ready to hunt eggs...

i have a little girl. i am very thrilled with this because it gives me reason to sew. not that you can't sew cute little outfits for boys, but let's face it... after a year, if you put your boy in a smocked outfit, folks may think he is not straight... or his parents are not right in the head. lucky for me, i have a girl. i love to sew and smock (smocking is what i took up about a year ago when i decided buying them at the store was outrageously overpriced!) anyways, in the past week or so, i have managed to complete my little girls easter attire for both the sunday service and the fun little egg hunt. i can't wait to see her walk to find the eggs this year (rather than being sat beside a random egg for a photo opp like last year). i made both of her little outfits last year and i just finished this years. i know you all would love to see what miss thang will be donning for her big weekend that is about a month away. here they are:

i realize the glare is a bit bad, but it is purple and white checks with white appliqued rabbits (first time i have ever appliqued anything and i hand made the appliques... i am proud of myself!) this outfit is called a vintage baby bubble suit.... if you flip up the little front shirt part up, you will see how it buttons up in the front like the old timey outfits did. i love it. i have made several of these (since the pattern is 6 months- 24 months and i bought it last year!)

i still have to complete the matching bonnet for the dress, but what do you think?! oooh and we bought her little white patton leather shoes the other day and she picked out a white purse to carry. she is so girly. i can't wait for her to want to wear the white gloves for easter too one year!

69 questions... thanks blue

Start Time: 13:52
1. Are your parents married or divorced? married... going on 33 years now
2. Are you a vegetarian? heavens no, i love the cow, the pig, and the chicken
3. Do you believe in Heaven? of course. and i believe in hell and i will not be burning when i take my last breath on earth
4. Have you ever come close to dying? fortunately, no
5. What jewelry do you wear 24/7? only my wedding rings
6. Favorite time of day? when zoe wakes up (unless that happens to be the middle of the night)
7. Do you eat the stems of broccoli? nope. i cut them off. i only like the leaves, not the trunks of those little trees.
8. Do you wear makeup? yep- and i sell mary kay on the side if anyone needs some
9. Ever have plastic surgery? nope
10. If you did have plastic surgery, what did you have done? i guess i could use some boobs too... i definatley dont have any now... after zoe
11. What do you wear to bed? depends on the season- right now it is flannel time
12. Have you ever done anything illegal? not that i can think of
13. Can you roll your tongue? like a swiss cake roll, no, but to say the r's in spanish- yes
14. Do you tweeze your eyebrows? in between waxes
15. What kind of sneakers do you wear? i havea pair of nikes
16. Do you believe in abortions? i'll keep that to myself. don't want to start a controversy
17. What is your hair color? brown
18. Future child’s name? current child- zoe, future child may never happen. we will see....
19. Do you snore? nope
20. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? why not a trip around the world.... so i can just see it all
21. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? nope- just my hubby and pug
22. If you won the lottery, what would you do first? change my phone number, then contact a financial planner
23. Gold or silver? silver
24. Hamburger or hot dog? hamburger... i don't like the pig leftovers
25. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? stuffed strawberries
26. City, beach or country? country
27. What was the last thing you touched?the keyboard
28. Where did you last eat? a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar at the computer desk
29. When’s the last time you cried? today at moms when she told a sweet story about your childs life
30. Do you read blogs? yes
31. Would you ever go out dressed as the opposite sex? i did in college for a sorority fundraiser
32. Ever been involved with the police? only for a ticket in gallatin tn- where they had a speed trap set up!
33. What’s your favorite shampoo, conditioner and soap? herbal essence for hair, suave body wash
34. Do you talk in your sleep? nope
35. Ocean or pool? pool- i dont care for the salt water
36. Sauna or whirlpool? whirlpool
37. Starbucks or Krispy Kreme? krispy kreme HOT! i only like the carmel apple cider at starbucks
38. Aisle or window seat? window
39. Ever met anyone famous? i was in david copperfields show in vegas once, and i met dennis leary and steve buccimi (sp) in new york
40. Do you feel you’ve had a truly successful life? i dont think life is over yet to know
41. Do you twirl or cut your spaghetti? twirl
42. Rikki Lake or Oprah? oprah
43. Basketball or Football? neither
44. How long do your showers last? 7-10 minutes with my mini audience
45. Do you drive automatic or stick? automatic, but i can drive a stick- not well
46. Cake or ice cream? ice cream cake
47. Are you self-conscious? sometimes
48. Have you ever drank so much you threw up? yep- mai tais in hawaii on our honeymoon
49. Have you ever given money to a beggar? i try to ignore them
50. Have you ever been in love? still am
51. Where do you wish you were? somewhere warmer
52. Are you wearing socks? yes
53. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? ridden no, been in one, yes
54. Can you tango? yes- my husband used to teach ballroom dancing
55. Last gift you received? a homemade valentines card from zoe
56. Last sport you played? is wii bowling a sport?
57. Things you spend a lot of money on? gas and groceries i guess
58. Where do you live? walking distance from shelby farms
59. Where were you born? memphis, tn
60. Last wedding attended? sorority sisters at the gordon lee mansion in georgia
61. Favorite position? position, lol um, I guess a comfortable one (ditto angel)
62. Most hated food(s)? meatloaf ? asian- although i am coming around to sushi
63. Most hated soda pop? i dont care for most of them (i only like code red, mtn. dew, and root beer)
64. Can you sing? i have been told i can- but i dont like to in front of people... it makes me nervous!
65. Last person you instant messaged? liz
66. Last place you went on holiday? nashville to visit my college roomie... does that count?
68. Favorite alcoholic drink? something fruity or wine
69. Current favorite song? we currently listen to the "100 bible songs" in the car
TIME FINISHED: 1415
Now it’s time to tag 3 friends. Here we go:
liz
casey
sillyhily
sorry girls... i didnt know who else to put!

