Take Two

Back in June I shared a mood board for our master bedroom.  I had two phases, the first being a general freshening up with paint and curtains.  Every time I sat down to blog about it, I stopped myself, and I couldn't figure out what was holding me back.  Until a couple weeks ago I realized what it was.

I hated the color.  

Hated it.  

I had chosen Benjamin Moore's Conventry Gray with the idea of going with a gray, blue and coral color scheme.  After the color was on the wall, it just felt too cold and sterile to me.  

I decided to start looking into the "greige" colors-- beige grays.   These are the colors I started flirting with
(This picture is really not a good representation of the colors.  If you are interested in their true tones, I would highly reccommend getting your own samples)

At first I was torn between the Revere Pewter and the Edgecomb Gray, however I felt like the former was too dark and the latter too light.  While I was flipping through the new Pottery Barn catalogue, I noticed wall color they used, SW Pediment, seemed like a nice mix of the two, while still being gray.

I've taken the day off from work and I'm repainting the bedroom again.  Here is hoping the second time is a charm.

The good news is I am still loving our bedspread that I scored for $60 at Marshalls.  It's a beautiful navy blue with a large floral print.

My favorite part is it is reversible. If I am feeling sassy, I can flip it over for a geometrical design.

It reminds me of this picture I snagged from Centsational Girl as an inspiration for the bedroom.

 So I am just going to file this whole process under "life lessons".  Sometimes you don't pick the right paint color the first time.

How about you?  Have you ever picked a color that made you cringe after wards?

Always & Forever,
  ME

Rookies

Hey guys!  It's been quiet around the halls of Lizzie In Progress because, honestly, I've just been kickin' back and enjoying the summer.  We went to a beautiful wedding in May (hopefully I'll get it on the blog soon) and we've got another one coming up this weekend!  Also you guys, tomorrow is our third anniversary!  Holy hell!  No big plans to celebrate-  no traditional gifts of leather, crystal or pearls here--just dinner at a local Italian place, and we are staying an extra night away for the wedding then we normally would.  

But what I really wanted to tell you about is something that happened this past weekend.  On Sunday JEGs and I took the monster to Target to fill a couple prescriptions and to buy Hunter a potty.  In order to get him excited about the potty, we told him we were buying him a new toy.  So we head over to Target, and surprise surprise, the shittastic Target in the Metroplex doesn't have the toilet we were looking for.  Honestly, I shouldn't be surprised.  This Target has burned me before.  

Anyway,  now we have promised Hunter a toy, and if nothing else, this kid remembers stuff like this.  So we meander over to the toy aisle and find a little $6 helicopter for him. As we are leaving the aisle he starts yelling "BYE BYE TRUCK!  BYE BYE TRUCK!" and by the time we are in the clothing department, he is in hysterics.  JEGs shows him the helicopter we picked out and he says he doesn't want it.  He wants truck.  So JEGs goes back to the aisle and swaps it out for the little police car that came in the set.  He doesn't want that.  So we take him back into the aisle and ask him to point out what he wants.  This is what we came home with:  

A fifteen dollar fire rescue truck with lights and sirens.  Very LOUD lights and sirens.  

...and we still didn't get a potty.

As we were driving home, JEGs looked and me and said, "You realize we made a rookie parenting move by letting him cry his way into getting a bigger toy, right?"

I make no bones that I am a sucker for that little boy.

But to be fair, we don't buy him toys that often.  The last toy we bought him was to replace a broken toy he got at Christmas-- which is probably when he got most of the stuff he has now.  

So if a gargantuan truck keeps my little dude happy (and keeps me from having to watch Cars 2 1500 times today), then I will just take it.  And stock up on some Advil.

..but not from Target.  They'll probably be out.

Always & Forever, 

  ME

Adventures in Diapering

I mentioned in Hunter's 3 month post that we started cloth diapering him, and I got a lot of e-mails asking about our experience.  Forgive me for being lazy, but I am going to combine and condense the questions on to one post.  Prepare yourself for adorable pictures of my son's tuckus, starting with Exhibit A:

 Why are you using cloth diapers?  Are you some kind of hippie or something?
   Uhh, no.  I mean, I love me some Mother Earth and whatnot, but the long and the short of it is I am cheap.  Disposable diapers are farkin' expensive, man!  Granted, there are great programs out there such as  Amazon Mom that can help you save money on diapers, but it can still add up.  I figured out that if  I continue to use the cloth diapers we currently have, we will break even in 6 months (when he is 8 months old).  If we continue to use them till he is potty trained, we will have saved ourselves nearly $2000 in diaper costs.  Multiply that by how ever many kids we plan on having, and you've got yourself a nice little savings.   You can use this neat-o calculator to figure out the savings if you were thinking about making the switch.

