Mrs. R

Recap -Blake's Bday Party

2011-12-22T10:41:00.001-08:00

(Blake @12 months; the morning of his bday party)

Four weeks ago we celebrated Blake's bday! We invited family and friends over and we had a few toddlers running around the house as well. Everything turned out perfect! Family and friends had a great time and everyone enjoyed the food and decorations. Here are a few pics from the event.

I created a birthday banner and a banner for his high chair. I purchased the paper from JoAnn's Fabrics and used stickers for the letters and scalloped scissors.

I decided to have a dessert table and set up an extra table with white linen and a paper runner that matched the poms poms. I created the tissue paper poms poms a week earlier and purchased the green gum drops, green rock candy and lollipops from Party City. I baked sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, cup cakes and made chocolate covered pretzels the night before.

This was my first attempt at creating royal icing sugar cookies. Let me just tell you, you tube is definitely your friend when you are trying something new! I also stalked the blog Bakerella for two months for inspiration! She is amazing! Blake had a lions, tigers, and bears theme, so I tried to stick with brown and green colors throughout the decorations.

Everyone sang happy birthday to Blake and we all waited in anticipation as he explored his cake. This was his very first time eating cake!! I was soooooo nervous! LOL.

Mr. R and my father watched anxiously and provided moral support.

Once he took the first bite of the sugary goo, he was hooked! His outfit was pretty much ruined, however, I took my handy dandy baby wipes and wiped away all of the frosting. Once I tossed it into the washing machine, it was like brand new. Tip to all new moms and ladies in general: baby wipes will remove any stain. I mean ANY stain! Keep them handy.

Here is a pic of the other babies/toddlers that were there to celebrate. Blake has his eye on my friends 6 month baby girl the whole night. He was such a gentleman, he shared all of his birthday toys with her.

Let me leave you with another quick tip: if you happen to get a heat/water stain on your table, do not fear. Did you know if you use an iron and a cloth, the stain will lift right up?! It helps unlock the moisture. Try it for yourself. A white heat stain showed up on my breakfast room dining table and I will be doing this tonight! I posted a video below.

Talk to you soon!

Valentino 365 Days a Year

2011-12-21T08:04:00.000-08:00

Well not in my closet, but I can experience his rich designs online anytime I want now!! Valentino's online fashion archive is the first of its kind! The project entitled "The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum", is 3D and has over 5k documents. It is amazing!! You know how I just love to drool over couture fashion and Valentino does not disappoint. Wednesday night in NYC the stars came out in great numbers to support the launch.

Bonnie Morrison and Peter Som

Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig

Among the many stars, the newly minted "It Girl" by magazine Town & Country, Shala Monroque, was present.

Shala Monroque

She is the talk of the town....and the things people have to say.....more on that later!

You can download Valentino's virtual museum for free! The online magazine, LuxeCrush, revealed some of the items included in the museum:

"Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress when she married Aristotle Onassis, Julia Roberts’ vintage Valentino Oscar dress in 2001 and the gown Elizabeth Taylor wore to the premiere of Spartacus in 1960. Those other designers like Gucci and Prada can plan their paltry brick-and-mortar museum monuments, the wily Valentino has one-upped them by skipping the cost and limited space-constraints of a real museum for his infinite-capacity and geographically-unbounded virtual museum."

Here is a video of a quick tour of the museum. Enjoy!!

Photo credit: BFAnyc.com

Presentation is everything!!!

2011-12-15T13:42:00.000-08:00

I just had to post this video of the Chanel pre-fall show on 12/8. Karl Lagerfeld and his team created one of the most beautiful runway productions I have seen in a long time. Banquet tabels, the chandeliers, the candles, the flowers, oh my! Enjoy!!

First Haircut and Steps

2011-12-06T10:12:00.001-08:00

First haircut@11 months

I promise I have not dropped off of the face of the earth. All my free time is taken up by this little man! When he is finally asleep, I am either cooking, cleaning, or trying to organize a house that looks like a twister just touched down. I guess that is what you call living right?

On 11/6/11, Blake received his first hair cut! Mr. R was more sad to see his little afro go than me. I told him it was time to let it go!! He did very well! I thought I would he would cry and pitch a fit (thanks to the many you tube videos), but he did very well! He was very calm.

3 weeks later (11/20/11) he decided to take his first steps!! Of course I was beyond excited because that meant he would be walking in time for his 1st birthday party! Talk about right on time! Here is a short clip of Blake getting the hang of it.

I will post pics of the party next!

Fall

2011-11-14T14:03:00.000-08:00

(source)

Nothing says Fall like a great pair of boots. Love it!!

Planning a Party

2011-11-04T10:12:00.001-07:00

So I received a phone call from hubby today and he wanted to know who I had on the guest list for muffin's 1st birthday party. I pulled up my excel spreadsheet and told him I only had 28 names so far.

Mr. R: 28?!!
Mrs. R. Yes. I want it to be intimate.
Mr. R: That isn't intimate. Intimate is like 8 people.
Mrs. R: Um ..that would only be your family. No.
Mr. R: Why not?
Mrs. R: Because TC has to be there, remember we went to her daughter's 1st and 2nd birthday party, and KH has to be there because she threw the baby shower for me and ......
Mr. R: Ok, ok, ok, but we agreed it would not be a big production.
Mrs. R: It won't. I have decided to do some things by hand, so I won't be spending a lot of money. I will have a separate desert table just for the kids and another table for the adults with food we will love and ......
Mr. R: Two tables? What?!!
Mrs. R: How many adults want to eat cupcakes all day? We need real food. Now back to my plan......

It sort of went downhill from there. Mr. R finally agreed to let me run the show. Muffin will only turn 1 once right?!! I know, I know, most people say that he won't remember this event at all. However, I will and I would not be able to sleep at night knowing that if I just spend an additional two hours I could have made so and so....you know how it goes. So I will spend the weekend trying to find the perfect picture to place on his invite and send it out to guests. What mother doesn't go over the top for her pride and joy? Mr. R should be happy that I am not like this mom on the video!! Her daughter's 1st birthday party came with a $12,745 price tag. Now some would say that is over the top.

Have a great weekend!!

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet

2011-11-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

That is my life right now! Full speed ahead! I have so many things scheduled on my calendar this month. Selecting the silent option on my phone for all of my appointment alerts is an art form now. I feel like a zombie when my alarm goes off at 6:30am and I do not hit the bed again until 11pm. The amazing part is I am still functioning. How does Michelle Duggar do it? Is she really human? Seriously.

Well my little chocolate muffin was a lion for Halloween. He had a great time, but it was clearly a day for all the parents!!

Apparently there was a baby explosion in our neighborhood. There are at least 8 couples that had a baby between October 2010 - February 2011. At least my muffin will have lots of playmates!!

I have two book clubs this month, three Junior League meetings, hubby will be out of town at least 9 days this month, dealing with extended family over the holidays, and I have a birthday party to plan for my lion cub. Even with all of this going on, I still have not missed the latest current events/gossip:

1. Kim and her pretend wedding/marriage and now divorce. Surely you guys have seen this new twitter thread that is not going away any time soon. I hope this means her reign on reality tv is coming to an end. Please, enough already!!!!

2. Princess Charlene of Monaco responds to rumors that she was a runaway bride.

3. A wedding proposal that floored the soon to be bride. Literally.

4. I am in love with the new show Revenge. Surely I am not the only one right?!! I love the characters, the set, and the story line. Even hubby asks me who is next on her list!! LOL.

5. C. Wonder had a grand opening in NY and the decor is absolutely divine to look at! The colors are so fun! Anything you can think of, he has it! I cannot wait to place an order online.

Let me get back to planning a birthday bash and trying remain sane!! Mr. R made me assure him I would not go over the top for muffins 1st birthday.

Who me? Over the top? Never.
:)

2011-10-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

(Source)

Thank you Steve Jobs for your contribution to technology and the world.

You Are Not Alone

2011-09-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

(Source)

I am a quiet person. I usually avoid confrontation at all costs. I will stand up for myself, but I do it calmly and usually with a smile at the end. You know honey on top makes everything sweeter. However, on Sunday that changed.

I stay in a quiet gated community. We have forgotten to lock our front door at night in the past and still wake up to find everything in its place and the neighborhood untouched. Mothers walk through the neighborhood with their strollers and pet owners are known to walk their dogs at 2am. If Fido has to go, he has to go! Sunday morning started like any regular day. The baby woke up around 7am and I prepared his bottle and we climbed into bed with Mr. R. Around 10am I decided to make my way downstairs to start breakfast. I heard yelling and thought it was mighty early for the neighborhood kids to be outside playing. I looked out of the window and didn't see any kids riding their bikes and just shrugged it off and went back to the stove.

Then I heard screaming. I picked up Blake and headed towards the patio to make sure I was not going crazy. I stood outside and I saw nothing. No one in sight. I looked at Blake and he looked back at me and we just stood there for a few minutes. I went back inside and just as I was about to place him back into his high chair, I heard a scream again. I walked to the front of the house and opened a window.

" You are going to put your hands on me in my house?!!"
"Get your sh*t and get out, get out of my house, please get out!"

I just stood there frozen, I looked out of the window and glanced to the left and right and didn't see anything. I could not figure out where the sound was coming from. No one was outside. Then I looked up and starred at the house across the street. The windows on the 1st level happen to open. All four of them. I stopped breathing. This couldn't be happening. Not in our picture perfect neighborhood. This was my very own Wisteria Lane.

She yelled, "Get out, now, get out". Then she let out a piercing scream , "Oh God, nooooooooooooo"! I heard a crash and that is when I ran upstairs to get Mr. R. I told him something was happening to our neighbor across the street and we had to do something.

Mr. R: What, what?
Mrs. R: She is fighting with her boyfriend, I think he is beating her.
Mr. R: What, are you sure?
Mrs. R: I know a woman's scream, that is fear.
Mr. R: What the hell?
Mrs. R: We have to do something, I won't allow this to happen to her, I won't allow it.

I was shaking with my baby in my arms and my husband followed me back downstairs to the window. The screams only got worse.

I knew I couldn't be the only person hearing this!! You could hear the screams down the street.

Mr. R grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911 immediately and dashed out of the front door. He almost made it to the bottom of the front steps, but stopped when I called for him to come back inside the house. There was no way I was letting him go over there, we didn't know if her boyfriend had a weapon or anything. That was not a situation you just walked into. Mr. R came back inside and we stood by the window and waited for the police to arrive. It seemed like hours waiting for the police. I just kept praying for it to stop. Long story short, when the police arrived, they didn't open the door. People came outside when they saw the police cars and said they didn't hear anything. One neighbor came forward and said she saw a man jump off of the patio and run across the street, so the police ran around to the back of the house. It turns out her boyfriend made a run for it and disappeared because he was obviously guilty. I don't know how long this went on, but that day it stopped.

I believe God placed me in the kitchen, during that particular time and on that particular day for a reason.

I had reservations about writing this, but I decided that if I did, maybe someone else who is a witness to something like this will speak up. I was raised to stay out of someone's personal affairs and have done so my 30 plus years. However, there was no way in hell I was going to remain silent and go to sleep that night knowing my neighbor was a victim of domestic violence. When the police brought her outside to speak with her and gather more information, she was still crying. My husband was on the front steps and asked was she alright, she nodded yes.

Then she looked at me.

I was still holding my baby in my arms when our eyes met. I saw the fear and pain in her eyes and she managed to give me a half smile as she continued to wipe the tears from her face. I just nodded.

I understood everything she wanted to say without her saying a word.

I know I did the right thing.

She placed a box on her front porch and spent Sunday night with her family. On Monday morning we noticed the box was gone and his car was no longer in her garage. The locksmith arrived to change the locks and the security alarm crew arrived shortly after.

When I see her again, I will not mention this event, but at least she knows that she is not alone.

I Don't Know How She Does It

2011-09-13T07:49:00.001-07:00

(Phenomenal Women by Margaret Warfield)

Oh, I can tell you how I am able to do it, with the help of my family. You know the saying "it takes a village to raise a child", well that is nothing but the truth! I know a lot of people are excited to see the new movie, staring Sarah Jessica Parker, about a mom trying to juggle it all, but at the end of the day, motherhood is not a movie. Sometimes it is not pretty or funny! I think most women will tell you that it is a juggling act whether you work full-time, part-time, or stay home full-time.

I went my Junior League general membership meeting today and it was the first day time meeting in years. My friend and I thought no one would be there since it seemed most people preferred the evening meeting, but boy was I wrong! The 11am social was for an hour before the meeting that started at 12pm. I arrived at 11:30am and there was not a place to park!! I circled the parking lot and ended up parking down the street at a nearby school. I searched for my friend inside and was shocked to see that it was standing room only!! Luckily she saved me a seat. "Can you believe the turn out!", my friend giggled, "this is quite the fashion show." You had the working ladies in power suits and stilettos, the veterans in dupioni silk separates, and the sahm's in Milly. I couldn't help but think to myself, this is a perfect snapshot! All of these women coming together to not only catch up with friends, but change the world through volunteering.

I plan to go see the movie "I Don't Know How She Does It", but I am also hesitant because reviewers say that they feel the new movie is just more of the "us vs them" mom wars. When I the read book reviews on Amazon, that did not make me feel any better! I hope this does not spark more discussions on blogs telling women that they need to choose what side they are on and that it is "all or nothing". I must admit that I use to be one the ladies that would pass judgement and proceed to explain how I would do things differently. However, after having a child, I realized that what was right for me, was not necessarily right for someone else. I also realized that my parenting style did not make me better or worse than anyone else. At the end of the day, we are all mothers, wives, sisters, and/or daughters and need to stick together. Besides, who has the time to care about that stuff anyway? I am too busy running after Blake, trying to maintain a clean home, adding more items on my to-do list, thinking of something to cook so we don't have to order out (again), and check my email at the same time.

So we will see. I will keep an open mind, it is just a movie right?!!

Fall (or Football) is in the Air

2011-09-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

(Howard University Football Team-1934)

The weather has dropped dramatically here in Atlanta and you cannot help but to get into a fall mood. Well here in the south, it is more like a football mood. I constantly think about my days at college.

(Men's Cheer Squad, Howard University- 1940's)

I spent most of them either in my dorm room or in the library believe it or not, but I also remember getting antsy once Thursday rolled around because you knew you were closer to tailgating on Saturday. It was an all day event. I would spend all day Friday tossing things out of my closet looking for the perfect outfit. When the month of October rolled around, all the ladies would head out to the mall because we had to have the perfect homecoming outfit. Nothing in our closet would be good enough, it had to be new and fresh.

(Homecoming Court @ Johnson C.smith University-1959)

You would think we were all members of homecoming court. Of course I am no longer in college, those years are way past me, but the feeling has not changed. I go to fewer games now, but I always make sure I attend homecoming. However, the anticipation has not decreased, I think it is worse now. Now you are returning to college to prove that you have turned out to be a success vs a loser. You guys know what I am talking about. You get the questions.....

"So, what do you do now?"
"Who did you marry"
"You have how many kids?"
"Are they in private or public school"
"What exactly does your husband do for a living?"

Why does this have to happen? I thought this ended in high school. I guess this is just the way things are, people will always want to compare themselves with others, there is nothing you can do to change that. In the meantime, I will just focus on the great feeling I get every time I hear the crowd go wild in the football stadium. There is nothing like being in the middle of all that energy. I think Julia Sugarbaker, from Designing Women, described the feeling best.

I cannot wait for the weekend!!!

Accent Vlog

2011-09-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

Lordy me, I just know I will regret this. LOL!! I decided to join the other bloggers out there and create an accent vlog. I knew I had a southern accent, but didn't really know how deep it was until I played the video. Mr. R of course fell out laughing. Whatevs. It didn't help that Blake basically stole the show twice during filming. Oh well, this is me and my life. Feel free to laugh. Just don't call me country, I prefer the term Southern Charm.

The vlog "rules":

The instructions are to say these words:
Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

And answer these questions:

· What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

· What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?

· What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?

· What do you call gym shoes?

· What do you say to address a group of people?

· What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

· What do you call your grandparents?

· What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

· What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

· What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

Just to let you know....
Yes - I do know that I held out the "R" in Mrs. R waaaaayyy to long. That is what we do in the South.
Yes- I did notice the slight smacking from time to time. I will work on that.
No- Blake was not choking, he was coughing for attention because when I looked down at him he burst into a sly smile. Little trickster.
No- Mr. R was not present in the room. I made him leave because he wouldn't stop laughing.
Yes- That is my hair, it is called an afro puff. When I wear it down it resembles a lion's mane, that is why it is up for the video. I do not need my hair to steal the show too.
Yes- Those are pictures on the floor that still need to go onto the wall. They are on my to do list.

I am going to bed now. Have a good night y'all!!

Out With The Old, In With The New

2011-09-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

(Blake @ 8 months)

This weekend we spent most of the time cleaning out our closets. Yes, that is plural. Mr. R has clothes stashed away in not one, but three closets throughout the house. I thought I was bad. Mr. R had ties in the closet that should have never seen the light of day. I was more than happy to toss that in the "get it out of my house" pile. The rest of the time I was busy running behind Blake. He is in the "pull up on everything in my path" stage, so that will help you get your mini workout for the day.

On Sunday, we headed to the library to add more books to Blake's collection. Ok, here is the truth, if I read one more Dr. Seuss book, I think I will go crazy!! Talk about tongue twisters. Do not get me wrong, I love Dr. Seuss, but I started to see one fish, two fish in my dreams. So we picked up enough books to last us until our next trip to the library in two weeks. In the meantime, I will be heading over to Amazon online to purchase more books for his collection. I have read through some of the books and thought to myself, I could write a book for kids!! Mr. R then reminded me that I still have bundles of fabric collecting dust in one of the closets.

