55 in January

We have had a beautiful weekend here, which helped with our home projects, I was able to finish my Chalkboard Project outside, I can't wait to hang it and share it with you.  I am still debating if the frame needs to be painted or not, its black right now and with a black chalkboard inside, against a white door, it just might be too much black, we'll have to see.

The family is just getting back from Church now, I had to miss it due to this very annoying Sinus Infection that reared its ugly head yesterday morning. I am hoping this doesn't ruin my Girls Plans for this afternoon, I have been looking forward to Insley and Molly time for several weeks now.

You are probably asking yourself...what is she looking at?

Why...a "Ca-Coom" of course...

January 2011 - no snow in good ol' Richmond

My attempt to get a good photo of the girls for the big Family Room frames...

As you can see, I didn't hit it out of the park...I will have to give it a try another day.

Girlfriend's Got Style

This child is all over the map when it comes to her outfit picking out abilities...

She has many faces...some of which are sweet...

Some of which are silly...

And others that we would like to cover up...

(This gives you a small glimpse into the damage the fall did to her front teeth, you can see if you look carefully that her right-front tooth is chipped and there is now a gap between her two front teeth)

Brad, his Dad and my Dad have been putting their brains to the test this weekend in an attempt to hang Crown Molding in Three of our Five bedrooms...lets just say, one is finished and the other two will be outsourced.  We are in the process of moving Olivia's furniture around and changing out her Winter Bedding for her new Big-Girl Bedding. She is taking a nap at my Parents House and will come home to her new bed tonight - I can't wait to see what she thinks. I promise to take pictures and share the finished product with you, but the walls are going to take some time, holes will have to be patched and painted and wall art will have to be rehung, so be patient.

Brad's Mom is showing me how to make Vegetable Beef Soup using a Pressure Cooker...which she surprised with me with my very own.  She is a miracle worker in the kitchen...I tell you what.

Do any of you watch Southland on TNT? With Ryan from The OC? His name is Ben Sherman on Southland, but I can't stop thinking of him as Ryan from The OC. Anyways, last night one of the main characters/detectives was killed and it threw me for a loop, I wasn't expecting it and I woke up thinking about it this morning (at 5:45am no less, thank you Avery Emerson Turner)...odd how a show can spook you like that eh? 

A Love Affair

Together in Harmony...Lemon & Navy

I plan to find a way to make a room about their love affair...mark my words.

My New Motto

Where did I find this Masterpiece you ask...why www.etsy.com of course. And where did I hang it, you ask..?

In the living room, where the shadow boxes were, on the way into the Morning Room. I love how it pulls from the red in the curtains, and when there is enough light to photograph it properly, you will see how great it pulls from the red walls in the Morning Room. And its a great reminder...to Keep Calm and Carry On...something I tell myself a few times...an hour, a day.

Friendly lil Dinosaurs

No, she doesn't sleep in that TuTu...

Olivia is studying Dinosaurs at school this week, so Avery thought it would be fun to show off Olivia's latest Art Project...cute little T-Rex, isn't she?

"It's Abery Mommy....see?"

(The little darling can't pronouce the "v" sound, so she calls herself "Abery" and she has "Bitamins" at dinner...I could really use a "Bacation" right about now...)

We are getting a "mixed bag" of weather right now (btw, I totally feel like Carolyn, aka My Mom, she loves using the phrase "mixed bag", have I told you guys that my Mom is a living and breathing Weather Channel, I mean that lady is a walking weather report, she is no joke).  It was sleeting when I left the office (I don't understand the difference between sleet and freezing rain), and by the time I crossed the river the road was white...its beautiful. I was hoping the snow might hold off until tomorrow morning early so I could work from home at least for the morning hours, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. No rest for the weary. 

Speaking of the weary....Avery woke up at 4:40am yesterday and 5:20am this morning, with a hour long party at midnight last night....that child happens to be one of the worst sleepers I know (do I sound like a broken record?) She is NOT her Mother's Daughter...I am a girl who loves her sleep...Olivia got that trait from me.  Olivia also got the "talking in her sleep" gene from me. Last night she cried out for me during the night, which is rare, so I got up and went into her room to check on her, she appeared to be asleep upside down in her bed, so I quietly asked if she was okay, she said "Mommy, it smells like backpacks in here" and I laughed and said "What, Honey?" and she said "it smells like backpacks in here" and that was the extent of our conversation...

