I know that I am way late on getting on board with Pinterest, but I am now officially obsessed.  I got to be honest though, I really thought all of you that kept posting about Pinterest needed to seriously get a life.  So, I am apologizing deep from the bottom of my heart.  I really am.  Because I am now a Pinterest Goo Roo!  I love it!!  My husband even thinks it's pretty neat.  I have already tried like 7 things off of it.  Well really 9 things but 2 of them were not successful.  Let's start with the successful things.  First I tried these really cool banana, yogurt, and peanut butter treats.  They are really good and a very quick tasty snack when I am tempted to go for some chips.  I won't go into detail on how to make them, you can look it up, but here is my ending product.  It's no near as pretty as the ones on Pinterest.  After you are done, you freeze them and put them in a Ziploc baggy.  So good!



The next thing I tried is washing my hair with beer and baking soda.  Whhhaaaat???  Shut the front door!!  My hair feels like new hair!  It is wonderful.  But you have been warned--don't do it right before you go out in public unless you want to smell like a brewery.  But do it...you won't be disappointed.

Third thing I tried was cleaning my microwave with 1 cup of hot water and 1 cup of vinegar. You put those two ingredients in a cup and heat in microwave for 10 minutes.  Then when it is done the yucky stuff comes off in one swipe with a paper towel.  Works like a charm.

Fourth and fifth things that I tried was with my BFF, Holli, Saturday.  These were her finds.  First she cut the insides out of the strawberries, we melted the dark chocolate chips in the microwave, then spooned  the chocolate in the center of the strawberries with a spoon.  Less of a mess and oh so good.  It's pretty much like biting into small pieces of Heaven.  DO IT!!!  Again, Pinterest's strawberries looked lots prettier. But I can tell ya, my taste buds couldn't care less about what they looked like.

Not sure if these were Pinterest inspired or not but we also made some pepper thingy's with cream cheese, bacon, and pepperoni.  I had to leave before they cooked them so I didn't get to taste any but they looked amazing!!



Aside from Pinterest talk, I had a great time with Holli.  We got to catch up on so much and it was just what the doctor ordered for me.  I needed some Holli time.  Even if you don't know them, please pray for her Peepaw.  He is in the hospital with phenomnia and congestive heart failure.  Please please just take time and remember him in your prayers.  He is such a sweet and special man.

Moving right along.

I also made some Nutella cookies.  They were edible but not the best.  I don't recommend them.  If you do, eat them with milk!

The things that were not the least bit successful had to do with my hair.  Shocker!!  I tried a braid thing on the side of my head while my hair is down....it looked like a 4 year old did it.  And then I tried to tease the back like the tutorial showed me and it looked like a rat lived in my hair.  God did not grant me with girly ways when it comes to hair and makeup.  I have accepted it and I am moving on!  I'm so over it!  I also don't see myself doing half of the crafts stuff that I repin but they are so cool and something my mom would do in a heart beat.  She is the crafts God.

The thing that I look at the most are the diet and fitness stuff.  It is very motivating and keeps me on track.  I also love the organization pins.

"We can build you a house and you can decorate it and put whatever you would like in it."  Said Nick never.  But if he did build me a house I would have the best looking house in all the land.  There are some great ideas.

AND I can wait until my next wedding.  It will be AMAZING!! ;)

My next project is......

Pretty cute, right?  

On to Carter

He has added shoes (choos) to his vocabulary and when I say chicken, he said chic.  Close enough.  He is more obsessed with his books and flash cards now then ever.  He is starting to point to pictures and say them and he loves for me to ask where things are so he can show off that the knows where they are.  After he points to one he looks at me and we can't move on until Nick and I clap for him.  His favorite book is the one with all the different vehicles in it.  He is obsessed with trucks, tractors, cars, and heavy machinery.  And he absolutely LOVES monster trucks.  He says dump truck or just truck about 100 times a day and that is no exaggeration.  One of his favorite things to do in the evening is ride down to the highway on the ranger and sit and look at all the vehicles go by and he says truck and car the whole time.  So can you guess what his theme for his 2nd birthday is going to be???  TRUCKS!!!