Mr. R: So now you want to be an author?
Mrs. R: For kids!!
Mr. R: Seriously?
Mrs. R: I could so do it. I have the best imagination. I mean look at this book!! I could come up with something waaaaaaaaaay better.
Mr. R: Ok.
Mrs. R: What do you mean ok?!!
Mr. R: Nothing...ok.
Mrs. R: Are you saying I can't do it?
Mr. R: I believe you can do it.
Mrs. R: Squints eyes and gives Mr. R THE STARE.
Mr. R: I'm just saying, what about the curtains you were suppose to make? The fabric is still in the closet.
Mrs. R: Um...
Mr. R: And the pictures you were going to hang? Did you ever finish the photo book on blurb?
Mrs. R: Point taken, I will get on that sewing project.

Topic Dropped.

So much for that dream. They come and go pretty quickly. LOL.

So it is back to Baby B and watching him pull things off the shelves, laugh hysterically, and clap up a storm. He is eating solids pretty well. He loves oranges, apples, and bananas. He has two teeth at the bottom and is handling the teething process fairly well.

All in all, my sweet munchkin is a happy go lucky little boy. I will let you know how my sewing project goes. I am determined to finish it now. Then I might add children's book to my list of to-do items. Don't ask to see the list, it is pretty long (some say unrealistic-borderline delusional). I am slowly working my way through it. ;)

Buyer Beware

2011-08-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

(source)
In this product photo provided by Lands' End, a pair of pink, pencil cord pants is displayed. Lands End, facing soaring cost increases, redesigned its basic corduroy pants for girls to create a trendier look to justify a $7 price increase to $34.50. (AP Photo/Lands' End)

There is finally a journalist that has decided to call clothing companies out on the carpet. I know I am not the only one that has noticed the subtle decline in clothing quality lately. The fabrics seems cheaper, thinner, and outright flammable. Retailers continue to charge higher prices for inferior items hoping consumers will not notice. Journalist Anne D'Innocenzio states:

Some merchants are making inexpensive tweaks __ additional stitching, fake button holes, fancy tags __ to justify price increases. Those embellishments can add pennies to $1 to the cost of a garment, but retailers can charge $10 more for them, said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with market research firm The NPD Group.

"We're not seeing deflation or inflation; we're seeing con-flation," he said. "Stores are making consumers believe their getting more for their money."

If that wasn't bad enough, Brian Sozzi, a research analyst with Wallstreet Strategies, noticed the deceptive marketing tactics being used:

Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch is advertising "Redesigned 2012" jean collection in its stores and on its website, touting that the jeans are "softer, with the perfect amount of stretch." They're also mostly priced between $78 and $88, about $10 more than last year, according to Jennifer Black, who heads up research firm Jennifer Black & Associates.

Sozzi, the Wall Street Strategies retail analyst, examined the jeans and believes they are "thinner" and of "cheaper quality." That extra stretch, he says, simply could mean the retailer is saving costs by using less denim.

I will not waste my money or time purchasing clothes that will not last past a season. I am a stickler for quality fabrics and classic designs that will last year after year. I still have 5 pairs of light wool pants I purchased in NY in 2002 and they are still worn today. I have suits in the closet that are over 10 years old and they have not lost a button or a stitch. Quality will last forever. I will continue shopping only at clearance centers or when it is out of season. I know how to stretch a dollar and not sacrifice style. Judging by the comments, I am not the only who feels this way!!

Soldier of Love

2011-07-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

Here is my sweet bundle of joy at 7 months. He is growing every day and it is bittersweet. I love to snuggle up with Blake and shower him with kisses every 30 seconds, but now he is in the stage where he squirms out of your arms so he can crawl everywhere. He moves fast as lightning. Every now and then he will stop, turn around to look at me, and give me a smile that I know will melt the heart of any woman.

Ladies watch out!! LOL!! He is still pulling up on everything in sight and is trying out finger foods. We attempted the sippy cup a week ago and he is warming up to the idea. His pediatrician told us to expect a tooth within the next month, so we are excited!! I hate the whole teething process, I do not like to see my little guy so fussy!!

Yesterday hubby called me from work and told me to call his mother so she could watch Blake because he had a surprise for me. Of course I asked a million questions...

Mrs. R: What? A surprise? Ooooo...what is it?
Mr. R: A surprise.
Mrs. R: What is it?
Mr. R: Um...a surprise.
Mrs. R: You won't tell me?
Mr. R: No.
Mrs. R: Why not?
Mr. R: breathes into the phone
Mrs. R: Ok, ok, well what should I wear?
Mr. R: Just look cute.
Mrs. R: Does that mean a dress? Or business casual? Dress with heels or dress with sandals? Should I wear pearls and a cardigan or cute top and a skirt? Should I.....
Mr. R: We are going to see Sade in concert.
Mrs. R: screams into the phone

Try to tell me I do not know how to get the info out of my hubby!! LOL!

John Legend opened up for Sade and it was spectacular!! This woman has the key to the fountain of youth. Seriously. She is 52 years old and she does not look a day over 25. She performed all of her old and new hits and had the entire arena standing and singing all of her lyrics. Of course my favorite song is "Your Love is King" and I sang it to my hubby as we danced. Her band was phenomenal and the entire production was breathtaking. We left the concert on a high note and we didn't even mind that it took us 45 minutes to get out of the parking garage! Hubby won this round, now I have to think of something to surprise him!!

Twitter and a Badger

2011-07-07T10:49:00.001-07:00

So all of you by now must have heard about the honey badger right? Well first there was this photo that had everyone scratching their head:

Olivia Wilde is wearing a t-shirt that says "honey badger don't care". Then President Obama held the first ever Twitter forum and some of the the tweets coming in were absolutely hilarious. Here are a few:

Do you get offended when people photoshop themselves with you as if they met you personally ?

Do you still rock those "mom" jeans that you wore during first pitch?

When your wife visited SF I had to pay $30 for parking because my usual lot was closed. Will you reimburse me?

But one comment had me scratching my head again:

Does honey badger care?

I finally watched the video that is about honey badger. I laughed so hard. Where do people find the time to do this?

Gotta love You Tube.

Preps and UGA

2011-06-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

(blogger who talks about UGA style)

I absolutely love Brooks Brothers. I love it even more when Mr. R is rocking one of their suits!! When hubby and I started dating, he went to his first UGA game with me. This was huge considering he was a GT grad!! When he picked me up and saw that I had on a dress, jewelry, and low heels, he was dumbfounded!! He was even more shocked to see UGA male students and alums in khakis and ties. The ladies at UGA take their time getting dolled up in their best dress, make up, have their hair flipped/pressed/curled, and head out the door to cheer on their team. A pair of shorts and a old t-shirt will not do. Imagine my surprise when Brooks Brothers named their preppiest colleges and UGA made the list!! Of course everyone in GA is saying to themselves..."what took ya'll so long?"

Here is the complete list of preppy colleges according to Brooks Brothers:

*Alabama

* Auburn

* Boston College

* Cornell

* Georgia

* Georgetown

* Harvard

* Notre Dame

* NYU

* Ohio State

* Princeton

* Stanford

* U.S. Naval Academy

* Vanderbilt

* Virginia

I am already looking for my fall football outfits. Are you pumped up for college football?!!

Thursday Thoughts/Topics

2011-06-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

(Meet the Press round table)

Mr. R and I love to talk and compare notes on daily events. Hubby takes the paper with him to the club in the morning, eats breakfast, chat with his buddies, scans the paper, and then goes into work. I scan at least 5 top news sites on my phone in less than 10 minutes and then start my day while listening to Neil Boortz, Clark Howard, and Michel Martin throughout the day. At the end of the day, Mr. R and I sit across from each other at dinner and go back and forth. Similar to the round table you see on Meet the Press.

So I thought I would share the the top 5 topics (funny & serious) that Mr. R and I discussed this week. I do talk about other things besides babies and purses. LOL!!

1. Who said you need a heart to survive? That is rubbish. Thanks to these doctors in TX, we will have more people like Edward Cullen walking around. Spooky and fascinating!! Talk about a breakthrough.

2. Gloria Allred apparently sent out a memo to all the mistresses in the US to let them know she will be more than happy to represent them. First she represented the ladies that slept with Tiger and now she is defending the lady who exchanged texts with Rep. Wiener. Why does she need representation? Complete circus.

3. Hold onto your hair! Thieves are targeting beauty supply stores around the country and they are stealing hair extensions. The thieves take around 30k worth of hair extensions less than a minute after they drive their car into the store doors. Who knew the demand for hair extensions was that high.

4. Aaron Spelling's $150 million home was just purchased by a 22 yr old from the UK. Petra Ecclestone is the daughter of the daughter of Formula One commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone. This will be her second home, she currently has a home in London that is worth $90.9 million. She is getting married in August and cannot wait to move to LA. Watch out Kardashians, we have a new girl in town!! How long do you think it will take before she has her own reality TV show? 5, 4, 3, 2 .........

5. The political campaign is in full swing for 2012 and I am already sick of it. GOP and Dems, do us all a favor, stop with the class wars. All rich people are not mean, evil, and greedy. All poor people are not lazy, welfare spending losers. Enough already, talk about the issues please. We have a deficit out of control, people need jobs, and the entitlement programs need revamping. NOW.

Any topics/thoughts you would like to share?

The Latest......

2011-06-07T19:41:00.001-07:00

(Blake @ 5 months)

I must apologize to you guys, I have been beyond busy! This little guy takes up all my time!! Between running errands, meeting up with friends/relatives, and just living life, I barely have the energy to sit down and chat! I usually end up in bed around 11:30pm, read a few blogs and leave a comment here and there. I totally forget about my blog in the process. Blake is 6 months old now and trying to walk before he can crawl. His favorite songs for the moment are the Itsy Bitsy Spider, Old McDonald Had a Farm, and ABC's.

(Blake @6 months)

He started eating solids around 4 months and now he is sitting in his high chair eating his heart out. He has started teething and is putting everything in his mouth.

Blake still loves to go places with me and he is the perfect shopping buddy. We are in the process of transitioning him to his crib. He is doing pretty well I must say! Since he doesn't nurse as frequently throughout the night, we felt it was time to have him spread out in his own digs!

(this look says, "Mom, stop taking pictures and warm up my food!")

All in all, I do not mind that this handsome guy takes up most of my time. I wouldn't change one thing! So here are a few items I will touch on in less than 30 seconds.....

1. Rep. Weiner: As if your name wasn't bad enough, you had the nerve to lie to the public over and over again. Your poor wife.

2. Arnold Schwarzengger: You chose to cheat with someone that worked for your wife for over 10 years? Speechless.

3. Kim Kardashian: I am happy you are engaged, yippeee. However, if you broadcast your wedding on TV or have a spin off entitled "Kris and Kim" I will scream. Seriously, enough already.

4. Bravo channel: Do you broadcast anything else besides "The Real Housewives?"

5. Braxton Family Values just might be hilarious.

6. You can cook an egg on the sidewalk in Atlanta right now.

Ok, I am off to bed!!

Clutter Free Friday

2011-05-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

I will return on next week with tons of updates! My little boy is keeping me soooo busy, I barely have time to do anything! This weekend I plan to tackle the mountain of clutter in my house. I usually get frustrated and say to myself, it is time for a bigger house. Then I watch videos like the one below and realize, it is me, not the house. Time to purge and reorganize. Enjoy your extended weekend guys!!

Hat Fever

2011-05-05T08:04:00.001-07:00

Around the world, everyone knows who Philip Treacy is now if they didn't before the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. We have Princess Beatrice to thank for that. The hat she decided to wear was the talk of the town. Philip Treacy hats adorned the heads of several ladies that day and rightfully so. He is truly an artist!! Most viewers were tuning in to see "the dress", I was tuning in to also see what the guests were going to wear!! Here are a few of my favorite hats from that day.

(Um...I really included this pic because David was in it. Is he not hot!! Victoria is cute too. LOL!!)

Over here in the U.S., we had an event that did not disappoint in the hat area as well. The social event of the spring, the Central Park Conservancy Luncheon, was held yesterday. It rained and was pretty chilly the day of the event, however over 1200 ladies attended, the biggest attendance yet! All the ladies come out in their best suits and hats for a good cause. They raised over $3 million dollars for the park.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Well this weekend I have the Kentucky Derby to look forward to also! You will see some crazy hats at this event and I cannot wait!! Mr. R will be out of town on business, so I will grab Blake, make myself a mint julep and sit in front of the tube and enjoy!! Ok, maybe not a mint julep since I am nursing, but I can always pretend right? LOL.

I'm Gonna Make A Change (singing it in my MJ voice)

2011-04-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

(Mr. Independent aka Blake @ 4 1/2 months)

I had to show you guys some pics of my little man. Mr. R was on solo duty recently and went crazy with his camera phone. He sent me pic updates every 30 minutes. LOL. Mr. R snapped these pics about 2 weeks ago. Apparently Blake does not need Daddy to hold his bottle anymore. Blake smacked Mr. R's hand out of the way and grabbed the bottle. He even knows to lift his bottle up so he can get every last drop. When he is done, he removes the bottle and place it on his side and rests. He usually dozes off into sweet slumber minutes later.

(Enjoying his food)

He loves to eat and wear his green beans, peas, carrots, and squash. We give him apples, pears, and bananas as a sweet treat!! Blake bypassed the rice cereal, I don't think that was doing it for him. LOL. Can you blame him? Have you tasted that stuff?!! Blah. I pump every day like a mad woman so I can make sure I have a stash available. Having extra bottles in the fridge makes everything so much easier and Mr. R can take over from time to time.

So this weekend I decided to sit down at the computer and watch an episode of "Extreme Couponing" on TLC. I clip coupons sometimes and place them into my organizer, however I forget I have them half of the time. By the time I realize it, the coupon has expired. After I watched one episode of Extreme Couponing, my life changed! These people have basements filled with products. It is crazy!!!

Why in the world am I throwing money away each week?!! I grabbed my Sunday paper out of the recycling bin and sat down. I pulled out all the coupons and started clipping. I logged all of the coupons I clipped in an excel file with the expiration date listed and then placed them in my organizer. I then gathered all the grocery ads and started making a list of things on sale and the coupons I had to go with the sale. The Southern Savers blog saved me a lot of time because she lists all the sales for the week and then list the coupon that goes with it! I am going to make another shopping trip this Friday with my coupons. Wish me luck. If they can do it, I can at least try! Do you know what I could do with all that extra money?!!! Think Kate Spade!! Now if that isn't a reason to save, I don't know what is.

Running on Fumes

2011-04-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

(Playing around with photo booth on the computer. Blake @ 4.5 months)

I do not know how I am making it through the day. It is amazing how God created us, mothers in particular. We can operate on 3 or less hours of sleep and still look like we have it together. Blake had a complete melt down last night. We currently co-sleep and he was tossing and turning all night. Well around 1am he decided to have a scream fest. Mr. R had to get up around 5am for a 7am client breakfast meeting, so this was not good. Blake and I had to go. We gathered our things and headed to the guest bedroom so Mr. R could get his much needed shut eye. Mr. R cannot function on fumes like I can! Blake eventually settled down and fell into sweet slumber. He woke up this morning with the most beautiful smile. I guess at the end of the day if my sweet baby smiles at me, I know I am doing something right. LOL.

Later that morning I purchased a raspberry lemonade, Grandma's Homestyle peanut butter cookies, and Ruffles cheddar and sour cream chips. I know, the breakfast of champions. When I opened the bag of chips, I froze. I could feel steam coming out of my ears.

Look at this.

There has to be less than 10 chips in the bag. Is this some kind of cruel joke? I know we are in a recession, but this is just scandalous. I listen to talk radio everyday and I remember Clark Howard saying that the food industry was starting to make cutbacks. Making packages larger or the same with less contents. Then I did a search and found this article from New York Times:

“Consumers are generally more sensitive to changes in prices than to changes in quantity,” John T. Gourville, a marketing professor at Harvard Business School, said. “And companies try to do it in such a way that you don’t notice, maybe keeping the height and width the same, but changing the depth so the silhouette of the package on the shelf looks the same. Or sometimes they add more air to the chips bag or a scoop in the bottom of the peanut butter jar so it looks the same size.”

You know what, I will absorb the costs. Putting less chips in the same size bag is just cruel. Do companies really think we won't notice this? Think again. To calm my nerves I had to look at a pic of my baby boy smiling.

All is well with the world. Have a good weekend guys!!

Behind Every Good Man.......

2011-04-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

(Mr. R and Blake , 3 weeks old , asleep after a long day)

Do you mind if I get something off my chest?

Stepping onto my soapbox.....

I often daydream from time to time. Sometimes it can be about the places I would like to travel, the people I would like to meet, or the things I would love to add to my home. One thought that always pop up in my mind is what I would be doing right now if I never met my husband. I never want to take Mr. R for granted. He is my best friend and #1 supporter. I had a friend this week tell me during a phone call that she wouldn't be able to handle it if her husband traveled as much as Mr. R. The conversation went like this......

Friend: He travels so much and you have a newborn.
Mrs. R: Yeah, well we make it work.
Friend: It is like you are a single mom.
Mrs. R: Um...well I am not. We knew this would happen when he accepted this new job and position. I would never stand in the way of his success.
Friend: What about you?
Mrs. R: What about me?
Friend: Isn't it annoying? I make sure my husband helps me with everything. He made this baby too. Your husband is leaving you to do everything.
Mrs. R: No, because everything he does is for this family. We are able to live the way we do and accomplish a lot of things because of his hard work. My husband makes sacrifices for his family all the time.
Friend: Silence...........Well my husband would have to stay at home with me.
Mrs.R: Massive eye roll.

