Guilty pleasures!

I added a new label to the bloggity blog a couple months ago called “Confessions!” (Catch up on those here). This week I thought it would be fun to share a few of my guilty pleasures. You know.. the little things that make life just a little bit more fun.

Wikipedia says a guilty pleasure is “something one enjoys and considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. The "guilt" involved is sometimes simply fear of others discovering one's lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes.” 

These are just a few of the little things that make my heart flutter! {try not to judge me TOO hard!} :)  

1. Candy. I'm not talking about chocolate. I'm talking about hard, sour and tart candy. Skittles, Sweet Tarts, Gummy Bears, Starburst, lemon drops.. I could sit and eat candy, literally, all day long. You can find random candy pieces floating around the bottom of my purse pretty much all the time. It’s bad for my teeth, it’s wasted calories, but I LOVE it.

2. Reality TV. I’m talking about the super juicy ones, like ALL of the Real Housewives, Keeping up with the Kardashians, Teen Mom, and I even admit that there may be some "fist pumping" going on around these parts!!     Ummmmm… STOP judging me!

3. Popcorn at the movies. But wait, I'm not talking about just a large buttery popcorn, I'm talking about the large, buttered halfway AND on top, and then smothered with the white cheddar popcorn seasoning!! I DIE!!!

4. Scaring people. Like hitting the bathroom door super hard while Jd is showering, or standing beside the door and waiting for someone to walk in and scream in their face. I don’t know why, but I just LOVE it!!

5. Vacations. Going out of town with my hubs, eating out every night, doing fun things that cost too much money…all because it’s VACATION.  No work and all play. Making memories that last a life time. I absolutely heart vacation!!!!

 Wax Museum, New York City 2008

6. Shopping. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Goodwill, The Dollar Tree, Walmart or the Mall. Shopping is a drug to me that makes everything feel better! :)

7. Facebook. There is no better way to catch up on gossip, look at embarrassing pictures of friends, ex-friends, or better yet ex-boyfriends. Do not even TRY to deny it. You KNOW you do it too.

8. Jammies and a ponytail. Unless I have errands to run, or know someone is coming over, you will most likely find me in mismatched pajamas and my hair pulled back into a pony tail and then piled on top of my head in no sort of cute fashion. My poor hubby. Some days I do attempt to run a brush through my hair before he gets home. {SOME days..}
   
   
   
   
   
9. Pampering. It would be so much easier if I didn't enjoy getting my nails done. Or paying (an arm and a leg) for a day at the spa. Or having my eye brows waxed instead of taking time out of my oh-so-busy day to tweeze them. What can I say?!? I'm a girly girl and I thouroughly enjoy some pampering.
   
   
10.  Watching Khloe cry. Does this make me a bad mom? LOL! Sometimes she's just SO stinkin' adorable when she puckers that lip! The words "NO NO" have recently began to hurt her feelings and just as she begins to pucker I can't help but almost laugh.
    

Tell me, tell me! What is a few of your guilty pleasures? Think about it. Write it down. Laugh at yourself (and then let me laugh at you too!) ; )

Love you guys!

My Life List

 

A few days ago, I was surfing online and came across someones bucket list. It quickly inspired me to make my own list of goals, dreams and life experiences that I want to do in my lifetime. I don't know about you, but sometimes life can get SO boring. Why not have dreams? Make a plan? Decide that life doesn't ALWAYS have to be so monotonous! {Besides, you know I'm a "make a list" junkie!!!}

I decided to start with 100, in no specific order and some have been crossed through as accomplishments. In my world the best lists show proof that you've been productive {which is like a drug to me}. Surprisingly,  I learned a little bit about myself during this challenge! You should try it!