Something else that he does that he does----I bought him some number magnets for the fridge from Walmart.  He will get all of the 8's, 9's and 6's, and 3's and bring them in the living room.  He then seperates them in little piles. A little OCD maybe?  He will stand there and search until he has them all separated. It takes lots of concentration on his part and he will stick with it until it is done.  It's pretty interesting to watch.

He is also eating with a spoon by himself like a champ!

I think I have brain-washed my child.  I set down a bowl of tomatoes and a bowl of cookies in front of him just to see what he would do.  I was just curious.  He went straight for the tomatoes and ate them in about 30 seconds, then cried for more.  I tried to give him cookies and he threw an even bigger fit for more veggies.   

Well tomorrow is his 18th month check up.  I do think he is gaining a little weight but I don't see him getting any taller from the way his clothes are fitting.  I guess we will see tomorrow!



Awesome Week

I have had a week from you know where.  I don't even know where to start.

1.)  Nick left Thursday night to go to Colorado for his annual hunting trip.  No biggie.  I decided to put my big girl panties on and stay by myself, unlike every other hunting trip.  I usually go stay with my parents.  Carter had been sleeping all night long in his own bed for over a week.  So, of course the night Nick leaves, Carter decides to wake up like 5 times that night and ends up in the bed with me.  The same thing happened Friday night.  I was bound and determined that the next night would be better.  And I have learned just how much help Nick is to me.  You never know til they are gone.

2.)  My family reunion was Saturday afternoon.  That went great and everyone enjoyed themselves.  I got home after dark to find my front door standing wide open and all the lights on which in turn made a perfect little cozy home for every bug on the planet.  So the first thing that pops in my head is West Nile Disease.  I run in the house grabbed some clothes for me and Carter and ran out real quick.  As I was driving to my parent's house, I blamed the whole scenario on Nick.  First because he was gone.  And second because he was the child that bought the little basketball goal, that wedghes between the door and jam, so he could play at night and watch tv at the same time.  That, in turn, requires the door to be shut harder than normal.  So it's his fault, true?

3.)  My dad had back surgery yesterday.  We were all nervous to begin with so Nana, Aunt Gloria, Mom, and I went up there to sit and be with him.  We had to wait on the dr. for two hours to get finished with the surgery that was before dad's.  That made us really uneasy.  After he finally went in for surgery Mom sent me, Nana, and Aunt Gloria to get dad a couple things--one being house shoes.  No one knew where the Walmart was in Hot Springs so we stopped at TJ Maxx.  No house shoes.  But I did manage to find some really nice and cheap Nike pants for Carter.  When we went back to my car to go somewhere else, I discovered that my keys were missing......locked inside the car.  So I looked under my car for my spare and remembered that I had just done this last week and my spare was inside the car as well.  I thought, no big deal, I got OnStar.  So I call the delightful people at OnStar and I never activated an account and they could not unlock my car.  This is when I started to get a little agitated.  I had to call roadside assistance.  Thankfully the guy that was coming to our rescue was about a mile away from us unlocking another women's car and he said he would not be long at all..  So I called in our lunch at The Purple Cow.  I got us all burgers, fries, and diet cokes.  About 1 1/2 hours later the unlock dude came.  Long story short--it took him a whole hour to unlock my tahoe.  Then he asked for 67.00 bucks for doing that.  About 20 minutes before he was done Mom called and said Dad was out of surgery and everything went well.  So we were not there for my mom in the waiting room.  Poor thing.  So after my Nana yelled at the poor guy we were on our way to The Purple Cow where we got our cold burgers, watered down cokes, and fries which was 50.00.  While we were waiting for the unlock dude Nana had to walk to Famous Footwear to get some 40 dollar house shoes.  So 67.00 + 50.00 + 40.00= some really expensive house shoes!!!!!!  Again, I blame this scenario on Nick for not reminding me to put my spare key back under my car.  He knew better!

4.)  On our way home from Hot Springs, my Nana just had to have a cup of coffee and I decided on a vanilla icecream cone from Sonic.  After we got our order, I was pulling out and hit a huge curb on the side of the road and my icecream fell upside down in my floor board and Nana's coffee went everywhere.  My nerves were shot by this time.  I blame the scenario on Sonic!  Who puts a curb where people pull out?!?  Seriously.