What brands are you using?  How many?
  I know a lot of people create a 'stash' of different brands before the baby is born to figure out what works best of them.   I went all in and got Flips, which is an All-In-2 (AI2).  This basically means there are two parts to the diaper: the diaper cover and the microfiber insert.

When his diaper needs to be changed, the insert is switched out for a clean one and the cover is reused.   We currently have 8 covers and 30 inserts, and I do diaper laundry about every two-three days.

Another popular system is an All-In-One (AIO), and they are basically the same as a disposable;  when the diaper needs to be changed, you remove the whole kit and caboodle, and put a fresh diaper on.   As much as I did like the idea of the AIO,  I eventually went with the AI2 system for cost reason; the AIOs tend to be a little more expensive.  We do have one AIO and it takes for. ev. er. to dry.  I call it his "super hero diaper":

His super power is his ability to hypnotize you with his cuteness.  And flesh eating drool.

How is the sizing?  Blowouts? Are they bulky?

  As far as sizing goes, I think they fit great.  The diapers are one-sized, which means they grow with the baby through a series of snaps and you can change the rise of the diaper by unsnapping it and adjusting as needed.  The insert is folded over to accommodate each size.

I also chose the snap closure (as apposed to the velcro) for two reasons:  I have read that the velcro wears out over time, and as the kids get older, the Velcro can make it easier for the child to remove their diaper where as the snaps are more difficult.  I am not all about having a naked baby running around the halls of Falconhead, if I can help it.

I, personally, have not had any blowouts.  With the disposables (::coughLuvscough:::) every time he pooped, I knew I had to do a complete wardrobe change.   

They do add bulk, especially since Hunter currently wears his diapers on the smallest setting, and the insert is folded over.  We have had to bump him up to the next size of clothing just to accommodate the diapers, and he rocks the old-man-pants.

What is your storage/ dirty diaper system?

   I try to keep every thing as close together as possible.  The diapers are in the upper left hand drawer, just below the caddy that holds the wipes and other baby accessories.

Beside the dressers there are two trash cans:  one for wipes (and the occasional disposable diaper) and a larger can (with lid) for the cloth diapers.   As of right now, Huntface has not started on solids so his poop is water soluble-- meaning I don't have to rinse it before I wash the insert.  Once he starts on solids, I'll rinse the inserts out in the toilet with a diaper sprayer.

The can for the diapers has a small liner so all I have to do is lift it out and dump the covers and inserts into the wash.  I sprinkle a little baking soda on the bottom of the can to help with the smell.

How do you wash them?  

  One of the biggest questions I get is if I go through a laundry service for the diapers.  The answer is no, I launder the diapers myself.  Both the inserts and the covers are washed on a warm cycle and the inserts are put in the dryer while the covers air dry.  I use a perfume and dye-free detergent and I don't use fabric softeners or dryer sheets of any kind.

 I have read you can do a cold rinse cycle first to minimize staining, but I haven't seen a need for that.  If the inserts have any stains when I pull them out of the dryer, I hang them in the backyard to bleach in the sun.  Even though we have only been using them for a couple month, pretty much all of the inserts look brand new.

Does it cost a ton extra in water and electricity to wash them?
  I'm not going to lie to you, our electric bill and water bill have gone up since we had the baby-- but to be fair, we are doing extra laundry for his clothes and bibs as well.  The diaper laundry equals out to about one extra load a week.  Even if you wanted to contribute the extra cost to ONLY the cloth diapers, it's probably about an extra $100 a year.  We also do not have Energy Star washer or dryer, so I am sure they would help with the costs as well.

 Do you cloth diaper him full time?  Even at daycare?
   We were lucky enough to find a private daycare with a woman who was willing to cloth diaper him.  We make sure she always has two covers as back-ups and every day I pack a bag with 5-6 inserts and a wet bag (the blue bag shown below) for her to drop the used inserts into.  When we pick him up in the afternoon, the wet bag is emptied into the can in the bedroom and  rinsed out with soap and water.

