Celebrating Cathy and Baby Kumquat

This past weekend, I got the chance to help celebrate my friend Cathy as she prepares for the birth of Baby Girl Carver.  I have secretly named the baby Kumquat, but somehow I don't think that they are going to go with my selection!  Cathy and Jeff are a lot like Michael and myself in that we all waited until later in life to find our soulmate and true love.  I think that makes love that much sweeter when you know that you have waited for this one special person and that you have finally found that person and will spend your life with them!  Cathy and Jeff have been married for 2 years and are anxiously awaiting the birth of their special little girl.  For her shower on Saturday, I made fruit kabobs.  I think they were pretty cute, but I'll need to work on them a little if I do them again.  I stuck the skewers into styrofoam, but they were really hard to pull out! 

Here is a picture of Cathy with all of her hostesses.  Hope you had a great time Cathy!  You and Jeff are going to be super parents!!!  I can't wait to see God's work in all three of you!!!

Watermelon - Nectar of the Gods

At our house, Sarah and I LOVE watermelon!!  We try to buy the little small ones and literally the two of us can eat it in just a few days.  I usually cut Sarah some into pieces and she just devours them.  I decided to be a little adventurous and give her a whole slice of her very own!

So, how do you think she did with it?? :)  Check out the mess on her shirt!!  When will I ever learn?!  Never feed watermelon to a little girl in a white shirt!!!!! 

Hinton Class Lake Trip

We are blessed to be a part of an amazing Sunday School class.  Each year, our class takes a trip to the lake in Pell City.  The house is owned by the parents of one of our good friends.  We always have fun.  Last year was Sarah's first year to go.  Obviously, she didn't do anything last year and wondered why were we stuffing her into a life jacket and dragging her onto a boat.  This year was totally different!  She really enjoyed it.  There are several kids in our class who are all very close in age, so she is used to being around them and playing.  She still wasn't 100% sure of riding on the boat, but once it got going and she could feel the spray and the wind on her face, I think she enjoyed it.  Also, we found out that she likes Cheetos!  haha

Also, Michael was able to drive the boat this year.  Our friend owns a fishing boat that they always use to pull people who want to ski.  Michael has a boating license, so this year he was able to drive the boat and give Keith a break and let him play in the water instead of having to drive the boat!

Here is a picture of us on the boat.  We really did have a great time!!!

We switched life jackets at the end and Sarah was so much happier in this one because she wasn't so enclosed and confined.  She is a good little fish!  Thank you Stephens and Garmons for letting us come to the lake.  We would love to come back soon!!!

Farm Living is the Life

Okay, where do we live again?  Oh, that's right Birmingham, Trussville, Hoover, pick one.  The common denominator is that they are all metropolitan cities.  So why did I have to stop in the road to let these little friends by?  I didn't mind, they were a sweet family.  Do you see the baby?  It's near the front of the line, likely following its mama.  So any guesses ... where was I this morning??

Bonus points if you guess the road!!!

Waterpalooza Review - Hoover Public Library

Well, we went to the library again last night for the Summer Reading's special program.  I was not impressed.  I do not have photos of the night to share because I dropped my phone in a shark tank over the weekend and it is acting weird (i'll explain later and no, rice did not really work this time!). 


Waterpalooza was put on by the Atlantic Coast Theatre.  The description of the show from their website reads "WATERPALOOZA (A Benefit Concert To Save Water).  A.C.T. For Youth goes green... in this WATER CONSERVATION Themed Comedy/Rock Musical.  ROCK LOBSTER & ROCK SHRIMP from the band "THE CRUSTACEANS" are your hosts for WATERPALOOZA. They are joined by their special guest... Hip-Hop Megastar MAN-A-T!!! Get ready to clap your hands, rock-out, & laugh as these colorful characters teach the audience the importance of being WATER SAVERS...NOT WATER WASTERS."