Talk about annoying. She is annoying!! I hung up the phone pretty pissed. I felt like she not only questioned my way of life, but also my husband's dedication. No one is more dedicated to a family than my husband. He boards a flight knowing he will miss special moments with Blake. It is not easy for him. He is so grateful that I support him when it comes to his job. When he arrives home from a late flight, he immediately walks in and takes Blake from me and sings him to sleep. He usually falls asleep in the process. So yes, it is hard at times not having my husband with me everyday, but I would not change it for the world. When my husband was recruited by this new firm, we talked about it together. The ups and the downs. However, we both decided that this was an opportunity he could not pass up. When he is successful, the family is successful. Who in their right mind would stand in the way of that?!!

In all honesty, I think I will eventually have to remove this friend from my life. You know there are just some ladies that want to hear the bad stuff in your relationship or they want you to chime in when they talk negatively about their husbands. Well, I do not plan to participate.

Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be.
- Goethe

Book Review - You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

2011-04-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

I am finally get around to writing a review for this book. I finished it last summer. Yes, that is how far behind I am. I know, scandalous.

This book is excellent and has a permanent place on my nightstand. This book is all about speaking positive affirmations to yourself daily. We already know that stress can lead to all types of illnesses in your body and this book addresses that problem as well. I saw Louise Hay on Oprah a few years ago and made a note to myself to purchase her book. Well 2 years later, I found that note and purchased the book online. Louise Hay states:

"What you think and what you believe is what will come true for you. Your thoughts create your life."

That sentence rings so true to me and I started practicing her daily affirmations in her book. I totally believe in the law of attraction and since reading this book, I have not only changed my outlook on life, but I am aware of the people that I surround myself with. Your surrounding environment has more power over you than you would think. This is definitely a book I would purchase and keep nearby.

Saturday I Cloned Myself

2011-04-13T07:34:00.001-07:00

My body form that is.

Let me explain.

This past weekend I participated in a duct tape party! What is that you ask? It is where you create a custom made dress form with duct tape. The majority of dresses I purchase have to be altered. They have to be taken in at the waist, shortened, blah, blah, and blah. Trust me, it gets old. I have thought about purchasing a dress form in the past to make my own sheath dresses, but I would still end up with the same problem. So my friend emailed me the materials I would need for the party on Saturday:
-duct tape
-plastic wrap
-scissors
-2 body fitting t-shirts (these will be cut)
- tight fitting jeans or stretch pants

(in the process of getting mummified)

Let me tell you, we had an absolute ball. We laughed so much at ourselves during the process. I finally have a dress form! If you would like to make your own, follow these easy steps. The next step is sewing dresses now! I have so many fabrics that I purchased in silk, linen, and wool that have been collecting dust. When I think of the dresses I want to make, I think of Victoria Beckham's line.

How fabulous would it be to make a dress similar to this in my exact measurements!!!
All of her dresses are tailored to the last stitch and that is the look I am going for. I guess the more I think about it, I think I am trapped in the wrong time period. Everything I prefer to wear looks like something Joan or Betty would wear on Mad Men!

Now do you see my problem? You do not see clothes like this everyday in stores in the fabrics you want. So I have moved on to plan B.

To Be Continued..........

Tasty Thursday

2011-03-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

I think Tasty Tuesday sounds better, but today is Thursday. LOL. I had lunch plans with a co-worker today that fell through, so I tagged along with another co-worker when he suggested we stop by the cupcake truck. He is a facebook follower of Yum Yum Cupcake and they were going to be in our area today. I became so excited because I haven't had a cupcake in forever!! We stopped by the truck around noon and I ordered the Ruby and the Penelope cupcake!! Their cupcakes are delicious!

Another co-worker came with us and she only had a credit card to pay for it, so she was unsure if they would accept credit cards. The owner said she did accept credit cards and pulled out her iphone to swipe the card. We all just stood there with our mouths wide open!! Where have I been? I am so behind on technology!! Apparently there is a new device that you can attach to your cell phone that accepts all major credit cards. I know entrepreneurs around the world are rejoicing!!

Well, since we are talking about food, let me just tell you that I have been lacking in the cooking department lately. With a new baby and other household responsibilities, I do not have the energy to cook. We order/eat out at least 4 times a week. I am determined to get back into the kitchen. Mr. R is away on business most of the time, so it isn't so bad, but he also eats out all the time already and I know he would rather have a home cooked meal. Right now my brain is too fried to even think up a clever recipe, so I continue to search for inspiration. I am so over the turkey bacon, waffles, and grits that I usually make for breakfast on the weekends. Just imagine how happy I was to find out the Junior League of Atlanta posted a video on how to prepare country ham and shrimp on toast. The recipe is from their True Grits cookbook. I know what I am giving my mom and mother-in-law for Christmas!! Enjoy the video and let me know if you try it out!!

Status Quo

2011-03-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

(Blake @ Dr.'s office)

Today my little man and I went to the doctor for his 4 month check up. It was scheduled for tomorrow, but I rescheduled it for today since I had errands to run and a presentation to give at my JL meeting later on in the evening. I was excited to go to the doctor just so I could get his weight and measurements. I have been slightly obsessed with his weight since he was born. He was only 6 lbs (total shock to everyone because I was huge, we thought for sure he would be around 8-9 lbs) and a little adorable munchkin!!! At our 1st doctor visit we were given the dreaded percentages of where he fell according to his weight. I looked at my husband with sad eyes when I found out he was way below 50% mark. The doctor laughed and said that it was only a guide, not the rule. You have to take into consideration the parents weight and height. She also pointed out that most of the growth charts took a sample of formula fed babies vs. breast fed. I calmed down after she said that. However, it got me to thinking, why are we comparing him to the norm? I fall below the norm, I'm barely 5'3 and only a 110lbs post-baby.

I have to remind myself, growth charts are not a test. My baby is one of a kind and unique. He is reaching all of his milestones ahead of time and is a very alert and happy baby. Why in the world am I stressing myself out about this?

Lesson of the day: Do not compare yourself to others or a "chart". Forget the status quo, be a trailblazer!

God Answers Prayers

2011-03-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share some good news with you all! I have many blog friends out there, but Meg really touched my heart when she went through her own personal heartache when she lost her baby son last year. Well, you might want to sit down for this...Meg and her husband are expecting twins!! My heart is filled with so much joy for them!! Their story is more proof that you never give up because God will restore you. I pray many more blessings will come their way!

Fab Friday

2011-03-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

So this week Kanye West's song "All of the Lights" is my favorite tune. I have been playing it non-stop while putting the finishing touches on Blake's nursery. Yes, I know, he is almost 4 months old. However, he has been in our room every day. We have a cradle in our room and half of the time he is in our bed. Well, it is time for him to move into his own pad now. LOL! Hopefully I will be able to reveal his nursery to you all on Sunday! I will take a pic of Blake's reaction to his room as well. Enjoy the video and have a blessed weekend!!

3 Hours of Prep Time

2011-03-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

Blake (@3 months) starting out with a basic outfit.
Check out the look on his face.
He is saying , "Please tell me you are planning to build on this outfit. This cannot be it."

I really took for granted the loads of free time I use to have when getting ready. Now I have to get up and start getting ready at least 2-3 hours before I have to be at a particular location if Blake is going with me. This is crazy!! Before Blake's arrival into this world, it would take me at least an hour with hair/makeup and picking out an outfit based on my mood. Now I have a mini me that is exactly the same (minus the hair/makeup). I have to check the baby bag to make sure it is packed correctly, then make sure he has been fed and changed, and then pick out an outfit and pray he does not spit up on it. He has his own process too.

"I do not know how I feel about this outfit Mom. Let me think about it. Give me 10 minutes."

"OK, I think I like this look. Let me make some minor adjustments."

"Yep, that did it. I am ready now Mom."

I absolutely love taking him out with me while I run my errands. He falls asleep almost instantly when I start driving. As soon as I reach my destination, he is up and ready to see everything! I cherish every moment with him. I know I am weeks behind on blogging, email, facebook, and who knows what else. I can catch up on those things, but I do not want to miss one moment with him!

Fab Friday

2011-02-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

Every now and then I have to put on music to get me motivated. Whether it is folding up clothes, sweeping, or just straightening up things, I have to have music to move to. I listen to every kind of music known to man. One moment you will catch me singing an Aretha Franklin tune and the next minute I am singing a song from the musical West Side Story. You never know what you will get from me!! I have songs that stick in my head for some reason and this week it is Mike Posner. Talk about a catchy tune! I place Blake on my hip and dance from room to room singing this song. Hope you guys have a happy Friday and great weekend!!

Pleasant Surprises

2011-02-18T06:45:00.000-08:00

(Livingston)

Last week I tried to think of ways to surprise my hubby for Vday. It has been stressful lately because Mr. R is out of town a lot and I end up feeling a little overwhelmed at times. Let me just put this out there, I do not know how in the hell single mothers do it. Where do you find the time?!! I am at home fulltime right now and I cannot imagine doing this while working and hubby is out of town. This is hard work. Clothes need to be folded, dishes washed, dogs walked and you still have to breastfeed around the clock. You do not even want to know what I look like on some days. I know it isn't easy for Mr. R either. He takes pride in providing for the family, but I know he would rather be at home witnessing Blake's milestones.

So I decided to plan something for Vday for hubby since most men get stuck with coming up with everything. I thought to myself, let me treat Mr. R for a change. I called up my mother-in-law and booked her for Saturday afternoon babysitting duties. What in the world could we do? I wanted to take him out to eat, but what would we do after that? I didn't want to do dinner and a movie because we do that all the time. I decided to see if a show was in town and purchase tickets for the event. To my surprise, the Alvin Ailey dance troupe was performing at the Fox Theater all weekend!! So I logged onto ticketmaster Tuesday night to buy tickets. To my dismay, all the tickets were sold out! They only had a few left in the balcony in the last two rows. That was not going to cut it. So I logged onto StubHub. Let me just tell you guys that StubHub is the best website!! For the people, by the people! I was able to get Orchestra seats on row E!!

So Saturday came and we dropped off the baby and headed off. I didn't tell him what we were doing until we walked into the restaurant. We had a delightful brunch at Livingston and then crossed the street over to the Fox. Mr. R was grinning from ear to ear! Mission accomplished! When Monday rolled around, I didn't think twice about Vday since we took care of that on Saturday. On Monday I went through my regular routine of walking the dogs, trying to pick up around the house, and giving my undivided attention to Mr. Blake. Mr. R came home around 8pm after a long day of work and collapsed onto the chair in the bedroom. I noticed a take out box in his hand, so I just assumed he grabbed something to eat with one of his clients.

Mrs. R: Where did you go to eat this time?
Mr. R: Oh, to J's again.
Mrs. R: What did you bring back?
Mr. R: Smiles.
Mrs. R: Waiting for a reply.
Mr. R: It is for you.
Mrs. R: Hunh?
Mr. R: Happy Valentine's Day babe.

Mr. R handed me the take out box and inside were chocolate covered strawberries. He then reached into his suitcase and gave me an envelope. I opened it and inside was a gift certificate to Spa Sydell!!

I screamed in excitement. It was a couples massage package. Boy oh boy, do I need to go to the spa. I will be calling up my mother-in-law once again to book her on Saturday for babysitting duties!!! Just when you think you know someone, they still manage to surprise you!

Definition of Grandad

2011-02-10T11:51:00.001-08:00

Yesterday my father was rushed to the hospital. Today he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I cried yesterday and again today. However, I didn't cry over his diagnosis.

I talked to my father yesterday on the phone to confirm the time I would drop Blake off for him to babysit. I made plans to go to a meeting at 11am. Well, when my mother found my dad sitting at his desk dizzy and unable to stand, she decided to call for an ambulance. My father later called me from the hospital and left me a message. He wanted to let me know he was in the hospital and apologized since he wouldn't be able to watch his grandson.

That is why I cried. With everything going on in his life, he still picked up his cell phone to check on me and apologize. Words cannot express how much I love my father. I called him back immediately and told him not to worry about me!!! All I care about is his health, the hell with everything else. We will get through this as a family. Like I said, I am not worried about his diagnosis because not only is type 2 diabetes manageable, but the disease does not know my father. He is a warrior. This will not break him. Not when he has his wife, son, me, my husband, and Blake standing behind him.

Today I played with Blake and told him how much his grandfather adores him. My father showed me how to make Blake smile by moving his arms in a circular motion. Who knew?!! Apparently my dad tried everything to get a smile out of him when he watched him last week while I ran errands. So my father is credited for getting the first real smile out of Blake! He would grin from time to time, but nothing like this. It is like he is laughing, but there isn't any sound yet. I love it!! Blake and my father already have a special bond and I am thankful for that. I know my dad will bounce back fast because he has more things to do with his grandson!!

I am reminded everyday to appreciate every breath I take. You never know what will come your way, but I know that I will live every day to the fullest and not take one second for granted.

Babies, Babies Everywhere

2011-02-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

My darling baby boy is 2 months old! He is growing up so fast! This is a pic of Blake at 7 weeks. It is amazing to watch him grow before your eyes. He has daily conversations with me, I will post a video of one of his talking episodes where he just goes on and on. It is crazy because I will talk and he waits until I am done and then responds. I am serious! LOL.

So this past weekend I threw my bf a baby shower. She is due in March and I am beyond excited for her!! She has been there for me over the years and was matron of honor at my wedding. Our babies will be a few months apart and I cannot wait for them to meet each other. We do not know the gender yet, but she has a feeling it might be a boy. I think it might be a girl!!

So you know I was more than thrilled to dust off my china and get to work! Of course my husband tried to pretend he was busy, but I put him to work. I made the flower arrangement and I ordered a beautiful cake from Celso's to top it off.

Isn't the cake adorable!! My bf and I are not big streamer/balloon fans, so I skipped that and added all the color with the floral arrangement, favors, and a fantastic cake!! We had a great time and the guests took an extra slice of cake home with them.

On to other news, since I am at home all day now while on maternity leave, I am catching up with the reality shows. I watched all the episodes of Real Housewives of DC and Beverly Hills and the season finale of Atlanta. I must say my favorite RH character has to be Lisa from Beverly Hills. She is a riot and the only honest one on the show. I cannot stand Camille. Why does she insist on kissing someone else's husband on the lips? Seriously. I also caught up with Season 4 of The Game. Love it!! I had no idea they shot the episodes in Atlanta! I am so late on everything.

All I can say is thank gawd for the internet. We cut off our cable 2 years ago because we never had time to sit down in front of tv and watch the shows. Who needs cable when you can watch every show online when you want to and as many times as you want?!! I just love technology!

The Birth Story of Baby B

2011-01-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

I finally have time to sit down and relive the moments. For a while I tried to forget them. LOL, ok, let me focus. You remember the doctor told me my due date was 11/23 and if I did not deliver by 11/29, I would have to be induced. Well, that time arrived. Hubby and I arrived at the doctor's office with our bags already packed. I experienced back labor Sunday night, but when I was checked Monday morning at the doctor's office to see how much I dialated, nothing.

Nada.
Zilch.

Not even 1 cm. So into the hospital I went. My blood pressure was elevated also, so they wanted me to go in sooner than later. We arrived shortly after 12pm and I checked in and was hooked up to all the cool little machines. They monitored the baby and my blood pressure. I handed the nurse my birth plan and we went over everything. She informed me that if my blood pressure did not go down, I would not be able to have a water birth. I completely froze. Of course that made my blood pressure rise. So I tried to relax. She told me she would give me another 2 hrs to get it down, but if it wasn't down by then, she would have to inform my doctor and we would move onto plan B. 2 hrs later, still not good. Now the tests started. I had 2 different people come in and draw my blood so they could run tests. Around 5pm I was transferred to the posh labor and delivery room and went through more tests. By this time I was issued cervidil so I could get the show on the road. Well around 7pm, the midwife stopped by to discuss my blood pressure with me. She said that my bp would have to be under 120 to have a water birth, however my bp wouldn't drop below 150, so I would not be able to have a water birth. I was calm when she delivered the news, or so I thought. All of a sudden her eyes grew big and so did my husband's. My bp shot up to 180/110. I guess I didn't take the news so well. LOL. Before you knew it, I was hooked up to an IV and my veins were pumped with magnesium sulfate to lower my bp. I was warned that this could make you sick. Boy did it ever. My hubby was up by my side every hour holding my hair back while I vomited into a bag.

Fast forward. It is now 3am, Tuesday (11/30). I was dialating, but at a snail's pace. I was still going to have a natural birth, just not in the water. I had drifted off to sleep in between contractions, but all of a sudden I woke up in pain. I had a contraction coming every 30 seconds. My arms and legs started shaking and I tried to hold onto the bed for support. I didn't yell, I would just grunt. Before I knew it, tears rolled down my eyes, but I didn't make a sound. My hubby was scared and paged the nurse. It was time for the cervadil to come out. The nurse asked me if I wanted an epidural and I politely told her no. My hubby asked me again, and again I said no. Little did I know, that the pain that I was experiencing would only get worse and it did not help my bp, it was starting to rise again. My husband and the nurse stepped to the side to talk and I knew it was about me. I would have said something like, "I know you are talking about me, I can see you and hear you "...but I was concentrating on not yelling out" bloody murder, for the love of god, the angels, and the universe."

The nurse and my husband came back to my bedside and gave me the pros and cons of getting an epidural. I didn't want to hear it. I was not going to be defeated. I was going to prove to them that I could take the pain like so many women before me. The nurse told me that I had a long way to go. I just stared at her blankly. My husband gently held my hand and told me to get the epidural, the pain I was in was making my bp worse and the baby as well as myself would be at risk. I just hung my head and whispered ok. The nurse paged the anesthesiologist and I sobbed in my husband's arms. I felt like a failure. He told me I wasn't and this was best for the baby and me. He was worried sick about my bp since it could lead to a seizure if I didn't get it under control. The anesthesiologist appeared and went over everything and told me once the drug is inserted into my spine I would feel a burning sensation. I laughed and said ok. My hubby held onto me and before I knew it, I yelled "Holy sh*t me!" He should have said that it would feel like someone poured lighter fluid on your hips and tossed a cigarette your way. Once that was over, a peace washed over me. I could finally relax. The anesthesiologist and my hubby started talking and found out that they both went to Georgia Tech for undergrad. Five minutes later they were exchanging laughs and phone numbers. My hubby can make a friend anywhere.