So, this is a peep into what I hope my life to entail: 

1. Grow a vegetable garden
2. Open my own furniture consignment store
3. Take sewing classes
4. Snow Ski
5. Sell my handmade gifts
6. Become a mommy
7. Swim with dolphins
8. Learn to sew
9. Parasail
10. Go on a foreign missions trip to bless children
11. Design my own craft room
12. Reupholster furniture
13. Take photography classes
14. Renew with my vows with my hubby in Hawaii on our 10 year anniversary
15. Coordinate a wedding
16. Make a baby boy
17. Zipline across the jungles of Costa Rica
18. Go sailing
19. Make a Thanksgiving turkey {by myself}
20. Go to a Mommy & Me yoga class with Khloe
21. Adopt a baby from a foreign country
22. Ride an elephant in India
23. Learn to speak another language
24. Build {from scratch} a piece of furniture 
25. Have my own yard sale
26. Be the "class mom" that does fun arts & crafts in my kids classrooms
27. Experience Disney World with our kids
28. Have a breast reduction
29. Learn to whistle
30. Learn to tango
31. Take a Safari in South Africa
32. Wear a large hat at the Kentucky Derby
33. Buy my Grandparents a new house
34. Own a beach home
35. Begin/Finish Khloe’s baby book
36. Host an annual event
37. Watch the sun set and rise on an exotic beach
38. Go skinny dipping
39. Experience a Broadway show in the theaters of NYC
40. Go to a Rascal Flatts concert
41. Have Christmas in another country
42. Give to charity
43. Get to know my neighbors
44. Go whale watching
45. Take a painting class
46. Workout at least twice a week
47. Go to a ballet
48. Create a memory list each year
49. Take a Cruise vacation
50. Find the positive in everything that has disappointed me
51. Throw someone a surprise party
52. Visit all 50 states
53. Ride in a limo
54. Register to be a donor
55. Hire someone to pay my monthly bills
56. Experience a normal pregnancy
57. Leave a huge tip to a deserving waitress
58. See the Pyramids at sunset
59. Have a blog
60. Pick a goal each month and achieve it
61. Learn to clean the pool to help out my hubby
62. Surprise someone with a new car
63. Hire a babysitter once a week and start back weekly date nights with the hubs
64. Install a TV above a big Jacuzzi tub in my bathroom
65. Stay in my pjs for a whole day
66. Take a cooking class
67. Learn to make cakes like my mother-in-love
68. Make a difference
69. Have family pictures taken on the beach
70. Go to Pier One and Hobby Lobby with an unlimited budget!
71. Buy a monogramming sewing machine (and monogram everything in my house!!!!)
72. Have Bella professionally groomed once a month
73. Replace all the furniture in my house with exactly what I want
74. Be a financial blessing to our family
75. Ride a camel in the desert
76. Take Khloe on a daily walk
77. Buy a really expensive straightener
78. Have two Christmas trees. 1) Traditional with the kiddos yearly ornaments 2) White / Super Chic Girly!
79. Have a picnic in Central Park (New York)
80. Make a memory quilt from tshirts
81. Get Lasik eye surgery
82. Go tubin’ down a river
83. Restore an old house
84. Marry for love
85. While in the drive thru, pay for the person's meal who is behind me.
86. Ride in a taxi
87. Throw a monthly dinner party
88. Feature a friend refinishing furniture on my blog
89. Set up all of Santa Claus’ toys for our kiddos on Christmas Eve!
90. Have a big family!
91. Host a themed party 
92. Laugh until you pee yourself
93. Make it through John David's four years of medical school
94. Make it through John David's five years of residency
95. Cheer for my kids from the stands as they play a team sport
96. Experience complete fulfillment
97. Watch Khloe walk down the aisle to someone she loves as much as I love her Daddy
98. Transfer to Gmail 100%
99. Overcome a fear
100. Be a healthy eater

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."  -Mark Twain

 Cozumel snorkeling 6 weeks pregnant / The baby moon :) 

I would love to hear a few things on your list!

Happy 10 months Khloe!

• I think she weighs about 20 pounds (checkup is scheduled for the 15th)
  
• Wearing size 3 diapers and 6-9 and 9 month clothes.
  
