Let Me Give You a Little Piece of Advice

I go to Target often. Multiple times a week, sometimes. Look, I'm not proud of it.

Okay, I'm kind of proud of it.

It really got bad when my Target started selling basic groceries. They don't have all the options that HEB has, and they are not as well priced, but the fact that I can get decorative items, some new pajama pants, nail polish remover, Q-tips, chicken breasts, yogurt, salad, new dog bowls for Moxie, and a wide variety of flavored puffs for Ellie... well, that's just a gift. Cause you know what's not fun? Getting Ellie in and out of the hot car in multiple crowded parking lots. I like one stop shopping, is what I'm trying to say.

I love Target and it also scares me. I sometimes tend to lose control. But, since Ellie has been born, I've tried my best to rein it in. I'll be in the home decor aisles and I'll see a throw pillow, a decorative mirror, or a lovely, scented candle in a cute jar (oh, do not even get me started on the candles, they are my weakness) and I will put it in my basket. Perhaps I'm in the accessories area and a beaded necklace is calling my name. Into the big red basket it goes! But then, I start thinking about all the necessary items in my cart, such as diapers and food and a birthday gift for so-and-so, and I almost always end up putting that unnecessary decorative item back on the shelf. 

And then I pat myself on the back for all the self-control I'm displaying. 

Cause I don't need that candle. That's $10.99 that I don't really need to spend.

Fast forward to today.

We've been re-doing the dining room. I needed a cute, decorative centerpiece for the dining room table. I suddenly thought of a cute little knick-knack at Target that I've almost bought 12 times in the last 3 months. It's $24.99. Not extraordinarily expensive, but not a priority item. But today... after all the paint and new draperies, I feel like this little decorative item would add just the right touch of color and happiness to the new room.

After Ellie woke up from her afternoon nap, we headed out to Target to get a few grocery items as well as the $24.99 little floral arrangement. 

Side note: I think it's cute that Ellie totally knows where she is when we walk into Target. We clearly go there too much. As soon as we walk in she starts bouncing and pointing. 

Anyways, we checked off everything on the list. And then we went to home decor.

Y'all. It wasn't there. 

My little item that I've put back on the shelf with an abundance of self-discipline. 

Gone.

Nothing like it in its place.

Just, gone. 

I went up and down multiple aisles. "Maybe they've moved it", I thought. But, alas, it was nowhere to be found.

And then I proceeded to try to find something else that would work. But nothing really measured up. So, the moral of the story is:

When you see something you like at Target, you just need to go ahead and buy it. 

You're welcome. 

He Has a Point

Grant has been painting the dining room after work this week. He is about 95% done. This was our conversation tonight:

Grant: Hopefully by the time I go to bed tonight, it will be done.

Me: Do you want me to help you?

Grant: No, that's okay babe.

Me: Are you sure? Maybe together we could get it done faster.

Grant: Yeah, I'm sure. Besides, it's mainly just trim work that's left.

Me: So? What's that supposed to mean?

Grant: It means you suck at trim work.

Me: True story.

 

If My Life Was Like My Pinterest Boards

If my life was like my Pinterest boards, I'd cook creative, healthy meals for my family every day of the week using all organic ingredients. But, my life is not like my Pinterest boards, which is why I microwaved some tamales from HEB last night and poured Hormel chili over them.

If my life was like my Pinterest boards, my pantry would have organized, labeled tubs that said things like "Flour" and "Sugar" and "Seasonings" in beautiful fonts. But, my life is not like my Pinterest boards, which is why I cram stuff onto those shelves and pray that it doesn't come tumbling down. And stuff usually does.

If my life was like my Pinterest boards, my daughter would have a variety of meals each week to choose from that are healthy and introduce every major food group. But, my life is not like my Pinterest boards, mainly because Ellie's likes and dislikes vary  with every hour of the day. She liked grapes at lunch time, but 2 hours later, grapes are horrendous and offensive to her. Yesterday she ate black beans like it was the first meal she's ever had in her life. But today? Black beans? What is this monstrosity? Pretty sure she'd have the same 6 foods on repeat every day of her life if I'd let her. Sometimes, I let her.

If my life was like my Pinterest boards, I'd be wearing cute clothes every day with the perfect accessories and doing my hair in cute styles based on the tutorials I've been watching. But, my life is not like my Pinterest boards, which is why my hair has been in a non-styled pony tail every day this week and I've worn the same bracelets every day this week. And Wednesday I never got out of my pajamas, so there's that.

