The Itch.

Today I've got the itch to get going.  To travel.  To go to the beach.  To rent a lake house.  To stay in a cabin at a state park.  To have campfires and s'mores and good drinks and great company. To just get in the car and gooooo.... So that's what I'm going to do. After all... this chick would love it.

A giraffe that also plays the drums? It's just too much to handle :)

There's no reason why we can't travel with Abi.  We are blessed to have a car seat that fits her well, a feeding system that is mobile and a child that enjoys car rides :) (Most of the time.) She also loves new experiences and while she will often get quiet and pensive in new situations, she seems to really thrive on the change of scenery.

This week I had a baby sitter come for the first time.  It was so weird pulling out of the driveway. But I did it.  I went and had lunch at Panera by myself.  A greek salad, a turkey sandwich and a Sprite.  By myself.  It was a teeny bit life changing.  After my meal, I walked to a bookstore and browsed, then ran a few more errands and was back before Abi even woke up from her nap. Let me repeat that: I walked to a bookstore and browsed. Sweet Hallelujah.   Seeing how much I needed those two hours was wildly eye opening. I'm an introvert at heart and having zero alone time can really derail me.  When I returned I felt refreshed, rejuvenated and like I had been filled with endless amounts of energy to dedicate to Abi.

In fact, after she woke up, we went on a walk... for an hour.  She loved it. I loved it, and with my large Chick-fil-a tea (with crushed ice) as our only companion, we had quite the time.

Speaking of getting in the car and going... please tell me you've seen this.  I cried laughing both times I watched it... Seriously. Hit play.

You're welcome. 

Happy Thursday!

mae

Helllooo party people!

I hope you had an awesome weekend.  Since I spoke with you last, Abi caught some sort of stomach bug and we've been spending each day canceling appointments, changing clothes, rethinking what to give her through the tube, yada yada yada. Luckily, though, for most of the weekend Abi was feeling much better and I was able to do a few things outside the house.  (What?! Unheard of.)

For one, I got a manicure. Purple polish.  I had been day dreaming about the color for a week. (Who knows why.) Now, every time I look down and see the color on my nails I'm strangely satisfied. It's about 5 notches below Barney and two notches above eggplant.  Dusty maybe? I'm happy.

Second, I made a bold decision to go through the Krispy Kreme drive-thru Friday night and when they told me a half dozen was only a few cents less than a full dozen, I did what any responsible juice-drinking, organic-eating, veggie-consuming adult would do... I got a full dozen... and they were hot. Sweet mercy they were hot.

Saturday night, Sean stayed with Abi while I attended my dear-wonderful-beautiful friend's cocktail hour(s) after her wedding.  It was a blast.

The bride is the one in the middle with the incredible mermaid hair.  Every single strand of that is real ladies. Her locks are kind of a big deal.  But, more on that special event and incredible woman later... it all deserves a post of it's own.

And in case you're not sure what I look like, I'm this person.

I've been told I don't post enough pictures of myself on this blog. The problem is that me and "selfies" just rarely agree.  I always look how I feel about the whole camera in my face thang: uncomfortable. And good gawsh let's pray I don't get caught trying to take a selfie or I just totally crumble.  How bloggers like E and M have perfected the art of an unassuming fun self-portrait is a talent I've yet to discover.  Maybe an e-course on this ladies??

Regardless, I'm working on it. See! Here's another one!

Those are my feet. In heels.  Which doesn't happen nearly enough these days, and thus must be documented.

Alright friends... That's all for now. Off to brew a second pot of coffee... time change is still sinking in. Are you used to it yet?

mae mae

PS: Remember when I posted the hair tutorial gone wrong video?? Well she was on Ellen recently!! (Of course she was, Ellen is just so on her game.) Tori was an awesome interview and I love her even more now.  Check it out for yourself:

Blog Crush

The beloved Erin from Living in Yellow, is inviting one and all to share their current "blog crushes" and I'm pretty darn pumped to brag on some of my favorites.  Join the party over HERE and link up your blog crush!

Alright- in no particular order, here are some amazing blogs that make me go

And yes, if you're wondering when I'll stop using this incriminating picture of myself, the answer is never.

Flower Patch Farmgirl: Good gosh this girl knows how to write. Not only is she clever and funny and deliciously awesome with words, she has an incredible story to tell... including adoption, jail, and moving from her beloved home in the country to a place in the city. Also, she introduced me to Jen Hatmaker, and for that I'm forever grateful. 