Seriously????  Is this a show for kids or for the parents?  The kids don't know enough to save water.  Most of the kids there are under 7 years old ... don't their parents still run the water for their bath, brushing teeth, etc.?  The music was really corny and just plain odd.  It didn't help that we were running late and therefore we had to sit in the back/top of the theatre instead of the front row.  However, that may have been a blessing.  The show talked about the 6 phases of a water cycle.  Does Sarah even care?  She did like to dance when they played music, but she entertained herself mostly with trying to peel the number labels off of the chairs.  You know the ones -- I'm in row 5, seat 7.  Yeah, those.  Sorry HPL.  Next time pick a group that can entertain my child better!  See you next week!!

Followers

I know that many of you read my blog silently and in secret.  However, I want to know who you are!  There may even be a prize in it for you!!  Please click on the "Followers" button on the left side of the screen.  You do not have to have a blog to follow someone.  I just want to know about you.  Also, why don't more of you leave some comments on here?  I know that you facebook me or email me comments, but you can leave them on here as well.  Thanks!  Have a happy Wednesday!!!

Feed Me Books Friday: Wibbly Pig

Okay, I confess ... I may be trying to turn Sarah into a lover of all things pink and cuddly with little curly tails.  When I was growing up, I had Wilbur Pig.  He was named after Charlotte's Web and was actually featured on Full House -- Michelle had a stuffed pig just like mine!  Wilbur was eventually shortened to Wilby and I still have him today.  Sarah hasn't yet been allowed to play with Wilby.  She might hurt him!  So, for Christmas, Nana and Papa gave Sarah this book.  We changed the name a bit to make it more special for us - Wilby Pig.  Sarah can say his name and she loves to look for Tiny Pig and the other pigs who are hiding in this book.  She will sometimes hold her pig while we read about this pig.

Well, then I saw this book in the clearance section several months ago at Books a Million.  So, of course we had to get this one as well!  Sarah loves to help Wilby Pig go to bed.  She likes it probably because Wilby is just like her and tries to avoid going to bed!  We read this one a lot at bedtime, but I like it for anytime too!  Well, just when I was writing this post, I saw on Amazon that there were other Wibbly Pig books ...

There are even more listed on Amazon.  I had no idea!!!  So many choices ... which one to choose???

Sweet Little Girl

Look at this sweet little girl ...

This was Sarah on Friday night riding home.  We had been to the zoo and she had played in the water.  She had her shirt on when she started playing, but then she decided that she wanted her shirt off.  Well, by then she was already soaking wet!  So, she rode home without a shirt on!  However, isn't this so sweet that she is perfectly content to sit in the backseat reading a book while we were driving back home.  I'm so thankful that she loves to read books.  She is doing so good and "reading" her book by herself for longer and longer periods of time. 

Feed Me Books Friday- Bedtime Books

We have several books that we read each night before bedtime.  While Momma gets tired of reading the same ones over and over, I know that it is appropriate developmentally.  I try to add in at least 1-2 new books every few days to keep it interesting for myself, but these are some of the mainstays!

If your child is a fan of touch and feel board books, this charming Katz book is sure to please. The book contains twelve pages of various touch and feel activities to compliment the board book story about a child going to bed! Contains the typical Katz round faced kids!  Sarah has always loved this author and we have several of her books.  She loves to touch each of the different textures and loves to give kisses to the momma and baby when baby goes to bed.

In this book, we changed little pookie to little buggie.  It's evening, and mom patiently eases Pookie toward bed. Pookie cooperates (mostly)—though with that particular Pookie flair. And imagine who gets the last word.  Sarah likes this book a lot.  This is a recent addition to bedtime.  Mommy gives Pookie/Buggie 3 special kisses in this book before bed and Sarah likes to help Pookie hide from mommy.

Goodnight Moon is our absolute must-have night night book.  We even sent it with Sarah recently when she spent the night with grandparents.  She will occasionally even ask for "moon" when she is ready to go to sleep.  The quiet cadence and repetition of this book make it the perfect calming bedtime story.  She has learned the book and anticipates ending phrases.  She will almost always recite the last page with me - even in her sleep ... goodnight noises everywhere.  The perfect night time book, even I start to get sleepy when I start to read it to her, that just shows the power of routine!

