A Little Bit of Sugar & A Whole Lotta Spice!!

A Day In My Life...

2011-04-12T11:53:00.005-05:00

I am a single mom again this week, so that makes me responsible for getting the kids to school on time and changing my work hours to later hours (ie rush hour traffic).

The traffic is worse than I've ever seen it before on the later drive into work. I truly don't get it because I never saw a wreck. So I'm almost an hour past my regular start time. Awesome.

Once parked in the garage at work, I get in the elevator to go up to the sky lobby. Only once there, the elevator motors shut down and the doors will not open. I'm trying not to panic as there is an older gentleman in there with me and I don't want to be that crazy person. But I start to sweat and panic when I see him furiously pushing buttons to no avail. All of a sudden the motors come back on, the elevator goes down a level, opens it's doors, then closes it's doors, goes back up to where we'd wanted to go and doors open. I can tell you that you probably have never seen someone get out of an elevator as quickly as I did in that moment.

Later that morning, I can feel my foot falling asleep at my desk. Usually I immediately get up to walk on it so it'll wake back up. But since I was in the middle of something, I didn't. Not realizing my leg had gone numb, when I stood up to walk it off, I collapsed. In my office. On the floor. In my dress. Awesome huh?

I'm working late and about 10 minutes before I leave, my computer (see below post about all my IT issues) decides to stop working. I'm on the phone with IT support for 20-25 minutes. Only to hear that I cannot be fixed right then because they don't know what is wrong with me. I give up.

After leaving work, I had to stop by CVS. As I'm walking to the door, my heel gets stuck in that rubbery glue between the concrete. After I get it out, I am flustered and not paying attention and look up just in time to see the brick column in front of me. That I ran into. Someone was in the car next to me watching the whole thing. Mortified.

That was all just yesterday. On a Monday. So surely I thought Tuesday would make for a better day.

Everything is going fine until I get to the preschool. It's closed. There are about 20 people standing outside waiting on someone to unlock the doors. I stand there with my daughter for about 7 minutes in the brisk morning weather. Both of us in sleeveless dresses. Both of us cold and tired. Fantastic.

Hop back on the tollway and again am stopped in traffic for no apparent reason.

I am kind of scared for what else this week will hold...

Technology: My Nemesis

2011-04-08T07:14:00.003-05:00

In less than one week I have managed to crash virtually every program on my work computer, crash my work email (twice), talk to 5 different people in the IT department for help (some who finally had to give up), break the biggest printer in my department, spend 2 weeks trying to follow instructions to get set up to work from home only to finally have IT have to come to my house to do it because I can't figure it out, not be able to connect my iPad to my work programs because I changed some setting on accident and have no idea how to fix it.

And this is just THIS week. This is not counting all the times I have knocked the computer tower down with my feet and shut my computer completely down, black out my computer screens, have my computer randomly shut down on me for no explainable reason, have the printers change randomly on me so I can't find where I print stuff on the floor, etc. I hear "I don't know how you do this" and "I don't know what to tell you" more from IT than I should.

This is the THIRD new computer I have had in the past 10 months at work.

I absolutely repel technology.

I am IT's worst nightmare.

Day 30: Completed!

2011-04-01T08:01:00.004-05:00

Day 30: A photo of yourself today + 3 good things that have happened to you in the past 30 days

1) I'm going to the Bahamas! We booked our flight and resort just a few days ago for June!

2) We decided to enroll Blake in preschool so he'll be with Karys all day

3) March was Bonus Time at work :)

I also have to give myself kudos for keeping up with this challenge. I hope to keep blogging and finding the time again like I used to. We'll see what happens!

Day 29

2011-03-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

Day 29: Something you could never get tired of doing.

Current obsession is Angry Birds. I never tire of playing it. And I've got several verions on both the iPhone and the iPad. So I'm always playing it. I will beat it one day!

Day 28

2011-03-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

Day 28: Your favorite movie.

You have no idea how much I hate this question because there are so many I love. But if I had to pick one, this is the first one that pops in my head. I can watch this movie and pretty much recite every line :)

Day 27

2011-03-29T12:44:00.006-05:00

Day 27: A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?

June 2010

March 2011I think the pictures speak volumes. The biggest change since last summer and now is that I am down nearly 30 pounds! In October I decided I wanted the weight off. I'm close to my goal (wedding weight) and this is the year I'll get there!

Day 26

2011-03-28T12:39:00.001-05:00

Day 26: A photo of somewhere you've been.

Maui, Hawaii

This is actually a photo of the Kapalua Villas - where we stayed for 7 nights on our honeymoon. And yes, it was that beautiful!

Day 25

2011-03-27T12:30:00.002-05:00

Day 25: What's in your purse?

Seeing as how I just had my cousin's wedding and had to switch purses, not too much is in my purse right now....

Work Key Card, 3 Lipglosses, Wallet, Perfume, Powder, Hair Tie, Gum, Keys, and Dayquil

Day 24

2011-03-26T06:00:00.001-05:00

Day 24: A photo of something that means a lot to you

In keeping things on a lighter note, I am going with Google. I am a huge Googler. I Google everything under the sun - from definintions of random words to area codes for my owners at work. I don't know what life would be like in a world without Google, but it would be a scary place. I rely on Google for nearly everything I don't know! Sad? Maybe. But oh so true.

Day 25: What's in your purse?

Day 23

2011-03-25T09:16:00.003-05:00

Day 23: 15 Facts About You

1. I am impulsive. With everything.

2. I am the most impatient person I know.

3. I am relentless when I want something. And I usually get it.

4. I never return phone calls - sorry, bad habit!

5. I'd pick the ocean over mountains any day.

6. I always remember dates, anniversaries and names.

7. I always forget the end to movies.

8. I am a master manipulator :)

9. I get bored really fast.

10. I have lost 28 pounds in the past few months.

11. I feel out of place in the country, I'm a city girl all the way.

12. I bought 5 new pairs of shoes this week.

13. I married my high school sweetheart and still crush on him.

14. I have hitch-hikers thumb - they bend ALL the way back flat

15. I am a huge football fan (NY Giants!!)

Coming Up on Day 24: A photo of something that means a lot to you

Day 22

2011-03-24T17:04:00.004-05:00

Day 22: A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.

Dear Self,

Who are you and what are you thinking lately?? Get your act together and stop doing dumb stuff. And while you're at it, find your brain since you seem to have misplaced it this year.

Love,

Coming Up on Day 23: 15 facts about yourself

Day 21

2011-03-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Day 21: A photo of something that makes you happy.

After almost 2 weeks, I finally had this little guy waiting for me on my doorstep last night when I got home. And I played with him all night long - just ask my sister or husband. I'm in love. My best friend and I got matching ones so we could FaceTime together - even down to the quote on the back. Perfection. Now I'm just waiting on his case to come in the mail - red leather naturally.

Coming Up on Day 22: A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.

Day 20

2011-03-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

Day 20: The meaning behind your blog name.

I originally created a family blog but quickly realized I had more to say and therefore decided I needed my own little outlet. I wanted something that fit my personality and my wit (enter modesty here). I decided it'd be a little sweet and a little spicey and after much wordplay, A Little Bit of Sugar & A Whole Lot of Spice was formed. I was pleased with it then and I'm pleased with it now. I only wish I had more time to devote to it. I have so much to say but so little time at work and home in which to say it.

Not the most unique of stories, but there it is nonetheless.

Coming Up on Day 21: A photo of something that makes you happy.

Day 19

2011-03-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Day 19: Another picture of yourself.

Sisters: Me, Ashley & Rachel

Coming Up on Day 20: The meaning behind your blog name.

Day 18

2011-03-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Day 18: Something you crave a lot.

For months now I have been craving strawberries. They remind me of warm weather and of summer months, of which I am also craving! I usually have a bag of them to munch on all day at my desk at work. Yum!

Day 19: Another picture of yourself.

Day 16

2011-03-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Day 16: Your celebrity crush.

Hands down....Rob Lowe. I am utterly in love with this man and if he is onscreen, I am most likely drooling. He's basically the reason I started watching Brothers & Sisters and I cried like a baby when he left the show. No doubt I will begin watching Parks & Recreation at some point as well now. I know he's older and not the typical "crush", but he does it for me. The dark hair, those piercing blue eyes... Yep. Love him.

Day 17: A photo of you and your family.

Day 15

2011-03-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

Day 15: Something you don't leave the house without.

If you know me, you know I have many little addictions. But the 2 biggest are probably my iPhone and my lipgloss. At work and even while at happy hour, they are both sitting in front of me. I cannot live without either of them.

And the lipgloss is only like $1.29 at CVS. I currently have 2 in my cupholder at work, 4 in my purse and 2 in my car. I stock up on them in case I ever lose them. It's borderline crazy probably.

Day 16: Your celebrity crush.

Day 14

2011-03-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Day 14: A TV show you're currently addicted to.

I don't know how I've been so out of the loop for so many years on the brilliance of The Office. We just began watching it a few months ago and are currently on Season 5. I literally am in tears because I am laughing at this show. I'm almost not wanting to catch up on all the seasons because then we can't watch it anytime we want!

