Friday Face!

Happy Happy Happy Friday everyone! 

Friday means many things to me. 

Half day at work. 

More time with Logan. 

And - It's FRIDAY FACE!

This week I stumbled upon Alice's Blog - Alice Surviving Wonderland - after she commented on my blog - after she stumbled from Tiffanie's blog - where I was talking about the product of the week.

(are you still with me?)

I was instantly smitten and wanted to know more about her so I contacted her about being this week's face.

It also helps that she's purty.

Meet ALICE!

*Picture taken by Sherri Scarpa Photography, you can find her on Facebook.*

1. Tell me a little bit about your family!

My family consists of Alan (who should be my husband by now, we have been together for 6 years), my daughter Emilee who is 12, my son Zackary who is 10, and my baby Colton, 14 months old, and myself, Alice. I just turned 29. If you are good at math then you can obviously calculate that I had Emilee and Zackary at a very young age, and that Alan is not their biological father. I had Em 19 days before my 17th birthday. Then Z followed behind 18 months and 3 days later. I didn't do things the "right" way then and I still don't. But I believe my kids are here for a reason. They truly are my blessings. And I know that I have a God who forgives and loves me. Even though I had my older 2 at a younger age, I still graduated high school and I also have my Associate's Degree from a community college. I have had a full-time, steady job since January 2001. I worked in Real Estate for 5 years and I have been at my current job in the Oil & Gas Industry for 5 years. Alan works in Home Construction. He hopes to be a builder with his own company one day. My daughter is in middle school. She is in band and she also does gymnastics. She had been a dancer for 7 years. She will also be starting Cheerleading this summer. Zack LOVES football. He has been playing for 6 years now. He played baseball up until this year. But he decided that football was the only sport he wanted to play. And my baby Colton, well he loves me, walking in his wagon, playing outside, any and all food - he seriously would eat all the time, his binky, music & dancing, and bath time!  We like spending time together as a family, going to movies, being outside at the lake, etc.

2. What meal is the biggest hit in your house?

I would have to say that Pioneer Woman's Italian Drip Beef (I posted about it here) is one of the biggest hits in our house. We also like anything Mexican! Tacos, Enchiladas, etc. I love making PW's salsa and her pico de gallo and adding both to fresh guacamole. Yum! Now I am hungry!

3. What made you decide to start blogging?

I really don't remember why I decided to start blogging. I guess it had to do with the fact that I read a TON of blogs and I thought to myself, "I can do that, I need to start an online journal".

4. What is your favorite part of the day?

During the work week my favorite part of the day is when I get to pick up my kids! I wish more than anything that I could be a stay-at-home mom, but I just can't. So I look forward to 4:30 p.m. every Monday thru Friday. Then we get to go home, eat dinner, play, spend time together, and go to bed.

5. As a mom to 3, do you have any advice for us new mom's?

Just use your head and your heart for what is right and wrong for your children. You were chosen to be THEIR mother/father! I do think you should listen to advice from others but you never have to follow that advice. Trust your parenting instinct. What works for one family may not work for yours. Try to remember that they are children. They do make messes. And they are learning. I am getting a lot better at being ok with messes :-) Make sure to always have an open line of communication, especially once they get older. If they ask a question, then give them the truth. Pray for them daily!

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 Alice, I am so glad you agreed, rather last minute, to be my Friday Face.

Head on over and visit her and say howdy!

http://alicesurvivingwonderland.blogspot.com/

Why am I so southern talkin' today? No idea.

Have a super awesome wonderful fantabulous weekend!

We're your backyard friends...

In trying to find something to occupy Logan's attention on tv (only for short periods of time) I asked my boss for suggestions. She said that her daughter loves the Backyardigans, and it is available on Netflix instant stream. Perfect!

"We're your backyard friends, the Backyaaaaaaaardigaaaaaaans!"

I put Logan in his swing and he was fussy an tired so I powered up Apple Tv, found Netflix and started Backyardigans.

INSTANTLY he was quiet and fixated.

While I cooked dinner in the other room, I listened to the story of the little cartoon animals - hunting treasure.
Ok here is where I start to see the downside of being an adult watching a very simple and cute cartoon.

