Resolutions.

I know some people don't believe in making resolutions, and blah, blah, blah. Call me a nerd (I won't even begin to be offended), but I like making them. I am a goal setter, and I like finding ways to improve. This year, I decided to set some goals for myself, and with the help of my hubby, I also set some for our family and our daughter (hello, potty training & big girl bed!). Some of these are more personal than others, but since there's nothing like good ol' accountability to keep you on track, I will list a few here.

Simplify. This is a constant struggle for me. And it probably means something different to everyone. For me, it means spending time on the people, places, and things that mean the most to me, and letting the other things go. For a Type-A must-do-everything-er like myself, this is definitely at the top of the list.

Keep it in perspective. Try not to flip out over the small things. Emphasis on try. I am a perfectionist, and while that comes in really handy a lot of the times, it is also a bit of a burden for a working mom with a husband, daughter, pets, and house that all need my attention (and who I love giving attention to, I might add). I need to remember that everything doesn't have to be done right.this.minute, and some things may even be put off until another phase of our life. And that's a wonderful thing.

Healthy me, healthy family, healthy home. This starts with eating better & exercising, supporting hubby in doing the same, and continuing to make healthy choices for our daughter, so that she will be able to make healthy choices for herself in the years ahead.

Have FUN. Sometimes I can be way too serious. The fun-loving me that plays with Delaney all weekend and laughs at my husband until my sides hurt needs to go everywhere I go. So I'm packing her up and sticking her in my back pocket.

Reading, writing, and arithmetic. I love to read, but I have really been letting my book club buddy down the past few months. I need to turn off the TV more and read (even if the next book on my to-read list is by Kris Jenner). I want to read at least 12 new books this year. Suggestions? Post them in the comments, pretty please!! I also love to write. And since I bookmarked this little piece of internet on our Christmas cards, hopefully some of our distant family & friends will be able to stop here and see what we've been up to - recently. Arithmetic = Family Budget. As a professional bean counter, I am always looking for ways to improve here.

Whew, I think that's enough for one year! I am excited for all that 2012 will bring to our family and friends - a new BFF is coming for Delaney in February, and we cannot wait to meet her. We have one (maybe two?) trips planned to see our dearest distant friends this year, another fabulous birthday party to throw for a soon-to-be (but not that soon) GASP! TWO year old, and I'm sure life will bring other blessings and changes, as it does each year.

Praying blessings and prosperity for you & yours in the New Year!

Organization 101: you need a fancy calendar.

This is such a busy time of year for us! There are lots of wonderful fun things going on, and lots to keep up with in between. I am trying to take in all in stride and not get stressed out. The key to this, for me, is staying organized. If I feel organized, then I can take on the world.

Thanks to the Erin Condren Life Planner, I am oh-so-organized this holiday season. These babies were on Groupon a few weeks ago at 50% off, and after hinting to my mom that I might like one for Christmas, she snagged it and told me to go ahead and order it so I could start enjoying it. It's so adorable! Customized with our names on the front, and lots of fun quotes on the inside to keep the months fun.

My to-do list on the side of the weekly glance page this week includes everything from mail Christmas cards (check!), call florist (check!), make poms (...remains undone), and wrap gifts (check!) I love that I can see my week, and there is plenty of room to list not only appointments, but all my errands and items I need to get done at home.

With business busyness (woah, try saying that three times fast), a darling girl and my hubby to spend time with at home, the never-ending laundry monster, and getting together with family & friends this holiday season, organization keeps me sane and helps me have time for everything - including hanging out on the couch and blogging (but see above for all the things I! have! already! done! this week.)

In short, thanks Erin Condren, for making me a nicer, calmer person this holiday season. And although you may not actually need a fancy-schmancy calendar, it does make it more fun to be organized (color coordinating Sharpies and all, come on, let your inner nerd shine!) By the way, look how cute this thing is!

Today's good deed.

This morning was insane at my house. We've got a little one with croup, which means we were up the better part of the night holding our little love upright so she could get some sleep without coughing. Enough on that still tender subject.

With the chaos of our normal morning routine came another unexpected twist this morning though - a ring of the doorbell (ok, two or three rings - do people not realize triple-ringing is RUDE?!?!?) with a neighbor asking if an adorable boxer on the front stoop belonged to us. Nope - one, two boxers still in bed like the lazy bums they are, everyone was present & accounted for at our house. Not that we actually checked - obviously we do know what our dogs look like, even with zero sleep. Another ring about 30 minutes later asked the same question. Nope, still not ours.

But crazy dog-loving people that we are, we couldn't take the thought of this dog wandering in the cold all day - if one of our beloved furbabies was out in the cold, I would hope some kind soul would take pity on them. The dog had no collar, so we couldn't find an owner, but we got him all cozied up in a kennel, and he walked right in and laid down like he owned the place. Obviously, he belonged in a super-spoiled house like the one he was in.

