In Between This and That

The past two weeks have been a little busier than normal! Between the unbelievably gorgeous days we've had, which means lots of outside!!!, we've been busy on the home front too.

We've had lots of fun...

Making mud pies and "shaving" our legs with mud! 

Doing Gymnastics...

Playing at the park.

And just generally looking cute and stylish. And by stylish...I mean that Little P likes to dress herself these days. And it usually involved a skirt and/or leggings. 

In between all that, we've been...

Removing 2 layers of THE EXACT SAME wallpaper from Little P's room. The ironic thing is that we will be painting it a similar shade of green...P's favorite color. 

And removing the little houses that also resided in P's room. 

Removing the horrid lime green carpet from the living room. 

Getting nice, new carpet in said living room.

And painstakingly tearing down the YELLLLLOW wallpaper in the art room. Little piece, by little piece. (Just FYI...if you buy an old house with old wallpaper that is stuck directly to the drywall or plaster...RENT A STEAMER!!!!! It will add years to your life!) 

And removing the little birds from the kid's bathroom. They were actually kinda cute...dated, but cute! 

May next week be filled with less manual labor!!! And more play!!!

A Slight New Obession

I had a lovely Friday evening out with some friends, and we went to some new places for me. Apparently, Charlotte is getting big into the Brewery scene, so we visited a few. I was the DD, so I didn't taste the beers, but it was still lots of fun. We even had dinner from a Taco truck! But this isn't your ordinary Taco Truck...it was an Asian Fusion Taco Truck, Maki Taco...and it was wonderful!!! It was fun too...as funny as this sounds...it was my first Taco Truck experience.

And here is just a funny look at one of the breweries we visited. Its so typical, I think, of this area...beer  in jugs, fermenting or whatever, right next to a bicycle. 

But, as good as Maki Taco was...and boy, it was GOOOOOD! that's not what I'm obsessed with. I'm obsessed with this French Bakery, Amelies. Its this cute, eclectic bakery in the NoDa area of Charlotte. NoDa in and of itself is eclectic...and for the most part, I'm not at all cool enough to hang out there. However, I'm making an exception for Amelies...especially that Jambon sandwich. Oh my gosh. I didn't take pictures because I ate it too quickly. A fresh cooked French Baguette with thinly sliced ham, and Gruyere cheese. Marry me now Jambon! and People...its $4.50! There is no better deal in town. Ok- so at the rate I'm eating them, it may not be a great deal- but come on!!!!!!! 

But not only am I in love the sandwich, the Eclair was a little slice of heaven too! Sometimes I feel cheated by the amount of creme inside of your average Eclair...not at Amelies! Full of cream (That's what he said...I know I know...dirty- but I couldn't resist!) The Eclair was amazing!

Everything, even the atmosphere was so wonderful that we went back on Saturday. And yes, I had another Jambon, and sat there for hours so we could watch what everyone else was eating. I'm just trying to plan all my meals around their menu now...and which friends will indulge me and join me there! But let's face it...I don't mind going alone. I'd sit in a dark corner and probably eat 2 Jambons and an Eclair...then go back for something else! People...its amazing!

As I mentioned the atmopshere is funky, fun, and a bit kitchy French. But there were 2 things that I just loved. And I have a feeling Pinterest is going to blow up after these pics!!
........................

The Chandelier when you walk in! It made of pots and pans and utensils, mostly from the kids section of Ikea. How amazing is that?

And I just loved this Etch A Sketch framed with art! So funny, funky, and cool! You could totally find an Etch A Sketch at consignment stores for cheap, cheap frames at thrift stores, and your favorite art from a book...and there you have instant funky art! I'm planning mine now!

I know this post is so random...but if you live in Charlotte...go to Amelies...and Maki Taco. If you don't live here...come pretty soon...cause they are amazing!! But call me first, so I can come eat a Jambon with you!

Still Demo-ing!

We have spent another week removing wallpaper, cabinets, and carpet! Ahhh! Its so fresh! I think our approach to this whole house thing to to get everything bare...then start to accessorize! At least that's what I'm telling myself. It makes me feel better about living in a construction zone.

So here are a couple of before and after shots. Now...keep in mind, these aren't truly "after" shots...they are more like in between shots. You know, we haven't painted walls, arranged things, fixed holes, etc.

