Weddings VS Marriage {Or 'Letting Go of Bitterness'!}

I decided to stay up late tonight, to hopefully get a bit of progress made on Ruffles' Halloween Costume {I did}. I found a short series on Netflix called 'Say Yes to the Dress:Randy Says'...usually 'SYTTD' leaves me feeling quite envious over the 'lack' in my Wedding Season {yes, even after almost 10 years}. Tonight however, I am Grateful. Grateful for a Husband that LOVES Me Endlessly & Spoils Me {as much as he can}. Grateful for another reminder that God STILL answers Prayer {mine yesterday was to erase lingering bitterness I carry in my heart...}. Grateful that in less than Three { !3! } Weeks, I will get to celebrate 10 Years of Marriage to the Most Wonderful Man that 'I Never Knew I Always Wanted'...even if we don't get to leave our little town to do it~I LOVE MTB TREMENDOUSLY. And I am GRATEFUL. ♥

I have come to grips with the reality that the 'family support' just wasn't there. I had no guidance on registration, planning, The Dress...anything. Okay~No Biggie. So I plan to BE THERE for Our Girl. I've watched other Mama's and 'studied' the Wedding Seasons of local Brides in recent years. 'Oh! That's how it's supposed to be done~Gotcha!'  Okay, that may sound bitter or sarcastic in your mind, but Seriously~I understand the 'why'~Even though I have two Mothers that Love me, neither of them got a Wedding at all. {In fact, we're still trying to convince our Daddy that he needs to 'Marry Mom RIGHT' one of these days.} So technically, they had no guidance to offer...

I have come to accept the fact that we had EXTREMELY limited funds to finance a Wedding. In fact, we I managed to 'DIY' the entire day for about $3000. That included my dress. {Side Note~Not only was that BEFORE Pinterest, but I didn't even know how to use the internet back then!} Yes, we both had full time jobs. Yes, we were given a few pre wedding gifts to use accordingly...but I had a Future MIL that was very ill and spent much time in hospital...40 mins away. And in the six {eight?} weeks leading up to the Wedding, she did not leave hospital due to a series of massive strokes that created much damage. We felt our time was much better spent with her. Sharing meals, sharing conversation, watching television, watching her sleep, keeping track of her care & well being. Driving 40 minutes one way {twice a day, 4-6 days a week} plus eating dinner can REALLY add up. So...there went our ''Last Minute Details'...'Fresh Floral Arrangements'...'Reception Refreshments'...'Honeymoon Funds'. ~And I wouldn't have it any other way. D knew that she was Loved. She knew that she was Cherished. And THAT is worth more than any Vera Wang Dress, Gorgeous Choreographed Ceremony, Rocking Reception & Fancy Honeymoon. Hands Down. Any Day. 

Still having a little trouble with the pictures though! { !-LOL-! } The. Pictures... Seriously...???...I just have no words to describe the 'awfulness' of that debacle! I say this jokingly now, but it actually took many years for M & I to get over recover from that experience. We met with {and paid most of the package price to} our photographer before we were actually engaged. M proposed in February {so romantic~but another story!} and it took until the end of August for the photographer to actually keep a date {aka NOT stand us up!} and do our engagement session. We were rushed. In our work clothes...and covered in mosquitoes. In our pictures there are literally mosquitoes feasting on us! Our package covered the Rehearsa & Dinner {he didn't show up}, PreWedding Prep {nada}, the Wedding {got that}, and Reception {got a few traditional 'corny' shots}. We celebrated our 1st Anniversary before we ever saw the proofs from the Wedding Day.  It took over three and a half years { !-3.5-! } to get our Wedding Album. We just took it out of the box {to display} this Summer. We really don't like to look at it~is that Sad? But our Kiddos love it. Bless Them.

But, as I stated before: Tonight I am Grateful. SO Very Grateful. And Yes~I would do it all again to marry M. ♥

My Dearest Little Loves

Sept 27, 2012  {12:05am}

Today was NOT A 'Great Day'. I was working on Sisters' 1st room {painting the closet} & ran out of paint about a minute too soon~literally. I couldn't get Brother to CON. CEN. TRATE. on his SchoolWork & even had to give spankin's at one point. Y'all were just all over me. All. Day. Made me understand why your Oma would 'change her name' all the time when I was growing up!  I needed some ALONE time. Some MOMMY time. A BREAK. And a Creative Outlet was in order...