1. They go looking for treasure with half a map because "half is better than none!" 

Bullshit! When you grow up you realize half sucks! Half a chocolate? Half a bottle glass of wine? No way! Just try and give me half a cupcake and see what happens...

2. They find the treated by finding the literal "X" on the ground.

Seriously? Life is never so easy! There isn't an x on your future husbands head so you can skip on by the losers you would have dated, looking for that x. There isn't an x on the perfect little black dress or perfect pair of heels... X does NOT mark the spot!!

3. They REBURIED the treasure!

I literally said out loud "what the hell?!" when I saw this happening. Kids! Go shopping! Find your parents so they can buy a big ass house start college funds! At least put some in your pocket!

Stupid little back yard animal friends. But at least Logan loved it and gave me some free time to cook!

Product of the Week!

Hey there everyone! Hop on over to Tiffanie's blog at Pineapples and Pickles to see my guest post for product of the week!

(click the button below.... but you knew that...)

Send money... I need new stuff!

Guys. Gals. Whatever you are as you read this post...

I am in the middle of a bad case of the "I wants."

For instance this week's Pottery Barn catalog came in and I started "I want!" like a 2 year old at everything on the page!
Such as:

Source: Pottery Barn.com

Also - please add the pool and towels.. hell even the beer.

What about:

Source: Pottery Barn.com

This is nicer than the living furniture we have. I WANT!

And for my desk (in a newly designed office right?) I need:

I mean, hellooooo, the new site has this as my logo. So obviously I need it for inspiration right?

*crickets*

Ok then.

Well I am also in the middle of I WANT a bigger house. And in this bigger house, where I also found a money tree in the back yard, I want a beautiful new kitchen.

With Bamboo Cabinets:

Source: Lagunabamboo.com

And Quartz counters that look like concrete:

Source: Ceasarstone.com

And light, fresh, possibly white tile backsplash:

Source: Knoxtile.com

For now.. the only I Want I can fulfill... is a cup of coffee...

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Happy Easter!

From the Nash's

 

 Logan and Aunt Kelly

Sleepy Logan

Friday Face!

Goooood Morning fellow bloggers. It's Good Friday, which is made better by being off work so that we can soak up some family time.

Keeping in the theme of family time, today is an extra special Friday Face.

In case you missed something at some point, meet:

LOGAN!

Hey there everyone! Nice to see you again!

So Logan, I am very glad you agreed to do Friday Face for me. I just want to ask you a few questions and then I will let you get back to ... doing baby things...

Ok - that's cool Mom.

Everywhere we go, someone comments on your hair. What do you think about that?

It's my trademark! I mean, when I am older it's going to really help me with the ladies, you know?!

Yes, that is something I am already afraid of, and very aware of kiddo. 

You are the star of daycare these days, hanging out with Lucy and your fellow baby friends. What are you favorite things to do?

I really like sitting in the Bumbo, yacking it up with my homies. Otherwise I would spend the day in the swing if they would let me. When I am home, my Jumparoo is the coolest place to be!

 

Logan, thanks again for being today's Friday Face. Are you excited about your first Easter?

Do I get to eat one of those Peanut Butter Eggs you eat with such a frenzy?

No.

Then, sure - as long as you dress me up cute and make my hair extra wild so the church ladies love on me.

Happy Friday everyone and I hope you have a great Easter weekend!

What I am loving Wednesday

Man - what a day I had today! I didn't even have 5 minutes to stop and tell you what I am loving today!

Last night, I had a bit of a sweet tooth attack... Lo and behold what was in my fridge?
MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT EASTER CANDY EVER...

Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs.

These are 50 times better than the regular cup... which I also adore and can't keep in my house.

I have have had 5 a few..

A little less complication....

Have you ever felt like your brain is a traffic jam, like Jessica does?
I have a few solutions that may work for you.

As I set out to really grow this tiny blog of mine, I knew that between the full time job, the full time hubby, and the double full time baby and pets... I would need a way to keep things organized and easily accessible.

