My New Love...

I had heard about this series on a couple of other blogs I enjoy but never really gave it much thought & wondered how great a PBS Master Piece series could really be...I mean really, British, PBS, Aristocracy in the early part of the 20th Century...not interested. Then my co-workers bought the series and started passing it around and all I heard was how great it was and how some of them had devoted an entire day to watching nothing but this series...suddenly, the thought of watching this series seemed like something I might try. I. Am. In. Love!

Oh my goodness I love this show. At first I kinda had a hard time with the accent...but I wasn't critical because those who live in the South ought not throw stones at others with a strong accent...right y'all.

If you haven't started watching, go find the series and start ASAP...they just finished the 2nd season so it will not take you long. The 3rd season won't be starting in the US until January 2013 so you have plenty of time to catch up.

If you're already watching, allow me to share a hilarious spoof...one of the doctors I work for also enjoys the show and shared this with me this week...so funny...enjoy...

I can't figure out how to post the video, so you'll just have to follow the link...

http://screen.yahoo.com/downton-arby-s-28723019.html

March 25, 2011



March 16, 2012



March 25, 2011



March 16, 2012



Pass the tissues...how can these be the same babies??? Time is going too quickly! Today wasn't an exceptionally busy morning...I just had 2 errands to run, one to the sewing store and the other to Publix. However, when Ruth Ann walks through the doors of the sewing store she turns into a crazy child who wants nothing but to run around between the rows of fabric. I think back to the years my mom would drag me and my brother to Piece Goods...a fabric chain store...and how much trouble we would get in for not listening...guess what, God has a wicked sense of humor and I'm now walking around in my mother's shoes. To say I was frustrated is a HUGE understatement. Then we headed to Publix...which is my favorite grocery store, but grocery shopping is my least favorite activity...I hate making a list of what to buy, I hate paying for the food and I hate putting the food away when I get home....added to the fact that I've been dieting for 6 months and can't even eat the food I want so I currently also hate cooking the food too.  But above all those things, I hate when I get to Publix and all the good kids carts are taken. For those not familiar with the kids carts at Publix let me explain...there are 2 different buggies (i.e. grocery carts) at our Publix...one is very easy to drive because the distance from the handle where you are pushing to the end of the buggy is the same as the average buggy, the second adds an extra 2 feet making it feel like you're driving a Grey Hound bus through the store. Who knew Friday at 11am is when all the moms with kids go to the grocery store...leaving only 1 buggy and it was the Grey Hound variety.  Some might ask why I didn't just use your standard buggy...well, when you're shopping with 2 kids and you want to keep them both in the buggy and actually fill the buggy with food, you need the kid buggy for the double seating up front.  If I asked Ruth Ann once, I asked her a hundred times to SIT DOWN. At check out I realized all the standing was necessary for her to reach a few extra things to toss in the buggy...this only heightened my already soaring frustration.

But then I got home and the computer screen saver had some pictures of Ruth Ann and Tripp flashing up that were taken during Tripp's first weeks home. Between holding a new baby this week and seeing those pictures I'm starting to feel rotten about how frustrated I was this morning. My children act just like every other 3 year old and 14 month old...and I'm reminding myself they are only going to be living with me for 18 years...then our time of being around each other morning, noon and night will end. When I look at these pictures and see how quickly the last year has gone by or when I think about how the last 15 years since I was living in my own parents house have flown by I start to feel sad...I just hope I can keep that thought with me the next time I'm fabric shopping and my child is knocking down elderly ladies as she shows off her mad running skills!

What are the odds??

My friends Brantley, Sally and I all have a very unique thing in common...

Meet Sally's oldest...Jay...4th of July Baby...



And then there's my baby boy...Tripp...New Year's Day Baby...



And the newest member of the Holiday Baby Club...Brantley's new little boy...Duncan... St. Patrick's Day Baby...



This sweet boy had us all waiting and eagerly looking forward to his arrival. His older brothers came earlier than expected so of course his parents and doctors were all convinced he would do the same...but Duncan has already taught his parents that he's going to march to beat of his own drum. Brantley had an induction scheduled for this coming Monday...but he picked St. Patty's day to be his birthday...which may also be his way of letting his mom and dad know he's planning on being a party animal...which I kinda don't think his daddy will mind too much!