Does Hunter like them?

   Um.. he's like 5 months old.  As long as he can grab his toes, he is a happy camper.

How does JEGs feel about cloth diapering?
  JEGs does not love the cloth diapering.  He appriciates the cost effectiveness, but there are a few things that he can't get past.  First off is the handling of the dirty diaper.  It grosses him out that he has to touch the insert and rinse off poo (this is coming from a guy who handles old motor oil and other random car sludge).   I have found the best way to handle it is grab the back of the insert and dump it, or hold the whole diaper over the can and just shake the insert out.

The smell also bothers JEGs.  A lot of disposables are scented like baby powder, and you aren't going to get that with cloth diapers.  The inserts will absorb the smell of the urine pretty quickly, but the covers won't so they tend to smell a little funky.  However, he says that these are not reasons enough for him to stop using cloth diapers.

We do still use disposables whenever we travel because it's just easier to throw the diaper out then lug around a wet bag.  Plus, disposables are more compact then the inserts and we don't run the risk of running out of covers if he has a poop explosion (or two).

To be clear:  I have no issues with anyone who goes 100% disposables at all; this is a judgement-free zone.     Parenting is super personal, and I am just sharing my experiences.

To conclude this post, I think we need another shot of Super Baby.

seriously Mom, how do you expect me to save the world with all this picture taking?

Always & Forever,

  ME

Locked Down

So this morning started off like every other morning:  feeding the monster and going back to bed until 8 am.  I got up, had my breakfast and checked on him-- still passed out.  So I decided to use this quiet time to take a quick shower.  Not wanting the noise of the shower to wake the baby, I closed the door to the bathroom.

Now I need to explain a recent house project of mine:  We we a mix of original door knobs and replacement door knobs on our second floor.  Some are 90 years old and tarnished while some are a sparkling brass.  I hate both.  So as we paint each room, I have been removing the hardware and spraying them oil rubbed bronze.  They look quite nice.

The most recent room we painted was the bathroom ( I promise to share soon, it's not quite ready for it's close up yet ;) and I had repainted the knob.  Unfortunately, in the painting process I lost a little pin that makes the latch move when you turn the knob.

...are you seeing where I am going with this?

I get out of the shower and go to open the door.

and it won't open.

(Mom.. look away)


FUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

I am locked in the bathroom.

For some reason, I brought my phone into the bathroom with me (something I almost never do) and thank GOD I did.  I called JEGs to explain my situation to him.  He suggested trying to put something in the whole where the pin went to get the latch to open.  I broke a Q-tip in half and jammed it in, but it didn't work.  Next was take the door off the hinges.  I got all the pins out of the hinges, but I wasn't strong enough to actually pull the door off.  Then he says to call our next-door neighbor Amy and see if she can come over and let me out, but I pointed out the front door is locked.

JEGs sighs and says "... I'm on my way home."

I was doing really well finding the humor in the situation until the I heard something over the baby monitor (which I also brought into the bathroom... I really don't usually have that many electronic with me, swears).

Hunter crying.

SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT.

Now I am a mother desperate to soothe her crying baby and I go at the door like motha effin' HULK himself.  I started pulling at every corner I could.  I yanked the towel bar off.  I may or may not have kicked the door. I calm myself down and think that JEGs is only 30 minutes away and Hunter will be ok for that time.

Then JEGs calls to tell me he is at a stand still on a highway.  FML.

I decided to try my Q-tip contraption again to no avail.  Finally, I just started twisting the knob and jiggling it, till I saw the latch move a little.  I got it to move enough so I could jam another Q-tip in and pushed it open.

As I yanked the door open, I forgot that I had taken it off the hinges.

TIMBBBBEEERRRR

The door came crashing down on me.

I caught it before I completely smashed my head into the tub, propped it up against the wall and ran to my screaming child.

Looking back, I am so glad I randomly brought my phone into the bathroom with me.  If I hadn't, I probably would have had to yell out the bathroom window for help...and that just would have been embarrassing.

New house rule:  Never close the bathroom door if you are home alone.  That, and always keep a screw driver in the bathroom- just in case of an emergency.

Always & Forever,
  ME

Lent Again

The title of this post is supposed to be a play on words... like 'yet again' it's 'lent again'.  Meh.  I've done better.

Remember last year when I gave up alcohol for Lent?  Well, it went so well that I've decided to do it again this year.



PSYCH!