Long story somewhat shorter, I finally got in touch with someone at the animal shelter here around noon and found out that someone was indeed searching for a male boxer. The guy called, and I went home to let this little guy out of the kennel and send him back to his family. Both the owner and dog were overjoyed, and I was too.

The moral of the story? Making someone else's day can definitely make your own.

Gallery Wall Reveal!

After months of choosing just the right pictures, some additional art, and finally making the time to hang everything in that just so arrangment (not that I'm OCD or anything - please don't ask my hubby his opinion on the subject), the gallery wall is done! I am so thrilled with how it came out. I absolutely love displaying photos of our family, and this was the perfect way to showcase some awesome photos of our girl. The majority of these were taken by the totally fabulous Paul Wharton, who we love dearly, and the awesome picture in the middle of the birthday girl was taken by Kristen Sweeting - who we came to love by getting her to do some amazing shots of our girl on on the big party day. There are also a couple of great Etsy finds in here. Although I tried to include links for your shopping pleasure, Blogger is stupid and I can't get my links to work, so just go to Etsy and shop at the stores listed below.

If you are someone I know in real life, please come over and see my wall! The colors look awesome in person. And I may be slightly obsessed with the wall. Either way, take a look and enjoy!

If you are a Jack Johnson fan, you recognize these lyrics. If not, google it. Love Jack! This was purchased via Owl's Love Nest on Etsy.
These two were awesome Etsy finds as well. The first is customized with a house here in MJ via Consider Lilies on Etsy, and the second is a quote from Daughters by John Mayer, purchased via Beckyxo on Etsy. Adorable child photo via Paul Wharton. Adorable child via yours truly (with equal credit to my hubs, of course).

What new projects are sprucing up your house this winter?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Certainly not outside, with temps in the 60's and up this week, but inside the Klahn house, Christmas is in full swing! We scaled our decorating down this year with only one tree (as opposed to our usual 3) and leaving some of our decorations in their boxes until we are past the toddler stage. The house still looks great though. I love having the lights off and using the light of the Christmas tree downstairs in the evenings all December long! We got a new tree for our living room after Christmas last year, so I was excited/nervous to get it up. We bought a floor display with no box, so it has been in pieces in our garage all year, and I was afraid the pre-lit lights would not work, but everything worked perfectly and the tree is beautiful! Next year (maybe) we will move our old slim tree upstairs to become the baseball tree that goes in our bonus room. I love unwrapping all our ornaments from places we've been, our first Christmas, the family ornaments I get each year, each pet's special ornament, and of course Delaney's first ornament. I guess I am getting sentimental in my old age!

We are also getting into the spirit with Christmas music. My awesome hubby has a tradition of giving me a Black Friday gift each year, usually Christmas CD's. This year's choices were Aretha Franklin Christmas and the new Michael Buble Christmas CD. Both are awesome! Christmas movies are important to us too - Andrew & I always watch Elf before decorating to start out the season, this year Delaney watched a little with us and snoozed through the rest. Between now and Christmas, we'll include our other favorites like Christmas Vacation and The Family Stone. Delaney is even getting into the spirit by choosing The Night Before Christmas and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Christmas as her favorite books right now - in case you don't have a toddler, that means we read each about 8 million times a day (that's per person, per book). She doesn't quite "get" the whole Christmas thing yet, but she loves the tree and lights, and all the decorations! We are working on the whole "gentle touch" thing - its a work in progress (see gated Christmas tree below!).

Here are some pictures of the house all decked out for the holidays!

The beautiful new tree, with aforementioned toddler gate

A little festive bling in Delaney's room!

My Willow Tree nativity is one of my favorite items.

The animal stockings, and pictures of our first married Christmas (just us and Callaway!), Delaney's first Christmas, and Santa pictures from this year and last. She has changed so much in a year!

Our village, my sparkly tree collection, and our stockings. You can't really see the hangers, but they are a daddy, mama, and baby reindeer. They will last until there is another baby reindeer someday!

A day to give thanks.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. We have made it a family tradition to host Thanksgiving at our house. We have a small gathering with the three of us, Grannie, Pop, Grandma, & Grandpa. We love spending this time together eating, relaxing, watching football, and of course playing with our sweet girl. This year I even got some crafting done, with the help of my mom-in-law! We all had a great day, and Delaney was loving getting so much attention. She worked the room all day long and spent time with everyone. She is so lucky to have all four grandparents so close by to spend time with her and watch her grow! Here are some highlights from our day.

Some reading time after lunch

Delaney in her adorable Thanksgiving outfit!

Chowing down! Delaney loved all our traditional Thanksgiving foods!