I had EVERY intention of making bows tonight. We have vacation in 3 weeks...we are going to Disney World & have PROMISED you two a visit to Mickey's Halloween Party. Problem is~we have NO $$$ to buy tickets!!! I have an order to get out that will earn us almost enough for one ticket...and it needs to get finished so I can get paid! Not to mention I still have two little 'Cave People' costumes to begin...on top of every day life, schoolwork, chores, meals, errands, drs appts, a party in 2 wks and ongoing work in & on Sisters' room...

Instead of making bows {i.e. $$$}... I snuggled up on the sofa watching 'Dirty Jobs' & am now in the bed with the BOTH of you wrapped around my {Completely. Numb.} left arm...

I. Love. You. ♥

New Uses for Old Things

I used to read Real Simple Magazine.  I LOVED IT.  Our 1st Thanksgiving Dinner was a feast of gourmet deliciousness straight from the pages of the 2003 Fall Issue.  

One of my FAVORITE features was the 'New Uses for Old Things'.  GENIOUS IDEAS!  I only had two small problems with RSM.  

#1~ As magazines go it is Expensive.  

#2~ I could NEVER remember to actually DO any of the wonderful tips & ideas that I so enjoyed reading...

I came across this 

on Pinterest this afternoon & thought 'What A Great Idea!' As I ALWAYS try to do, I followed the pin to it's original site {to make sure it wasn't bogus, SPAM or phishy} and came to RSM... Should have known.   ♥

Chicken Tonight...???

Have you ever just thrown a bunch of stuff in the crock pot & hope it turns out okay?  I did that last night...

Frozen Chicken Breasts & Thighs, Chicken Broth, Cream of Chicken, Diced Tomatoes plus Cannellini Beans & Spices.  Today I added Chopped Frozen Collard Greens & Diced Onion and more spices {because crock pot meals WILL lose flavor over time...}.  

The smells are drool worthy...  ♥

PowerStruggle

How. On. Earth....Did I end up in bed { @1am } eating enjoying GuiltilyGobbling OREOS & MILK!?!  

I went into the kitchen to grab a baked egg!  I had decided that I needed to ease my rumbling tummy so I could sleep....I did eat two egg whites { I threw out the~7grams of fat per~yolks }...

I blame the Hubbs...HE was the one that reminded me of the blasted OREOS that I have successfully ignored all week.  

I Ate Six.  

At least they weren't 'Double Stuffed'.  

♥

Java Part Deux

Ruffles has CoffeeBreath...Lil'Stinker.  ♥

On The Hunt

As a 'budding' Seamstress, I Love Love LOVE all things Sewing related.  I enjoy reading Sewing Magazines, Sewing Blogs, Sewing Tutorials, Sewing Forums, even Sewing Patterns~my Kindle & eBook are full loaded stuffed  OVERFLOWING with them and I even have more on our desktop {I am IN LOVE with PDF's that come with LOTS of color pictures}.

Now if I could only find the TIME to use some of them!!!

Anyway, right now I am On The Hunt for an Overall/Romper pattern. Not just ANY old pattern {I have 2 or 3}.  I want THIS One:

This is NOT my picture.  I came across it on a FB Resale a year {or so} ago and just had to save it. One of the Blessings of a Sewing Forum is that you can involve other Ladies in the hunt & glean from their knowledge on other things...and I now have three other Ladies helping me hunt down a pattern for this style of Overall/Romper!  ♥

Java

Such a FUN & Relaxing Day @ The Magic Kingdom  yesterday.  But now, I am TIRED!!!  We left our home A MESS for our impromptu mini vacation...and tonight we'll be headed out to purchase a new DISHWASHER {seriously?}...ours finally gave up. So...no cleaning to be done this evening.  I got about 5hrs of sleep before our WDW day & 5hrs after {yawn!}. 

Now I sit here trolling the Internet...listening to my kiddos play...trying to work up the energy to get our Stinky Selves UN~Stinkified { & on that note~has anyone else noticed that WDW "Stink" smells differently than normal everyday 'work up a good sweat' Stink...??? These are the questions I ponder... }.  