Perfect Sleep Solution

I've finally identified the perfect sleep solution for little bug ... prescription cough syrup!!

Not for her silly ... for mommy!  When I take it, I don't hear her cry.  So sorry daddy, but I'm loving the sleep I got!  Too bad I didn't take enough last night.  I think Farmer Jason and the crazy rocker kids scared her and she had bad dreams!  Maybe I should have slipped a little into her milk! :)

Sarah and Farmer Jason

I know this is a terrible picture, but deal with it! :)

Here is Sarah and Michael with Farmer Jason after the show.  He said that she was adorable (well, duh!!) and that she was a good little dancer!

Baby Mosh Pit -- Seriously?

Okay, so last night's show was strange.  The music was odd, the kids were out of control and I was scared.  Yes, scared for the future - not just for my child but for everyone there.  Where were the parents?!?  Was this a kid's concert or was this Bret Michael's Rock of Love?  I have never seen so many little out of control children rushing the stage like this man was Elmo passing out crack or something!  Some of the little girls in front of our seats were even laying down on the stage.  The library workers had to tell kids multiple times to get off of the stage.  It is one thing to let your child go to the front to dance with other kids, but where is the supervision?  Oh wait, I know where it is ... it is totally displaced by the rude mom that came down from her seat to get onto another person's child because her kid is a bully and can't take the heat.  Not only that, but he also ended up being a little wuss ... he kept standing up in the seats and getting his foot caught when they would fold in.  Michael even had to get him out one time.  His mom came down there, probably because she saw us man-handling her kid.  She had probably intended on yelling at us too.  I just looked at the kid and said, "Maybe next time you'll remember that chairs are for sitting and not for standing!".  She asked him if he thanked us for getting him out of the seat and he said he forgot.  She didn't even make him say it then!  I'm worried for our kids if their parents are so entitled and privileged that they make up their own rules for everything as well.  No wonder our school-age kids think they are exempt from following rules!
Well, needless to say ... you can tell that we had our fill of Farmer Jason.  We will not be going back for a few years probably.  When we do go back, Sarah will not lay on the stage showing everyone her underwear (even though they'll be cute and monogrammed!), will not bump into others on purpose in the "kiddie mosh pit" and will not cause her parents unneccessary embarrassment!

Farmer Jason - Pt. 1 (Pre-Show)

Sarah is getting ready for the show to begin at the Hoover Library last night.  Last night's show was Farmer Jason.  He is ... well, interesting.  According to the LOS ANGELES TIMES, “Rousing songs about forest critters, by a former rock singer, encourage tykes to exercise their muscles and educate their minds.”
The songs are a bit odd, but the kids liked them.  Here's the chorus from "Doggie Dance".
Flop your ears wag your tail do the doggie dance
Flop your ears wag your tail do the doggie dance
Do the doggie dance do the doggie dance
Flop your ears wag your tail do the doggie dance

Feed Me Books Friday

We checked this book out from the library last week and Sarah loves it!!!  This is lift-the-flap book, which is always a favorite at our house!  In this book, a child asks for an animal from the zoo and they send him one, but it is too scary, big, loud, etc.  Finally at the end they send him an acceptable animal.  Sarah has really enjoyed this one over and over, we might have to purchase our own copy!

Green Beans

Sarah is getting ready to start picking green beans in a  few weeks.  This pictures was taken at my parent's house over the weekend.  She is walking in between two giant rows of green beans.  They have also planted green onions, crowder peas, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, sweet potatoes and corn.  Anybody hungry?  Feel free to help yourself to the harvest as long as you will help to weed, water, and harvest the veggies!

Top of the River - Anniston

We went to Top of the River last night for dinner.  It was yummy as usual!!  There is a giant fish tank in the lobby.  This is a picture of Sarah looking at the enormous catfish.  I wish that you could see her face to see how amazed she was at the size of the fish.  Fun times in Anniston!

What do you do on your day off?

