yesterday KJ made a quick pasta meal. Seems like it's been forever since I was in the kitchen...

6. My dear acne has returned with a vengeance. hehehe If it wasn't for this and my ballooning belly I think some people would challenge my whole pregnancy (myself included as I literally feel fine, just the same as always, and I know that's such a blessing b/c it could be really rough, but I'm really anxious to feel some action in this ole tummy.)

7. My library books were due yesterday (seriously, they give you 30 min to check them out before you have to bring them right back). Is it bad that they're just going to have to be overdue for a sec b/c 1) I'm still on page 8 of my first book and 2) the library is waaayyyy across town and 3)I'd like to think of myself as rebelling b/c the don't have on-line renewal. Heellloooo, it's 2007 people, let's embrace technology.

8. I'm hosting a baby shower for a friend this weekend and whenever I do a shower, it never fails that I get really nervous that people won't enjoy themselves. I'm not really a party-thrower, more like a goer. So fingers crossed that all goes well!

9. Do Russian Tea and pumpkin bread scream autumn to anybody else? I think the fact that it's down to 80 degrees is reason enough to bring out the fall goodness.

10. ummm, I think 9 is all I have. ;-)

Hope everyone's doing well. I should be able to tickle your fancy with some pics or randomness soon.

All is well with the world

Today was our first Jim-free day at work and I must say that it's going gloriously. I've got a few things to update you on (a ten on Tuesday kind of update), but for the most part everything's been about the same. Due to me eating nothing but bagels with cream cheese and pepperoni yesterday (didn't feel like doing an ounce of cooking), I've vowed that this week will be a casserole week. Kj's eaten up most of our left-overs and I'm pretty sure feeding him was somewhere in our wedding vows (along with washing dishes if he vowed to do all yard work and wash my car...) So if you've got a great casserole recipe, send it on. I'm looking for a poultry one, a seafood one, a vegetable one and then a wild card.

Oh, and I did tell you that my half-godbaby (I share her with Trice) came to visit, right? Look at all this beach cuteness from weekend before last.


Lots of lovin and happy Jim-free Monday!!!

Things are looking up...

Because I missed Tuesday...

Here's what's new:

1) Went home to NC this past weekend and had a wonderful time. So good to see family. They threw the guys a surprise baby barbeque (I've got several cousins who are preg. or just had babies), and KJ and I got some great stuff (see the sheer excitement in my face in the photo on the right...). We had to mail a box home b/c there was no way it would all fit in our one suitcase (the one time I pack light...) Thank you family, you're beyond the best!


2) KJ's out of town on business and I have to admit that I miss him terribly. He's my best and closest friend in FL and the house is soooo quiet when he's not there. As pitiful as I sound, I must say that I'm going at this time better than past times he's been away for a length of time and I think it's because I have little missions that I want to get accomplished. It's tough to get some things done when your closest FL pal wants to cuddle on the couch and entice you with the promise of a movie after the football game...

3) Here's a whopper (Liz I don't know how in the world I forgot to mention this while we were talking...): My super. resigned on Monday. Yep, he's moving on!!! And much to your surprise, I was able to refrain from doing a ridiculous happy dance or exhibiting a smile that overwhelmed my entire being... I simply took the news with a blank doe-eyed look and a few nods. hehehe Cindy and Lisa you may remember the look from Ladies class...

4) Had dinner at a FABULOUS Thai restaurant on Monday night. I've managed to spread my leftovers into dinner last night and lunch today and I'm a bit sad that all of my yellow curry chicken is almost gone. It's taking all of my will power not to lick the plate here at my desk. And those who know me know that I'm serious. I should really find a recipe for this...

5) Okay, okay I'm busted: I did lick my plate, but everyone's out for lunch and I sit behind a really big computer screen...

6) Went out and did a little maternity clothes shopping this week. Found a few things at the outlets and then really scored at oldnavy.com yesterday afternoon (sale sale sale). I know I know as my daddy said, I only have a kangaroo pouch, but I'm having to expand my work pants waist with a rubber band (trick I learned from a coworker... anybody else have any suggestions? I'm game!), so I figured now was as good a time as any. Basically my plan is to get a few work pants, a couple of pairs of jeans and some tops. Luckily I held on to my sweater collection and I believe that they'll work out just fine...