• Two bottom teeth and I can feel at least one on top trying to break through. Have I mentioned how horrible teething is? Poor baby (and mommy!)
  
• Upgraded to the non-silicone spout on sippy cups. I can’t believe how easy the transition from bottle to cup was!
  
• Walking more and more! She knows she can get where she wants faster by crawling, but I am noticing she prefers to walk a little more every day.

 (it's harder and harder to get her to SIT while taking these monthly pics!!) 

• She is into everrrrrrything! She discovered how to open and close cabinet doors last week while at my Gmas. Oh joy!!
  
• Did I mention she is CLIMBING? On anything and everything she can get her foot on. I really have to keep an eye on her to keep the number of “flip overs” to a minimum!
  
• Babbles non stop but she will NOT say Momma! Every time I ask her to say it she says Dada! Couple of new words this month: Toooodee (for Tooty!) and Gi (for Gigi). 

 (look at how thick her hair is getting!! I LOVE it!)

• Napping at least twice a day and still sleeps all night.
  
• LOVES music! She bounces and claps her hands as says DANCE "deeh, deeh deeh" as soon as she hears music! So cute!
  
• She has finally warmed up to the idea of letting strangers hold her. I was amazed at Tooty’s wedding how she let girls pass her around before the ceremony started.

Let the party planning begin! Khloe’s 1^st birthday is less than two months away! {tear} And yes, it’s true; I’ve been planning for this party since she was 4 months old! Would you expect any less from me?? :)-

Save the date! Khloe’s First Birthday Celebration October 1^st in Olive Branch, MS.  Time and location TBA.

TUTUtorial

Chances are if you're a {tight budget} mom and you have little girls, you've already made your little princess a tutu. If not, today is your day! This is the easiest, no sew, absolutely adorable creation! 

What you will need: Tulle, Scissors, and a long piece of ribbon. Three things! Seriously, it's that easy! 

Let's get started: Fold your tulle in half and measure (or eye it like I did) and begin cutting 1 inch strips.

Cut through the middle fold to make two strips.

Do this over and over again. I used three colors (one yard each): turquoise and two shades of green.

Stack them in somewhat of an order, but it doesn't have to be perfect.

I used a long piece of ribbon for the waist. You could use velcro but I think the ribbon is easier, plus you can always add to it as she grows. Tie a knot at the end of your ribbon to keep your tulle from falling off as you're working.

Gather your strips in tulle and fold in half. I used three green for the middle and one turquoise on the top and one on the bottom. I wanted it to be symmetrical so I stuck to the same pattern, you could mix it up as much as you want. 

Tie a knot through the ribbon where you have the strips folded. Try to point the not downward to make it lay better.

Turn on a good Lifetime movie and keep on tying.

Hold it up to your princess to measure as you are going. I knew Khloe would be wearing hers for an upcoming photo shoot so I wanted it to be super full and fluffy.

And there you have it! From beginning to end it took me about 30 minutes to complete.

I got the tulle on sale at hobby lobby for less than a $1.50 per yard, plus I already had the ribbon. Total cost was less than $6.00. Now, go. Go buy that tulle and see just how easy it is to make!! :)

Here's the pic of Khloe wearing it during her photo shoot with Kayce Stork Photography. We LOVED how it turned out.

Happy 9 Months Khloe

I'm not gonna lie, I didn't REALLY want to title this blog "HAPPY 9 months." This momma is sad at how fast her little love bug is growing up! It is so fun to watch your tiny little creation develop her own little personality. 

This has been a very fun month with all the new things she's doing!  Plus I'm so thankful those terrible teething crankiness has subsided, at least for now.. 

