Old Man Beanbags

Oh, hey.

Haven't been on here in a while. Guess you're wondering why?

Well.

1. I'm pregnant. I have been sick. So freaking nauseous since day one and just wanting to sleep all day which means I have zero ambition. It's starting to let up but I still have periods during the day that make me want to punch someone. It could be worse, right?

I hate that saying.

Thanks for all the well wishes peeps. It'll be all good. 

2. I got a new job!!! It's awesome and exactly perfect for me, minus the little bit more of travel. 

Except I'm still doing my old job so you know, that's two jobs. So, there's that.

3. Remember that massive garden we planted? Yeah, it was doing really well so I was struggling to keep up with the canning. Because, pregnancy. I mean, I have a full cupboard but I should have, like two, except that whole pregnancy thing and we apparently have white mold that has destroyed everything. I think we're officially done-zo.

If you're wondering whether or not we'll have a garden next year, let's just say, it'll be a fraction of the size and there will be minimal canning involved.

Strugg city.

4. Well, ma dukes has breast cancer so that's you know, awesome. She should be just fine, so long as things haven't spread. She'll come out on the other side of it with two new boobies and a new hairdo so #fuckcancer

But really, it could totally be worse in this case and I'm glad it's not. Everything will be just peachy.

I also made her a fuck cancer cake. It was awesome.

 Pioneer Woman Strawberry Shortcake Cake

5. Life.

So that's that. I have no idea if I'll be able to post here over the next few months. I'll do my derndest but I'm having trouble staying on top of laundry, dishes, and today, bathing. It probably won't be good but just know that I love you all.

The end.

Middle finger Monday

Ain't feelin it. Just ain't feelin it.

The Bugsinator

The Bugsinator, aka Bugsy, aka Fultsy, aka Ry, aka, aka, aka has been really entertaining as of late.

First thing in the morning, I'm talking we just opened our eyes, and he busts out with:

"I want ice cream"

"I want Dunkin Donuts"

"Popkickle?"

"Watch movie?"

Or, he jumps out of bed at 6am and takes off running, to which I think, awesome he's going to the bathroom. Aaaaaaand he comes back with an ice cream sandwich.

Fail.

Then you have the middle of the night ramblings:

"Mommy. Mommy! Where are you"

"Mommy, why you leave me?"

Then the all day randomness:

"In beast mode mommy"

"I go races. Eat cotton candy"

"Wa you moon and back mommy"

"Moo"

"Why?"

"WHY?"

"For-evvvv-ah" (we've watched Sandlot 40 times since Saturday)

and our favorite "Where is em?"

and our least favorite at the moment "NO!"

Life with a toddler certainly is exhausting and a lot of time frustrating but it also happens to be a whole bunch of fun, hilarity and a lot wet sloppy smooches.

Happy Hump Day pals!

Well, shoot.

Just stumbled across this article on Babble.

What it really means to be a little boys mama

Thanks for ruining my afternoon internet.

But really though, so true.

I've reached an all-time low

Well, as of this morning, things have changed drastically around my house.

Have you ever farted before?

Yeah?

Me too.

Well, mommy woke up this morning and let a little toot go in front of Bugsy.

I said "excuse me", as any proper mommy would do.

To which he responded...

(with a foul look on his face)

"Oh mommy, you butt stinks. You need go potty"

And there go the days where I can freely pass wind around my house (when PB is gone).


Happy Wednesday bidges.

ma

The answer is always, ice cream

Monday, monday.

You are somethin else.

How was your weekend, frands?

We were busy but I don't really remember a whole heck of lot of the busy stuff. A lot of canning, a lot of picking, building, friends, dates with the boys, playing, hanging and some napping. All in all, solid.

I read that book, The Fault in Our Stars this weekend too. I mean. Have you read it? I'm still sad about it but I loved it. It's a very quick read, very easy to connect with the characters and you'll likely find yourself crying in the end. I may read it again. I definitely recommend it.

I haven't read a book for me in a long time. I realized very quickly yesterday morning that I need to be careful what I choose because I am one of those people that gets totally wrapped up in the story and connected to the characters and I always find myself in "recovery" after finishing a book. Like, somehow, everything that happened to the characters happened to me and I have to process those feelings when in fact, nothing is really wrong in my real life at all.

