More shirts finished

My sister came up Friday night, and we were able to knock out a few more shirts. We got her Deathly Hallows/Mickey shirt and Snow White finished, the Castle and Loki for Aimee, and a "MINE! MINE!" seagulls from Nemo for Maddie. I still have to do Lego Princess Leia, Merida and Belle for Cadence, a Jr Woodchuck for Sarah, Robin Hood and Peter Pan for Aimee, and if I get everything else done, Mickey ears for me and Aristocats and Extract of Llama for Amelia. Not sure that I'll get everything finished, but we're going to try. 28 days to go!

Deathly Hallows


Snow White


Castle


Loki


MINE! Seagulls


and being modeled by the cutest 14 month old around!

First Day of School

Yesterday was Cadence's first day of 3rd grade! I can't believe she's a THIRD GRADER!!! but am so grateful that she seems to really love her teacher. She's also made a friend already, so that will make this year go better, too. My baby's all growin' up! *sniff sniff*

Summer is over

Tonight we got to meet Cadence's 3rd grade teacher, and she had her Girl Scout pinning ceremony as well. I love her teacher, and I know that this year will be wonderful. Cadence was in true form when we met her, but hopefully we didn't scare her away too bad. ;)

The pinning ceremony was wonderful, and all the girls did so well. My favorite part was when they asked Cadence what her favorite thing about Girl Scouts this year was, and her response was "Making the world a better place!" I swear that child will be an actress or Miss America one day! Her troop leader also got her name wrong during the introduction, which I found very funny since her daughter and Cadence are great friends! Here are the pictures from tonight, and I can't believe that she's about to start her third year of Girl Scouts!

This is when Miss Tricia forgot her name

but she recovered quickly!

I loved Making the World a Better Place!

Even Minnie is counting down!

I'm going to attempt to do a countdown for Disney every day. Here are the results!

35 Days

Minnie is helping paint our new shirts

34 Days

Minnie found some friends to have a tea party with!


33 Days

Hanging around in the bathroom, just waiting for September!


32 Days

She had to watch her main man before getting the day started!


31 Days

Hanging out with her cousins


30 Days

Minnie loves meeting princesses, too!


29 Days

Checking up on Sofia before seeing her in September!


28 Days

Minnie is helping show off the new outfits for the little ones!


27 Days


26 Days


25 Days


24 Days


23 Days


22 Days


21 Days


20 Days


19 Days


18 Days


17 Days


16 Days


15 Days


14 Days


13 Days


12 Days


11 Days


10 Days


9 Days


8 Days


7 Days


6 Days


5 Days


4 Days


3 Days


2 Days


1 Day

Best. Momma. EVER!

This whole trip started because my mom mentioned that she spends tons of money on us for Christmas each year, and she would love to just give us the money and us use it for a family vacation instead. I was over the moon to hear that, then decided to use some money from leaving my old job and pay the entire thing off since we decided to go in September instead of waiting until October like originally planned. She had mentioned that she may make me a "travel kit" for my birthday/christmas instead, and also mentioned clothes. Then, a few days ago she offered to pay for the non-disney hotel we're staying in the first night (which is now booked and will be awesome!), then called today and said she had stuff for us and wanted to bring it up. She showed up with a gift card to Applebee's (the hotel has one attached where kids eat free, and we were already planning to have at least one meal there. The gift card should cover the entire thing), money for the "resort fee" the hotel will charge, an Old Navy gift card for me to get clothes before we go (all my clothes are too big since having Maddie), and a $25 Disney gift card for each girl (we were only planning on giving them $50 each for spending money, so this is half of that!!) We are so incredibly blessed, and I'm so so thankful.

Mike also took me shopping the other day (again, the whole "lost all the baby weight" thing), and I got two new pair of jeans, a pair of capris, crocs ballet flats, and some other "unmentionables" that I needed. I'm loving all my new stuff, and the best part was that all my jeans were the same size I bought before I was pregnant with Cadence! I also used the gift card tonight (yes, I had it a total of 3ish hours before it was spent!) and got two new pairs of shorts and a cute Mickey shirt for the trip. Mike rolled his eyes when I showed him the shirt, but whatever. I don't care. I love it and can't wait for it to arrive!

And I think I'm going to start counting down with the girls tomorrow. I saw this blog that had ideas on how to countdown to Disney in an "Elf on the Shelf" way, only they used Minnie Mouse. We have the same Minnie in red and the black and white version, and since tomorrow makes 35 days out, I thought I'd start then. I don't know that I'll be able to do it every day (and am in awe that she kept it up for 100 days!), but I'm definitely going to try! I'll try to get a picture every day that I remember!

