Firefly Dreams

Avoiding Holiday Hustle

2012-01-02T02:03:00.000-06:00

Thanks for the guest post by Jo Levy

I need to order now internet service before the holiday hoobla gets started. I hate getting out in the holiday crowds at the mall. There are just too many people and I get overwhelmed and can’t look at things. That’s why I decided that I needed to try and do all of my shopping this year on-line. I also heard about this website that gives you kick backs from ordering things on-line. The website is called Ebates.com, my mother in law told me about it. Apparently, you sign up and use the website as a spring board to order things from different retailers on-line. You can get up to ten percent back on your purchases. They write you a check at the end of every quarter, or if you have a PayPal account ( which I don’t but probably need to get one) , they will just send all of the money to your account. It seems easy enough and sounds like I can save a lot of money and anxiety this holiday season by shopping on-line. It will be a first, but anything that can keep me out of the holiday hustle, I am ready to try!

One year and counting

2011-12-14T21:17:00.002-06:00

I am officially a sophomore nursing student.

Twelve months.

Four Classes.

Three Semesters.

I will be done. There is finally a light at the end of the tunnel and I can see it. And I must say, it is nice to be surrounded by people that support me & offer encouragement. I love you guys!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-12-06T20:16:00.002-06:00

1) There's a new family blog in the works.....I promise.

2) One most test and I am officially a "sophomore" nursing student. Almost one year to go. The countdown ticker will commence shortly. One more test next Tuesday and I get a break. Woohoo!

3) Christmas came early for me. I scored some awesome Black Friday deals online and got a Kitchen Aid stand mixer and a new set of knives. As soon as I got the mixer, I made a batch of sausage balls and "attempted" to make cookies. I used the word I did because I ran out of stick butter and "attempted" to use tub butter. Let's say, Craig had chocolate chip pancakes.

4) I'm thinking about going to the Decatur Christmas Parade for the first time in ages. Hopefully, the weather will hold out and not rain again.

5) One thing I love about this time of year is that Duke gets super snuggly. Normally, he's independent, just sleeps wherever. When it gets cold, he loves to snuggle under the sheets down by my feet and sneaks up in the morning to give me a snuggle when it's time to get up. He's absolute sweetness and I love him tons.

6) Can you believe it's been a year since Harley was hit by a car? She's recovered fabulously. Her leg still bothers her at times, mostly when the weather changes or if she plays too hard. Or if you happen to ask her if she has a "broke leg". Improper grammar & all, she's rotten. Rotten to the core.

7) I've been doing a ton of Christmas shopping online this year, which totally makes me happy. It's amazing the deals you can score if you just take the time to put a little effort into it. No need to hold off on what you've been waiting for. Put those michael kors watches on your list and see what magic happens.

8) It would really be nice if it would snow again on Christmas this year, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I'd turn blue...

9) When I got my new washer, I decided to try Gain Apple Mango Tango detergent. OMG, I totally *heart* it and it makes everything smell so good. I'm hooked.

10) I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week.

Flowers with Love

2011-12-01T20:02:00.002-06:00

I love it when Craig sends flowers to me. Usually, he saves the for a "surprise" but I do get them for special occasions too. Some people don't like fresh flower arrangements because they don't last forever, but I do enjoy them while I have them. I usually leave them on my desk instead of bringing them home so I can enjoy them at work as long as possible. Sometimes he uses a local florist and a few times, he's ordered using an online service. I must say, I've never been disappointed.

It's really easy to Send Flowers these days. When I need a bouquet sent somewhere, I usually just give them a price range and tell them to work their magic. It amazes me the types of creations they come up with. I personally would just be good stuffing some flowers in a vase and crossing my fingers.

Moving In

2011-11-21T06:03:00.001-06:00

Thanks for the article from Isaiah Gaines

I love it here and my boyfriends agrees: Memphis is the perfect place for us. Our families weren’t crazy about us moving in together but it just made the most sense what with both of us getting new jobs in a new city. Why would we pay rent at two different places when we spent the night together almost every night anyway? So we got security system memphis and painted the walls and even went to the pound for a dog and now we’re a happy little family living in sin in East Memphis. I actually really love the city and I know Mark does too and we’ve been talking a lot about marriage lately which is really exciting. I can’t wait to see where the future takes us but I know that no matter where it is, it’s going to be good as long as we’re together. My family loves him and I know they’ll eventually get over the fact that we moved in together before marriage. I mean, it’s the 2000s!

Long time no see

2011-11-20T21:17:00.003-06:00

Yeah, I've been busy. Shame on me.

Not much has been going on, a few trips to two B&B's in Tennessee and a load of school work. There's still the "thought" of a new Stover blog in the works, but at this moment, it's a thought I haven't seem to bring to life yet. So, for now, you can read blog posts sprinkled with words like agadir hair products in the mix. Clinicals are finished for this semester & the holidays are upon us. So hang in there while I tried to get everything back to snuff.

Quick Update

2011-09-25T21:58:00.002-05:00

1) Nursing school is plugging along. I'm pretty much worn out come friday afternoon after working all week, having class on Tuesday nights and then clinicals on Wed/Thurs nights. But it means I get my weekends back this semester and that's worth it. Craig lets me sleep in on Saturday to make up for the lack of sleep during the week.

2) Happy Birthday, Honey. Yep, another birthday snuck up and bit him on the hiney. He had a great day, I let him smoke some ribs so he was a happy camper.

3) I managed to catch a great deal on two christmas gifts for sister today, so that's one less gift to shop for. Now she just has to wait.

4) I splurged today and bought a kitchen knife I had been eyeballing for awhile. It deserves it's own post when it gets here.

5) Hope everyone has a great week!

First Date

2011-09-20T08:22:00.000-05:00

Contributed by Cameron Hodge

Last night I went on a first date with a guy named David. David and I met at a concert about a month ago and we’ve been trying to find a time to go out ever since. David came to pick me up at my house and then drove me to a restaurant a few blocks away. The restaurant was nice and the atmosphere was perfect. We talked for a while about my job, then about his job, family, and travels. When we finished dinner we headed to the park where they were screening The Birds. After the movie David dropped my off at my door. It was still pretty early. He gave me a short, sweet, kiss on the cheek that made me like him more than any other part of the date. When I let myself in, I sat down and watched That 70’s Show on Direct tv. I couldn’t help but think to myself that I enjoyed watching television alone more than I enjoyed any part of the date. That’s probably a good sign that there shouldn’t be a second date.

Looking for Deals

2011-08-14T07:52:00.002-05:00

I'm always scoping out the internet looking for deals & savings. I have several AWESOME pages on Facebook that are always popping up and keeping me on top of things for savings, freebies, and frugal ideas. I don't always take advantage of all of them and sometimes, I'll even go days without checking them out. But when I see something that it looks like a lot of people might try to snatch it up, I'm on it, like dropdowndeals promo codes. Let me tell you, every one loves a good promo codes. I search for promo codes for just about any site I shop online. Free shipping, % off, it all adds up!

Hurry up, Fall!

2011-08-12T21:16:00.002-05:00

This break in weather has me hoping that fall comes in a hurry! Too bad my brother-in-law sold his 4-wheeler, it would have been nice to take out this fall. Hmmmm, maybe one day I'll have to let Craig get one...I might ride on it some. Ha, ha. I actually got on it for the first time in a LONG time a few months ago and I loved it. I could see me tricking one out with all kinds of pink ATV Accessories. Gotta make it Princess-like, dontcha know!

Maybe one day I'll have one, but not today!

The Big Move

2011-07-22T14:34:00.000-05:00

Guest post from: Kent Lara

I am moving to Birmingham, Alabama next week from Pasadena, California and someone please remind me to never move again. Ever. I have told my husband that I will seriously die in this next house that we bought because I am SO SICK of packing and labeling and moving and not being able to find anything! Plus moving is expensive! I seriously cannot believe how much you have to pay people to come and pick up boxes, transfer them on to a truck, and then sit behind the wheel of an oversized truck only to pick up boxes again. Along with that, there are so many hidden costs- closing costs, real estate fees, etc. Then you have to somehow remember to transfer all of your accounts and bills to your new place! You have to also get your services changed- like I went to expertSatellite.com to get my new satellite, I had to figure out the electricity and water companies, etc. Sorry- I’m not trying to complain but I think we can all agree that moving is the worst.

Sleep with one eye open

2011-07-16T21:16:00.000-05:00

I had an offer to get life insurance quotes for Craig & myself so I went ahead but didn't hold my breath.

Woohoo! We got approved. When I told Craig about it, he said, "I guess I need to start sleeping with one eye open."

Yep, you might want to. I'm just happy that we finally got a policy. It's not fabulous, but it will take care our needs should something happen to one of us.

Won't be long now

2011-07-13T23:08:00.002-05:00

My beach vay-cay is rapidly approaching. YAY! When I booked it during our Snowpocalypse, I thought August would never get here. I guess I should have paid a bit more attention to those weight loss pills for women commericals.

I can't wait to get my butt in the sand and my toes in the ocean. There's just something cleansing and peaceful about the beach. Gulf Coast waters, take me away. I just need the sun to come out some more so I can touch up my tan a bit. It's been a while since I've been able to get in the pool since is started clinicals last week. So far, I'm hanging in there with an 87 average, which I am happy with.