I'm so weird.

And that was a wicked long paragraph.

In other news, I just ate a fairly large bowl of ice cream with bananas and crackers. It hit the spot. I almost made cookies and realized that might be aggressive.

The perks of working for home are excellent for my wallet, not so great for my waist.

But truth be told, I needed it because today is one of those days thats just kind of ugly. Gray and raining. Bugsy ugly cried when I dropped him off this morning. It's not so warm, at all. It feels more like fall than summer. In fact, most of this summer hasn't really felt like summer. It's been a lot cooler than prior years, which is great on most days but makes me really nervous for my tomato plants.

Everything is just ugly today.

Speaking of tomatoes, they've stalled at green again. This is the second or third week of zero progress.

If anyone knows what to do with 20 plants full of green tomatoes, I will be forever grateful for your guidance and wisdom.

xxoo
ma

Yo Yo YOoooo

Happy Monday peeps!

Hope you had a good weekend and you know, last week was great too. Seeing how I didn't post at all. Things be happenin round these parts.

Over the weekend I took a little road trip to see my college girlfriends and awesome enough, got to spend time with one of their parents too. They are family and I love them dearly. Honestly, her mother could quite possibly be the sweetest woman I know.

Oh, and she can cook.

I ate a lot this weekend.

Have you ever had pizza on the grill?

It's pretty much the best thing ever. As a side note, I may or may not have had pizza for three days in a row last week. So that's something to be proud of.

Here's a recipe thats similar to the Pauley's. You can obviously use any kind of topping your little heart desires. We had a few different kinds. Even better, you can make big pizzas or make it a party and everyone can make their own.

And as I was browsing through my IG this morning, I came across a Panzanella recipe by who else, Pioneer Woman. Here's all she said:

"Dried bread cubes, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, red wine vinaigrette, parmesan, basil, salt and pepper, toss and let sit for an hour" or you could try this more complicated recipe

Either way, this is on my immediate to do list. Possibly this evening.

In other news, the yard has come alive!!! We are busy busy busy freezing and canning lately. I love it. Although, I am starting to feel like there are just not enough hours in the day. I am considering taking a few days off when my tomatoes turn red. I have 22 plants. No joke. Twenty-two tomato plants.

So here's what's growing, in case you're curious.

Squash
Zucchini
Cukes
Carrots
Broccoli
tomatoes
corn
snap peas
purple beans
green beans
watermelon
pumpkins
hot banana peppers
jalapenos
poblanos
green, red and orange bell peppers
blueberries
raspberries
blackberries

and I'm almost positive I'm missing something but yeah, I think might be able to reach my goal of 25%. I think, thats what it was anyway.

I might also be insane for planting so much.

Oh, and no chicks hatched. Boooooooo. I don't think the eggs were fertilized or perhaps it had something to do with Bugsy turning the incubator up to 120 degrees.

So that's that.

Keep on keepin on and if anyone has any yummy recipes to share send em my way!

xxoo
ma

Life Lately

1. Lots and lots of questions from Bugsy:

Mommy, how old you?

Mommy, popkickle?

Mommy, how doin?

How old daddy?

How old Buck?

Mommy, bugs?

How old car?

Mom?

Mom?


2. CCR




3. Weeding. Weeding. Weedingg.

4. Waiting and hoping and wishing and not praying but really hoping those eggs hatch some baby chicks in the next few days.

5. Missing friends and sleep. And fried pickles.

You?

Souvenirs from Nashville

Y'all. The food in Nashville is unbelievable.

I'm fairly certain that if I lived there, I would easily weigh 300lbs.

In addition to The Pharmacy, you must must try Puckett's for some quick BBQ and homemade cobbler and then follow that up with The Farm House. 

We literally ordered every single thing on the menu at The Farm House and shared family style. It was absolutely unbelievable. I will be dreaming of that meal for a long time to come.

And since it was so good, I looked up some recipes that I think will come close to my favorite dishes!

Plum Pie - The Farm House

I mean it when I say I've never had a pie so good. I think this recipe is close to what we had.

Shrimp and Grits - The Farm House

This will be such a long shot but it was seriously SO good. 

Homemade Cherry Cobbler - Puckett's

I'm going to give this one a try if the rain lets up and I can go pick some cherries! If that one isn't good, I'm going here.