So what are the odds that between 3 friends with 7 kids that 3 of those same kids would be born on holidays?? Sally is due to have her 3rd on August 19th so I don't think we'll have another holiday baby this year...however, Arch's birthday is August 27th and he might argue that his birthday should be a holiday.  And the holiday's they're born on are also stationary holidays....I'm not sure if that's a real word, but what I mean by it is they are always celebrated on the same day...unlike, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Labor Day...etc. which move around on the calendar.  And to make it even more interesting, Betsy was 1 day late from being a Leap Year Baby...Sally really didn't want that to happen and somehow managed to avoid having her on Leap Day by just a few hours.

My family had lots of fun meeting the newest member of the Clark Boys and look forward to seeing him grow up with the rest of the group.  Tripp has been the baby boy in my life for the last year and holding Baby Duncan while Tripp ran around like a crazy child was so strange...we'll running around and inspecting the plumbing with his sister...



Brantley's already witnessed first hand how quickly time passes so I know she's going to enjoy every last minute with this sweet boy!  Ruth Ann has said a million times since we left "Baby Duncan is soooo sweet!"...and he is so sweet...she and I will be heading over to the Clark House any time we need to do some baby lovin'!

Look what arrived on my doorstep today...

To say I'm excited is an understatement...oh the yumminess these pages hold. I'm already plotting my biggest diet cheating weekend of my adult life...I just have to drop 10 more pounds and the cheating begins...here are a few things I can't wait to try...



Fancy or not...I love mac and cheese any way you make it...I even love Kraft out of the box...but this recipe calls for bacon...be still my beating heart!



Mexican food is my love language so this is tops on the list!



Just last night I was chatting with a friend about how I prefer my desserts to be more fruit filled than chocolate filled...ie, I love a cobbler...and look what I found!



When you're not allowed to eat carbs and then you want to plan a diet cheating weekend potatoes must be included...carbohydrates are my 2nd love language.



I refer you back to my 1st love language...but now she's added fried chicken...this Southern girl has a rumbling in my tummy!

And not to be confused by the following picture...I'm sure no cats were harmed in the making of this book....but....



As a cat lover...who doesn't love seeing a pretty kitty decked out in pearls?? This book is clearly perfection in print!

Things we love...

Ruth Ann took to a pacie in the first weeks of her life...Tripp could have cared less. Ruth Ann took every nap with her lovie (which we refer to as "Baby")...Tripp could have taken or left his. But some time in the last few months Tripp has discovered a deep, deep love of both...



I was very strict about pacies only being used at bedtime for Ruth Ann...rules have become much more relax for this little guy. Partially because it helps transform Needy Ned back into sweet Tripp-man.



He also loves to carry his Baby around with him and it may be the word he says most often. What I think is super sweet is the way he rubs it on his little nose just like Ruth Ann use to...and still does when she's falling asleep.

I've also fallen in love with a few things lately...



My friend Sally let me in a secret skin care product when we were in Charleston a few weeks ago. She told me she had been using raw shea butter on her face and body for almost 2 years and she was loving the results. I gave some thought to trying it on my body...but the thought of putting something that feels like vasoline on my face almost made me feel like a giant zit was already forming on my face. But I bought it and got adventurous...I started using it on my face at night...I've been using it for over a month now and my skin is in the best condition of my life. I've not had one break out and I'm convinced I'll never wrinkle if I keep doing this...plus it's CHEAP! I think I paid $17 for this jar and it was packed full. I'll probably use this for at least 6 months...best price for skin care I've ever seen!

Tripp has also had a never ending running nose and I'm wishing I owned stock in this company...



The name is kinda gross...but if you don't use these for your kid's running noses you should start now. I can't imagine how raw Tripp's nose would be if I didn't have these handy!

Birthday Girl

Just over 2 weeks ago we invited 2 of our favorite friends over for an afternoon of fun, dinner and cupcakes. My friend Sally had a very unexpected death in her family so I offered to keep her kids for the afternoon. I wanted her to be able to spend time with her family remembering the family member they had lost. Betsy birthday had also been during that same week and this gave Ruth Ann a chance to celebrate with one of her favorite friends. Arch picked up Chick-fil-a...because a birthday party isn't complete without Chick-fil-a at our house...then we played and finished up with fresh cupcakes. Somewhere in between I got a few pictures of these sweet children...