Nursing Projects

2011-07-11T21:23:00.004-05:00

I came across these Table top displays and I'm sure there's going to be one in my future. Nursing students just LOVE to do projects that our instructors think up at the last minute. Lucky for me though, the budget of a nursing scholl student is minimal, so I don't think we'll be buying them from the above referenced site. I need Budget Displays!

Is it fall yet?

2011-07-09T22:28:00.003-05:00

Ugh.

That's all I can say about our weather. It's hot. Smoldering some days. Sticky, humid, Alabama summers.

This summer so far has been rough on my eyeballs. At first I thought it was simply allergies causing my blurred vision. Oh, it was bad enough that I actually put on the old designer reading glasses which I NEVER wear, EVER.

I tried allergy drops, antibiotic drops, you name it, my vision was still intermittently blurry.

A little additional research led me to the source of my frustration: dehydration.

I realized that I had not been drinking enough liquids in the preceeding days and lo and behold, I pushed fluids heavily for a few days and my vision improved.

DRINK UP!

Scrapbook Stuff

2011-06-13T06:41:00.002-05:00

I'm going to be getting rid of a bunch of paper scrapbook supplies in the near future. Most of it is baby related (boy & girl) and whatever else I can find, not limited to cutting tools, stamps, stickers, paper. I'm not going to use it anytime soon and it's just collecting dust. If anyone thinks they might be interested, leave me a message. I don't know how much I have or what the asking price it yet, but it will be reasonable.

Crappy Loans

2011-06-07T06:44:00.003-05:00

After I stayed up late (again!) the other night, it amazes me that payday advance loans places still exist in this ecomony. It's sad that people turn to those places not realizing just exactly how much they been sucked into paying back. There should be some kind of govt law that helps the regulate businesses like that. I know here, it seems like they are on every corner, right next to all the banks & churches we have.

Solar Power Saves Me Money

2011-05-24T10:10:00.000-05:00

Contributed by Vickie Tyson

When I look at my house I know that it is going to be able to save me quite a bit of money. That is because I have decided to install a green technology with the help of Shopelectricityratestexas that can help me save money on my house. The main technology that I use is going to be solar power. That power is going to be enough to supply my home with the electric that I need to have.

I know that for me the solar power that I have is going to be a good thing. That is because I know that my home is going to be free for power for a long time coming. With the rising energy cost I knew that it was going to be a good thing to put in now because my electric bill was going well over three ! hundred dollars a month.

However, with the new solar power system that I have installed I know that the green energy is going to help me save the money that I needed. Then I also knew that it was going to allow me to help save the planet at the same time by reducing the amount of energy that my home was drawing from the power grid which meant the less work that the electric plant was going to have to produce for my house.

Certifications

2011-05-22T23:08:00.002-05:00

I've started to make a list of different certification I can get through the hospitals that will help me become more marketable. Learning to read an ecg is one of those areas I can get certified in. Others, like ACLS (Advanced Cardiopulmonary Life Support) and Neonatal Resuscitation are options on the tables. You know me, I'll do all that I can to hopefully land a good job when I get finished with school. Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it.

Going Electronic

2011-05-20T23:12:00.002-05:00

Our office is making the slow, painstaking transition to EMR or electronic medical records. I keep telling them how much more efficient we will all be when this is finalized, but I don't think they believe me. We've got things like MegaMeeting Enterprise Software to keep us going while we have tons of companies trying to get in to demo their software. I think all offices have until 2014 to be fully compliant with EMR. So we have time.

Summer is almost here

2011-05-11T21:43:00.000-05:00

Well, not for me. I have Maternity/Peds Nursing the summer. So while Ryan is playing his psp game and sleeping in, Craig and I will be plugging away at our educations. I took my B for the semester (it was an 89) proudly. I had the option to take the final, but my poor brain was just about burned out.

Mother's Day went as well as could be expected. Craig took me to The Melting Pot. It was yummy, yummy as always. I love that place. If you haven't been, we both recommended it. It's great for date night!

Blog Sharing

2011-04-09T22:42:00.002-05:00

I found a blog that talks about different rings called makemymothersring.com. She's got some great tips on how to find great rings, and way to find them at discounted prices. Hopefully, she'll get some good traffic to her site now that I've helped get the word out.

Speaking of rings, I need to take my wedding ring in and have it cleaned and inspected to maintain the warranty. That's always a good thing, right? I'm glad we bought the warranty on it because a long as I have it inspected on a regular basis, it covers the loss of any of the diamonds and they will be replaced free of charge. Good call on Craig's part.

Remote Security

2011-04-06T22:23:00.002-05:00

We went shopping a few weeks ago and had our first experience with remote security cameras. Oh yeah, we are totally in awe. We could set up cameras around our home AND access them from our laptop anywhere. We can video tape. Talk about feeling secure in your surroundings. I wish we would have had something like this when my car was broken into a few years. I know Craig wouldn't worry so much about leaving me at home by myself if we had security cameras installed for my safety. On the flip side, it would be good for checking up on a sneaky spouse or a baby sitter. Could save you a ton of money in the long run.

Happy Hump Day

2011-04-06T22:22:00.001-05:00

1) Ryan is going on a cruise to Mexico this weekend. I advised him that he'd better behave or he might be making corn tortillas for the rest of his life. Him Mom told us to enjoy our week without him.

2)If you don't have a sleep mask, I highly recommend one. Brittni gave me one last year and Craig has one now. I sleep so much better when all the light is gone AND Craig can play on his laptop in the bed without me turning into Crabby Wife. Get one, you'll love me for it!

3) Mother's Day is coming up and I'm always looking at new ideas. Some suggested that I search for mothers necklaces personalized and I came across this:

I love it. I hope to have one of my own one day.

4) Spring Semester is almost over. Summer starts May 31st for me. No rest for the weary. But in the end, I will be richly blessed & so will the lives of my patients.

Tired of Bland Salsa

2011-04-03T10:25:00.001-05:00

**Guest post written by Claire Hutton

The other day I went to a Mexican restaurant that I hadn't frequented in a long time and the salsa that they served with their chips was just so bland that it barely tasted like anything. I was pretty disappointed about that, so I went home and decided that I would try and make some salsa on my own that would be better than the kind at that restaurant.

But I had never made any salsa myself before, so I went online to see if I could find a good recipe that I could handle making myself. While I was online looking for the perfect, flavorful recipe, I came across some info about satellite internet packages and after I read through it some, I decided to CLICK HERE to order one of the packages for my home service.

I did find this chunky salsa recipe that had tons of ingredients in it, including jalapenos, which would definitely make it taste good. And it did! I’m going to have to hold onto this recipe so I can make it again in the future.

It's Thursday

2011-03-31T08:35:00.003-05:00

Not a whole lot exciting going on here. I enjoyed Spring Break, but it's time to get back into the swing of things.

Speaking of swinging, Ryan has put down the baseball bat. He picked up Golf last year and is surprising good at it. It's a little better for Craig to participate in too. So we sold the batting cage (YAY!) and we are moving on to other things.

I can't wait until my beach vay-cay in August. Counting the days! Some I work with asked my why we go back to the same place. The reason is simple, we love it there. We go to relax, not to be touristy. If I wanted that, I'd look into Outer Banks rentals or some pleace we've never been. For now, we are happy. We love the beach, the food, and the atmosphere. What more could you ask for??

Moving Along

2011-03-17T20:15:00.002-05:00

I've been checking out different free website builders. This blog has shifted away from it's intentional purpose over the past year and I feel like it's time to create a dedicated "family" blog. It's just a process, thinking of a new title, web address & so on.

I've been looking at site builders because it would take some of the pressure off of me. This one in particular has a package that they offer called the Family Site Builder. I can even create my own forum...like I need another place to rant & rave, right?

One of the huge pluses they offer is with their photo albums.

Photo Galleries
Create any number of photo galleries
Easily add a photo gallery to any web page
Add a description to any photo
Customize layout and appearance of photo galleries
Create slide shows from any photo gallery
Add voting or comments to a photo gallery

I hate how I feel limited by the number of pictures that I can currently post on the available space I have left.

So it seems this company is the whole enchilada when it comes to site building. I just have to make the leap. Anyways, I'll keep y'all posted on the new progress.

March Maddness

2011-03-16T20:32:00.000-05:00

1) This month is flying by. Goodness, it's going to be Summer before I know it. That means Momma has to have the air conditioning man come check the unit & make sure it's good to go.

2) I started Nursing clinicals two weeks ago. The first day was very overwhelming, even after I've worked in health care for 9 years. It's a time in which we have hands on patient care & for most tasks, replace the hospital nurses. That's code for FREE WORK. School is going well & I'm hanging in there.

3) Craig is 6 weeks post-op and recovering well. He's getting around on his own now and starting outpatient PT soon.

4) Time change sucks and that's all I'm saying about that.

5) Today's link of the day is motor home repair. Don't have a need for that!