Disney Arts and Crafts

We have been doing a lot of Disney related crafts recently, and I have to share them! This post is all clothes, but I'll do another with the autograph pillowcases and the bottles as soon as I have them finished. But for now, CLOTHES!

The thing I've had the most fun with is tshirts. I used the same freezer paper tutorial I used on the Jeep shirt, but made sure to have matte paint this time. They are working out beautifully, and I've gotten carried away making them.

Here are the ones that are finished so far:


Hitchhiking Ghosts (mine)



The Tightrope Walker from the Haunted Mansion (mine)
I'm planning on putting some kind of frame around this one



Aurora and Maleficent (mine)



Nemo (Amelia)



Beauty and the Beast Rose (Amelia)



Perry Fedora (Cadence)



Max as Powerline from A Goofy Movie (my sister)
In cast you need more:




Tom Selleck from Meet the Robinsons (my sister)
Again, more:



And here are the clothes that my AMAZING friend Jamie made for the little ones:


Mary Poppins Jolly Holiday Dress


Snow White Tunic (it will have yellow leggings under it)

  
Minnie Mouse Pillowcase Dresses


And last, the other clothes:


The new nightgown Aunt Sarah bought. It's "Roar-Ra!!" and she is VERY excited to have it!

  
Snow White and Cinderella from MamMaw

I have more tshirts coming, plus Ariel Rompers and an adorable Alice dress! I can't wait, and will have those pictures up soon. 39 days to go!!

My Disney Obsession

Ok, I admit it. I'm obsessed.

There, happy? I said it. I don't just like Disney. I ADORE Disney. I just like vacations there. I obsessively count down to the and plan out all the details. I don't just go visit the parks. I visit, have outfits for my kids, and know all the new attractions that are open. And I will admit that this trip is no different. So far our schedule is as follows:

Saturday
Drive to Orlando, spend the night somewhere offsite. Hoping to get there by 7pm or so, but no clue if it will actually happen with three small children.

Sunday
Check in to Coronado Springs, and hopefully be in Magic Kingdom by 10am.
Take Maddie to get her first haircut at 1 at Harmony Barber Shop, Sarah and Aimee will take the two big ones to become Mermaids or Pirates at the Pirates League.
Dinner that night at Chef Mickey's

Monday
Breakfast with Alice and Mary Poppins at 1900 Park Fare
Animal Kingdom until it closes
Probably either the Boardwalk, Downtown Disney, Polynesian to watch the Electrical Water Pageant, or a movie at one of the outdoor movie areas that night.

Tuesday
Hollywood Studios with Sarah and Aimee until they have to leave
Lunch at Mama Melrose
Either hang out at Hollywood Studios awhile longer, or do one of the after hour things above. Maybe the pool at Coronado Springs

Wednesday
Epcot all day, with dinner at Teppan Edo

Thursday
Whichever park the girls want to revisit, and dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe. I'm sure we'll spend time looking around Wilderness Lodge while we're there.

Friday
Whichever park the girls want to visit for one final hurrah, then head home.
Listen to fighting and disappointment for 12 hours. Probably cry.

Since we'll have little ones, I've tried to make sure there is downtime in there. I've also intentionally not done park hoppers this trip because it makes us have to pick a place and stay, and because (per Mike) I'm trying not to over plan us. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean I can't plan outfits and car ride activities and make pillowcases for autographs and whatever else my little heart desires!! More on those projects to come!

Heartbroken

Yesterday we found out that my boss didn't make it, and they couldn't find brain activity. They are talking about a possible visitation tonight and funeral tomorrow, but I haven't heard for certain. I also am pretty sure the front door of my work is going to become a shrine before long. I'm just in shock at the moment, and in a daze. Things aren't going to be the same without him.

The offers are rolling in!

Happy birthday to me!! A few years ago I signed up on a bunch of sites for my birthday, because I love freebies. For the last two weeks the special birthday deals have been coming in, so here's this year's list of what I got in my email box!

Food:
Sonic - Free medium tots, 14oz cream slush or medium soft drink
Baskin Robbins - Free scoop or swirl
Ruby Tuesday - Free birthday dessert
Back Yard Burgers - Free cobbler with purchase
O'Charley's - $5 off a $20 purchase
Arby's - Free 12oz shake with purchase
IHOP - Free Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity
McAlister's - $5 off next purchase
Schlotzsky's - Free small sandwich or pizza
Newks - Free Entree and drink

Other:
Macy's - Free shipping on my next purchase
Disney Movie Rewards - 100 bonus points
Brooks Running - Free technical running shirt and free shipping with $75 purchase
Swag Bucks - 50 Swag Bucks
Charm It - 15% off


And since I signed up right around my birthday, a lot of these places are also sending me Anniversary offers. Here are those!