I ain't never doing that to myself ever again. 

Ok..maybe if I get pregnant I'll go 9 months, but until then I will not deny myself the sauce!
(right now my mother is assembling the team for the intervention).

Seriously though, this year I'm giving up coffee.  I've never considered myself a serious coffee drinker-- then again I never thought I was an alcoholic till this time last year.  I really do love my morning coffee, especially on Saturday and Sunday mornings;  JEGs and I roll out of bed, make our coffee and plop on the couch- he watches Horsepower TV on Spike, while I flip through a magazine.  It has become such routine that on these days the first human-like thing I'll mumble to him is "you want coffee?" before we fully wake up.

Whereas last year I gave myself a couple free passes, this year I won't allow it.  No coffee will enter my body until Easter morning.

Today, however, I'm treating myself to a big old cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee-- my fav!

Happy Mardi Gras!!
ME

I'm Like the Nancy Drew of Smells.

This past week, I kept smelling something funky.

It was everywhere I went too:  the car, our apartment, my office.  I could smell it before I showered and after I showered so it wasn't me (thank god).  However, it was driving me absolutely batty.

So the other day I'm looking for my phone in my purse, and out of frustration I dumped my purse out onto my desk.  I saw the usual stuff; planner, wallet, keys, lip gloss, diva sunglasses...

Whoa whoa whoa..  You guys-- what the eff was that??

Friends, I found the smell.  It was lunch meat.

When I went food shopping on Monday, the lady at the deli counter gave me a slice of ham as a taste test. I wasn't really hungry, so I only nibbled on about half of it.

I guess I wasn't really thinking, and I wrapped the other half up and just stuck it in my purse.  Where it stayed for 5 days. 
 
So the Mystery of the Funky Smell has been solved:  it was the week old lunch meat.  And he would have gotten away with if wasn't for those meddling kids, and their dog.
 
Always & Forever,

  ME

Insomnia

Mental note: it's not a good idea to watch Cujo right before bed.

Always & Forever,

ME

Wife Chop

Remember back in June when I was desperate for a haircut?

Well, I should be careful what I wish for.

Seven inches later, this is the look I'm sporting now...

ironically, it wasn't until I just looked at these pictures that I realized I am wearing the same top and earrings as in my profile pictures-- and I don't wear them that often. Hmm.



I'm not sure how I feel about it. On one hand my hairdresser, Tara, did an amazing job with the actual cut. It feels light and oh-so-healthy (farewell dead ends!).

On the other hand it's short. Really short. Like so short, I don't even know how to style it yet. I can't pull it back in a ponytail, and when I finally do, there are so many bobby pins it would be an airport security nightmare.

My long hair made me feel sexy and fabulous. I felt powerful. I walked taller.

This kind of makes me feel very... married. With three kids. And mom jeans. Keds anyone?

I think if I give it a little more time, I will get used to it, but the sudden change of 7 inches takes some getting used to. In the meantime I'm seriously contemplating a wig. Or maybe I should bust out my white girl weave again.

Always & Forever,

ME

Our Furry Bundle of Joy

Ladies and Gents, I am please to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Layla.

Standing at a mere 7 inches tall and weighting in under a pound, her hobbies include purring, sleeping, scoping out the internet with her daddy JEGs and sipping drinks with her momma Lizzie.

momma's little wino. so proud

So this is the sitch- I has a couple hours to kill before work so I decided to scope out a yard sale my cousin was having. She's got some killer purses, and I was hoping to snatch up something cute for the fall.

When I pulled up, I saw a crate of three kittens and a sign that said "Free to a good home."

Well, I've got a good home, and I like free things. Fate? I think so.

JEGs and I have been talking about getting a pet for a while now. Ever since we had Murphy put down last September, we've both been jonsing for that extra companionship. After a couple questions I found out the were a friend of my cousins' 12-week old kittens that they just wanted to get rid of. When I approached the crate, I figured holding one of them wouldn't hurt, right?

Wrong. I fell in love.

I called JEGs and asked if we could give this kitten a good home. He said if they were willing to hold her overnight, we would go back the next morning (a Saturday) and pick her up. When the owner said it was ok, I was elated!

The next morning on our way to pick up our new pet, we tossed around some names. It wasn't until the ride home that JEGs said "We should name her Layla" that the name clicked.