Blogging Queen

2011-02-27T22:46:00.002-06:00

Hold on ladies, there's a slew of posts to be mad. Momma's got to fund the baby fund if ya catch my drift. I gots plans, ya see, and plans take cash monies. What better way to make some cash monies than my crudding up my blog. Maybe one day, I'll start a new blog for Craig & I that will be solely for the purpose of updating you on our lives and not discussing hoodia diet pills from the 1990's.

Funky Fertility

2011-02-26T22:52:00.002-06:00

Those of that fall into a long standing IF (infertility) category will probably admit to doing/inventing some pretty wonky things to get knocked up. This year, I'm dedicating myself to healthy supplements and serious weight loss. I've looked into some natural things like wheat germ oil and flaxseed which have multiple benefits. On on the fence about DHEA which is supposed to help improve egg quality. In a good way, it boost testosterone levels and helps the little eggies out.

So here's to more supplements than I can swallow at one time and happy, healthy eggs.

Thursday Edition

2011-02-17T21:06:00.002-06:00

We are still chugging along in the recovery process. Taking it one day at a time.

It looks like our phones in the house are finally croaking. I've replaced the vtech batteries and I think they are still on their last leg. So now, I'm on the lookout for the best deal.

Tired, tired, TIRED. Between work, school, Craig, & life, I'm tired. Geez, I wonder why or what could be causing it. I don't even want to finish blogging tonight. How sad is that?

Outdoor lighting

2011-02-13T21:02:00.002-06:00

I was crusing the aisles in Target today and I noticed that have cute outdoor lighting and the best thing is, you could buy as few or as many as you need. I was thinking about getting some, but then I realistically thought about the fact that I would probably run over them. I'd be better off spending my money on something else. So I scored a HUGE multi-picture frame that I've been eye-balling for several weeks. It was originally $50 (I think) and I bought it on clearance for $19.98. Hello Savings!

Mom's new ringtone

2011-02-11T06:14:00.002-06:00

I was checking out www.carinsurancelist.com looking to see if I could better our current rate with USAA and Mom remembered how much she wanted to GEICO ringtone. So we hopped over to the site and ended up downloading 2 of them for new phone. She was in heaven and even more so that she could personalize the ringtones for different people. SCORE! She's been all excited about her new phone and likes me to call her at least once a day so she can here it ring.

Gotta love Moms!

Time for an Update

2011-02-10T22:14:00.002-06:00

Craig had his hip replacement on January 25th and he's doing well. We just take it a day at a time. His staples came out on Tuesday, so he was able to get in the shower & feel human again.

I've started signing up for things like Groupon & Living Social. At first, I thought they were scams until one of my co-workers started using them. So far, I've gotten a $20 Peggy Ann Bakery GC for $10, a $20 Barnes & Nobles GC for $10, a $10 Papa Murphy's GC for $5. Today, I purchased a 1 night stay at a fabulous 360 acre B&B in Tennessee. I'm so excited. It includes dinner, the room, & breakfast the next morning. I can add on extras like a 30 minute carriage ride when we get there. I'm super excited about that one. I have a year to use the voucher, we may go before it gets too warm, or we may wait until the fall. Either way, I'm looking forward to some much needed one on one time to reconnect. It's easy to sign up for these sites and they just send you emails with the daily deal.

Couple that with a beach trip in August and I've got some things to look forward to. Now if I could just get motivated to lose some weight, all would be good. I'm sure going to the gym would be a much better alternative to meds like adapexin-p. Probably is, I'd prefer to have someone to go with. Any of my girls in the area want to go to the gym with me?? If you do, just let me know.

I've added a ticker to count down to graduation!! Seems so far away, but I'm sure it will be here before I know it.

New Find

2011-02-06T20:38:00.002-06:00

Just last week, I signed up for Ebates.com. It's FREE to join and you get $5 just for signing up. You get cash back deposited either into your Paypal account or they will mail you a check. It looks like they pay quarterly. You simply login, search for the online you store you want to shop and it will take you to the store while also creating tracking ticket with the date/time they directed you to the store. For example, I'll get 26% of my purchase of All You Magazine (COUPONS!!) at Magazines.com because I used Ebates.com. I'm getting ready to reserve our car for our vacation and I can get 2% cashback!! Look, I'm all about saving a penny if I can.

** This is not a paid post, rather something I am sharing with my friends!! It's wonderful to get money back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-19T21:37:00.000-06:00

Snow Day Shopping

2011-01-16T17:04:00.002-06:00

What better to do on a Snow Day??? Shop online!! I've got several baby showers that are going to be sneaking up on me if I'm not prepared. Given everything that's been going on, I'd better get a jump on things.

So my search for baby clothes led to me Very at http://www.very.co.uk/.

I love this Velour Sleepsack, it looks so warm & comfy. Makes me wish that they made them in adult sizes for me.

Then I found this polka dot dress and it has a matching diaper cover. I love matching diaper covers, I think they make little girls look just as sweet as can be!

This is just a few of the fabulous items that I found at Very. I love the fact that they are a multi-faceted store. You can shop for the whole family at one place and ONLINE which is a huge plus for the busy mom's of today!!!

Snowpocalypse 2011

2011-01-15T20:33:00.004-06:00

Some loves the snow just as much as his mommy! We enjoyed the eight inches of snow that we got during our Snowpocalypse. I swear, we need to buy vitamins after dealing with all that snow. We really need to find a snow shovel for our once every ten years blizzard. Poor Craig shoveled a path for Harley so she wouldn't hurt her leg while trekking through the snow. Typical Harley, she decided that wasn't good enough and took off on her own through the snow.

Am I spoiled?

2011-01-10T20:35:00.002-06:00

It was brought to my attention a few days ago that not *everyone* has a flat screen in their bedroom.

You know what I say to that??

Nana nana boo boo!!!

They were only teasing. Mom was even picking out TV's during her last visit, I guess she figures she needs a new TV to watch in the spare bedroom. I was impressed that she was checking out the samsung led, I figured she'd just want some cheapie little TV. I guess that's where I get my good taste from :)

Umm...Happy New Year?

2011-01-09T11:41:00.002-06:00

It looks like our New Year is going to start off with a bang....whir...saw...hammer.

Many of you know that Craig has been through the ringer over the past few years. We've been lucky to be surgery-free with him since 2007.

That's coming to a screeching halt.

He's been having some left leg pain for a while. We were just getting ready to put him through a nerve conduction study to find out if the nerve in his leg was dead or damaged in order to *try* and figure out a way to treat it.

In 2007, Craig had a total right hip replacement due to avascular necrosis in his hip. The bone had died & was collapsing.

In 2011, Craig will be having a total left hip replacement due to avascular necrosis and his hip joint is collapsing.

Why?

Heck if we know. The three main causes are 1) trauma/injury to the joint 2) Alcoholism & 3) Corticosteroid use.

We are leaning towards #3. When you have ESI or Epidural Steroid Injections, they pump you full of steroids to reduce the inflammation. It may be that Craig is sensitive to steroids.

On the plus side, after this surgery, he'll have two good hips. That is, until one of them needs to be replaced again *sigh*

Bling Bling Baby

2011-01-08T20:57:00.002-06:00

It sounds a bit spoiled, but I need a new ring to wear to clinicals. My wedding ring has a tendency to snag on latex gloves and rip a hole in them. That's absolutely fabulous. Not that I think the men in the hospital are going to be hunting me down because I am such a hottie. I've been looking at anniversary bands and I've been thinking about whether or not I want to add a splash of color by going with my birthstone jewelry. Well I'd actually cheat a bit because my stone is Aquamarine, but I am much more partial to blue sapphires.

Choices, Choices.

2011-01-07T22:11:00.002-06:00

FDA guidelines suggest that any weight loss drug must reduce total body weight by at least 5 percent after one year to be called effective. The first drug up for review, Qnexa developed by Vivus Inc., has exceeded that minimum, with test subjects losing 13 percent and 15 percent of their body weight. Qnexa is a mixture of two existing drugs, an anticonvulsant (topiramate) and an amphetamine (phentermine). Topiramate has the effect of leaving the user fuller and more satisfied, while the phentermine curbs appetite. Unfortunately there are side effects with this drug—memory and concentration problems—which caused many to drop out of the study.

The second weight loss drug up for review is Contrave by Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. Contrave is also a mixture of an anticonvulsant and an amphetamine but in different dosages. In studies it has shown weight loss between 5 percent and 10 percent, with side effects such as nausea.

The third candidate, lorcaserin from Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., is a completely different animal. This drug acts on serotonin, a brain chemical associated with feelings of well-being and satiation. Lorcaserin has less side effects that the previous two, but weight loss in studies only ranged between 5 and 10 percent, similar to Contrave but not as high as Qnexa.

Who needs to purchase unsafe discount apidexin when there might be new, legit drugs on the market soon!

Celebrity Drinking

2011-01-07T20:08:00.003-06:00

I've noticed in my gossip mags lately that if celebs aren't getting knocked up, they are getting tore up. I guess Drunk Driving Charges just aren't big deal when you have a ton of money to throw at the court system. Must be nice to be able to get away with things.

Jaime Pressly, who won an Emmy award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in the popular NBC series My Name is Earl, was originally stopped for a unidentified traffic offense, one which apparently caused suspicion that celebrity actress Jaime Pressly might possibly be inebriated.