And since I've never really taken you on a tour...here are a couple of notes.

Our "Master" bedroom is really 2 rooms adjoined by a closet (See below). They are both tiny, 11x11 to be exact...but our plan is to remove the wall with the closets so it will be one big room. Anywho...Check out the wallpaper and the matching curtains.

And that is a cedar lined closet. We sanded the wood and it smells like cedar again...so nice! 

And here it is with the carpet taken up! Gorgeous hardwoods again. 

 But you can see how tiny it is!

And here it is with our ginormous king sized 4-post bed! Needless to say, this will be changed down the line!

And this is the bedroom part from the dressing room. I'll show you more of that in another post. 

And the kitchen...oh the kitchen. The lady we bought the house from raised 4 kids here...and I'm sure she cooked every meal out of this tiny lime green kitchen. But it was a little too crammed for us. Again, notice the matching curtains and wallpaper. 

 And here it is with the row of cabinets removed (as well as the curtains!).  We also replaced the ceiling fan in the kitchen with a much more contemporary light. Next on the agenda...remove the wallpaper, paint the cabinets, and install a cool backsplash that will go with the vintage lime green countertops! (We are planning a full house renovation in several years, so these small aesthetic things will just tide us over until then!)

And here is our long, dark hallway. Taken with the lime green carpets and the grasscloth wallpaper.

And here it is without the carpet and without the grasscloth! Such an improvement. The floors, while they look nice, are just linoleum that looks like parkay. And the trim is a nice yellow gold color. So all of this will be painted and recarpeted soon!

So we have done a ton of work...and still have a ton to go. But I'm so please with the progress. I am in the process of picking out colors for all rooms, we are having new carpet installed next week, and I'll be working on wallpaper removal in the kitchen and Little P's new room in the next week.

In the meantime...just so you know this won't turn into a home renovation blog...here is a cute picture of my little one and me in our birthday hats! Summer, here we come!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ohhhh! I'm in trouble! I made these bad boys for the special Heart day...and now I can never go back...to where, I don't know- but these cookies just changed my life!

They are ridonculous!!!! I couldn't even eat the whole cookie- cause it kinda took my breath away.
I, of course, found them on Pinterest. You can find the recipe here...although I would tell you, that unless you are ready for an additional 5-7 pounds on your figure, today alone, stay away!!!

The icing is probably the best cream cheese icing I've ever had! And I don't even generally like it! I unfortunately ate quite a bit of it on a spoon. Hey! I'm prego...I'm allowed!

My cookies turned out more like cookies than cake cookies, which I am certain is because of the consistency of the butter. Butter is very finicky in cookie recipes. The recipe called for room temperature, so I put in the microwave for a few 10 seconds...but I don't think it was exactly right. You can tell they aren't as puffy as cake like cookies. Seriously though- who cares! They are still friggin' delicious! Did I mention I went to the gym yesterday...so I'm allowed to eat more!!!!

And this little peanut is sound asleep and has no idea what awaits her when she wakes up! Of course, I may be in a sugar coma! But oh my! My sweet tooth little girl is gonna love it! Yeah- that's chocolate milk mustache on her!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Now get your sweet on!

Excuse the mess...

On both my blog and in my house! I'm tinkering with blog designs and layouts...so pardon the construction for a little bit! And we are finally working on beautifying our 60 year old house.

I started ripping down wall paper last week, my Mother helped me remove the glue, and T and I started taking up the lime green carpet in the kids bedrooms. So we are living in a construction zone! We have a long way to go...but its nice to get it started.

Little P's Room: Before carpet removal! 

 Little P's Room: After carpet removal...during wallpaper removal! (The wallpaper has little houses on it!)

Baby's Room: Before

Baby's Room: Before...lots of yellow!

Baby's Room: During Wallpaper removal! 

 Baby's Room: Carpet removal! P being Daddy's helper! 

 Baby's Room: During...isn't it just precious...these 2 working together. (The walls will not be blue- that's just what is underneath the wallpaper).

I am loving hearing their conversations while they are removing staples (Little P is using her tools, and not really working...really just talking! So don't worry, she's safe!). I keep hearing her say "I a good helper!" Apparently, we are going to Chuckie Cheese this evening for all the hardwork she's doing!