Dairy Queen - BOGO medium blizzard
Marble Slab - BOGO Shake
Arby's - Free Classic Roast Beef Sandwich
Schlotzsky's - Free 32oz drink
Disney Movie Rewards - 50 bonus points

Overall a pretty good haul! I won't be able to use all of them, but I've enjoyed trying!

I just can't help myself

I think it's impossible for me to go longer than a few weeks without some kind of project. Usually it's something cake/cupcake related, but I'll admit that I LOVE craft projects. I mean, almost live and breathe them. Since we're counting down to Disney, I've been trying to decide on outfits for the girls. I found these awesome shirts through my wonderful friend, Pinterest, and that page had a link to this tutorial (which I already had pinned...) I decided this would be the perfect way to get Cadence some cute shirts (and me, too!), especially since I can get shirts really cheap through work. Mike and I are headed out in the Jeep this weekend, so I'm experimenting with a shirt for that before I order a ton of other shirts for Disney - just in case it doesn't work.


In progress...

Some things I've learned:
• The tutorial says to make sure you use the matte paint. MAKE SURE TO USE MATTE PAINT. I got the slick paint because it's all they had at Walmart when I ran in there on my lunch break. IT SUCKS! I've done a bazillion coats, and while I think it will be cute, I have no idea if it will hold up. So, listen to them. USE MATTE PAINT!!
• Have a really sharp exacto knife! Some of the little tiny areas were hard to get out because my knife wasn't as sharp as it could have been. When I do the next ones, I'm buying some new blades.
• This isn't a quick project. It's not hard, but you do a lot of waiting for paint to dry, and cutting the image out of the paper is pretty time consuming. Don't start it if you don't have time leave it out for awhile.

I think I will order a few shirts and try again with the matte paint, because I can definitely see the potential. But I'm not sure how this one will work once it actually dries. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it works!

A heavy heart, but hopeful...

Yesterday was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. When I arrived at work, I found out that my boss, Dwayne, had fallen while on vacation in Florida, and was in ICU in an orlando hospital. At that point we didn't know much, just that it was bad. We knew that he had a skull fracture, brain swelling, and was not responsive. We also knew that he was barely clinging to life. Later in the day we also found out that his son had been arrested in connection to the fall, and all kinds of rumors were spreading like wildfire. By last night he wasn't any better, and I went to bed last night praying that it was all a bad dream.

This morning was a little better, and we found out that he was stable when we got to work, but there still wasn't brain activity. Later we heard that he reacted to some reflex tests, and swelling was going down. We were all thrilled, and knew that gagging and coughing meant brain activity. By 4pm or so, we found out that they had been able to get the son out of jail (even though he's not allowed to see his dad at the hospital, and he has to have someone with him 24/7), and best of all, Dwayne moved a toe - twice! I told Mike I never thought I'd be so excited to hear that someone moved their toe. When we left work he was still on a ventilator, but signs of brain activity are showing up and swelling is decreasing. We've also heard that they don't think there is any spinal cord injury, which is amazing.

Things seem to be looking up slightly, and I'm just praying it continues. Please, God, let it continue.

Business cards? Maybe...

I did the cake for my friend's son's birthday party that was today, and was told while I was there that I should have brought business cards to hand out. My grandmother always made cakes when I was growing up (and is still doing them now!), and it seems she's rubbed off. I absolutely love doing cupcakes, but have recently discovered fondant, and may have found my new passion! It's so fun, and fondant is way more forgiving than regular icing is. I have another cake to do this coming weekend, and I've been asked to do two more in August. Maybe I'll be like Nana soon and have a way to support myself and come home.

Alyssa's 2nd birthday cake:


Dominic's 5th Minion birthday


And my favorite...
Maddie's 1st Alice in Wonderland birthday

P72 - Day 5: This sucks

This isn't going well at all. Day 1 I did it, and it was good. Day 2 I was dying from Day 1, but decided to try Ab Blaster and Cardio. I made it half way before I couldn't take Mike's comments and looks and I gave up. Day 3 and Day 4, I didn't even try. That's right. I totally skipped them.

So we've made it to Day 5. It's supposed to be sculpting day, and I'm about to start it. I have brownies in the oven, and have decided that will be my reward when I'm finished. Mike is gone for a while, and I've figured out I do much better without him around. I guess this means I'm back to getting up at the crack of dawn to do this - yay (sarcasm). I'm just going to keep reminding myself about Disney. I want to be in shape for Disney.