And? I really want to make something in jello. It will happen.

Day 15: Something you don't leave the house without

Day 13

2011-03-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Day 13: Your favorite musician and why?

While I have several staples and some people will wonder why I did not choose Steven Tyler here, I have to go with Katy Perry at the moment. Probably because I am loving every single one of her songs on each CD of hers. She's fun, she's spunky, she's over the top.... Her music gets me feeling happy and energized no matter what my current mood is. And I'm THRILLED to be seeing her in July when she comes through Houston on tour.

Day 14: A TV show you're currently addicted to.

Day 12

2011-03-14T06:48:00.003-05:00

Day 12: A photo of the town you live in.

If this doesn't look country, I don't know what does. However, the town we live in is a small city on the outskirts of Houston. So don't worry, I have access to everything I would ever need or want here.

Day 13: Your favorite musician and why?

Day 11

2011-03-13T17:30:00.003-05:00

Day 11: What's in your makeup bag?

Nothing interesting or unusual really... just foundation, powder, blush, eyeliners, mascara and a couple of eyeshadows :)

Day 12: A photograph of the town you live in.

Day 10

2011-03-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

Day 10: A photo of your favorite place to eat.

You can find me here most Friday afternoons for lunch and happy hour. I love this place. And we love the enchilladas. They are perfect to split for a yummy lunch!

Day 11: What's in your makeup bag?

Day 9

2011-03-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

Day 9: A photo of the last item you purchased.

iPad2. Yes, I did. I have been waiting for this announcement and product since last Fall. And it has finally arrived. Love.

Coming Up on Day 10: A photo of your favorite place to eat.

Day 8

2011-03-10T06:30:00.003-06:00

Day 8: A song to match your mood.

If You Can Afford Me

Katy Perry

If you want me

The cherry on top

The pick of the pack

The creme de la crop

If you want me you better do better than that tonight

Oh oh

If you want

It takes more than a wink

More than a drink

More than you think

If you want me you're gonna have to break the bank tonight

Cause some don't have the patience

Some call me high maintenance

But you pay the bill

Cause that's the deal

If you wanna ride

Just name your price

Don't play cheap with your heart

Don't make a bet

If you can't write the check

For me, for me

Cause I can be bought but you'll pay the cost

If you can afford me

If you want me

I'm not a piece of ass

A one night stand

A storage shed

I think you better walk by tonight

Oh no

If you want me

Then stop begging

I don't put out for charity

If you want me there's not discount price

Tonight

But I don't need your dollar bills

I just want something real

Cause nothing's free

Except loving me

If you want me

The cherry on top

The pick of the pack

The creme de la crop

After my sister and I's shopping spree last night (we somehow managed to spend over $700 in only 2 hours time), I thought this song might be best appropriate for my mood today :)

Coming Up on Day 9: A photo of the last item you purchased.

Day 7

2011-03-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

Day 7: Your dream wedding.

Being that I've had the whole wedding planning experience and that for the most part of it I was more stressed out than I was calm, I think my idea of a "dream wedding" has changed somewhat. We already know my most favorite place on earth is the beach, so my idea of a dream wedding would be a destination wedding on a beautiful beach. Maybe just us, maybe a few people. Just something small and intimate with the sounds of the ocean in the background. I'm over fancy, just give me simple and serene.

Coming Up on Day 8: A song to match your mood

Day 6

2011-03-08T07:01:00.000-06:00

Day 6: A photo of an animal you'd love to keep as a pet.

Being that we have a German Shepherd and he takes up a lot of room, the only other thing I'd like as a pet would be some saltwater fish. I'll probably never do it because of the cost and the upkeep itself being time consuming, but I do think they are just beautiful tanks!

Coming Up on Day 7: Your dream wedding.

Day 5

2011-03-07T09:05:00.002-06:00

Day 5: A photo of yourself from 2 years ago.

This was Mother's Day with Karys in 2009. She was so cute this day and this is one of my favorite pictures with my little girl :)

Coming Up on Day 6: A photo of an animal you'd love to keep as a pet.

Day 4

2011-03-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

Day 4 - Your favorite photograph of your best friend.

The picture above is with Danielle and it was taken at our company Christmas party a few months ago. We've been friends for years, have a BFF necklace which gets us made fun of and enjoy a love of Happy Hours nearly every Friday and a slight addiction to FaceTime. Our husbands worry about our relationship and how close we are but we just ignore them :) I really don't know what I'd do without her!

Rachel is not only my best friend, but also my sister. We are probably as close as 2 sisters can be. We will be roommates soon when she moves in TODAY while she is in the process of buying her own home. We also work together too - so we see each other more than regular family or friends. I see her pretty much 7 days a week. And while when we fight, it isn't pretty, it's not as often as it was when we were younger.

Coming Up on Day 5: A photo of yourself two years ago

Day 3

2011-03-05T10:00:00.001-06:00

Day 3: Your idea of the perfect first date.

Considering my love for the beach and my current craving for warm weather, my idea of the perfect first date would be a day at the beach. I would love to just walk along the surf, sit at one of the bars along the waters edge for a few drinks, people watch and just enjoy the company and the atmosphere. I think the things to talk about would be endless and it would make for a really relaxed setting to get to know someone better. Then maybe have a dinner in one of the little seafood restaurants while you are there. If you can't have fun with someone at the beach on a warm sunny day, can you have fun with them anywhere?

Coming Up on Day 4: Your favorite photograph of your best friend.

Day 2

2011-03-04T07:21:00.004-06:00

Day 2: A photo of something you ate today.

Well this is exciting, no doubt. This is a Texas Taco, which includes: eggs, sausage, hash browns and cheese. My thought was that a big breakfast would help more with the Happy Hour I have this afternoon than my oatmeal would. Next week I'll eat better. I promise.

Coming Up on Day 3: Your idea of the perfect first date.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 1

2011-03-03T13:02:00.003-06:00

Well, to say it's been awhile would be somewhat of an understatement. Work is STILL crazy and I still don't really have time, but my sister is insisting I take part in this 30 Day Challenge with her. It's a new post every day for 30 days to get back into blogging. So here goes...

Day 1: A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.

My day started at 4:34am this morning when my alarm went off. Naturally I wanted to hit it with something to kill it, but alas, I peeled myself out of bed, showered, dressed, put my pretty face on, grabbed a cup of coffee and drove to work. The drive to work is actually a highlight of my day each day. Probably because I load up on the coffee and blare Katy Perry as loud as I want. I'm refreshed and wired by the time I get to work. I love me time :)

Work has been productive this week, but I am still about 4-5 months behind in deadlines to meet.

I then had lunch with my best friend and my sister down in the deli in our building, which you can usually find us 2-3 days a week. It's nice to get out of the office and away from my cursed computer. Even if I did eat too much taco salad to even contemplate eating dinner.

After work I'll run by the tanning salon (because I am tired of looking like Casper's paler cousin), pick up the kids and after they are in bed most likely I'll do my nightly routine of a glass (or several) of wine and probably watch The Office with Tim. Then I'll go to bed and when I wake up, it will be Friday - which is the BEST day of the week every week.

Annnnnnd that's my day in a nutshell!

Coming Up on Day 2: A photo of something you ate today.
Now, if THAT doesn't you want to come back, I don't know what will!

Testing...1, 2, 3

2010-07-08T15:15:00.001-05:00

Wow...it's been almost a year.

Is anyone still out there?

It's A.....Boy!!

2009-09-23T11:43:00.006-05:00

We are so beyond thrilled to be expecting our first son. And to have one of each - what a blessing! Karys will make a wonderful big sister and we are so excited to meet our little man this Spring.

On a sad note, my work has started monitoring internet usage again and so I'm going to bid farewell for a little while again on this blog while I work on the family blog. I hope to be back sooner rather than later this time.

Designs By....Me!

2009-09-14T07:30:00.005-05:00

Remember the sewing machine that I purchased a couple weeks ago? Well, my sister and I decided that this weekend was the weekend to learn how to sew. My mom came over and provided some much needed guidance and after working on it a bit Friday, Saturday and Sunday, here is my finished product!

And here is my precious model!

While it has many faults, you can't see many of them at first glance and I've learned a lot this weekend! I think when I start my next project, things will go more smoothly and I'll learn from the mistakes I've done with this one.

But for now? This will be the dress she wears to the pumpkin patch!

I Will Never Forget

2009-09-11T09:27:00.004-05:00

Do you remember where you were 8 years ago today?

I was 20 years old and in college. I was home that morning because I had a dentist appointment. I heard my dad yell from the living room and when I ran in there we watched in absolute horror as the second plane hit.

I was numb. My mind could not process what I was watching. I was scared. I didn't know what was going on or why. I didn't understand who would do such a thing. I wanted answers.

My heart and prayers go out to those who lost family members and loved ones on that fateful day eight years ago.

We will never forget.

Voluntary Pain?

2009-09-11T07:21:00.003-05:00

Today my cousin, Valerie, and I are going to get our eyebrows threaded. While she has done this before, this is my first time. I must say, I'm a bit nervous about it after her telling me it's painful. But I think I will do okay. I mean, I've gone through childbirth right? Surely something similar to tweezing isn't that bad? Right??

