My 1st Diaper Cake!

My friend ATM & I are hosting a baby shower for our friend MC.
So, always wanting to try new crafty things, I made my very first Diaper Cake!


The top close up.

I made the flowers out of tissue paper.
I really liked the ribbon. It has a Vera Bradley'ish design, with brown, green & pink. I placed that ribbon on top of a wider sheer sparkly pink ribbon.
I think I used 124 diapers in all & lots of rubber bands.
I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out....of course it could just be the fact that I have stared at it for so long that I am in denial....

Meatloaf....for real??

So I step away from our regularly scheduled programming to complain for just a minute.
Dh informed me a few moments ago that we would be dining at his parents house this evening...yes you read your clock right it's already 6pm. He's not big on plans. He's a fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy. Drives me insane, but dinner on a tusday night is not such a big deal right? Nah. However, I had this great meal planned. Grilled Lime & Cilantro Shrimp with Baked Potato cubes, Spinach salad & croutons. Freshly baked mini peach cobblers with vanilla ice cream.
MMmmm I could almost taste it, but oh well, another night maybe.
After a moment of silent mild frustration over my plans being changed at the last minute, I ask him what she has cooked for dinner....
Bad idea.
Meatloaf
Are you serious?

Wedding Dress Friday!

Mrs. Southern Belle & some of her friends are doing "Wedding Dress Friday" today, & because I'm a copycat....I mean because I like to participate I decided to do one as well. Plus I love wedding pictures.
"The Dress" story at the end of this post.

Okay so this one is not as much about the dress as it is the shoes....but omg how I love these shoes.

The bouquet was heavy...not really, my photographer was admiring my muscles so I was being goofy. Which is a pretty regular occurance for me.


I liked the detail on the front of the dress so much!


The back had a pretty sash that came down the middle


I loved how it flowed out behind me & kind of rippled across the floor.

Basically I loved it. Still do.
Anyways the story behind it goes something like this.
I had found this dress online & knew instantly that I had to try it on. So I got the style number & started calling around. Only to find out that the closest I was going to get to a #2 was the number #24. Sorry, that won't fit. So what do I do?
The same thing all other well trained southern girls do.....
I called my momma.
She started calling all the stores around the Atlanta area, she found a size 18.....yeah still no good.
She literally called every state south of Kentucky & east of Loiusiana, with no luck. She had the stores call the warehouse, but even they said they didn't have anything smaller than a 16.
At this point, my dreams of trying this dress on are starting to dissapate. That's when I get a call from a guy in Mississippi that says the warehouse has a 2.
Mom thinks about this for a minute & calls a liscensed retailer between Ga & Ky & says: "Does Alfred Angelo have more than one warehouse in the southeast?" The lady says no, & proceeds to tell her which states are supplied by this warehouse. Mississippi being one of them. So mom continues "Then how come a guy in Mississippi says the wearhouse can get me a 2, but you said that the smallest they had was a 16?" They lady called the warehouse back, & what do you know?
They have a 2 afterall. All by it's lonesome.
Nobody could find it cause it's the one the model wore for the photoshoot & was in a different part of the warehouse.
Or at least that's what they told me anyways, & I'm going to choose to believe it cause it sounds cooler.
That was a Tuesday. She had it in her shop ready for me to try on first thing that Friday morning.
It fit like a glove, needed no alterations to the hemline. It was love at first sight.
There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that I had found
"The Dress".

#11383

So Pioneer Woman is doing another giveaway.
Another Red Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer Giveaway no less.
All you have to do is comment.
I happen to be comment #11,383.
Did you catch that?
#Eleven THOUSAND three hundred and eighty three.
I commented for the sheer enjoyment of finding out how many comments there were. However I wasn't quite expecting that number. I also do not expect to win. I doubt they sold that many lottery tickets in the entire state of Kentucky today. In which case my odds are better of winning the lottery than winning a PW giveaway. Now that is sad.
*edited to add that at 7:30 central time there are now well over 16 thousand entries....wow...just wow*
If I could get 11,383 comments on my blog in one day, I would giveaway a mixer too....