My midwife returned and told me that they would start me on cytotec. I did research on this drug and told her I did not want it. My husband knew how I felt about it and repeated my statement to her. She said she understood and the only alternative would be pitocin. Here goes the slippery slope. I knew that my birth plan was a wash, but I had to get this baby out now, I couldn't go back in time. So my veins had to make room for another drug in addition to the magnesium and epidural. I sat back in the bed and just stared at the ceiling. "God give me strength and protect my baby" I kept saying to myself over and over. I continued to glance at the monitors to check my baby's heart rate. That is all I cared about. I could care less about what I was going through, it was all about my baby boy. The song from Miss Saigon was playing in my head.."I'd give my life for you", and I meant it.

Fast forward. It is 6pm Tuesday evening and I have finally been given instructions to push. Before I knew it, there were 4 extra nurses in the room along with my midwife. I could actually feel the contractions now. Little did I know the nurse turned down my epidural amount so I could work with my contractions. At first I was pissed, but now looking back, that made so much sense. Knowing when to push is a lot better than having someone tell you to push. I pushed for what felt like 15 minutes (thanks to all the drugs in my system, I was in lala land. My husband said I actually fell asleep between contractions because I was so exhausted), but when I looked at the clock it was 8pm. The midwife called in the doctor because I needed help. Blake was stuck. Now I started to panic and so did my husband. I was in and out by this time, but I heard the word vacuum and saw my doctor walk in. He pulled my husband to the side and discussed options with him. The neonatal doctor walked in also and I knew something was wrong. Blake had to come out now. My doctor stood next to my midwife and told me they would need to use a vacuum to get Blake out. I really thought I was dreaming at this point. How the hell did I end up here? What happened to my peaceful water birth! I was too weak to protest. I looked at my husband and just nodded. I knew he knew what was best and I trusted him. At 8:40pm they placed Blake onto my stomach and my husband cut the cord. I looked down shocked and tried to focus. Before I got a chance to touch him, they took him away. He was too lethargic and his breathing was shallow due to the magnesium in my system. My husband left my side and went with the baby. I started to panic. Everything was going in slow motion. I wanted someone to tell me something, anything. I didn't hear the baby cry. My husband looked backed at me and mouthed "Everything is fine." I knew it wasn't. If it was, why wasn't I holding my baby? Before I knew it, I was asleep again. I was told later that Blake was in NICU and had to be placed on oxygen until his breathing improved and I would be able to hold him soon. My husband split his time between NICU and our room.

Fast forward. 6am Wednesday morning (12/1). Blake is rolled into my room by my husband. I just sob. I am so excited to see his face. My husband placed Blake into my arms and I just stared in amazement. He was so tiny. I started singing the song that he heard me sing while in my womb for the last 9 months, "somewhere over the rainbow". Blake starred at me the entire time and did not take his eyes off of me. I knew at that moment that everything I went through was for him. Everything I would do from that day on would be for him. I ended up staying in the hospital for the rest of the week and was discharged when my blood pressure went back to normal. My husband did everything for me and the baby. We kept the baby in our room the entire time and my husband fed and changed him. I was still confined to the bed and on magnesium. It made me dizzy, lethargic, and delayed my milk production. My husband was the mother and father for the entire week and I praise God for him. I do not know what I would have done without him. I also must say that my doctor, midwife, and the nurses on staff at the hospital did everything in their power to make sure I did not have to get a c-section. I thank them for that. I walked out of the hospital with not one stitch. All I had was a new baby boy in my arms. At the end of the day, I cannot complain. My OB team was great!

Has this scared me from having a second child? Nope. I know my high blood pressure caused the chain of events and everything that took place was to help me and the baby. I would still do it all over again because every experience is different. However, the next time I enter the hospital to have a baby, the first thing out of my mouth will be "epidural please." LOL!!

Where Did The Time Go?

2011-01-04T07:39:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness!! It is already 2011. Time is really passing me by. Having a new baby that pretty much take up all of your free time will make your days run together. Did I mention that I noticed on December 20th that we didn't have Christmas decorations up?!! Yeah, it was that bad. Fear not, we spent Christmas at my parents, so they had it covered. At least I didn't have to worry about taking anything down. That probably wouldn't have happened until February. I had a friend yell at me because my newborn missed his first Christmas tree since I didn't put one up in the house. Um....Blake was 3 weeks old around Christmas. Right now he only recognizes my face, my husband's, and the smell of breast milk. Get a grip people. I tried not to bite her head off, but I think the expression on my face said it all. My mom wanted to know why I didn't dress Blake in the outfit that her friend gave me that said "Baby's 1st Christmas"? I basically told her I forgot (it was really tacky) and that he looked a lot cuter in the cable knit jumpsuit my co-worker gave me from Baby Gap. I mean come on, tell me this is not hot?!! He looked absolutely dashing in this outfit.

Well I am finally getting my life back, somewhat. LOL. I purchased the Moby Wrap thinking it would help me with carrying my little guy around. Hate it. To all the pregnant ladies out there, do not waste your money. It is great around the house, but I have to adjust it so many times, I end up looking like I have a strait jacket on. I went back to the store and bought a carrier that resembles the baby Bjorn carrier, minus the price. That is heaven! Now I can place Blake into his car seat and place him in the carrier and go. Who wants to drag a car seat around everywhere? That thing is heavy.

I still owe you my birth story, that is coming up. While I am at it, I will do book reviews for the 3 books I have listed. I finished those books months ago, I do not know why I haven't taken them down yet. I am slipping. For 2011, my goal is to tackle projects quicker and to get more organized. Did I mention we are hiring a housekeeper? Just once a week or every other week. We have to test it out. All I can say is thank god. Hubby knew I needed help. He is always traveling or working late, so he cannot lend me a helping hand all the time. Well this is an even better solution. Love ya honey!! He is such a good delegator.

So until then, I will try to tackle my outstanding projects with my little helper. He loves working on the computer with me. When he has had enough and wants my undivided attention, he has no problem yelling and letting the world know.

This is a picture of him removing his pacifier and basically telling me he would like me to focus on him . He is growing up so fast, who knew he would have hand coordination down this early. LOL. Gotta love him.

Have I Mentioned That I Love Prince?

2010-12-09T15:22:00.000-08:00

Today on the View, Prince decided to make a surprise appearance to let the ladies and the world know about his upcoming concert series. OMG. That is all I can say. I watched the clip of the show and if I were one of the hosts, I might have stopped breathing. They would have had to carry me off of the stage on a stretcher. Sure that isn't a good look, but it is Prince people. My husband has this rule where he refuses to take me to a concert to see another man perform where I will yell out his name. I totally understand, but I get a pass for Prince. My husband would even attend the concert with me because he is a huge Prince fan also. LOL!! I will try to keep myself composed when we find a concert that is close to Atlanta. Gawd I hope he comes to Atlanta!! I LOVE PRINCE!!! I now have the song "Adore" playing in my head. I attached the clip of Prince surprising the ladies below.

So What Else Is New?

2010-12-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let you guys know that Baby B has finally arrived!! He made his grand entrance on 11/30/10 at 8:40pm weighing 6 lbs and 18.5 in length. What did we decide to name our little prince?

Blake Alexander Reynolds

There you have it!! Time has flown by and I am still trying to adjust. Who knew you could function with so little sleep! LOL. I will give you the details on how everything went. I will say that everything didn't go as planned, but what would life be like if it wasn't shaken up every now and then. LOL. Baby Blake is a blessing and such a joy. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!

Still Pregnant....So We Are Headed To Scalini's

2010-11-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

Yep, you read it right! LOL. Baby B's due date has come and vanished. It is Saturday and we are hoping he will show up on Sunday. We will see. If not, he will receive an eviction notice on Monday, served to him by my OB. I thought for sure he would make his arrival by Thanksgiving, then thought maybe he would come during the GA vs Ga Tech rival football game.

Nope.

Nada.

Nothing.

I definitely want him to stay as long as he wants and get all the nutrients he needs, but most doctors will start getting concerned around week 41, even thought they know only 5% of women have their babies on their actual due date. According to my calculations ( I was charting when I became pregnant), Baby B is actually on schedule, but we know that most doctors calculate your due date by lmp, which is usually off because one size does not fit all. In the meantime, it gives me more time to clean up the house, get his things prepared, pack my bags, and send out any last minute emails/letters. I am still hoping for my water birth without complications, so cross your fingers! Hubby and I will take a long walk on Sunday to hopefully get Baby B in the mood to come join us on Sunday or first thing Monday morning. I would really like to avoid any interventions, you know how that goes. It is usually a slippery slope. I have done my research and there are certain interventions I will flat out refuse, remember, we actually have free will! Luckily my doctors office have an OB/GYN and two midwives and they all want this to go as natural as possible. So I will remain positive.

Ok, I am off to eat a nice big bowl of ice cream for the evening. My hubby said tomorrow we are going to Scalini's for their famous labor inducing eggplant parmigiana. I couldn't help but laugh. Do I buy it? No. Will I try it? Why not. LOL. I have tried about every other labor inducing home remedy and it hasn't worked, so what do I have to lose? At least I can get a good meal out of it.

Belly Shot - 39 Weeks

2010-11-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

Today I finally found the time to snap a pic of my belly to add to my collection. However, I had a slight problem. Hubby was out running last minute errands for the baby and I had to find a way to snap the pic without him. So off to the dining room I went. I figured I could take the pic easily just by placing the camera on the table.

Nope. LOL! After several takes, I finally found the right number of books I needed for the camera to be level with my belly.

I placed the books on the table and tried it again. After only 20 minutes, I finally had a belly shot!! LOL.

Well ladies and gents, it is about that time! I think this will be my last belly shot!! I have a feeling that I will go over 40 weeks, we will see. I have experienced my share of braxton hicks and I look forward for the real labor to begin. Call me crazy, but you try to get comfortable in bed with a basketball attached to you. I am finally at home and I love it. Just knowing I do not have to get behind the wheel of a car and battle traffic for 40 minutes is heaven. Hubby and I decided it would be better to drive into work the last few weeks and I hated every minute of it. Traffic in Atlanta is brutal. I am still getting things organized and I am actually very calm. Both sides of the family are stressing out/excited! We plan to have a water birth at our local hospital, so I will let you know how that goes!!

Pregnancy stats:

Last reported weight: 134 lbs

Weight now: 146 lbs

Cravings: Red meat and yogurt

Current exercise: Walking daily

Baby size: 18.9-20.9 in, 6.2 - 9.2 lb., and the size of a watermelon. (The baby weighed 6.5 lbs at my 36 week check up, so who knows how big he will be at delivery!! )

What is going on with baby? At week 37, your pregnancy is considered full term, meaning baby is likely to thrive after birth. Baby spends these last weeks in preparation for the outside world… meaning careful refinement of the blink, suck, inhale and exhale. (source)

Get Ready For Another Royal Wedding!!

2010-11-16T11:50:00.001-08:00

(source)

I have tons of things to keep me busy, like washing mountains of baby clothes, packing my hospital bag, blah, blah, blah. I will get to it. Sure my due date is 7 days away, but of course there is always a distraction waiting for me and keeping me from accomplishing things on my to-do list. I drove into work today ( I am training a co-worker who will take over my duties while on maternity leave) and heard on the radio that Prince William proposed to his girlfriend of 9 years. I screamed in the car!! I was so happy. Why you ask, because I love weddings and I cannot wait to see another royal wedding. It's not like I know Kate Middleton at all, but I was rooting for her. I mean 9 years people!! That is a long time!! Well the official engagement picture of the couple have been posted on every website known to man. What was the hot topic? Her ring. It is gorgeous!! It belonged to Prince William's mother, the late Princess Diana. However, after everyone said how gorgeous it was, the next comment caught me by surprise. Jill Baughman from The Stir stated:

"Take a look at that rock that Kate showed off today at a press conference to announce their engagement. It's huge and gorgeous, but is it a bad omen for their marriage? ... this ring packs quite an emotional punch, as Diana stopped wearing it after she found out Charles cheated on her with Camilla Shand. If you remember, this ruined their marriage and tore the royal family apart. She and Charles got divorced in 1996, and the ring was last seen in public (before today) the day they announced their separation. Definitely not a ring that symbolized a fairy tale marriage. Even though this ring represents everything William loved about his mother, some folks are wondering why he would choose a ring that is 'cursed' ."

I think the gesture means so much more to Prince William. I am still happy for the couple. We will see, everyone has something to say. Would the ring bother you? Either way, we have a royal wedding coming up guys!! I am soooo excited. LOL. I attached the video of their official announcement. I am surprise they were not blinded by all the camera flashes! I would have walked into a wall after all the photos. It was a mad house!!

Ok, now maybe I will try to focus and get some things done around the house. I owe you guys another belly pic, coming soon!

A Hidden Gem

2010-10-26T07:59:00.001-07:00

Today I came across the story about a Parisian flat that was left uninhabited for over 70 years. The owner, who left the South of France and the flat, died at the age of 91 this year. She paid the rent faithfully over the years but never returned. The apartment was opened for the first time so auctioneers could inventory her possessions.

A painting hanging on the drawing room wall turned out to be a valuable 1898 portrait of the actress Marthe de Florian, by the society painter Giovanni Boldini (painting below). Apartment Therapy states:

"The big news story was that a painting hanging on the wall turned out to be an 1898 portrait of the owner's grandmother, actress and demi-mondaine Marthe de Florian, painted by the fashionable portraitist Giovanni Boldini. Never before seen publicly, the painting was Boldini's gift to Marthe, who was at one point his lover. Boldini, who apparently had quite an appetite for beautiful ladies, was well-known for his flattering portraits of rich, famous and royal women in sumptuous gowns. After the discovery of the Marthe de Florian painting, it sold at auction a couple weeks ago for about $2.9 million."

When I saw the pictures, it took my breath away!! I am a lover and collector of antiques and I would have fainted if I walked into that flat. Talk about pure beauty!! Can you imagine!!

Don't Forget to Say Thank You

2010-10-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

I have been moving nonstop and my body is slowly starting to feel it. The extra days I am taking off are definitely helping, but I only find more things to do. Last Friday, I made it a priority to sit down at my desk and get some writing done. That is after I ran to Ikea to get some magazine holders to organize my desk. LOL.

I had a ton of thank you notes to send out to friends and family, so I started sorting through my stack of personalized stationary and basic thank you cards. While I was at it, I went ahead and placed another order for stationary. You can never have enough. My MIL and SIL hosted a shower for me recently and over 15 people showed up. I was dumbfounded! All of the ladies introduced themselves to me and told me that Baby B is part of an extended family that is larger than words. I fought back tears and was just so thankful that they cared enough to come and share this experience with me. I received lots of great advice and ended up with 3 loads of baby clothes to wash and fold! He already has a college fund started thanks to the ladies!!

I finally settled on a thank you card and began writing. After an hour, I realized I would miss the mail man if I didn't hurry up. I ran outside and opened the mailbox only to discover mail!! Ugh...so I ran back inside the house and grabbed my car keys. I drove to the post office since it was just around the corner and dropped off all my thank you cards with 15 minutes to spare!! When hubby got home I told him about my close call.

Mrs. R: I wrote all my thank you cards for the shower! Isn't that great?!!
Mr. R: Yes. Blank stare.
Mrs. R: Aren't you excited!
Mr. R: About?
Mrs. R: I mailed them off! I missed the mail man but I drove to the post office and dropped them off at 4:45pm. The last pick up is at 5pm!
Mr. R: Blank stare again.
Mrs. R: Did you hear me?
Mr. R: That is great sweetie. What's for dinner?

Note to self: Hubby could care less about stationary or my lame day.

I have another shower this week that my co-workers are throwing after work. Hubby will actually come to that event since he will have to pick me up.

Mrs. R: Are you excited about the shower my co-workers will throw?
Mr. R: What time do I need to pick you up?
Mrs: R: Wait, you will be there right?
Mr. R: Yes, to pick you up.
Mrs. R: No, I mean for the whole shower.
Mr. R: No.
Mrs. R: Why not?
Mr. R: Why would I?
Mrs. R: You can't just pick me up!! You have to be there too.
Mr: R: Why? It's for girls.
Mrs. R: There will be a guy there too!
Mr. R: He is obligated. Rolls eyes.
Mrs. R: Silence. Give hubby the "oh no you didn't just say that out loud" stare.
Mr. R: I will be there. Not the whole time babe, but I will be there.
Mrs. R: Smiles.

Note to self: Hubby is allergic to baby showers or anything that involves a room full of women.

Book Beginnings and Bookends

2010-10-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

Here are the questions and answers to Part 2 of the book Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan.

1. What parts of the book could you most relate to? Least relate?
A can relate to Bree and Sally in the book. Bree does not want to disappoint her parents in any way and I was like that growing up. However, that can stunt your growth. You will end up living the life your parents want you to have vs. the life you want to live. You have to find the perfect balance. I can also relate to Sally because it seems after marriage her life changed, but her friends lives remained stagnant. I think that will always happen when you are first to marry or have a child within a group of your friends. Your priorities definitely will change when you get married/have children. You might not get to accomplish a goal you had in mind, but putting it on hold or changing course all together for your husband/newborn does not mean you have just given up on life. Life will throw things at you and you will have to learn to adapt!!

I think I least relate to April in the book. She has so much anger in her heart from past hurts. Her attitude towards men is negative no matter who they are. It is ironic that she cannot see that Ronnie fits that exact description.

2. If the author were to write another novel that followed one of the girls onto her next step of life, which one would you want it to be about? Whose story would you want to follow more of?
I would actually like to follow April's story. I think there is so much unresolved anger in her heart and it is really holding her back from experiencing life in general. I would love to see what she has learned from the situation with Ronnie and what she will do now that she understands some people in her life used her.