My point...??? Oh Yes.  I reach over to get my coffee, only to raise the cup to my lips for a nice warm drink...of nothing.  Ruffles has been sneaking my coffee!  And as I type this, she walked up & asked for more...I ♥ Our Kiddos...  ♥  ♥  ♥

No More Diapers!

Oh My~what a KrAzY Whirlwind my life has been lately!  We just got off of a week long vacation that SAVED. MY. NERVES.  I swear I was 'this close' to a mental breakdown...YIKES!  But, on the bright side...one of those KrAzY events was a VERY Good One~Potty Training COMPLETE!  {{ Whoop Whoop! }}  


Our Little Ruffles was is quite an opinionated and strong willed child {{@ only 2 1/2!}} and she would be the 1st to tell you that she did NOT like the potty.  She loved her "bipeys" and would continue to use them "always."  UhOh.  I had these terrible visions of sending her to AWANA every week with her diaper bag.  Visions of fights with a 4 year old over her "bebe" {{aka pacifier}} and "bipeys"!  And then it happened that about 6 or 7 wks ago, she started to ask to be changed immediately upon wetting or soiling her diaper.  It got to the point that instead of 3/4 of a pack of diapers/week, we went through 2 entire packs!  The last straw occurred on June 1....


We were waiting to be seated for my sister's HS Graduation and Ruffles informed me that she needed to be changed.  I told he she would have to wait~as we were jam packed into the atrium waiting to be allowed into the theater to be seated~and continued my conversation with another sister {{there are 7 of us}}.  After a few minutes I felt a pat on my arm {{I was holding Ruffles on my hip}}...I looked down and asked 


''Yes Ma'am?''
''Mommy, tan I pwease as' you a hwestion?"
"Of course, thank you for asking Love"
"Mommy, you 'memmer when I tol' you I needed my bipey shange?  You memmer?
"Yes, I do"
"Well, I 'till need it Mommy.  I all 'ticky tause I wet my bipey.  Tan you lease shange it now Mommy?  I neena new one, memmer?"


At this point, I looked at my Daddy and proclaimed "Yep~it's time".  I arranged that night to have another sister watch Robot for me one day the next week.  I was planning 'Operation No More Diapers' using this blog post by {The Moes Family}.  I knew that our Super Smart, Super Crafty Little Miss would NOT take well to pull ups.  I knew she would use them for what they really are~diapers...


The night before 'ONMD' commenced, I told Ruffles that when she woke up there would be no more diapers in the house.


"Dus a little bit more Mommy?  Dus a little bit more diapers? 'lease?"


LOL...she really did NOT like using the potty.  However the next morning came and she got her 'Big Girl' panties, undivided Mommy Time & LOTS of snacks and treats.  Our day actually turned out to be quite complicated {{including a dr visit and x rays for Ruffles}} but I won't go into detail.  Suffice it to say that after only a weekend and 2 wet pair of shoes ~with one DISGUSTING INCIDENT thrown in for good measure~our Ruffles was a Potty Using Lil' Diva.  {{ Turns out that she liked the sensation of warm wet tinkles down her leg WAY less than she liked using the potty!  }}


♥

{{ Nerves }}

I am just so very tired...and so very VERY "done" with this constant feeling that I'm about to jump out of my skin...my nerves are frayed beyond...well, beyond words! My insides are in a unending knot that twists & turns...I am thankful that we were able to give our BubbaMan a WONDERFUL Birthday...the only things getting me through this day were PRAYER & my Sweet Boy's gratitude for being "so good to [him]" and the "Best Ever Mommy" along with tons of hugs and kisses. I pray that the following weeks will afford me some relaxation & LESS STRESS...not sure how much more I can handle!

Giveaway

I entered a new Giveaway from Whimsy Couture today...for 6 {{SIX!}} patterns of my choice! I just love her patterns.  In fact I love them so much that yesterday I bought one...that I had already purchased 2 wks ago!!!  :)    ♥

Dirt & Oreos

{{ So. Stinkin'. TRUE. }} ♥

Breakfast of Champions

A girl after my own heart...all she wanted for breakfast this morning was "peanut buttah in my mouf!"  