P90: Weigh in, Measurements, and Day 1

I know I won't be able to get all 90 days in before we go to Disney since our trip is in 72 days, but I'm hoping to get as much as possible. So from here on out, it will be P72 instead. ;)

Starting information:
Weight: 157 lbs
Left Arm: 13 in
Right Arm: 13 in
Left Thigh: 24 in
Right Thigh: 25 in
Chest: 41 in
Waist: 36.5 in
Hips: 43 in

Day 1 was resistance and sculpting, and actually wasn't that bad. I was able to do all but the dips (where you put your hands on a chair behind you and dip down), and those almost killed me. And even though I was able to do it today, that doesn't mean that after cardio and abs tomorrow that I'll be able to do it on Sunday! I'm going to try not to take measurements again until Day 36 (halfway), and then before we go to Disney (I'll probably end it here.) I'm excited to see what the next 71 days bring.

*hangs head in shame*

Hi there. Again. I'm here, and starting to get a little bit of sleep, and we have so much going on. I'll try to make this short and sweet! (who am I kidding!)

• IT'S SUMMER!
Cadence is loving being home, and the only issue the little ones are having is that the sun is still up when they head to bed. We don't have any major trips planned, but it's been nice to throw them in shorts, tshirts and flip flops (or barefoot for the two little ones) and not have to worry about it. Cadence will start school first week of August, so next week summer vacation will be half over. I don't think I'll mention that to her any time soon. ;)

• I'm trying to get hot!
Tonight starts day one of me starting P90. I don't know if I'll be able to make it, or if it will kick my butt, but I'm excited to try! I don't really want to lose weight, but just tone up a little. Let's hope it doesn't kill me too much. And I'll try not to drive you crazy with P90 updates.

• Mike and I both have new jobs!
Both of our jobs were driving us insane and were very unhealthy for us (I lost 15 lbs in 3 weeks, wasn't eating, wasn't sleeping, and was being super cranky mom to the girls), and so on March 26 (yes, the Tuesday before Easter) I walked out. Mike left CarMax the next day (he at least gave 2 weeks.) I had another job waiting which is closer to home, smaller, less stress and I'm making more money. Mike is working with a friend of his doing windshield repair, and he's even happier than I am. I didn't realize how stressed and awful things for both of us were until we weren't dealing with it anymore. Things are MUCH MUCH better.

• WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!!
This is the one I'm most excited about!! We will be there from Sept 8-13, and we're staying at Cornado Springs. It's for Amelia and Cadence's birthday, and our trip with overlap with Sarah's!! We are trying to do this as economically as possible, so I have tons of ideas that we're going to try and get finished in the next 72 days. And I'll apologize now that this is about to become Disney Craft Central! :) I'm beyond excited about getting to go!!!!

I'm not going to promise to update more often, but I'll try. But I say that a lot, so we'll see!

Yeah, so I suck at this

It's amazing how little time I have now with three little ones around. We've mostly settled into a routine at night, but by the time they are all out, it's then time for me to clean up and get myself to bed, and usually one of the little ones is back awake again! Anyway, I'm here. For now, at least!

We're all doing ok, and trying to get over the funk. Maddie is on antibiotics for a double ear infection, I'm on them for a sinus infection, and I was told today that Amelia has been pulling and digging in her ear. I foresee another doctor's appointment in my future.

So, tonight the girls and I were at Target looking for a baby gift for my cousin, Jennifer. She's about to have her second baby - a sweetsie little boy who will be the first on that side of the in years!! I wanted to get her something that she probably wouldn't get from anyone else, would be useful, and something that she probably wouldn't buy herself. One of my favorite gifts from Amelia's shower was this awesome drying rack by Boon. It has been so helpful, and since I was nursing and wouldn't really need bottles except at the sitter, I could also use it for medicine droppers, pump parts, and sippy cup straws. I'm hoping that Jennifer loves it as much as I do, because we got her one, too. I also got her the Twig, and came VERY close to picking it up for myself. I'm glad I didn't, because I saw the Stem when I got on their site when I got home. It's a purple flower!! A cute purple flower to go with my awesome drying rack that looks like grass! If I can find it at Target, I'm definitely getting it!

I'm also on the lookout for baby shower cupcake ideas. I'm taking some for a shower at work next week, and I want them to be perfect! I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet, but the girl they are for has assured me that she adores cupcakes - any kind - so she will be thrilled with whatever I bring. Right now I'm leaning toward marshmallow flowers on top, but with blue sugar. I'll try to remember to post pictures when I decide!

I think I hear the little one up (again!), so I'll try to remember to come back before 3 months has passed!

Wow, three months...