So as you can see none of this was my fault....I was just the victim

Needless to say, Nick is a vital part of my well being and I am so glad that he is coming home today....And Friday needs to hurry up and get here!

My sweet husband did send me a surprise package while he was gone----some really really cute black leather winter boots.  They are glorious and I gotta say he has some good taste.

On a very good note, my dad is doing great.  He has kept food down this morning and he has walked around.  He is sore but that's normal.  He will get to come home tomorrow.  I can't wait until he has made a full recovery.

I have more but I don't want to make this too long.  So til next time...

Randomness

Black Dagger Brotherhood Series.....READ IT!!  The books have consumed me!  Yes, they are vampire books but so nothing like Twilight or anything like that.  It's so much more than that.  It literally brings out every emotion that you can think of out of you.  You will not be disappointed.  I promise!  For the love of a good read, just read it.  I believe that I have fallen in love with every male vampire that I have met through these books.  They can take my vein any day!! ;)  I think right now there are 6 books out and I am on the last book.  I do believe that she is still writing and there will be more.  Every book is awesome.

Moving right along.

We are all good!  We have gotten on a pretty great routine around here.  My awesome child has slept all night long for a solid week now.  That, in itself, is a miracle.  I think I have mentioned before that he is a totally different child, but it's even more evident now then ever before.  Mrs. Lisa is loving it!  She gets hugs from Carter pretty often now.  He is also very vocal!  He throws a real word in there every now and then but it's usually nonsense.  He tries so hard to mimic words that we say to him and he usually gets the first letter right but when he tries to say the whole word you never know what will come out.  He goes to sleep saying "the truck" and right when he wakes up he says "the truck".  It amazes me how much he truly understands that we say.  I can say, "let's put your shoes on," and he will bring me his shoes and sit down in front of me so I can put them on him.  He has toys in his bath that sticks to the wall and I can say, "stick your fish on the wall," and he will grab his fish and stick it on the wall.  I think it's only a matter of days until he really goes to making sense with words. 

He has really come out of his shell.  We have never been able to drop him off in the nursery at church without him crying the entire time, but Sunday he cried for maybe a minute and he was up and playing.  It really gives this mom a peace like no other.  So as many things as I can take him to out in public, that's what I am going to do.

So, as you can see things are really starting to come together for my boy.  I can see the light bulb in his head coming on quite often here lately.

He is taking a break from meat here recently--which I don't like.  He can put away some fruit and veggies, though, which is the most important part.  He is getting lots of protein from his milk and numerous other foods so it's not the end of the world, but I do hope this is a very short phase.  The only meat that he loves consistently is fish sticks, shrimp, and salmon.  But I can only give those to him once or twice a week because of mercury levels....or so I've read.

I have been pretty lazy with the pictures as you can probably tell.  So I have really got to get with the program on that.

AD and I ran 3 miles yesterday for our short run and today will be our long run.  We are shooting for 5 miles but if it turns out to be more then so be it!  But before that we are meeting at the gym for a little arm weight training.  The scales don't say that I am losing any weight but my clothes are starting to fit differently.  That's all I want is to fit in my pre-pregnancy clothes. But I have learned that there are a lot more important things in life then being thin.  It's crazy how having Carter has really changed my view on a lot of things in life.  Yes, I exercise for weight management, but I am also a happier person when I am working out.  I have less stress in my life and more self confidence.  Plus, I have made a best friend in the process!

Anywho, that's all I got today.  Until I write again....