I can imagine you are all losing sleep over the limited blog press Riley is getting these days...I can feel all your curiosity just bubbling over...the need to know what is going on in his life must really be consuming you...well, if you must know...the Furry Friend went to the Doggie Spa today and had a bath. There you have it...a day in the life of Riley.

The 5 Love Languages

I was cleaning off my night-side table and came across this book and realized that I owed it to myself, Brad and our Marriage to finish it.  I started it eons ago and just never got through it, so it is now my goal to finish it up as quickly as I can so that I don't lose sight of it again.  I just finished a section about "being in love" and how the feelings of being "in-love" generally speaking, last about two years...and then folks come to a cross roads and have to make a tough decision, do they 1) give up and look else to find that in-love feeling again or 2) dig in and work to find "real love"...the logical side of me said, well heck, maybe people shouldn't be allowed to marry until that 2 year window of being in-love is over, so that you know for sure you are making a decision based on real love, not that obsession you feel in years one and two, but of course that's not all that realistic, but it might actually lower the crazy-high divorce rate we are plagued with here in the US.

I don't have any other pearls of wisdom to share with ya'll just yet, but as I get through the book I will be sure to share anything that catches my eye.

White Chicken Chili for dinner tonight hit the spot...when it's this cold, soup is the only way to go. Bring on Spring. Why is it that I can eat so much better when the weather is warmer. I don't crave Comfort Foods when the sun is out and shining.  Winter is God's way of keeping me chubby...I'm convinced. 

It's going to be a long week, I could really get used to three day weekends!! I am going to start the new Weight Watchers Points Plus program tomorrow, and frankly I am dreading it. I don't have a lot of motivation right now outside of the small overweight toddler that has taken up camp on my mid-section...I have been craving Ice Cream like its going out of style. Please lord tell me I don't have to wait until Avery's Birthday Party to have a spoon-full of delicious ice cream...somehow I must be able to fit into my Points program, where there's a will...there's a way.

Boston Bruins....rookie of the year.

Olivia fell on her way into school on Thursday morning and landed on her face, it looked like her upper lip took the brunt of the fall, but we took an emergency trip to see Dr. W, her Ped Dentist just to make sure everything was looking like it should,  he gave us a great report, said nothing was broken, no cracks, etc, however Brad thought that one of her front teeth looked cracked...she was such a trooper when Dr. W, she didn't shed a single tear and she opened up wide on command, both HUGE improvements from our last Dental visit.

When I got home from work on Thursday Evening I noticed that a piece of her front tooth did in fact crack off, and now it just looks like she has a big gap between her two front teeth. Our little hockey player. The poor thing has had terrible luck with her teeth. I called her Dentist Friday morning as soon as they opened and they wanted to see her again after hearing that a piece of her tooth had broken off.  So we made our way back to the office for a 10am appointment, I should note that they are the most punctual medical/dental office I have ever been a part of, its amazing. Dr. E saw Olivia and checked her out. She made the recommendation that we take Olivia back into surgery and have the tooth repaired...not exactly what I wanted to hear, but its amazing what 18 months does for you as a Mom. I didn't cry this time, I just started asking questions and after talking about it for a little while she admitted that it really would be for aesthetic reasons only, so if we didn't want to repair it, we didn't have to. 

She tested Olivia's back teeth for cavities with this magic floss stuff, and since that came back clean she suggested we take some time and think about it. Brad was out of town, so he and I discussed over the phone and decided that since she will likely lose this tooth in the next 2-3 years we aren't going to subject Olivia to a trip to the hospital and anesthesia.  Her smile is just perfect the way it is.
We didn't get a good shot of her mug after the fall, but take my word for it, it was ugly. Her chin and nose are still healing as well, she got pretty banged up, poor thing.