If my life was like my Pinterest boards, I'd be doing butt and leg workouts on my living room floor and using soup cans to do arm curls. I'd do 50 jumping jacks as soon as I got out of bed. But, my life is not like my Pinterest boards, which is why I consider walking to the mailbox enough of a workout. (Side Note: It's 100 degrees here, y'all. It just ain't happening.)

If my life was like my Pinterest boards, I'd have cute date nights with my husband and have cute ideas for stuff to do even if our date nights are at home. But, my life is not like my Pinterest boards, which is why we put Ellie to bed and then sit on the couch and play each other in Scramble with Friends on our iPhones while we watch Jimmy Fallon.

If my life was like my Pinterest boards, I'd make my own shampoo and conditioner to save money and even mix my own household cleaners that are free of toxins. But, my life is not like my Pinterest boards, which is why I ran out of shampoo the other day and got out of the shower sopping wet and dug a tiny hotel shampoo (probably from the year 2009) out of a drawer. And I caught Ellie holding a bottle of Pledge the other day. Don't worry, she didn't put her mouth on it. At least I don't think so.

If my life was like my Pinterest boards, my house would be well decorated with tons of DIY crafts and beautiful fabrics. But, my life is not like my Pinterest boards, which is why my dining room still has white carpet with white walls and white seat cushions and my dining room table has nothing on it. Nothing. It's just a bare table. That is all.

The thing is, I would love it if my life looked like the beautiful pictures that I see on Pinterest. I'd be thin, I'd love running, my home would be filled with organized closets and organic meals. I'd have an upholstered headboard complete with lamps from a garage sale that I refurbished. Ellie would be stimulated spiritually, physically, and educationally. I'd have chevron everywhere and something homemade in every room.

But y'all. All that beauty just isn't where my skill sets lie.

I can't DIY. But I'd like for someone to DIFM (Do It For Me) and I'll even pay you in Diet Cokes and frozen dinners.

The Precious

Here it is, in all of its glory.

The Dyson Animal. 

And y'all, the post I typed below... that's exactly how that went down. I was just sitting and blogging and being dramatic about the dog hair situation and Grant walked in holding it over his head like Simba. And my jaw dropped and I ran and hugged him and kissed him 18 times.

You never feel more like an adult than when you find yourself getting nearly to the point of tears over an EVER LOVING VACUUM CLEANER.

The thing is, we can't afford this thing. It's a pretty penny. Well, it's a multitude of pretty pennies. I kept saying "I can't believe you did this" over and over again. I mean really. We are budget conscious right now so this was a huge shock. At one point I said to him "Well, this will be my birthday present, too." He blankly stared at me and said "I am not getting you a vacuum cleaner for your birthday." Smart man. 

We sat together on the couch and assembled all the pieces. I wanted to use it immediately so badly but Ellie was taking a nap and while I was eager to try this new little addition to our family, I wasn't so eager as to wake up the sleeping beauty.

My friend Erica posted on Facebook that the first time they used their Dyson Animal, she was appalled at the result and that I should be prepared to be grossed out at the filth we had been living in.

Y'all.

Why have any of you been friends with us?

How as CPS not come to take our baby away?

Seriously. It is SO gross. GROSS. And it's not just the dog hair. I just can't even. It's horrifying.

That being said, I've vacuumed more in the last 36 hours than I have in all of 2013. I am a vacuuming machine. It's a little frustrating as Ellie wants to be a part of the vacuuming experience by chasing after me and grabbing the cord and nearly getting her precious fingers in the way but I am making it happen.

This thing is powerful. It sucks. And I mean that it the very best way.

May this be a declaration that I am not going to let us live in this filth any longer. 

Now, the clean, dry clothes that have lived in the dryer since Monday evening.... that's another story. Folding and putting away clothes is my kryptonite. My plan is to keep ignoring it for the time being.

The Floors

Vacuum.

Y'all. The dog hair in my house is about to be the end of me. THE END OF ME, I TELL YOU. It's everywhere. It's all over our clothes. All over the furniture. All over Ellie. She crawls around everywhere but she crawls on her belly which means her little shirts and dresses double as her own personal Swiffer. UGH. I love our dog but I do not love his millions of hairs.

I did a Facebook poll recently to ask people about vacuums. The vast majority told me to get a Dyson Animal. This sounds like a great idea. But, um, hi, I have a hard time shelling out that kind of cash for a vacuum cleaner. I know, I know. I'm sure if I bought it I would be singing it's praises for years to come. And maybe if it really helped our dog hair situation it would be absolutely worth it. All I know is that today I used our Eureka vacuum that is on its last leg and has pieces falling off of it and after a few minutes of using it I said "OH, JUST FORGET IT" very dramatically and unplugged it and put it in the closet and slammed the door.