• Weighs about 18 pounds
• Wearing 6-9 month clothes and is in between a size 2 and 3 shoe. Size 3 diapers. 
• Napping 3 times a day and 12 hours at night. Still prefers to sleep on her belly, but she has started sleeping on her sides a lot more this month.
• Has TWO teeth! 
• Officially weaned from a bottle as of four weeks ago. She thinks she is such a big girl when she gets to sip from an open cup during meals and drink through a straw when we are at restaurants. 
• She is great eater but does NOT like puffs. At. All. She does like the Baby Mum-Mums.
• Walking! Walking! Walking! And it is A-DOR-ABLE!!!
• Climbing on EVERYTHING. I have to keep my eyes on her at all times or she is likely to come crashing down from whatever she is trying to get on top of.
• The girl LOVES dancing. The minute she hears music she starts jumping up and down and clapping her hands.
• Waves her hand for hi and bye bye, mimics people snapping, claps on cue for patty cake and loves playing peek-a-boo! She's also discovered how to smack her lips together to make kissy sounds. This week she has started bumping heads (It's all fun and games until the day Momma gets a busted lip! ha)
• New words she's saying: DaDa, buh-bye, k, hey and hi. Still won't say Ma-ma :(
• Still loves bath time and being outside
• Hair is getting so full and thick! She really likes "petting" my hair and surprisingly she does it as gentle as she can. She's learned that she has to be gentle with Bella so I think that helps. She is much harder to keep a bow on these days. As soon as she feels it on her head, she rips it off. I'm TRYYYYYING to break that habit.

Notice her pulling her headband off above? Not ok Khloe Brooke. Not ok! 

This was the only picture I was able to get her to actually smile while looking at the camera. She's at the age that it is nearly impossible to keep her still enough to catch a good pic.

 Case in point, she was smiling so big until I snapped the picture above. Ahh.

 

Happy 9 months sweet baby girl!

The Royal Wedding Shower

My baby sister is getting marrrrried. I can't believe it. It seems just like yesterday that she was hiding my car keys and not telling us where they were until Kelli and I agreed to let her  go shopping with us. (Which, she JUST confessed a couple weeks ago that she regularly did this!!!! BRAT!)

I have been living vicariously through her wedding preparations recreating what I SHOULD have done for my wedding. We have had a lot of fun shopping and planning her big day. Though I have become her personal slave, I have enjoyed every minute of being the "wise big sister!" I told her a couple weeks ago that I didn't care how old she was or if she was married I would STILL boss her around and that would NEVER change. :)- 

My sister, Kelli, and I hosted Toot's lingerie shower a couple weeks ago at my Grandma's house. We asked everyone on the invites to wear a hat for this ROYAL event! ;)

A picture of the gorgeous bride-to-be wearing a "Wife in training" badge that I made out of tissue paper and mosquito netting.

The food table. Very disappointed at how blurry it turned out. :(

Super fun and cute cake pops we made.

We couldn't have a party without pepperoni bagel bites. Our fav!

Cupcake toppers made from my printer, hot glue, and toothpicks : )

Such a cute and super cheap accessory to add some FRILL!

You know when you are coming to a party hosted by the Allison girls there WILL be chicken and ketchup. Our menu consisted of: chicken & cheese quesadillas, pepperoni bagel bites, sausage balls, chicken strips, mexican cheese dip, salsa, fruit sticks, strawberry shortcake, strawberry cupcakes, and strawberry cake balls dipped in white and dark chocolate. So yummy!

Yummy pink lemonade with strawberries and lemons.

I loved the personal touch of the custom napkin holders.

I really expected Khloe to be asleep for the night by the time the party started. I wish I would have dressed her up in a cute hat too!

Some girlfriends from Toot's school.

This gag gift was definitely the best laugh of the night. Thanks Kelli for helping me get it together!

Her expression was just priceless opening a lot of the gifts!

Thank you so much to all the girls that wore hats. So cute!

Sisters!

Great turn out, great food, great gifts, and great memories! Thank you to everyone that let me boss you around and make my baby sister's shower perfecto! 

19 days and counting until the big day!! Bittersweet!

ps. Kelli, can I convince you to do a destination wedding???!?!?!? ha ha ha. jk. I will do it all for you again babe!