Fried Pickles - Puckett's

I want a basket of these right this very second. Pickles.

In fact, I might go Nashville style this weekend and make some of that Pioneer Woman shredded chicken sammy's and all of the above.

Yep. Done and done.

Enjoy the weekend celebrating 'Merica!

We're apparently wicked American round these parts. 

Xxoo

Ma

On the road again

Guess where I am?

Nashville. 

Nashville. 

Nashville. 

Have I ever mentioned that I love this city? 

I love this city. 

Once upon a time, I almost moved here. It never panned out because the economy was in the shitter and then the timing was terrible because a job opened up right after I'd accepted a new one in Boston.  

Ain't that somethin?

I'm fairly certain that's just fate telling me to give it up and move on but I would move here in a heartbeat if I could. 

Sigh. 

Anyway, I'm here!

For work. 

But I'm here!

The city has changed so much since I was here last. Downtown is much busier and crazier than I remember. We went to a burger place in east Nashville last night and it was aaaamazing. If you're planning a trip here, hit up Thr Pharmacy. 

I also realized I can't hang anymore. We weren't out drinking, just had a really late dinner and I was exhausted. I could barely keep my eyes open toward the end. Weak sauce. 

Life lately is still a little bananas but I'm on the verge of a slow down and there is a small little light at the end of the tunnel beckoning me to keep moving forward. The rest of the summer should be a breeze with only a few trips here and there to see good friends which I am totally onboard with. The work trips that require weekends working and late dinners are just too much. I can't wait to get to the good stuff. 

Speaking of the good stuff, does anyone have a summer bucket list? I realized the other day that I didn't make one this year and felt sorta lame. 

So here she is!

1. Campfire and s'mores with Bugsy

2. Camping trip with ma boys

3. Gardening, gardening and more gardening (and canning)

5. Drink a ton of lemonade and grill erryday

6. Beach and fishing trips with the boys

7. Golf. I didn't golf at all last year. 

8. Spend time with friends and their babies before they grow up or go back home for the school year 

9. Drive in movie with Bugsy

10. Maybe add a few more animals to the "farm" (pretty please, PB?)

And do a whole lotta nuffin in between. 

Xxoo

Ma

Miranda

This is all I got today folks.

Happy Humpin Day

Happenins

Because sharing is caring.

1. Have you heard of The Skimm? You can sign up for daily emails that pretty much summarize all of the major headlines in the news. You can appear smart to your colleagues and not have to spend hours reading depressing headlines. Brilliant.

2. Well, it's official. I may need to co-sleep more than Bugsy. I spent an hour tossing and turning last night in my own bed, thinking I was doing the right thing by not going to bed in Bugsy's room. Finally, around 11:30, I said, eff this and drifted off happily with my bambino sleeping across my body with his foot in my face. I'm good. We're good. I don't know why I am beating myself up over this but maybe because we're meant to feel like it's a huge no-no. And not for nothin, everybody's doing it just no one has the balls to say it. 

3. Kingy has changed his name to Bugsy. Did I mention that? We never really called him Kingy and actually called him lots of random things until one day he declared to PB that his nickname was Bugs. So we go with Bugsy and he answers. For those of you that have been following along for a while now, I hope you are ok with change. It's inevitable.

4. Did you buy Miranda's new album yet? And if not, why the hell haven't you? It's goooooood. I'd say I like about 75% of the album and that's just because I haven't listened to the other 25% enough to get on board. Do it. Do it now.

5. Did I share that my boobs are officially A status? As in, homegirl went from a B cup to an A cup (possibly even a double A on special days?). Sad. Then I remembered I fed my babe and that the alternative is boobs that sag to my belly button and need a lift. I ain't down with surgery so I'll take that club membership to the Itty Bitty Titty Committee and go about my buidness. But clearly, I'm not over it because I still think WTF when I put on my bra every morning.

6. Edible things are growing in my garden and in approximately 17 days, I hope to have baby chickens!!!! AH!

The end.

Domestication

Ok, so now that the wedding is over it's game time in the kitchen.

I can FINALLY spend an hour in the kitchen and not feel bad that I'm not outside helping PB.