The entire weekend was spent playing with our new little baby, and we are so excited to have her in our life. Just a warning for the future, there are probably going to be a lot of "ZOMG, Layla did the CUTEST thing the other day" posts. Just sayin'.

Always & Forever,

ME

----------------------

Update:

I originally wrote this post on Monday August 16th, with the intent on posting it later in the week. That afternoon I took Layla to the vet to be checked out. After finding out she was only 4 or 5 weeks old, severely malnourished and had worms, JEGs and I felt as though we had saved her from a dire situation. In our minds, we were heroes.

When I arrived home from work on Tuesday August 17th, I found Layla laying on her bed, not moving and barely breathing. I rushed her to the vet where they began working on her quickly. After stabalizing her the best he could, the doctor informed me he believed she had panleukopenia- a viral infection known to attack the gastrointestinal system. He said the best thing we could do was take her to a vet hospital for around the clock care. This would have cost us thousands of dollars, and because of her young age and weight, there was a 90% chance she wouldn't make it.

JEGs left work early and joined me at the vet's office. After much thought (and many tears), we made the painful decision to have Layla euthanized.

Our hearts are truly broken. Even thought we only had Layla for three short days, we had fallen head over heels for her. Even with her small stature, she was able to fill the hole in my heart caused by Murphy's passing.

My intent was to delete this post and not to speak of her at all, but that was not what this blog is about. I started this blog as a way to document my life lessons and personal growth. Although this lesson has been particularly tough, I feel as though it was an important one.

From this experience I have learned that JEGs and I have so much more love to give- whether it be cat, dog, or *gasp* eventual baby. However, just because we have the love to give, it doesn't mean it is the right time.

We will eventually get another pet, but not for a while. Right now we are going to keep on loving each other and building our future.

Access Denied

Another title for the post could be "The Time I Almost Got Kicked Out of My Friend's Funeral Service."

Oh yeah. You're interest is peaked, isn't it?

This past weekend my friend Manny was killed in a car crash. He was easily one of the most fabulous people I have ever met- he was incredibly smart, self-trained, loved to label everything, and how to get into all the hot spots of Philly. He also had a big hand in helping me land the job I have now, and for that I will be eternally gratefully to him.

Today was his memorial service and I decided to pay my respects. I skuttled in just as the service started and sat in the back of the church while my friends and co-workers sat in the front. After the lovely and tear-inducing service, I went to meet up with my friend Connie in the lobby. Then I was approached by a girl I have never seen before in my life.

"Honey, what's your name?" she says to me. I give it to her and she continues, "mmm hmm.. and how did you know Manny?"

"We worked together for a number of years" I told her.

"Mmm hmm. and have you ever meet Shelly (his fiance)?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen her in a couple years, but we've met."

Now at this point, the girl kind starts to walk away, but not really. Connie and I are looking at each other like ' can we go? does she want to say more? should we offer our condolences? what??' Then she walks back towards me and whispers:

"I believe you were asked not to come."

What??? At this point I am searching for any indication of how I could have upset Shelly or his family enough for them to not want me there.

"But.... I...." is all I can stammer out.

"They don't want you here." she says matter-of-factly.

"But I just talked to Shelly last night... she called my office.... I... don't.. understand..."

My heart is racing and Connie is looking at me with wide eyes. I start apologizing and telling the girl that if they really want me to, I'll leave, but I didn't know what I could have possibly done to upset the family. The girl disappears for a second and retrieves one of Manny's sisters. She asks the sister "Is this the girl?"

The sister says, "What? No. No! That's not her."


The sister then apologizes to me saying something about them not wanting the press there, but I was only half listening. I had so many emotions running through me at this point, I just wanted out at this point.

I still don't know who they confused me with, but never in my life have I been asked to leave a funeral before.

I guess there is a first time for everything.

I should probably note that I was not angry when this happened- afterwards I found the situation humorous, and I know Manny would have as well. He loved to hear about the crazy situations I got myself into! I could see me sharing the story with him over a couple of drinks. He would let out that deep chuckle he had and say "Always have a story, don't you. Drama, drama, drama."

Always & Forever,
ME.

In Memory of Manny

1977- 2010

Rest in Peace my fabulous friend. I'll be looking for you in the clouds.

My Not-So-DIYed Hoodie

Ladies, remember when you were in high school and it was your prom day and you whipped out a button down shirt to wear to the hair salon so you wouldn't muss your hair?

Consider this the grown-up version.