Bestest YaYa

So it's no secret to anyone in my family that I have been working a ton over the last week or so, and while I was prepared for Olivia's Half Birthday Cupcakes I wasn't prepared for the actual family celebration. The Mom of the Year trophy just went sailing out the window....actually no, because that would imply that I was the keeper of it recently and these days that couldn't feel farther from the truth. So my Mom came through in a pinch and the best part of the story is...I didn't even have to ask her.  She arrived long before I did, balloons in hand, half-cake in hand, and toting Chinese Food for the girls to devour all in celebration of Olivia's Half Birthday, and I was the late addition to the party.

Olivia was VERY excited about her new Cinderella Barbie and the girls are looking forward to watching their new Care Bears Movie, courtesy of YaYa and GaGa.

Someone else really enjoyed the cake...and that same someone did NOT, I repeat, did NOT want to put a diaper back on after going "potty" with Olivia.

She is holding her pants up so that I can't change her diaper...

Happy Half Birthday Liv

Olivia is 3.5 years old today and we celebrate Half Birthday's in our house, so in honor of her Half Birthday I made some cupcakes and she helped me decorate them for her friends at school. I am hoping and praying that at least one kid won't be there tomorrow, because the box only made 17 cupcakes and there are 16 kids in her class and 2 teachers, and I would feel horrible if one of the teachers didn't get a cupcake. I even had to swat Brad's hands away tonight when he was trying to make a move for one.  How in the world does the box really think you can make 24 cupcakes and I end up 7 short? Jeesh.

I apologize for the coloring of the photo's, I am not sure what my camera was thinking, the wrappers are clearly a dark purple and a dark pink and we used Valentine's Day sprinkles to add some pizazz.

She's coming around...

For those of you that have physically seen Olivia over the last few months you have clearly noticed that she has taken a liking to dressing herself in the mornings, so her outfits are at times, atrocious, I mean, one of a kind. I have come to learn that what my child wears is the smallest deal around, as long as she is warm and her rear isn't showing, I have bigger fish to fry and I can't expel any energy caring about what her sweet little behind is wearing.  However, it did warm my heart this morning to see what she had picked out for school...

How precious is she? Isn't that just the cutest outfit you have ever seen, a cute as can be sweater dress paired with tights THAT MATCH...get out of town, my heart started signing this morning when she picked it out, I had to dry a small tear drop that formed in my right eye I was so thrilled.

My Mom and I had a great day running errands together. We started with a nice lunch out, and then spent a good hour roaming the aisles of Target, my favoritest place on Earth and then we made our way to Kirklands, btw, that place gives me the hives, and ended our journey at Michaels, they were having a 55% off Frames sales...$45 frames for $20, can't beat that with a stick (as my father would say). So I plan to share a few projects with ya'll in the next few days, some are already frame, I just need the hubs to hang them...one of his least favorites things to do, I should add. Poor Guy!

Tonight the family is heading out to dinner with my Parents to celebrate my Mom's Birthday, which was yesterday.  My Mom shares a birthday with my friend April's little girl Anna, so Olivia celebrated with Anna yesterday at a Romp n Roll Birthday Party, Olivia had a blast, and Megs and I just enjoyed watching the little ones run around. I am digging the outsourced Birthday Party idea, or rather, the Destination Birthday Party idea (that is better branding than outsourcing), I mean seriously, you don't have to decorate, clean up or really plan a tootin' thing, its wonderful. I might have to consider it for Avery's Birthday next year.

Accessories...

make the world go round...don't they? According to my two little diva's they sure do, and I happen to be in agreement with them most days, I love to throw on a necklace or a bracelet to spruce up a rather plain ensemble. I mean, I sure don't pull out the princess shoes, or the tutu's, but one of these days it wouldn't surprised me if I gave it a whirl, it seems to do wonders for their moods, and I am always on the hunt for natural mood enhancers.

With Avery under the weather now and Olivia still healing, we are taking it easy this morning, playing around the house and letting the girls just do their thing.  It is amazing how well they are behaved on Saturday and Sunday's and I realize that the challenge during the week is that we get them at their worst, we get them when they have had a full day and are winding down and frankly just a tad on the grumpy side. What I wouldn't give to have at least 3 days a week with them when they are like this, rather than 5 days of Miss Grumps-a-lot. They have played so well together this morning, its days like that remind me just how blessed I am.