{{ ♥♥♥ }}

'EveryDay' Recipe Starter

My 'HPL' {{Happy Little Family}} leads such a busy life {{with NO organization or schedule!}} that supper is almost always a last minute affair.  It also almost ALWAYS includes ground turkey as the base for the meal {{spaghetti, sloppy joes, cheeseburger mac, stuffed veggies, chili, soups, pizza, baked pastas, burritos...the list goes on...}}.

I am guilty of adding extra veggies to ANY meal that I cook {{because the Hubs won't eat many}}.  My philosophy is that by adding the veggies IN, he couldn't take them OUT.  The same philosophy works for Ruffles {{another NON Veggie Fan}}.


Last year I came up with this 'recipe' {{it's more of a method than a recipe}} for our staple cooking ingredient~the Ground Turkey.  Lately I have had MANY requests for the method and decided to post this so I can just direct everyone here!


Ground Turkey w/ Veggies
Ingredients
2lbs Ground Turkey
2lbs Frozen Chopped Spinach
2lbs Frozen CHOPPED Broccoli
1lb Diced Onion {{I used frozen}}
1lb Shredded Carrots
EVOO {{I use spray}}
Yogurt Butter
Nature's Seasonings or Mrs Dash {{whatever I have on hand}}

Lightly coat the bottom of your pan with the EVOO and a few TBLS of butter. 

Pour ALL veggies in pan, season, and then sweat them until soft.

{{I added a few extra pats of butter on top this time~see!?!  Method~NOT recipe!}}

Depending on the size of your pot, you can add the turkey in with the cooked veggies or set the veggies aside.  I opted to set them aside this time...

Brown your turkey in some EVOO and Yogurt Butter with a little more of your seasoning of choice.

Next, add all your veggies back in...

Give them a stir...

Let everything cool down and pack it all into four freezer safe containers!

Now, your Turkey w/ Veggies mix is ready to go for ANY recipe that calls for a pound of ground meat!

One reason that I like to call this a 'method' instead of a 'recipe' is because it changes often.  I might cook 3 or 5lbs of turkey, which calls for a different amount of veggies.  I sometimes get a 'wild hair' and play with the seasonings a bit.  I often add petite diced tomatoes to have something ready for tomato based sauces {{marinara, sloppy joes, chili, etc}}.

When you are ready to use your mix, just defrost and go...ENJOY! ♥

Little Pretties

I am attempting to build a lovely & unique collection of jewelry...inexpensively.  Groupon, Etsy, and Gigi's Petals  have been a GREAT source lately!  I have bought quite a few pieces {{earrings, a ring & some necklaces}}.  And I just LOVE my new{{est}} charm!  It was custom made by Little Painted Polks Dots...isn't it adorable!?!  I plan to make a new chain for it...maybe a ribbon? ♥

Have any great {{inexpensive}} jewelry sources you'd like to share?

Lovin' the Hubs

Today {{Friday April 20, 2012}} is "National Husband Appreciation Day"!  Go tell your hubs how much you appreciate him!  




I know ONE THING for certain...I  ♥ ♥ ♥  Mine to the Moon & Back Again!!!




♥ THANK YOU 'M' for being MY 'Bubby'!!! ♥

My Love & I at WDW in March 2012.

How To Hang Draperies And Curtains Like A Designer

Ever wonder why your drapes don't look like those in the magazines?  Even after you went out and spent a Small FORTUNE buying every single piece featured in the catalog or website?  Well, I came across this blog post today on Facebook & it has some useful information to help us out!  The post was featured by Madigan Made on FB, but originally came from Addicted 2 Decorating {{heehee...I just LOVE being a "Blog Stalker"!}}.  


I wish I knew how to show the entire post here, but...I don't...so please follow the link & go fix those drapes! (-;

Ruffles, the Drama Queen

Have you ever had one of 'those' experiences that you wish SO BADLY had been captured on camera?  You know what I mean... ;)

We had one recently during our long tiring extended vacation to Walt Disney World.  We left on a Saturday morning and came home late the following Wednesday night.  I know, you're thinking "ummm...extended?"  YES.  It was LONG!!!

On Monday we had plans to meet up with The Hubs' oldest brother, his wife and their daughter for a day of FUN in the Magic Kingdom.  But the 1st thing on Ruffles agenda was to ''Doe tee Mitty Mouse."  Now, anyone who knows Ruffles...or even spends five minutes in her presence KNOWS that she is High Maintenance.  She doesn't like loud noises, sudden moves, masks, insane hats, elaborate costumes, anyone who isn't ME...and a whole list of other things!  But, she wanted to see 'The Mouse'.  Go Figure.