Now it is all about the Sexy Little Bride hoodies, ala this one from Victoria's Secret

or more recently, brides have begun personalizing their hoodies-- even going as far as blinging it out

I loved this idea, and in my DIY induced-fever I decided to give this a whirl.

I knew I definetly wanted a hoodie, but I also liked the idea of a tank top as well. I grabbed a short sleeve hoodie from Old Navy and a tank top from Gap Outlet. I scoured Michael's for a pack of iron-on transfer sheets and got to work.

I created an image in Photoshop and printed it on the transfer paper. I decided to test it out on the t-shirt first, and boy am I glad I did.

Talk about fail

Even though I followed the direction, the transfer began to peel off from the shirt almost immediately! Also, the transfer was a dingy shade of yellow-- very noticeable against my pristine white shirt!

Friends, I know my limits. It was time to call in someone who knew what they hell they were talking about.

I got in contact with Kim from Wedding Decals to see if she could take a crack at it. Kim specializes in these adorable car decals, and has recently gotten into clothing as well. She has hoodies, tank tops and even underoos!

I sent her the image I had created, and after a few e-mails about size and placement, I dropped off the hoodie to her.

A little over a week later, this beauty was in my possession

I love everything about it; the placement, the size, AND the fact I got to use my own personalized image. I cannot wait to rock this on the big day.

..and yes, I'm wearing sunglasses indoors. Mostly because I hadn't gotten my make-up on yet.

Vanity, thy name is Lizziebeth.

Always&Forever,

ME

P&S.. I should probably mention that I went with just "Mrs. JEGs" instead of "The Future..." or "Soon to be.." options because I liked the idea of being able to wear it more then just this one day. If I'm going to spend this kind of money on something personalized, I'm going to get a little bit of wear out of it. Also, I could have easily added some bling, but I just wasn't the look I wanted.

Resolutions: June Update

Can you believe it's time for the June 1st already? We are almost half way through the year!!

Anyway, it's time to update you all on my resolutions from the beginning of the year. In March I gave myself a C, so let's see how I did this month:

1. Get Married- still looking good. In fact, we picked up our marriage license last Friday!

2. Be On Time- I am actually really proud of myself because I have gotten a lot better. I had set the clock on my cell phone 15 minutes ahead to help keeps myself on time. Recently, I had to change it back because I was starting to arrive nearly 20 minutes early to everything! Don't get me wrong, I still have my slip ups now and then, but I have become much more responsible about my time management, and not leaving things till the last minute.

3. Weight Loss- For a while, I couldn't get past 123 pounds- no matter how much I tried! Finally, this past week, I broke through and hit 119! I feel really good, I'm eating better and I'm drinking A LOT more water. Now I just want to start toning up on my problem areas, namely the jiggly bits under my arms!

4. Make Money, Get PAYYYED- JEGs and I started our joint account in April. We had a little rough period- some bills were paid from the wrong account- but I think everything is on track. We have started a little savings, and (hopefully) when my car is paid off in August, we can add more to that savings!

5. My Pursuit of Happiness- I think what it really comes down to is that I haven't had any hobbies for a while. In the past I've had dance lessons, or cheerleading, or multiple jobs-- basically I'm someone that needs to be kept busy at all times. I think after the madness wedding is over, I am going to start taking a class of some sort.

I'm feeling pretty confident about giving myself a solid B in my progress report. I've still got a little room for improvement, but I'm doing much better since March.

So, how about you? Have you kept your resolutions? Or have they fallen by the wayside?

Always & Forever,
Moi.

Serenity Prayer

Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference

..specifically, Lord, help me from making this mistake again:

Oh yeah. We all remember the epic fail from last year.

The maxi dresses are out again, and I have been tempted by their evil ways again. I don't know if I thought I finally hit a growth spurt at the age of 28 and grew an extra six inches, or what, but every time I pass those dresses I get the urge to try them on.

Help me be strong friends, help me be strong.

Always & Forever,

ME

Zippity Oops Da!

Ok.. so the title is kinda lame. Whattiya gonna do?

Last week I was on a roll. I had printed out all the address on the invitations and I had started on the RSVP envelopes.

Seriously friends, I was a beast. I had two cups of coffee, I was just about a third of the way through my stack and it was only 9:30 am. Boo- YAHH!!
It was then I realized I had been printing the wrong zip code.
Sonofamother.