It was my morning to sleep in, and after the last few days of sickness and Brad traveling, I needed it. I casually got up around 9am, after letting the dog out and feeding him at 6:30am and Avery waking me up again at 7:30am, did some things upstairs, threw in load of wash, changed some sheets, it is MUCH easier to get things done around this house if the girls don't know I am awake.  I am very much looking forward to this long weekend, my dear friend Megs is coming from Columbus for the weekend, and of course celebrating YaYa's Birthday is at the top of our list as well. I had hoped to go gather my Chalkboard supplies yesterday after work, but I ended up staying home with the two sickos, so that didn't happen, the Chalkboard project looks to be delayed about a week.

I am slightly depressed that my "diet" hasn't been yielding any results. I have done so well, eating wise the last two weeks, eating well under my allotted calories and no results.  Finding the time to exercise is going to be my goal for the next few weeks, but its just not easy, I have blocked my calendar at work three days a week to hit the gym, but turns out people don't respect my "out of office" blocks and just schedule meetings right over them. I am however proud of us for eating at home and preparing meals every single night, we haven't eaten out and have stuck to our budget very well. We didn't budget for all the Doctor and Pharmacy bills, or the HVAC repair we just had done this week, but at least we are doing well with all things we can control. Yeah US.

Chicken and Waffles

Why in the world are they served together like a meal? I mean, Spaghetti and Meatballs makes sense, Peanut Butter and Jelly...again, makes sense, but Chicken and Waffles, I just don't get it.

I am feeling very crafty, like I could use a day or seven at home working on some home projects...too bad that likely won't happen until next Holiday Season when I can get a good solid break from work. The house is de-Christmasfied..and we've already started (and by we, I clearly mean ME) decorating for Valentine's Day. I can't wait to take the girls to Target to pick out their Valentine's Day Cards for their classmates.

Olivia is feeling better, she didn't nap today but was in bed early tonight.  It's odd, she hasn't been napping well at all and usually when she is sick she sleeps like a champ, she told me today she couldn't sleep because she was coughing so much, the poor thing, that cough kills her, as soon as she moves she starts coughing so we have to keep her very still, unless we want to run go the bathroom with her while she "spits" (as she calls it).

Can you believe Olivia is going to be 3.5 years old a week from tomorrow? I already have the supplies to make her Half Birthday Cupcakes and we plan on taking them to school so she can have a mini-class-half birthday party. This is the first year I haven't made invites for her Half Birthday, but I am sticking true to my resolution to really look at whether its a need or a want, and these invites are now going to be categorized as a want, so it isn't going to happen this year.  I am however already really excited about Avery's 2nd Birthday invites, my friend Jeni has done a fabulous job of designing them, I can't wait to share it with you.

As far as the Potato Soup Plus recipe...it was okay, not fabulous, however I think it could be...I am going to give it another try in a month or so, and substitute bacon for the ham and maybe add corn in place of the broccoli and I will probably half the recipe, it made a TON. Tonight was Shake N Bake and Avery ate about 4 times what I did, that little girl can put away some chicken. We paired our chicken with peas and whole grain chicken rice...not waffles, thank you very much.

"Welcome"

Long story about this Welcome vinyl art...I had every intention of putting it on my front door, my front door is Navy Blue and I thought it would look great on the bottom-middle of our front door, turns out the "W" was too wide and wouldn't fit in the area of the door I needed it to, in order for it to lay flat, so this "Welcome" vinyl has been laying around my house for months just waiting for me to show it some love and give it a home...today Brad did just that, he gave it a home. God Bless that Man, he hates him some vinyl, but he sure does love him some Leigh...so he is "happy" to help. You saw pictures of this "Welcome Area" earlier on the Junky Hooks post, but that was a bit premature...this is what it looks like today at 6pm.

Thank You Babe!