Regardless, I have been planning this for awhile and have to go now because my brows are looking pretty bad. I'm going to get them shaped and cleaned up.

It's a lot cheaper than waxing and apparently better for your skin because there is no wax or creams involved. It's just like tweezing, but faster. Only about $5 is what I'm told!

Here we go....

Domesticity 101

2009-09-03T14:15:00.005-05:00

See this guy to my left? He was just adopted into our family and should arrive hopefully next week.

See, I want this new comforter for Karys. Only it's $200 and even I have my limits on some things. So I'm determined to learn to make it myself.

My mom is going to give my sister and I lessons in the art of sewing. Soon we'll be able to make all sorts of fun things! Just imagine how much money can be saved!

Not to mention every household needs a sewing machine. Obviously.

Oh, and did I mention that my sister and I bought the same exact sewing machine? Fun!!

This is going to be a fun new adventure!

Sweet Baby...

2009-08-28T07:37:00.002-05:00

Sweet Little One,

I watched you jump around and wiggle around in my belly today on the ultrasound screen. And I completely fell in love with you all over again. I am so unbelievably proud to call you my own and cannot wait until the day I can kiss those precious cheeks of yours. But for now, keep growing healthy and strong and I'll see you next Spring.

Love,
Your Momma

Which Team Are You?

2009-08-26T14:23:00.004-05:00

I gotta say, after reading all the books and catching up on Season 2 of True Blood, I'm completely and utterly Team Eric. Which is generally not my taste - I rarely go for the blondes.

For now, I'll just replace myself in Sookie's little fantasies....yum!

Someday...

2009-08-19T12:11:00.002-05:00

"Someday I'm going to be on that field dancing..."

Time Consuming

2009-08-18T08:03:00.004-05:00

Wondering what I've been doing the past few weeks?

I must warn you, it's not very exciting.

And you will NOT be jealous.

Here is what I have been doing the past 13 out of 14 nights....with virtually no end in sight!

I've had a much harder time of it with Baby #2 than I ever did with Karys. Every night is a battle to keep down dinner and almost 100% of the time, I lose.

So, are you jealous? I didn't think so.

True Fan??

2009-07-24T11:58:00.007-05:00

Countless friends have mentioned how wonderful True Blood on HBO was. I even watched less than 5 minutes of the pilot when it debuted last year and decided it wasn't for me.

A season later, Tim and I finally gave into peer pressure and sat down and ordered it on Netflix.

We're hooked.

Lucky for me, I've got Season 2 all on my DVR for when we finish Season 1.

Now, the hard part is going to be not watching the next 5 episodes that I have in my mailbox while my husband is out of town for the next week...

So he's buying me a couple of the Sookie Stackhouse novels before he leaves in order for me to bide my time in his absense.

Does anyone else kind of thing Stephen Moyer (the actor, not my father-in-law who shares this name) is kind of sexy in that brooding sort of way?

Confidence Booster?

2009-07-14T15:20:00.005-05:00

Since I found out I was pregnant, I started noticing celebrities that were pregnant at the same time as me.

And it seems there are currently FOUR "angels" pregnant at the same time.

This I'm sure is a confidence booster as I start to grow, no?

Maybe it's just a pair of wings I'm missing that makes me unlike these girls? Ha!

Coming March 2010...

2009-07-13T07:18:00.001-05:00

Double The Fun?

2009-07-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

A couple of months back our sitter was out so I stayed home and watched both Karys and Addison (Karys' best friend who the sitter also keeps).

I thought it would be no problem because it would be like having sisters and playmates and they could entertain each other while I got some stuff done around the house.

Look how sweet they are together.....

What harm could possibly come of these two little angels being let loose in my house you ask? A picture says 1,000 words....so I will start there with what became of my house after this memorable day.

The Family Room:

The Living Room:

The Bedroom (where they played dress-up):

The Gameroom:

The Playroom:

Incredible.

Who knew two little people could have made this big of a mess?

My Heart...

2009-07-09T12:26:00.002-05:00

This little girl is the reason for the permanent smile in my heart...

Passion, Pasta and Pistols

2009-07-06T15:28:00.006-05:00

The succulent aroma of home-cooked pasta is drifting from New York City's most popular Italian eatery, La Speranza, but something else is heating up in the kitchen . . . cold-blooded murder! Restaurant-owner Pepi Roni has been shot in the back with his own pistol. Tonight his family and friends will gather to pay their respects to poor Pepi, but one of the guests won't be shedding any tears...

Remembering our beloved Pepi Roni...

Welcome to La Sperenza!!

Dinner is about to be served...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE SUSPECTS:

Bo Jalais: Cousin of a cousin of Rocco's, Bo manages the Scarfazzi vineyards. Bo comes from a long line of French wine-makers and no one knows 'ze' grape like Bo. An important man in the Scarfazzi organization .... what could Bo possibly have to whine about.

Angel Roni: Pepi and Rosa's beautiful daughter. It was Pepi's dream that his 'Angel' would marry a good Italian boy, have children and carry on the family traditions. Angel has a few fantasies of her own though and one of them is that hunk, Bo jalais. Mama-mia!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mama Rosa: Pepi's grieving widow. For 25 years, Mama Rosa cooked the pasta while Pepi greeted La Sperenza's dinner guests. In all the years they were married, not once did they argue. Had something finally boiled over in Rosa's kitchen?

Marco Roni: Pepi and Mama Rosa's only son, Marco was expected to take over the restaurant after his parents retired. Marco hates waiting tables. His goal is to play on a World Cup soccer team but his papa has been keeping him permanently on the bench.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rocco Scarfazzi: Pepi's twin brother, a tough-talking no-nonsense Italian business man. In addition to his vineyards and real estate holdings, it is rumored Rocco is in the 'laundering' business. He had no love for his brother Pepi but his reasons are his own ... capische?

Tara Misu: Rocco's vivacious young fiancé. She was just an upstairs maid in Rocco's villa until she swept him off his feet. Now Tara keeps a smile on his face and a firm grip on Rocco's assets. Tara is dressed to kill. She knows the effect she has on men and flaunts her charms shamelessly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Father Al Fredo: An Italian priest and long-time family friend of the Roni's and the Scarfazzi's. The good priest has heard their confessions and knows their sins.

Clair Voyant: Rosa's best friend and astrology advisor. Clair's talents include an ability to communicate with the spirit world and see into the future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The women of the evening...

The gentlemen of the evening...

Father Al Fredo on the solemn night

Dinner in Pepi's honor...

Look how sad Angel Roni is!

Who dunnit? We cannot tell! But it was a night to remember and fun had by all the guests! Only 2 of the 8 guests correctly identified the murderer after 4 hours and 13-15 bottles of wine later.

Great Friends, Great Food, Great Fun!

No More Excuses

2009-07-01T15:32:00.006-05:00

It's been almost 4 months since I last posted on here.

It's now unblocked at work.

And at home....I have this little guy that my husband surprised me with on Friday for our 5th Wedding Annivesary!

Isn't he just darling?? I'm in love with my little MacBook Air. I've never seen anything quite so tiny!

So now I have no more excuses to slack on my blog.

It feels good to be back.

Look for my face around a lot more coming up!

Blogger Revoked

2009-03-12T19:35:00.005-05:00

It's finally happened. My company has done the unthinkable and blocked all access to the blogs from work.

Unfortunately I rarely get online at home, so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update here anymore and it's making me quite sad.

Krystyn has given me a link/way to possibly get my comments enabled on Google Reader and thus be able to comment on all your blogs. I will try to get that up and running sometime next week if I can manage it.

Right now I am still able to read everything you post though via Bloglines (which is not blocked), but I can no longer see the pictures.

So please bear with me as I try to figure how to overcome this new challenge. I'll be back some way or another!

Until we meet again...

Out Of Their Mouths

2009-03-05T13:14:00.008-06:00

For those of you who aren't aware, I collect quotes. Especially funny ones that my family and friends say. I always try to make sure to write them down. Since I have quite a few saved up, I figured this could be my Thursday Thirteen this week. Can't you see why I just love my family and friends? I'm constantly entertained!