How did I manage this colossal mistake? Right now my oldest brother is saying it's because I'm blond (even though I'm totally a red head, dammit) but I blame the actual zip codes. My parents is 19047. My zip code is 19401. I had printed 20 envelopes with 19407. It could happen to anyone, right? (Please say yes and make me feel better...)
The ironic part is I was sooo anal about double triple checking the addresses when I did the invitation envelopes. I guess I just went into auto-pilot when I started the RSVP envelopes. I had ordered an extra- but only ten. I needed another ten just to come out even.

After a slightly frantic phone call to my mother, I quickly hopped on the website I ordered the invites from, Wedding Paper Divas, and used their awesome Live Chat service. I was able to speak to a representative via instant message, and order ten more envelopes for only $2.00


I got immediately got the email confirmation stating they were not scheduled to arrive until Tuesday, April 26th- however, they showed up on my door step on the 22nd! Hooray for speedy delivery!

I am happy to say that I have correctly printed all 75 envelopes and they are ready to go. Second time is a charm ;)

Lesson of the day: pay the eff attention to what you are doing. And Wedding Paper Divas ROCKS.

Always&Forever,
ME

Garage Sale Challege Party!

Some people have that ability to find a hunk of junk and make it into something amazing.

I am not one of those people (just tryin to keep it real here, people). But I try.

A couple weeks ago, Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog challenged her readers to stop at a garage sale you wouldn't normally stop at to see if there was anything worth grabbing.

I accepted this challenge, and began with to work on my find. Props to Nina for thinking of a cake stand-- that is exactly what I had in mind! Ever since I saw this photo, I have wanted a beautiful silver cake stand for our wedding cake

Well, this little guy was not going down without a fight.

Let me refresh your memory with what I picked up for $1

It was a little rough, but with a little toothpaste and some a whole lot of elbow grease, I was able to get it to shine up a little


The sides look much better

The legs are still a litte rough looking..

..but the handles look much better!

I still need to put a little work into it, but it's coming along nicely...

I still have plans on taking a real silver polisher to my find (and not just a tube of Crest), and I am still trying to figure out how I want to create a top to my cake stand.

This bad boy isn't done yet. Stick around, I will finish it ;)

Always & Forever,

ME

Sobriety: Week One

Just to remind you all, I decided to give up alcohol for Lent.

Wednesday- JEGs and I met up with our friend Connie and Joey for happy hour. I must confess, I was a little nervous to break the news to Connie that I had gone sober for the next 40 days. You have to understand something- Constance is my #1 drinking buddy. We share a love of all things fabulous, which includes a well made cosmo. We have chuging contest with Long Island Iced Teas. If I go to Connie's house, I know there will be a bevy of yummy liquors. I prepped myself as if I was telling her I was leaving the country never to return. Before I even had a chance to drop the news, Constance- in a totally unlikely move- orders a glass of red wine.

I'm starting to salivate. I'm not even 24 hours in, and I'm panting like Pavlov's Dog. Lord help me.

I broke the news, and they were supportive of it. I even made it through the meal without breaking down and order a drink! I was really proud of myself.

Lizzie- 1 Temptaion-0.

Thursday was easy-peasy, however Friday was a little tougher. I was on the day shift and I got home around 2:30. I had nothing to do for the rest of the day except catch a movie with JEGs around 9:00pm. The whole ride home I began thinking about curling up with my new Dan Brown book on the couch and finishing off that bottle of wine I bought on Tuesday.

..that wine I bought for Mardi Gras.
....that wine I poured down the drain on Wednesday afternoon.
..... that wine that was forbidden because I had GIVEN IT UP FOR LENT.

Crap. This afternoon is shot.

Fear not, readers- I made it through another day. But I'm giving a point to temptation because if I hadn't poured that wine out earlier in the week, I would have been pouring it straight down my gullet. No glass needed.

Lizzie-1 Temptation-1

Saturday was pretty easy as well- we visted my family and grocery shopped. Sunday was a little more difficult as we went to lunch with some friends and everyone ordered a beer. Afterwards we convined at a friends house for more beers and Olympic hockey. I enjoyed a lemonade and a root beer float.

Lizzie-2 Temptaion-1 (I am soooo winning!)

I did, however, have to make good on my "engagement celebration" clause. Twice, in fact. Wednesday night my friend Shay surprised me with the announcement of her engagement, so I enjoyed a glass of vino in celebration. Also, this past Sunday I went to a dinner party with some old co-workers and celebrated the engagement of my friend Meg with a bottle glass of Cabernet.