Lil Fighters

I am a sucker for blogs about little ones that need our prayers, I just can't turn away, its like a train-wreck, but in a good way of course. I love reading from their Mom's words how they are feeling and the details of their little ones days in the hospital or at home, it makes my heart soar when prayers are answered and little ones that shouldn't have made it through the night surprised their doctors and are now breathing on their own, its stories like these that inspire me to be a better Mom to my girls...is it awful to say that sometimes I need to read these stories to gain perspective? To remind me that I am so very fortunate to have them and for them to be healthy and happy little ones terrorizing the house we call a home?  The way I see it is, at least I read these stories to gain perspective, a lot of people could use a perspective-giving-tool in their lives...

The three latest additions to my blog rotation are:

Pineapples & Pickles, which is about Team Preston, a little boy who was born with a broken heart, who could use your prayers as he begins his battle to mend that broken little heart.

The Journey of the Johnsons, which is about Team Field, a little boy who too is recovering from heart surgery.

The Stedje Family, which is about a family who just gave birth to triplets, very early, all three were born alive, but one has since passed, and the other two have a very long road ahead of them, they are weighing in at 2lbs each at 1 month old. 

I should also add, that I am a sucker for blogs about home decor, I love reading about home projects and room transformations. If I had extra time that is where I would spend it, decorating, organizing and do-it-yourself type projects. The first one I am going to tackle is a Chalkboard for our Pantry Cabinet Door..wish me luck.

Potato Soup Plus

I am trying out another new recipe from Easy Slow Cooker Cookbook tonight, called Potato Soup Plus

Potato Soup Plus


5 Medium Potatoes, peeled, cubed
2 Cups cooked, cubed ham
1 cup fresh broccoli florets, cut very, very fine
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can fiesta nacho cheese soup (I couldn't find it, so I used two cans of cheddar cheese soup)
14 oz of chicken broth
2 1/2 soup cans of milk
Paprika

Spray slow cooker with Pam and then place potatoes, ham and broccoli inside

In pan, on the stove, combine cheddar cheese soup, chicken broth and milk. Heat just long enough to ensure mix is smooth and the cheese soup is no longer lumpy. Pour into slow cooker and stir to mix all ingredients

Cover and cook on LOW for 7-9 hours

When serving, sprinkle a little paprika over each serving.

I could totally go for an entire baguette of french bread from Panera to dip into this soup, but that isn't going to happen, so I will just have to dream about it. I also used some onion salt and sea salt to taste, lets hope that gives it some flavor, the other ingredients on their own can be a tad bland.

Here is the Recipe Book that has inspired me to try three new recipes this week alone. Pretty impressive, eh? This coming week is all about using what we have. I went grocery shopping today and spent about $50 and that should get us through the next week or two, outside of a special trip for more bread and milk. 

We are expecting snow on Tuesday here and that was Brad's planned night of travel, so we are quickly trying to rearrange our schedules so that if he doesn't travel on Tuesday, everything will still be covered the rest of the week. I can't believe we are planning our lives around snow here in Richmond, that is something I did growing up and I loathed it...what in the world is happening to our weather patterns?

Any advice on how to keep a 3 year old quiet and calm? She won't sit still and then she immediately falls into a coughing fit that sends her to the bathroom to throw up...its a never ending cycle here at the Turner House, we have a towel lined couch today and likely will until this cough vacates our home, I am not in the mood to wash the couch cushions again this time around.

Junky Hooks & Lungs...

We've had a very sick little one on our hands since Thursday, she missed the last two days of school last week and will likely be out for a few days this week as well as we nurse her lungs back to health. Poor Olivia. I took her to Patient First this morning after listening to her weeze and she was diagnosed with just about everything under the sun, including: Ear Infections, Upper Respiratory Infection, likely Strep Throat and a very junky Right Lung...so this was the result:

Her Nebulizer Meds were $100, WITH Insurance, are you kidding me? And it said that my Insurance saved me $146 on top of the $100 I still had to pay...good gracious, I am oh so thankful for Insurance. Albuterol was recalled last week so we switched to a new Nebulizer med that claims to have less side effects...fingers crossed.

