Changing Things Up A Bit

Do you guys like my new look?? Here's the shpeal: I started looking for designers to re-do my blog and was flabbergasted at the prices people charge to do blog designs. Some are over $100! Who has that kind of money to toss around? ... Not I, said the fly. So I signed up for this blog designing course for the sole reason that I'd be able to design my own blog from here on out and possibly do some friends' blogs. Well, I missed the first class due to time zone differences (yikes I'm a doofus!) and I made the second class-- and was totally and utterly LOST the entire freaking time. So I ended up teaching myself a little photoshop and whatnot. I am considering charging people about $5-10 to do a basic change to their blog (header, background, etc). This pays for the graphics and that's about it, ha! :)

We took Bmonster for her 18 month check up this past week. She weighed in at just about 27 pounds and I forget her height, but she was in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. Took her back to the dr. to check her ear infection today and she weighed 27.12 lbs! Crazy little bebe.

Thanksgiving was quick. We spent thanksgiving day with Vance's parents and had dinner at my parent's house. I'm so ashamed to say that over the course of a week (give or take), I finished the leftover tray of pumpkin crunch I took home. So much for a diet.

Vance & I braved the black friday crowd [sans bebe] and finished a majority of our shopping.

My sister-in-law is getting married this weekend! So very excited for them-- then they will head to Disney World for their honeymoon... squee!

Here aer some pics from thanksgiving:

Family picture that I cropped us out of (it was one of those pictures where we look awful... you know)


My parent's baby, Mimi the corgi

Us on thanksgiving

Take 2 sans milk

We bought our tree and everything so I'll have to take pics of that! Brooke keeps touching it and saying 'preee-ttttty!'

thankful + aesthetic thursday

images


Today will be spent at home with my tiny family, enjoying our christmas tree which we bought and decorated yesterday, watching the Macy's day parade and relaxing! Tonight we're headed over to my parents house for turkey, mashed potatoes and most importantly: pumpkin crunch. My mom is a terrific baker and I've never been more excited for desert.

& since thanksgiving is all about being thankful, here's what a little lady named Oprah Winfrey has to say about the topic:
Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.

Here's what I'm thankful for:

My little monkey and her Christmas PJ's

This kid:


A house to live in


All 3 of my babies

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

ATTITUDE

When I was a teenager, my mom used to rag on me for the way I acted ... she would tell me that I need to change my attitude. She would not stand for sassiness and she demanded respect. She also expected that I treat everyone in life with respect as well. And I would watch other parents -- no one else's mom would tell them that they couldn't roll their eyes behind their parents' back (HOW does she even know when I'm doing that?!) or sigh in exasperation from hearing something that I didn't want to. Or even make the slightest upset face when she said anything to "mom-like," such as telling me not to swear [sh*t and f*ck are swear words that only parents are allowed to say, apparently]

Fast forward 10ish years and I understand. Attitude is everything. Thanks mom, for teaching me one of the most important lessons I'll ever learn.


“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
-charles swindoll

All images from here

'AINT THIS THE SAD TRUTH:

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

Totally in love with my little monkey.

aesthetic thursday

I'm starting this because I found so many inspirational quotes and pictures on some new blogs I've started following and I fell in love. I've always loved quotes and beautiful pictures, but then again, who doesn't?! So here's my first post of "Aesthetic Thursdays" ...some of them reflect how I feel/what's going on in my life, some I am moved by, inspired by ... others I just enjoy :)

I hope Vance and I raise Brooke to realize this is how we feel about her:


Easier lesson to say than to realize


I have a good friend from high school who was recently betrayed.

♥

Word.

All images found here

18 months

Ohmygosh, is my baby really a year and a half?! She's TRULY not a baby anymore. :( Her latest thing is getting everyone to stand up and follow her into her room, the back room and most recently: her play tent.

Notice that even the poor DOGS have to follow us in there!

She is quite the boss! If she ever has a little brother or sister, they better watch out!


Today we let her run around in Fun Factory. She refuses to sit in her stroller or the shopping cart anymore. It is really hard chasing after her and trying to shop, even with help. I hope this phase passes quickly and she'll learn to stand next to me and follow me in stores soon! In Fun Factory, I thought she would go crazy pressing buttons on the machines but she actually was fixated on this car.


Then we went home and watched Elmo's World as she ate lunch

Here's the little chipmunk, storing all of the food in her mouth!

My poor dogs are constantly being bossed around by Brooke. They have adjusted to their little sister really well, but occasionally growl when she trips on them or lands on top of them (they weigh at least 10 pounds less than she does). We caught Zoe snoozing on Brooke's chair the other night. Poor pup was exhausted from following her sister around the house!

Amazing

Yup... I've reached 100 followers. I can't believe that one hundred people actually stopped by our blog. I don't even know 100 people! Okay, maybe I do. But it is still a LOT of people. I am eternally grateful. And I am in the process of researching a designer who will overhaul my blog as promised. I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it, but I do want a change. (Any recommendations?) And I think hitting 100 followers is a good reason to change it up a bit. Thank you everyone :)

Anyway, the other day we took a little mall trip and I was able to use my AMAZING phone to capture some pictures (Did I mention I got a new phone?! I'm rather smug about it, if you haven't noticed)

Little sassy pants walked around the mall carrying her purse and all:

Then we stopped to eat at Farrell's (yum)


And a quick stop to Best Buy (the next Alicia Keys?)

That night little sassy pants was extra tired-- she's somehow caught ANOTHER cold. Every night she crawls back and forth between Vance and I before snuggling to fall asleep. Sometimes she'll fall asleep on my arm, other nights right next to me and on the rare occasion, she'll fall asleep on me, like so:

I know I look like &@(*@, but I wanted to capture this exactly as it is. I must be a weirdo because I thoroughly enjoy sleeping next to my little monster and I will miss her falling asleep next to me, on me ... NEAR me when she's older.

Oh, and look at those long eyelashes. Mama's not jealous at all. Nope, not one bit.

Shopping purchases

First things first, I finally got a new phone! It's been about 3 years since I bought a new phone-- my old one was a simple flip phone, with no text keypad whatsoever. The keypad was half off, thanks to my hubby who took it upon himself to tear it off once he noticed it was peeling. The camera was broken. And I still had text messages from the night that Brooke was born. *Sigh* Memories.

But I am a proud new mama of an Android X! My mama bought it as an early Christmas present. Full internet capabilities, games, celebrity gossip ... I am so excited. Okay, so I'm not a real technology person, but this phone is amazeballs. Seriously.

Vance has been off of work for pretty much this whole week, so we did a lot of shopping. Here we are training Brooke early:

Just kidding. My mom just bought her this shopping cart to play around with. She loves it.

Most recent purchases?

Christmas towels from Target


Flats from Ross ($10.99-- what a steal!)

Coffeee sign from Ross ($4.99)

Pretty plant numero uno

Rosemary (pretty plant numero dos)

Okay, so I have been playing around with my phone and used my pups as models while Brooke was sleping:

And here is the sleepy-head herself :)

I only have 3 more followers till I hit 100! Slowly but surely, right? I guess it's quality, not quantity that matters.