Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Rock n' Roll Baby

 It occurred to me today...after organizing Hutt's clothes...that I may or may not have a slight obsession with graphic t-shirts sporting  guitars, drums, and the occasional boom box!

My mom and dad would be so proud.

   On another note...in the middle of mopping, cooking dinner, breaking up fights, typing a post, getting Lainey ready for softball, and folding laundry...I thought it would be a good time to take an updated picture of my hair. You know...because I didn't have anything else to do. It's still brown...and I still LOVE it! 

Happy Tuesday!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Growing Up

  Today while I was in the bathroom...searching for something under the sink, Hutton walked in and this was our conversation...
 He stepped on the scale...looked at the number...threw his hands up in the air...and said....
Hutt: Why does it always say that same number every time????? (I wish mine stayed the same every time!)
I grabbed him and hugged him so tight!
Me: Ohhh! You are getting so big! I can't believe that you are almost FOUR! You have to stay Mommy's baby.
Hutt: That's O.K. I don't feel like growing up today anyway! ;)

Be still my heart....


Friday, March 25, 2011

Friday Find

 I love a good yardsale...but CHURCH yardsales take the cake. I stumbled across one today and found the deal of the century. Board games...for $.50..yes...$.50. I'll be honest, I'm not one of those moms who is good at laying around on the floor playing trains and cars and barbies..and making car sounds and high-pitched doll voices. I'll do it...it's just not my speciality. But... I'll read to you, play games with you, or cook with you ALL DAY LONG. So..I HIGHLY encourage my kids to ask for games and books when they receive gifts. That way no one has to hear my awful version of a train whistle. Anyway....
 I purchased six board games today for a whopping $3.00. Among those were two that were vintage..which I love! They don't make them like they used to....
 Bring back memories anyone?

With the "stand up" trees! 


Happy Friday! Is it Happy Hour yet? ;)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Conjunction Junction, what's your function?

 
 Do you remember the Schoolhouse Rock videos from Elementary school? I have always loved those silly things...and believe it or not...they are so annoyingly catchy that they do help you to remember things!! A few weeks ago, Lainey performed in the musical Schoolhouse Rock. It was THE CUTEST! This is her fourth musical and let me tell you...this is her thing. She can memorize every word to every song in about two days. She knows not only her lines, but the lines of every other person in the play. The word "nervous" isn't even a part of her vocabulary. And...she smiles for so long that I don't know how her cheeks aren't sore the next day! She had a solo this year...and sang "Great American Melting Pot". Yes, yes...I am so proud. Can you tell?

Solo time


Stir that pot!

Flowers for the performer!

My parents..who gave L the musical talent!

Proud Mommy

***On another note...Brian seems to be on the mend...thanks so much for all of the concern! Leigh and Glenda...I OWE YOU BIG TIME! :)

Monday, March 21, 2011

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

  Have you ever had one of those weekends that...by the time you make it to Sunday night...whatever you did on Friday seems like it was two weeks ago? Put a check mark in that category for me...because THAT was my weekend. We'll start with the good...
 Friday we had THE MOST beautiful weather...then to top it off, my best friend from Savannah and her cute little family were in town to go to the Georgia Aquarium..so I had them over for dinner. We had such a great time that I completely forgot to take out my camera. FAIL.  Then on Saturday I actually did something for myself and took a four hour photography class. Yes, you heard right...I'm finally going to learn how to take my camera off of auto...the camera that I have had for two and a half years now...
 While I was gone, Brian and the kids bought me a new kitchen sink..a single basin...and I am so in love. I can't wait to see it with the new granite! Yipee!  Saturday afternoon, Lainey had a softball game and she played great...even getting a TRIPLE!
 Then came the bad....
 Brian starting knocking out our old tile backsplash to make room for the new...and discovered several good size holes in the drywall. Isn't it funny how one project always turns into seven? Yeah...not so much. Oh well...what can you do?
Then came and ugly...and boy was it ugly.
 Brian ran a half-marathon Sunday morning..and earned himself a trip to the emergency room. He is a runner...so the distance was nothing unusual for him...but I guess his body wasn't in the mood today...because it fought back. I had a gut feeling that something was wrong. He was an hour later than he said he would be and that never happens. And as soon as I started getting really panicky...the phone rang. And when you see the name of a hospital pop up on your caller ID...your heart stops. Luckily it was Brian...so he was alert enough to call me, but couldn't remember anything except that he had been taken by ambulance to the hospital. That is what scared me the most. Long story short....he was/is extremely dehydrated. He says that he doesn't think he passed out...but I think he "blacked out" and continued to go through the motions of finishing the race. I asked him if he finished..and he didn't remember...but then said..."Oh..I guess I did. Here is my medal!" HA! He still finished the race..in under 2 hours! Crazy! Anyway...my sweet friend took my kids with a five minute notice and my sweet mother-in-law was on her way to church, turned the car around right then, dropped by her house to pick up clothes and drove straight here...from SAVANNAH!
 I'm just so thankful that we are home and safe...
How was your weekend????

