Disney World...no pictures yet

Over the past two weeks we have busy. I do most of my Christmas shopping early so that part was scratched off the first week of December. I hate to leave my house messy before going on a vacation because when I get back we make a huge mess unpacking...let alone all the gifts Bailey gets for Christmas spread everywhere. This year we decided to go on a vacation to Disney World (pictures will be posted later). Let me back up...December 19th, Blake graduated from AUM. yay!!! No more night classes!!! Then the next morning we went to Disney World!!

I wanted to journal our vacation, but instead I will put it as a blog post:

Day 1 (65 degrees for the high)
We left our house around 8:30 AM and got to our hotel (beside Downtown Disney) around 4:30 PM. Bailey filled her time watching Aristocats, Winnie the Pooh, and Cinderella on our way down with a 1 hour nap somewhere in between. Our hotel was so convenient and they had character breakfast 3 mornings a week which is the most any hotel had. We went to Downtown Disney that night and shopped and ate at the Rainforest Cafe. We went to the first store and let Bailey get out. She was so overwhelmed she didn't know where to start looking that she got back into the stroller a little while later. She picked out a Piglet stuffed animal and a magical washcloth (put in water thing) with a kitty cat on it. My friend gave Bailey a gift card to Disney stores so she paid for it herself and was very proud of herself - "I can do it". It was an hour wait at the restaurant so we looked around more at the stores. Bailey started getting tired so we got her a sprite - nothing like sugar. The food was not that great and way overpriced but the restaurant is really neat - every 15 minutes there is a storm and the animals go crazy. We sat by the monkeys - Bailey loved it. Then we took a photo in the photo booth and headed back to the room.

Day 2 (65 degrees for the high)
Slept in until 9:30 AM then went to the buffet breakfast at the hotel which was pretty good. We caught the Disney Transportation to Magic Kingdom and by the time we got there, got the tickets, stood in line for the monorail it was 11:30 AM. The first thing we did was ride Dumbo. I stood in line while Bailey and Blake went and played at Pooh's Corner (playground). When I got to the front Blake came over and handed Bailey to me over the railing. After the ride we went to stand in line to meet Tiger & Pooh. Blake bought a Mickey ice cream while we waited. She loved it the entire time until we got to them and she didn't like it. This was the first character meeting we went to so it was new and scary - she still took a good picture even though she was scared. After that we went to the children's area to look at things and we caught the train to the front of the park. We watched a show with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy on stage - something about believing in wishes...it was good and it had all the princesses and princes come out. By the time that was finished it was time to use our past pass on the Winnie the Pooh ride. Then we went and rode a boat ride through the jungle - Bailey liked that a lot. While I waited in line Blake and her went and rode Aladdin's magic carpet since the wait was only 20 minutes. After that it started to get dark so we got a good seat in front of the castle to watch Cinderella light it up Christmas. While we waited there was a parade that we watched and danced too. It was 7:30 PM by the time we left and we were all tired.

Day 3 (65 degrees for the high)
We woke up at 7 AM and had breakfast with Goofy and Pluto! So exciting! Bailey was scared but gave them high fives and smiled for the pictures. Then we were off to Sea World! We got a little lost so we did not get there until right at 11 but the lines and parking were so short so it didn't take anytime to get in. We got in for free with Blake's military orders. First we went to see the pool of sting rays - the water was warm and they come right to your hand because they think you have food. Kinda scary but their barbs are cut so they can't hurt you. Then we went and saw the dolphins - there was over 20 of them and they came right to you...thinking you had food. You could purchase food but we let other people do that. Then we saw a show "Blue Horizons" with birds and dolphins...Bailey didn't care for it but liked climbing in the stadium seats. After that we went and saw the manatees, alligators, penguins, sharks, and other fish aquariums. They were all so neat to look at and there were no lines and not crowded. We were able to take a bunch of pictures and everyone was so nice. Then we went to the children's area where Bailey went down the three tall slides and we rode all the rides with no lines - such a dramatic difference then Disney World. We rode the teacups, carousel, shamu roller coaster (38 inch requirement so we fluffed her hair and she made it), and then another ride like the teacups. We did all that is less than 20 minutes. Then it was time to see the biggest act of all: SHAMU! This is when I realized why there was no one around...they were all in the stadium which is why we had to stand the whole time, but it wasn't that bad because Bailey wouldn't want to sit the whole time anyway. We got a large popcorn and drink so she was happy. That show was really neat...pictures to come. After that we left to go back to the room for a nap. Bailey napped over 3 hours so we didn't have as much time as we hoped to do everything. I wanted to go to the outlets, than eat, than go back to see fireworks. We only had time to shop and instead of spending the big bucks on another meal Blake wanted to eat at "The Biggest McDonald's in the World"...we passed two McDonald's to get there. The place looked so old and the inside was worse. There event for the night was a girl who braided hair - umm...gross! Hair braiding in a restaurant! The stuff on the walls looked dusty and I felt like germs were crawling everywhere. It was big though, there was an upstairs arcade and a downstairs arcade. They had a bunch of different menus: pizza, gyros, specialty sandwiches, specially desserts, salad bar, pasta, and then the regular which is what we ordered from despite the grossness of the place. We stayed about 30 minutes and went back to the room where Bailey played with her new toys from the Rainforest Cafe and light up Minnie toy we bought as we left Disney World.

