Lady Homebody

Mountain Day!

2009-10-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend was Mountain Day weekend at Berry College. For those of you who do not know what Mountain Day is I will provide this brief explanation. Berry College was founded by Martha Berry a little over 100 years ago, and Mountain Day is celebrated at the beginning of every October in honor of her birthday. It's a big deal at Berry and serves as a sort of "homecoming" weekend- Berry College does not have a football program so instead of a big homecoming game we celebrate by making freshmen girls walk up and down a mountain with no boy to hold their hand (don't ask). There is a big picnic up on mountain campus (where the Chick-fil-a Winshape Center lives). This year Stephen could not go with me because of the LSU/UGA game in Athens, so I went with my two best friends on the whole world, Meghan and Greer, and oh yeah- my baby. We split a hotel room three ways (much more affordable that way) and apart from Sara keeping us up all night, we had a really good time. There was a Theater reunion that doubled as a roast of one of the professors, Dr. Countryman. We were all surprised and thrilled to see Keith had come down from New York City to be the Roast Master. Keith is incredibly funny and the roast was enjoyed by all who attended. Greer and Meghan got to go see the show after the dinner, but I had to have Sara back to the hotel by bedtime- so I headed back and went to bed as soon as she was down. Does that make me old and boring? Should I have gone to the field party instead? I don't even know if there still is a field party- and even when I was in college I never went! Mountain Day serves to remind me how much I loved the four years I spent at Berry, but also how glad I am to still be able to hug and talk to all of the people who made those four years so amazing and it seem like it was all yesterday.

Stephen always makes fun of Berry by saying that my college experience was like four years of summer camp. He is correct if you think of summer camp as the place where you make friends that last a lifetime and participate in tug-of-war and think that the people in the other cabins are not as cool as the people in your cabin. (Morton Lemley > Ford, accept this as truth).

Anyway, time to get back to life outside the bubble.

What I Did Today...

2009-09-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

My husband deserted me for a football game this evening (ok- it's his job- whatever) and ever since the baby went to bed at 8pm I have been treating myself to some guilty-pleasure cinema and television that Stephen would never dream of watching with me. Currently I am watching....wait for it....Murder She Wrote!! I can't watch this show without flashing back to my Grandmother's living room with the box tv on the floor and the rooster hanging on the wall, sitting on the floor with my Grandma Nicky on the couch and Grandma Cuba in the rocker. I would play with the board games on the floor while we all watched television before bedtime. I get the same feeling when I watch Matlock or the Lawrence Welk Show.

Earlier this evening I watched the Secret Garden. I have decided that this is my favorite movie of all time. My mom used to read me the book at night, over and over again. I love the story and the movie makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Sometimes she would read it to me on the couch, I would get pillows and curl up in her "nest." She would lie on her side and I would cuddle up in the nook behind her knees. I loved the time we spent like that- and I love my mommy.

It's 10:15pm and the Dawgs are tied with Arizona with a little over 5 minutes left to play. I suppose that means there is a slight risk of overtime- which means I will get to watch another episode! Don't get me wrong, I miss my hubby- but tomorrow we head down to Warner Robins so I won't get to watch more Murder, She Wrote for a couple of days.

Miss Priss

2009-09-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

This face just kills me, she looks so prissy- this is the same baby who laughs after she farts!

We are crafty, folks, real crafty-like...

2009-09-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

So I am a newbie to this crafty-life. But I am quickly learning how to use my sewing machine and with my dear mother's help I have made curtains for my kitchen windows and a matching pillow for my sofa (my living room and kitchen are open to each other, so the matching thing is very cool). I love the material and I found it at Walmart for only 5 bucks a yard. Basically $15 later I have two curtains and two pillows- SO much more affordable than buying these same items at Walmart or Target (I am not even going to pretend that I would have bought these items from Pier One or Pottery Barn or any other trendy home decor place, lets face it- I'm broke) Anyway here are some pics of the curtains and the pillow.

Earlier I posted the first dress for Petunia May baby, the company my mom and I are starting, we of course have a wonderful model, here she is modeling our first creation (dress made by mom, model made by me- that was my contribution, I think my mom had the easier part of the job...)

You can't really see the whole dress, but the top with the buttons is my favorite part anyway. We hope to have the shop up and running on Etsy by the first of October. We are also trying to plan on a couple of craft fairs! It's all very crafty and fun. If anyone knows anyone who would like to purchase a dress, we do custom orders and would be happy to whip something up!

No More Excuses!

2009-09-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

So today I did what I should have been doing all along. I finally found the type of daily exercise routine that I cannot get out of- no more excuses for not moving my butt on a daily basis! Ever since Sara was born I have found reasons why it is too hard to exercise every day, too hard to make the right choices as to what I eat. I still have 20lbs. of baby weight hanging on for dear life, plus some from before she was born that I would also like to be rid of. Today I walked for 45 minutes down the sidewalk of my new town. I live in the downtown area, so it is noisy and busy, but I feel safe and can go any day that the weather permits. It was fun! I mean, seriously, I HATE to exercise- but it was actually entertaining to walk with the stroller next to all the shops and restaurants in the downtown area. What's more amazing is that after dinner I took Stephen on the same walk that I took this morning. Sara also seems to really like the time outside.