3. What surprised you the most about this book?
Ronnie's selfishness and April's lack of love for herself. I had no idea April's self esteem was as low as it was. She had so much love for her Smith friends, but she doesn't think she is worthy of receiving love back.

4. Which character did you look forward to reading about the most?
I was totally hooked to April's character after the alleged kidnapping incident. I needed more answers and was trying to connect the dots.

5. Did this book meet your expectations? I really didn't have any expectations for the book. I decided to keep an open mind. I really enjoyed the book and flew through it. I can't wait for the next book!

Just Whip It.....

2010-10-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

So one of my friends on facebook asked if I had the baby yet. I told her no, but the countdown has begun. Then another friend posted a video by Dejan Tubic. He owns a dance studio and did choreography to the new hot song "Whip My Hair" by Willow Smith at one of his sessions. Yep, the daughter of Will and Jada Smith. It is a catchy tune and she is only 9!! OMG...can I just say that Dejan Tubic is one of the hottest choreographers around. I watched the video like 10 times and I said to hubby, "I want to try this!!"

Mrs.R: Look at it, this is beyond hot!!
Mr. R: Um....that is a lot of moving around.
Mrs. R: starting to shake my hips
Mr. R: Um...if you attempt to do 5 seconds of that dance you will go into labor.
Mrs. R: I glare at Mr. R. and I sit back down.

There is nothing sweeter than having your hubby remind you that you are not exactly dancer material right now with a huge belly sticking out. I will save this and add it into my workout routine after I give birth. LOL!!

Washing the Washing Machine

2010-10-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

I have decided to take every Monday off until my maternity leave. I need it. I had no idea I would be so exhausted guys! Baby boy moves ever hour on the hour, my back hurts, I get headaches from time to time, and I am winded. All part of pregnancy, I know, but for some reason I don't remember people talking about any of this. LOL.

Instead of resting yesterday, I looked around the house and decided some things needed sprucing up. I started my day at 9am and ran to 3 stores. I didn't make it back home until 1:30pm. Where did the time go? I ended up putting up pictures in the master bathroom, drilling in new toilet paper holder fixtures in the other two bathrooms, and washing 4 loads of laundry. However, before I washed the laundry, I realized the washing machine needed to be cleaned out. So I added another 30 minute task to my routine. I fell into the bed for a nap at 4:30pm and didn't get up until 7:30pm. When I tried to get up, I thought my spine was dislocated. My right hand couldn't bend at the wrist and I had ringing in my ears. I basically had to slither out of the bed and went to the laundry room to finish folding clothes. Can we say I over did it!! Sweetie had another client dinner so I was alone at home in pure agony. I came into work today and my co-worker asked was I ok. I told him that I think I might start my maternity leave a week early.

He laughed.

I was dead serious.

I know the last few weeks can be grueling, but good gawd!! There is so much I want to do around the house. I guess this is my nesting phase and it is out of control. Every where I look I see a new project that need to be completed NOW. Not tomorrow, not next week, but NOW. If it is driving my hubby crazy, he doesn't say anything. I get so anxious because who knows when Baby B will decide to come into the world. We are down to the wire now. Why didn't I do all of this like 5 months ago?!!!

Note to self: Waiting until the last minute to nest when you are 40+ lbs. heavier is not smart. Not only will you have a bigger belly that will prevent you from sitting in certain positions, you will not move fast or be able to breathe like a regular person. Your feet will be swollen and your hands will resemble the hands of a small man (I can no longer wear my wedding rings, I cried like a baby for a day). This is not the time to start projects in the house. Sit down and rest.

Will I take my own advice, probably not. Next on my list..redesigning the guest room, adding new plants to the front entrance of the house, and sewing curtains for the nursery and master bedroom. Did I mention that I wanted to sew burp clothes thanks to another blog that inspired me? Somebody get me some help please!!

Tuesday's Thoughts

2010-10-12T07:42:00.000-07:00

OB Appointment

Yesterday I had another one of my many OB appointments and they make sure you have an appointment with everyone in the practice. So this was my 2nd appointment with another midwife in the group. I told hubby not to come since it lasts only 5 min and it is just to listen to the heartbeat. Once again the nurse asked me if my husband was big since she has never seen him.

Mrs. R: Um...what do you mean?
Midwife: How tall is he?
Mrs. R: Just 5'11.
Midwife: Is he stocky?
Mrs. R: Well...he is muscular, nice torso, big legs and thighs...and....(decided to stop talking).
Midwife: Oh ok. Smiles
Mrs. R: Do you think the baby will be big?
Midwife: I do not know, I think he will be. We will do an ultrasound next week to be more exact. You are so petite, I hope he isn't too big. You are also carrying so low. Any pain?
Mrs. R: Not really, I am use to it now.
Midwife: Ok, I want you to get a maternity belt. Here is one that we use.

She showed me the pamphlet and guys, it was hideous. I mean, it looked like fighting armor. Am I suppose to wear this under my clothes without anyone noticing?

I went home to show hubby and he laughed, but agreed that I should get it. My stomach resembles a perfect little basketball. Since it is ultrasound time, sweetie will come with me and the midwife can get to meet him in person. I told him that I gave her the description of a running back, so to make sure to look good.

Mr. R: What?
Mrs. R: Well you are fine darling.
Mr. R: Um..I ran track in high school. I never played football.
Mrs. R: Same difference. Just look hot.
Mr. R: Rolls eyes.

Mad Men

Oh my. I am loving this season. So I caught the latest episode and it is getting crazy! I keep hoping Don will change his womanizing ways, but he is the same. I do not like Betty's new husband at all. Pete Campbell still annoys me, but his wife, Trudy, really makes my eyes roll. Sterling is delusional and Cooper is still the sane one out of the group if you ignore the fact that he refuses to wear shoes. I love this show!!! The writers are awesome and I am happy that good writing still exists because you would think it is a dying art with all of the really bad reality shows out there. Speaking of bad reality....

Atlanta Housewives

I did not want to even watch it, but I logged onto Bravo and they had the first episode posted. Why did I even bother? I got a headache about 15 minutes into the show and had to stop. The scene of Sheree in her kitchen with her acting coach made me laugh. Listening to Phaedra compare her hubby to Martha Stewart made me choke on my lemonade. Listening to Kim give advice to her daughter on men made me shake me head. Train wreck. I am done. I do not need to see any thing else. How in the world does this stay on the air guys?

Gap

They tried to sneak a new logo on us! Well the public was not having that!! LOL. When will people learn, some things need to stay the same. Everything does not need to be updated with a glossy new look. Just like Talbot's red doors. They want to get rid of them to give the store an updated look. Why? What is wrong with the darn red doors? I like them. The doors are easy to spot when I am in another city. Why would they want to look like every other store? But who am I? Just a loyal customer.

(the first Talbot's store in Massachusetts)

Movie Review: Waiting for Superman

2010-10-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

My husband and I made sure we would see this movie the weekend it opened. We became extremely frustrated when we found out that only one movie theater in Atlanta would show it! I think this is a very important topic and I am surprised it is not in more theaters. Both of my parents are retired educators, my brother is a teacher now, and my aunts and uncles were either principals or college professors. Growing up I would listen to my parents daily express their frustration with the current educational system. My brother calls me upset because he wants to go beyond the required curriculum, but you are not encouraged to do so. My mother would spend her own money every December to buy kids presents she knew they would not receive on Christmas Day. My father would stay after work to meet with parents that couldn't get to the school until 6pm due to their job, even though he was finished at 2:30pm.

My brother and I went to public school and my parents attended every parent teacher conference. My father supplemented our education during the summer by enrolling us in academic enrichment camps at private schools. He would go above and beyond the curriculum our school provided because he did not think it was enough. For the U.S. to be ranked #25 in math and #21 in science is pure craziness. To have a government who refuse to acknowledge the problem and just throw more money at it is delusional. When I told my parents I was pregnant, my father pulled me aside and told me he would help us put our child in private school if we needed it. My husband and I have already talked about this in great detail. There are some school systems that are great, but I still have my doubts. I currently work in higher education and it is so frustrating to see a class of 25 new PhD graduate students and only 2 are from the U.S. The faculty would love to admit more U.S. residents, but international students score higher on entrance exams and exceed all of their expectations when it comes to performance. These international students also come from the most depressed areas in the world.

People scolded (actually they did worse) Michelle Rhee for the past two years because she fought for change. My parents applauded her and wished we had someone like that in Georgia. Now when you tune into This Week or Meet the Press, they want to talk about education. At least people are talking about it, but how long will that last before they move onto something else.

I hope more people will watch this documentary. If you have children, will have children, or you are just thinking about it, please watch this movie when you get a chance.

Book Beginnings and Bookends Blog Book Club

2010-10-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

The book we are discussing this month is Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan.

1. Which girl do you identify the most with? I would have to say I identify with Bree the most in the beginning of the book. She talked to her mother almost everyday in college and I was the exact same way. My parents pretty much decided I would go to the same college my father graduated from, so I never bothered to fill out tons of college of applications. I went to the same school her fiance went to in the book, so I had to laugh when she talked about how much he partied. That is so true!! Overall, she was a sweet and naive southern belle and I can relate. My family shielded me from so much growing up, but you grow up quickly in college!

2. If you're a college student or graduate, what similarities or differences do you see between this story to your own college experience? I definitely had a bonding experience in college my freshman year like these girls. I am still in contact with the friends I made freshman year and I have attended the weddings, births, and many more milestones with these ladies. I love the close relationship Bree, April, Sally, and Celia have developed over the years.

3. Which girl do you think has changed the most since her time in college? In what ways has she changed? I would have to say Bree changed the most. She went from being engaged to her high school sweetheart to becoming a lesbian in a committed relationship. Her relationship with her family is definitely suffering and that is not normal for ladies growing up in the south. No matter how many fights you have with parents or siblings, you still remain close. I think she is still trying to find herself and where she belongs in the world.

Anniversary

2010-10-05T06:20:00.001-07:00

On October 4, 2009, I married my best friend. I remember the events of that day very vividly. That day I wasn't anxious, I was very calm. I just knew that no matter what happened, I would be walking down the aisle to the man that brought peace into my life. I knew he was the right one for me because I waited 32 years for him. I was the girl who had cut pictures out of magazines and placed them into a binder that spelled out every detail of my wedding. When he came into my life, I didn't even bother to bring the binder out. So many things had changed in my life from the age of 21 to 32. I understood that the marriage was much more than the wedding. I walked into the bridal salon and knew my wedding dress when I laid eyes on it. I thought it would be this long and drawn out process. I tried it on and it fit perfectly, no alterations needed besides a basic hem. I moved onto the other details of the wedding. Instead of searching for a florist, I made my own wedding bouquet and all the arrangements for the wedding.

I will never forget walking down the aisle and seeing my soon to be husband looking at me with pure love. I held onto my father tightly, but I felt like I was floating on a cloud at the same time. I didn't even notice the people sitting in the pews. I faintly heard the violinists play Handel's "The Arrival of Queen of Sheba" when I walked down the aisle. What I saw in his eyes was patience, humility, kindness, and loyalty.

Our first dance was to Natalie Cole's "Inseparable". I remember singing the song into his ear while we danced. Friends and family danced into the evening and had such a great time. The majority of our parents' friends who attended had been married for over 40 years. They stopped by the wedding table with encouragement and told us to contact them for anything. Being surrounded by a strong village made all the difference to me at the wedding.

We celebrated our anniversary over dinner at the Buckhead Club. We talked about our future goals as a couple and soon to be parents. My husband picked a seat with a panoramic view of Atlanta. I stared out of the window between bites and thanked God for every moment. It is mind boggling to look down at the world while it is in motion. People coming and going with their own lives and issues. I know life can be unpredictable, but I also know that I can get through anything with Mr. R by my side. I cannot wait to celebrate 10, 20, 30 and many more years together. We have only just begun!!

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

2010-09-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

Today was a day. I can usually go through the work day without getting tired, but today I almost started crying at 3pm. Not only was I tired, grumpy, and aching all over, but I still had a few tasks that I had to do before leaving. I finally left work at 5:45pm and headed home. I called Sweetie several times to see if he would be out late with clients or co-workers, but didn't get an answer. When I came home his car wasn't there, so that meant I was on dog duty. Now I really wanted to cry. The sky looked like it was about to open up and pour, so I ran quickly inside and grabbed the dogs. All I wanted to do was go to bed. Sweetie finally called and told me he was out with the Sr. VP of the firm and asked if the house was clean.

Mrs. R: What?

Sweetie: Is the house presentable?

Mrs. R: Where are you?

Sweetie: At J's with the Sr. VP and other co-workers.

Mrs. R: Are you talking to me in the bathroom?!!

Sweetie: Laughing now. How did you know?

Mrs. R: I know everything.

Sweetie: The Sr. VP will be stopping by the house.

Mrs. R: What? Why? When?

Sweetie: We should be there in 30 minutes.

Mrs. R: Did you get the voice mail I left you? I feel horrible. I can't entertain.

Sweetie: Well just lie down, you don't have to come downstairs. He won't be long. He lives close by and wanted to stop by the house so we can continue our conversation.

Mrs. R: Silent, blood pressure rising at an alarming rate. Ok.

Sweetie: Love you, bye babe.

Ya'll, when I hung up the phone, this is what I felt like on the inside...

You have no idea. I looked around the main level and it was a hot mess. I still had baby shower gifts in the living room, dishes in the sink, I do not know the last time I went into the guest bathroom, and the dining room table looked like five 3yr olds worked on a science project. All I had was 30 minutes!!! I was livid.

Then I heard a voice, I am not lying. My grandmother is alive and well, but I heard her voice like she was in the room. She said, "your husband's hard work represents his love for his family and how you keep your house represents your love for him." No lie. My back stiffened. I surveyed my environment and I knew there was no way I would let my husband walk into this house with a guest with the house in shambles. I blocked out every body ache and in less than 30 seconds I turned into this...

I cleaned the main floor from top to bottom in 20 minutes flat. I know some people think I am crazy, but my grandmother is very traditional and was married for many years before her husband passed away. She believes that you never go outside of your house without your pearl earrings on. You speak to everyone regardless of how you feel about them. You learn how to cook and sew because you are responsible for nurturing your family and providing them with the basics. Most importantly, your house should always be presentable, no matter what is going on in your life. If you cannot do it, hire someone.

I finally walked upstairs to the master bedroom and fell on the bed. Minutes later I heard my husband and his co-worker arrive. I drifted off into a deep sleep. Sweetie came upstairs hours later. He woke me up with a big smile on his face and said," I love you. I truly love my wife." I just smiled. Thank goodness for everyone Dr. Jekyll won this battle. LOL!!

Baby Shower for Baby B

2010-09-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, my girlfriends got together and threw a baby shower for me!! Let me tell you, it was so fun!! I love this group of ladies and I know that they will be there for me on this journey. I have had different friends throughout high school, college, and in the "real world" and these ladies have stood the test of time. Its crazy how you have like 30 so called friends in high school and then when you hit your late 20's or 30's you find that you really only have a select few that you know will be there for you no matter what. I guess that is all a part of growing up. Off of my soap box...on to the pics...

My bff KH placed all of the gifts in the cradle that she gave me. I absolutely loved the cradle!! It matches the white Jenny Lind crib that I purchased as well. Details, details!

My other girlfriend PR is a pure hoot! I think she was more excited than me when I opened each gift!!

TC and her daughter came to the event. I love this picture because she is drinking from her sippy cup like there is gold in there! LOL. KH (one of the ladies who organized it) had her camera ready to take pics. She is currently 15 weeks pregnant and I am in the works of organizing a beautiful shower for her in January. She and her hubby have decided not to find out the gender. So I will have my work cut out for me. I am thinking lots of green, yellow, and browns for her shower.

This is the gift basket that TC created for me. She sewed the burping cloths and receiving blankets for me. She is very talented! My husband couldn't stop talking about it when I came home with it.

So you remember me going on and on about finding the right baby diaper bag? Well, hubby was listening. Little did I know he was sending pics back and forth to KH and he picked out a bag I could use that didn't spell MOM BAG. I was totally shocked!! I looked at the card and it said 'to my wife', I looked frantically around the room. I thought he was going to jump out from behind a wall and yell surprise. He didn't!! LOL. I thought it was nice he added his gift in there with the ladies.

Little Miss AC helped me unwrap the gifts and read the cards with me.

I had a great time with the ladies and we laughed and talked for a long time. Missing out of this pic are KH and LW who arranged everything and they were of course taking pics. Thanks ladies!! I truly do count on you for everything! Love ya'll!!

I have a few more showers to attend! I am totally surprised! I know people are excited, but it is truly a blessing to have so many people tell me they want to throw a shower for me! Baby B is so loved, I will make sure he knows it. I plan to save every card I receive and pic that I take and design a baby book on Blurb for Baby B. I want him to know that he has an extended family that will be looking out for him!!

Netflix Movie Review : Brothers and Up In The Air

2010-09-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weekends hubby and I have tried to catch up on movies we skipped at the movie theater. One of the movies we viewed thanks to Netflix is Brothers. This was a very powerful movie. The story focuses on a young married couple that have two kids and the father has to go off to war in Afghanistan. Natalie Portman who plays the wife in the movie receives the news that her has been killed when in fact her husband, played by Tobey Maguire, is very much alive. He is a POW. The brother-in-law, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, tries to step in and help out as much as he can believing his brother is dead also, but in the process develops feelings for his brother's wife. Talk about drama! Hubby and I of course had a long discussion after this movie went off, so it had to be good!! LOL. It is also very interesting to see the mental and emotional effects of war on soldiers. I think that is definitely overlooked. No one can return home the same after witnessing some of the atrocities associated with war.