Breast Cancer Awareness

Well, today was Go Pink for a Cure day in Arkansas and I got to be honest....I really think that Nashville did a very poor job showing support for this cause and for the women that we know and love that have battled this deadly disease!  I know that people have jobs and some of them could not just leave and take off work to be there for the event but I also know of lots of people that could have and chose not to.  Lots of time and money went in for the event and lots of stuff went to total waste.  I really hate it for the ones that worked really hard making stuff for the bake sale, ordering hats and t-shirts, and other various items.  But for the people that did show up.....A HUGE THANK YOU!!  It was very touching.  And for those of you that stepped outside their businesses on Main Street and clapped and showed support while wearing pink....YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! Yes, there are lots of people that are doing other things to raise money for breast cancer and that is so awesome!! Please continue to do so   1 out of every 8 women develop some form of breast cancer each year.  So next time you choose not to be a part of it just think that it could be you, your daughter, mother, sister, granddaughter, or grandmother someday.  Don't you want to help find a cure for this nasty disease as quickly as possible?  Not trying to step on anyones toes, but that's how I feel and I think we could do a better job as a community.  There are so many heart wrenching stories that I have heard from some of these women and the things that they have been through.  They are just very thankful to still be breathing and watching their families grow.  And we can't take an hour out of our year/month/day to honor them?  Pitiful.

Anyways, enough about my ranting and raving.  Carter went a good 20 hours with no fever and when he woke up this morning he decided start with the fever business again.  So instead of going to Lisa's, like planned, he got to hang out with me.  We marched for breast cancer awareness and then went home and he crashed.  He seemed so much happier outside than in the house so I figured some fresh air would do him some good.  He really enjoyed it and was in a good mood.

But I had to leave him with my mom at 2:00 while I work the night shift tonight.  So I am holding down the hotel til' midnight tonight.  Fun, Fun!  I so wish I could be with Carter and take him to the homecoming parade and to the game, but no such luck.  Duty calls.  He and Nick should have a great time tonight.

I am so upset about something.  My e-reader died on me!!  I am completely lost without my books!!  I am now having to convert back to paper back books and it's annoying, to say the least.  But, that seems like a great (early) Christmas present my sweet husband can get me.

I can't think of anything that may be of interest to you so I will stop there.  Thanks for reading.

Carter

Not to start off a blog by bragging buuuuuttttt.......AD and I ran 5 miles without stopping yesterday.  And today we ran about 3 miles for the sake of not doing too much.  I just can't tell you how far along we have come in such a short time.  I think we have been running for about a month, maybe a little longer, and it was not long ago that we dreaded a 5 minute run without stopping.  But now, yes, we are pretty awesome.  We actually started yesterday shooting for doing a little more than 3 miles and we just kept going and going.  We are so proud of us!!  We are going to murder that 5k next month!!

Anywho.  Carter is getting somewhat more vocal.  Still not where I want him to be for his age but it's improving.  He can now say daddy, truck, tractor, juice, cookie, car, ball, kick, kitty, and dog.  He only says them when he absolutely wants to--not on command.  He still has not said mommy--go figure.  The one that feeds, bathes, buys clothes , and puts him to bed.  I know he knows what everything means though, so he will start talking in his own good time.  We ask him where objects are and he always points at the right things and he can follow simple commands for the most part.

He weighs about 23 pounds, has 13 teeth, and his hair is starting to thicken up.  He is wearing 18 month shirts and 12-18 month pants.  Size 5 shoe.  He sleeps all night long about 3 out of 5 nights.  I can live with that.

We are trying to stop him from whining for things and throwing fits when he don't get his way.  And for the most part it is working really well.  Once we say no, we don't give in no matter what.  He knows when we say no, we mean it.  I'm sure it will change real quick once he gets closer to the terrible two's stage, but he really don't test us.

We are also starting to put away our toys before we go to bed every night and he knows they go in his toy chest.  And when I say it's time for bed, he leads me into his room, crawls up in his bed by himself, lays down, and waits for his milk to be given to him.  Where it used to take about an hour to lay with him and get him to sleep, it now takes anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.  I give all of this credit to Mrs. Lisa. 

Socially he is a different child.  He still has room for improvement in that area but Mrs. Lisa has done so much for him.  The best decision I have ever made was taking him to her.  Yes, Nick and I could easily work our schedules out to where we didn't have to take him to her but we would be doing Carter an injustice.  She makes him behave, feeds him very well, gets him on a good schedule, and teaches him things.  She is amazing!!  He used to hide from everyone that looked at him and now he is running up to people and shaking their hand with a huge smile on his face.  He also loves to share his food with anyone and everyone.  All the credit goes to her.  And knowing that she genuinly cares about the kids that she watches is such a great feeling.

I had to pick him up a little early today because he was running 102.5 fever.  For the most part he is playing and not being too needy, but I'm thinking we are in for a long night tonight.  I sure hope not!