I took off work on May 24.  Most people have a relaxing day planned on their day off.  I had a good day planned, but it certainly wasn't the relaxation that most people dream of.  Here's what I did:

10 loaves of fresh garlic bread

5 pans of Homemade Baked Ziti

Why do you spend your day off like this??  You may be wondering that, I know that others have questioned my sanity!  However, I have two reasons: 1.  I love my husband and 2.  I like to cook!  Michael is in charge of the 6th grade Banquet at Cornerstone.  This is when the 6th graders "graduate" and are promoted to 7th grade.  This is the 2nd year that I have done all the food for it.  The complete menu is tossed salad, baked ziti, garlic bread and dessert.  This year, a parent donated homemade pound cakes for dessert and Piggly Wiggly donated sweet tea for the event.  There are between 75-100 people usually in attendance.  I have a wonderful person who helps me in the kitchen to serve the food and we have a girl that watches Sarah until I'm finished.  I enjoy doing it and will miss it when we probably won't be in charge of it next year. 

More pictures from the Arc 5K

Oreck Carpet Cleaning

Don't you love the feel of freshly clean carpets on your bare feet?!  Well, yesterday Michael rented the Oreck Orbiter Multi-Purpose Floor Cleaner.  This device uses a spray cleaner and then a dry powder on your floor.  This machine agitates the powder down into the carpet where you can then vacuum it up.  It is only $25 to rent the machine and it is well worth the money!!!

I came home yesterday to perfectly clean, plush carpets and they were so soft.  Thanks honey for a job well done!!

Free Tickets!!!

Well, as I said in a previous post ... there was some movie excitement.  Ironman 2 has been out almost a month already, so there was basically noone watching it but us and a mom and her son.  That's right, 4 people in a whole theatre of empty seats!  Well during one of the crucial scenes, there was a few seconds when the film did something weird.  I thought that perhaps the character on the film had blacked out or something, but it reality, it was something that messed up with the film.  Well the mom complained to the manager.
Now let me say, to begin with, we only paid for 1 ticket to the movies.  We had a coupon for BOGO ticket and free popcorn w/purchase of a drink.  So, once the mom complained, the manager refunded us the full price of the tickets.  To summarize, last night we saw one movie and paid $8.50 plus the price of a drink.  Basically, we paid for 1 ticket and got 3 tickets.  So ... the perfect end for a date night!!

Date Night with Hubby

Michael and I had a date night last night.  It was super exciting! (sense the sarcasm?)  We started out our night with dinner at Chick-Fil-A, where we tried out the new spicy chicken sandwich.  It comes out next week to the general public.  It was good, had a good little kick on the first bite.  I don't know if I would get it every time, but it was good!
After that, we went to the movies.  This is a new theatre that is basically across the street from our house.  The sad thing is -- we'd never been until last night.  It is really nice.  We saw Ironman 2.  I didn't think I would like it, but it was pretty good.  Some exciting stuff happened with the movie portion of our night.  I'll fill you in on that in another post!  (oooh, do you feel the suspense?!)

Arc of Jefferson County Triathlon, um 5K/1 Mile Race

If you didn't know, the Arc of Jefferson County recently held its 1st Annual 5K/1 Mile Fun Run.  Our small group from church decided to do it as a group.  We missed the Cobbs.  They were unable to attend.  Brian, Heather, Laney Ladybug and Daniel Hinton were there.  Jeff, Cathy and Kumquat Carver were there.  The three of us were there also.  We didn't know that the 1 Mile race wasn't starting until after the 5K was finished, so we decided to just take off on our own walk. 

The kids had a lot of fun.  Sarah wasn't sure what to think about Laney in her costume, but she loved the wagon ride through Oak Mountain!  As you can see, even Sarah has on her Arc shirt to show her support for mama's work.  After all, who do you think pays for all those cute clothes?! (just kidding!)

Being that we "finished" our 1 Mile in Record Time ... we decided to compete in the Vulcan Triathlon.  As you can see, we finished that race as well!  Wow ... the things that we do for fun.  It would wear normal people out! :)

The kids decided to  cool down by resting near the fountain.  No, we didn't let them swim.  Of course they wanted too!  Sarah wanted to look for rocks, as usual.  She may grow up to be a geologist!