13 Quotes/Conversations Between Family & Friends

1. A Conversation Between Friends...
#1: Dammit! Boss is bringing in lunch for everyone from Don Patron. Foiled!
#2: So??
#1: Other boss said she would take us tomorrow instead. My ass is going to turn into a tortilla! A big puffy tortilla!
09/17/08

2. "All I want is a few simple things in life, like a luxury car with the smart key and in white/beige. But no. That is asking too much. I must have been a mass murderer in my former life to deserve such an injustice in this one." 09/22/08

3. "Since I am so frequently right about everything, I don't have a tendency to rub it in often. That would get tiresome." 09/22/08

4. "Most kids have toys when they are little, I had pet rocks." 10/15/08

5. "It was so much easier to hide stuff when I had a real trunk, but the Explorer is all open - I had to find new hiding spots. He is a representation of our coupledom and I'm not going to be made a fool of because of his poor fashion choices." 12/04/08

6. "Man this exam is going to be the most action I’ve gotten in quite a while…and of course it has to be from a girl…doctor!" 12/12/08

7. "I think I must have hit my head or something because it hurts SO bad."
Said randomly by a family member of mine... 12/16/08

8. "What do you mean if he rejects me?? Why wouldn't he want to be my friend? I have a gorgeous profile picture! I don't care who you are, you don't just go and reject a pretty girl. Even if it's just curiosity."
Being Completely Dumbfounded... Jan 2009

9. "My car died today. It was my fault. It didn't have gas." 02/05/09

10. "Actually, you know you and I have all the same things in life: a nice house, a nice car, a big dog, a baby (or one one the way in your case). I just have more shoes to show for it!"
Justifying my lifestyle to my BIL on my liking to spend money... 03-03-09

11. "I explained to him that being married to him was like dog years. We're coming up on our 50th next year." 03/05/09

12. "I just spilled diet coke on my big (pregnant) belly. It looks like my belly button is leaking! I don't know why I wear white." 03/05/09

13. A Conversation On Harry Potter...
Danielle: What is a Muggle?
Steph: Someone with no magical powers. Like you and me. Not a witch or wizard. Those are Muggles.
Danielle: Oh. Like you and me. I forget about all the magical creatures running around.
03/05/09

Name Calling

2009-03-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

With a name like Stephanie, I have had my fair share of nicknames in the past. From the obvious, "Steph" or "Stephy", to the childish playground ones, "Step-On-Me".

I've always had sort of a strange view of nicknames. I've thought about this many times in the past and I always notice that the people who use a nickname for me, typically "Steph", are the ones who I've been closest to.

And likewise, the ones that I use nicknames for (if their names allow) are, in general, those that I consider to be better friends of mine.

I had one friend of mine that I basically grew up with since junior high school. She never used a nickname with me. Yet this was my best friend. And now? We no longer speak at all due to personal matters. Oddly enough, it always bothered me that she could never called me "Steph". I have always remembered that. And no, I'm not suggesting that we aren't friends because she called me "Stephanie".

But then I have friends that I can't always break down their names that I am still very close with like Jaime or Danielle. Because I'm very partial to girl names and I don't want to call them "James" or "Dan"/"Danny".

And then there is my daughter, Karys, who might never have a nickname other than her Uncle Joe's "Care Bear", as he dotingly calls her.

And then there are the easy nicknames like Steph, Rach, Ash, Val or Dee. You can't get much more straight forward than that really.

Sorry for the rambles. I didn't really have a point in this post other than that it popped in my head again today and I thought I'd share it.

Back In My Running Shoes

2009-02-24T10:57:00.006-06:00

I've been saying I was going to start running again for almost 6 months now. And there has always been some "excuse" why I didn't do it.

I needed motivation.

So, I thought if I put on my adorable pink running shoes and my running pants (because they are pretty fashionable), that it would be the exact motivation I was looking for. Right?

Turns out, those pretty fashionable pants? I could barely get them over my rear!

So I'm thinking that now I get to run looking like a little sausage. Then I remembered I had the cute matching jacket to go with my cute running pants.

I'm not even going to go into how that jacket must have shrunk a few inches.

But I'm thinking that was enough motivation for me. Who cannot fit into their running pants for crying out loud?

So I dusted off the jogging stroller, charged up my iPod and off I went.

I'm not going to lie, it was not pretty. I hadn't run in 15 months.

But the important thing was that I did it. Not that I felt like I was going to pass out.

And last night? I did it again. Only this time I went alone and I realized not only was it much easier to run alone, but much more peaceful.

I have pretty high hopes that I can make this a habit again. That I will start to like to run. That my body will not cramp in the oddest places. That one day soon my pants won't feel like they are squeezing the life out of me so that I can be brave enough to run when it's still light outside.

This is part of my resolution to move more. And oddly enough, when I am actually running, I find myself wanting to eat better. That's not a bad side effect!

Going Back Again?

2009-02-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

I was cleaning out my desk the other day and I found all my old journals from elementary, junior high, high school and college. And I remembered how much I used to love to write. I literally wrote all the time. Actually, I was always much better with written words than I was at speaking them when I would want to get a certain point across.

While I was flipping through the journals, there were many times that I had referenced notes from friends and boys that I liked at the time. And I got all nostalgic. I used to love getting notes in the hallway. I loved writing notes in class while pretending to listen to the teachers. I remembered all the clever ways to fold a note that my girlfriends and I would do for each other.

And so then I realized that I still have a great love of pen and paper. I still prefer to jot things down by hand rather than type them out.

And, call me old fashioned, but I still prefer a handwritten note to an email.

As for the journals, I think I stopped sometime after I got engaged. I don't know why I stopped though. I miss it. I was in the bookstore this past weekend and I was browsing through the different journals. I really wanted to take one home. But I didn't want to buy it if I wasn't committed to actually writing in it. I just feel a journal should not be wasted like that.

Also because I've always considered a journal a private matter. No one has ever read through my journals but me. And I've never read through anyone elses. If my daughter ever keeps a journal when she is older, I will not read it. I'd be too embarrased having someone read mine or reading someone elses. Heck, I'm embarrased reading through some of my old stuff as it is! Talk about being dramatic (Val - you can attest to this!). And honstly, being married, my life isn't very private anymore.

However, for me, writing has always been a form of therapy. To be fair, while my blog posts are not much in the way of serious material, I can't be completely blunt on it either. Because I know that if this were private and it was only myself reading it, my posts would be drafted quite a bit differently.

So for now, I guess I'm toying around the idea of having a journal again. And I'm kind of liking the odds.

Spring Fever

2009-02-20T08:04:00.004-06:00

The weather is getting warmer. We've had a few blooms on our flowers. I can feel Spring in the air. It's almost pedicure season. My toes are just itching to come out and play.

I'm convinced I need these to celebrate the coming of the season. They are bright. They are fun. They are sexy. And they are PINK!

Now I just have to justify to the husband on why I need to spend $150 on a pair of shoes. Danielle and I have come up with a couple of good reasons that I absolutely need these.

*I feel it is my duty to help stimulate the economy. I'm extremely Patriotic you know.
*I don't have a pair of strappy pink shoes.
*Because I work so that I can indulge every once in awhile.
*It's an investment. A good pair of shoes will last years!
*My wardrobe is 99% black so I can wear it with any outfit.
*I have not bought shoes in ages.

Seriously? With reasons like this, I'd let myself buy them...

My Confessions

2009-02-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

Thursday 13:
Why Becky Bloomwood Is My Alter Ego

1. I am addicted to shopping
2. I can justify any purchase
3. I cannot pass up a good deal
4. An ideal date includes a *tiny* shopping spree
5. My purchases have gotten me in debt in the past
6. I am convinced everything will work out perfectly in the end
7. The cute, smart guy fell for me too
8. All purchases are "needs", not "wants"
9. I sometimes tend to go overboard
10. Shopping makes me feel better
11. I'm always in the mood to shop
12. I still hide my credit card bills at work. *see below
13. And I still don't open them. *see below

Looking forward to seeing this movie with you and you on Saturday!

Taking It In Stride

2009-02-17T15:25:00.007-06:00

The worst part about my job?

Working with women. And by women, I mean certain types of women who make working become tiresome and petty. Women who, for reasons unknown, like to cause trouble or add turmoil to situations. I've had enough of trying to be nice. I've had enough of going out of my way to be polite. I honestly don't care if these women like me or not. Whatever makes them happy. But when it starts interfering with my work? That's when I get annoyed. Because I love my job and won't let anyone ruin it for me. But you know what? All it does now is make me laugh. I can't help it. And when you think about it, I mean really, how happy can you be if you try to make someone else so miserable? So I will pity them as well. Kudos to me for being more mature.

But, the best part about my job?

My boss. Who doesn't care if I leave mid-day during a particular mentally exhausting mess and let's me catch an afternoon of stress relief.

Here is my stress relief...

*And yes, that's with extra caramel. And I do not feel guilty in the least!

Profanity 101: Encore Love Style

2009-02-12T07:00:00.003-06:00

For lack of something else to do this past weekend, my husband and I were watching Far & Away (yes, Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman circa 1992) on the Encore Love channel.

We didn't even notice the word.

But apparently our child did.

And so she just looked over at my husband in a very matter-of-fact manner and says "Dammit Daddy".

Panic.

Neither of us answered because we were trying to figure out if that was really what just came out of her mouth. Surely not. Not my angel.

She must think we're ignorant at this point since we are doing nothing but staring at her. So she says it to him again, more forceful.

"Dammit Daddy"

You have GOT to be kidding me. Of all the lines in the movie, she takes this one word and picks it out? I was under the assumption you did not have to censor shows for kids until they were at least 3 years old.

Apparently not.

Lesson learned.

Note: She has not said it since then. We distracted her and she forgot her "fun new word" altogether. But who knew you had to censor a love story?

Just Do The Flip

2009-02-09T14:41:00.010-06:00

My darling husband bought me a new FlipHD this weekend (and I'm sure it was only because he loves me so much and just really wanted to buy it for me and that it had nothing to do with the fact that I've been begging and pleading and had a really great argument to buy it that very night...).

