Valentine Baskets

Rachel, Jennifer, & I have gone into the Valentine making business. We are selling baskets for men, women, & kids. They are adorable (if I do say so myself!). Check them out.

These are for the kids. They are $7 each.


These baskets are also for the kids. They are $12 each.


A closer look at the hippo basket...


These are for the adults. They are $15 each. Some of the baskets have just candy and some have peanuts, Slim Jims, and candy. You can choose either one!


If you are looking for something to buy your Valentine these are perfect! Let us know if you want one by commenting on here or you can email us at candybasketorders@yahoo.com. You can let us know your candy preference but we will have to see what we can do with special orders. Also we can't ship them but can deliver locally. Leave me some feedback on if you like them or not. Any ideas to make them more appealing or are they good like they are? Let us know!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Wow the past two weeks have been so crazy and it seems like the fun is only beginning. Friday was Rachel's 30th birthday. Thursday night we met at Jennifer's house to make a sign and cut out 30 flamingos. We drove to her house and put them out. I can't believe she didn't catch us putting them in her yard. We were amazingly quiet. If you know our group, you know how loud we can be! She woke up to a nice surprise on Friday morning. (You can check out pictures on Jennifer's blog.)

Friday we celebrated Rachel's birthday at Chuck E. Cheese! Emily skipped work and we all met over there. The kids and the adults had a great time!



(Excuse the hair. It was in a pretty pony tail but she took it down and then it was wild! When we got in the car, I told her it looked crazy. She got mad and said "It not wook crazy, it wooks great!" LOL)





Hannah & I went shopping and I found a cute little dress at a local consignment shop. I went to Tricia's BabyStation before Chuck E. Cheese and found an outfit I had been eyeing on ebay. I got it cheaper and didn't have to wait on it to ship. Everything in their store was 50% off and their bows were only $2.99 for the alligator clips and $3.99 for the barrettes. So if you need bows for your little one, you should check it out.

Hannah & I were exhausted Friday afternoon. We went home to rest a little while then Emily & Jared came over for dinner. Hannah was really excited! She loves both of them so much and always wants to sit with them in church. We finally just moved to their same pew because she would go back and forth so much!

Saturday I took Hannah to my mom's house (THANKS again, Mom), Josh went hunting, and I went with Jennifer to Macaroni Grill to celebrate Rachel's birthday again! The food was SO GOOD & we had a great time. After we left the restaurant Jennifer & I shopped around. By the time I got home Josh & Hannah were in bed.

Sunday was the usual day. Church, visit to my parents house, church again, then out to eat with the usual crowd.

Yesterday Hannah & I enjoyed the nice weather and played outside. She has a new imaginary friend named, Ruby. It is hilarious to see her play with "him." She will talk & read to him. Yesterday while we were outside she comes running over and says "Ruby hit his head! Will you kiss it to make it feel better?" So funny!

I always put my foot in my mouth...

& this time I did it on my blog! In my last post I made a little typo and I meant to put that I liked #7 on the list not #8! I bet you all thought I was crazy saying I was checking out hot guys! LOL! I haven't checked anyone out in a long time now. Why look, when you got the best at home?! Anyway I am embarrassed but wanted to make it clear. I will be proof-reading a little harder next time! :0) I am such a nerd!

A Little Something To Make You Laugh....

I found this in Parenting magazine and I thought it was funny. All of you moms out there will find it humorous I am sure.

Top 10 Things Not To Feel Guilty About...

1. Having the impulse, after discovering your kid has used your $20 lipstick to draw a giant plum-colored pig on your dining room wall, to call up Brad and Angelina and ask them if they'd like to take in one more.

2. Returning the fancy but useless baby gift to the department store and spending the credit on shoes for yourself.

3. Suspecting that those stars who got their prebaby bodies back in two weeks are on drugs.

4. Feeling secretly glad when you catch your neighbor's "perfect" child in a nuclear meltdown.

5. Introducing your sister's kid - little miss organic-only - to her very first Twinkie.

6. Setting up playdates just with kids whose mothers you like.

7. Calling your jiggly belly your "mummy tummy" ten years after childbirth.

8. Noticing the hot dad at dropoff (hey, you're just lookin'!)

9. Insisting on grown-up music in the car.

10. Knowing, really knowing, with every fiber of your being, that your kid is the cutest one in her class picture.


Hope these made you smile like they did me. I especially like #8. LOL!