Day 4 (75 degrees for the high)
We woke up at 7 AM and got to Magic Kingdom around 10 AM. It was a tad less busy than Monday. We went and got a fast pass to Peter Pan and saw there was no wait for Mickey's 3D Movie. So we went to that and half way through Bailey didn't like the glasses - when the water sprinkled on us from Donald kicking the bucket it freaked her out. I don't blame her...that would have freaked me out to if I saw the characters coming at me from a movie. Then we went to see the princesses! She loved meeting them. We saw Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Belle. After that we went to meet Mickey and Minnie. She was a little scared but warmed up to them. Mickey liked my new shirt - it was a vintage t-shirt with Mickey on it. We went and had lunch at Cyber Cafe in Tomorrow land while waiting for out time to ride Peter Pan. After Peter Pan we didn't want to do anything else so we headed back to the room for naps. We planned on going back to see the fireworks but decided to go to Downtown Disney to eat at the Dinosaur Restaurant and finish up any shopping. The Dinosaur Restaurant had great food, more choices and less expensive than Rainforest Cafe...I thought it was odd because they are owned by the same company. Every 15 minutes there the volcano erupted and the dinosaurs moved around. Bailey really liked it and the waitress was really good. If we go back to Disney World again this place is a must on our lists of where to eat. After that we went next door and got ice cream while walking around and looking at the other stores. Bailey loved the park at Lego land and took breaks to eat ice cream.

Day 5
We woke up around 7 AM and had breakfast with Goofy before heading back home. This time Bailey gave Goofy a hug and blew him kisses. Then we got back in the car and drove for 8 hours. Bailey watched Aristocats and Winnie the Pooh on the way home. As soon as we got to the Alabama line it started raining and kept raining through the end of the night. We got home, unloaded the car, got dressed and drove to Blake's parents house for Christmas Eve with his family. We got so much great stuff - I like Bailey's toys as much as I like my own stuff.

Christmas Day
At 3:00 AM Bailey woke up crying thinking "ho ho" was in our house...I never thought of it as being scary but an old fat man sneaking into your house at night would be scary to a 2 1/2 year old. She got in bed with us until she fell back asleep and I put her back in bed. We got up early to get ready and then she woke up around 8:00. I laid everything she got the night before out on the fire place along with the two gifts Santa brought....guess what her absolute favorite thing is: 4 tubes of chap stick that she carries with her everywhere. Around $4.00 worth of chap stick keeps her happy. After that we went to my parent's house for Christmas with my family and got more stuff from everyone...Bailey watched one of her new movies on the way to my MIL's family Christmas that is two hours away. We left there around 5 PM. The next day we had zero plans and the toys stayed in the living room for the rest of the weekend.

PT Update

Bailey went the entire day yesterday with no potty mistakes (high five's all around). How exciting?!? Every day I keep my fingers crossed as I walk down the hallway of her school to pick her up hoping she is in the same clothes that I dropped her off in and yesterday she was! Then she went the rest of the day with no mistakes. So exciting. We started taking her to school without pull-ups last week so this is week two and already on a good note. Last week was awful - I had to wash clothes at least once a day. I heard this is the best way to teach them, but I was sure I could train her the un-messy way...unfortunately that wasn't in the cards for me.

She gets to see Mickey Mouse as her gift for being PT. Not really, but we told her that was the reason we were going to Disney World. I'm excited about our first family vacation of just the three of us. Plus, we get to go to Sea World for free! Blake gets up to 3 dependants in for free once a year and his ticket to Disney World is free as well. I can't wait to see Bailey's face once we get there. She will love it all - as long as the characters keep their distance from the stroller.