Anyhow, what better time to break it out than at the zoo on Saturday?

I probably should have practiced with it a bit beforehand, as my first video is quite literally of a giraffe's ummm...backside, because I simply cannot see and do not know what I am aiming at. You can also hear my conversation with Danielle as she tries to explain to me that I do, in fact, have zoom.

So what do I do? Zoom in closer to the backside of course!

In my defense, it was quite sunny out and therefore I had no idea what this video looked like until this morning when I uploaded it.

I do not see a career in videography in my near future...

He's Totally Into Me

2009-02-03T09:22:00.017-06:00

Okay, I admit, it's a little odd that I am married and reading He's Just Not That Into You, but ever since hearing of the book years ago on Oprah, I'd been interested in what it had to say. Well, that and the movie comes out this week and I really want to see it.

I also admit that I am really enjoying it. Some parts I'm literally laughing out loud. And I am sure my husband thinks I'm crazy.

Because I'm essentially reading a self-help book on dating. While my husband is sitting next to me on the couch (laughing out loud at his own Tucker Max book, I might add).

I think what draws me in is the authors writing style. He is just straight up honest. Whether it hurts to hear or not.

This? Is a quick and easy read if you are in between novels like I am. I finished it in only 2 days time. The guy is brilliant!

Lucky Winners!

2009-02-02T07:07:00.004-06:00

And the 4 lucky winners of the One, Two, Tie My Shoe giveaway are...

Please email me at littlebitsofsugar at hotmail dot com with your mailing address so I can get your kits in the mail to you.

Congratulations, Ladies!

Twist On The Meme

2009-01-29T08:04:00.010-06:00

I think I've mentioned before that I don't really participate in the meme's anymore. I feel like I've pretty much answered every question I can about myself in some way or another.

However, Krystyn tagged me here last week in a little meme that had a spin on it. Her tag to me was actually to my husband, who is supposed to list 16 facts about me. Of course I was pretty curious to see what he would come up with.

Here's what he had to say...

1. You still call your mom when you are sick...even though you are 28 and married!

2. Your ideal vacation is the exact opposite of backpacking in the mountains
If he could pick anywhere to be, it would be the mountains. Stick me on the beach, put a pretty drink in my hand and I'm in Heaven. Put me in the mountains and try to give me a backpack or go camping....well, you don't want to go there.

3. Your brown eyes really are prettier than your blue eyes, even if you don't want to accept it

4. Being chased terrifies you
He likes to chase me around the house. In broad daylight. Something about this terrifies me heck out of me. I hate it and get all worked up.

5. You have blog friends that you also now hang out with in person, which is really weird to me.

6. Every time we wrestle, you get hurt. Even if you start it and I don't fight back :)

7. You have seen Twilight 6 times. And if you had the chance to see it again right now, you would!
So I'm in love with a vampire - what's so weird about that?

8. You have a love/hate relationshp with Brinks. You love how he takes care of you when you are sick but hate when he licks you.
To clarify, Brinks is our German Shepherd. Huge tongue! Ick!

9. You made more money than me in 2008! (And I am not complaining!)
That's because my job is awesome and yours doesn't pay you enough!

10. Sometimes you still operate in this alternate reality called Stephanie-Land
But it's such a pretty happy place...

11. Shopping is your achilles heel
There's nothing a fabulous pair of new shoes can't cure!

12. Pregnancy and motherhood actually calmed you down.

13. When you want to get something accomplished, your single minded zeal amazes me.

14. You are the most amazing mother to our little girl and the perfect wife to me

15. You can't relax until the kitchen is clean
You have no idea how true this is. Everything has to be in it's place and then I can rest easy.

16. You finally uncovered the latent Italian cooking gene that I always knew you had!
Yeah, I'm not sure what's going on with that lately myself...

________________________________________

There's still 3 days left to enter the giveaway! All you have to do is leave a comment on THIS post! Good Luck!

My Husband's Future

2009-01-27T07:00:00.002-06:00

...is a kitchen full of baked goods!

See this beautiful guy?

Oh how I wanted this little guy for Christmas. But at the lovely list price of $300, that was just not going to happen.

Then, while walking through Bed, Bath & Beyond Saturday, Tim was grabbing a curtain rod for Karys' new room when I happened to look over and see a Kitchen Aid box buried in the clearance section. Thinking there was no way it was a mixer, I was still curious and made my way over to check it out. Not only was it my mixer, but it was as marked down $100!

Do you want to know why it was marked down? Are you ready for this....the packaging was missing!

I tell Tim we don't need to spend the money, but what does my wonderful and amazing husband do? He insists I must have it and that we cannot pass up this deal. So he runs home (we are literally 3 minutes from the mall) while Karys and I go shoe shopping, grabs a 20% off coupon and rushes back to purchase my mixer.

That's right folks! I got this beautiful guy for HALF OFF the regular list price! I am still squealing with glee!

And now do you know what is sitting in my kitchen at the moment?

That would be 68 chocolate chip cookies and a tray full of chocolate brownies! All from scratch I might add! Oh my...

Hopefully this only affects my husband's waistline and not my own!

_________________________________________________

My giveaway is open until Saturday, Jan 31st. Don't forget to leave a comment here to win one of the wonderful kits!

One, Two, Tie My Shoe ~ Giveaway!

2009-01-25T18:04:00.008-06:00

Have you ever seen something that just made you say to yourself "Why didn't I think of that?!"

I know I do it quite frequently and when I saw One, Two, Tie My Shoe, I thought it again. It's actually pretty ingenious.

Tying shoes is another milestone in a child's life. And for many kids, it can be a struggle learning all the steps. With this product, there are "special rings" in a variety of colors that help kids tackle the "bunny ears" of shoe tying.

Many kids have actually learned how to tie their shoes early using One, Two, Tie My Shoe! Talk about a confidence booster! Learning to tie your shoes in 5 minutes, as the kit advertises, is definitely a big accomplishment.

I am lucky enough to have FOUR kits to giveaway, courtesy of Mendy Hassen, the creator of the product.

Go to Mendy's website at One, Two, Tie My Shoe and check out the product and why it is so helpful to so many children. She's also been featured on Great Day Houston, San Antonio Living and NBC Houston!

All you have to do to enter to win a kit is leave me a comment. To get a double entry, mention this giveaway on your blog and make sure to leave me a second comment telling me about it so I can give you proper credit.

Contest ends Sunday, February 1st. I will be randomly drawing winners on Monday, February

2nd and will let you know! Good Luck!

** NOTE: I am not in any way being paid to review this product. I simply think it is a great product that a lot of parent's might enjoy and find to be very helpful. **

When Babies Grow Up...

2009-01-19T07:30:00.005-06:00

See this gorgeous bedroom furniture?

This is the set I have had my eye on for Karys since last Fall.

We decided to wait until after the first of the year to purchase it.

The time had come. And Saturday was the day.

So without further ado, I introduce you to Karys' new furniture! She is such a big girl!

This is the collection. We got everything but the armoir and the chest of drawers in the back of the photo.

Her new bed with the trundle:The dresser & mirror are so beautiful!

Her little nightstand:

These are the knobs on the set - one reason I fell in love with it so much! And these are on the corner of the bed itself - beautiful______________________________________________________
***Stay Tuned....I have a giveaway coming up soon on a fun new product that I know most of you will love! I am leaving tomorrow for Denver for work but when I return, I'll post it!

Has It Really Been A Month?

2009-01-12T16:02:00.005-06:00

I did NOT neglect my blog for almost an entire month.

And even if I did, it was NOT because my husband and I were on vacation together for 2 weeks and enjoying every single second together with our daughter.

And it was also NOT because my in-laws were in town. Or because we were spending time with family. Or because we were incredibly busy.

And it was NOT because I did 6 lengthy updates on our family blog for our out-of-town relatives to see what we did over the holidays.

And I certainly did NOT enjoy the time off from the blog. Nope, not me!

I did NOT get sick for 5 days with a horrible virus that infected 11 out of 27 members of my family. And I did NOT lose 6 pounds because of it. Yikes!

I did NOT spent 46:34 minutes on hold with a certain store because they forgot to ship part of my order. I did NOT get my way and they did NOT ship the new item to me in time for Christmas.

I did NOT see 'Twilight' spontaneously over the holidays for a 6th time after a nice girl's dinner.

I was NOT asked to appear in court and take the stand in a custody battle between our neighbors who are divorcing. It did NOT break my heart to be there and I did NOT cry in the courtroom.

I am NOT totally behind at work because it is NOT totally busy. And I am NOT totally overwhelmed.

It's obviously NOT getting in the way of my blogging time in the least bit.

And I am most certainly NOT traveling to Denver next week for work to further increase my workload at the office.

I did NOT happen to find a Wii Fit yesterday on a whim!! And I did not play it for 67 minutes last night. And my Wii Fit Age is most definitely NOT 39...because that would be humiliating.

I did NOT purchase a gorgeous new bed set for my daughter to coordinate with her new furniture that we've had picked out for months. And I did NOT get a fabulous deal on it all.