I knew it had been awhile, but didn't realize it had been this long. The past month or so has been super crazy getting ready for Birthdaypalooza 2012, and now we've started "A Very Pinterest Christmas." I'll post quick updates on the girls and us, and I promise to be back with the good and not so good Pinterest ideas we've tried!

Cadence:
She's doing ok. We have an appointment on December 4 with a psychiatrist to see if she has ADHD, impulse control issues, a processing disorder or something else altogether. I'm not opposed to medication if the doctor thinks that is what she needs, but I also won't object at all if they suggest behavior therapy or something else. I love her to pieces, but she's still having outburst over very tiny things, *can not* sit still AT ALL, and has started pulling her hair out resulting in bald spots. She's so bright and funny and creative, and it breaks my heart to see her so angry and frustrated all the time. I'm really hoping this will help and give us some answers.

Amelia:
She's two. And definitely acts like a two year old! I hear a lot of "No, Mommy! Mine! You a mean mommy! No Sissy! No touch! DON'T!!!" and my favorites, "go bed, Mommy!" and "EAT SOUP, MOMMY!!!" She is absolutely hilarious most of the time, and is much much much better with Maddie. She loves to hold her, kiss her, and thinks it's so funny when she makes faces or talks and Maddie laughs at her. She loves "meme mouf", "Jake Ho Ho" and "Sissy YaYa" (Minnie Mouse, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Cinderella for those of you that can't speak toddler), and gets so excited whenever a Disney World commercial comes on. I can't wait utnil we can take her. She's a handful, but she's MY handful, and I wouldn't change her for anything.

Maddie:
She'll be six months old next week! She's still very tiny - in 0-3 month clothes still - and I'm going to talk to them next week about her weight in relation to how much she eats (a ton!) and spits up (also a ton!) She is rolling over, and has figured out how to roll/scoot/wiggle herself pretty much wherever she wants. She's still not quite sitting up on her own, but wants to so bad! I'm really excited about Thanksgiving tomorrow, because she's now eating whatever mushy things we are, and I know she's going to lose it with all the food we'll have tomorrow. She's usually happy (unless I put her down or pass her off), and smiles all the time. She's also set a bedtime for herself. She goes to bed about 8 or 8:30 every night, and will sleep until 4ish the next morning. I had one 10 hour night, but it was the exception. Usually she sleeps about 8 hours or so straight, and it's so nice. She's such a good baby, an we've been so lucky.

Mike and me:
Well, we're both still at jobs we're not completely thrilled with, and still not making quite enough for me to be at home full time. However, there are some things in the works, so maybe something will change for one or both of us soon.

It's been crazy having three little ones around the house, and even though Maddie has been here six months, I think we're all still adjusting to everything. It's so weird to look around and see 5 stockings on the mantle (yes, I've already decorated for Christmas!), and have three kids crammed in the back of my Jeep, and have three to check up on before I go to sleep. And I've ran into another problem I didn't have with Cadence and Amelia: I'm getting Amelia and Maddie's babyhoods mixed up! Cadence and Amelia were so far apart that it hasn't been that hard to remember which of them did what. But with Amelia and Maddie only being 19 months apart, it's all becoming a babyhood blur. And of course it doesn't help that my children all look alike!

I have tons of pictures from the mega Birthdaypalooza 2012, and of all the Christmas gifts and holiday foods we've been making. I'll definitely be back shortly to upload some of those!

In case I don't get back tomorrow, I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

Seven years ago...

Seven years ago Mississippi was hit by one of the worst hurricanes in history. We still live in the same house, but at that time we had a 10 month old, not a seven year old, almost 2 year old and 3 month old. Right now all the forecasts are saying that Isaac will hit right on the MS Gulf Coast - just like Katrina did - only this one should be slightly smaller. However, once again, Mississippi is being completely overlooked on a national scale. I came across a facebook page earlier that was called "The Land Mass Between NOLA and Mobile" (yes, I liked it.) For reference, here's what our coast looked like A YEAR AND A HALF after Katrina:











Those pictures are all from Biloxi and Gulfport. And this was after all the awesome, amazing people down there had been working for 19 months on cleaning and rebuilding. The days right after Katrina were horrific, and seven years later we are finally getting back to some sense of normal. And, of course, Isaac has to head our way and plans to hit almost exactly on the seven year anniversary of Katrina.

So, a note to all of the media outlets out there: We may not be as cool or historic as New Orleans and Mobile, but we are still here. We exist. And we are survivors. I have no problems with hearing reports about all of the Gulf Coast, because we are all a family. Just don't forget about the unwanted stepchild in the corner. We deserve to have our story told, too.