The next movie on our list was Up In the Air staring George Clooney. I really liked this movie!! George works for a company that specializes in laying off employees for different firms and travels close to 320 days out of the year. He meets someone during one of his many flights and they develop a casual relationship (with benefits). A prior commitment phobe, he slowly starts to change his ways for his new love interest played by Vera Farmiga. However, he realizes that what you see is only a figment of your imagination. When you do not live with someone day in and day out, you really do not know the person, only the persona the person wants to convey to you at that moment in time. This movie actually made me shed a tear, I couldn't believe it. I was as dumbfounded just like George Clooney's character, of course my husband said " I knew that would happen." LOL.

Well we have tons of movies to watch and catch up on. I only bother to write a review on the movies that I think you might actually like. If you haven't seen the movies above, pick them up!!

The Day I Changed

2010-09-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

(source)

On 3/21/10, I took a test that would change my life forever. I think I stared at the pregnancy test result for 10 minutes, just smiling. Later that day, I searched the internet and became terrified. There is so much out there that can just go wrong. So many sad stories and you ask yourself, will it be different for me? Then I had my first OB appointment (I was less than 8 weeks) and saw the little chocolate butterbean. It was only the size of a grain of rice, but it was so much more. I saw this flutter that was like the speed of light, I pointed it out to the ultrasound tech. She looked at me and was like wow, most ppl can't find the heartbeat that fast! Well I did.

When I saw the heartbeat, my life changed.

I felt an instant connection. I got up from the chair and I swore I would do any and everything to keep that heartbeat going no matter what. Whatever he needed from me, I would do it. I followed the do not eat list religiously, people laughed at me. I googled every weird symptom or pain, people said I was paranoid. Then one day I got bad cramps. I became terrified and I began talking to him. I cried and begged him not to give up on me because I will never give up on him.

The day I felt a flutter, I begged for more! Now every time he moves, I rub my belly and say his name. I sing to him on the way to work and before I go to bed. Every ache or pain I have, I say thank you. He is growing. Every time I wake up and can't go back to sleep because he is kicking like crazy, I say thank you. He is testing out his strong limbs. People will ask me when I am due and then say "Girl, I know you are ready, I wanted that baby out." I just smile. Truthfully, I want him to stay as long as he wants! Sure I am uncomfortable at times and my swollen feet and hands are not cute, but he can stay as long as he wants. No eviction notice here. It is a blessing to carry to term and I will hang in there. I told him I wouldn't give up on him and I know in my heart he won't give up on me. I have already turned into a protective lioness without seeing his face. The love I have is so strong and pure, I have surprised myself. I cannot wait until the day I see him and get to sing to him in person, but until then, he can continue arranging furniture in his studio apartment. LOL! When he feels it's time to upgrade and move into a bigger place, he will let me know!!

Fashion- Christian Siriano

2010-09-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

Christian Siriano presented his Spring 2011 collection last week in New York to much fanfare! Mr. Siriano explained his concept to the Wall Street Journal backstage:

It all came down to diversification, Mr. Siriano explained backstage, flanked by his mother.“My customer buys evening dresses and buys gowns, but I also have a customer who dresses in her world. I love a suit. I love separates. I love a good pant. We have to have that. You just can’t have gowns, even though we love that. I felt it was good to show a world of looks.”

Here are my favorite 5 designs from the show.

You can view the rest of his collection here. I thought he did a great job once again and I cannot wait to see what the other designers showcase this month. More fashion to come!!

I love Oprah

2010-09-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

Seriously, did you see her show? If you didn't, here is a snippet of what happened:

After teasing the 300 audience members with a suggestion she might take them on a trip to New York, Philadelphia or Los Angeles, she said her last season merited something "bigger." "So I started to think about where would I most want to go," she said over the din of an audience that suddenly understood they were going somewhere far away.

"Maybe I should take you all with me to the other side of the world. We're going to Australia," Winfrey shouted.

With that, a mock-up of a Quantas Air Lines jet rolled onto stage, its door opened and actor John Travolta, who also flies airplanes, stepped out dressed as a Quantas pilot.

She is flying 300 members of her audience to Australia for an 8-day, 7-night trip in December. Are you freaking kidding me? I mean, can I just get a phone call from you Oprah? Anything!! I wish I was in Chicago right now. Lucky studio audience members you. She is the queen of giving back and I just love her for it!! I am excited because I will be on maternity leave soon and will finally be able to catch her shows. I can't believe this is the last year! I will miss all of her fabulous clothes and shoes. Oprah, you rock. I can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve next.

Book Beginnings and Bookends Blog Book Club

2010-09-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

Today we are discussing chapters 50-71.

1. At the end we find out Tim was sending Cory money because he thought she could be his daughter since he was having an affair with Genevieve. Did you see this coming? I was dumbfounded. Completely dumbfounded. I just made Tim seem even more of a scum and Genevieve did not receive glowing reviews from me either.

2. By the end of the story, what were your feelings about Eve? How had they changed since the beginning? I just felt really sorry for her towards the end, but I was so proud of her for finally coming forward. To risk everything is hard to do, but to still choose to do the right thing is even better.

3. Were you happy with the way President Russel treated Cory? I thought it was great that he accepted her so quickly into his heart and family. Of course I understand the whole genetic testing request, you have people claiming to be related to you for money all the time in that position. However, he should not bad mouth Eve. Eve did not plan the kidnapping and only did what she thought was right at 16. She took care of Cory and he is able to see her face to face because of Eve. It was not the ideal situation, but to totally disregard Eve's contribution to Cory's life is a mistake. We found out his wife wasn't exactly a saint.

4. If you were in Cory's shoes and had just found out all of this about the woman who raised you and who you believed to be your mother, how would you react? Would you forgive? I would definitely forgive her. I would be beyond upset, but at the same time, Cory's life was a great life full of unconditional love. Sure Eve could have given her to her biological father, but she cannot focus on that and assume her life would have been better just because he had more money.

5. In your mind, how does this story end? Do they all live happily ever after? Does Cory go on having relationships with her old family and her new family? I think Cory will find a good balance between her old family and her new family. Hopefully Cory will never go back to her ex-boyfriend and will meet someone that will love her and her baby unconditionally like Eve.

6. How do you think Cory has changed throughout the story? Have your feelings about her changed? I think Cory is a lot stronger now. She was starting to annoy me when she blamed everything on her mother and listened to her boyfriend who definitely did not have her best interest at heart. I was thrilled when she stood up to her biological father and told him that he should not harshly punish the women who did keep her alive and nurture her all these years. That took a lot of guts to do.

Belly Shot - 29 weeks

2010-09-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

Baby update! Here is my belly at 29 weeks. My baby boy is moving every hour on the hour. I still have to get up in the middle of the night for bathroom breaks, but now I cannot go back to sleep once I get up around 3:30-4am. He will kick and move around for at least 30-45 minutes. I think he is a lot stronger since I started taking extra vitamin D and calcium supplements in addition to my daily prenatal pills. He is acting like the incredible hulk in there. So even though I am losing hours of sleep, it is a blessing to feel each kick. I sing to him the same song every night and I cannot wait for him to arrive so I can sing to him face to face!

Things that annoy me big time right now...seat belts! I still wear them of course, but the bottom part is always too snug. I am carrying low and it just feels like it is cutting off my circulation. Hubby has to help me get out of the car now and give me an extra push out of the bed. So sad. LOL! My feet are starting to swell so I elevate them at work and at home. Luckily my wedding rings still fit. I had to break down and go into a maternity store with hubby because I cannot wear any pants or skirts. I think I was in denial again. I am ok with my tops, I just purchase a bigger size at Talbots and I bought some extra maternity dresses. I am on the hunt for super cute maternity dresses for my upcoming showers. I know I have friends that will post the pics on facebook, so I need to be prepared. That darn facebook. LOL.

Hubby and I will attend our water birth class and tour the hospital soon. My dr. appts have moved up to every two weeks now. The midwife tried to listen to the heartbeat last week and when she placed the instrument on my belly, he actually kicked it. Seriously! She started laughing. This is the same baby that put his hand in front of his face when I had an ultrasound in July. It is like he knows they are probing for information and he is saying, "um...not right now people. Can't you see I am trying to rest?" I have four JL friends due in October and November and my neighbor across the street is due in January with twins. We have 3 couples in our neighborhood that just had babies. Is there a baby boom going on? I am sure it will always seem like that once you are pregnant. My best friend who was matron of honor in my wedding is due March 22nd with her first also, our babies will be 4 months apart! We always talked about having kids close together, but I had no idea it would actually happen! At least my baby boy will have playmates now!!

11 more weeks to go people!! I cannot wait!

Pregnancy stats:

Last reported weight: 123 lbs

Weight now: 134 lbs

Cravings: Vanilla pudding and cheese cake

Current exercise: Walking daily and taking the steps instead of the elevator.

Baby size: 15.2 inches, 2.5 lbs., and the size of a squash.

What is going on with baby? Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments. (source)

Saturday Finds and Football Season

2010-09-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and just knew that it would be a good day! Not only because I have breath in my body and my baby boy woke me up with his kicks, but because I know today is the 1st day for college football in the South. You see, it is somewhat of a religion down here. LOL! I dragged myself to the kitchen to get breakfast going but immediately perked up when I glanced out the front door. It was beautiful!!! Hubby will be so happy. He will have a great day at the GT game and I will have a great day shopping. It is bittersweet because I will not attend one game this season. I cannot see myself standing in the stands, in the hot sun, and having to run up and down the stadium steps trying to find a bathroom every 30 minutes. So I decided to sit out this season. My friends called me up on Friday night to ask what I would bring to the tailgate and I had to tell them I wasn't going. It just about broke my heart. You see, hubby can leave at 12p on a Saturday and go straight to the football stadium because GT does not really tailgate. Not like my alma mater, UGA. We get up at 6am, pack the car and will be in Athens by 7:30am, and start to set up. If you haven't been to a tailgate in Athens, you don't know what tailgating is. LOL! Even my hubby agrees with me on this one. So hubby can relax this year, he does not have to set foot in Athens at all and I don't have to pretend I like the color gold for a couple of hours.

Well, he took off with his buddies and I headed to antique row and made some calls. Here is one of the great finds that I picked up. I found my wooden high chair guys!! Here is the before pic. I will post the after pic with the chair padding I plan to sew. I am so excited! It matches the wood in the breakfast room perfectly. Even hubby was excited. He isn't a fan of the high chairs they have out now. We are trying very hard to make sure all the baby items blend in perfectly with our existing furniture, and this will definitely stand the test of time. It was in perfect condition and the best part, only $20!!

So I told you guys about my search for the perfect stroller. Well, I don't just want a stroller, I want a pram/stroller, old school style. I tried to explain this to hubby who never heard of the word pram. I showed him pictures and then of course the price would come up....not good. LOL! The only issue with the very traditional prams is that they only have one function and don't convert into a stroller. However, we searched and searched and searched and we found our pram that turns into a stroller! I plan to do a lot of walking after the baby is born (with the dogs by my side) and I do not want to wake him at all if he is in sweet slumber. It is made by Emmaljunga and the great thing about it is that it is detachable and you can carry it around as a bassinet!! I took a pic of how the pram looks when it is removed!! I wanted this particular pattern/style and we found it! The stroller is in the same pattern and it comes with the white wheels instead of the new black wheels they produce now. Details, details, details! The days I have to run errands I plan to carry the baby in a moby wrap and not deal with a stroller at all.

So all in all I would have to say it has been a great day. Hubby returned from the game exhausted and I am going to curl up and finish the book, "To Hell With All That: Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife" by Caitlin Flanagan. The book was mentioned as a must read in an article I read awhile ago, so I added it to my ever growing stack. I hope you guys have a restful weekend!!

Fabulous Friday - The Simple Life

2010-09-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday Everyone!! I am so glad that we have a long weekend ahead. Hubby and I made some more purchases for the nursery and hopefully will be able to pick up a wooden high chair that I have been wanting forever!! Did I mention how much I love Craigslist? Anything that you could possibly want, you can find on there. Some of the items are still sitting in the box untouched. What did we do before this? Oh yeah, we had to physically drive to every yard/garage sale or visit every antique store known to man. We have lots of dark cherry wood in our dining room and I wanted to make sure that the high chair would not stand out. I have already picked out a pattern for the cushion I will sew for the high chair, thank you Southern Butter for the inspiration. This is her high chair and the chair pad she created. Isn't it divine!!

What would I do without my designer blog friends!! Last but not least, I wanted to leave a video that Hooked on Houses posted on her blog. This lady traded her house in for a new 84 square foot house. When you listen to her explain the reason behind it, it makes you stop and think. How much does a person really need?

Have a blessed weekend!

Baby Diaper Bags

2010-08-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

( the bag )

This is serious guys. So hubby gave me a budget this month. Trust me, it is a good thing. Case in point. Baby Diaper Bags. We went to the N. Ga Premiu m Outlets a while back and I started looking for diaper bags. I know what I don't want and that is pretty much everything he suggested while on a trip to Baby R' Us (read post). So we headed up there and I took a look around. I had no luck, didn't see anything I wanted and then I saw the Burberry store. I think I heard a choir singing in the background when I spotted the store. I headed inside and Sweetie reluctantly followed. There was a lady in the store with her toddler and husband and the cutest stroller you have ever seen (my hunt for a stroller, oh gosh, that is another post). She also had a Burberry tote that she used for the diaper bag. I turned to my husband and immediately said..."that is it!"

Sweetie: What is it?
Mrs. R: That tote. That will be the diaper bag.
Sweetie: What?
Mrs. R: Talking louder. Her tote! That will be my diaper bag.
Sweetie: I can hear, what do you mean that will be it?
Mrs. R: Look at it. How can it not?
Sweetie: What?
Mrs. R: I can use the bag afterwards. I don't want an obvious diaper bag.
Sweetie: Why not?
Mrs. R: You don't understand. I want that.
Sweetie: How much is it?

I slowly walked over to the display of bags.

Mrs. R: Um....well..
Sweetie: How much?
Mrs. R: Um...well you see...
Sweetie: Price please.
Mrs. R: This is an outlet darling, which means this is a great price. For around $ ....start to mumble...
Sweetie: For a bag?
Mrs. R: But...
Sweetie: I will be waiting outside.

He very calmly walked outside and sat on a bench. I continued to walk around the store and made mental notes and joined him outside. He spotted the Coach store and said, "What about a Coach?"

Mrs. R: What do you mean?
Sweetie: They have bags in there too.
Mrs. R: Um...
Sweetie: Why don't you look in there?

I peeked inside the store and it had at least 45 people in there.

Mrs. R: No
Sweetie: You haven't even gone inside.
Mrs. R: Fine.

We walked inside and I noticed that at least 10 people were in line holding the same bag. I sighed and walked around for like 30 seconds and told Sweetie I was ready to go. He walked out with me and shook his head.

Sweetie: I don't understand.
Mrs. R: It isn't a Burberry.
Sweetie: Ok, just give it some thought. It's just a diaper bag.

Just a diaper bag!! Men. So I decided to look at other options. Maybe there is something else out there that I will like that is not a Burberry. This is what I have come across. If you ladies have any suggestions, please help me out. I know I can just buy a plain and simple diaper bag, but I don't want just any diaper bag. I like what I like. Trust me, I work hard and I think about every purchase I make. It has to stand the test of time, be classic, and have several functions.
This is my list of diaper bags that I like so far:

So there you have it. Do you see where I am going? I want a nice functional bag that doesn't scream...OVER HERE, I AM A MOM DIAPER BAG. Just saying. LOL.

Book Beginnings and Bookends Blog Book Club

2010-08-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

Today we are discussing Chapters 21-35.

1. Do you think Tim is the one sending the money?
Yes, who else would know where she is? I thought for a minute that Naomi might be behind it, but then I dismissed that notion. Naomi is the last person who wants to be connected to Eve right now. Naomi has a family to protect and I do not think she will do anything to jeopardize her current situation.

2. So far, there's been a lot of discussion on CeeCee/Eve and her choices. What choice(s) would you make differently from her? Where do I begin! Given the current situation, I think Eve is doing the best she can right now. She is now responsible for this new life and she will have to put Cory first. I would have never participated in Tim's plot in the first place. The entire plan spelled disaster.

3. What do you like about Jack? Are there things about him that you don't like? I think Jack is full of life and non-judgmental. He definitely has an open mind and open heart. I do not know if he has much experience with being responsible vs care free, but time will tell.

4. What are the differences between CeeCee/Eve's relationship with Tim and Eve's relationship with Jack? I think Jack is willing to be patient with Eve and is actually giving Eve room to breathe. Jack has definitely made his feelings known and he is willing to show Eve how serious he is. I think Tim didn't really have to work hard at all for CeeCee, she just fell for him.

5. Do you think Eve is to blame for Cory's fears? What could she do, specifically, to help Cory feel like less of an outsider? Eve is to definitely partly to blame. I think she rescues Cory to much vs let her figure out things on her own. All children will cry and fear things and it is a parents job to soothe their fears, but not immediately, they will never learn to grow on their own if you do that. I think she needs to take a step back and let Cory figure some things out on her own. It doesn't mean you are abandoning your child, you are giving your child room become self sufficient.

6. Do you think Eve appropriately answered Cory's questions about her father? Do you think Cory will question her father more as she grows older? I think Eve gave the best answer she could at the time. I think Cory will continue to ask questions, it is only normal. She is missing a big chunk of her life and she can sense that something is different about her.

Fabulous Friday

2010-08-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

(source)

This week has been hectic. Fall semester is in full swing for most colleges and this week we are included. Students have been frantically running in and out of my office non-stop and I have been receiving phone calls around the clock. I was pleasantly surprised when Sweetie called and said, "Do you need a break?"

Mrs. R: What? Do I? Where are you?
Sweetie: Headed your way. Do you want to grab lunch?
Mrs. R: Yes, I am starving. What do you have in mind?
Sweetie: I got this. I will pick you up in 30 minutes.