I'm so calm and cool and collected.

NEVER MIND HOLY CRAP GRANT JUST WALKED IN HERE WITH A DYSON ANIMAL I GOTTA GO BYE.

The Little Prince

Y'all know I love me some royals. 

I mapped out the wedding itinerary weeks ahead of time and was up at 4:30am watching Kate Middleton become the Duchess of Cambridge.

I don't know why I care so much. Maybe it's because I had a crush on William in middle school. His picture from YM Magazine was taped to my bathroom mirror. Maybe it's because I find Kate to be so poised and lovely and she has handled all this craziness with such grace. 

Maybe it's because her hair is always completely flawless.

I don't know.

All I know is that for the last 10 days or so, every morning I would wake up when Ellie started fussing and before I went to get her out of her crib, I'd lay in bed and check the news sites on my iPhone to see if Kate was in labor.

Yes, I let my baby cry while I surfed the internet to see if a chick in London that I don't know might be experiencing contractions. My priorities are spot on.

 Monday morning I woke up to the news that she was in labor. And I seriously thought "Oh, thank goodness. Natalie from the Today Show has seemed bored out of her mind over there. Now she can finally go home."

Again, I've got a great handle on priorities in my life. 

After that, I was glued to the live feed of the hospital door. And then they announced that the baby had been born, and a boy at that! A tiny little 8 pound prince. A little prince who will be King of England. A roar went out among the crowd outside the hospital. I started laughing, thinking what it must be like to be in your hospital room holding your tiny little baby and hear hundreds of people cheering outside your hospital window! 

They haven't named him yet. I'm hoping it's Philip or George. William's full name is William Arthur Philip Louis so I'm pretty sure there's a chance that this new little prince could have one of my 2 picks somewhere in his four names!

Today I spent an embarrassing amount of time watching the live feeds again waiting for those hospital doors to open. And then they emerged!

Let's have a moment.

First of all - precious.

Second of all - the polka dot dress is a lovely choice. Pretty sure she chose it as an homage to Princess Diana who also wore polka dots when she stood on those same steps holding Prince William.

But let's get down to business. Let's talk about the most important thing. HER HAIR. Y'all. I know she had a stylist come to the hospital to fix her hair but really. YESTERDAY this chick was in labor for about 10 hours and then delivered that EIGHT POUND child naturally. And I'm sure right now she's sore and still bleeding and wearing all levels of pads and spanks under that lightweight little dress she's wearing. 

Let's take a moment and look at Puffy McPuffyFace as she left the hospital with her daughter.

So swollen. So puffy. 

I'm just glad that as we put that baby in the car the only person taking my picture was my husband and it wasn't broadcast to the entire world. 

For the love.

Ellie's First Birthday Party

Y'all.

Our Ellie Paige is ONE.

How do we have a one year old? I do not know. But somehow, according to the calendar, she is 12 months. This year has been amazing and funny and scary and tiring and worth it. So very worth it.

We had a small, family party at my parents' house for Ellie's first birthday. We grilled burgers and hot dogs. Grant said a prayer thanking the Lord for Ellie Paige, and then the party commenced! It was so fun to have everyone together under one roof. Ellie seemed a little overwhelmed at first, but all of a sudden her little personality couldn't help but shine through. 

Plus, she loves presents. She's not ashamed to admit that.

We were so thankful for the guests from out of town that traveled such a long way to celebrate our girl. The theme was butterflies!

The cutest banner from Etsy:

My mom found these precious butterflies at Garden Ridge:

 The goody bags for her cousins:

 Her special birthday dress. (Also an Etsy purchase!)

Getting her new car from Grammy & Pops, while her cousins Scarlett and Juliet share in her excitement.

 I think she was pretty pleased!

The cake was made by Virginia's Cakes! Marble cake with a butter cream frosting. My fave! Virginia also made our wedding cake. Full circle moment.

 The girl and her daddy.

 Time for cake!!

Oh my goodness. She was oh-so-very confused while all her people sang "Happy Birthday" to her. She stared at us with the funniest face. I couldn't stop laughing.

 Not sure.

"Okay.... this is pretty good!"

 After cake, the birthday girl took herself a birthday nap upstairs while the rest of the party took themselves outside. The kids swam and played on the swing set while the adults sat around and visited. 

It really was so wonderful. We are so thankful for how our friends and family love our sweet girl. 

On to the toddler years!