We are hoping the original antibiotic from Thursday will continue to do its work on her Urinary/Kidney Infection and the new antibiotic will clean up her ears, chest and throat, while the steroids and nebulizer meds will work to clear up her lung and prevent pneumonia from rearing its ugly head...he said we caught it, but it likely would be going in that direction if we didn't hit it head on...so apparently that is what we are doing.  She seems to be more like herself today, the cough is still very present, but no throwing up, the fever is gone for now and she has a lot more energy, all of which are very good signs. We are so thankful she can spend her sick-days with YaYa.  When we were driving to school on Friday to drop Avery off Olivia told me "I am going to YaYa's House again today so she can take really good care of me", she loves her YaYa...

Scratch the no-throwing up, she just did...urgh. Poor Darling.

On to the Hooks...the girls have about 32 Winter Coats/Sweatshirts/Hoodies/Jackets that they have been trying to stuff onto our current coat solution, and every night when they come home their coats land on the living room floor because they can't reach the hooks, so we solved for the height of the hooks, now we just have to train the little ones to send their coats to their homes...at the end of everyday and all will be right with the world.

And we can't forget about this one...

She had 32...count them....32 tantrums yesterday...today we are on # 14...its only 12:06pm, think we can beat our previous best of 32? She's making a run for it...in her defense she is starting to present some cold symptoms as well, so that does a number on her mood, here's to hoping she stays well for the most part and can go to school this week.

Last Night we had Couples Night Out (Mother and Father of the Year for leaving our sick child with my Parents...but this was our Annual Maggianos Trip) with our neighbors, and we stuffed our faces at Maggianos and enjoyed some spirits, and of course laughed our faces off! It was a nice detour off the diet, but I am back on today.

More throwing up...Brad really is a fantastic father, he holds her hair like a pro. And of course, we just gave her all her meds, so those gems just came right back up. Lovely.

Proud Parents

Brad and I met with Olivia's Teacher today for a Parent Teacher Conference. We requested it, we just wanted to get an idea of how she was doing, what they were working with her on and how we could support them at home.  It was funny, her teacher was telling the Director of the school that we had requested a chat with her and they were both so confused as to why we would need to talk to them, they both said that they wished they had an entire classroom of Olivia's...can you see me beaming now? The glow? I mean, its lighting up the sky here in Richmond tonight...talk about a proud moment as a parent. She walked through the the Preschool Evaluations that they usually do at the end of the school year, but she wanted to give us a preview and it turns out Olivia is hitting all of her milestones and happens to be one of the few in her class that really gets excited about the weekly themes and retains them, and even weeks later brings them up again. We can see this at home, she is still talking about "Autumn and Night Animals", which were themes from Early Fall.  We know Olivia is happy at school, but it was very reassuring to hear it from her teacher that she is one of the happy ones.

And tonight Olivia spent the night at my Parents, she loves her YaYa time...her teacher said she was talking about it all day long...now that is some serious excitement for a 3 year old. It was strange, yet nice having some quality time with just Avery.  We enjoyed dinner together, played a little bit, took a bath and then watched Yo Gabba Gabba, her favorite.

About dinner tonight...it was DELICIOUS.
 
Creamy Salsa Chicken (Crock Pot)
4-5 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 pkg Dry Taco Seasoning
1 cup Salsa
1/2 cup Fat Free Sour Cream

Spray Crock Pot with Pam
Put Chicken on the bottom and cover with Taco Seasoning
Cover Chicken with Salsa
Cook on Low for 4-6 Hours
When Chicken is done, remove Chicken and add Sour Cream to the Salsa Mixture, mix it all together and then spoon it over the chicken.

The Biggest Tear Jerker

Holy Smokes...I sat down and watched, for the first time I should add, an episode of The Biggest Loser and I was a mess, I spent the better part of the show a weepy mess. Those contestants motivated me and broke my heart all at the same time...how in the world did they get to where they are? But at the same time, their desire to get their lives back and do better was more than admirable. I did however, have to watch the show from the comfort of my bed, far, far away from the kitchen so I wouldn't be tempted to eat, but hey, at least I am watching the show...baby steps. Watching a Mother and Daughter Team or a Father and Daughter Team work together brings me to tears...watching Moses cheer on his daughter as she was trucking it on the treadmill...phew...tears are starting just thinking about it. And Jen and Jay...they are pretty stinkin cute too. Do you happen to think Jen looks like Ali from The Bachelorette?