Well M&M were right next to where we ate lunch & there was only a 5 minute wait, so we decided to give it a shot.  Besides Robot LOVES to see the characters.  He always has.  We went right in to Mickey's dressing room, and Mickey & Minnie were mostly out of our site due to the huge steamer trunk opened in front of us.  We occasionally got a glimpse of ears as they walked around and posed for pictures.  So...here is an excerpt of Ruffles' monologue while waiting in line:

"I donna tee Mitty Mouse."

"I toe et~cited."

"I wait my tuwrn."

"I tee 'huwr' ears!"

{{to some random lady in line}} "Mitty Mouse is BIG as Mommy!"

"Minnie hewre too! I tee Minnie, Mommy!!!"

"I toe et~cited.  I wait my tuwrn."

"We nezt, Mommy? Oh, I toe et~cited."

We finally get to our turn & Ruffles & I stand back so Robot can have his turn first and she can have a few more seconds to assess the situation.  She decides to pass Mickey with a wave & go straight for Minnie...I stop in front of Minnie~not TOO close, but close enough & Minnie waves 'Hi'.  Ruffles says 'Hi Minnie, Hi." and volunteers her name to Minnie.  

She then turns to me with a stoic face and deadpan voice & says "I say hi.  To Minnie.  Mouse."  Then the head gets thrown back, the mouth opens and TORMENTED WAILING ensues.  "I DONE!  I DONE!  GET ME OUTTA HERE NOW!  I.  TOE.  DONE!  BYE MINNIE!  BYE MITTY!  I DONE!"

It took every ounce of "Mommy~ness" in me to comfort her and NOT. LAUGH.  But really...when you have a child as dramatic as that one, you eventually just have to enjoy it, or you'll go mad.  ;)

This picture was taken directly after "The Incident" while waiting for the parade to start.  An entirely NEW debacle for Miss Ruffles to be "DONE!" with~and a whole 'nother story, lol!  Here's to 'Magical Memories' with our loved ones! ;)

Can I Just Go Back to Bed?

You ever have one of those days?  


You know~the kind where you wake up on time, the coffee is GOOD, you get chores done, schoolwork done, the children get along and play beautifully...and when it's time to head out into the world everything just rolls together nicely...your hair is perfect, the only makeup you need is powder because your complexion looks GREAT & that perfect outfit practically leaps out of your closet ready to wear...yeah~I love that day...


That was so NOT today.


I woke up late, the coffee pot parts were buried under the dishes I forgot to wash last night, the children could NOT get along {{thankfully a VERY rare occurrence}}, and I just couldn't get it together to leave the house...ended up with jeans, a ruffled tank & cardi and my gold thong sandals...yes, it was cute and I'm glad I was able to look put together for the Hubs, but I wanted to wear a dress {{my every day wear}} and feel the warm breeze outside.  


WARNING~Rant Coming On!!!:  However the {{LOTS OF}} extra weight I currently carry around prohibited me from donning one of my summer dresses... )=  This will be fixed.  Soon.  Soon, as in I have appt with a Weight Loss & Nutritional Team on March 13.  Hopefully sooner if they have a cancellation.  I am SO READY.  And thankful that M is letting me do it...
RANT OVER!


Back to my day, lol.  I did manage to get the dishes washed, but now must choose between the piles of laundry covering my entire sectional sofa or the bow order that is due tomorrow...it may be an all nighter...An imperfect end to my imperfect day...


And I Am THANKFUL For EVERY Second Of It.

Shoe~Topia

Have you ever been to Shoe~Topia?  NO!?!  Oh My~You MUST visit someday.  I am there now, & let me tell you...it's Remarkable Awesome Sensational WONDROUS!  


My trip to this Glorious {{NON FICTIONAL}} place began when the entire family went shopping for new Sanuks.  We are in Deep Deep LIKE with this brand of shoe...the 'Yoga Mat' style is SO COMFY & as we are planning our Big "DISNEY TRIP" in a few weeks, we needed to replace our old 'holey soled' ones that we wore out last year... (=

This year our store of choice held way more variety than last year...but not much that I was interested in. =/  I did pick up this SUPER COMFY pair here....