First, Strawberry Banana Bread from Chew Out Loud

Turns out, Bugsy and I didn't pick enough strawberries for me to make two batches of jam and so I was left with an awkward amount of berries about to go south. I randomly googled this bread and went with the simplest recipe. I can tell you because I've had three portions, it's awesome! I will say that I still favor blueberry banana bread over strawberry but that's just preference. This bread was moist on the insde and crunchy out. We loved it.

Roasted/Grilled Brussel Sprouts

I intended to make skewers but we only have wood sticks (they break) and so that went out the window fast. I whipped this up based on the food network recipe by Alton Brown  and they were pretty good.

I ran out of olive oil right before I made these and had zero paprika so this is what I came up with.

2ish cups of halved brussells depends on how hungry you are.
2 tbsp of melted butter
1 tbsp minced garlic
salt & peppah to taste
dah of cayenne (more if you're brave)

Mix up all of the ingredients in a bowl and then toss in brussels. Place brussels in aluminum foil and fold into a nice little package sealing them in. Toss on the grill for 20-30 minute and with about 5 minutes to go, give it your best shot to grill them a bit to make them crispy. I dumped the package on my grill and it surprisingly went well. Only a few fell through. Just be careful you don't start a fire or something.

How's that for science?

Beer can chicken

Ok. I don't love this. I don't know what went wrong but I will probably never make this again. I think my expectations were a little high. Or maybe it was because I used bud light? I don't know. The only reason I'm sharing is because maybe you can figure it out and fix my life.

Here.

Let me know and good luck to you.

Just stuff

Well, this is going to sound weird but I was an all you can eat buffet last night.

(sorry, mom)

Y'all. I am COVERED in spider bites.

Spider. Bites.

And by covered, I mean I have like six but good lord, what could have possibly gone on? Did everyone come out of hiding and decide they needed a mid-night snack?

And not to mention, they are ginormous. So that means it was big spider, right?

I hate spiders.

Needless to say, I've started packing up my belongings.

Anyway!

HI!!!!

Holy hell has this month been a whirlwind!

SO the wedding was fun. It was probably just like every other wedding. Dancing, drinking, drinking, dancing, etc. It came together perfectly and I really wouldn't have changed a single thing, except maybe the dj. Yeah, the dj.

But otherwise, it was great. I don't think I was a bridezilla (don't ask my friends) and definitely didn't have expectations that things would be perfect, even though I would have liked them to be because I am Type A and a perfectionist if we're being honest. But it was good. I pretty much danced my pants off all night and wasn't even white girl wasted. Go me.

Thanks to my girlfriends and family that helped make this thing happen. I couldn't have done it without you and I can't say thank you enough.

But I can say, I am so happy it's over.

It was awesome but I'm glad it's done.

And hey, I am a Mrs.

So that's different.

But life is pretty much the exact same as it was before and I am totally onboard with that.

I had a week off after the wedding which was much needed. I spent that entire time napping, playing with Bugsy (I'll get to that later) gardening, visiting people and cleaning. It was glorious.

And I know you're wondering, with all of that vacation time why didn't that slacker post? Well, because I needed a break from life. We worked our balls off to get that thing done and I needed to just do a whole lotta nothing.

Follow that up with a work trip to Orlando after being off for almost two weeks and you could say things were hectic. This week I'm home and playing catch up but am not too overwhelmed. Until I head to Nashville on Saturday for another work conference. I'm not upset about that.

So that's that. That's what I've been doing. More fun stuff to come now that I can breathe and cook dinner and we can all go to bed at a reasonable hour.

And finally, look at how awesome our photographer is!!! You can see more pics here and I'll be sure to share more once she finishes editing. She's the bomb.

Also, her sister killed it in the hair and make up department. She also helped me a ton with decor. I pretty much borrowed, repurposed or used stuff from my house for the entire thing. It was awesome to not spend a forture on making things look pretty.

Book them both if you can. They are both so, so talented.

 

 

My absolute favorite.

 

Snickers Dip

This is going to be the first thing I eat after the wedding.

Snickers Dip

Yeah. I can get on board with that.

Gratitude

I have a weekend hangover and 11 days left until show time.

I was feeling bad for myself because I'm so tired and blah blah blah but then I saw this

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." -Melody Beattie

And I'm over it.