Kids say the funniest things...

Hannah makes me laugh on a daily basis. She is just full of funny words and expressions. Susan requested the "Dora story" a few weeks ago and I forgot to tell you all about it. I had given Hannah a bath. As I was drying her off she said "Bye water - See you waiter (later), bye shampoo, bye baby wash." Then she looks at her Dora the Explorer bubble bath and says "Adios, Dora." I laughed until I hurt.

The other night we came home from church and Hannah was in a very loving mood. She was giving us hug after hug and lots of kisses. Then she says "I love our castle!" Josh & I both smiled the biggest smile. This is why God wants us to be like children! I often complain about the size of our house but to Hannah it is our castle. I have a little different outlook on our wonderful home now! :0)

We have had a very laid back week. Tuesday we went to the library for story time then went to Chic-Fil-A with Kim & Jennifer. Wednesday I dressed Hannah up and let her put on my make-up. She was really excited about it. I got some cute pics of her in her "wedding dress" as she calls it. I also got some pics of her new bed. I desperately need to put some stuff on the walls. I found a wall mural of a castle I think I am going to put above her bed but haven't decided if I want to buy it or not. Anyway below are the pictures from her dress-up day.










Today I went to buy circus tickets. I had a free ticket from Ringling Brothers. (If you have a baby you can register them before their first birthday and they will send you a free ticket that does not expire) I also had a coupon that I picked up from Subway. The lady at the ticket office gave me a $23 ticket for $11. So I asked how much two more tickets would be and she said $20. So I got 4 tickets for $30! I was so excited!!! So Hannah, Mom, Clay & I are going to the circus. I haven't been to the circus in a long time so I am excited. Hannah is excited too. She likes the commercials so I hope she likes the real thing even better! Well I am off to cook dinner, hope all you bloggers have a great weekend!

Consignment Shops

I have lots of thoughts about political issues but I don't usually say too much especially on my blog. However there is a bill that the Senate is trying to pass and I think it is a ridiculous one. They are trying to ban the resale of used clothes and toys saying some have lead in them. Toys I understand but clothes - give me a break! This ban will more than likely put thrift stores and consignment shops out of business because they will not be required to test for lead. However you can guarantee that there will be lawsuits if there is found to be lead in these clothes. From what I have read most of these places may be so scared of going under due to a lawsuit that they will close up shop. This law makes me angry for many reasons:

1. They are going to put people in the unemployment line! Our economy is bad enough and those that own these types of business and the employees will all be looking for another job.

2. Those of us who like to shop at these stores, whether it is a hobby or a necessity, will be forced to spend a lot more for clothes for our children. Some families rely on these types of shops to clothe their children. What are they going to do when these go under? What will their children wear? How will they afford it?

3. What is going to happen to all of these used clothes? Landfills, more than likely. These are the same people shouting recycle! However they only want us to recycle what they deem necessary! Not only will landfills fill up but they will be contaminated with lead if what they are saying is true. It is mind boggling how dumb some intelligent people can be!!

4. Why is it necessary? I haven't heard of mass casualties or sickness because of wearing used clothes. Where are the children that have been harmed from this? Why are we making this a big issue when we allow parents to smoke with their children in the same house & we let people drink alcohol legally? They drink in front of their children, some get in a car after only having a few drinks and drive with their children in the car. My guess is that accidents from driving drunk & the asthma, breathing issues children have from smoking parents have caused more harm to thousands of children than wearing used clothes.

I could go on and on but you get the point. If you are irritated by this law write your representatives. Below are some links to email the representative for your state. You can email your Representative in the House, your Senators or both! I sent my emails this morning and it is the first time to ever write my congressman. It was a little intimidating and I hope everything I have stated on here is true. (I wasn't good at government in high school :0) If not please let me know. I don't want to be one of those dumb intelligent people! LOL!



https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state&Sort=ASC

We have started the new year off with a bang! SICK! Josh called on Friday morning and said he was sick as a dog. Unfortunately he had to work while sick. I am sure his customers loved that! Hannah & I stayed clear of him for the rest of the night. I made sure he was alright but slept on the couch! (I am PARANOID of a stomach virus) Anyway we went to David & Susan with the rest of the family to eat dinner and watch the Alabama game!