After administering a field sobriety test (no word on whether or not they asked the celebrity actress to spell her own name), she was arrested, booked on suspicion of DUI, and dolled up for her gorgeous mug shot.

Somedays, I wish I could just scream "Calgon, take me away!" but I don't think it will really happen. I'll have to settle for a bubble bath instead & my gossip mags.

Christmas TV Time

2010-12-21T15:11:00.000-06:00

Watching "Elf" is a Highlight of the Season

Thanks for the guest post by Donn Schroeder

Every year, my boyfriend and I sit down around Christmas time to watch "Elf." Though we also love to watch all of the animated specials like "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "Elf" is probably our favorite non-animated Christmas special. We always find out early in the year when it will be showing on DirectTV Channels and set a special date to watch it.

The first time we saw it, I was a little bit skeptical of it because I didn't like Will Ferrel movies. However, my boyfriend is such a big fan of his comedies that he insisted we watch it. Though he promised I would love it, I didn't really believe him -- but I watched it anyway. Imagine how surprised I was to find out that it's actually an endearing and cute story!

Now we make plans to watch it together every year and it's an important part of our Christmas tradition. In exchange, I also get him to watch some of the more classic Christmas movies that I love. He thinks "Elf" is the best because it's a much more modern take on Christmas in today's world than any of the other shows. I definitely agree with that sentiment, though I still love watching all of them. I think Christmas specials of all kinds are one of the best parts of the season!

Christmas Countdown

2010-12-19T11:04:00.003-06:00

1) Wow...Christmas is almost here. I'm looking forward to a few days off. Nothing exciting planned here, the step-childrens are past the age of getting excited about Christmas.

2) I'm still blogging away. I often get stuck with silly links like plus size corsets, but I do it because I love the money. You read it because you want to see what crazy thing I'm going to blog about next.

3) Harley is doing well. She's "allowed" to walk to the door, but not down the steps. Big Girl thinks she's all better now. Not quite. Luckily, she doesn't complain too much when we put her in her new crate. Maybe it's not so bad now that she can see out of it?

4) As Christmas approaches, it reminds me of what I should be doing. I should be taking on the role of "new Mom" or preparing to do so. It's hard not think about it. The mind doesn't forget so easily. I don't dwell on it as much as people think I do, but I do find myself thinking more about it recently. All the advertisements, commercials showing families opening up gifts, it's what I want. It just sucks sometimes.

5) I have fabulous friends who have supported me so much over the past 4 years and I am blessed to have such precious people rooting for me even when I lose my way.

6) I am no longer a first semester nursing student!! I ended up an "A" & "B" in my classes. While I am humbled by the fact that a "B" is indeed passing, it's that stupid class that has been taunting me all semester. I ended up with an 89. One stinking point from an "A". Grrrrrr. But I am happy that I made it through. We lost some where between 15-20 people from this first semester alone.

Nursing scrubs

2010-12-08T19:02:00.002-06:00

It is safe to say that I live my life in scrubs. I wear them 4-5 days a week, they are a part of me. Luckily, they have gotten a tad more fashionable and more "form fitting" over the years. They used to just look like fabric sacks. Every Tuesday, I wear my nursing uniforms. They are electric blue and it is a much better color than white. All my co-workers know what "blue scrub" day means.

Like most work attire, you want your scrub uniforms to be made of a good quality. I mean you wash & wear them A LOT. I tend to stick with certain brands for my uniforms simply because I love the way they fit and feel.

But that doesn't mean that I am not on the prowl for new scrubs to add to the mix. In my search, I found Blue Sky Scrubs, so I had to check them out. They boast scrubs that make you feel beautiful. Wow, maybe my mood would improve a bit if I put these on instead of my usual picks. They also mentioned a "slimming fit". I guess maybe I'll have to check them out. If any of you have ever tried these before, let me know what you think.

Five on Tuesday

2010-12-07T22:28:00.002-06:00

1) Craig bought us a new scanner/printer today, our other one went down the crapper. We bought a Canon this time. We use brother printersat work and we tend to go through them like women go through underwear. No doubt!

2) I will be finished for the semester on the 14th. Hallelujah! Three weeks out of school....but I do have to work.

3) It is indeed amazing how time flies. December is the month of my first ever due date. Some of my friends have something special planned for that day. I'll elaborate more later.

4) There is no way I'm making it to ten on this post. Momma is one tired puppy.

5) Harley is making small strides towards her recovery. She is definitely hold the title of "Spoiled" at the moment. But she does have to have to her food & water brought to her so she doesn't get up. I keep telling her that every day gets better.

Harley's Injury

2010-12-04T15:56:00.003-06:00

Harley was hit by a car Thursday evening due to stupidity on the driver's part. She didn't run out in front of the car, in fact, her & Craig were both in the road. Craig was on his way to pick her up and a car came down the road, so Craig stopped so they would see him. Apparently, the just kept on going and hit Harley on her right side. We rushed her to a Vet that was open and they kept her overnight because she was in shock. They stabilized her with fluids and pain meds. X-rays revealed that it wasn't a broken leg as first thought, but multiple pelvic fractures. Sadly, there isn't Blue Cross Blue Shield for pets. The surgeon that COULD do the the surgery is in Birmingham and of course they need payment up front. I just don't have that kind of money. God blessed us with her biggest fracture being in a non-weight bearing part, so we are strict resting her at home. Craig has to carry her up & down the stairs to go potty. She tried to bear weight on her right leg to steady herself but she quickly changes her mind. She's on anti-inflammatories and pain meds. She's so miserable right now that all she wants to do is lay around but I'm sure as she heals, we'll have to crate her for real. Right now, she's in the bed. She's a lazy girl and likes to lay around. So as long as she's not trying to move, we are allowing her to rest in the bed. She's 6 years old and the vet told us that she's going to have some bad arthritis as she gets older, but we'll do everything we can to keep her comfortable.

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T18:16:00.003-05:00

1) I hope everyone has a fabulous Halloween! Enjoy trick or treating with your little ones! Hopefully, next year, I'll have a little one to take out.

2) Tomorrow starts No Spend November. I have a *bad* habit of having to stop at the grocery store every day. We are always missing 1 ingredient for dinner. I am going to keep our grocery bill as close to $200 as possible and force us to maximize what we have in the freezer/cabinets. We will kick things off with a crockpot roast & veggies.

3)We have successfully reclaimed our front porch. It was a catch all for anything & everything and we finally got motivated to clean out & move boxes to the shed around back. It looks like a whole new porch now. I think I was referred to as a "hoarder" in the process of cleaning.

4) I have test on Tuesday and extra prayers would be appreciated. You know me, spaz early and make a passing grade.

5) I happy for the cooler weather. Yes, I have my windows open at night. No, I do not have children I have to worry about freezing. If Craig gets cold he can get an extra blanket & the dogs tend to take shelter under the blankets also. My electric bill was down to $200 for this past month, but it needs to drop some more. Please give me a decent bill or two before I really have to turn the heat on!!

6) Sending out successful IUI vibes to Lissa! I hope you caught that Golden Egg!!

I heart Cooking

2010-10-23T12:44:00.004-05:00

I love to cook, I just hate the mess. Today, I'm cooking chili & taco soup for the freezer. I ran across a new site called SouthernPlate.com and I am in heaven. Chicken & Wild Rice, Chicken Stew, Stuffed Peppers, Oh MY!!

I guess I need to start making a new grocery list because some of these look downright fabulous and we need some new dishes in the dinner rotation.

Recipes in my future:

Chicken Stew

Stuffed Peppers

Chicken Divan- I've made this for years but she puts bread crumbs/butter on hers. YUM!

Slow Cooker Chicken & Wild Rice

Happy Saturday & WAR EAGLE!!

Five on Friday

2010-10-22T23:40:00.002-05:00

1) I'm getting back into the frugal swing of things. If you haven't checked it out before, click on the Hip2Save link in my blogroll. She has it ALL. I've been signing up for freebies like crazy. I even signed up for Pampers Points to Grow because she's always posting codes and you can save up the codes for all kinds of stuff. I figure a free gift card is worth a little effort.

2)We are working on acne treatment reviews in class and it makes me not want to work in a dermatology office. Why can't it be that once you hit a certain age, pimples just disappear???

3) This weekends project is to make some Chili and Taco soup for the freezer. I just know there is some cooler weather around the corner and not having to wait for a pot to cook would be just fabulous. It makes dinner an easy choice :)

4) One of the girls I work with has been talking about laser hair removal. She makes me want to have it done. We both have a coupon for 1 session for $25, I'm just wondering how much the remaining 3-4 sessions are going to cost. She's already had her bikini line done and 1 treatment on her underarms. I'm jealous. Not that I've seen it personally, but she's told me how awesome it is.

5)The update on the trying to conceive is...well, not really much of anything. Still holding out for another miracle, but for the moment, we are just back to waiting. When the time is right, it will happen again. All it takes is having a mustard seed if faith.

Just like stereo instructions

2010-10-16T21:36:00.003-05:00

Some of my nursing textbooks are about as exciting to read as stereo instructions. Add that to the fact that I have six textbooks that all say the exact thing six different ways and welcome to my world. I feel a little better about things now that I have two tests behind me. I'm still super excited about school and this awesome opportunity I have to help others with their medical needs. You better be nice to me, you never know when you might end up in the hospital!

Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day

2010-10-15T07:45:00.002-05:00

The Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Movement began in the United States On October 25, 1988 when former American President Ronald Reagan designated the month of October 1988 as ``Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.

On September 28, 2006, House Resolution #222 was passed in the House of Representatives. Below is part of that transcript.

"Supporting the goals and ideals of National Pregnancy and

Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

Whereas each year, approximately one million pregnancies in

the United States end in miscarriage, stillbirth, or the

death of a newborn baby;

Whereas it is a great tragedy to lose the life of a child;

Whereas even the shortest lives are still valuable, and the

grief of those who mourn the loss of these lives should

not be trivialized;

Whereas the observance of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance

Day may provide validation to those who

have suffered a loss through miscarriage, stillbirth, or

other complications;

Whereas recognizing Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance

Day would enable the people of the United States

to consider how, as individuals and communities, they

can meet the needs of bereaved mothers, fathers, and

family members, and work to prevent the causes of these

deaths; and

Whereas October 15th of each year is an appropriate day to

observe National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance

Day: Now, therefore, be it"

I've always supported my friends like Liss & Joy on this day. I never thought I would join them.

Seven on Thursday

2010-10-14T22:13:00.002-05:00

1) Yay for kinda sorta fall weather. Love, love, LOVE IT!

2) I finally found a new coffee table with matching end tables. I've had the old one since I went to college and it was finally time to upgrade. I got an awesome deal on them and lucky for me, my uncle was in town and he was more than happy to transport my new goods to the house.

3) Following the coffee table was a new TV stand. We needed a bigger one to house all of our electronics and consolidate everything into one big mess instead of two smaller messes. Target has one on sale this weekend that we could pass up and we bought the last one in the store. They were selling like hotcakes. Craig finished getting everything set up today and it makes the living room look so much bigger.

4) Things are looking up around here. There are good things in store for us. I'm sure of it.

5) We booked a dinner cruise on the Belle of Cincinnati next month when she's in Decatur for a tour of the south. It's been a couple years since our last dinner cruise and I'm excited to spend some one on one time with Craig. Date nights are awesome. I'm thinking I need to start looking at evening dresses.

6) I highly recommend Secretariat. It was a great movie even thought I knew how it ended. We will be added that one to our DVD collection when it comes out!

7) Other than that, not much else going on around her. Busy with school & work! Have a wonderful weekend!!

I love these

2010-10-01T21:40:00.002-05:00

Brittni bought some Neutrogenia 2-in-1 face scrubber thingys and I totally love them. There is a rough side for exfoliating and then there is a smooth side to wipe it off with. We've briefly touched on skin care and treatment for acne in my health assessment class. My skin has been behaving for the most part, which makes me happy. Now, if I could have a tan year round without the risk of skin cancer, I'd be in heaven.

One down...

2010-09-22T20:47:00.007-05:00

I survived my first nursing exam. It really was a different type of test. I actually thought about just turning in my test & walking away at one point. But I re-focused and finished the test. I made an 88 which is lower that what I like to make, but above the class average of 84.87%. I re-started my women's vitamins about a week ago because I kinda forgot to take them and I'm hoping it will help balance things out again and help with my lack on energy.

Must Blog...must Blog!!

2010-09-15T21:59:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, I forget to blog. I have an inbox full of assignments that I haven't even thought about since school started. It figures that as soon as I started school, more assignments would start rolling in. Apparently, our clients our seeking out the best weight loss product on the market, so we've had to do some extra research to make sure we are on top of our game. If you have anyone that needs an social media marketing, let me know and I can direct you/them to some great companies to help get your company on top of the Google Rankings!!

Baby Gifts On Sale!!

2010-09-12T20:19:00.002-05:00

You know me, I love a good sale and I'm always on the lookout for a good deal. BabyStuffGifts.com has adorable baby gift baskets and thru September 15, 2010, you can get 15% off your entire order. How fabulous is THAT!! Christmas is slowly getting closer and it might be a good time to pick up a few items while you can get them at a good price.

One day, I'll get to shop for my own babies. For now, I'll just spoil everyone else's!!

2010-09-06T21:28:00.001-05:00

I'm getting on my soapbox. I think it's wrong for parents to let their children have gastric bypass for weight loss or pumping them up with the latest fat burner. My goodness, lock the kids outside like our parents did. Oh, never mind, we weren't allergic to the outdoors like kids are these days. Kids are obsessed with computers/video games and just being lazy. That's why they get fat. I was skinny until I started sitting around on my tush. Hmmm...think there's a correlation behind that??

In a review of studies on the obesity epidemic, scientists from Britain and the United States said lifestyle changes such as better diet and more exercise should always be the first option, and treatment with drugs should be used rarely.

Bariatric surgery, or weight-loss surgery, such as operations to apply gastric bands to limit the stomach size of severely overweight people, should be a last resort, they said.

"The risks of bariatric surgery are substantial, and long-term safety and effectiveness in children remain largely unknown," Sue Kimm of the University of New Mexico, Debbie Lawlor of Britain's Bristol University and Joan Han of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, wrote in The Lancet journal.

They said surgery should be reserved for only the most severely obese children -- those with a body mass index (BMI) over 50, or those with a BMI over 40 and other major health risk factors -- and "even then considered with extreme caution".

Candle shopping

2010-09-01T21:03:00.001-05:00

WoodWick Candles offer an exceptional combination of wonderful scents and a unique crackling wood wick. At The Lamp Stand, we are able to offer some of the best prices available on this hot new candle line from Virginia Candle Company. WoodWick Candles come in a large variety of sizes and scents. In addition, the WoodWick line also includes reed diffusers, reed diffuser refills and many more exciting WoodWick products. We hope that you will try the WoodWick line and experience for yourself why so many are making WoodWick their only choice for scented candles.

These are currently on sale at a deeply discounted price so grab some up to stash away for mom-to-be gift baskets.

Happy Hump Day

2010-09-01T19:42:00.002-05:00

1) I am officially 2 weeks into Nursing school. I now own a rolling suitcase because it is the ONLY way to carry 10 books at one time on campus. I'm still working out my routine & study habits. When you see yourself addressed as "the graduating class of 2012" that just makes it seem that much longer. When I finish at Calhoun, I'm planning on rolling right into my BSN( Bachelor of Science-Nursing) at UAH which is a 3(I think) semester online cirriculum since I'll already have a nursing degree. What happens after that is up for discussion at a later day.

2) My household has grown by three people. Brittni, Brayden, & Aslynn. My sister made the tough decision to make some changes in her life and she is with us while she "restructures". So I feel like I have adopted a set of twins. I do love having my sister here. We are working on new boundaries and Uncle Craig is directing the potty training activities.

3) I love hearing, "night, night, see in the moonin." That would be the Aslynn version of "See you in the morning." From Brayden, I think we hear, "I sowwy," the most. Boundaries, my child, boundaries.

4) Within 24 hours of Brittni's arrival, she had to learn the "Bodda Getta" cheer. Some claim it was blackmail, I say it's all in the name of team spirit. Brayden & Aslynn can frequently be heard chirping "weagle, weagle!"

5) Every day is a climb. I think if we aren't struggling to climb our mountain & overcome the obstacles we have in front of us, we've given up on life & ourselves. It's easy to plop your butt down and wait for someone to carry you, but it's just as easy to pick yourself up and keep moving forward. That's the motivation in the house right now. You are more than welcome to walk beside me & offer motivation, but if you don't want to move forward with me, then don't look at me funny when I'm standing at the peak of the mountain and you are on the ground because I left you behind.

6) War Eagle!!

Home from the Beach

2010-08-14T22:58:00.005-05:00

I have to say that Orange Beach, AL was FABULOUS! There wasn't any oil to be seen and it smelled just like the beach! We are SO happy that we made the decision just to go ahead and go. I'll just leave you with some pics that speak for themselves and just because I can, I'll post a bathing suit pic so Candi isn't the only one. Lord know my step-daughter has already posted them all over her facebook page.

Oh Disney!

2010-08-14T16:45:00.003-05:00

It seems that I hear of more and more trips being planned to Disney, so I asked a dear friend of mine who is the best to use to plan my trip when we decide to go. She told me of a fabulous lady by the name of Kelly who runs Travel with the Magic and they offer free Disney vacation planning services. Kelly & her staff are continuously monitoring for changes and discounts to ensure that their clients are getting the best Disney deals possible. If you have already booked a reservation through another company, you can transfer your reservation to Kelly! How cool is that!

Growing Old

2010-08-01T12:04:00.002-05:00

Girls, I dread the day we get old and have to rely on Medicare. We really have it much better having private insurance like BCBS or one of the other major companies. At the rate things are going, there may not even be Medicare when we get old and that's a shame because we pay Medicare taxes out our paychecks. I spend a good part of my day arguing with Medicare part D plans about covering medications and getting approval for necessary treatments. So many people think that Medicare is a fabulous thing, but wait until you really have to rely on it.