This item is on my wish list of things I will probably never buy for myself. Right up there with a Nikon D40 6.1 Megapixel Camera.
I wish that I would buy them for myself but it probably won't happen, with me being as frugal as I am.
It's kind of sad really.
I can talk myself out of buying anything.
Even if it's something I actually need.
Not that I need a pretty red artisan stand mixer, or a fancy new camera. I just want them. Especially the camera...& well the mixer...see my problem? I wouldn't even know how to choose!
However I do need my husband to install my dishwasher. The problem with making homemade blackberry cobblers is there is quite a bit of cleanup involved afterward and with no dishwasher, well, that tends to put a damper on my desire to cook....

Mini Blackberry Cobblers!

I got this recipe from Pioneer Woman earlier last week, & tonight I tried it out.
They were sooo good!
I decided to post the recipe for y'all in case you missed it.
You can use any kind of berry or fruit. Dh has already requested that I use peaches next time. She used raspberries but I had blackberries on hand & they were great! The best part is it's super easy, & fast. Easy being the key factor in the fact that I actually pulled it off. : )
Here it is:

Individual Raspberry Cobblers
Makes 24 cobblers

2 cups self-rising flour (must use self-rising)
2 cups sugar
2 cups milk
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups fresh raspberries
Extra sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine flour with sugar, then whisk in milk. Whisk in melted butter and vanilla.
Pour 1/4 cup batter into greased muffin tins. Sprinkle a few raspberries on top. Finish by sprinkling with sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown and crisp around the edges.
Invert onto a cooling rack and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

There you have it girls, give it a shot! You won't be sorry.

Actually I am sorry, because Jillian will punish me for them in the morning....

I have a new workout partner....

It's.......My DH!
Are any of you surprised?
I kinda am actually. He did it with me for the 1st time this morning. I had to bribe him a little....okay a lot, but still!
He has committed to doing it for 30 days! So we shall see how long he makes it.
My bribing system may work, he gets a "prize" for every 5 days that he does it with me. I'm making him a little coupon book, every 5 days he gets another coupon.
I promise to keep you updated....

Scrapbook Progress!

Who wants to see the scrapbook?
::Crickets::
Hmmm. Oh well, I will post my progress for my own personal enjoyment.
I bought the kind with the personalized front cover. It had the strip of fabric & bow on the side but the rest was just blank.


And Voila'. My creation.

For the inside cover (front & back), I used a different paper, & cut up some cards that Dh & I had given each other.

& finally the first page. Some wedding photos.



I could do tons of wedding pages, but I figure that I have all of them in an album, so the scrapbook will be for other things. Plus I was very freaked out by cutting up wedding photos. It felt almost sacrilegious. Like I was doing something very bad. I mean, I own the rights to them & can print as many as I want but still... I just didn't like it. I mentioned it to DH & he says "So long as you're not cutting me out of them, I don't care." lol what a man.
More pages to come soon...well as soon as I make them that is!

A must-have!

My absolutely beautiful frame courtesy of Mrs. Southern Belle!
Ladies, You really should order one or two...or 5.
It is so pretty. I'm already in love with it.
I say this not only because I heart Mrs. Southern Belle, she is wonderful but I really think they would make great gifts!!!
She has other things in her Etsy shop as well, so go check it out!