My house is still organized and I have gotten on a pretty good cleaning schedule.  It's so great having all the laundry done every night and having all the closets organized so I know exactly where everything is.  Such a great feeling.  I have even found time to start painting my laundry room.  I can't take all the credit.  Nick is really starting to do his part by helping me.  After Carter goes to bed we fold and put up laundry together.  He always tackles the socks...which is the worst part.  Now if I could just keep my tahoe cleaned on a regular basis and eat right I would have it going on!!

Tonight is a frozen lasagna night.  Easy peezy!

Anyways, the sick little boy is calling.  Ta Ta!!

Busy Bee.....

is what you can call me.

Here is what my day consisted of.

8:00 a.m.- woke up with Carter
8:45-drop Carter off at Lisa's
9:00-Eat breakfast and help my mom paint her kitchen
11:00- Work at Southern Belle Inn for about 4 hours
3:00-Lift weights
4:00- Run 3(ish) miles
4:45- Golf with Nick
6:45-Eat dinner (note that I was so busy I skipped lunch)
7:30-We went to my parents house to pick up little man.
8:30- I went to Walmart with my dad and got stuff for my house, mom's house, and Southern Belle Inn.
10:00 Put Carter to bed (wish it was earlier---we have tried.)
11:00- Now I am here.

Yeah, that's how my days usually look, aside from golfing with Nick.  So when is there time to cook dinner and keep up with a house?  I don't even have time to eat lunch and I still have not had time to bathe.  But to be honest, I would not have it any other way.  I sure do love my life, even if it is packed with stuff to do. 

I gotta brag on me and my running partner, Adriane (Turley) Pickett, here for a second.  We are running machines.  We are running anywhere from 2-4 miles every day.  Every day people!!  Monday-Friday.  Yesterday we ran 3 miles without stopping up and down hills and we were going at a pretty good pace.  Then on top of that, we are lifting weights three days a week before we run.  We have signed up for our second 5k race that will be the second week in November.  We are pumped!

We took Carter to the Scrapper game Friday.  He loved it so much!  Loved all the people everywhere, loved showing everyone his new orange and black Scrapper shoes (or maybe that was me), and he loved going up and down the bleachers.  There was no watching the game for me and Mom, though because we were so busy chasing him around. 

Then about 20 seconds after we got in the car.....



The football game was very special to us for another reason, though.  We got to sit right behind Rico Quinonez and talk to him the whole first half of the football game.  It was such a shock to wake up the next morning and read on Facebook that he had passed away.  He was such a special and sweet guy and I know that he will be missed by so many people.  It is very clear that he is someone that is loved by everyone.  Not many people walked by him that he did not give them a huge hug.  I didn't know him as well as I would like but he has really been on my heart here lately, along with his mother.  No one should ever have to bury their child.  Just can't imagine that pain.  My heart hurts for the family and I have prayed really hard for them all.   Rest in peace and fly with God, sweet boy!  Heaven gained an amazing angel that night!

Yum

Ok so I made this recipe an had to share.  It's stupid easy and so super good!!  Nick and carter both gave it a thumbs up.  Only advice is I would wait and put cooked shrimp in very last and double the sauce part.  I sautéed my shrimp in butter and cavenders seasoning. OMG!! Make it. I dare you!

Ingredients

• 1 pound fettuccini pasta
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound cooked shrimp - peeled and deveined
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• salt to taste
  Directions
  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
  2. In a large skillet, saute shrimp and garlic in the butter for about one minute. Pour in half and half; stir. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese in one tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly. After all Parmesan is added, mix in parsley and salt. Stir frequently making sure it does not boil. Sauce will take a while to thicken.
  3. When sauce has thickened, combine with cooked pasta noodles; serve hot.
  
  
  Also, have you ever tried washing your face with St. Ives? It's gives you a spa treatment in your own bathroom! It leaves you and your wallet smiling!! Ignore that that statement.  I am realizing how lame it sounds.
  That's all I got for you today. I am taking carter to the scrapper game tomorrow and highly debating taking him to the pep rally! I think he would love it!
  PEACE OUT!!