A pony for Aslynn

2010-07-30T22:06:00.003-05:00

As if Princess Aslynn needs anything, Brittni is going to start working on the word "pony". Can you see where this is going?? Uncle Craig would do ANYTHING for his Princess and I'm sure if she asked for a pony, he would oblige her. She's such a diva, I can see her stopping around in some pink glitter riding boots.

A picture for your viewing pleasure:

Apparently, she's got a Madonna vibe going on here.

Almost time for vaycay!

2010-07-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

I am so stinking excited about my vacation it's not even funny. Craig has even announced that the Queen has every intention of having her way...hmmmm, I have NO clue what he's talking about. We will have at least one laptop with us. Check my facebook page for photo updates as a bask on the beach like a beached whale. I don't even care what other people think.

I just have to get through Nursing Orientation on Monday and then I will beach-bound on Tuesday!

A serious question

2010-07-22T21:06:00.002-05:00

Alright girls....I'm SERIOUS!!

Who has started using a top wrinkle cream or under eye cream? I made fun of mom's arms while she was here so she tried to teach the kids to say "crow's feet" whenever they saw me. Ugh! It doesn't matter how much sleep I get, I tend to have circles under my eyes. Make them go AWA Y!!

It's made me ponder Botox...

I don't want to be wrinkly just yet!

So, what do your beauty routine involve??

Happy Hump Day

2010-07-14T21:20:00.003-05:00

All I can say is thank goodness this week is almost over.

Work has been crazy, there must be a full moon around the corner. Patients have just been real buttheads this week & that is putting it nicely. I've had to shut the door to my office & just enjoy my office furniture in peace before I commit murder the past two days.

*sigh*

Don't get me wrong, I'm blessed to have a job. But something most people DON'T realize is that insurance companies require prior authorizations for all different types of meds, generics included. They require pre-certification before MRI's & CT's. They require notification of specialist appointments/referrals.

So please don't call me an hour after your appointment & start asking why I'm not doing my job because your appointment hasn't been scheduled yet. Read your book your insurance company provides you and you'll learn that things don't come at the snap of a finger anymore.

So....how was your week so far?

Five on Friday

2010-07-09T22:47:00.002-05:00

1) I don't plan on doing much this weekend. It's Operation: relax!

2) Craig hung up our other heat/sun blocking curtains in the kitchen & has essentially turned our house into a cave. But it is much cooler in here without the sun blasting through the window, so I suppose that I'll live.

3) I'm painting my fingers/toes every funky color I can come up with right now because when I start Nursing, I'm pretty much grounded from having painted nails. Boo.

4) It's crazy how much extra expenses you have as a first time nursing student that financial aid doesn't cover. Uniforms, drugs tests, background checks and other misc. items are all adding up. I'm super excited.

5) Luckily, I've had a ton of blogging tasks dropped in my inbox, so I'm trying to keep up because every extra penny counts. I don't have any sleeping aid reviews to do at the moment.

Bonus: Has anyone seen that STUPID Kitkat commerical with all the annoying crunching??? It's enough to make me crawl out of my skin!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy 4th

2010-07-05T21:36:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. We kicked off the festivities by having Brittni and the kids over to grill out & shoot fireworks on Saturday. Craig grilled enough to feed an army. Hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, ribs, and I made potato salad. Brayden loved the fireworks and Aslynn, umm... not so much. Good thing she had Grandma to hold her while she screamed her head off.

Sunday, we headed over the our friends Michael & Stacy's for their annual extravaganza. Fun, fireworks, and too much food. I'm afraid to step on the scale.

I have less than a month until nursing orientation, followed by our beach vacation.

*sigh* I'm ready for fall already, isn't that sad? If someone made an outside dehumidifier maybe I could stand to be out there for more than a few minutes.

I heart my new phone

2010-07-02T22:30:00.000-05:00

I am having so much fun with my new smart phone. I'm sure there are a lot of things it is capable of that I have not even figured out yet. Brittni was playing with the barcode scanner the other day which is a neat function that allows you to scan most any barcode and it will give you information about the product. I'm glad I made the jump to my new high tech phone and I can definitely text much faster now. Gotta love that slide out keyboard.

Yummy Yum!

2010-06-29T20:17:00.002-05:00

Allison is going to study culinary in school and she loves to cook, so I set her free in my kitchen on Sunday night. She made a braised steak with carmelized onions, salad, and some frozen mocha thingy for desert.

Now, when I say she made strawberry vinagrette, I mean she made it. Cooked it down on the stove kinda cooking.

OMG!

Even my mom loved it and she does not try new things.

Tonight, I whipped up a salad with fresh spinach, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, gorgonzola cheese topped with the magic dressing. It was so heavenly it was like an angel floated down with this salad.

Later this week, I have to renew my CPR certification so it's good for Nursing school. Let's hope "Annie" survives what I have to give her. LOL. I'm so excited about nursing books & lab coats, it's making me crazy. It's a good thing mom is staying longer to keep me occupied.

Five on Friday

2010-06-25T22:09:00.003-05:00

1) For those who don't follow me on Facebook, I got into Nursing school!!!!!!!!!!! Yay! So now comes a whole 'nother round of worries. I think I'm going to keep going to the tanning bed so I don't blend into my incredibly sexy white uniform.

2) Referring to #1, I have orientation on Aug 2, so we had to shift the dates of our vacation. Thank goodness, there isn't an overwhelming amount of people vying for beach condos at the moment and we were able to stay in the same unit. It's one of our favorites.

3) Martha's in the house!! Just kidding. I got my new curtains for the bedroom and they are fabulous. They pretty and functional (blackout curtains)! I'm trying to keep as much sun out of some rooms as possible because it's like an oven in here. They are chocolate brown and I got them off Overstock.com

4) Most men have a "man cave", well I have a "woman cave". With my new window unit, curtains, and Tivo (free courtesy of DirecTV), I am a happy woman. All I need is a mini fridge and I'd never have to leave my room. Just add door chimes on the outside and call it a day!

5) I finally upgraded from my Razr to the T-mobile MyTouch 3g Slide. Big step for me, but I am TOTALLY loving my new phone and all it can do. I didn't want to upgrade even though I was past due simply because I didn't want to pay THAT much for a phone, but T-mobile has always been good to us and they gave me any phone I wanted in the store for FREE last Friday when they were running a one day only promo for new customers. Score for me on new freebies!!!

ETA: Thanks to my honey for working his skills and getting my new upgrades for Free!!

Beach is back on!

2010-06-20T21:25:00.000-05:00

We had originally cancelled our beach reservations about 2 weeks ago because of the oil spill and made plans to go to Wilderness in the Smokies, which is an all inclusive water resort. Well, when it came to booking 3 nights at the resorts with hotel room type lodging, the bill was almost $800. I couldn't see spending that much money when I could go to the beach for 4 night for $650. So, we headed back to old faithful (Phoenix Condos) and they were offing a 30% off Oil Spill Discount. Yay! So our reservations are back on for the time being and at an even cheaper rate. Let's just hope the situation down there doesn't get too bad. There are some fun things that we can do even if we can't hang out on the beach. Who knows, we may even wander over to Pensacola and check out the aircraft engine parts to keep Ryan happy.

Seven on Sunday

2010-06-13T10:56:00.003-05:00

1) I hate the heat!! It's crazy how our weather can be. I guess it's time to put up the thermal backed curtains again and try our best to keep cool. I've been eyeballing some Chocolate curtains for our bedroom and I think I may go ahead and get them when I get paid this week.

2) It looks like we will be heading to the Smokies for our vacation instead of Orange Beach. We are thinking about staying at a place called Wilderness in the Smokies and it includes a resort-only water park. It's not the beach, but it is a vacation. Has anyone been there before??

3) I don't get any kind of incentive for posting this, but there is no reason you can't make extra money using your blogs or the internet. I was very blessed to become friends with Lisa and continues to teach my how to make money will sitting in my recliner. I'm hoping to have another blog added to PayU2Blog system and that is just icing on the cake! I know it gets a little crazy sometimes on here, but it's all good. I'm just blessed that when I needed it the most, Lisa took me under her wing and made great things happen for me. It's hard to come by awesome, new friends these days.

4) I haven't said much about Craig lately, so here it is. During the past month, I have very blessed to have him by my side. He holds me when I cry and he tries his best to answers questions that he may not really have an answer to. This journey has helped to bring us closer together and, while we may not have a perfect relationship, we do indeed have each other. It's crazy to think that we celebrated our 10 yr "dating" anniversary 2 weeks ago and we will be celebrating our 7 yr wedding anniversary next month.

5) I'm still hanging on to that 10 lb weight loss. My goal is for another 5-10lbs by August, but Mom is coming in a few days and I may have to start all over again. Good Eats when mom is in town!

That's all I can manage for now!!

Happy Crazyness

2010-06-05T03:05:00.001-05:00

1) I thought the post deserved an usual title for being a usual post.

2) Baseball season has finally ended. Ryan's team ended up as the East Division champs and runner up in the Morgan County Championship. I'm just glad it's done.

3) I started back going to the tanning bed today. I had a gift certificate for a free month of tanning and it was about to expire. I'm hoping to have a decent tan before the 19th and maybe I won't burn at the kids' party this year.