Exhibit A: We house all our photos and music and such on our desktop (does anyone know what that is anymore?), the iMac. Once I started blogging all the time and commenting non stop on other blogs, joining stumbleupon, blogfrog, etc... I was in the back room alone a lot and my hubby missed me.

This led to...the new laptop, the MacBook, so that I can blog in the living room amongst the brood.

How - without a big time suck, do you get the photos and documents from A to B?

Thanks to Donald, I now have - Dropbox.

You install it in about 2.5 seconds on each computer. You put the photos in the dropbox, go to the other computer and whala - in the dropbox. ALSO - you can login online and get to the dropbox too, so you really can access what you need from anywhere. You can add documents too. It's awesome and F-R-E-E!

Exhibit B: Blogger, as happy as I am with them, makes me nuts because if you create a draft, come back the next day and post it - it posts it as YESTERDAY (or the day you started the draft). What? So when doing Friday Face, I would look a little short of cards in my deck to post it on Thursday, no?

My solution?

Evernote

I have been using Evernote for some time to make my Target lists, reminders, etc from my phone (there's an APP!) Now, I keep a running blog idea note, and I also write my drafts on it. That way, again, no matter where I am, I am copy and paste into blogger, polish it up and post it. I can write from my phone while in the Dr's office, in the car with Lee, waiting on a meeting to start. Pretty nice. Also F-R-E-E.

I have tried and tried to think of a 3rd something, but I just can't. These 2 things have helped me so much in the last month. I hope you like them too!

Let's take a tour!

You  may have noticed, that in the midst of wedding week - the blog got a major refresh!
First, I must give credit to the awesome Lauren at BlueLuxStudio! (her button is at the bottom right)

Now - I wanted to take you on a little tour just in case you missed anything!

First - I now have some quick-link buttons at the top.

 The first link (other than  Home) is "Our Story" It's different than the long one I played out last week, and more of an About Us. It's for anyone who has stopped by and wants to know about the weirdo who writes this blog...

Then we have "Our Home." This is so you can take a tiny tour of our tiny bungalow. We haven't moved up to our "second home" status of more than one bathroom, a real entryway, etc... but we do love our little place. It works for us for now. There aren't outside photos either because we haven't landscaped.

Then Recipes will take you over to Sticks To Your Ribs - where today I am talking about the cupcakes I made because Jenni decided to blog about them Friday. Even with the stomach bug I drooled at those damn cupcakes!

Lastly there is the link up section. Please oh please with a cherry on top go like my Facebook page! You can also follow me on Twitter, subscribe through a feed, and send me a nice little email..

AND! There is the new and improved Header and Button! If you feel so inclined, please display my pretty new button on your site!

If you scroll all the way to the bottom, I have many many buttons of sites I love. They are down there for a cleaner look, not because I don't want them displayed. I am thinking of having a Button of the Week or Month up on the side to draw attention to certain sites. Thoughts?

I need a blogger for this week's Friday Face! Send me an email (remember, just click the email link!) if you would like to be featured and I will work up some questions.

I hope you like the new site!

He's Gonna Marry Me...

It's 5am. The alarm in the room is going off... WHAT?!!
Donald (who had stayed with me in the room, along with my cousin Audrea) fumbled to try and turn it off. Then we started to giggle as I started the "I'm GETTING MARRIED TODAY!!" dance. Eventually, we did fall back to sleep for a little while.

Things started off fast and furious. My mom came to my room to help me get ready, and slowly all the bridesmaids showed up too..

 

The next thing I knew... I was walking down the aisle, saying I DO, and we were married!

First Dance - "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison

Then there were more dances...

 My Dad and I "Little Miss Magic" by Jimmy Buffett

 My Step-Dad and I "Have a Little Faith in Me" by Delbert McClinton

 My Papa and I "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder

 

I honestly can't remember the song, but Lee and his mother had a lovely dance as well

 After much more dancing and eating... the party was over and then it was off to happily ever after...

Friday Face!

 Happy Friday everyone! It's time for Friday Face!