Lights on the Tree

So I have a fabulous husband who put the lights on the tree for me and did a fabulous job. I am so far behind on things this week and last night I went to my parent's house so I didn't accomplish much on the list of things to do after work. Blake is back on orders so he gets off around 3 a few days out of the week so he put up the lights on the tree for me. Just thought I would mention how much the little things mean to a busy woman/mom. Other big news: Highlights appointment today at 3:30! So overdue and needed.

Festivities

So I have started working out again in the mornings before work...I hate getting up but the love the feeling. It is so nice to get it over with, but I love my sleep...the little I have. Bailey and I put up the Christmas tree last night while Blake went out for a few hours. Things were going good until I realized there were 3 very large bugs at the bottom of the box waiting on me. Oh Jeez...I am not a bug person. I started freaking out and asked Bailey to keep her shoes on to help me stomp them. I then went and grabbed the wasp spray and sprayed them in the box and then through the box outside. I am going this afternoon to purchase plastic bins for the Christmas tree since we keep it outside in the shed. I am so glad I went ahead and put it up because if those bugs would have gotten in my house...lets not even think about that. So I have to put up the lights and ornaments this week...I will try and take my time doing it but I doubt I will be able to stand having something halfway done. I have so many things to work on this week before going out of town for Thanksgiving ~ Sewing projects, cleaning the house, putting up Christmas decor, Getting highlights and cut/trim (way overdue!!! it has been 3 months - this is an emergency), Christmas cards, Pictures, Painting the hallway.... oh and planning out the biggest shopping extravaganza of the year "BLACK FRIDAY".

Also, today is my dad's 60th birthday! How exciting...Blake is purchasing his gift today. I know...so last minute, but I couldn't think of anything to get him so Blake is going to get something from the golf store since Dad is becoming a regular on the golf course since he retired a few months ago.

Cupcake tower - flowers in blue and pink

I designed this cupcake tower based on the napkins used for this baby shower. The mother-to-be is waiting to find out what she is having so the napkins had bright blue, bright pink, and bright green on them. I was hesitant to try out fondant because 1. It doesn't taste good 2. It can be expensive 3. time...since I am teaching myself, I don't have time to make mistakes or practice a lot. So I did some research on fondant and found that a lot of people love using marshmallow fondant because 1. It tastes better 2. It is cheap to make 3. EASY!

So here are the pictures of my first cupcake tower:

Inside of cake: Chocolate icing

23 cupcakes: butter/yellow cake with cream cheese icing & marshmallow fondant flowers

Top of tower: (2) 6 inch yellow cake with cream cheese icing & marshmallow fondant flowers & bright green ribbon

Cupcake Tower

Me with my first cupcake tower!

Halloween 2009

I don't decorate much for fall or Halloween, but Bailey got this pumpkin at her school Fall festival the Friday before Halloween so Blake and Bailey carved it out.

Blake and I took Bailey to my parent's church for their Harvest Festival. My sister was in charge of the cake walk so I made a cake for it. I made it with cream cheese icing, but it doesn't dry at all so you can not do too much detail unless you make the icing more stiff and that takes away the taste so I did just a small design and it still turned out cute. I also made white flowers out of marshmallow fondant to stick on top but I forgot to take a picture of that.

Bailey was a very pretty lady bug and she had a great time with her cousins - Police officer "Logan" and Butterfly Fairy "Abigail". After the Harvest Festival, Blake and I went to a costume party. Blake went as "Charming" and I was a princess.

Learning as I go

Sewing is definitely not a relaxing hobby. Some people may think you just take the fabric out of the bag and begin but there is so many steps involved before you can even begin. I thought the same thing about cake decorating before I realized the long process of making icing and getting the cake ready before you can even begin decorating.

Steps before sewing: sew sides that may unravel, dilute the fabric, wash the fabric, dry/line dry the fabric, iron the fabric, iron the pattern, cut the pattern, pin the pattern on the fabric, cut the fabric, AND then you can start.

Then the hard part starts- you have to figure out what the heck the pattern is saying in a very short fragment. There is no explanation with pictures or dictionary. I have to open all my books and refer back to each one to read a sentence/fragment AND then it still doesn't make sense. I learn from watching others do it and then I can copy it, but having to do what is says from reading is so hard for me to figure out which is why it takes me 2 hours a night for several nights to finish one project. I usually quit when I reach a point of not understanding and then I have the rest of the day to figure it out in my head - which I usually do and am able to start off where I left the night before. I had big dreams of making so many things, but honestly I understand why boutiques charge so much for their homemade items because there is a lot of labor and hours that go into each piece. I am hopefully getting better and learning from my mistakes as well as learning the "language of sewing" so I don't have to refer to three books each time I read a sentence.