Jay and Betsy will be welcoming a sibling later this summer...I love this picture because I can see Jay helping Baby Brown #3 always face the camera...



Too bad Jay wasn't sitting next to Ruth Ann...she's usually the one NEVER looking at the camera.

I did manage to get her attention once...



And this is why I'll never have 4 children...can you imagine trying to get a picture of all of them...together...looking at the camera???

This last is the best picture of sweet Betsy...the birthday girl...and since it was her day it's only fair to post this picture too...



If you don't know Betsy-Boo...you're missing out. This girl is equal parts sweet and sassy and we always love having her over to our house to play. Thanks for spending the afternoon with us...Ruth Ann is lucky to have a sweet friend like you!

Meet Ned

Or Needy Ned as I've been referring to him lately...



I really hate comparing my children because they are two unique little people...but sometimes I just can't help it.

Ruth Ann came into this world independent to the max. She was never a baby that wanted to snuggle, she would sit quietly in her bouncy chair or bumbo seat for hours, she would watch a Baby Signing time video or look at books without needing or wanting a parent at her side...and this independence has continued into her 3's...although now it's accompanied with high levels of sass making for many difficult & long days for this momma.

Lately I've considered legally changing Tripp's name to "Ned" because I seriously think I refer to him as "Needy Ned" more times each day than by his actual name. He was a super snuggly baby and still enjoys the occasional snuggle in the nursery rocking chair at bedtime...something Ruth Ann never tolerated. And I enjoy those sweet moments and treasure them because he's my last and these may be some of the last moments of baby snuggle time I'm ever going to be lucky enough to get. But this boy doesn't just want his momma's attention at night...no way...he is at my feet crying for the majority of my day. And it's not just for me to hold him...he also wants me to be the vehicle that gets him to whatever location in our house is on his mind...and with a very limited vocabulary this can be challenging for both Ned and his momma.

There's a part of me that LOVES how much he loves being with his mommy...but mommy still has things to do and most can't be done with 24 pounds of love sitting on my hip. Lately nothing seems to make him happy...he's been in a grumpy mood for a few weeks now. I keep blaming it on a cold or teething or the weather...I keep waiting for my happy little boy to return. I see occasional glimpses of his old happy self...but shortly after he has a tendency to melt into tears for reason unknown to me. I'm hanging my hopes of the return of Happy Tripp on the development of an expanding vocabulary. Right now he says "baby" (which is what we refer to a lovie or security blanket at our house), Daddy, Mommy, bye bye, no, uh-oh, something that may be "dog" when he sees our family dog,something that sounds like "truck"  when he wants a car or truck to play with, ei-ei-oh, and row-row (the last two are from hearing Old McDonald and Row Your Boat at his grandparents house). He also does a lot of babbling or maybe it's singing...between him and his sister there's rarely a quite moment in our house.  I wish he would enjoy the Signing Time videos more like Ruth Ann did because he could really use a few signs to tell me what he wants...but again, I can't go comparing my kids...we'll just be waiting for Tripp to start speaking more...or I would even take his sister speaking for him at this point...whatever it takes to keep the neediness to a minimum!

Reason #582 why I love sewing...

So a few weeks ago the newest Kelly's Kids catalog arrived. I've never ordered anything from this company, but it's definitely my style for children's clothing and I have friends who love their things. You may remember me saying I've been addicted to red & any shade of blue clothing, so when I saw several things in the Spring 2012 catalog that were red & blue I knew I would be buying a few things this year.

This dress caught my eye...



Cost: $52

This dress didn't catch my eye because I wanted it on my wish list...it caught my eye because it looked just like a dress I had made for Ruth Ann a few years ago...minus the smocking...



I had seen this dress modified at my sewing teachers studio & knew how to change the bodice to be attached to a skirt without smocking, so I set out to make this dress for myself...this dress is so super easy because there really isn't much to it...it took less than a day to complete and that's was with some hand sewing too.





Cost: $20ish for fabric & buttons

I love having the ability now to find something cute online, in a catalog or in a store and then recreate it for myself. I really enjoy sewing but the feeling of accomplishment and the money I saved by making it myself feels good too!