The spread! Delicious turkey, stuffing & gravy made by my hubby, homemade rolls and mashed potatoes made by Grandpa, broccoli casserole made by Grannie, and of course the cranberry sauce, my favorite part!!

Happy girls on Thanksgiving Day

I hope your Thanksgiving was a wonderful day, as ours was!

Happy Turkey Day!

We are counting our blessings around here today and hope you are too. Wishing you and your family a blessed, happy Thanksgiving!

Delaney's First Haircut!

Today our wonderful friend Kristen at AquaBella salon here in MJ cut Delaney's hair for the first time. Kristen cuts all the family hair - mine, Andrew, mom & dad's, so of course she is going to be Delaney's stylist as well. :)

Delaney was a total ham the whole time, laughing and cutting up (no pun intended) with Kristen, Mommy & Daddy the whole time. She did great and loved looking at herself in the mirror. Her hair wasn't too long, but it is so fine we decided to trim it up in order to get it growing in a little thicker.

What kind of mommy paparazzi would I be if I did not fully document this in photographs? Here is the finished product - I think Delaney loves the salon! Thanks Kristen, we love you!!

It's the holiday season...

This weekend, we decided to start the holiday season off right with a day at Opryland Hotel. After packing up enough food/toys/clothes/essentials to get us through the day, we headed out after breakfast Saturday morning. My parents went with us too, a little tradition we started last year. We had such a wonderful day! The hotel was not crowded at all. Delaney was a sweet angel the whole time, and had so much fun riding around looking at all the decorations. She got her picture with Santa again this year, and got to meet Mrs. Claus too! She gave a big smile on Santa's lap, and he said he was impressed with how happy she was to see him at her age. Maybe that means Delaney will get an extra-full stocking this year! :)
Here are some pictures from our first holiday outing. I can't share the best ones, as they will soon be coming to a Christmas card near you!! We are now ready to celebrate Thanksgiving and get our Christmas decorations out next weekend! Happy Holidays!!

Mommy & Daddy snuck in a quick picture :)

Delaney and Mrs. Claus!

Goofing around at snack time!

My beautiful, happy girl

Enjoying the ride!

Save the drama for your mama.

Delaney sure does. She is a sweet, affectionate, loving girl, but she definitely has her toddler moments (although, to be fair, its too soon to tell if these will fade with age or she is going to be a drama queen like her mother).
Just as the BabyCenter know-it-all's will tell you, Delaney throws more fits for mommy than daddy. They are very short-lived, and I patted myself on the back this week when reading BabyCenter's email and finding that we already are handling tantrums the "appropriate way." End shameless self-appreciation of basic parenting skills here. Most of the outbursts stem from her not being able to communicate to us quickly enough (for her taste, anyway). I can understand why this is annoying. I mean, how would you feel if you needed someone to come to your aid during a major playtime crisis, and everyone was just standing around talking about how cute your pigtails are? Immensely cute, by the way.
She is also repeating any and everything she hears, the most recent of which is the word "now." What used to be a simple command (like "Up") has become "Up Now." Still said in a sweet little voice with a sweet little smile, but I haven't quite figured out how to nip that in the bud yet. I think she is so proud of herself for using a new word that she doesn't realize she's being a bit on the rude side. It is hard to distinguish while she's otherwise so adorable.
But, all in all, I don't mind bearing the brunt of the attitude. After all, I usually get a smothering of hugs and smoochies afterwards, and that's just fine by me.

i heart shopping.

Yep, I'm a shop-a-holic. Today, though, I branched out and did something I haven't done in a while - shopped for myself. I shop a lot - online and offline. You just never know when you'll see something fun. I especially love this time of year, as I love finding gifts for those I love.
Maybe its all the blogs I've been reading lately about moms (or women in general) not taking care of themselves, or maybe its that my working out/eating right is starting to pay off, but I actually found a couple of things for myself that I liked tonight. And were steals, obviously. I said I love to shop - I never said I love to pay full price.
My best buy of the night was my $.25 sunglasses from Rue21. I went in to shop for accessories and felt about 100 years old when I got called ma'am and they asked if I wanted to buy cologne for my son. WHAT?!? I know motherhood has aged me, but come on. I may or may not have exclaimed to the darling teenage girl behind the counter that I! AM! NOT! OLD! ENOUGH! to have a son that wears cologne.
Despite that small outburst, I had some wonderful girl time with one of my best girlfriends, and then a little time to myself while I stopped in a few more stores. It was a much needed breather after a busy week, and helped to recharge my batteries a little.
And while I bought nothing for Delaney, I did manage to pick up a little something for the hubs. No, I really don't understand how that happened either.
But I will have plenty of time to think about it while he hunts down & kills all the bad guys on MW3.

Bedroom Mini-Makeover.