Jen Hatmaker: If this woman's not on your radar I'm upset.  Between her hilarious tweets, her incredible blog,  her many books, or her fierce advocacy for the "least of these" this Christian speaker/writer is the woman you want to be best friends with. She's got serious moxy, folks ;)

Living in Yellow: Duh.  She's hilarious, fun, honest, smart, bizzzzz-savvvyyy and as kind as she is cool.  I wait for her posts every day like I do the mailman. (Now that I'm at home more I seriously wait on the mailman. I guess I always think he's bringing me a magazine or something.  Instead I get bills from the children's hospital.  Fooled every time! Regardless, looking out the window when I hear the truck feels so 1950's. Should I be in a dress and heels too? Alas, I'm in sweats with no mascara. Oh 2013, how I love you.) Anyhow, Erin's the best of the best and knows how to make this blogging biz a platform for good, funny, and all things awesome... I just wish she lived closer to Nashvegas...

Thriftary: Girl's my sista but that's not why she's on this list.  She's as hilarious as she is inventive and beyond her marketing, graphic design, cooking, home decor genius- she's got the heart of a thousand nuns and the spirit of a million lawyers. Does that make sense? She's a fighter.  For herself, for her family, for her business, and for her gifts.  I learn a lot from her everyday.  Also, she's the reason I started this here blog. Mrs. Thriftary is the gateway drug to this blogging culture I've grown to love so much.

Gung Ho Heart:  To say I reeallly love this girl is an understatement.  The truth is I can hear her at this very moment singing upstairs in my husband's studio and it's making my week. She's a brilliant musician, a loyal friend, and a partner in many previous crimes... She's also on this adoption journey with me, but that's not how we met. We were friends way before the word "kids" ever came out of our mouths. Oh and I recently woke up to a text from her saying something to the effect of, "Just got married on the beach in Africa.  Can't wait to tell you about it. See you in 72 hours." Saywhaaa?? Girl's got passion, guts, boldness, a spirit like no other and now an incredible family... husband and 4 kiddos included.

BOOM There you go. Some seriously killer blogs that I give a resounding TWO THUMBS UP. Well done, ladies.

There are so, so many more blogs that I love and wish I had time to gush about but alas, I'm sure your eyes are growing weary and my time is limited.  Baby girl's got 30 minutes left on her nap and I've got some taxes to do.  Try not to be jealous.

Who is your blog crush? 

Go link up HERE.

Testosterone Fail: Robbery Style

I drove past my my local K-mart the other day and thought, "I can't believe I haven't posted about the robbery I witnessed there last year." I've witnessed 3 robberies in the past year (robbery might be too harsh a word... just your average guy or gal trying to steal some stuff while being chased by store security. Regardless, they were robbing the store so I suppose the word holds true.) Anyhow, thankfully, in all 3 instances there were no weapons used and I never felt threatened. But the middle instance, the robbery at k-mart, is one of those "in the right place at the right time" miracles that I will forever be thankful for. It was actually something between Gloriously Epic and Monumentally Awesome.  Let me explain...

It was early afternoon and I had decided to make a quick run to K-mart to restock my office supplies.  I walked in, grabbed my binders and envelopes, and headed to the registers. But as I was making my way to the checkout line, I miraculously stopped in the women’s department to take a quick look at a few blouses. Suddenly, a young, tall, lanky man bolted passed the clothes section, and ran towards the doors at top speed. It was obvious he was stealing something. (I'm no thief, but if I was, I wouldn't suggest running when there's nobody chasing you... seems like a sure-fire way to get noticed...)

Unfortunate for him (and very fortunate for me) the door he chose to exit was a "pull" and not a "push." He, however, did not know this and chose to dramatically slam himself into the glass, believing it would swing wide open. But, since it was a "pull", it stayed stationary and he immediately crumbled to the floor. It caused such a scene that two employees quickly realized what was going on and ran after him. When the thief saw them coming, he somehow managed to get his bearings, scramble to his feet, try another door, and escape.  The two employees ran outside after him.  (I can’t imagine what the people in the garden section thought.)

It took me two seconds to assess the fact that YES, that had just happened and NO, nobody was hurt... and then I lost all composure in a display of complete unreserved-belly aching laughter.  If you know me IRL (this is the new acronym I just discovered for "In Real Life") my greatest joy is seeing people fall.  There's something about the look on people's faces when they realize they're totally out of control that is hilarious.  (Sidenote: If they get hurt or people are making fun of them (unless you're a thief) I don't enjoy it.)  But anyone who can fall and then laugh at themselves is a friend of mine.

Eventually the clerks that had run after the man came back... they were winded, empty handed, and laughing hysterically. Although they didn't catch the guy, they were laughing so hard they were crying.  The entire front half of the store erupted in intense, hold-your-side-and-pray-for-mercy laughter.  We had all witnessed one of the most humbling displays of a major testosterone fail. Running top-speed through a store, clearly certain you'd be the "big-man" who got away with stealing, only to run face first into a glass door, is well... beyond priceless.  No matter what that man got away with, it couldn't possibly equal the amount of pride he left sitting on that cold-tile floor.