Speaking of The Bachelorette...Molly and I watched The Bachelor last night, and I was kinda annoyed with America and all the girls for being so angry with Brad...and Jenny and DeAnna...I was surprised they brought them back, you could tell something more happened with DeAnna and she was still bitter about everything that had happened. And I was also annoyed that he kept saying "I've changed, etc", why was him not choosing someone at the end of the last show something that required him to change and explain himself to everyone...why wasn't it just good enough to say "They weren't the right girls for me", I admire him not choosing one and then ruining their lives if they weren't right for him...but clearly America feels differently.  I felt bad for him having to explain himself over and over again toe very girl.  I also can't believe that he kept Madison, the vampire girl...ick.  Emily is my favorite, hands-down. But in the previews it doesn't look like she is around all that long, so maybe there is hope she can be the next Bachelorette. I actually remember when her fiances plane crashed...so very sad. I also like Ashley S, the Nanny from NYC who got the first impression rose...it was fun watching the show with Molly we were able to pick on all the girls and Brad and fast forward through parts that made us cringe...like the manscaper. Woof.

A good TuTu is hard to find...

 Fancy Nancy Avery

As you can see, the rainy weekend kept the girls cooped up, so what else do you do when you are stuck inside for two days straight? You dress-up of course.

Olivia reading a book about Baby Jesus

Avery enjoying a "cold one" after a lot of rough-housing

Sweet Jules, she is just precious isn't she? 

Justin and Brad enjoyed some adult beverages Sunday Morning (Mimosas to be exact) while I enjoyed some alone time in the Home Office, my new safe haven. And as you can tell the girls all entertained themselves while the boys watched "Drinking Made Easy" on TV. 

I have decided that I am going to build out the "T" wall as I described in a previous post. I am on the hunt for "T"'s of all shapes and sizes, all materials and all dimensions. I am guessing it will take some time to get it where I want it to be, and I am in no hurry, but I am looking forward to checking out TJ Maxx, Home Goods and the new Hobby Lobby...yes folks, Richmond now has a Hobby Lobby...the God's heard our prayers. Between Molly and I, we should be able to keep them in business. 

I am not going to lie and say that it was easy to adjust back into the working world this morning...a few people even commented to me that I wasn't myself. I just didn't want to be there, I wanted to be home with the girls, taking it all in, and enjoying each and every second with them in our PJ's I should add.  Tonight Olivia said: "Mommy, you are happy. I want you to be happy all the time, but a little bit of the time you are mad" I know its not realistic to be happy every second of every day, but I really do want the girls to see me happy far more often than they see me angry or mad as she put it. I then proceeded to ask her "What does mad look like?" and her face said it all...I couldn't stop laughing, she hit the nail on the head with her scowl. We skipped TV tonight since she told us that she watched TV at school today (after asking her what she did at school...nice response eh?) instead we read "Tickle Monster" by Josie Bissett, a great book if you don't have it for your little ones.

Snow White & Pigtails

Last night was Turner Family Movie Night...and the movie selection was Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs.  Avery loved Dopey and has been talking about him all morning, Olivia was terrified of the "Mean King" (even though we tried to explain the "King" was really a "Queen"), she spent the better part of the movie with her hands over her ears and her eyes closed (she comes by that naturally, I do the same thing).

 Doing her best not to see the "Mean King"

Brad protected her and this morning when we tried to watch it again she called Brad in from the Kitchen to protect her even though she was sitting on my lap...cute huh? Dad's lap is a safe, safe place.

She is basically in his arm pit trying to be brave...

This morning it was my morning to get up with the girls, and I will tell you what, after a late night of watching two episodes of Southland (love that show, btw) and the movie 12 Rounds with John Cena 6:15am was a lovely smack in the face.  I heard Avery start to yell "Mommy, Mommy" and that was the end of my blissful sleep. 

I did however brave doing Avery's hair...we have never attempted to put Avery's hair up in pigtails before, sometimes she gets a single sprout, but most of the time she just runs around looking homeless. But today she was feeling sassy and was all about posing for the camera to show off her pigtails.