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend. Thank you to the men and women who make holiday weekends, weddings, babies and the like possible. We owe you everything.

xxoo
ma

Cray

Thank you sweet baby Jesus for Hump Day!

I took yesterday off to celebrate The King's second year of life.

It was not as glamorous and happy as I'd hoped.

To be honest, he was kind of bitchy.

He woke up kicking me and yelling at 6am.

Which should have been my first clue to forget about it being a good day but I decided we were going to power through and make this day FUN!

So first, we hit up Starbucks. To my pleasant surprise, they were sold out of our favorite breakfast sandwich and Kingy refused to eat the one I bought him.

Who doesn't eat bacon?

That should have been my second clue to turn around and call it a day but oh no, the show must go on!! Extremely chipper now, we made our way over to Target where Kingy was allowed to fill the cart with (almost) anything his little heart desired. I kind of like that tradition for now.

We almost made it out of the store without an episode until he tried to ride on the front of the cart, which I was ok with, until a worker lady started lecturing him how it was dangerous and he should get down but we all know, was really lecture me about how it was unsafe. Which honestly made me want to punch her in the face and pissed The King right off.

Like I'm sprinting through the aisles with my kid on the end of a cart?

Thanks. Dick.

But I didn't punch her in the face and only mumbled under my breath about how she should worry about her job and not my kid. I paid for our junk and we happily headed to the zoo.

As I write this, I realize I've lost my marbles.  

The zoo was fun. Slight bitchy-ness but only minor hiccups along the way. He done good.

Did I mention he refused to talk to ANYONE that called to wish him a happy birthday?

Yeah. Onward!

The afternoon, however, was another story. Homeboy was over everything. He decided napping was so yesterday and only for one year olds so he got about 15 minutes in the car and then pretty much refused to go back to sleep once we landed home.

Ok buddy.

So we headed out to run errands, the duck pond, played some baseball and grabbed ice cream.

Something has to work, right?

I'm really running him into the ground at this point but I don't care. IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!

Stupid.

Stupid. Stupid.

The rest of the afternoon went much the same, climaxing at the point where he became overtired and hungry and then proceeded to pull what would have been his birthday pie onto the floor. Smashing his graham cracker crust everywhere.

Awesome.

We recovered with a stack of chocolate chip cookies, one scoop of ice cream and two candles.

And I just about died from it all.

So here's hoping three is better.

(I can hear you laughing)

Last night as a 1 year old.

Dancing on tables. (Insert emoticon with the covered eyes)

So old.

Fill'er up!

"I ready mama"

Over. It.

I'm not kidding, he threw a ball to me in the air from this far away.

xxoo
ma

What the hell just happened?

Y'all. Things are bananas.

With only 19 days left until the big day, we went from being almost done with getting the house/yard together to having a massive mess. 

Yeah. That's our chimney. Being torn down.

Now look closely.

Past the dreamy sun flare.

You see it?

Yeah, that's a pile of rubble.

Or a lawn ornament.

Pretty, isn't it?

I can't even. 

In other news, one of our decks is painted (almost). I just need to get the face done, the little box that covers our propane tank and throw some chairs and hanging baskets up there and call it a day. Here's a before and almost after. 

I don't know if I have ever worked so hard physically before. Shoveling and painting and up and down a ladder and on and on.

The good news is the front of the house is almost done too. That was a big project. We just have to finish painting that deck and I'll post the before and after.

I kinda want to paint my garage door and the shed doors.

Such craziness. 

Also, I should probably start working out again. My ass is all sorts a jiggly. 

You know, stop sleeping and just work out all night.

Speaking of ass jiggle, I made the most amazing lunch and cake for the fam yesterday. It was my mom's birthday and an "I'm sorry you have to help us with the house again" meal.

Pioneer Woman - Pulled BBQ chicken. 

That woman does not disappoint. Two things. Make the slaw. I used chicken breast, not on the bone and cooked for 60 minutes at 350. Ain't nobody got time for 300 for 90 minutes.

Amazing.

Potato Salad with eggs and bacon

This was my own concoction of boiled potatoes, hard boiled eggs (4), chopped up crispy bacon (1/2 package), sour cream (most of a jar), relish (to taste) and salt/peppah (to taste). No proportions, really, just taste it as you go. You could probably add celery and sweet onions too. I just didn't have that much ambition, or any celery. It was gooooood.