Oh, and I guess you all know now...we are having another baby. Due early July! Now that I'm feeling slightly better, we have kickstarted our cosmetic renovations!! So- I'm on a break, off my feet for a few minutes before I get back to work!!!

Y'all have any fun renovations you are doing this weekend?

The Scholar

Yesterday, Little P was on a mission to go to school. See, its funny, cause she doesn't go to school...we just pretend. I'm usually the teacher or the cafeteria lady and she packs up her backpack and goes from room to room in the house collecting things to take with her. And she's usually screaming "I'm going to school now!" as she is gathering.

I was the teacher yesterday, and I walked in right as she was unpacking and setting up her desk. First, she set up her Ariel jewelry box and started playing music. Then she took out her Minnie Mouse Snow Globe, and shook it to make the glitter snow. Then she picked up her pencil and began to do her work.

Not only did she have her backpack (which she placed on the back of her chair), she also brought her suitcase...which was full of treasures.

The little girl was very serious about her school work.

She's so dang particular, and knows exactly what is going on and where everything is. EVERYTHING!

As I was putting her down for a nap, she asked for Flounder. I told her I knew exactly where he was and I would go to the art room to get him (see, he's on the table with her, ready for school). She said "Mama....NOOOO! He's not in there." I said "yes, he is! I know it! I saw him." (And I said this as I am walking to the art room. But of course he wasn't in the art room. So I asked her where he was (I should have just listened in the first place!). Her response...."He's with my paperwork in your bedroom. In my suitcase!"

Sure enough...there he was, in the suitcase, with her paperwork! Hehehe! Man that girl! She's too smart for her own good.

And have I mentioned how sweet she is? Yesterday was my birthday and the girl kept saying "Happy Birthday Mama!" Totally unprompted! So cute!!

A Blissful Moment

Yesterday, my very sweet, but very tired little girl gave me an early birthday present...a 3 hour nap! Oh the glory. And not only was the nap long and beautiful...the little one woke up pleasant, happy, and funny! So we celebrated with ice cream. It was gorgeous!

During those 3 hours, I unloaded the dishwasher, read some my new book (more on that in a minute), and took a very long and restful nap myself! When I woke up, I stayed on the couch and read for another hour. It was glorious.

And of all things, after we had ice cream, we did some serious play with her new horses and barn from her cousins...which lead to her dressing up as Snow White! Don't ask how or why! But she was very happy to be dressed in such a beautiful dress.

So, the book...I'm reading Buddhism for Mothers by Sarah Napthali, a recommendation from my blogger friend MamaUK. So far it is speaking to me. I've needed some calm around myself, so this is the perfect book to help me transition into that more. I've been dealing with a lot of power struggles, tantrums, a sleepy 3 year old, and a tired Mama. And in every instance, I have realized that when I'm calm and center myself, the situations get so much better. If Little P sees me get agitated, boy does she lay it on thick! She loves to make it worse. So, I have to be the bigger person (I guess I am the Mama, right?), but man, its hard! She knows exactly what buttons to push.

I'm not that far into the book, but a couple of things have really resonated with me...particularly this...

Being mindful and present take less energy than not. I love the analogy she uses of when walking with a bowl full of water, if you take careful, deliberate steps the water is calm and stays in the bowl. If you try to walk quickly and make uncontrolled movements, the water jostles around and spills out. So really, having a scattered or unclear mind can deplete you...and boy is it so true! 

So this week, I'm going to concentrate on being being present, being mindful, and really "being" where I am. Which will include turning another year older! I swear I'm just 25...with early gray. But the calendar is telling me something different. But I will be present, I will be mindful!

................................
I am working on some changes to my blog and some new ways to help me get my thoughts around my days. Anyone have expertise in writing HTML code? Want to use my blog as a showcase to start your blog design business? I'd be willing to help you out! Hehehe!

What Did You Eat For the Super Bowl?

Good Super Bowl recovery day to you. I hope your team won! We had a lovely, low key Super Bowl at home. But I love, love, love party food...and I love the variety at Super Bowl parties, so we had to fix a couple of things!

We had wings, of course! In the Fry Daddy! They were wonderful! Just so you know, we like Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce or Sticky Fingers Carolina Classic Mustard Sauce slathered all over our wings!! And I like to dip them in homemade Ranch dressing or Blue Cheese Dressing.