I don't want to discourage anyone from learning a new hobby because it is very rewarding once you finish a piece that you spent many hours on. This weekend I am going to teach myself how to make fondant shapes. I have spent a few hours researching it this week and watching videos so I have a good understanding of it. I have a cake due on Saturday for my parent's church cake walk and another cake due the following weekend for a baby shower. I love being able to switch back and forth so I don't get burnt out on either one. Wish me luck!

Here are other pieces I have finished since my last post:

My first sewing creation!

I'm so excited to show you my first piece! I worked on it for three nights in a row because I wanted Bailey to sport the wedding colors at the rehearsal dinner - she is the flower girl so she needs to be pretty at the rehearsal dinner. Tonight is my last sewing class and I will finish my pants! So those pictures will be posted soon. I have worked on my pants longer but I had help from the teacher - with this dress I figured it all out by looking at another dress I bought Bailey from a boutique. I know this is a "simple" dress but it still took over 6 hours to make! I will of course get better and make fewer mistakes but I am really proud to say that "I did it all by myself".

Bailey's Flower Girl Bows

Bailey will be a flower girl in only TEN days! She is wearing a family heirloom dress at the wedding and changing into another dress for the reception - which is why there are two bows needed. I made these for .40 cents each...they would have cost at least $5 each at a boutique. I learned how to make bows by watching the tutorials on youtube.com.

Floors and Lingerie

I am still cleaning up from this past weekend's festivities. This past week Blake and I went and looked at some new flooring and the man told us it was "so easy" to put in. So Blake called his friend and he was free this Saturday to help put them in. I was hosting a lingerie shower that Saturday night at the house, but I was assured that they would be done in only a few hours. So Friday night Blake and I took up the carpet and the wood flooring in the entry way along with moving all the furniture to start bright and early putting new floors in on Saturday. I also made cupcakes, brownies, and a cookie cake Friday night in between helping. Well bright and early meant to them meant 11 AM. So around 12:30 PM they actually start...I begin to feel the uneasiness of "this is not going to be done in time". So the party starts at 7:00 PM I thought they would be done by 3 PM and I could go shopping a little bit before the party. Nope! I was there the entire day cleaning up and moving things to make it easier for them to get things done. I also had to decorate all the cupcakes and the cookie cake. So at 6:45 PM I was like - JUST LEAVE!!! They were able to get majority of the living room laid and all the furniture moved back as the guests arrived. The party went well and then we went out afterwards...way past my bed time. I love my new floors and Blake and his friend did a fabulous job putting them in. It is so nice to have a friend like Bryant who knows how to do so much and is willing to help us out whenever we ask. He is one of a kind. I will post pictures soon - we still need to put the quarter round in a few more places. I also want to get a new rug for the living room and a new coffee table. I want one that is leather and has a huge base so I can put candles and decorations in the center without Bailey messing with it. Sunday was spent doing nursery, still cleaning up the mess, and finishing the floors before going to our Sunday School cookout. Blake and his friend did not finish until around 12 AM Monday morning with the floors. So the next time a handyman tells me "it's so easy"...it probably isn't.

Payless Shoes

I am all for saving money on Bailey's shoes and Payless has such a great selection for little ones that I go there first to buy all her shoes. We went a few Sundays ago to look for a pair of brown closed toe shoes for this winter to wear with dresses and pants. Well they had the cutest pair of brown and crimson red shoes...so Bailey and I decided she needed both. We were about to pack it up when I saw them - Dora Uggs. I told Bailey we were not going to get them but that she could try them on. She couldn't even walk in them because the bottoms of the shoes would not bend, but they looked so cute on her!

My Santa Fabric

So this is the picture of the fabric I am using to make my 1st sewing project out of. Isn't it cute?!? This picture was taken with my phone so the color of the bright turquoise looks faded, but the lighter color in the candy is a really pretty turquoise which is going to be the color of the ribbon and bottom pant cuff.

Sewing Classes

So after waiting and waiting I finally got in a sewing class at Hancock Fabrics. Me and a friend are taking the class together on Thursday nights. We ordered our sewing machines off of Amazon.com not having a clue how to use them. So the first class was two weeks ago and we picked out our patterns and materials. We are making pants, but I wanted to do something really soft like pajama pants. I thought it would be fun to do a Christmas pattern since our class would end right before November - just in time to bring out Christmas decorations. We found this bright green pattern with adorable Santa's in bright red suites with bright turquoise candy in between. I will post pictures soon! I am going to get a bright turquoise satin ribbon to use as the tie and I am going to get some turquoise fabric to add a cuff on the bottom of the pants! They are going to be the most fancy Christmas PJ's ever!