So 25 minutes later I log off my computer, forward my phone calls, close my office door and run. LOL. I meet Sweetie outside and he tells me we are eating at the Peachtree Club for lunch. I squealed with delight. We try out different clubs from time to time, but this hands down is one of my favorite. I absolutely love this place and they have renovated it and now have the new terrace open during lunch. Service is always impeccable and it is such a nice way to unwind during the day. I went on and on about the chairs and how I need to reupholster our master bedroom chairs in a fabric pattern that is similar. The general manager came over after our order was taken to give us a quick tour and go over the renovations. Like I said, everyone is always so nice!! I guess I am just happy because it seems like everywhere you turn, someone has a sour face or a complaint about something. It is nice to enter an environment where you do not have to experience that. Sweetie and I could have stared out of the window for hours. Sometimes you need to slow down just to realize how beautiful things are around you. We left and Sweetie rolled the top back on the car and zipped me back to work.

Sweetie parks in front of my building.
Mrs. R: Do I have to go?
Sweetie: Um...won't they be worried if you don't return back to work?
Mrs. R: Where are you off to now?
Sweetie: Drinks with a client. Smirks
Mrs. R: Frowns
Sweetie: Bye now.
Mrs. R: Bye, you are on dog duty. I am going straight to bed when I get home.
Sweetie: Got it! See ya later.

We exchange kisses and he zips off. I stand there thinking to myself, why didn't I pick his major in college? This weekend I plan to relax and provide updates on the baby!! More pics. I have 13 weeks left guys!! It does not even seem real! I am beyond excited. I cannot wait to have a little baby to stare at for hours and watch him kick the air vs my ribs. LOL.

Book Review - What Southern Women Know by Ronda Rich

2010-08-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

I became familiar with Ronda Rich when I started reading her syndicated newspaper column every Sunday. I actually looked forward to it. She would talk about her mom and grandmother and things that could only happen in the South. In the beginning of her book. "What Southern Women Know (That Every Woman Should)" she listed the Southern Truths for Daily Living:

1. Femininity is a plus in the business and social world.
2. A woman can be both rough and nice.
3. Temper progress with a healthy respect for tradition and history.
4. Family and home take precedence over career.
5. More flies are caught with honey than with vinegar.
6. Men love strong, feminine women.
7. Positive, optimistic attitudes are necessary of life.
8. Choose your battles carefully.
9. Laugh at life's upsets and turn them into your advantage.
10. Kindness and compassion are never out of date or out of style.

I flipped through to the table of contents when reviewing the book and knew I would love it. She had chapters titled, "We'd Rather Have a Broken Heart Than a Broken Set of China" and "Better Buy a Roll Tums: Someone Wicked This Way Comes". The book is absolutely funny and surprisingly it is very uplifting. She lists all the things southern women have in common with one another regardless of race and background. We go through the same ups and downs, trials and tribulations and come out stronger than before. If you want a good laugh and feel empowered at the end, I would recommend this book. Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings and Bookends Blog Book Club

2010-08-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

Today at Book Beginnings and Bookends we are discussing chapters 11-20 of the book The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain. I must confess, I have already finished the book, but of course I will not spoil it!!

1. Where do you think Tim and Marty are at this point in the story?
I do not trust these guys one bit now. Everything just seems sketchy. It seems like a child made up these plans. To put someone else in danger and think that they will just get away clean from it does not make any sense to me.

2. What were your thoughts as CeeCee was helping Genevieve deliver her baby?
I feel so sorry for CeeCee. She should have not placed herself in this situation, but she has to do everything in her power to help Genevieve now. Everything seems to be going downhill for her fast. I think when Genevieve walked through the door and she realized she was pregnant, she should have known that Tim and Marty were a bunch of nuts.

3. After Genevieve died, what would you have done with her baby if you had been in CeeCee's shoes?
I would have found a way to get the baby to the Governor. I would have sung like a bird to the cops. I am sorry. There is no way I would have been able to live with myself knowing that this precious baby is not only motherless, but could be fatherless. I know I would get in trouble, but I believe God knows your heart and it would have worked out. There is no way I could raise this child as my own and lie to it everyday.

4. Why do you think CeeCee/Eve is still holding onto hope that Tim will come for her?
She is clearly delusional. I think she does not want to believe that Tim would totally use her, so she has to hold on to something.

5. How do you think Eve will establish her new identity in Virginia? I think she will find work and get back into the swing of things. However, she will be a nervous wreck. She will always look over her shoulder. How can you not?!!

6. What do you think of CeeCee/Eve now after she has gone through with the kidnapping, the delivery of the baby, the escape, and the relocation? She is a lot stronger than I thought. I think she is still letting people tell her what to do, Naomi for instance and not really following her heart. Fear is guiding her. She will listen to anyone right now. The right advice would be to give this child to the father, but no one seems to care about that right now. Everyone is trying to keep the police off of their trail and not thinking about the welfare of the child.

Sharing the Blog Love

2010-08-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

So I just realized I cannot follow directions. LOL. I received an award from Ms. Baby Plan and forgot to complete all of the steps. I am suppose to share seven things about myself. Well here we go:

1. If the bed is not made up, I have to make the bed up before I get in it.
2. My dream job is to be an actress/singer on Broadway. That would require a move to NY and I love the south too much to ever leave. So I just perform the songs in the mirror and pretend I am on stage.
3. I wish I had a $10,000 month allowance just for clothes. Ok, that is a bit much. I will settle for $7,000 a month. I always look at an outfit and drool over it only to find out that it is not even under $2,000.00. I need to put the magazines down.
4. My shih tzu loves me fiercely and still growls at other men that approach me (yes just men). That includes my husband. We are still working with him. (Cesar Millan help!!)
5. I have to drink at least one glass of fruit juice everyday just to function.
6. I cannot stand it when people look in your face and refuse to wave or smile. It is not polite to stare.
7. I usually read 2 books at time. One book on the train on the way to work and another book when I am at home. I usually have at least 5 books checked out each month.

Now I would like to pass the award to 7 amazing blogs that I just love:

Blogging Ever After
One Fabulous Mom
Curly Nikki
Eddie Ross
Being Mrs. Jones
The Preppy Princess
The Prissy Mommy Chronicles

Happy Friday!!

Book Beginnings and Bookends Blog Book Club

2010-08-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

Today at Book Beginnings and Bookends we are discussing the first 10 chapters of the book The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain. So far the book is very good!! The ladies posted 6 questions they wanted the group to answer. If you would like to join the blog book club, it isn't too late. I absolutely love to read and when they started this I joined in!

1. What was your first impression of Tim? I thought he seemed nice in the beginning, but things started to get weird to me once he asked her out. He seemed to know a lot of people and a lot of women. When the waitress told CeeCee to watch out, that sent sirens off for me. Also, giving her $5000.00 didn't help. That was a red flag.

2. If you were in CeeCee’s position, would you be willing to help your boyfriend in the way that she is willing to help Tim?

No. There is a difference between trying to help someone out that you love and just doing something that will put your entire future in jeopardy. Someone who loves you would not want you to put yourself in that situation.

3. Why do you think CeeCee is so eager to please Tim? I think the loss of her mom is the reason. She has been feeling a void for some time and she feels that Tim's presence will feel that void. She honestly believes he loves her.

4. Who do you think has it harder? Tim or CeeCee? I would say CeeCee. Tim seems to be a pro at manipulating people. He suffered tragedies also, but he grew up with a family. CeeCee didn't.

5. What character trait(s) about CeeCee stuck out the most to you in these first ten chapters? Her devotion and honest heart.

6. Do you think CeeCee is as mature as she seems? Right now, I do not think so. We will see how her character develops.

Today Will Be a Good Day

2010-08-13T07:00:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday everyone!! I hope you all have something great planned for the weekend, even if it is nothing more than rest and relaxation. Make the most of it! Imagine my surprise when I logged into my account to find that I won award from the fabulous Ms. Baby Plan!!! I have decided to get dolled up to receive my award. Travel with me into my vivid imagination for 2 minutes. I have decided to wear Oscar de la Renta for the awards gala........

Audience quiets down as I approach the podium.

Mrs. R: Good evening everyone. I am so honored to be here today to accept this award. First, I would like to thank Ms. Baby Plan for organizing such a beautiful event and for nominating me for this prestigious award. I try my best to speak from my heart and stay upbeat because lord knows this world needs positivity right now. I would also like to thank my dear husband, a.k.a Sweetie, for providing me with such good material. Last, but not least, I would like to thank the general population. Whether you know it or not, I write about you too. You will remain nameless for your own protection. Once again, thank you everyone and I do hope you enjoy the rest of your evening!

Music cues, I walk slowly off the stage because I am wearing ridiculous high heels.

Back to reality. LOL! I have white clothes in the dryer that need to be folded, a dishwasher that should have been unloaded 2 days ago, and a dog that should have been groomed a month ago and looks like a homeless man with a bad wig. Nevertheless, today will be a good day! I have breath in my body, my baby is kicking up a storm like he is practicing for a Dance, Dance, Revolution tournament and I just finished a bowl of cheese grits with a side a bacon. You know I have a song in my head.....

"Ain't nothin' gonna to break my stride
Nobody's gonna slow me down, oh-no
I got to keep on movin'"

I will be back with book reviews and more belly pics. In the meantime, enjoy this funny video. The dancing is beyond foolish, but hey, that's the 80's!! Have a victorious day!

Purchasing and Registering for Baby Items

2010-08-09T06:22:00.000-07:00

Sweetie and I began making small purchases for the baby here and there when I was around 13 weeks. So far, we have the crib, amoire, wing back chair, cradle, and paint color for the room. The curtains and fabric for the chair are on order and I am still finalizing the bedding. We are building up our collection of clothes and have started purchasing the many cloth diapers we will need and other essentials. I am still on the fence of whether I want a changing table or if I want to re-purpose a chest. I am not a fan of furniture I cannot use again, so I think I am leaning toward a chest.

My girlfriends asked me if I registered yet. I rolled my eyes and said no. They looked at me in shock and told me I better get to it. Why the delay you ask? I hate malls. I hate going into stores. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I love outlets, but to walk into a regular store where I know they have marked up the price 50%, I get annoyed. I hate the crowds at malls and I do not like how everything looks the same. That is probably why I choose to shop online and only go to antique stores. Oh and I absolutely love Craigslist. Mr. R said he would go with me to create a registry (even he said I should have one). He practically had to drag me kicking and screaming. Our first stop, Babies R' Us. OMG..... I almost had a meltdown guys. First we had to fill out a form and sit down and wait. Then we had to listen to the lecture on what we should register for and what to avoid. Then we were provided with a cheat sheet of things we could just go ahead and scan now because the bar code was provided on it. How convenient (rolling my eyes again). The nice saleslady who gave us the scanner gun told us that usually it takes about an hour or so to scan the items we need, so take our time. I laughed inside. How long did it take us? 15 mintues. No lie. We are very no nonsense people. The saleslady was shocked when we handed her back our scanner gun.

Saleslady: Is everything ok?
Mrs. R: Um..yes (I smile sweetly).
Saleslady: Did you scan any items?
Mr. R and Mrs. R: Yes.
Saleslady: Silence. Did you find everything you needed?
Mrs. R: Yes.
Saleslady: Ok, let's see what you have (puts scanner gun in holder so she can upload all of our items to her computer). Um..you only scanned 25 items.
Mrs. R: That is all we need.
Saleslady: Well, we usually recommend that you register for at least three times as much.
Mrs. R: Silence.
Saleslady: Ok, well , um...thank you again and let me give you a gift for coming in.

I thanked her kindly and my husband and I walked out. Mr. R asks me if I wanted to stop at Target, I just shook my head and told him that I will create a registry online. I wanted to go to Five Guys instead. LOL. I am really not trying to be difficult, but I really only want to register for essential items. Nothing is worse than trying to shop for an upcoming baby shower and there are 150 items on the list and nothing is under $75. Yes, I have been to showers like that. I would prefer to just get the basic stuff, my husband and I can splurge on other items and if you do not want to purchase what is on the list, fine. I am honored to receive any gift!! I have friends who registered for items that they never used and spent money on things they look back now and see was a total waste. I guess I am trying to avoid going over board with the purchases. A baby need a lot of things, but I think the most important thing it needs is love, guidance, and security from the parents. You can't register for that!

Getting to Know You Sunday

2010-08-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

Once again I decided to participate in MannLand5 Sunday question session. This is fun! Join in.

1. Do you think mustaches are sexy?

Depends on the guy, but I do prefer facial hair.

2. What's the last concert you've been to?

Mos Def concert. I has been awhile!

3 What was your favorite 80's sitcom?

The Cosby Show and Family Ties.

4. Were you named after anyone?

No.

5. When you buy new clothes, do you wash before wearing?

Undergarments, always. Other items, not always.

6. If you didn't blog, what would you do with your spare time?

Read and bake.

7. What is your favorite department store?

I avoid the malls, but I do love Talbots. I prefer to shop online.

8. If you were to get Laser Hair Removal..where would you get it?

Hmmm..I would get it on my legs. Who wouldn't love not having to shave their legs in the shower!!

Something Pretty

2010-08-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I usually grab the laptop on Sunday afternoon and spend lazy time in the bed catching up on This Week and Meet the Press. We always miss it when it airs. Actually, we do not catch anything on TV at the right time. Thank goodness for the internet. Anyway, there was a link to Chelsea Clinton's wedding on the website. Immediately I reached over and squealed "OOooo....please click on that, I have to see her dress!!" Sweetie shook his head and reluctantly clicked on the link. Guys, her dress was sooooooo pretty. I had to post a pic. I read lots of discussions about the setting of the wedding and I just knew it would be gorgeous. I just love weddings and love. I really do.

(Mad Men- Pete and Trudy)

Well later that evening we missed Mad Men of course...but luckily I have tons of sites that I use to watch all my shows that I miss. Well on last night's episode, I drooled over the dresses that the ladies wore to the Christmas party. I mean silk dupioni was everywhere! I pointed out each beautiful piece to sweetie and he politely paused the show and told me to hush. LOL. I keep forgetting that he loves the show too and I do not need to talk through the whole thing. I am working on it!! So when the show was over I had to look up costume designer Janie Bryant again. I wish she would develop her own clothing line. She is so good!! Here is a clip of her talking about Mad Men's Season 4 fashion.

Don't you just love Mad Men and weddings?!!

Getting to Know You Day

2010-08-02T06:47:00.000-07:00

I decided to participate in a fun question and answer session. If you would like to participate, check out Mannland5 and join in on the fun! Thanks Doctor's Wife for the tip!!

1. If you were to win an award today, what would it be for?
I would win an award for packing my lunch. No Seriously. I never pack a lunch, never. However, I decided that spending up to $15 a day must stop. So I am packing a lunch.

2. What is your shoe style?
Right now, flats. Anything flat.

3 Does your car reflect your personality?
Hmm...depends on which car I drive. We have the reliable, no nonsense Honda (that's me), the conservative Cadillac (that's me also), and the fast, fun, and free Porsche (hubby's new toy and that is so me). Sounds like I have multiple personalities.

4. If you could take over someones body for a day..whose would you choose?
Halle Berry. She is just ageless.

5. Love or be loved?
Love, I have so much to give. Nothing like lifting someone's spirit.

6. If you were on death row, what last meal would you choose?
Lordy, um....I would have to say it would have to be some heavy southern food. Tons of butter, bacon fat, cream, and cheese.

7. Have you been on vacation this Summer, if so where?
San Diego. Love, love, love the weather.

8. What is your favorite food related guilty pleasure?
Pasta with tons of cheese.

Hungry Hungry Hippos

2010-07-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

Do you guys remember the Hungry Hungry Hippo game growing up? Well that is what I felt like today. When 1 pm hit, I thought I would pass out from hunger. I had a pretty good breakfast around 9am, but that evaporated into thin air by 10am. So my co-worker came into the office and asked if I would like to go with him to grab something to it. "Would I?!!" I basically screamed at him. So off we went into the blazing heat in search for food. He asked if I wanted anything in particular and I told him no. I just wanted food. So we drove to Taqueria del Sol first. Guys, the line was out of the building. We thought since it was after 1 pm that it wouldn't be crowded, NOT. There was no way we were going to park and stand in the sun for a wimpy taco. Forget it. We passed a new spot called Yeah Burger down the street, so we decided to turn around and go there and get something to go. Things can't go wrong at a burger boutique joint right? I have been to Flip and didn't have any complaints. Well...... we went in and the place was packed. That was ok, because we were in the a/c. We grabbed the menu and had to do a double take. Burgers will run you between $5-8, fries $2.50, and shakes $5 and up. We told ourselves that this obviously mean that it will be way better than Five Guys and we will probably get a load of fries to share. I placed my order for my bison burger and fries on the side. Well, when I received my bag I looked in it and I think steam started coming out of my ears. My co-worker started sweating and said "What is it?" I shoved the bag toward him and said, "Um...this is not the same amount of fries you would get at Five Guys." He gave a nervous laugh and I realized I probably looked like a raging pregnant woman on the verge of foaming at the mouth. I put on a smile and sweetly asked , "Surely you wouldn't mind stopping by Arby's on the way back would you? I need to grab a shake and extra curly fries." We left promptly after that. Here is the overall review. I had the fries from Yeah Burger, not impressed. Maybe it was the oil it was fried in, but it left an after taste in my mouth. The burger was a little too red on the inside for my liking. All in all I would give it a C-.

(Here is the pic of my food spread out on my desk. Pls ignore the roll of toilet tissue in the background. My allergies are worse now with the pregnancy and my co-workers bought me a roll of tissue (joke) because I go through a box of kleenex in 2 days. Yeah, it's that bad)

I mean really, should I have to stop somewhere else to add to my order if I paid over $12 for a burger and fries? I think not.

Need Inspiration?