Double Chocolate Raspberry Cake

I can't find the recipe online for the one I made but this is pretty darn close (minus espresso). I also added raspberries between layers and on top (obviously).

It was so, SO good.

Also, I need a cake stand.

The end.


Happy Monday'ing friends!
ma

Heart Aches

This morning was rotten.

I have been rotten.

Kingy and I are going on two weeks straight of being sick and whiny and downright miserable.

I have zero patience lately. He is completely whiny but it's not his fault. He doesn't feel well.

I yelled this morning.

It was a decent morning, considering how bad they've been lately, but it ended in about 10 straight minutes of whining, just as we were trying to get out the door.

I yelled. Man, did I yell. And I scared him and made him cry.

And I'm ashamed.

I tried every trick I had this morning. I ignored him. I tried to give him what he wanted, which turned out to be not what he wanted. I ignored again. I asked him politely to stop. Then I raised my voice and then I yelled and walked away from him.

And I made him cry.

He forgot about it in about two seconds and our ride to school was just fine. He reminded me to grab my wallet and then I apologized. He said "I sowwy. Wa you mama".

Then I dropped him off at daycare and he cried for a second and asked me for a kiss.

Kids forgive so easily.

I got to work feeling like the tiniest human on the planet. A no-good, worthless, rotten mom.

I've been kicking myself about it all day.

Then I checked my instagram during lunch and saw this bright-eyed, fire engine red haired, vivacious 3.5 year old little boy, named Ryan, that tragically lost his life over the weekend. My feed quickly filled up with #redballoonsforRyan, prayers and pictures of this little guy with his mom and I thought "I bet she would give anything to have a whiny, temper tantrum, sick little boy".

And I cried at my desk.

I don't know why I felt compelled to share all of this with you. I guess I'm hoping maybe you'll squeeze your little ones a little tighter tonight, have more patience than me and say a prayer for that poor family.

I'll try harder tonight.

xxoo
ma

Cinco de Drinko

I can't stop thinking about margaritas.

Specifically, jalapeno margaritas.

We had them a few weeks ago and they were SO good.

Give this recipe a try today for me, will ya?

Or maybe blackberry margs...

Oh, and these shrimp tacos.

And maybe these enchiladas?

Or this Queso Fundido?

Just gimme all the Mexican food!

Hey Hey

How goes the Monday battle?

We are killing it over here with some Hand/Foot/Mouth awesomeness, soreness and zero sleep.

If someone can tell me why my kid won't sleep and how I can make him sleep without giving him whiskey, I will love you for the rest of my life.

And I'll throw in some cookies for good measure.

We had a ridiculously productive weekend to spite the cold, rainy weather and both, Kingy and I, being sick.

First, we have most of that little front of the house project completed!!! PB needs to fix the siding so that I can finish planting my hostas but otherwise, she's good  to go! I'll share pictures when I put my pots and window boxes out.

I still have a bunch of plants to go in around the house but we need to tackle painting the decks first. I think we're planning to pressure wash them this weekend. And maybe celebrate my birthday, I don't know.

We also put up half of our garden fence (oh my word, I am going to have an enormous garden). I think it's something like 10x180 feet. Whoa. Once we finish putting up the fence, I'm going to paint that sucker white. I can't wait! It's going to be super cute.

The chickens have been fenced! Mulch has been spread! And I'm feeling much, much better about the house situation.

Now to get started on that massive wedding to-do list...

Also, I learned this weekend that "working" for a man doing hard labor is just about the last thing on earth that I would ever want to do on a regular basis. PB only wanted to kill me a few times and it's a serious improvement from last weekend's picket fence building but good LAWD, they are rough. There is no tip-toeing around anything. I'll tell you that much.

In other news, I am still contemplating the Whole 30 aaaaand I impulsively bought Martina McBride's new album on the way to work this morning. It's not country. It's soul and kinda rock and it's goooooooooood. I should not be allowed to have iTunes on my phone.

I didn't really take any pictures this weekend because my phone was dead for most of it and I was bustin my balls, workin hard and shiz. It felt good to disconnect. Try it. Just for 24 hours.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

xxoo
ma

Few Thangs

Ok, it's hump day.