This week I wanted to introduce you all to Jessica. I met Jessica in college in our first class for Interior Design. We were in almost every single class together since they only offered these at certain times anyway. We teamed up on projects, hung out as friends, and pulled all nighters. 

Since college, I haven't seen Jessica much but was so happy to reconnect on Blogger and Facebook. Check her out here: Doubling the Dewitts.

1. So tell me, with 3 dogs, 3 cats, and 3 humans - what's it like around your house?

 

It's pretty furry. No really, fur everywhere. I spend a lot of money on food also. 

Serious {but corney} its SO full of love and affection and entertainment. I could never imagine a live without animals. Everyone is so cuddly and sweet. I have the best animals.  We humans just live in their world mot of the time.  They are all learning that Callen isn't going anywhere, and watching him grow up with them is going to be fun. 

2. What made you so interested in Interior Design? What would your dream job be? 

 

I have always been interested in the "parts to the whole." I started as a Genetics major - uh.. NO! Interior Design for me is a big puzzle.  My dad was a residential contractor so I fell in love with old homes and the history they represent. I should have gone to work for him when I graduated {sniff.. sniff}.  I quickly realized that residential clients are... challenging.... so I went to work commercially {we do not design commercials, we design for non residential clients}. 

 

Two dream jobs: {One} Super dream job. Design for Disney. {Two} Realistic dream job. Design residential house plans for a builder. Oh yeah and an event planner would really fun too! Decisions Decisions... 

3. What is something unique about yourself?

 

I have a fused tooth...unique enough? I was the freak show at the dentist when I was little, they always brought in all the students to see. {I bet this causes an influx on Google.}

4. What is your favorite food?

Ohh.. to choose just one. If I were to die tomorrow... I would want to have a James Coney Island Chili Dog. 

5. What inspired you to start blogging? 

 

I was indefinitely opposed to Facebook and the blog was my compromise. I wanted to share my pregnancy with my family & friends, since I live so far away. Look where that got me? A blog AND Facebook. 

Parties and Showers and Lay Offs! Oh My!

When you are getting married, people come out of the woodwork to throw you a party or a shower. The first party we had was a luncheon held by Lee's best friend in high school's mother. The idea was that everyone brought a recipe to help start the Bride's recipe book. Pretty good idea since I was not a cooking person (yet!) In fact, looking back at what was cooked at the luncheon (and the recipes handed down) I may have to recreate the meal!

Pre-me figuring out what to do with this thin, flat hair...

After that was my first official Bridal Shower - in Palestine. The week leading up to it, Lee had the flu. Like 102 degree fever flu. 

When I woke up to get ready for the shower Saturday morning.. I had a fever. I was freaking out. I can't cancel a shower 3 hours away! 

I took 4 Motrin and laid under the ceiling fan in my underwear and my fever went down. I got dressed in the most un-shower outift ever of khakis, tshirt, and cardigan, and drove to Palestine with my soon to be mother in law. 

The shower was lovely, thrown by my Matron of Honor, Katie,  and another bridesmaid, Heather. Again - here I was being the center of attention and with a fever. I tried to be good about it.

Not successfully. 

Finally, there was the "Can't Live Without It" shower - in which people were encouraged to bring things to the shower that they thought we couldn't live without. There was even toilet paper tied to the ficus!

Things moved ahead quickly and before we knew it - the wedding was a week away!

And then I got laid off. Yes, 2 days before the wedding.

But it was from the Job from HELL so in the end, not a big deal.

Not to mention that the same month they were doing massive massive lay offs at Lee's company... a little stressful no?

No worries, he made it through.. 

The rehearsal was a complete circus. No one could hold their attention. Not many people really listened. So finally, my grandmother jumped in and took over! Next thin you knew, people were marching down that aisle and the rehearsal was over. On to the party!

Held at Lee's parents, in the back yard, catered by Lupe Tortilla. 

 My Step-Sister Amber and I, enjoying margaritas!

Amber, MeKenzy (my niece), her daughter Meckenzie (my other niece and yes, 2 flower girls with the same name!) and my Mom

That night, I stayed in the hotel without Lee - not believing that the big day was tomorrow...