We've been in our house a little more than three years now, and I'm starting to scratch the redecorating itch. Although there are some gorgeous new things I'd love to do (thanks mostly to Pinterest), the ones that involve paint, new furniture, and total room rearranging will just have to wait.
I did decide to get a little creative though, and by moving a few things around and pulling in some items from different rooms, we've got some new, fresh decor for the walls.
Would you like a sneak peek? If not, now would be the time to click that little x in the corner of your screen. Same picture, new wall. A canvas that Andrew & I bought on our honeymoon.
My new creation for the wall. Cardboard K from JoAnn's. Husby painted for me and I used a copper leafing pen to write the lyrics from one of our favorite songs, "You and Me" by DMB.

The gallery style wall. K from above, maternity picture by my fab sis-in-law, Delaney's newborn and 3 month pictures by Paul Wharton, clock with verses from Proverbs from Aunt Debbie & Aunt Vicki, Always Kiss Me Goodnight frame from Kirklands, and an amazing silhouette of Delaney done by hand by the same man who did mine when I was a little girl.

A new favorite space. "Grow old with me" plaque from Hobby Lobby has been on this wall, but our new addition is the "I love you because..." printable found via Pinterest. This is such a fun way to leave little affirmations for each other. It has been a great feeling to come in to the room and notice you have a note about how you are loved! I plan to put one of these in Delaney's room when she is older as well.

Sconces from my Party Lite bridal shower (a million years ago). Just removed the candles and added some other stuff from around the house. Angel given to our family at my Grannie's funeral, flower from Target, milk glass vase an heirloom from my Grannie, and rolled paper flowers DIY'ed by me from here.

Sports Suck.

But not for the reason that a lot of wives hate sports. I always see the little signs at craft fairs that say "This marriage has been interrupted for football/basketball/baseball season." That couldn't be farther from our house. Andrew & I are both bigtime sports fans, one of the first commonalities that we learned about each other early along in our relationship.

Football and baseball are our main sports. Now, I have to admit, that during baseball season, I only follow the Cubbies, only watch some of their games, and could care less about what any of the other teams are doing. Football season is a completely different animal. We root for Vandy football and sometimes catch a home game in person. Sundays belong to Titans football at our house. The day starts with a great tailgate with friends (with awesome food and beverages, of course), followed by the walk into the stadium and up to our seats.

Yesterday, a perfectly good first half was ruined by a completely miserable second half. But let's not talk about that.

Beyond the Titans, we keep up with everyone in the AFC South, because of course we need to know where we stand (Plus, its fun to laugh at the Colts. Tee hee.) This year, add in the fact that Andrew & I are both playing Fantasty Football (not a good weekend for me there, either), and you get one couple that really loves to cheer on the home teams (and random players from other teams that we have on our rosters).

So, although Vandy, the Titans, and the Ugly Naked Guys (my fantasty team - if you aren't a Friends fan, then you don't get it) all let me down this weekend, you can bet we'll be glued to the TV next Sunday at noon, decked out in our gear and cheering for a win on the road.

Playground Fun.

Today Delaney and I met our best buds Tracey & Gavin at the park for some playground fun. The weather was gorgeous, and the kiddos had a blast. Delaney was a slide monster, climbing the stairs, sliding down, and repeating over and over! She kept saying "Slide! Slide!" She also loves to swing. Here are a couple of pictures from our fun afternoon!

Catching Up.

Since it seems I haven't even bothered to update you faithful followers on our lives lately (although I'm fairly certain basically all of you are my Facebook friends, so you are no doubt privy to the barrage of pictures of a certain darling toddler girl and her antics), I feel I should take one more swipe at this whole blogging business, after all.

What better to start with than a catch up post?

In September we went on a fabulous family vacation to Ft. Walton Beach. Didn't you go there in the Spring? you wonder. Yes, yes we did. How we got the vacation gods to smile down and grant two beach vacations in one year, I may never know. But when it comes to the vacation gods, I don't ask a lot of questions.

October passed rapidly, as Octobers always seem to do. Delaney was in her first costume contest, in which she actually won a toy for wearing a delightful costume that - wait for it - mommy (that would be yours truly) MADE. Yes, made. Check out the cute ladybug on the sidebar if you want the proof. Our newest nephew, Jackson, was born on October 20th, and we have gotten to love on his perfect little newborn self twice so far. With more snuggles to come soon, I hope! We topped off the month with trick-or-treating with friends, which was an absolute ball with our hilarious daughter.

So far in November, Delaney has had her 15 month check up. She is 31.5 inches (she grew 1.5 inches in 3 months!) which is the 80th percentile, and she is 25.9 lbs., 90th percentile. Our girl is growing so big!

There is lots more planned for this month, which I'll try to keep you updated on throughout the month (assuming I don't completely go M.I.A again - I make no promises). Lots of craft projects are planned. Yep, I left and came back crafty, get used to it.