So I go to pay for the fabric and it was $22!! I was like - we could have bought some for that amount! Now I know why these boutiques charge so much for their stuff - because fabric is expensive if you don't buy it on a big sale. We even had a 30% discount and it was still $22 for 2 yards of fabric. Then we got homework! I had no idea these classes were going to be work outside of the two hours I went each week. So like a good student I waited until the night before to start on it...I mean how hard could it be to cut out a fabric and pin it? Okay - well it isn't as easy as I thought it would be especially when your fabric shrinks 4 inches on the right side causing the pattern not to fit. All my dreams of making fun dresses and nic-naks came crashing down as I stared at the 20+ pictures, steps from 1 - 45 that made no sense, and everything was coded with lines, dots, dashes, arrows, shaded areas, triangles, squares, circles... Sweat started beading on my forehead as I looked at the clock - it was already 10 PM and I had only cut out the pattern - I had been staring at the directions for over an hour trying to figure out what to do. So I finally lay it all out according to picture C and although the fabric was too short I pinned it on to show that I put forth the effort. Well the next day in class it wasn't just me who had issues - we all had to restart over. Then we practiced on our machine - making the bobbin, threading it, and THEN we made our first stitch...and all my crushed dreams came back to life!

Where to start?!?

Well the past month has been really busy at work and home so blogging took a backseat for over a month! First it started with recruitment weekend. I am the rush advisor for Zeta Tau Alpha - Theta Nu chapter so that kept me overly busy for an entire week. Then I planned and decorated a cake for my best friend's bridal shower three weeks ago. Two weeks ago we went to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic for 5 days. Last week: Blake left for the entire week to play war games in MS; I had a 3 Family Yard Sale and made some great CA$H with two friends; and Tuesday I had an Initials Inc. party(www.initials-inc.com/1521) - love their stuff. This past weekend I helped with my best friends bridal pictures, we went to a wedding on Saturday, and church on Sunday.

Bridal Shower Pictures (3 weeks ago)

Party Favor: Chocolate chip cookie with their initials on each one.

Blake and I in Punta Cana (2 weeks ago)

Stress

I decided to get back into a routine doing my "quiet time" in the morning with a devotional book. I took a break for a while and did it whenever "I" had time. So on Monday I woke up 15 minutes early and I have done it each day this week. What a week to get things right with God! This week has been very demanding and stressful and things would have been much worse if I wasn't putting Him first. The first thing was the AC leaking through the carpet and making the carpet smell like mildew. I have A LOT (understatement) to do for next weekend (Sorority Recruitment) and I have to get 60 bridal invitations sent out, plus I volunteered to host someone during SR and I need to clean up/straiten/organize the spare bedroom/craft room/workout room. So I was trying to get everything done on top of dieting and working out to get prepared for PUNTA CANA (future blog post coming soon). I don't know how you are but when I have a lot going on the last thing I want to do is focus on eating healthy and exercising. So on Wednesday I decided to take a break from it all and go to church with Bailey - of course I came home to a tree in the front yard (see previous post). At this point I was beginning to feel the signs of a breakdown. I can handle many things at once and stress isn't something I feel much, but I began to feel it and it was coming fast. So I stayed up until almost 2 AM that night/morning getting the house clean and organized and around 1 AM I started watching a Lifetime movie I DVR'd over a week ago. Some people would have rather gone to bed, but I had that movie on my to-do list. I don't like to get behind on my shows so I try to watch them all weekly and this particular movie had Blake Lively from Gossip Girl so I HAD to watch it. I also folded towels and clothes, worked on a to-do list and read the first part of "One Minute Manager" during it. Thursday morning I woke up and felt refreshed to do my "quiet time". The thing that is most amazing is that I have not been doing this devotional book on time - I should have read these particular devotions over a month ago but since I was lazy and behind I was just now getting to them and they were about taking care of yourself while the world around you is stressing you out. Blake called the Home Insurance company and they will pay for the cost to repair the carpet after we pay the deductible. We were going to get new floors in the next year but now we get a God discount of around $500 off. And Blake was going to trim that tree down whenever he got a chance because it over-powered our yard...God just gave him a head start on the project.

TREE!

Wednesday I decided to go to church after work. We went to Burger King for dinner so Bailey could play in the gigantic play area- I didn't see the need to go home for a short period of time. Blake was flying that night so I didn't have to worry about his schedule. At 7:45 PM I roll into our neighborhood and I see from a distance something new - my neighbor must have planted some new shrubbery. The closer I got I realized that it was a tree. There was a brief (meaning 5 minutes) storm that blew through Montgomery, but I didn't think anything about it because I only saw the black sky at work and no rain. The tree was hit by lightening and there are burnt marks to prove it. Blake cut up the tree yesterday and it only took him 2 hours. I was very impressed. Sorry to all the tree huggers out there but we are not saving the tree - Blake is going to demolish what is left standing tonight...and no we are not even going to replace it with another tree.