I will NOT be merely skimming through my readers trying to catch up with what everyone has been doing during the past month.

And I, unfortunately, will NOT be unable to comment on all of your entries that you worked so hard to write.

I am NOT hanging my head in shame...

Not Me Monday

2008-12-15T08:54:00.006-06:00

I had to jump on the bandwagon with "Not Me Monday". This is my first time at this, so please bear with me as I try to catch on. Here goes...

I DID NOT get a fabulous new pair of purple pumps for my birthday from an awesome friend.

I also DID NOT look at pictures of Rob Pattinson online every single day and feel like a stalker. Not me!

I DID NOT get out of bed one night and cry like a baby on the couch and have my husband come and console me. And I DID NOT feel silly the next day. Even if I was totally justified. And still am.

I DID NOT run out of Christmas Cards after having ordered 75 cards and I was NOT in shock!

And I most certainly DID NOT refuse to mail Christmas Cards that were addressed and ready to go because I only wanted to put Christmas Stamps on them and not regular stamps.

I DID NOT give in to my daughter and let her watch 'LazyTown' 3 times in a row.

I DID NOT have my shoe fall off and almost fall walking into work last week because the shoe was too cute and I did not care that it was half a size too big. Nope, not me!

I DID NOT attend my sister's 25th birthday dinner with a total bill of $535!

And we were NOT over half an hour late to the movie that was sold out and we most certainly DID NOT have to sit in the 2nd row from the front. And not to worry, I was NOT nauseous.

I DID NOT go out with my husband Saturday night while my littlest sister babysat. And I certainly DID NOT mix wine, liquor and beer. That would have been extremely unwise.

I am NOT still recovering from my weekend. And I was NOT reminded over and over why I like to spend my weekends at home. On the couch. With my husband. And go to bed at 10pm.

Flurry Frenzy

2008-12-11T08:10:00.005-06:00

There was much excitement yesterday.

It snowed in Houston! Some parts of our city even got up to 4 1/2 inches.

However, in my little Suburbia we only had some little flurries.

Below are some pictures from my phone of all the excitement...

Flurry #1

Flurry #2

Flurries #3 - #28

There were, of course, more than the 28 flurries at my house, but nothing that would stick and nothing I could get very good pictures of. Plus it was too cold for me to stand outside for long - it was in the 30's! Brrr.... This is Texas for goodness sake!

This morning a few schools were delayed to start classes.

You people up North can feel free to laugh now. I know I would.

Proceed With Caution

2008-12-09T08:36:00.007-06:00

This is what happens when I am let loose for a little bit of holiday shopping...

Eggs At 1:00AM

2008-12-08T13:25:00.010-06:00

There are a few things in life that I must have in order to be a happy person.

One of which that is very important to me is sleep. I covet it.

Let me preface and say that we are very blessed to live in a pretty upscale neighborhood. There is not much crime other than the occassional teenager trying to open unlocked car doors (I kid you not).

So when my doorbell rings at 1:00am and my German Shepherd goes off barking like we're under seige, knowing that my sleep is already interrupted, I literally am wanting to murder whoever is at the door. And if my *toddler wakes up, this stranger is going to wish his finger never touched that little button.

Tim, being the good Texan that he is, has a slightly different thought than simply wanting to do away with the intruder to his wife's slumber, quickly grabs his gun from the cabinet before heading to the door (hey, you never know!). Only to later shove it in my hands while saying "It's a cop!".

So many thoughts are going through my head but mainly I am starting to get worried that something has happened to our family members. Police officers do not typically show up in Suburbia for no good reason at 1:00am on a weeknight you know.

The thought that was NOT running through my head upon being interrupted of my blissful slumber?

Was that the kind officer was letting us know that all cars in the neighborhood that were parked in the street were egged by some kids

Sorry for the lack of pictures. But there was no way I was going to go outside to take pictures of this at 1:00am. My happy behind went straight back to bed while Tim washed off the **car.

Eggs, anyone?

* No, my child did not wake up. Lucky for all those involved.
**No, not my new car thank you very much.

Upgrade, Please

2008-12-05T11:44:00.006-06:00

I may have just turned the ripe old age of 28, but I'm determined to stay hip, cool and young at heart. (Do people still use words such as "hip" and "cool"? Hmmm...okay then.)

This afternoon I am heading over to pick up my new iPhone. I am jumping on that bandwagon. I've always had sort of an obsession with mobile phones. I had a new phone just every year back when I was younger.

So after having my current phone for an entire 2 years, it's definitely time for a change. I need an upgrade.

Now, let's just hope I can figure out the new technology. Hmmm...

Just Another Candle

2008-12-03T08:53:00.007-06:00

If I had a birthday cake today, there would be another candle on it.

Today is my 28th birthday and I was actually getting a little excited about it. I love birthdays - a day celebrating YOU! Your own personal little mini-holiday.

And then it got here and I very quickly realized that apparently there was nothing was really that special about it.

Waking up today was absolutely no different than waking up any other day.

Is it normal to cry on your birthday? Sigh...

Oh well, at least my girlfriends are taking me out tonight for some wine and some Edward (yes again - don't judge!). So I have that to look forward too.

Cheers...

Holiday Happenings

2008-12-01T09:39:00.004-06:00

HAPPY DECEMBER!

First, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know we did and I know we have so much to be thankful for. It's sometimes easy to take blessings for granted and this season is always good to make a point to be truly grateful.

I feel like a lot has gone on so I will do a quick update on all that is new in my world...

~ Thanksgiving was wonderful. We had a good time with most of our family and got to enjoy 2 wonderful meals!

~ We have 2 Christmas Trees in our house this year. I wanted to do a fun one for Karys this Christmas with colored lights and make it all fun since I'm so picky about my own tree ;)

~ I saw Twilight for the 4th time (yes, 4th, don't judge!) and am even more in love with it than I was the first several times I saw it. And yes, I'd go for a 5th time. Anyone want to see it with me? I'm totally serious.

~ I didn't necessarily do Black Friday, but I did venture out a bit this weekend and got some Christmas shopping done. I feel very accomplished about that!

~ My 28th birthday is in 2 days (December 3rd). I am excited to be turning an even number again. I'm quirky. I know. But I think 28 is a pretty number so I'm happy about it. Let's just leave it at that, m'kay?

~ My husband turns 28 on Thursday. Yes, I'm 5 hours older. He's a lucky man with an older woman!

~ My child has started potty training herself (21 months). She started asking last weekend and has told us ever since when she needs to go, not without accident of course, but she's got the general idea. I guess we can't complain. If she is ready, by all means, let's do this!

~ And lastly, my brother-in-law, Joe, proposed to his girlfriend, Deanna, last night. Congratulations to them both - we love you and are very excited for another wedding!

I'm Dazzled

2008-11-24T07:47:00.006-06:00

If such things were possible, I am more in love with Edward Cullen after this weekend than I was before. Or maybe that's just Robert Pattinson....swoon!

Honestly, the first time I saw the film I was not all that impressed. I thought the sound quality was horrible and was less than impressed with the special effects. It just did not live up to what I had thought it would be.

However, by the second time I saw it with her and her, I was reminded that this was a low-budget film and had some time to think about it more. And I came away loving it. The sound quality was much better (I am pretty sure something was messed up in the first theater). And I think the screaming girls everytime Edward or Jacob came on screen helped the overall excitement of the movie itself for me. If I'd had my voice (still gone from being sick), I would have been screaming with them!

Now, the third time (yes you read that right - third time!) I saw the film, I came away loving it even more than I did the previous times. I simply cannot seem to get enough Edward Cullen. Robert Pattinson is wonderfully delicious. And Tim actually saw the movie with me this time and he was very impressed and liked the movie overall.

I was thrilled to learn on Saturday that Summit gave the green light to proceed with New Moon. Hopefully they will have a bit larger budget this time and put more into special effects and things of that nature.

Overall I give the movie an A-.

And yes, I would see it again.

--------------------
Thanks for all the well wishes when I was sick. I still don't fully have my voice back yet but I am feeling much better now. I am very glad to be back. I promise to be around more now :)

Sick Leave

2008-11-18T08:42:00.003-06:00

I'm pretty sick and will be out of commission for a few days. But I promise to catch up on my reading as soon as I feel up to it.

Went to the doctor yesterday - and walked away with 4 prescriptions! I didn't know one could be that sick.

I will be back soon. Hopefully these meds do the trick and I will be back on my feet (blog) in no time!

New Orleans Trip

2008-11-13T11:05:00.003-06:00

Our trip to New Orleans was wonderful! Karys did really great in the car (much to my pleasant surprise!) and we had a fabulous time with our family there.

Poor Tim had to work the entire time so we didn't get to see him much. But us girls spent the days hanging out, eating and shopping our little hearts out!

Here are a few photos from our trip:

~ Our Beautiful Italian Family ~
(Jenny, Julianne, Jessica, Janna & Alivia, Me & Karys and Mom)

Jenny & My Mom with their grandkids - all girls!
Miss Karys waiting in the hotel lobby

Alivia & Karys ~ 5th Cousins!!