So, in closing - welcome back to our life! So glad you are here to join us for the busy, crazy, fantastic holiday season!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today's is my darling Mommy's birthday!! She is an amazing Grannie and one of my best friends, too. Yep, you can be jealous that I have such a great mom! She is stronger than I will ever dream of being. So thankful to celebrate another great year with her! Love you, Mom!!

Balls In the Air.

Like pants on the ground, only different. It's more like I'm occasionally looking like a fool with my balls in the air.

Ahem.

Juggling all the balls of my life, that is. Motherhood. Wifedom. Controllership. Which is my job description, by the way, not a quest to take over the world. I don't have the time or patience for that kind of thing.

As I was telling my one of my best pals today, I do really well for a couple of months, then I have a little "get your life together" moment where I feel I need to revamp and try again on this whole balancing act. So that's what I've been doing lately. Working on breaking everything down into little bits, instead of getting overwhelmed. Working on not being such a Major Type A Personality.

One of my hubby's tattoos is a quote from Fight Club: No fear, no distractions. The next line is the kicker: The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide. If you know him, you know this sums him up pretty well. A nice contrast to his darling wife. But I am working on that, too. I'm finding that if nothing else, motherhood and age help mellow you. An even keel husband works pretty well, too.

So although my new schedule has been working out fairly well, I have left one critical element out of the week: blogging. Not sure when to add it in, but its definitely worth the edit.

And the copying over of the schedule on nice, lined paper with pretty colored pens. Hey, some traits are worth working on, and some are better to just embrace.

One.

Delaney Kate turned one on August 2nd. I can't begin to describe the pride I feel of having such an amazing daughter. She is so much fun, and I love the fact that her personality shines through more and more with each day that passes. More about how great she is and how wonderful her party was later, once I get some photos posted.

We went yesterday for her 12 month checkup and were very happy with all the findings. Delaney is a big girl, coming in at the 95% for height (at 30 inches tall) and the 90% for weight (at 24.1 lbs.) Her head is in the 50% percentile. I think it works perfectly on her adorable little frame. :)

She is walking well, hearing well, talking well, and moving about non-stop! All of her development looks great. She does have some tibial torsion, which the doctor says is completely normal for her age, and a little bowing, which could have to do with her being in mommy's belly so long! Both should correct themselves with time, and since they do not slow her down whatsoever, the doctor is not worried at all.

Delaney has made the switch to whole milk with no problem. That makes for a happy mommy!! Less formula means more money for mommy to buy pretty things the college fund, of course. Her first cup of whole milk was at lunch today and she downed the whole thing. She has been using cups only and no bottles for about two weeks now. My big girl!!

She did have four shots and a finger stick yesterday, which were rough on mommy and baby. She had the biggest tearful reaction to these yet, but I know they are what's best for her. She was a little slow yesterday, but mostly back to her old self after a big breakfast and a long nap.

We love our little girl so much!! She is the light of our lives. We thank God every day that she is so healthy, growing and developing just as she should!

Work it, girl.

That's what I've been doing for almost four months now. Thanks to my fabulous trainer Alison at Catalyst Fitness, I've lost about 15 pounds, lots of inches all over, and have finally decided that I can moderately tolerate enjoy working out on a regular basis.

I love Catalyst because its a six month program, and I felt like I could do anything for just six months. I am surprised how the time has flown! I do two weight workouts with Alison each week, and attempt to do three cardio workouts on my own (since honesty is the best policy, let's go ahead and admit that some weeks I do better than others on the cardio). I also have an easy to follow meal plan that doesn't tell me exactly what I have to eat (because no one's the boss of me!).

If you want a great workout and real results, check Catalyst out! You can find them on Facebook or click the link above. I am already excited about achieving my first goals and setting some new ones for my second tour. Can you believe I am actually considering continuing working out? That crap about workout endorphins and blah, blah, blah must actually be true. Humph.

Diamonds may be a girl's best friend...

...but mani-pedis are pretty swell, too. Planning on getting one tonight.

Here are some of my other favorite ways to relax:

Shopping. A stroll through Target and TJMaxx can cure many kinds of yuckiness. (You don't have to buy anything, but it is recommended for full relaxation).

Reading. As recommended by my awesome book club, of course.

Friends. Curling up in my bed with Santo and turning on my favorite TV show is free (you know, now that the 10 season box set is purchased), and not much beats it.

What is your favorite way to relax?

they're like moms, only grander.

GiGi. Grannie. Gram. Grandma. Nona. Grandmother. Nana.

Whatever you call these women, they are awesome. My Nana passed away when I was four, so I didn't get too many memories with her, but my Grannie was a huge part of my life. We had too many fun times together to count. Getting ice cream, going to McDonald's for old ladies club, getting pulled over for speeding, and shopping until we dropped, to name a few. My Grannie taught my about living life to the fullest and being a generous person in all ways.