Friday, March 18, 2011

Love

  The weather is warming up and we are ALL happy about it! And...when I think of warm weather...I think of the beach...which makes me think of this...

My all time favorite picture of my kids together! And yes...95% of the time....they love on each other like this. I am so blessed.
  Have a wonderful weekend! :)



Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Yummy Yummy To My Tummy


for dinner the other night...and goodness gracious...it was DE-LISH! Although....like I always do....I changed up some things...based on what I had in the fridge and pantry! Here are my changes...
1. Used lean ground turkey instead of chicken
2. Didn't have fresh tomatoes so I used a can of petite diced tomatoes(rinsed and drained)
3. My garlic was rotten(ha!) so I used garlic powder
4. Omitted the mushrooms
5. Added a 4oz. can of chopped green chilies(for some heat)
6. Added about a 1/3 of a block of 1/3 less fat cream cheese to make the mixture more creamy! (YUM!!!)
7. After I washed the whole poblano, I put all four of them in an 8x8 dish with a little bit of water, covered, and cooked in microwave for 6 minutes. They are MUCH easier to clean if you do this first!
8. When they were ready to be stuffed, I lined the inside of the poblano with pieces of already sliced(the sandwich slices) pepper jack cheese..then stuffed them...then placed MORE cheese on top!
9. I followed the cooking instructions exactly!
10. Served with black beans and fruit!

OK...so I just went back and read what I wrote vs the original recipe...and there really isn't much that is the same...oops! So...I just used the IDEA of stuffed poblano peppers...does that mean that I just wrote my own recipe????? :)
 Either way....they were really good. And were so easy that I'm pretty sure this will become part of my "meal rotation"!
 Happy Wednesday! Don't forget to wear green tomorrow! :)

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Brown Thumb

  I love flowers...and plants...but they DO NOT love me. As much as I would like to say that I am a gardener...I can not lie. If you gave me your heartiest plant...it would be dead within a month. No kidding. Y'all...it's P.I.T.I.F.U.L. I think it makes my mom sad...because she has a great flower garden...and can pretty much make a plant rise from the dead.  I have two plants in my entire house...and here is their current state...



But when I saw these pictures in my new Country Living Magazine.. 




....I almost fell over and died with jealousy...and I don't even garden. It could be possible that what I REALLY love about these spaces is how they are organized using fabulous baskets, crates, etc...but I'll tell you one thing. If I had something like that in my garage...I just might work on turning my brown thumb to green.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Family

  My sweet grandmother has recently been placed in an assisted living facility....and even though I know that getting older is just a part of life...I honestly never pictured it happening it to her. This is what I think about when I think of her...she used to walk SIX miles every day...well into her sixties. Every day she dresses up...and has matching jewelery to boot.  Fridays were her "beauty shop" day.  She makes the best giblet gravy...and angel delight...and sausage balls. She loves to travel. Church is THE MOST important thing...and she prays for everyone she knows.
   This weekend, my parents, brother, and I drove to Sandersville, GA...to potentially see her house for the last time...and to gather anything from her house that had meaning to us...and would make us think of her.
 My family's story...to me anyway, is pretty cool. In fact, if you live/are from the south, you may have even seen a part of us..and never even realized it. Many years ago, my great-grandfather, started a canning company and named it after my great-grandmother, Margaret. It was then passed down to my grandfather...and THIS...is what my dad grew up around...and oh my...he has THE BEST stories. But that is another post for another day. It was sold in 1985 but the company that bought it decided to continue to use the "Margaret Holmes" name.
 So...if you ever see this...
Know this...Margaret Holmes is my great-grandmother....and even though the McCall Family bought our "name" and their story is nothing like ours...it still makes me think of our family every time I see those cans on the grocery store shelves...because once upon a time...that label WAS my family's....and you wouldn't believe the amount of hard work and sweat that went into every single can.

Here is a little bit of family history...
and here...
(paragraph 4 and 5 are about my family)

Ed is my great-grandfather, David is my grandfather...and the lady I am talking about is his wife...my grandmother! Isn't history fascinating? 
Happy Monday!!!! 


Thursday, March 10, 2011

Celebrity Crush

  Y'all...I have a celebrity crush...or an almost-celebrity crush...or a I-know-you-are-going-to-be-so-famous-one-day-and-I'll-come-to-all-of-your-concerts crush...
 Paul McDonald...will you marry me? OK...yes, I'm already married...and I'm pretty sure I'm way older than you...but I'll let you think about it! ;)
 For those of you who DON'T watch American Idol...THIS is Paul....

And here are some videos of him singing...
                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6RXJ-5lhj0

  He has a soft raspy voice similar to Ray LaMontagne http://www.raylamontagne.com/us/home who I saw in concert twice this past year..and Hutton says he is a good dancer! HA! So Paul....if you're reading this blog....bahahahahhahahahahahahaha....yeah right....I voted for ya! 
Happy Thursday!


Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Happy Things....

  Two things I am L.O.V.I.N.G. right now...and they aren't related...in ANY way...which will probably make them look funny together on this page...but I'm not concerned about that! HA! 
    1. I have a long torso and hips...which for some reason makes it hard to find tank tops/undershirts that will not ride up! They start out fine...but...throw in some washing and drying, and I might as well give them to Lainey. So when I found these...I decided to give them a try.

And y'all....they are AWESOME!!!!! Exactly what I was looking for to wear under shirts, sweaters, etc. and they DO NOT bunch up! There is a monsoon here today and our Target has covered parking...so guess where I'm going...because even though I already  have three of them...they are on SALE this week...for $6...and I can't pass up a deal like that! 
Whoo hoo!!

2. This show is my new favorite!

Design Secrets From Emily Henderson

HGTV Design Star winner Emily Henderson shares her favorite decorating tips on Secrets From a Stylist.





She gives the homeowner TWO options...which is PERFECT for someone like me who....
A. Can't make up their mind
B. Needs to see everything pulled together to decide

before


option 1

what is next???


option 2
option 2

 Don't you love it???? I was so happy when she won HGTV's Design Star...and now I'm even happier that her show is right up my alley! Yipee! 
Have a great Wednesday!

PS. Remember my happy yellow polka dot rainboots that I ordered the other day? Well...they arrived on Saturday...and I get to wear them today! And...because of that...it makes the rain not seem so bad! :)














Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Kitchen Love...

I have kitchens on the brain. We are finally starting another stage of our kitchen reno and I'm so excited, I can't even breathe. The first stage was to get all new stainless steel appliances...which we did when we moved here...because the oven was so old...I couldn't even figure out how to work it...plus they were U.G.L.Y. Now we are starting the granite/backsplash stage....and to be honest, I'm kinda glad it has taken this long to get to stage two...because my style is WAY different than it was almost five years ago. I'm going with white, white, and more white. That way I can bring in color through accessories and paint on the wall...not by changing out the granite every time I change my mind! HA! Because THAT would be cheap....
  Anyway...here are some kitchens that make me smile....
***Pics from House of Turquoise***



***Found: ????

And just because you cook in the kitchen and eat in the dining room...here are some dining rooms that I love....

***Pics from House of Turquoise***

Have a wonderful Tuesday! :)






Monday, March 7, 2011

Colorful Spring Update

  When my husband and I fell in love with this house, I was concerned with one thing. It didn't have a basement...which is something I desperately wanted...mostly so I could throw every toy we own down into the dungeon of doom and the rest of my house would be clutter free! So we made a compromise...because what this house DID have was a huge room around the corner from the kitchen..that we knew would be a perfect playroom!
 Five years later...this room is now being used as a playroom, exercise room, doggy room, and home to all of the "cast off" furniture that gets bumped from other parts of the house. Last month I decided that it needed some C.O.L.O.R...for spring...so on a tiny budget...I tried to see what I could do.
                                  Before




After

Before
After

Before 
After


***paint for shelves: $10 for white primer, white top coat-already had, turquoise-already had
***star:brought from another room, turquoise paint-already had
***floor pillows: IKEA-$6.99 each for insert, $6.00 each for pillow slipcover(has zipper so can easily be taken off to wash! yea!) 
***rug: IKEA-$50 each(there are two)
***piece of fabric covering chair: already had


 I still need some curtains for the windows, french doors, and "cloffic"...(closet/kids office) but I'm on the hunt for something cheap and washable...washable for the kids and cheap because...well...as I've said before, I change my mind every other day...so next year, this room will look completely different! :)
 Have a wonderful Monday! 

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Tennessee

  We had such a great time visiting my parents...from the moment we fly up the driveway honking the horn...the fun never stops! Here are some highlights of our trip....
 I know this is weird, but I LOVE to organize things...so while my mom was still at work, Lainey and I organized her closet...and then Lainey put on a fashion show for us with some of the things that were going to a new home at the Goodwill...



Scrapbooking with Mimi...

My mom is the best cook...so we always have great food!
(My SIL, cousin, and I)

Cousins!

Taking a trip to the Adventure Science Museum

Piano Playing...

Ambulance driving...


Sliding down the "poop" tunnel...yes..you read that right!


Hmmm...what does that mean that they look the happiest coming out of the "poop" tunnel????


Hey look! I'm actually in a picture....


Lainey attempting to defy gravity....

 Out of everything in that entire museum, the most simple thing was his favorite!
(watch the penny go around and around and around...) 


Playing drums with Grandaddy


Hooking up the sound system and singing with the microphones!
(Isn't my mom the cutest??)



Mimi and Lainey breakin' it down...


My two favorite people....


Marcy Jo's Mealhouse..and a brother/sister argument...


My cutie nephew...


This year will mark the 10th year of me not living in the same state as my parents...and it's hard to believe that it has been that long already! I hate that my kids are not growing up close to grandparents, but we make the BEST of every trip!!!