Then we had these lovelies. Buffalo Chicken Bites. So yummy! And the recipe made so many that I froze a lot. They were a Pinterest find! We fried them instead of baking them, and I used Panko crumbs instead of corn flakes. These were so delicious. Similar to Cheesecake Factory's Buffalo Blasts. The inside is so creamy and yummy, I can see putting it in eggroll wrappers and baking or frying them. Yumola!

And we had Bacon Double Cheeseburger Dip. It was delicious some Fritos, but I put a little too much garlic in it. But still- soooo good! I didn't take any photos of it, cause it looked like a big globby mess. It was good- but not exactly photo worthy.

So do you Pinterest? You can follow me here. We like to call it crack around here! But man, its good for some ideas! I found Pinterest back last April when I was planning my Mother's 65th. And I'm so excited that the hype has caught on!! Let me know if you are on Pinterest, cause I'd love to see what you are addicted to! Do you have any favorite recipes that you found on Pinterest?

It's like Spring Around Here

If Puxatany Phil says there will be 6 more weeks of this weather...BRING IT ON! It was nearly 70 degrees yesterday by 10am yesterday. It was gorgeous! I threw open all the windows in the house...yes all! It was wonderful, and oh so fresh.

So we packed the snack bag and headed for our favorite park, Reedy Creek Nature Preserve. It couldn't have been a better afternoon with our buddy R! Those 2 have the best time. And you would have thought they hadn't seen each other in a year they way they ran and hugged each other! (Paisley even said "I love you R" as they were leaving...unprompted too!)

 After a week at Disney, this little girl was having nothing to do with my taking pictures of her! Plus, she was way too busy playing to look at me!

 I just think this is the most magical sand box! And boy does this girl love digging in the sand! I can't wait to fix up her sandbox this Spring!

 I said she's a little sassy...and I meant it!

 These are the cool xylophones they have in the park. They are made of natural materials and make the coolest sounds. She asked me to play for her so she could dance on the stage! Ahhh! Like Mother, Like Daughter!

I had to put this blurry one in, cause it is so typical of Little P. This is inside the Nature Preserve center, where they have very cool stuff to play with, like puppets, wood blocks, binoculars, magnifying glasses, and real snakes and turtles. She and R spent a long time taking the magnifying glasses around looking at stuff. And while I don't want to label her just yet- my girl is a little bit of a leader. We could hear her the whole time...."Over here R!" "Let's go look at this." "No R, not that!" Ok...So maybe its more of a nag! But still. She loves this tent and goes right on in and takes her shoes off. The girl would never wore shoes if it were an option!

Today's supposed to be just as beautiful...so I will again ignore the grocery shopping (yep- still haven't been since we got back!), cleaning the house, changing the sheets, all so we can go on some other kind of outdoor adventure!

Happy Belated 3rd Birthday P!

Well, first off...Hello everyone!! Hope you are all well...heck...I hope people are still out there reading since I've taken quite a break from blogging. My energy hasn't been in to it- and I figured, if I weren't inspired to write it, no one would be inspired to read it. But I have a new energy for it and I'm excited about a couple new things I'm going to be doing out here. I figured out that I was bothered by not having a true purpose with my blog. I mean, I love, let me stress that...LOVE...talking about myself and my little girl...but I felt like it just wasn't all that I wanted out here. So...stay tuned for some new stuff, stuff that isn't just going to revolve around Little P (although, let's be real...a LOT still will!).

But, in the meantime...a little post about my Little P that just turned 3! 3!!! I still can't believe I have a three year old. I especially can't believe that I have a tall and slender 3 year old (38.5 inches tall and a mean 31.8 pounds!) To celebrate her birthday, we went to Walt Disney World. A very magical trip that we will always treasure.

A few highlights from the trip- that I just don't ever ever want to forget!

 1) She's kinda a big girl now! Just as cute and independent as can be! She was very excited to see Cinderella's castle! It was kinda a big deal. (This makes P's 3rd time to Disney, but she really didn't remember anything about the other trips!)

 2) She loves to look at herself in pictures- but taking pictures can sometimes not be her thing!

 3) I'm rarely in pictures with her! We stayed at Fort Wilderness Cabins so we took a boat to the Magic Kingdom, which was kinda cool.