Father-Daugher Zoo Trip

Michael and Sarah are going to the zoo each week this summer.  I know that it is only the 2nd week of summer, but as of today, they have been 2 times.  So that qualifies as every week! :)  Here are some pictures of their most recent trip. 

Don't you want to eat here for lunch?

Well, if you think that this place is sketchy and that you wouldn't want to eat here ... you'd be dead wrong!  This is Archbald's Drive Inn located in Northport/Tuscaloosa.  We first heard about Archibald's from our neighbor's blog.  Annah is an aspiring food critic and has even been published in the Tannehill Trader newspaper!  Her description of the food served at Archibald's made our mouths water, so on Memorial Day, we ventured over to get some ribs!  This "shack" is literally in someone's backyard.  They have a 98 health rating.  There are five stools located inside and 4 picnic tables outside.  On this day, we bought a large rib plate (5 bones) and a large pork plate (3 "sandwiches" of pork).  Everything is served on white bread -- obviously!  After all, this is Alabama and we are talking about real BBQ!!  The sauce is a vinegar mustard based sauce that was yummy!  The ribs were probably the best I've ever had.  We got our food and drove back home to eat it.  It was so good, we are already thinking of reasons to go back! 

Welcome to Summer

Several friends have told me that they routinely do "Welcome to Summer" baskets for their kids.  I thought this would be a fun thing to do with Sarah.  So ... we went out and got a swing, sand/water table and a bubble machine!  Welcome to Summer little Bug!! 

Here are some pictures of some of the fun we've been having. 

Here's Sarah taking a bite of our first Cherry Tomato that we harvested.  She loves to pull them off and eat them right away -- no washing, no cutting in half, no nothing -- just tomato guts squirting out everywhere!

The bubble machine is lots of fun.  Of course, Sarah has figured out how to turn it on and off, so that is even more fun than running through the bubbles and popping them!

Here's Sarah in her most favorite thing of all ... the SWING!!!  It is the first word we hear when we get ready to put on shoes and go outside, it is the first word we hear when we pull into the driveway.  She loves it.  I love that her papa and daddy built it for her.  Sarah is a very loved and happy little girl!  She loves to lay her head back and close her eyes when she swings ... high mama, high ... no fear from my little flying bug! 

Cornerstone Graduation

Last week was Cornerstone Christian School's graduation.  This was an important night for Michael.  The class that was graduating, was the first class that Michael taught when he came to Cornerstone.  Bethany has always been one of his favorite students.  She is so smart and nice.  She was valedictorian of her class.  She is a National Merit Scholar and will be going to Samford University on a full scholarship.  We are super proud of her.  Also, we love that she'll be close and can babysit Sarah!

On a much sadder note, it was also Sarah's graduation from Cornerstone.  She has been loved on and taken care of by Mrs. Amanda since she was born!  However, the time has come for Sarah to go to a different school.  There are many reasons behind this decision, but it was time.  We will definitely miss the love that was shown to Sarah and to all of us.  I know that we will not be able to put Sarah anywhere else that will love on her like CCS has done.  We will miss all of you, but we'll still see you at games.  However, you know how Sarah is ... don't be sad when she gives you her mean look that says get away from me!!  Just pretend that she doesn't really mean it!

Grey Seal Puppet Show

Last night, we took Sarah to the Hoover Library for the Summer Reading Kickoff Party.  We watched the Grey Seal Puppets.  It is a one man show of puppets.  It was really good.  As you can see, Sarah enjoyed it!  There were three different fairy tales, The Frog and the Princess, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and the Three Little Pigs.  In between each show, was music and puppet dancing.  We were unsure if Sarah would understand and "get it", but she totally did!  She could tell the difference in the music and knew when something scary was about to happen (e.g., the wolf blowing down the pigs houses).  The puppeteer was excellent and making all of the different noises and including in the act some subtle jokes for the parents.  A fun night!!