{{via}}

...but felt the need to look further...So I Did! (=

I found these two pair 

{{Sanuk Kiss & Tell}}

and

{{Sanuk Yoga XYZ}}

on Zappos & they came in today... {{LOVE}}.

I also bought these for Robot~>

{{via}}

{{via}}

{{And that's on top of the two pair of floppers he got two days ago!}}  Hey Man~Fla Residents need flip flops!

Ruffles got this cute little pair of Tommy Hilfiger's from our local Outlet Store...

She wanted to nap in them today...BTW~how CUTE is she???

They are too big for her TINY Little Feets, {{thus causing a small trip & scrape}} but with shoes vs sandals or flip flops you can get away with a larger size...Oooh oooh oooh...here is a cute one of both my babies {{don't you just love all the pics with backgrounds of trucks and curbside garbage?  But, you take the pictures where the kiddos will cooperate!}}

Okay...enough about them and back to my SHOES!!!

What's our count now...3?  Okay, I also picked up an ADORABLE pair of Fushia Floral Thongs from the aforementioned Outlet Store.  I rarley find anything for myself there, but this day I literally turned around and bumped into them!  The next night, we rode out to a relatives house for a quick visit and I left with a bag full of FOUR brand new pair of flip flops...See!?!  Shoe~Topia!!!  Here are my last 5 pair...

I'm telling ya~this was MY week!  {{And to go with all those EIGHT PAIR of flip flop/thongs/sandals, I picked up a small battery powered pedicure device~like a drill?~ AND two new bottles of OPI...

and

I Eat Mainly Lobster

Two PERFECT summer colors...good for ANY skin tone and appropriate for day or night...{{sigh}}

UPDATE!!!

HOW could I forget to show y'all my MOST Favorite pair!?!  These are no longer available unfortunatley, but I DO love them...they are SO comfy & will match EVERYTHING in my summer wardrobe...this is my GO TO COLOR for Summer!

Simply Vera by Vera Wang 'Mia' Coral Thong Sandals... ♥♥♥

New Giveaway!

I know...I know...I never win...BUT!~I entered anyway! (-;  A new giveaway posted today on 'a beautiful life' {{one of my favorite "lifestyle" blogs}}.  I am not even sure what the prize is {{!!!}} but I HOPE it's this little lovely right here {{click this link!}}.  I can just see my Little Ruffles wearing her name in my handwriting...I'd better sign off and start practicing my L's...TooDaLoo!

Ephesians 5:25 Love

My Sweet Husband hasn't had a proper closet in 3 years.  From the moment we learned we were pregnant with Ruffles {{March 27, 2009}}, his belongings have been relegated to one of those rickety 'travel' closets.  Sure, he had a few complaints, but he knew it was the only solution we had that was workable.  He is a BIG Believer in "Sacrificial Love"...it's what "marriage" is about...well...it's what marriage SHOULD be about.  Loving your Spouse as Christ LOVES His church.


My Bubby {{my nickname for the Hubbs}} works two jobs.  He graduated from college  {{Ruffles was 8 days old!}} with a degree in Geomatics and...something something something...basically he is a Licensed & Registered Surveyor in our state.  He also has a part time job working as tech support for our local Supervisor of Elections Office.  With election season upon us he is SUPER busy right now!  Besides working 10+ hours of OT for his regular job, M is logging quite a few hours at ''the other office'' as well.  


Except for today...today he got up early {{on his ONE DAY OFF}}...went to LOWES {{HE HATES LOWES}}...and bought supplies to build a new walk in closet.  For.  ME.  {{I do so love that man.}}  (=  


While trolling FaceBook a few minutes ago, I came across this video {{by a new artist that I am thoroughly enjoying BTW}} entitled 'Sex, Marriage & Fairy Tales//Spoken Word'.  Having already been humbled today by the Grace of God in blessing me with such an AMAZING Life Partner, I was increasingly grateful after watching the video.  I mean~I know that my 'M' is amazing {{didn't I just say that!?!}} but it always helps to be reminded.


Whether you are married or not, this video shares an important message regarding marriage and God's plan for it.  It is definitely a "MUST WATCH" in my book...Enjoy...