 4) For her birthday, we went to Chef Mickey's to see all the characters. She LOVED it!

 5)She was so excited to see everyone of her best friends! However...Mickey did not have the right shoes on! (They are supposed to be yellow!) The girl does not forget ANYTHING!

 6) She was crazy about some Minnie Mouse! Probably the highlight! Minnie and Mickey even gave her a special birthday kiss!

 7) This was the art on the wall of Chef Mickey's. I love it.

 8) Of all the Mickey ears to choose from...she chose the Princess ones...which is hysterical considering her distain for the princesses...more on that later. (Excuse the panty shot...) See Baby Simba...this girl is so particular about what she gets. She looks though the entire Disney Marketplace, and never asked for a thing. She saw this Simba and says "I need this. Let's go pay the man." So sweet!

 9) Waiting for the Princess breakfast in Epcot! Little did we know....

10) She's not a fan of the Princesses. Could have cared less! Actually, I'm pretty sure she would have rather been elsewhere!

11) The staff was quite sweet and asked if we wanted a retake later in the morning...Little P didn't want to, but I said I'd go with her- and that was ok. See her nice fake smile...still having nothing to do with it!

12) This is how she was to all the Princesses, except Snow White, who we thought she was going to have a throw down with! The little girl hated it! She plays with Princess dolls at home (heck, we even brought them with us). She loves her princess shoes! But the actual Princesses... NOTHING!

13) For the Princess Parade around the resturant, we asked if she wanted to march with them...the girl stuffs some food in her mouth and says "No, I still eating my breakfast!" When Snow White came around (who forever was her favorite) to take pictures, she stuffed a muffin in her mouth and said "No!" And I'm not kidding. Nothing to do with them! T and I couldn't stop laughing the entire breakfast! And all we kept saying to each other was "Thank goodness we got the Disney Dining Plan for free!!).

14) Now to Snow White! Little Miss P had about had it when Snow White walked by and said "Bye Bashful." Little P looked at her with the death stare and said...in her really mean aggressive voice...."I NOT BASHFUL...I P." It still makes T and I laugh hysterically! The good news is that we didn't have to wait in any lines to get our picture taken with the Princesses. In fact, every time we passed one in the park, we'd ask her if she wanted to stop and say hello...and of course, she said "NO!"

15) By the way- thanks to her father...she calls Jasmine the Hooker. Its not Jasmine...its Jasmine the Hooker. So we are really glad that she didn't want to stop and talk to Jasmine...the Hooker!

 16) She also picked up Flounder and was very attached to him!

 17) It was about 80 the whole time...and sunny...so we had to have some new sunglasses!

 18) This is my favorite picture from the whole trip! It just captures her so well! It was taken in Canada after we ate a delicious steak at Le Celier!

 19) She's just goofy! P has been potty trained for nearly a year...but I was so worried about being out and about at Disney without her potty. But man, she did an awesome job! I was very proud of her!

20) I never really thought I'd talk about her bathroom habits on my blog! But heck...it is a big deal!

 21) She could have cared less about those Princesses, but man, she didn't have a single problem with any of the Characters. Right after this picture she gave Tiger and Pooh spontaneous hugs! Very cute!

 22) For those of you who don't know- I worked at Disney, as did T...so I've been A LOT! A LOT! And this is the first time EVER that I've been to Epcot and not eaten a Chocolate Eclair in France. I mean, back when I was salaried there, I would make a special trip to Epcot just for an Eclair. But I couldn't do it! I was way too full from lunch!

 23) We stayed at the Cabins at Fort Wilderness, which were way cool! P had her own bunkbed!

 24) Because we were on the Disney Dining Plan, we had desert after every meal! After a couple of days- it was hard to even eat them! But don't they look pretty! This little girl is only quiet when she's eating ice cream. Seriously...its the only time she's quiet.

 25) She has really long legs. Last year, she couldn't come close to getting on the giant ant!

 26) For comparison sake...this was her birthday at Disney last year...oh my how tiny!!

Well- there's the little recap of our girl's big trip! It was a fabulous time- but we are all still so tired! We can't wait to go back to see all the improvements to Magic Kingdom with the new parts of Fantasyland. Of course....it is pretty Princess themed...so it might not be such a treat for Little P!!

I'll be back shortly with some new stuff! Until then, ya'll have a great one!