Sweet Dreams

This is what I found when I got home from work yesterday.  Look at the sweet, pitiful little girl sound asleep in her bed.  In case you can't tell, she has her Bama cheerleader doll under one arm, her monkey under the other arm, and her cup of milk nearby. 
We have been struggling with sleep issues!  She doesn't sleep enough at night, so she gets tired mid-morning and wants to take a nap.  Then she doesn't usually want to take a nap in the afternoon, which leads to a grumpy little girl at night, but she wouldn't dare go to bed early!!
Yesterday, we entered into a new chapter of sleep -- at least mentally, Mommy and Daddy started a new chapter.  We have to make her sleep and break her sleep cycles!  We are now putting her in bed and letting her cry.  I don't really like it, but I don't know what else to do.  It worked yesterday for her nap, so we tried it last night.  She did great until her usual 3 am wake up call.  Only mommy is the fix for that.  Michael went in her room about 3-4 times because she was crying for mommy.  Mommy needs sleep!!  Mommy needs to rest her arm and shoulder from 18 months of holding her in the middle of the night when she wakes up!!  I'm sorry sweet girl ... Mommy does love you more than anything, but you're own your own.  You have to learn to sleep.  Once we tackle the sleeping, we'll talk about your best friend (paa paa).  Of course, we're not going to tell you that right now.  Sweet dreams baby bug!

Tag Renewal

Have you seen this lately?  Unfortunately, this is what happens when you wait until the last day of the month to renew your tag!!  I counted and there were 74 people in front of me in line.  There was (of course) only 1 person working.  The other person was at lunch.  Seriously, people!?!? 
Needless to say, I didn't wait!  I called Michael and made him pay for the renewal online.  Now, I'm driving around illegally, but with a printed receipt showing where we paid.  Hopefully, I'll get those precious little $100 stickers in the mail soon so that I'll be legal again!

Feed Me Books Friday: Books for Mom

The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow is the story of an unusual woman, Agnes Sparrow. No longer able or willing to leave her home, where she is cared for by her long-suffering sister Griselda, Agnes has committed her life to the one thing she can do besides eat. Agnes Sparrow prays and when Agnes prays things happen, including major miracles of the cancer, ulcer-healing variety along with various minor miracles not the least of which is the recovery of lost objects and a prize-winning pumpkin.  The rural residents of Bright's Pond are so enamored with Agnes they plan to have a sign erected on the interstate that reads, Welcome to Bright s Pond, Home of Agnes Sparrow. This is something Agnes doesn t want and sends Griselda to fight city hall. Griselda s petitions are shot down and the sign plans press forward until a stranger comes to town looking for his miracle from Agnes. After some tense days, everyone decides they all need to find their way back to the true source of the miracles -- God.

This story by Angie Smith is not unfamiliar to those of you blog readers like myself.  This is the story of Audrey Caroline.  I have just started this book, but so far it has not dissapointed me.  I was hesitant to read it because I already knew the story from reading her blog.  From Amazon -- "In 2008, Angie Smith and her husband Todd (lead singer of the group Selah) learned through ultrasound that their fourth daughter had conditions making her “incompatible with life.” Advised to terminate the pregnancy, the Smiths chose instead to carry this child and allow room for a miracle. That miracle came the day they met Audrey Caroline and got the chance to love her for the precious two-and-a-half hours she lived on earth.  Upon receiving the original diagnosis, Angie started a blog (Bring the Rain) to keep family and friends informed of their journey. Soon, the site exploded in popularity, connecting with thousands who were either experiencing their own heartbreaking situations or simply curious about how God could carry someone through something so tragic. I Will Carry You tells the powerful story of a parent losing her child, interwoven with the biblical story of Lazarus to help those who mourn to still have hope—to find grace and peace in the sacred dance of grief and joy.

I don't always take the time out to read for myself because it is hard to find those moments for yourself!  Laundry needs to be done, dishes put away, quality time with husband, etc.  However, I have found that I am so much happier when I can read and escape.  I have found that always keeping a book in my car works best for me.  I can always find 5-10 minutes in between appointments or stuck in traffic, or if someone stands me up for a visit, etc.  Reading calms me and helps me gain perspective.  What are you reading?