Baby to Toddler

Bailey is 2 years and 4 months only and the toil decor for her baby room is not working anymore. I got rid of everything piece by piece as she grew out of it and now the only thing left is the curtains. Her room colors are pink and black which all started from a lamp I found at Ross when I was 6 months pregnant. We were going to put a black chair rail in her room and paint the trim in black but to save on costs we taped two stripes around the room which turned out even cuter! I know we want to put black long curtains in her room to block the sun, but I didn't want all black...so I am going to make zebra print curtains! I already have it all planned out and my parents bought me this adorable white shelf with hooks on the bottom in white but I haven't used it yet because white wasn't the main color. I start my sewing classes September 10th (6 week course) but I may get around to making them before with the instruction manual. When I was growing up my mom didn't do a lot of decorating like painting the walls or hanging a lot of pictures because she didn't know how long we would live in the house (military) - so growing up whatever house we moved into was the color of my room and it stayed that way. I had a yellow room with blue blinds from 1st grade - 5th grade and I HATED it. My sister had a pink room and when she started college I moved in there and was pleased for the most part. Anyway, ever since I was pregnant I have vowed to keep Bailey's room as cute as possible and when she gets older I will change it to what she likes...and something I approve of...after all I will be the one paying for it. I will post pictures as soon as I get around to changing her room from baby to toddler.

This past weekend one of my sorority sisters saw Bailey and said, "She is getting so big, she isn't a baby anymore." I replied, "Yes she is a baby!" For those who don't know...Blake and I are probably only going to have one child due to my health after having her so Bailey will ALWAYS be my baby.

Birthday Cake

This past Saturday I made a cake for my best friend's birthday. It turned out so cute. I used a 6 inch pan but they are 3 inches high (around 7 inches tall with both layers and icing in middle)- it turned out so good. I did chocolate cake with chocolate icing. The monogram and design on bottom are chocolate as well but the decorating kind of icing. I think I will make these cakes more often than the 9 inch pans because they look dainty and girly...just add a ribbon and you have a fancy cake. This was also practice for the cake I am making for her bridal shower. This is the size I am making for the top tier of her cake. I'm getting better! Almost done with this hobby...ready for the sewing classes to start!

Trip to Beach

We went with friends to Perdito Key, FL (outside Orange Beach, AL). The condo was the nicest place I've ever stayed on vacation - thanks to LA for inviting us to your family's place. We went to these restaurants: Tacky Jack's, Live Bait, and Lu Lu's. I've been to Tacky Jacks before but not the other two. Lu Lu's was really good - Blake and I split the huge basket for two and ate until our stomachs couldn't take it anymore. I did go shopping at the outlets and I got a Coach wristlet as well as a Christmas gift for Blake's little sister - she will love it! I love it and if you see me with a new Coach purse it's because she made me mad or I decided that I need to treat myself to something new :) Until then it is staying wrapped up until Christmas. Bailey still had pneumonia while we were gone and the Monday after we got back I took her to the doctor again and it was only half way cleared up so they put her on another antibiotic as well as a steroid. She is fine now and went back to school on Thursday this week - I have paying for daycare even on days she doesn't go. Gotta love it!

Cake for Work

I know looking at this picture it doesn't look special but it took FOREVER to make. It is 2 sheet cakes stacked on top of each other along with filling in the middle about 1 inch thick. I used around 8 cups of decorating icing to make this cake and it ALMOST was not enough. It took around 6 cups to do the white cream cheese on the bottom and top layers and around 2 cups for the blue/green icing to do the bottom border and lettering. I was going to be really fancy and put the logo on the top but after I spent hours on it I did not want to spend another hour figuring out how to portion everything and make it look good. I also wanted to do a border on top but I ran out of icing. I was really proud of myself because I made it look so white and very smooth plus it did taste really good. I made this for our work party - it gave me a reason to practice. Anytime I find a reason to bring a cake I get excited so that I can try to do something new. I bought Wilton's Course 2 book this week so I will start trying all the new stuff from that book too. My next step is practicing with chocolate icing and making it taste out of this world. Wow I sound like a fatty! Blake said, "This isn't such a good hobby for someone trying to loose weight." ha! ha! I know...it really isn't, but I don't care much about the cake...I do test the icing quite a bit which probably isn't good on the thighs...but I only do it once a week and this week we didn't practice because of our schedules.