My Cowboy

I don't know about the rest of you but sometimes, when I'm laying in bed trying to go to sleep, blog post ideas creep into my mind. It's so clear what I want to write & say that the impulse to jump out of bed & start typing is almost too much for me to ignore. However, actually jumping out of bed & blogging would forever prove to my wonderful husband that I am some sort of internet addict & I need some sort of intervention. So last night, I lay there thinking & I knew that today would include a wonderful post about the process that I have made on my scrapbooking journey, but I'm sorry to disappoint you, that will have to wait for tomorrow.
My husband came home today for lunch, which is always my favorite. There's something about actually being the one to lovingly fix him lunch instead of a random high school student slapping some meat & veggies between 2 pieces of bread while hoping their manager doesn't catch them texting at the same time....
I don't really know why I get so much enjoyment out of it, especially when you take into consideration my hatred of washing dishes, but I really do. It's nice to have him home, in the kitchen, or sitting on the couch watching whatever happens to be on the History channel.
Today his lunch choice was chicken noodle soup & grilled cheese sandwiches. I absolutley love making grilled cheese! I'm a sucker for pb&j too.
Once he made his way back to work, I sat down at the computer to check on a few things. *should read: Read my favorite people's blog updates* As I was catching up, I saw that my friend Chelsea @ Roots & Rings mentioned another blogger by the name of Pioneer Woman.
For the sake of curiosity I found her website & as soon as it loaded, I knew that I would like this pioneer woman. A while later I realized that I had gotten completely caught up in the story of how her & her husband had met and married.
While I'm ashamed at the sheer amount of time I spent absorbed in her story like I would a good novel, I have to say that it made me think about my own relationship.
You see, I too fell in love with a cowboy & know exactly what she is talking about.
It doesn't matter how many types of men you date, jock, prep, surfer, etc. The cowboy truly stands out in a class of their own. Something about their deep gravely voice, their strong arms that come from not just lifting weights, but true labor & the musky smell of man, horse, hay & dirt that mingle together to create an intoxicating cologne. *Sounds gross I know, but until you experience it you can't understand.
While our life has taken an unexpected twist & we're no longer the primary caretakers & trainers of 20+ horses & herds of cattle, that life will always be deep rooted in our hearts. It's something that stays with you, tending to cattle, checking fences, cleaning stalls, riding all day. It's something that stays with my husband & that he incorporates into all other areas of his life & business. He has a inward need to take care for his family, land & animals. He is calm & affectionate. He understands that animals..or in my case, women :) require a certain amount of patience. He is thankful & loves the land that God has created & enjoys nothing more than being out in it.
I was a lucky woman to marry a Cowboy.
A lucky woman indeed.

So I'm a slacker...Lake Pics!

I was just informed by my dear little sister's boyfriend that I have severely let him down, by not posting pics of our lake house trip before now, and I quote:

"Just thought I'd let you know, that every morning, when I wake up, I highly anticipate pictures from last weekend at the lake house being uploaded to the wonderful entity that is Facebook. However, up to this point in time, my anticipation has all been in vain. :P"

So I posted them for him & now I will post a few here for your viewing enjoyment, lest you think that I am a slacker as well.
Enjoy!


Braves Game!

Lazin' in the Lake

Me looking at something...

Aw..I love him so much

Tubing standing up...not as easy as it looks!

& lastly some pretty fireworks!

I hope you guys enjoyed them! Obviously there are a few more, with the word few being a drastic understatement.
We had a great time! I love going home!

Lucky #3?

Well Af showed up today, sorry if this is TMI for some of you, lol.
I am happy because this is my first normal cycle off BC.
I'm happy for that, especially after that horrible on/off sequence last month. First 6 days then 12. I was worried it was increasing in sixes, but no AF on day 18, nope, I made it to day 27!
It looks like I just might be regulating out.
I woke up with hellacious cramps so no 30 shredding for me today.
I'm sure Jillian would be very displeased, but honestly in my current PMS state, I really don't care.
So DH is bringing home Pizza & we are going to chill on the couch.
I absolutely can't wait for that ice cold coca-cola....mmmm Here's to lucky #3

Home!

Well actually I got home Monday night, but I was a bad blogger yesterday, not to mention while on vacation. But anyways....
Georgia was amazing! It was the best birthday I have had in a very long time. I absolutely love being back home. I tubed until I thought my arms were going to fall off. Probably not too smart considering now that I'm home I have to get back to the 30 day shred! ::sighs::
I have decided however that I am going to take up a new hobby...don't laugh...
I'm going to scrapbook.
Or at least I'm going to make an effort to. I have tons & tons of pictures that just sit on the computer. I was thinking the other day that there really is no point in taking them if I'm not going to print them out where we can look at them.
So we shall see how far I make it in this new venture...if any of you have any tips to help me get started, let me know! I'm going to need all the help I can get!

Tomahawk Chop!

I love the braves! When we come to Atlanta, my aunt gives us her amazing season tickets for one of the games! The seats are amazing & they come with an awesome parking pass. We had so much fun! The braves dominated the philly's! It's always so much fun when they win but the atmosphere at Turner field is always so much fun anyways! *continues the tomahawk chop* whoa-oh-oh-o!