2010-07-29T07:57:00.001-07:00

Check out Kelle Hampton's post today. I love this woman! Why sweat the small stuff when there is so much more to life?!! I am working on myself every day to point out all the things to be grateful for. You would be surprised, you find more and more things each day.

Mommy Wars

2010-07-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

I will have a little one soon and I have already encountered the basic questions...

"When are you due?"
"What are you having?"
"Are you happy it's a boy?"
"How does your husband feel?"
"How long will you take off for maternity leave?"
"So are you coming back to work?"

Most of these questions make me roll my eyes on the inside. It is the last question where I always freeze. You see the answer is yes and no. I have to come back to work when my maternity leave is up (it is required), but I will only be there for month or so to hopefully leave great training materials behind. I will be a SAHM. I shared this with one friend and the look on her face was of sheer terror. She said in an elevated tone, "Why would you leave a job as an Assistant Director to care for a child when you can put him in daycare or let your parents take care of him?" I just gave her a blank stare, probably from disbelief. One of my other girlfriends in my book club said, "Oh great, I guess you won't be reading books anymore."

This is pretty much the same response I get from other personal friends that ask me about my plans after I have the baby. So I have decided not to tell anyone else. You would think people would be happy that I am in the position to stay home and have a lifestyle that will not drastically change thanks to my husband. However, I am immediately confronted with the "what if's" with my husband's job. They will come up with all these negative scenarios that just spell danger.

My hubby flies to different cities to meet with clients for his job from time to time. My current job is demanding. We have events that require you to stay past 9pm on some nights. I will have several meetings during the day and receive enough emails or phone calls to make you scream sometimes. Right now, I come home exhausted. I cannot imagine coming home to a baby, husband, pets, a house and have enough energy to make it all work. Did I mention dinner? I will not start my child off on fast food nor do I need that in my system. Right now my hubby and I feel awful that the dogs are neglected while we are at work. I am suppose to add a baby with big brown eyes to that equation too?! I wouldn't be able to handle it.

I stressed to my friends that I have two degrees. I am using one now and when I become a SAHM I plan to use the other one (more on that to come). Some people think that I am leaving everything behind, but I prefer to look at it as allowing myself to venture out on my own. I have already researched several mom groups out there and of course will be able to hang out with my Junior League friends that already stay at home. I will not be alone. I guess this is one of many life lessons I will learn.

#1 Trust your gut instincts.
#2 Just because something is right for someone else does not mean it is right for you and your situation.
#3 When my husband and I make decisions, it does not need to be approved by anyone else.

Until then, I will keep waddling into work with a smile. I will try not to stress out and just focus on the fact that my husband and I have put in hard work so I now have another option. I am thankful for that.

Movie Review - Inception

2010-07-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I try to go to the movies at least once a month to see something new. We try, we don't always make it, but we are getting better. LOL. Last week we went to see the movie Inception. I saw the trailer and read what the plot was about and we were both intrigued. I have always been fascinated with dreams and interpreting them (aren't all psych majors) and I just love Leonardo also. Well let me tell you guys, this movie does not disappoint. Sweetie and I were totally engrossed in this film and the ending will make you yell out loud. At least that is what we both did as well as everyone else in the movie theater. Guys, when I went home and went to bed, I had a dream about the ending. My mind was still working over time! How crazy is that! This is a movie I would definitely recommend!! Don't just take my word for it. Critics everywhere have given it an A+! Here is what one movie critic had to say:

"Bottom Line - Words truly can't describe the feeling you have after watching "Inception," a film that transcends what motion pictures are all about. Built around a single idea by Christopher Nolan, this story takes you in and out of a state of trance, all under a series of dreams that will have you in knots up until the very end. And even then, Nolan leaves it up to the audience to interpret what happens, which was a nice touch by the famed director and one I am still mulling over in my head. A+ "

I totally agree!

Researching Getaways

2010-07-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

I am usually put in charge of researching and organizing all the getaways. We have two upcoming vacations that need planning, one for both families and one for just sweetie and me before the baby arrives. Sweetie knows that I have a "must have" list, so he just tells me to find a place and a location and he will book it. So of course I go crazy.

Do we rent a house or stay at a resort? I love renting a house because most of them are pet friendly and we can bring our furry babies along. However, resorts offer more for hubby since they always include a golf course and other things for him to do besides watch me lay around all day sipping sweet tea. Well let me just tell you that my mouth dropped open when I checked NYSD over the weekend and they did a feature on the grand reopening of the Ocean House in Rhode Island. Oh my word!! Here is a quick history of the hotel:

"Originally built in 1868 the Ocean House was rather small compared to the other large hotels located on Watch Hill. Over the years many additions were made to the hotel to make it a grand yellow land mark on the shore. A movie called American Aristocracy starring Douglas Fairbanks was filmed in 1916 at the Ocean House. The old Ocean House did not have any heating, air conditioning, or ventilation. It was a seasonal hotel only open for about three months a year. The old historic Ocean House structure was demolished in December 2005 and re-opened in June 2010. The huge building with such a long history took only a few days to come down. The new building replicates over 60% of the old building. After a $147 million renovation, it is back in business."

Before:

After:

It is beyond beautiful and the amenities/activities are fabulous!! Now, how do I convince sweetie that this is the place? LOL. Look at this porch. Tell me this does not say "take a seat and sip some sweet tea for at least 5 hours and watch the waves go by". Granted, I will have to import my sweet tea, but it will be so worth it.

Belly Shot- 20 weeks

2010-07-07T16:09:00.001-07:00

Time is flying by guys!! So far I have had to buy a C arriwell maternity support band for my growing belly and for extra back support. I would definitely recommend it for all you future moms out there!

Pregnancy stats:

Last reported weight: 115 lbs

Weight now: 123 lbs

Cravings: Red meat and cheesy bread

Current exercise: Walking daily

Baby size: 6.5 inches, 10.6 oz. and the size of a cantaloupe

Oh! One more important thing......we are having a baby BOY!!! I just knew it inside!! Mother's intuition. LOL! Sweetie and I did a little shopping to celebrate.

Suzy Homemaker

2010-07-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I had lots of little projects I had to complete before guests arrived. My mother-in-law tried to help me put the dishes up and I cringed when she placed the glasses where the plates should go and moved other items around. As soon as she went to the bathroom I opened the cabinets and rearranged everything. I let out a big sigh of relief and I spotted my husband snickering at me in the corner. When we were eating dinner, his sister asked me about the trifle I made. I went through the process and at the end she said, "Well aren't you a little Miss Suzy Homemaker." I smiled politely and laughed. Of course this isn't the first time I have heard that. When someone says it, it is always with a hint of disdain. Sweetie patted my leg under the table and I continued eating and silently placed her on "the list".

About a month ago I told sweetie that I would love to have a bread maker. I have attempted to bake bread twice and it always came out..... let's just say you wouldn't cut into it. LOL. On Monday night sweetie went grocery shopping because I was busy unloading the dishwasher and doing laundry. He came back around 9pm and told me to close my eyes. What did he have you ask?

Sweetie: Surprise!!

Mrs. R: OMG..shut up! You bought me a bread maker?

Sweetie: Now you can really make everyone hate you!!

Mrs. R: I love it!!

Guys, this isn't just any bread maker, this has so many settings and can even make jam! Yes, jam!! I smell another dinner party coming up!! After his sister's comment on Sunday, I had to find the original Miss Suzy Homemaker on youtube. I had to laugh. I do not see myself as this, but I can understand someone not liking the girl who has all these cool gadgets. Who wouldn't want to bake cake for their girlfriends!!

Weekend fun

2010-07-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great and restful 4th!! I am beat. We had a total of 10 ppl over on the 4th to our house so of course I was frantic! Everything had to be perfect. LOL. I woke up at 7am and got started. I decided that flowers would look great (red,white, and blue of course) so I ran out to Kroger and grabbed roses and mixed flowers and arranged them in my blue and white containers.

By 9am I started on all the things that needed to be chilled. I forgot to take pictures of the finished product (presentation is everything), so unfortunately I only have the after after picture. Not much to see!! I crave all things sour right now, so of course I had to make some homemade lemonade. I think my right arm is finally healing.

Before:

After:

I also wanted to have more red, white, and blue, so I decided to make a blueberry and strawberry trifle. I cheated and bought the pound cake (there was no way I was making that on top of the fruit tray, mac and cheese, bread, corn, bake beans, and garden salad) so the only real work I had to do was cut up the fruit and make the cream cheese whip cream.

Before:

After:

Sweetie did a great job with the grilling and everyone loved it. Luckily I had enough tupperware for everyone to take a plate home. After we finally went to bed, I turned to sweetie and said:

Mrs. R: Darling, now aren't you glad we cooked more than just meat and chips?

Sweetie: Yes, you were right, but we could have done without the cloth napkins.

Mrs. R: I put a stack of paper napkins on the side just in case?! I think that was good compromise.

Sweetie: (laughter)

Mrs. R: Whatevs. It was splendid. My body hurts.

Sweetie: Me too.

Mrs. R: Why do we do this?

Sweetie: It's what we do.

We fell into a coma after that. There wasn't too much damage the next morning. Luckily I stacked the dishwasher throughout the evening so there wouldn't be tons of stuff waiting for me on Monday. We headed to the Flying Biscuit for breakfast. I didn't even want to look at the kitchen! We both agreed no more big parties until Christmas. I did a lot of standing and I had a lot of pain in my back by the end of the night. Not good when carrying a little one!! I have always felt like everything I do not only represents me, but my husband as well. That is probably one reason I make sure everything is in perfect order. I want people to have great food and plenty left over to take back home. I want people to experience a warm and clean environment (that might be why they don't leave until after 2am, ha). Above all, I want to make sure people do not have to worry about anything else besides having a good time.

However, I do need to slow down. We will see if that really happens. Sweetie loves to entertain! :)

4th of July festivities

2010-07-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

(source)

Originally we wanted to host 4th of July at the local park in our area. We thought it would be a good idea so other family members joining us would have lots to do since there would be a band and fireworks later that evening. So I started working on the menu and gathering items we would need. Then I received a phone call this afternoon from Sweetie (aka Mr. R):

Sweetie: Hi babe, how is your day going?
Mrs. R: Fine, what's up?
Sweetie: Do you know where we are going to set up at the park?
Mrs. R: Um..no. I thought you took care of that?!
Sweetie: Nope
Mrs. R: (sigh, moan) Ok, let me look up the park online (logging on and find all the info in less than 1 min, I'm good like that). Ok, I will call them and see if I can reserve a pavilion.
Sweetie: Thanks babe, well I am headed to lunch to see a client, call me back with the details. Bye!
Mrs. R: uh-huh. Love you, bye.

Well, of course there are no available pavilions for the 4th since I am calling on the 2nd. Our only option is setting up on the main park lawn with a blanket and basket in the nice July sun. Um...no. You see, I am days shy of 5 months. I cannot do the sun right now. I feel exhausted going up and down the stairs in my house! Plus, the plan was not to have the event at our house because I would have to clean (I am type A which means my house has to be spotless and you should be able to look down at our hardwoods and see your face), cook, and clean up again once everyone leaves (and his family likes to linger around until 2am, no lie). Did I mention that I am exhausted? Well it looks like that is exactly how it will happen.

calling back sweetie
Mrs. R: Hey babe, I called and everything is booked. We would have to set up on the lawn.
Sweetie: Won't you be hot?
Mrs. R: Um..hells yes. Let's just do it at our house babe. We all can leave and head to the park or Lenox before the fireworks.
Sweetie: Well don't stress out, I will just grill and we can serve chips and get paper plates.
Mrs. R: Hunh?
Sweetie: What?
Mrs. R: It's at our house. That menu will not do and I don't do paper. I am from the South.
Sweetie: Hunh?
Mrs. R: Don't worry about it, I will take care of everything. We are going grocery shopping on Saturday.
Sweetie: Oh no, don't go overboard.
Mrs. R: There are rules and regulations to hosting in the South dear. Meat and chips ain't gonna cut it. Talk to you tonight. Love ya.
Sweetie: Bye (sigh).

So much for resting over the weekend. I have my work cut out for me. I called my mom and she went down her recipe list that is exclusively for the 4th. Oh boy. I will post pics of the event. Have a good 4th ya'll!!

Book Review: Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff

2010-07-02T06:33:00.001-07:00

Oh my word. Let me just tell you that this book destroyed some of my brain cells. I am sure of it. This is another selection from my book club. I did not pick it, let me just put that out there. Ha. Nic Sheff is the author of this book and do not get me wrong, it is a heartfelt memoir, but I just felt like I read the same page 20 times. He was an alcoholic by age 11 and before he turned 21 he had already experimented with pot, cocaine, ecstasy, and develop addictions to crystal meth and heroin. I know it is difficult for people to get off of drugs, but there comes a time in your life when you have to survey the damage you have caused to your life, family, and surroundings and wake up and say enough is enough. The book skips around characters, time, and places so frequently that it leaves you feeling like you had one to many yourself. Addiction is hard. Addiction is scary. When you have a family that continues to place you in treatment after treatment and you leave promising to change but yet continue to surround yourself with people that still live that lifestyle, is it not hard to understand why people become so frustrated? Even his parents did not want him around his other siblings because his behavior was so disturbing and unpredictable. Would I recommend this book? Um..if you want to understand the internal battles someone goes through when battling addiction, sure. Otherwise, I would say skip it. I think his story is important to other children out there and he would hopefully make an impact on a child who is thinking of turning to an abusive substance in hopes of numbing the pain they are experiencing. At the end of this book I felt tired. Just worn out. Who knows, maybe this is the type of book you have been looking for. LOL. Here is Nic Sheff explaining the story behind his book:

Day of Blog Silence

2010-07-01T04:00:00.001-07:00

For more details click here.

Happy Fathers Day to two special men in my life...

2010-06-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

(this is a picture of my dad watching me take pictures before the ceremony on my wedding day.)

When I think about Father's Day, I know I have a lot to be thankful for. My father has been by my side from day one. He has been my biggest advocate. He has been there to wipe away my tears, tell me I am too good for certain guys that I brought home, and make sure everyday I knew how special I was not only in his eyes but in the eyes of God. His favorite line was,

"If there is a man who wants to marry you who cannot love and provide you with the things I have, stay home with me. "

I did just that. I compared everyone to my father. If the guy wasn't kind, believed in traditional roles, emotionally stable, spiritually strong, and had respect for others, he would not even make it past my parents front door. Thank you Daddy and thank you God for electing him to be my father and giving me all the love a child deserves.

Then I met this man.

He made me laugh. He was kind. He was respectful, humble, and had so much love in his heart.
He gave me encouragement. He would pray for me when I couldn't find the words to pray for myself. When he met my father, he made sure to let him know that he would take care of me the way he did and he had nothing to fear. I knew that this man would be a great husband and father to our children. I am thankful that God led us to each other and blessed both of us with a baby on the way. I love you Mr. R!!!

I hope everyone have a great Father's Day weekend!!

Movie Review - Karate Kid & Babies

2010-06-16T13:44:00.000-07:00

Over the past two weeks I have been busy eating, resting, traveling and movie hopping with hubby. I pleaded with hubby to go see the movie "Babies" with me. Let me just tell you that I have the sweetest husband in the world. He agreed and we went to the movies 3 hrs later. Oh my goodness, talk about adorable babies!! They followed 4 babies from different countries from birth until they could walk! I laughed and said "awwww" at least 30 times while watching. Sweetie went to sleep about an hour into it. I didn't fuss, I just let him sleep. He did agree to take me after all. LOL!! Here is the trailer:

The next weekend it was his turn to pick. So he chose "Karate Kid". You should have seen my eye roll. You would have thought my eyes were going to fall out of my head. However, I remembered that he took me to see "Babies", so off we went to the theater. Guys, please believe me when I say this version is ten times better than the original. Trust me. I was on the edge of my seat and left the movie with a new found respect for kung-fu. I even shed a tear. Who does that? Maybe it's the extra hormones. It was a great movie and I will add it to our dvd collection to share with my little one. Here is the trailer:

Now we have to catch up on our Netflix selection that is sitting on the counter. We get three at a time. Maybe I should move back to one at a time. We usually just have movies sitting there begging for our attention. We will try to catch up this weekend.

Belly Shot - 13 weeks

2010-06-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys, I am late with the pictures and yes, you are looking at the correct picture. This is my belly at 13 weeks. I started showing at 8 weeks, but didn't bother to take pics. I think I was in denial. LOL!! I am a very tiny person, so I do not know why I was so surprised to see something so quick, but you would think I was carrying twins.

Pregnancy stats:

Beginning weight: 100 lbs

Weight now: 115 lbs (yes, you read that right too, I gained 15 lbs in the first trimester)

Cravings: Lemonade and Lay's potato chips

Current exercise: Pilates and walking daily

Morning sickness: None, only slight nausea off and on during the week from certain smells.

Baby size: 2.9 inches, .81 oz. and the size of a peach.

I have been a dancer the majority of my life (ballet) and very thin. I have tried everything in the book to gain weight ppl, you have no idea. Who would have thought I would have been able to gain weight this easy and this freaking fast!! I was shocked. I still weigh myself everyday in complete awe. The Dr. laughs and say I am on target. Since I started off very small, I should expect to put on 35-40 lbs. Yikes!! So I ended up telling people at work earlier than I would have liked because it was beyond obvious. There was no way I could hide my bump. I went from slacks to dresses and skirts everyday. I haven't had to purchase any maternity clothing yet and I will try to hold off as long as I can. LOL! We have already purchased the crib, amoire, and wing back chair. All I need now is to find out the gender (in a couple of weeks) and I can start fabric hunting!!

Please send a prayer her way....

2010-06-09T06:31:00.000-07:00

If you can take a moment, please send a prayer Megan's way. She delivered her baby on yesterday and he will have open heart surgery today. I know prayer works and collective prayer is even more powerful. Please click here for more details.