fat tuesday...

well, i had a brilliant idea yesterday. i thought since today was going to be fat tuesday i would make homemade gumbo and a king cake for a fabulous feast for my husband and mom. (my dad is currently out of town on business and mom is alone). ok, for those of you who have never made either of these or both (particularly on the same day) you have no idea what i have gotten myself into. let me start by saying, this is the FIRST time (1:50pm) that i have sat down since 9:45 am this morning when i began this adventure. i have made bread before and knew it would take time for the yeast to rise, etc. but i have NEVER made gumbo. the roux alone almost set me over the edge. i had to constantly stir for about 45 minutes this flour mix until it turned a deep brown. i am sure my muscles will let me know how stupid i was after tomorrow. anyways, the gumbo is now simmering and the king cake is done. luckily zoe napped from 10:30 until 12:30 today which was during the main time of cooking all of the meats separately, dicing the okra, onions, and celery to saute, etc. needless to say, i will only do this again on a very special occasion or for a healthy paycheck. some of you are probably asking why i did not just buy a king cake at kroger for $4.99 in the bakery. i guess i wanted to put the little plastic baby in myself, and i wanted a fresh cake- not some stale one that no one bought from last weekend. i hope it is as yummy as it looks. here is a pic of today's crazy adventure. i know you guys are all jealous. well- happy fat tuesday and for those of you who get ashes, don't forget to do that tomorrow.

what the heck...i'll try to add a photo

well- i thought i would try to entertain you gals today with a few fabulous pics of my little girl... this is why there is never a dull moment in our house. i have never tried to upload photos before so lets keep our fingers crossed that i can figure it out before it drives me to drink. remember the snow day we had last week. well... two years running now and she obviously does not enjoy the snow. maybe one day she will change her mind- like when she gets a day off from school to stay home, sleep in, and make snow ice cream.

yeah... see two years running... same expression. ok, so i decided not to torture her. we came inside and for the first time. i gave her crayons. she has so much fun writing with a pen, why not give her an age appropriate writing utensil. so i got a sheet of computer paper and a box of crayons. she sat at her little table for 45 minutes working on this masterpiece. she did not get up, she did not color off of the paper, she sat content drawing her first true work of art. my mom swears that you can read, "i love my nana" in the middle of it, but i still can not see that one.

i know what you are thinking... that is the sweetest smile you have ever seen, i know, i agree! well, if that wasn't entertaining enough for the day, i let her eat that new disney yogurt alone. you know the type.... cotton candy and cherry, watermelon and strawberry, whatever the flavors are, they are bright colors, sound very disgusting, but she loves them. anyways, me feeding her is ok, but her feeding herself, spells an afternoon of fun followed by a mid day bath. see for yourself.

now, that has to be a face that only a mother could love, because heaven help us if she got that mess on daddy and his work clothes! well, as much fun as this has been, and virtually painless uploading photos...i will leave you with one last photo, because i must go finish the laundry before someone wakes from her nap... otherwise i will get help. she is a great helper too. i fold it and she kindly unfolds it, takes it out of the basket, climbs in the basket to be pushed around like she is racing nascar, or she does this....

let's dump it all out!

well, today i have a few cute little stories i have been saving up to compile into one blog. the following is a list of things the sweet little toddler has been doing this week.
1. every morning when i take my shower, i find anything in the bathroom to keep her occupied. i have learned that if i do not, i either get a peeping tom watch me throughout the whole process with splashes of water in her face not stopping her, or i get a gentle reminder (ie- scream) to let me know that she is unentertained at the moment. so, even though we have child locks on all of the cabinets and drawers, sometimes it works to my advantage to open a drawer for her playing entertainment, because lord knows that the den full of toys is simply not enough. well, recently i have opted for drawer number two, which i forgot had so many little bags of items organized (you know, hair rubber bands, barrettes, mini set of satin hands, and the infamous q-tips). she has now figured out how to open each bag and sporadically place each item from each bag all over the floor of our bathroom. it is like a maze walking out of the shower, but worth the 10 minutes it takes me to reorganize the drawer on a daily basis.
2. if you think this is the only thing she dumps, let me reassure you it is not. exhibit number two. one of my high school buds generously buys her a gift for every little holiday. well, for christmas he came to my parents bearing a grocery cart loaded with groceries and picnic supplies for both my daughter and my niece... awww how sweet. a single guy that thinks of others at the holidays. thanks a whole heck of a lot! she has now figured out how to load the grocery cart with all sorts of items (not to mention that she has to have the baby placed just right in the front seat of the buggy) and then she proceeds to tump over the cart. she thinks it is hilarious to watch all 973 items go flying across the den, under the couches, etc. we are currently working on putting them back into the buggy after they have been taken out. it is obviously not nearly as fun.
3. did i mention she also likes to take out all of her bibs from the back of the highchair and walk around leaving a trail as she tries to velcro them to her own neck?
4. last story of the day. wednesday, we were getting ready to run a few errands. miss girly girl enjoys finding my hand lotion in my purse and rubbing it on her hands (she also does it with purell). i think it is precious, but realize i will one day have my work cut out as she thinks makeup and smelly lotions are the key life. anyways, the other day she got the lotion and rubbed it in her hands and then decided she needed more... which was fine. this time though, she rubbed it a minute before deciding to rub it through her hair as to spike it up. she was pretending it was hair gel. i thought for a moment, why would she do that, mommy never uses hair gel, but ahhh wait, daddy. daddy uses hair gel to spike his hair. i had to call him to let him know what a great influence he was to her. we still ran our errands, my kid just had a bad hair day that day.
everyday is an adventure here!