I can handle that.

Rain, not so much.

But, at least it's not snow?

I'm finally coming out of this awful sickness. It has only been a few days but a long time since I was sick last so I had sort of forgotten how rotten it is.

I still feel like dookie but today is better than yesterday and for that, I can be thankful. I am, however, still feeling rather uninspired and sluggish so hopefully that goes away soon.

So, I want to ask you about a few thangs.

First, have you heard of this oil pulling thing?

Oil Pulling

Does that not sound like the strangest thing to do, in the history of ever?

Does it work?

Second, a lot of the broads (I mean that in the nicest way possible) that I follow on Instagram take wicked awesome pictures and share recipes and inspiring this that or the other but lately, I've noticed how many of them are really, really Godly.

Is that even a word?

And don't get me wrong, I respect that. I have my own views that also happen to involve God but I just can't understand how they are so obsessed (for lack of a better word). Seriously. I don't mean that in a bad way. It seems that they are really, really Godly. I am struck by their devotion, yes! that's the word, devotion. I guess, I don't really understand it.

Clearly, I'm babbling.

I went to church recently with PB's mom and it was lovely. And inspiring. And so I guess, these women are so Godly that they profess it all day and all night to remind themselves of the bigger picture? Is that it?

Am I a bad person because I don't?

I'm not interested in debating anything and I'm not interested in being lectured on God. I'm just curious, I suppose. Can they truly be that devoted?

Maybe I am missing something?

And I'm not judging either. So don't get all "those who live in glass houses" blah blah blah on me. I've just never been around people that are like that and so I'm curious. That's all. To each their own. And I mean that.

Anyway, food for thought on this miserable April day.

xxoo
ma

Monday, Monday

Big case of the Mondays over here.

We had a jam packed weekend and I think as a result, I'm extra tired and extra sick today.

I think this weather has something to do with it too. And I know, that's probably something mom's just made up to make their kids bundle up or stay inside when the weather is crappy but I really think it's true. This weather is just brutal and it finally caught up with me.

Did I mention it's supposed to rain for the next week?

That'll make things interesting considering we've officially hit crunch time with only six weeks until the big day. We're going to have to work on the house, yard and wedding stuff every single nice day and weekend from now until June. To be fair, we've been putting this stuff off since we moved in so it needed to be done.

We're still working on this really, really awkward space in front of the house but Matt and I (yes, I totally helped a ton) put up a little fence and it's really starting to look cute! We even built the door ourselves. How bout them apples?

This used to be all ugly grass, a beige door (I simply painted) and an ugly front step. We're going to stain/paint the new step and fill this cute little space with flowers and shrubs. I'm hoping it will be super cute!

Not a great picture but you get the idea

Next is repainting the fence because it was muddy and nasty, plant flowers and shrubs, get my window boxes up and pots full of flowers! Then I should be done and we can focus on the flower beds around the house, yard work, building a nice firepit, painting the decks and possibly painting the chicken coop (PB doesn't know about that one yet).

As for wedding stuff, I finally picked up dresses for the bridesmaids and flower girl. Ma Dukes and I picked up her dress on Saturday so that was good. I still need to figure out flowers but I figure, if push comes to shove, there are enough grocery stores in the area that I should be able to find something to put on the tables...even if they are $6 bouquets of flowers.

I'm so high maintenance.

And finally, to put the icing on the cake, Gracie-Mae and Bucky-chacho pulled out all the stops this morning.

They literally went gangbusters in my house and tore. shit. up.

Ole PB didn't know the dog door was open in the mudroom and so when he locked them in their kennel for the day, to their sheer joy, they escaped into the house to see their people.

I was showering at the time but I could here all hell breaking loose outside the door.

We're talking covering my floors and BED in mud. Jumped on Kingy and woke him up. Peed all over my carpet because they were SO excited to be alive at 6:15 in the morning. And on and on and on...

Add in chickens eating my news bushes and flowers. Fried starter plants. Stepping in poop and the inability to swallow, I'd say today is going rather well.

And I just realized I forgot to take something out for dinner.

Cheers!

Everyone walks their duck decoys, right?

Biggest pancake I ever saw.

Before the dog incident. How cute, right?

xxoo
ma