They really loved each other!

They played nonstop!

**As you can imagine, upon my return my reader was completely full. Please excuse me for marking all as READ. I'm sorry, but there is just no way I can read and comment on over 156 posts. Truly, I cannot. I have not even unpacked yet! I kid you not.

The Big Easy

2008-11-07T08:39:00.005-06:00

We're on the move yet again...

We're heading out tomorrow morning for New Orleans, LA until next Wednesday!

We are taking the 5 hour drive because after our Arizona flight, I vowed never to fly with my toddler again (or until she is older in any case).

So when you are wondering why I'm not around or responding to you, it's because I'm most likely to be found hanging out around town with my cousin or on Bourbon Street.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Following In Momma's Footsteps

2008-11-06T07:34:00.004-06:00

She may play video games with Daddy, but she has a shoe fetish and the start of a wonderful collection like her Momma!

My Sweet Gamers

2008-11-05T08:31:00.005-06:00

Karys wants to do everything we do.

Including playing XBOX360 with Daddy.

So when Daddy plays, Karys plays. She even has her own little controller as well (sans batteries of course!).

And check out those blonde curls on my child!

Miss Tinker Bell

2008-11-04T08:00:00.007-06:00

Hope You All Had A
Happy Halloween!

Oh Edward, Here I Come!

2008-10-31T08:04:00.004-05:00

I am very proud to say that I now have in my possession an early afternoon movie ticket for TWILIGHT!!!

Only 21 more days!!

Now I just need my ticket for the evening showing!
Holly & Amy - let's get on that!

Future Power Couple?

2008-10-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

My friend Danielle and I took off work this past Friday and enjoyed some lunch, shopping and a playdate with the kiddos. We have high hopes for these two - I'm not sure if there could be a cuter couple!

Karys Making Eyes at Baby Tyler

She's just a little bigger than him right now ;)
Trying to make him do her things already...poor boy!

Checking things out

Tyler & Karys: Future Power Couple

The Next Level

2008-10-23T07:43:00.006-05:00

I think my husband and I may be taking our relationship to the next level.

My husband has always been a video game fanatic. He cannot live without his XBox 360. When a new game comes out, I fully anticipate going to sleep by myself for about a week while he stays up and plays online with his buddies.

This week he got a new game - Fable 2.

I must admit when he played this game the first night, I was intrigued. I used to love video games too but was more of a Quest Gamer. I wasn't into the fighting games. So this being a quest game, I had a lot of questions and couldn't even concentrate on a one Jamie Fraser in my book - which is very unlike me.

And then, as usual, I went to sleep. Alone.

Such is life.

However, last night, I was the one who stayed up for hours playing this game. I created my own profile and started my own quest. I let him play with me and my character. I actually even got further in the game than he did the first night.

And I was the buddy he stayed up with.

And then we went to bed. Together.

So I believe we have now bonded on a new level.

Rolling With Baby Jesus

2008-10-17T06:50:00.008-05:00

Karys has always been obsessed with my mom's nativity scene that she has in her foyer. The set is out year round on the bottom of her buffet table. Mostly, Karys is obsessed with Baby Jesus. She loves to go take him out of his crib.

Wednesday night we were at my mom's visiting and Karys picked up Baby Jesus. Again. Tim told her to put him back to sleep and so she did.

A couple minutes later we have our backs turned and hear a plink! I hear Tim gasp and turn around to see Baby Jesus' head rolling across the foyer.

My child beheaded Baby Jesus!

As I am trying to apologize to my mom, no one quite knows what to say. We are all just sort of in shock and it seems wrong to laugh (even if it is a doll) but we just can't help ourselves. We are all in hysterics at this point. My sister, Ashley, and I cannot seem to contain ourselves and our literally on the floor almost in tears.

We took Baby Jesus home and promised my mom that we would mend him.

I am very pleased to say that Baby Jesus came through "surgery" (aka super glue) with flying colors and is now good as new.

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-15T07:51:00.003-05:00

Up Close & Personal

2008-10-08T07:40:00.003-05:00

The Scale Broke

2008-10-06T14:13:00.003-05:00

The batteries in my scale went out about a month ago. Before that, I would weigh almost daily so that I would know when I needed to lay off the chocolate or when I could afford to indulge just a bit. It kept me in check.

Yesterday we put the batteries back in the scale. I stepped on. And promptly had visions of throwing my scale out the bathroom window.

So now I am forced to do something.

Today I joined Weight Watchers at work with some friends of mine.

I weighed in. It said I weighed more than I did at home! Again, thoughts of flying scales went through my head.

So, I'm on a 17 week venture with Weight Watchers to reach my goal weight - which is currently 17 lbs away. This would be the weight I was when I first got pregnant with Karys over 2 years ago.

I have never done Weight Watchers before so I am not really sure what to expect.

I'm also starting to try to run again - like I did last Fall. I think I gave up on it too soon. I have a habit of giving up on exercise programs.

Regardless, I cannot gain any more weight.

It must come off.

Fairy In Training

2008-10-01T07:04:00.004-05:00

The Perfect Husband

2008-09-30T14:24:00.004-05:00

I knew when I started dating the boy that he was amazing.

I knew when I married the man that he was incredible.

What I didn't know was that he could continue to outdo himself 10 years later!

This weekend he outdid himself indeed. You will recall that we took a trip alone to San Antonio this weekend.

I was not allowed to know any details. Everything was to be a surprise.

Here's a recap of our weekend....

We show up at the Westin Riverwalk and I find out that my amazing husband has booked us a Suite (not just a room!) with a private balcony overlooking the Riverwalk.

He would tell me that we had an appointment at 9am the next morning but not where. Turns out, he booked us for a couple's massage at the spa!

Next, we take a 20 minute drive and end up at the shops of La Canterra. Directly to the Coach store. And tells me to pick a purse of my choosing!

After that, he spoils me with lunch, another shopping spree and a lovely dinner.

After 10 years together, this guy, my husband, still manages to take my breath away and surprise me in so many ways. I am so thankful that he is mine.

And yes, I did pinch myself to make sure I was not just imagining all this...

Happy Anniversaries!

2008-09-26T00:01:00.007-05:00

What a very special day today is - with two anniversaries to celebrate!

The most important one being the 10 year (dating) anniversary with my husband. It was this very day 10 years ago that he first kissed me. And I am very pleased to say, he has not stopped since! Nor would I ever want him too!

Currently we are celebrating in San Antonio with a long, romantic weekend. Such fun!!

Many thanks to my sister, Rachel, who is keeping our darling daughter this weekend while we are away. I'm sure they will have great fun together!

************************

The second anniversary I am celebrating is my Blogoversary! It was this day exactly one year ago when I made my debut into the blog world with a personal blog with THIS POST. Obviously, my writing style has changed a bit over the year. I am so happy to have met many great new friends along the way!

No, I'm not really online, this post was set to publish - don't worry! We are enjoying our weekend away from the phones and computers!

WW - 10 Years

2008-09-24T12:19:00.006-05:00

In honor of our 10 years together, I gathered up some old photos we've taken over the past decade...and yes, I went through some major hair color changes!

Our Very First Photo
(We were only 17 years old!)

Name That Baby

2008-09-23T07:29:00.003-05:00

Okay friends, I need your help.

My good friend Holly at AnglophileFootballFanatic is having a contest to name her new baby niece. My suggestion was chosen as one of the 5 finalists!

But unfortunately, I am sorely losing this name game and I would be much obliged if you all would take a few seconds and head over there and help vote for the name I submitted...which may or may not be Alyssa.

Of course, only vote for it if you like it. If it's not your favorite you don't have to vote ;) Just kidding - but I'd love for you to help a girl out!

I'd just like to say that I think Alyssa is a very classy and strong name for a young lady, don't you?

Thanks in advance - I owe you one!

A Few of My Favorite Things!

2008-09-22T08:59:00.010-05:00

I recently participated in my first ever "Favorite Things Swap" hosted by the lovely Wendi at Because Wendi Said So.

The idea is to send three of more of your favorite things to your swap partner.

My swap partner turned out to be my good friend, Krystyn. Krystyn is a mom to darling Miss Isabelle and has another little one on the way! I've known her since high school and we were in drill team together 10 years ago! Wow...that's a long time!

The pairing of the partners was completely random so I was a little excited to get Krystyn as my partner because we are very different in a lot of ways and I thought that would be fun.

Now, if you know me at all, you know how I love getting packages in the mail. I'm telling you that some of my favorite people are the UPS and FedEx guys! During the holidays, I pretty much know them all by name!

When I saw my box from Krystyn had arrived, I got a tad bit over excited and started ripping into my goodies before snapping a picture - oops!

So in order to give credit for her awesome wrapping job, I put them all back in the box and snapped a few....

These Are A Few of Krystyn's Favorite Things: And Miss Isabelle sent something for Miss Karys!
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that a few of Krystyn's favorite things were MY favorite things as well!

She did an amazing job and I was delighted with all my new fun things ~ a "green" Target bag, some yummy chocolates, silky hand lotion, fun notecards and delicious fall scents in the shape of a Febreeze outlet!