4) Not much changes around here on a daily basis.

5) I hope everyone has a great upcoming week.

6) If someone would create belly fat burners that actually work, I would be on cloud nine. I'm tired of my Buddha Belly.

Just thinking

2010-06-03T11:22:00.002-05:00

I was reviewing searches for Clinicallix reviews for a client I promote and it just made me think more about how hard it really is to lose weight. It's SO easy to put it on. We've been trying to cook more at home and not eat out as much. We just have to be persistent to be healthy!! It's too dang hot to walk outside, but I sure am ready to hit the pool!

Happy June!

2010-06-02T21:57:00.002-05:00

1) OMG~ I can't believe that June is already here. That means half the year has gone by. Brayden will be 3 on the 7th and Aslynn will be 2 on the 23rd. They really do grow up too fast.

2) I should be hearing something from Calhoun in the next few weeks about my nursing application. I got my letter on 6/19 last year, so I'm thinking it might come around the same time. Prayers for a spot in the program!

3) It's amazing what kinds of other things you can find when you are looking for natural supplements. Places like to sneak in things like extenze, while you are searching for things to naturally lower cholesterol. If you anyone has any suggestions, feel free to comment.

4) It's time for me to hit up the tanning bed a few times so I can stop looking like Casper's sister. Boo be gone!

Have you ever...

2010-05-30T00:22:00.001-05:00

...really every watch informercials late at night?? I have seen some of the strangest stuff. But you have to agree, there is something that draws you to just want to make a purchase. Lucky for me, I didn't give in to a Lipovox desire. On the other hand, those hangers you can buy to hang 6 items at one time so work according to a Rep that stopped by to visit me last week. You have to buy the metal ones instead of plastic though.

Hmmm...wonder if they will be on sale on TV anytime soon....

Official Weigh-in

2010-05-29T00:08:00.003-05:00

So I am keeping up with my very public accountability, the weight-loss effort is going slowly, but at least its moving in the opposite direction. Today, I am 10 lbs less than my starting weight, so I've met my first goal of getting under 200 lbs. Of course, having surgery and eating pain pills is a good way to lose weight, but I've been managing to keep the weight from coming back. I'm just glad to see the number going down!

Ten on Thursday

2010-05-27T21:10:00.002-05:00

1) Brayden & Aslynn's 3rd & 2nd birthdays are rapidly approaching. It makes me feel old. I made their invitations again this year and I can't wait to get my hands on the finished product.

2) Three day weekends rock.

3) I'm on the search for fda approved diet pills that actually work.

4) I am currently waiting on letter from both Calhoun & Wallace State to let me know which one I'll be attending for Nursing school. I'm ready to get started!

5) I have lost 6lbs since I started trying to lose weight. I"m currently sitting under 200lbs, and I'm trying to keeping losing so I have a bigger cushion.

6) I'm tired tonight, so six it will be. I promise to update with some photos soon!

Putting a Price on a Life

2010-05-22T21:27:00.002-05:00

The saying is that you can't put a price on someone's life. Hrm, well, my health insurance receieved a bill from Crestwood for 25k. That was the price for saving my life. I'm still mulling over several life insurance policy quotes. Hopefully, I find one soon that I think fits what we need at the moment.

Bathing Beauty

2010-05-21T21:21:00.002-05:00

Hopefully, the oil spill will be contained by the time by beach trip rolls around in August. Now, if I can get the "oil spill" I have going on on my face under control, I can stroll on the beach looking like a hot momma...LOL. Yeah I thought it was kinda funny myself. It's a good thing that the beach seems to be one the best acne treatment options for my skin. Maybe I should move to the beach!

A Real Update

2010-05-20T22:54:00.002-05:00

To update the readers of this blog, We did succeed in getting pregnant!

Yay, right?

It was an awesome feeling, for right about three weeks and then we discovered I needed emergency surgery on May 11, to save my life and remove an ectopic pregnancy. The Dr told Craig that if we had waited another day or 2, things may have not been so good for me. I had no real warning signs of an ectopic, so it was quite a shock to us. We are blessed that I can out of surgery wonderfully. So now I am in the process of emotionally & physically healing from all this. It's hard to have to lose a child you've prayed so hard for, just so that I could continue to live my life. God has blessed us and we will try again when I am ready.

It did make me think twice about the life insurance situation. I used to have tons of insurance on Craig & I, courtesy of my employer, but I don't have that any more. I've been on the hunt for reliable,cheap insurance companies so that I can get us both minimal policies just so we have coverage right now.

Just keep us in your prayers as Craig helps me with the healing process.

Cinco de Mayo

2010-05-05T20:46:00.002-05:00

1) Hey, it's good excuse to eat Mexican!

2) I love my mattress. I love "sleepy Saturdays" when we get to sleep in. The puppies on the other hand, enjoy "sleepy everyday" with Daddy once Mommy leave for work in the morning.

3) Thanks to Colleen for pointing me to GoodFellas pizza in Decatur. OMG, is all I can say. Pizza makes me happy.

4) I don't really have anything else to say, so I hope everyone has a good rest of the week & a blessed Mother's Day.

Five on Friday

2010-04-30T20:05:00.002-05:00

1) Wow, I can't believe May is here already. This year is just flying by! Ryan's baseball season is in full swing and Craig is finished with this semester at Athens State. Me, I'm just working away.

2) I've been mulling over getting a life insurance quote for Craig & I. It's something we really should invest in. I just haven't quite decided yet how much I want, or which company I'm going to go through.

3) I'm tired. I've been suffering from bouts of insomnia lately and it seems that no matter how tired I am from the night before, I can't sleep to fall asleep at a decent time.

4) I *really* hope this Gulf Coast oil spill issue gets taken care of before my August vay-cay. I'm really looking forward to it. Surely, it will be gone by then....right??

5) The weekend is here and I'm going to continue my Spring cleaning. If the weather is going to be nasty, then all the more reason for the boys to join in!

Gasp I bought something

2010-04-15T20:46:00.001-05:00

Oh my...I treated myself and it wasn't a sale.

We went to BridgeStreet last weekend for a little quality time and I wandered over to the shoe store. I can say that once I started wearing my MBT's I'll never go back to a flat bottom shoe unless I just HAVE to. It's too much strain on my legs/back. So I was hunting for the new spring/summer shoes that just hit the market. I wanted a pair of sandals to wear so I wasn't constantly wearing tennis shoes. I found some cute sandals (thought Brittni doesn't agree) and I went ahead and paid FULL PRICE for them. *GASP*

I'm allowed.

Best Potpie EVER!

2010-04-10T23:10:00.002-05:00

I love a good potpie. Now granted, I grew up eating the Banquet ones in the tin pan that were later used for mudpies. It wasn't until a few years ago, that I learned how to make a decent homemade version. The first version I made had bisquick on the top for the crust. The sufficed, but it was still lacking that cripsy crust that I loved.

So when I made it for Brittni & the babies (yes, I know they are well past infancy, but they will always be Mimi's babies!!), I decided to step outside of the box & use refrigerated pie crusts. You know, the 9 inch ones that you can buy. I bought 2 boxes for a total of 4 crusts to cover a 9x13 pan. We put 2 on the bottom, dropped in the chicken goodness and then covered it with two more. Brittni got all Martha Stewart on me and starting crimping my edges together so it was perfect. We baked according to the crust directions.....

And it totally rocked our socks off. Who knew a crust change could make all the difference. Sorry, I don't have a picture, there wasn't much left over! I can't wait until I make it again....oh flaky crust, I love you!

A tired Tuesday post

2010-04-06T20:02:00.002-05:00

1) The past few work days have been kicking my hiney. It's crazy busy. Job security, yes, but geez, it's tiring.

2) The weather can go back into the 60-70's any day now. I'm really not ready for 80 degree weather. It makes me want to get a spa & one of those funky spa covers for the backyard.

3) Ryan's baseball season is into full swing which means I get occasional alone time in the evenings! Yipee!!

4) We had a quiet Easter Sunday dinner, just Craig & I. Aslynn & Brayden came over on Saturday and we indulged them with their first egg coloring experience.

5) I'm super excited that I booked our beach vacation a few days ago. It's been almost 3 years since we've gotten away on what we consider a "real" vacation. Four days at the beach gives me something wonderful to look forward to. It's great to be able to go away & spend some peaceful, relaxing time with Craig! I'm counting down the days till August 1.

I survived

2010-03-16T06:49:00.002-05:00

I survived Diet Day #1 & every one came out relatively unscathed. Breakfast was oatmeal, lunch was soup (while my co-workers noshed on Chik-Fil-A) and dinner was 1 grilled cheese with fat-free cheese & tomato soup. I had one of those SmartOnes Cookie Dough Sundaes too and it only had 170 calories. Yippee, I stayed within my calorie range. I also signed up for MyFitnessPal.com which is a great site for tracking your daily caloric intake which is what I need.

Now I have to buy a new scale tonight!!

Surprise for me!!

2010-03-09T20:17:00.004-06:00

Craig sent me flowers yesterday to brighten my day!! I was having a crappy morning & he blessed me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

I'm 30!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-03-02T20:24:00.002-06:00

Oh, my.