Saturday Josh was feeling much better. He was tired and weak but he was fine. Saturday night Hannah spiked a fever. She got sick once but it wasn't virus sick. I thought she might have an ear infection but she was running around wild like always. I gave her some Motrin and her fever broke. She woke up feeling fine and we went on to church. When we got home from church the screaming began. She screamed for a good two hours. Hannah NEVER screams like that. So I call the doctor and we went to the after hours clinic at 5:15. As soon as we walk in the door she wants to play on all the slides and play equipment they have in this place. I can't stand that they have this stuff in here. I know it may entertain children but it is breeding place for germs I am sure. There aren't any well children in the place. After 2 1/2 hours they told us she had an ear infection and gave her some medicine. Thank you Publix for the free medicine! (fyi they give amoxicilin (sp?) for free) She has been a little clingy and tired but overall doing much better.

She has regressed a little on staying in her bed all night. I think it may be because of her being sick and hope this isn't a new trend. Since she feels bad right now I can't make her go back to her bed. So I will wait a week and if she is still getting up and has no other sickness then I will have to start putting her back in bed. I am hoping once the ear aches and coughing end she will sleep all night. She is not wanting to take a nap in her bed and I haven't been pushing it. Yesterday she was actually down for a nap and the tornado sirens went off. They mentioned that we needed to be in a safe place. I toyed with the idea of leaving her asleep (it wasn't even raining at our house) however I started thinking if something popped up and I couldn't get to her then I would regret being selfish and wanting her to take a nap. So I woke her up. After we were all clear, Hannah was playing in her room. I hear a noise and go see what she is doing. As I get to the hall I see her with the Tylenol bottle opened and the dropper in her mouth. My heart literally stopped beating. I had already given her some about an hour before this. I called poison control (again!) and the lady calculated how much was in the bottle and how much was left in the bottle. She said she should be fine & she was, thank goodness. I usually keep the medicine in the cabinet but I had planned on putting back up after I got her to sleep. Then when the sirens went off I totally forgot it was within her reach! I am just happy she is okay.

Wow, this is long but I have to brag about Hannah's potty training. She has been wearing big girl panties almost all week. She has had a few accidents but she is doing great! We even made it through Walmart dry! This is my main goal for 2009 - NO MORE DIAPERS. Hopefully we will reach it by next week. Keep your fingers crossed!

The New Year

It is the year 2009! Who can believe it? It is true that as you get older time seems to move faster. I was looking back at my post from last year around this time and it is already hard to remember how small Hannah was at the time. She was speaking a few words here and there. Now she carries on conversations with anyone that will listen! She is getting so big and it is bitter sweet. I want her to grow older but I can't help not wanting her too all at the same time. All of you parents out there know what I mean. Last Friday we packed up the crib and Hannah is now sleeping in her full sized princess bed. She is doing great going to sleep and staying in her bed the whole night. She has never slept with us but I was afraid that once she was free from the crib she would make her way into our room. So far, so good! To get her to sleep, I have been trying the Super Nanny technique and it is working for us. We started last Saturday night. I get her ready for bed (pj's & a cup of milk) then I sit next to her. We read two stories and sing two songs. Then I kiss her goodnight and leave the room. If she gets up I say "It's time for bed" and put her back in bed. If she gets up again I say "No, bedtime." After that I just put her back in bed without saying anything until she goes to sleep. The first night she got out of bed 4 times & cried for a good hour. The second night she only got out of bed once and then cried on and off for about 30 minutes. The next night she never got out of bed and cried for 10 minutes. Last night she was asleep before I left the room. YEAH SUPER NANNY! I love rocking Hannah but it had turned into a 1-2 hour event to get this child to sleep. She is stubborn & I would get frustrated but now (keeping my fingers crossed that she will continue to do this good) it is so much easier. I don't feel like I am the worst mother in the world before I go to sleep. I need to post some pics of her in her bed soon but I haven't taken any yet.

Now on another subject, the crib. I didn't realize how hard taking the crib down and putting it away was going to be on me! While I was pregnant the plan was just to move Hannah into the computer room and leave the nursery as is. When it was time to take apart the crib I was okay but this week has been horrible for me. It is just another reminder that I am no longer pregnant & that the baby will not be here in June. It has been a tough week. I am glad that we are beginning a new year. Hopefully this year will bring a lot of happiness and healing!