7) Finally went to the library and was so disappointed that most of the books I've been putting on my list (I'm pulling from JJ at 6:37 as I believe we have similar reading taste) weren't there. Stinky library. So I left with 3 books and I have until the 16th to read them. Oh and my overdue fine from last time was 90¢. The book selection stinks but the price for being tardy with a return is not so bad...

8) My computer at work is seriously broken. It's at the mac doctor now. I had to bring one of my laptops from home in to work on. I've heard some talk of them trying to switch me over to a pc. I told our IT guy that if that should happen, they'll need to find a designer that comes with their little pc, b/c I'm not having it. I'm a mac girl and I dare them to try to take that away from me.

9) Kendi, her daughter (my little angel S), Kendi's sister and her neice are coming to visit this weekend. I'm so excited! I love having company and finally I've been able to lure a few pep down. I'm already planning a breakfast casserole to start us off on Sat morn and then there's a Seafood Festival, the beach, great weather, ahhhhh, it's going to be a good weekend.

10) Had a dr's appt today. All looks great. Little mini's heart beat was 160 and strong. Next appt is on Halloween and we find out what we're having. So do you want to start placing your guesses now? Ghoul or Goblin. hehehe

Lots of lovin to you all. I'm learning there are a few of you out there who check on me but never comment (Lisa whom I know thru Liz), but that's completely cool b/c I'm a lurker on quite a few of my favorite blogs. ;-) I'm just glad you come by!

Computer Trouble

I normally post from work, b/c by the time I get home I'm so sick of a computer it's not even funny...
Anyway I had started composing a wonderful post yesterday when my computer decided it wanted to die. REALLY. Here's the problem, I'm a graphic designer, if I don't have a computer, I can't work. period. So I fooled around with it for an hour and a half then took lunch, after lunch I fooled with it for another hour and it finally came back on. Feebly... So there's my explanation for the abbreviated post that will follow. hehehe (Oh and no worries, I've put a call into the Mac guys and hopefully they'll be able to explain how to revive my poor Apple to it's old robust self...)

So my Colein and Dash-adoo came to visit this past weekend and I couldn't love Colleen more for trekking across the state line, arriving after midnight, and then running around with me on Sat. Seriously she's a wonderful friend and a fantastic momma. She drove when she knew Dash would be sleeping so that he wouldn't be traumatized by spending so much time in a car seat, she let me love and cuddle my nephew to my heart's content, she let KJ give Dash a lecture about "man-time" and testosterone and not having to take a day of shopping with the ladies, she talked football with KJ when I was ready to kick in the tv screen (I'm not nice when I'm having HGTV and Foodnetwork withdrawls), and she didn't mind one bit that sunny FL was anything but and we didn't even see the sandy surf. Love you girlie!

So here are a few pics from this past weekend. They're all staring Dash b/c I didn't take any pics of me and Colleen after we got out of our jammies, but trust me, Momma is looking pretty good (keep doing what you're doing, after not seeing you for months, I can definitely see the differences that you might overlook)!



All else is good this way. Discovered that my night-time suffication was due to my pillow (and maybe not so much a child growing on my diaphram) by big-boying KJ's pillow one evening (he's got the foam wave shaped pillow...2 so that it sits up high). So to keep the peace, I bought my own little foam pillow and I think the wave shape allows me to have a breathing passage. hehehe That's my scientific explanation.

Happy Wednesday all!

To Tickle Your TV Fancy

It occurred to me yesterday that I had no idea when my favorite shows would be starting back up. So I hit the web. Granted that because of the conflict of football and the good tv in the living room, I generally end up DVRing my shows and watching them on Fri nites or early Sat mornings, but regardless of when I watch them, I need to be on the up and up of when they're coming back on. Soooo, for all those who may be interested, or who are looking for some thing good to watch this season, I present to you my tentative TV schedule:

Mondays:
Girlfriends (Joan is ENGAGED!!!) premieres 10/1 at 8:00 cst
The Game premieres 10/1 at 8:30 cst

Wednesdays:
America's Next Top Model premiered 9/19 at 7:00 cst
Private Practice (Grey's Anatomy spin off with Addison) premieres 9/26 at 8:00 cst

Thursday:
Grey's Anatomy premieres 9/27 at 8:00 cst

There are a few that I'm still investigating like:
Lost and Project Runway... no sign of when they're going to kick back up, and all I can find out about Army Wives it that we'll have to wait until Spring of 08.