I have to say, I learned a lot in my 20's. I'm ready to head into this new decade with a new outlook on life & things are just going to keep getting better. I can honestly say that I didn't think I'd be back in college for a 2nd time at 30, but I am blessed to have the opportunity.

Brittni and the kids stopped by work to treat me to lunch and any time I get to spend with "my babies" is always fun. Both Brayden & Aslynn get excited when Brittni asks them if they want to go visit Mimi--but we won't tell Craig that, he might get jealous!!

Craig surprised me with reservations to Cafe 113 and we had a very nice dinner. I was going to be happy with just a homemade pizza, but Craig says that I only turn 30 once, so he wanted to do something special for me. I love our date-night evenings!

Seven on Sunday

2010-02-21T20:33:00.002-06:00

1) I am having a heck of a time with my vision since I got my new Rx & contacts. I switched optometrists- for the first time since I started wearing corrective lenses and this may have not been such a great decision for me. She switched my brand of contacts from Acuvue2 to acuvue Oasys. I gave the first Rx a week & my left eye never adjusted, so I went back in. She increased the strength in both eyes & changed the base curve of my lenses. Apparently, contacts are supposed to float in front of the lens and my left one was sucked on there like a suction cup, therefore causing my cornea to swell. Lovely, huh?? Now, it's been over a week since visit #2 and I'm still having issues with my left eye and headaches. I have pulled out my old glasses which are fine for up-close (Imeanthisclose) reading to give my eyes a break. I wonder if it has something to do with the astigmatism in my left eye. My distance vision is blurry with glasses, but I don't have the halo effect that I have with my contacts. I may just have to break down & go back to the old dr & suck it up cost wise. My vision is too important to mess with.

2) Tomorrow marks one week until my 30th birthday. Oh Boy!!

3) I am such a goof sometimes. I have to renew my x-ray license & every 2 years, I am responsible for 24 hours of continuing education credits. Well, guess who forgot?? I'm 18 credits short, so I had to order a book/test which I should have by Wed to the tune of $85. Oops! My credits have to be dated by the 28th, so we all know what we'll be doing this week.

4) I love the Olympics!

5) I'm overall healthy per my recent lab results, so yay for me. I just need to work on loosing weight and eating more foods that burn fat . Dr C. said I'm really not THAT far from my target weightloss goal and that it would just take minimal effort on my part to get back into shape. We are trying as a family to eat better!

6) My mom is coming for a visit in June!!!

7) The nursing application is in the mail, we should find out in June who is accepted into the program!

So a New Year it is!

2010-01-10T13:26:00.000-06:00

So I'm thinking that starting 2010 off with a few snow days is a great thing!! For me, snow is a reminder of snowy days spent with my Grandparents in Michigan. It's a reminder of what I no longer have and snow brings me a certain happiness. I know that we'll never see snow of the magnitude that I would like, but I feel purely blessed when I do get to watch it.

But with the cold weather comes my car dilemma. Every year for the past seven years, we've dealt with a so-called "cold start" issue. At any given time once the temp drops below 50 degrees, my car can decide it doesn't want to start. Well, Tuesday Morning was that time! It was trying, bless her heart, but she just didn't have the desire to drive to Huntsville. So I have to take the other car which started up smooth as silk. As of right now, she's still sitting there, with some signs of life, just no desire to full start up. Once the temps come out of the sub-freezing/freezing range, we'll see if we can kick some life back into her!

Other than the above, my life is rather quiet.

Work is good and I'm just waiting to submit my nursing school applications for the Fall. No school for me this semester!

The Christmas Post

2010-01-09T12:11:00.007-06:00

1) Our Christmas was relatively quiet around here. We maintain our Christmas Day tradition of spending the afternoon/evening with Brittni, Brayden, Aslynn and my Aunt and Uncle from D.C. We did some fingers foods and just spent some time enjoying each others company.

2) This picture of Harley sums up Christmas the best. I kept telling her that is she didn't stop being shame-shame(bad) that Santa wouldn't come to see her. She looks a little concerned, doesn't she??

3) Then there is the "Just one in front of the tree, please" photo op. Yes, Craig is pimping a Cookie Monster shirt. The kids love it (and so does he). So anything for the kids, right? This one will not be in contention for this years Christmas card.

What really goes on at our house:

You said to smile!

Oh my goodness, Santa brought you WHAT?

Brayden & Mimi having a spot of tea!

Five on Friday

2009-12-18T20:35:00.002-06:00

1) Good Grief, Christmas is going to be here in a week. It seems like I just started shopping yesterday. I'm almost done, I just have to do a little shopping for Brayden & Aslynn from my Aunt. She likes to send me in to do her dirty work and then reap the rewards.

2) I've tried to avoid the massive amounts of sweets that is pouring into work and I'm holding steady. One of my co-workers remarked that I could simply eat now and use weight loss supplements after the New Year, but I'm trying to change my outlook on eating, which is not easy to do.

3) I owe a belated Happy Birthday to Rory! My apologies for missing your party, I had a research paper to do, but you should be proud because I pulled off a 90 on it.

4) Happy 4th Anniversary, Colleen & John! It's amazing how time flies!

5) Speaking of time flying, Me & the Mr. will have spent 10 years together in May 2010. TEN years! It's insane to think that we've been together that long and all the things that we've made it through!

Woohoo & then no so much

2009-12-15T22:12:00.002-06:00

1) I am finished with school for this semester. I think all I had to make on my final was a 50 to pass Anatomy with an "A" so I should be okay!

2) My all time favorite light came on : service engine soon! So I decided to pull right up to Regal Nissan & have them plug my baby in to see what the problem was. It appears that my catalytic converter had started to come apart. They said I was lucky that pieces had not been sucked into the engine yet, cause a major catastrophe! Only to the tune of $1000.00. I mean, that's pocket change, right?

3) There isn't much new going on here. I'd like to share some things that are going on with us, but for now, they stay quiet! And the answer to what you are thinking is NO!

4) Christmas is going to be small this year. We aren't buying for a lot of my family or Craig's family either. My family decided that we should focus on providing for our immediate family since the year has been tough for several of us. I am already planning on opening my Christmas Account at Redstone after the first of the year and I'm going to put $40/month minimum in it. They don't release the money to me until Nov 1, so I'll have money saved for Christmas that doesn't affect our budget or savings! I'm kinda excited!

Yay for Snow!

2009-12-06T10:16:00.002-06:00

Snow makes me happy. If this is the closest that I get to a white Christmas, then I am happy as a clam.

It Ain't Nothing But a Number...

2009-11-29T21:42:00.004-06:00

1160

Thank you, Fertility Friend, for letting me know how many days it has been since we got on this jacked up carousel ride.

That number may well reach 2000, I don't know. But I'm not giving up without a fight!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T00:10:00.000-06:00

This year, I am thankful for my wonderful husband. Sometimes, in the midst of day to day drama, I forgot to look at what he does for me and I only focus on the negative. I'm trying to get away from that.

I asked him the other day why he loved me, all seven fingers and eight toes, when he could have easily chosen a "whole" wife. His response was because I love unconditionally. Despite everything we've been through, I love him.

I could have left him when his health went downhill, but I didn't.

I could have left him over our infertility struggles, but I didn't.

I could have left him when his son moved in, but I didn't.

Our life is not easy and sometimes, its hard for me not to compare ourselves to those that seem to have the "perfect" marriage. But then I realize that just because they don't own up to it doesn't mean that they don't have their ups and downs.

I love you honey, and I'm thankful for the time we get to spend together.

Firefly Dreams

Avoiding Holiday Hustle

One year and counting

Ten on Tuesday

Flowers with Love

Moving In

Long time no see

Quick Update

First Date

Looking for Deals

Hurry up, Fall!

The Big Move

Sleep with one eye open

Won't be long now

Nursing Projects

Is it fall yet?

Scrapbook Stuff

Crappy Loans

Solar Power Saves Me Money

Certifications

Going Electronic

Summer is almost here

Blog Sharing

Remote Security

Happy Hump Day

Tired of Bland Salsa

It's Thursday

Moving Along

March Maddness

Blogging Queen

Funky Fertility

Thursday Edition

Outdoor lighting

Mom's new ringtone

Time for an Update

New Find

Wordless Wednesday

Snow Day Shopping

Snowpocalypse 2011

Am I spoiled?

Umm...Happy New Year?

Bling Bling Baby

Celebrity Drinking

Christmas TV Time

Christmas Countdown

Nursing scrubs

Five on Tuesday

Harley's Injury

Happy Halloween!!

I *heart* Cooking

Five on Friday

Just like stereo instructions

Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Seven on Thursday

I love these

One down...

Must Blog...must Blog!!

Baby Gifts On Sale!!

Candle shopping

Happy Hump Day

Home from the Beach

Oh Disney!

Growing Old

A pony for Aslynn

Almost time for vaycay!

A serious question

Happy Hump Day

Five on Friday

Happy 4th

I *heart* my new phone

Yummy Yum!

Five on Friday

Beach is back on!

Seven on Sunday

Happy Crazyness

Just thinking

Happy June!

Have you ever...

Official Weigh-in

Ten on Thursday

I heart Cooking

I heart my new phone

Gasp I bought something