And Isabelle won Karys over with a new set of Crayola Crayon's and a drawing pad! (However, Karys ended up eating the tip of the brown crayon this weekend when I turned my back for literally 2 seconds, so she is not allowed to play with them unless strictly supervised right now).

Thank You Krystyn for such wonderful and amazing gifts!!

And thank you Wendi for hosting such a fun swap! I can't wait to do it again!

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-19T08:59:00.004-05:00

I updated my family blog yesterday with our story and some videos. All in all, we survived the storm and were very blessed to have no damage to our home. We were also very blessed to have only been without power for 2.5 hours. Much of our city is still without power and may continue to be without power until sometime around October 5th.

I shudder to think if this had been a Category 4 or 5 storm when a Category 2 did this much damage to our coast and our great city.

My heart goes out to the victims and people who did not fair as well as we did. Know that our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

I just wanted to do a quick update here in addition to the family blog since many of you have called, texted or emailed me asking if we are okay in the days since the storm.

I want to thank you all for thinking of us and checking in on me. You are some of the best friends I could ever ask for!

As for me, I made sure I had my hurricane essentials as well:

Reading & drinking material in the event we lost other resources:

A Hurricane Drink - it seemed only appropriate:
A Small Hurricane Party with Family:
And of course, Miss Karys playing outside before the storm:

2008-09-11T07:42:00.008-05:00

13 Crazy Things My Friends Have Said

1. She just needs to be locked away from society. 1-17-08

2. ...that would be proving that I'm controlling. And I'm not. I just do everything better! Doesn't everyone enjoy things done the right way? 11-15-07

3. It's like you took all the genes with reason. 3-10-08

4. My friends are signing up for match.com. They want me too. I was like...no fool! I hope I didn't hurt their feelings. I think I'm too young for that and I don't want my story starting off... "so I met your daddy online". May if I'm 30 and single I'll rethink it! 3-24-08

5. Ok so while you were gone I sign into facebook. This same guy…named Mxx Nxxx poked me for like the 3rd time in 5 months! First of all….what is poking…secondly, its not very flattering to see…you’ve been poked by someone you don’t know. So then it says I have a message and its from Mxxx. It says…just saw your profile (liar because he saw it 5 months ago when he first poked me), you seemed interesting…cute pics! GROSSSSS!!!! 4-3-08

6. So then I go to dinner with Mxxxxx on Tuesday. Everything was fine…nothing from the past brought up which is good… just a nice friendly dinner. He then calls me yesterday to do something as well. Well I’m trying to establish the friend relationship so I decide that seeing him 2 days in a row wasn’t prob the best idea so I tell him I had a work happy hour. Every once in a while is fine….i don’t mind….but I need to set boundaries or else he’s going to ask me every single time he’s in town. Which is a couple of days a week. seeing him a couple times a month will be fine…..but I can’t do a couple of times a week. 4-3-08

7. He is fat and happy and making cute little noises right now. Ahh, the sounds of young brilliance. 5-21-08

8. No. No. No. Robots scare me. Except for Roomba. Because I hate to vacuum. 7-25-08

9. #1: What's odd? The fact that you have a totsite that updates your nonexistent pregnancy for you? Ha Ha
#2: Okay, I had to laugh out loud at that. That makes me sound more crazy than I really am. I like organization is all.
#2: I plan ahead
#1: You obsess ahead
8-6-08

10. Insanity in large numbers just makes me scared, it doesn't prove that you are normal. 8-13-08

11. Why wouldn't you want two nice cars? If you have one nice and one not nice, it's like ordering a filet mignon with grits. 8-22-08

12. He needs my interference in his life more than he knows. The decisions I make on his behalf, behind his back, are for his own self preservation. 9-3-08

13. After 24 years and 10 months of living on this earth…I just noticed one ear is higher than the other! This is indeed a sad day!!! 9-10-08

It's Almost Fall!

2008-09-09T12:03:00.008-05:00

FALL is fast approaching!

And I am gearing up to bust out the pumpkins and the spices!

Hopefully the weather can catch up with me soon!

i love...

football games

decorating for fall

fall weather

fall colors

pumpkin carving contests

pumpkin seeds

fall clothes

wearing hoodies

fall scents/candles (pumpkin spice!)

baking cookies on a chilly day

watching movies under a snuggly blanket

longer nights

going to the pumpkin patch

annual "thanks-for-nothing" dinners

falling leaves

fall shoes

pumpkin spice lattes

halloween

thanksgiving holidays

that christmas is just around the corner

and so much more!

Oh Houston...

2008-09-05T09:52:00.005-05:00

How I love thee!

Let me count the ways...

Yes, we are back home after our holiday trip to Arizona to visit the in-laws.

Whenever I travel, no matter where I seem to go, I am always ready to go home. I'm not sure if this is because I am older and just like being home or if this is because Houston is actually the ONLY city (besides possibly Raleigh, NC b/c it took my breath away the one time I went there) that I would ever consider living.

I have come to realize more and more that I am a girl who belongs in the city. While Arizona (Fort Huachuca to be exact) was beautiful with the mountains and the scenery, I simply cannot fathom not having my paved roads and my life as it is in Suburbia.

My city skyscrapers and the mall that is practically in my backyard? A must.

Being able to wear my heels every day (thus the necessity of pavement)? A must.

So I am indeed a very lucky girl to have what I want in the city I love.

Houston, I will try very hard to never take you for granted! And I will try to keep the complaining of the traffic, heat, humidity, etc to a reasonable level. I promise!

**And again, my reader is completely full so please bear with me as I make my way through what has been going on in everyone's lives. I will get there... Remember, patience is a virtue ;) **

An Offer We Could Not Refuse

2008-08-26T07:24:00.008-05:00

They made us an offer we could not refuse.

And so we would like to introduce you to the newest member of our little family.

~ Acura TL ~

Hubby is happy because he got the payments he wanted.

I am happy because I got all my fun features and a talking car.

Karys is happy because there are lots of fun buttons to push.

A Bit of Randomness

2008-08-25T08:06:00.006-05:00

I know I have not been around much. And luckily, during my hiatus with Edward, not much has been going on anyway.

But just so you have it, here is the uninteresting scoop:

~ Finished Twilight Series and restarted them. I now have about 9 or 10 people that I have gotten to read these books. They are amazing and can captivate even the smallest of readers. Read them! You will NOT be disappointed.

~ Had dinner with blog friends Holly & Amy last week. It was really great to meet Amy and Holly is always a pleasure to hook up with.

~ We leave for Arizona this Friday for an extended weekend. We won't return until Tuesday and we're hoping the 2 hour time difference does not throw Karys off too much. She seems to adapt well to most situations so we're crossing our fingers that this will be good too! We're excited about visiting Tim's dad & step-mom so they can see how much Karys has grown and changed!

~ We converted our formal living into a playroom for Karys and my anal self feels much better about controlling the destruction that is my child's toys to one room instead of all of the downstairs. I can breath a bit easier now.

~ I have been really excited for Fall to be here next month. I keep looking at the calendar in anticipation to bring out all the decor from the attic. I've got about a month to go.

~ Our 10 year dating anniversary is only a month away (a decade people!) and I think we're going to take a nice, long romantic weekend in San Antonio and have my mom keep Miss Karys.

~ We've been test driving new cars and I am very excited as we get closer to making a decision!

~ I'm also angling for the new Coach that came out. I feel in love at first sight. I mean, everyone needs a new purse for Fall right?? I'm thinking this purse has to be mine...it's just a feeling though at this point.

~ And I have a promise to start blogging more again. I'm still reading but I feel that I can better manage my time since this is my second time around with the series.

That's pretty much all I have. See? Nothing too terribly interesting.

Meet Edward Cullen...

2008-08-21T08:04:00.006-05:00

Allow me to introduce to you the person that has been stealing all my time away from my blog....

His name is Edward Cullen.

He is from the Twilight Saga/Series written by Stephenie Meyer.

He also sort of happens to be a vampire.

And once you start him, you cannot stop him.

Not that Tim is complaining in the least ;)

I will start blogging more often soon, but I cannot just yet.

Because I sort of started the series over again...sigh....I know, I know!

I just can't quit him yet.

So just give me a little more time...

I promise I will be back soon.

Vacation & A Hiatus

2008-08-12T15:49:00.006-05:00

Wow - I went on short vacation for a long weekend and came back to over 160 items in my reader! Obviously, I cannot possibly read through them all, seeing how I am so far behind.

And I have no lovely beach pictures to share with you guys because, well, my dumb*** left the memory card at home and didn't realize it until I went to take pictures. Pictures that would not save without a memory card. Go figure!

I have something else to tell you... I will be out the rest of the week. There is a reason. A very good reason that I will not be online...

I fell in love. Madly in love. Deeply in love.

And because of my heart being stolen, I'm afraid I won't have much time to write or read this week. I know, I'm horrible! But you all know how infatuating new love can be. I just cannot get enough...you see, he's currently taking up all of my thoughts and all of my time.

But I promise to be back when I finish my lovely affair and, hopefully, get him out of my system.

And I promise to tell you all about it...