Notice the two different poses...it was hysterical, I have a few others where she is tilting her head in different directions, she was really working it, our little plus-size toddler model.


Question for the group...do they sell slip covered sectional couches? I really want a sectional, but I am committed to my next couch purchase being one that is slip covered so that it can look new every month when we strip it and wash it.


I am really struggling with the idea of going back to work tomorrow, this was a nice, very much needed break. I am even impressed with how little attention I paid to my Blackberry.  At least we have MLK Day off and I can look forward to a day of organizing the home office in peace and quiet.

Welcome 2011

While I have a lot of great memories of 2010, I am looking forward to a fresh start. I am however, going to take everything I learned and lived through in 2010 to help make me a better wife, mother, daughter and friend in 2011.

2010 was a tough emotional year for me.  We lost some great souls in 2010, the losses will forever change the way I approach each and every day and for that I am thankful, I am just sad that it took losing them for me to get with the program. I watched some dear friends suffer a loss so great that it still shakes me to the core, I am hopeful that 2011 will be a year filled with hope and not loss.

So for 2011 I am going to focus on being better.

Being a better wife...making Brad feel special and loved everyday, even when he snores in my ear and I want to throttle him

Being a better mother...showing the girls every single day how they make my heart soar and world go round

Being a better daughter...just flat out being nicer and more patient with my parents.

Being a better friend...picking up the phone and actually hearing my friends voices instead of relying on modern technology to keep the friendship alive.

Being a better steward with our family money...knowing where our money goes and using that to inform a budget that will hopefully set up our savings for success.

Being a better role model for my girls...eating healthy and getting in shape. I want to be here for years to come and I want to feel good and getting healthy is where it starts.

Being better about work-life balance...I need to set boundaries for myself and stick to them, I need to be as productive as I can be while I am at work and be as present as I can be while I am at home. I need to separate the work from my life as much as possible.

I have talked to Brad a lot about us focusing 2011 on needs vs. wants.  It's going to be tough, that isn't how we have lived for the 8 years we have spent as a couple, so its going to take some getting used to, and its going to take us both being honest and real with each other. We are still going to have fun and do special things and even buy things that we don't really "need", but we are going to be more thoughtful in our decision making. I will forgo a $100 shopping trip to Target so that we can put that $100 towards new lighting in the morning room or our new couch that we have been yearning for.

NYE at YaYa's

The girls all packed and ready for their "sleepover" at YaYa's House

Not us...we spent NYE with our dear friends and neighbors, but the girls spent NYE at YaYa and GaGa's house, they enjoyed a McDonald's Picnic on the floor and attempted to watch a little of Toy Story 1, but Olivia was afraid of the "little green guys" so she asked them to shut it off. I am guessing she isn't ready for a movie theater movie just yet, I was hoping to take her to Tangled while I was off this week, but knowing how scared I am guessing waiting a little while might be best.

 Avery waiting on Olivia get with the program...and yes, those pants are short, they are actually capris and yes, she is wearing yellow Croc's...50 degrees apparently felt like 75 to her, she dressed herself. 

Olivia ready to go, cup in hand...

Avery posing with the ottoman

Brad and I had a great night with great friends. We dined on Lasagna, enjoyed some bubbly and just enjoyed the company of great friends. I was feeling a little worse for the wear this morning, and truth be told I am not feeling like a million bucks just yet and its 4:30pm.  A big THANK YOU to my Parents for keeping the girls last night, the girls really enjoy their time spent with my Parents, while we were driving out of their driveway this morning Olivia said "Can we come back to YaYa's soon?". She loves her YaYa very much. 

Funny Olivia story...we were driving to my Parents yesterday afternoon/evening to drop off the girls and were at the light and Olivia says, out of the blue "Daddy, what is your car's name?" Brad responded with "I don't think it has a name". To that, Olivia says "I think I am going to call it Karate Kid, okay?" Where does she come up with this stuff? She also said yesterday morning...."Mommy, I don't sleep in a crib like Avery does anymore because my Noggin is too big". That Olivia Turner is one funny girl.