Pneumonia

Bailey has been sick for a few days but nothing major and since our insurance isn't the best I hesitated taking her but yesterday morning (Wednesday) she was in tears pointing to her neck (throat hurting) so I took her to the PriMed in Prattville so my mom could meet me and take her for the rest of the day. I told the doctor about her throat and that I noticed a little wheezing and she was congested so they did and x-ray and she has pneumonia in her right lung. Her throat is just sore but no strep throat. You would have never known she was that sick because she was playing around in the waiting room, but then when she coughs she starts to cry from the pain. They gave her a shot and she is on antibiotics and some decongestive medicine. Please pray that Bailey will be healed and that the pneumonia will not have any damage on her right lung.

When I get sick it isn't ever something small...I'm hoping she isn't like me, but this definitely isn't small.

Beach Bound

We are going to the beach this weekend and I am so excited. Blake and I haven't gone anywhere without Bailey since he got home over a month ago. Best part...it's free because our friend's family has a condo on the beach in Destin. I'm so pumped about it and then today when I went to email her about making plans I had a coupon in my inbox from the Coach outlet for an additional 20% off everything on the weekend we will be there! WOW! So now I think I am more excited about going to the Coach store than the beach...not really but Coach does make me happy :) If you want something hit me up and I will send you photos and prices through text.

Big Girl Bed

EXCITING NEWS...Even the grandparents don't know yet!

Last night Bailey Carson McArdle slept in her BIG GIRL BED!!!

She woke up from her nap on Sunday around 4:30 PM and Blake and I decided that today would be a good night to try out sleeping in a toddler bed (her crib turns into a toddler bed and then a full size bed). Since we have been potty training for over 3 weeks sometimes I do not get her up in time to go potty so now she can get down and go when she wakes up. I've been hesitant of the toddler bed because she is so squirmy and starts on one end and ends up in the opposite direction. I got up three times last night and turned her around so she wouldn't plop out the end without the railing. Here are pictures of my sweet baby girl going "night night".

July 4th

We didn't have big plans this year other than going to the pool for BBQ at Blake's parents house. Bailey loves the pool so she was super excited about spending the day in it with us. Meiko loves the pool more than anyone though - he gets so excited about jumping in the pool for the ball. He must have jumped in over 70 times in the past two days. He is a hyper jack russel so he can go on and on without getting tired, but after two days of going to the pool he was completely run down. I had to pick him up to put him in the car and take him out. He needed help jumping onto the bed to sleep/nap. He spent the entire day Sunday in practically the same spot without moving. Here are a few pictures of us from the 3 day weekend. I did have cute green glasses that matched her bathing suit but she wanted to wear the red star ones...at least it was July 4th and went with the theme.

Bailey has the ball Meiko went after 70+ times.

Day 13: The Core of the Problem

So I'm reading the devotional book called "The Frazzled Female: 30 Days to Finding God's Peace in Your Daily Chaos". Well this week's topic is time management which happens to be something I am great at. Anytime I find an article on time management or tips to get things done faster...I'm all on it. So Day 13 was about being too involved in things even if they are good things. So that made me think about my daily routine and things I add to it that although they are good - are they what I should be doing? I have been pretty bad about doing my quiet time in the morning/night since Blake got home because I have less time by myself and I enjoy being in his company. So this statement was attention grabbing "God does not want you to do every good thing. You must check His thinking and seek His counsel in everything you do. He alone can tell you what you need to be involved in during this time in your life." She then went on to say that every morning during her quiet time she goes over what her "to do" list is along with her schedule and prays about the things that need to be done and what is not important will be made known to her. Then in the journal part it asks: "Too many good women doing too many good things! Do you fall under the umbrella? It's so easy to get caught up in doing good things because...well, they need to be done! Free yourself from the anxiety of trying to do it all, by realizing that God never intended for you to do it all in the first place. Where do you think He's telling you to cut back?" I make "to do" lists all the time and love checking it off to show how productive I am...no one else sees the list but me. I have been adding hobbies to my life slowly one at a time...but the thing that I feel that needs to be cut is my television shows. They take away from my time with Bailey and not just me but her - she loves watching her movies as well. I feel like that is time wasted that we could be spending together. I bought a preschool workbook about 2 weeks ago and we have only done one page together - after reading this I want to get my priorities back in line and only put what is truly important on my "to do" list.