Delaney is blessed to have two awesome grandmothers. They both adore her in every way. And have I mentioned that these women never.get.TIRED. How do they do that? Delaney wears me out after a Saturday together, yet either of them manage to keep her all week, keep house, do errands, work in the garden (I'll let you guess which one that is), all without breaking a sweat. AMAZING!

Some day in many, many, MANY years (since Delaney won't be dating until at least 30), I hope to be as great of a grandma as these two are. Love you, Grannie & Grandma!

Out of the mouths of babes.

A few months ago I signed up to start teaching Sunday School. There is a (somewhat) new program at our church called the ROCK, and they had been recruiting teachers during service announcements. The still, small voice in my head kept telling me to do it, but since teaching is not one of my strong suits, although I aspire to do it, so I ignored the voice. (Note to self and others reading: that never works. God really knows how to pierce through all the noise and get you.)

Anyway, I began with first graders, which I loved. Then some of the classes combined and moved, and I now have the joy of being with the third and fourth graders. They are so much fun and amazingly insightful and smart. I have enjoyed getting to know the kids and getting to meet some more parents that I didn't know around the church as well.

This week, our lesson was on pride. I don't consider myself a very prideful person, although we all have our moments. But the lesson pointed out a new spin on pride that I'd never considered before. When we put ourselves down and think poorly of our life/talents/blessings, its like saying that God didn't do a good job putting us together. This has really resonated with me this week.

Undoubtedly, I am learning more from studying my lessons and teaching the kids than they are learning from me, but I hope they are taking something valuable home as well. Each of the kids had to list 3 talents they could thank God for, and they all came up with three quickly. I know a lot of talented adults who would have trouble naming three great things about themselves (myself included on some days). The faith of a child is a beautiful thing, and we might learn a lot more as adults if we looked at life in the same way. At least I have.

Monday, Monday.

Mondays are usually a little crazy around our house. So let's relive the weekend instead, shall we?

We had a lot of fun this weekend! Friday night I am proud to say I was in bed by 9pm. Other than the fact that my early bedtime was due to a migraine, all that sleep was glorious. Simply glorious.

Saturday morning one of my friends came over and brought her adorable little boy. We had not gotten to get together since this handsome little guy was born! He is such a cutie and Delaney had fun checking him out and touching gently (feet only to keep those "toddler" germs at bay!)(Can't believe my kid is considered a "toddler" now!)

Saturday afternoon Delaney & I ran some errands, played, and napped until Daddy got home from work. That evening, we went over to visit Grannie & Pop and have a delicious meal at their house. Mom is feeling a lot better and was able to get out some this weekend. Yay!Sunday after church, our friends the VanSickles came over to visit and bring Gavin to play for a little while. He and Delaney were hilarious together and kept us laughing with their crazy antics. These two are so much fun!

We ended the weekend with some time at Grandma and Grandpa's house with another great meal and card playing. Delaney was such a good girl and allowed us to play cards for quite a little while as she played with all of her toys.

All in all, it was a great weekend with lots of family time, friend time, and a little relaxation time Sunday evening. I love weekends!

When in doubt, pray.

One of my favorite Bible verses is:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. - Phil. 4:13

I am praying for this strength, and some superhuman strength for myself too, to get through this busy, busy week. I know He will get me through, so I can slow down a bit, and get back to the normal humdrum (yeah, right) business of working, mommy-ing, wife-ing, and of course, blogging.

Weekend? Don't mind if I do.

It's Friday, and I am SO excited about all this weekend has in store!

First, we are headed to celebrate this little man's BIG first birthday!

Then, we're headed to our friends' home for dinner. Haven't seen them in a while, and can't wait to catch up!

After church on Sunday, my mom and I have a Sunday Funday planned. Maybe manicures, a movie, and some shopping? Whatever we do, we always have a blast together.

Hope your weekend plans include some fun too!

Twitt-ah.

Do any of my lovely readers tweet? I did as a fleeting attempt to be cool when Twitter was a new thing. I quickly realized that I did not have enough time/patience/interesting things to say to really succeed at tweeting, so I pulled the plug.

Am I the only one who is mildly annoyed that every.single.TV show now has a hash tag at the bottom something along the lines of #sitaroundandtypeaboutourshowbecauseitrules. Seriously, do that many people use Twitter? I know, I know, the answer is yes. But I'm not one of them.

Am I missing out? I feel like I pretty much already spend my precious evening time on the interwebs reading Facebook and writing witty blogs for you. So there really isn't any need to add another form of social media to my life.

Until, of course, Delaney has her own Twitter account and I have to keep up with her. Le sigh.

The future's so bright, ya gotta wear shades.