So if you need a break from the NFL, ESPN, or the college games, join me in delighting in any of the above. If you've got a few suggestions of your own, hit me with them!

Happy Thursday everyone!

What's been going on...

Okay, so here's a little more insight into what's been keeping me so busy that I haven't had a chance to blog in FOREVER...

1) We're pregnant, as I put it out there yesterday. ;-) Today we are 12 weeks and 6 days. Been fabulous so far: not an ounce of morning sickness, have gained 8 pounds, a little shortness of breath (doc says it's hormones, KJ thinks it's asthma... but no worries I'm not scheduled to run any marathons), on the brink of coming out of the first trimester, love my new lady/baby doc, heard baby's heartbeat and it came in strong at 166. Here's a glimpse of what I'm looking like as a pregnant woman since several friends and family have told me they can't seem to picture it. Tah-dah, me and the little mini:


2) Been doing a lot of traveling (or at least it feels that way). Took the church kids to the lake a couple of weekends ago. I'll have to upload pics later b/c they're on my home computer... Had a good time splashing in the water and running after them. We grilled out and the weather was perfect, so I think all were happy and I don't know if it tired them out, but I was pooped by the time I made it home.

Went to a wedding of a friend of mine from my church back in bham. Absolutely beautiful. See:


Great ceremony and fun reception. KJ skipped the reception to watch the UA game, so I went with my girlfriends and we laughed and laughed. I'm getting old b/c the only dance I even knew how to do was the electric slide and the little kids were getting down to songs that I couldn't even understand what was being said. hehehe

3) Work is work. My super. and I have had more "meetings/conversations" in the past month then probably the whole year before hand. I'm finished with the whole deal as I've said my piece as clearly and bluntly as I can ("I believe the issue to be that I've never had a sup. that hindered my work progress, but now that you've starting to do your job, I'm anxious to see what the year will bring...") and I believe it's been heard. We'll see. Other than that, works been crazy busy and I like it that way.

4) KJ is doing well. Had a birthday on the 31st of last month that has put him on the edge of his 20s. Lucky for him, he's aging gracefully and I have a thing for this older man. ;-) Football season is underway, so I've pretty much given up the tv in the living room unless I watch a couple of quarters of a game (I have a tendency to fall asleep before the end), and believe it or not that happens more times than not. I actually really like football and KJ's like a huge vat of information so I'm constantly asking questions. The only ones he rolls his eyes when he answers are the ones about the player's personal lives like, "how long has he been married?" or "does he have any kids?" Apparently these are not considered "football questions".

I think that's about it. FL weather is finally getting to where it's tolerable again and soon I might just need a light jacket. Ohhh, can't wait!

Oh and this weekend my Colein and Dash are coming to visit. I can't wait to get caught up in person with her and to cuddle my Dash to pieces. I'm counting down the days...

Happy Wednesday all!

10 on Tuesday - Under Development

1) Our newest family unit improvement has trumped all other projects.

2) We decided in June to start work, and in July we were well on our way.

3) We've met with the specialists twice and so far everything is looking great!

4) I've been doing most of the work lately, but KJ's not off the hook just yet, this is a long term endeavor.

5) All of this "work" has me beefing up a bit. The kind of weight you don't mind putting on. ;-)

6) We haven't decided on a color scheme just yet, we've got a few weeks before we have to make that call.

7) Our families are both excited about our progress and can't wait to see the finished masterpiece.

8) Just a little fyi: It's tough to keep a major development under wraps.

9) Luckily several people have done similar family unit improvements so we've got a lot of advice and understanding to draw from.

10) Our completion date is March 27th. Until then, our little mini is still under development and being supervised very closely by both KJ and myself. Again, it's unanimous in our house that this is the biggest and best family unit improvement that we've undergone to date! hehehe