Six Flags

We went to Six Flags with a group from church this past Saturday. It was fun - I haven't been in 4 years so it was time to go again. We rode the Goliath, Batman, Mindbender, Thunder River, The newly renovated Monster Mansion, Superman, Scream Machine, Ninja, and the log rides. We got there at 10 AM our time and we pulled back into Montgomery at 1o PM. The heat was bad the first 2 hours while we waited to ride Goliath and Batman but after that the sun hid behind the clouds...but by that time all my makeup was sweated off. This was the first time I had ever been to Six Flags and people got sick...I won't say who! For some reason I have no picture with Sarah and Matt, but they came too.

Bailey is wearing the shirt we got her from Six Flags with all the characters as babies and it says "Group Hug Six Flags". She had just woken up and was sitting on the potty...isn't she beautiful! I wish I was that pretty when I first woke up after sleeping 11 hours...and yes that is a Diego bandade covering up a "boo boo".

Update on Potty Training: 2 1/2 Weeks

Well the mornings are going good - she wakes up and goes about 4-5 days out of the week and gets 1 M&M. Today I took "Easy Ups" (Pamper's version of Pull Ups & they are cheaper with DORA!) to her "School" instead of diapers. I told her that she needs to not pee in them and always go to the potty like the other boys and girls in her class. I guess I will see today how she did. Pull Ups/Easy Ups are so much more than diapers because you get half the quantity for the same price and when your toddler is going in them like they are diapers...well you go through them pretty quick. She does go about once a day on the potty during school but the other times she doesn't and when she is at home she goes about once and the other times she doesn't...we're getting there! My favorite part is when I go and she says, "Good Job Mommy!". It makes me laugh each time because she is still sitting on her pink potty with the pink cushion wondering if she is going to go or not. The worst part is when she is still sleepy in the mornings and I am sitting on the floor waiting for her to go as the clock ticks on by and I know I am going to be late for work because Bailey needed 10 minutes to pee or not pee. As long as she is potty trained by Christmas I will be happy...or next week :)

Bows, Bows, & More Bows

I have been wanting to learn to make Bailey some hair bows instead of paying $3 - $5 for one that she will get dirty or loose. I have around 8 different ribbons at home left over from different projects or for decorating a gift. There is this place in Wetumpka that offers a hair bow making class but it is during the week day and only once a month so I haven't been able to go. So yesterday I youtubed "hair bow tutorial" and there were over 10 good videos teaching you how to make a "boutique" hair bow along with many other styles. So these are my first two that I did last night. On the football one I could add a crimson ribbon(RTR), but I have a cute houndstooth pin with "M" embroidered on it to place in the middle for Bailey to wear this year. The black bow with the pink and black flowers is really cute - that ribbon is left over from the picture board I did a few months ago. I had just enough to made 1 bow with it. I'm excited because now I can make Bailey bows to match all her outfits plus there will be lots of extra ribbon for me to make for my friends little girls or to sale if I ever do a boutique. While I was making them Bailey was coloring with crayons and getting into all the ribbon spools (AKA: helping mommy).

Cake Decorating Has Begun!

Well I found this book "Creative Cakes anyone can make" at Ross for only $3.99 and I didn't realize it came with a "How To DVD". Well I told my friend about it and she wanted to do it with me, but they sold all the other copies so we are just sharing this one. We met on Tuesday and had our first trial run of decorating a cake...well we ran into some icing issues but all in all it we were pretty good at it. I read the book and watched the DVD before going to her house and she did the same...so we knew how to do it but we had never decorated before. Well our cake turned out to be a blank canvas and we tried about 10 of the tips out and different styles all over it...there wasn't an area that didn't get covered with some decoration. We did have problems making the roses - that lady made them look so easy to do but I couldn't get the hang of it. So the next day I youtubed cake decorating and a lady had a 2 minute video showing how she made them and BAM! It hit me and I realized how to do it and where I went wrong. A big issue was that the icing wasn't thick enough and the other big issue was....I was holding the tip upside down. Those two things will make a big difference. So last night I got out the left over yellow icing and added flour (I ran out of powered sugar) to make it thick and well they turned out really good! So my friend and I are going to do one more class together before our real class starts on July 9th at Hobby Lobby. They only charge $17.50 for 4 classes and they are giving us a $15 gift card to use on cake products...what a deal! We skipped Course I because the DVD taught us everything they would teach us in Course I which is why I have to practice because I don't want to look like we skipped Course I. I'm making my best friend's bridal shower cakes so they have to be perfect...I have a while to get good at it. Here are pictures below and keep in mind it was our first time & we were just doodling on it. The big green blob was us practicing the grass look with a particular tip. The roses were done last night...practice makes perfect.