We have been making some preparations and planning to start saving for Delaney's future (i.e. The college education that we'll need to pay for. You know, before the fabulous wedding to the total handsome prince. Yikes.) But I digress.

One of the questions asked of us is what school we want to plan for. WOAH. While I realize this is for planning purposes and not at all like we're signing some contract to send her somewhere in 18 years, I still suddenly see us driving away from her new dorm room and me melting down in the car (wonder if my mom did that?)

What dreams do I have for Delaney? Before she was born (or even conceived), Andrew and I would talk about what things she would do, if she would be smart like mommy, or athletic like daddy (we're still hoping for a perfect combo of both). Would she play softball? volleyball? dance? be a Future Problem Solver? Yes, that's a real thing, and I was one. Booyah.

As she grows though, it seems to matter less what things she'll do and what hobbies she'll have. It's more fun to watch her develop her own personality. For the record, her fascination with kicking things and running over to them only to kick them again seems to foreshadow a lot of time at the soccer fields.

What is important to me is to instill in Delaney a love and respect for her family, to foster her Christian faith, and to teach her the morals, values, and traditions that mean so much to our family. So whether she is artistic or athletic; goes to Belmont, MTSU, or somewhere across the country, she can take the things we've taught her with her on her life journey. I can't wait to see where life takes her.

11 months.

As of July 2nd, Delaney is 11 months old. Can we just pause for a second in shock and awe? How did my baby get so OLD? And, when did she turn into a little girl? She is still a baby to me of course, but she walks, babbles, has likes and dislikes, and seems so much like a big girl to me now. Her personality is so great. She loves to laugh, she is always cracking herself up (and us, naturally). Dancing is another favorite activity. She turns the drum beat on the keyboard she has and bounces up and down. It is too cute! She loves all types of food also. It is a lot of fun giving her new choices all the time. We are looking forward to moving to cow's milk next month. Our girl is the greatest joy of our lives, and we love her so much. She has added so much love into our already happy home. I can't imagine my life without this precious little punk!

weekend time!

Here's hoping that your weekend (and mine) involves some of my favorite summertime things:

Yummy grilled foods!

Delicious beverages!

Swimming on a hot day!

Hope your weekend is fabulous!

Stupid cancer.

As most of my blog follower faithful (all 3 of you) probably already know, my mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. After surgery and some radiation, she is going to be fine, but this is definitely a scary situation for her and our family. My mom is our caretaker, so being a patient is not something she is used to. We will be so thrilled when August is over and all her treatments are behind us! Mom is a strong, courageous woman and she is going to do great as she fights this little obstacle. Today Mom is going for an MRI to take one more closer look at everything before her surgery. We know God is going to protect and heal her, but your prayers for healing, strength, and patience are all appreciated. I love you Mom!!

Mrs. Fix It.

I'm not that handy around the house. Unless, of course, you count holding down the couch and witty banter as handy. Which I do. I kid, I kid. Anywhoo, yesterday I had a quick, child-free hour after work, which I used to whip around the house like a tornado and pick up the ever accumulating mail, toys, and laundry. Go me! Since I had a little time after my chores, I decided to make a call to Keurig's customer service line to try and fix our coffee maker. The little machine had worked like a dream and been all the hubs could wish for, but then mysteriously stopped working a couple of weeks ago. After the customer service lady asked for my name, address, blood type, and a DNA sample, she asked if I had a paperclip. So away I went to fetch such a tool. After returning, I followed her painfully scripted instructions to poke said paperclip into about 80,000 places on the Keurig, take apart the K cup holder, and a few final pokes and prods. Voila! The thing starts brewing. Unfortunately, I don't drink coffee and my darling husband isnt't a fan of the non-fresh, microwave version, that cup had to be sacrificed to the drain. But, I got the self-proclaimed Mrs. Fix It title, at least until the next thing breaks. Isn't ownership of small appliances grand? Now, to get some of those hot chocolate K cups.

But you don't have to take my word for it.

Kudos to you if you got the Reading Rainbow reference in the title above. I love to read. Although I sometimes quit reading for weeks during which I waste all my precious nightly quiet time on Facebook, once I get back into a book I am usually pretty engrossed until I finish it. My BFF and I have a super-elite book club, and that's how I get most of my best reads. Lately, though, I also spend a lot of time reading books with little chew marks on the corners. No, the dogs haven't gone awry. Delaney loves books! Reading books, chewing books, and looking at books. She is a book monster, and I couldn't be happier about that! I read to her before she was born and we read a lot now as well. She loves picking out a book from Grannie's shelf or her book basket at home and walking it over to you to read. She is such a great talker and I know a lot of that has come from reading (and, let's face it, also from great motor-mouth genes). I hope Delaney continues to love reading as she gets older. Otherwise, what else am I going to do with the entire set of Babysitters Club books that my mom made me save for my daughter?