Thank you K-mart for your strikingly good deals, your surprisingly good selection of women's apparel (if your standards are well... similar to mine), and for the honor of witnessing one of the most hilarious moments of my life.  I owe you one.  Oh... and for the love of all that is good, please put that security tape on YouTube.

Mae Mae 

*This is an archived but edited post*

It's Monday!

Happy Monday Y'all!

source

See what I did there? I added balloons like Monday is a good thing... it's all about perspective... maybe?

Anyhow, I hope you had a good weekend.  I had a good one.  My husband was sick so he laid low Saturday morning, while I had coffee and girl time with my friends across the street.  Everyone had kids.  It was snowing. There were cinnamon rolls.  It was fun.

Saturday night we stayed in while Abi tried her new stander and we had a little jam session.  Girl loves her some guitar.

 

(She also LOVES the stander. I think she may even love it more than her chair or her swing...) 

Somehow in the crevices of unclaimed time, I got officially addicted to the show Extreme Couponing. After 11 episodes, (sue me- they're 20 minutes a piece) I was on fire.  Paper towels and tooth paste for free??? Heck yes, I'd buy 200.  I'm not interested in buying anything we don't already eat (which at this point is basically just produce), but shampoos, detergents, and yadayadayada? Count me in.  All that to say, I may or may not have been clipping coupons at 11pm on my living room floor last night. When I found my first manufacture's coupon that matched with my local stores sale... I about had a heart attack.  It's true! You REALLY CAN get things for pennies. Unbelievable.

At 1:30 am, I was finally asleep and now it's Monday.  We got up and made two days worth of juice (juicing is kind of rocking our worlds...) I've got carrot juice in hand and coffee by my side (no way I'm giving that up).  The dishwasher isn't working.  My house is a crazy (organized?) mess, and I'm about to hop off of here and go get Monday on it's way.

How was your weekend???

mae

This Ain't the 1950's...

While there are parts of history I think I would have really enjoyed... (sock hops and poodle skirts to name a few), there are some things that make me infinitely thankful that I live in 2013.  For one, the advancement of medical equipment. Instead of this:

My baby girl is kickin' back in these beautiful suckers:

Yes, those are foot braces with lilac and lime green polka dots.They look like jellies really. Out of the 2,000 color combos I was allowed to choose from, I think I did pretty darn well.

She's now rolling strong in this guy:

It's sleek. It's stylish. And all the cool kids want one. 

And standing tall in this beauty: 

I mean it's pretty unbelievable. We call these pieces Abi's "big toys."  I'm pretty darn pleased with each piece that she's gotten and feeling exceptionally blessed.  All of this will be able to grow with her for an anticipated 3-6 years, the "kid-cart" seat can be removed and buckled into a bus or van, and the trays are obviously removable as well. The stander will give her an opportunity to begin weight-bearing on her legs and feet while maintaining the proper alignment, it will provide a different point of view, a stretch of the muscles, and hopefully (and perhaps what I'm most excited about) an improved digestive system. It's a pretty stellar line-up.

And, YES, this is Abi playing with a toy that she otherwise hasn't been able to... before now she was too busy worrying about holding her body in all the right places to explore the use of her arms... She would of course look at the toy, and we would put her hands on it, but until now, reaching out for the toy wasn't happening.  First day in the chair though, and this gal's on a mission.  It's go time.

mae

In this neck of the woods...

This morning, over coffee, I received an email from my sister with a picture of her and her newly chipped front tooth (courtesy of her dog's mad playing ball skills)... She proceeded to explain that before she could make it to the dentist and have said tooth dealt with, she would have to fulfill a previously scheduled work engagement: judging a chili contest. Yes, that's right. It's as perfect as it sounds. She also included, "Everyone at work is loving my new look."  Amazing.

Other things are moving on as normal... We're juicing now. Which is actually going better than anticipated. I don't mind the taste and I love the buzz :) Sean calls it a "veggie-buzz."  Looks like REAL food really does give you REAL energy... who knew?  Plus, Abi LOVES the way the juicer sounds...

I mean how can you NOT juice when you know this is what will happen when you do??

It's cold here again...We got a taste of Spring and now she's nowhere to be found. I actually don't mind the cold if we get some snow... Come on Ole Man Winter, give us one last hoorah.

Lastly, this video was shared with me last week and I can't quit laughing. Enjoy!

How are things in your neck of the woods??