Lizzie-2 Temptation-3 (crap)

So what's the lesson I've learned so far? This was a lot harder then I intended and sobriety sucks.

27 more days to go...

Always & Forever,

Me

Resolutions: March Update

As promised, I am here to update you all on my resolutions for the year! Let's check my progress...

1. Get married- so far, so good. We are still headed for the alter ;)

2. Be on time- Eh. I'm getting better. Now I'm more like 10 minutes late for everything instead of 15 minutes. Rome wasn't built in a day, right?

3. Weight loss- I've lost about 3 pounds since the beginning of the year, but I'm going to be honest with you- I haven't really been trying. I started on Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred and loved it. Then I busted up my back, and haven't touched the DVD since. My back is finally starting to feel better, so I'm hoping to get back into it soon.

4. Savin' paper- We haven't really had the chance to start saving yet. I have been paying a chiropractor every month since July, so at the end of the month I haven't had the extra cash to stash. However, March is the last installment for the chiropractor, and starting April 1, JEGs and I are combining our accounts. We should be able to start putting money away every month soon!

5. What makes me happy- still working on that, and I've got some ideas. Not quite ready to share with the world yet. But when I make a decision, I'll let you all know.

Also, even thought it wasn't a resolution, Project 365 has fallen by the wayside due to the fact I busted up my camera the second week of January. I haven't been able to replace it yet. Bummerrrr.

So I'm giving myself a C for my first report. I've still got a lot to work on, and I plan on upping that grade to at least a B- for June!

How are you doing on your resolutions (if you made any)? What grade would you give yourself?

Always & Forever,
ME

Giving Up

This year for Lent, I'm really going to test myself.

For the next 40 days, I will not consume alcohol of any kind.

Image courtesy of All Things G + D because my camera is still busted

Why am I torturing myself? I like participating in Lent. I was raised Methodist, which means we can still eat meat during Lent, except on Good Friday (on a side note, we always got flounder for Good Friday, which I detest. It wasn't until I was practically graduated high school that my parents realized cheese pizza was an acceptable dinner!).

I don't consider myself a super religious person, but I like Lent because it has a lot to do with self-control. I always feel such an awesome sense of accomplishment if I can refrain from whatever I've given up for the whole time. Plus, if pregnant chicks can lay off the sauce for 9 months, 40 days should be a walk in the park.

I am making two exceptions, however:

1. JEGs and I are throwing a small dinner party in March and I am making killer Sangria. I would be insane not to drink the liquid awesomeness that I am preparing.

2. If another one of our friends gets engaged, I'm having a glass of wine to celebrate. Even though we are running out of un-engaged amigos, I'm leaving the option open.

One day down... 39 more to go...

Soberly Yours,

ME

Blueberry Poppy Seed Brunch Cake

Here is a fun life lesson:
If a recipe calls for a springform pan, a cheap tinfoil pie pan does not make a good substitute.

JEGs and I went to a dinner party on Saturday night, and we were in charge of bringing a dessert. We found this great recipe for a Blueberry-Poppy Seed Brunch Cake in a magazine called Simple&Delicious, so we decided to try it.

Here is the picture from the magazine:

...and here is our interpretation of it.

One big ass blueberry muffin type thing. We stopped at Giant to score some last minute ingredients, and they did not have a springform pan. We decided that we didn't have enough time to pop into Target (even though I loathe thee) so we grabbed some 9 inch baking tins.

They are not the same thing. At all.

Within minutes we had a bubbling, blueberry, cakey mess in our oven.

The good news is it still tasted awesome! It was a huge hit at the party, and was completely gone by the end of the night!

In case you are interested, here is the recipe:

Blueberry- Poppy Seed Brunch Cake

Prep: 15 minutes. Bake: 50 minutes + cooling

------------------------------------------------

1/2 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sour cream

TOPPING:

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries

GLAZE:

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon milk

In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Stir in lemon peel.

Combine the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Beat just until combined. Spread into a greased 9 inch springform pan (again... baking tin won't cut it.)

For topping, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour and nutmeg; stir gently in blueberries until coated.

 Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove sides of pan.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk confectioners' sugar an milk until smooth; drizzle over cake. Refrigerate leftovers.

Bon apetite!

Always & Forever,

ME