Let freedom ring.

from here

Hope everyone has a happy and safe Fourth of July! We will be swimming, eating, spending time with friends and family, and giving thanks for our great nation!

Because, shamefully, there have been no pictures this week.

Vampires, Hogwarts, and other trendalicious items.

When it comes to trends, you could say I don't exactly jump out on the cutting edge - or you could consider being totally honest and say that I am lightyears behind. I usually like to wallflower around for a bit until the hype dies down, and then make a decision from there. Here are a few trends I'm going to throw my two cents in on (with apologies to the grammar police for the sentence ending in GASP! double prepositions):

Twilight: Read it. Loved it. The movies are OK, but nowhere near as great as the books.

True Blood: Tried it. Did not love it. Maybe I need to give it another chance? I like a lot of HBO shows, but I just couldn't get into this one.

Harry Potter: Once I figured out that there is no secret language in these books (yep, I'm a total idiot, and all the Potter kids are throwing things at the computer now), I started reading them. I really loved the books, but after the third one I found out I was carrying a little bun in the oven, at which time all reading was restricted solely to pregnancy and baby reading, with the occasional trashy celeb magazine thrown in for good measure (and to keep up the notion that I am "in the know," of course.) SO, I have not seen the movies, as I refuse to watch anything that I want to read, since the book is nearly always a billion-zillion-kajillion times better than what the silver screen comes up with (excepting specifically The Notebook, which I adored in both forums). That said, I still have plans to someday read the HP series, and then of course see the movies. Maybe. Someday.

Glee: Still watching the first season. So far, so good, but obviously this does not qualify me for gleek status. Le sigh.

Lady Gaga: Trend of all trends. At first I did not get it. I still don't completely get it. But, I must admit that she is growing on me, and I can't help but attempt to sing along/make ridiculous "ohh laa blah blah Gaga" sounds when Bad Romance comes on.

Shellac.

Where my nails are concered, I'm an ex-acrylic lover now struggling to keep my nails looking nice and neat in the midst of an otherwise chaotic life. I had acrylics forEVER, then got them taken off, put back on, off, on again while pregnant (hey, some part of me needed to look nice and put together, even if my hands were the size of a NFL linebacker's.) Sidenote: do NFL linebackers have big hands? I'm just making an assumption there.

Anywhoo, after my sweet girl came into the world and three months later, we went back into the "real world" otherwise known as life after maternity leave, it became apparent I had neither the time nor patience to spend sitting in a chair away from my darling girl. Of course, my nails were the poor victims of this decision. So when I heard about Shellac, it piqued my interest. Nail color that would not come off, but did not have to be kept up like acrylics? Tell me more, tell me more!

So after many months of thinking that seemed interesting but never making time to actually make an appointment for a little hand-TLC, I finally found an occasion worth enough (a beach vacation, of course) to have said manicure. It was, in short, fabulous. My nails did not chip for - get this - 18 DAYS. That's a lifetime in manicures. The bad news? This stuff would NOT come off. I tried 100% acetone and everything. Wow! So maybe it requires a bit more upkeep than I thought, but I definitely looked better longer than acrylics ever did.

And at the end of the day, I was forced to get a manicure before anniversary fun day could commence. All in all, I'd say this story had a happy ending.

Have you Shellac'ed? If not, you should!

The M Word.

If you know my darling daughter, you know she's a chatterbox. She started vowel sounds and hasn't looked back. Her vocabulary is definitely still in that only-her-parents-and-a-few-highly-trained-ears-can-distinguish-words stage, but it getting larger all the time: hi, bye, woah, uh oh, NO (her personal favorite), yeah, dada, and...

The M word. Mama. Sometimes Mommy, but usually Mama. It is music to my ears. She has said mama and dada for many months now (dada first, but I'm just going to glaze right over that), but now those sounds are directed towards one of us when Delaney wants our attention, wants to point us out, or wants to go around naming us!

There are a lot of things that warm my heart about being a mom, but hearing Mama! Mama! when I come to rescue Delaney out of her luxurious wooden prison (relax, its also known as a crib, for the kid-police set out there) is a pretty fabulous start to the today. And coming in to pick her up and hearing that little voice is the best too. Especially because it isn't followed by "I want..." not yet, that is. Not yet.

The Classics.

Are there any movies you'll sit and watch over and over? Not just the Blu-Ray, DVD, or VHS (if you even own one of those anymore) (we don't) (who does?), but also every.single.time it comes on TV? Clipped for time, edited for content, made into a mere ghost of the original fabulous flick, but you tune in anyway, giddy that your movie has made it onto the small screen?
Am I all alone in this feeling? (Chirp, chirp...)
Here are some movies I tune in to every time:

What movies do you love?