Before I discovered my proximity to a long sidewalk- I was trying to get on my elliptical machine every once and a while. The problem was that the elliptical is much like a phone in that once Sara sees me on it she starts whining and then screaming for attention. I tried waiting until she was napping- but then she would be up before I could finish and take a shower. I tried waking up before she got up- before 6am to get on, but then by lunch I was ready to collapse (if you know me you know how I really need sleep to be a happy, well adjusted person). So this is really the perfect solution, I can sleep until the baby wakes up, take my time getting us ready to go, walk and then be back in time to feed her her morning meal and put her down for her first nap of the day. Then I get to shower and catch up on my housework before she wakes up. The best part is that I am happier because I am not guilty and not doing anything to get rid of the extra weight.

All in all, my routine is finally coming together and life is better than I could ever have hoped for. Now all I need is to finish unpacking from the move and I will feel a certain calm come over the house- I hope.

Holy Incest, Batman!

2009-09-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

I recently took an interest in my family tree and signed up for a free two-week trial of Ancestry.com. All along I was joking about how funny it would be if Stephen and I had some common relatives. Well, HAHA jokes on me! We have the same Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather and Grandmother, William Pannell and Lucinda Dove, from Virginia. Of course they later moved to South Carolina, but that doesn't really matter. The point is, Stephen and I are cousins! SARA IS INBRED! I know its too far back to matter at all, but it's still totally weird.

William Pannell was born in either 1740 or 1745, there is some dispute on that matter, but everyone agrees that he died in 1812. His wife, Lucinda, was born in 1745 and died in 1810. They had a lot of children. Their son William is Stephen's ancestor and their second son Anderson is my ancestor. This, of course, also means that my mother and Stephen's father are cousins. Also, all of my family on my mom's side is related to everyone on his dad's side. THIS IS FREAKY! Stephen's aunts are now my cousins, etc...my mind is reeling! William and Lucinda's parents were all from England as far as I can tell right now. Oy.

Anyway, thats my day, just waiting for my cousin, er...Husband...to get home from work.

Lord of The Flies

2009-09-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

I am in the midst of an epic battle. Somehow my very clean house is being overrun by house flies. I have determined that somehow the larvae is crawling through a mysterious hole in my window and are taking up residence on said window to pupate, and then once completing metamorphosis- they are flying around my home. It is beyond gross. I am swatting and sanitizing and squashing and wiping and spraying and trapping. I have made my own fly traps out of soda bottles, the dog and the cat are even joining in to eradicate the invaders. Luckily today the house is being sprayed for bugs, I can only hope that will solve the problem. I would like to find their point of entry and seal it off, but this is an old house and there are probably too many holes to fill them all. Right now there are two that I cannot catch. But rest assured I will not quit until they are ALL DEAD.

Wish me luck.

IM BACK!

2009-09-04T05:33:00.000-07:00

HI!!! I have missed you all! So, I thought by now I would be writing this first entry with my home fully unpacked and the art hung on the walls. WRONG. Oh well, we are not finished unpacking yet. It will get done eventually, it has to, right?

But anyway, the biggest news in my life right now is "Petunia May Baby." My mom and I are working on getting our little business off the ground. We have been shopping for fabric, we are both armed with sewing machines and ready to get started. We found some really cute patterns too, I mean really freaking adorable! Anyway here is the first dress:

The picture is a little dark, but you get the idea. We will hopefully be up and working on Etsy within the next few weeks. We want to get some fall designs done before we start up our Etsy page.

I love Etsy, I already purchased some art for Sara's nursery and have fallen in love with some of their shops.

So in about an hour I have to be ready to put Sara-bean in the car and take her to the grocery store and buy cat food so Jynx doesn't starve while we leave for the Labor Day weekend. We are traveling home to see our families, although if you were to ask my husband- we are traveling home to watch the UGA game on a different television where people bring us food and hold the baby so we don't get distracted from what's REALLY important in life.

Now I have to go bathe for the lovely people at Ingles (I would hate to be judged by the people at Ingles). But I will leave you with this image-

Top 10 Reasons I have not Blogged Recently...

2009-07-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

1. We are in the process of moving to our new house in Commerce, GA. Packing and organizing, changing utility companies, hiring movers, etc.

2. Sara is teething. 'nuf said.

3. I am currently in the lobby of the law school waiting to pick up MY LAST FINAL EVER IN LIFE. But, before now I was in class and stuff.

4. I have a 30 page paper due on Friday. It will be the second to last paper of my life.

5. I have a class outside of the law school that I am finishing up. The portfolio is due on the 23rd. Also we meet every Thursday from 1-5:15.

6. Sara is starting solid foods. Why did no one warn me of how LONG it takes a baby to eat cereal? Still, its pretty cute and very very entertaining.

7. Stephen and I are both seeking employment, sort of.

8. We have been traveling a lot lately, visiting family and friends.

9. We started letting Sara put herself to sleep at night and at naptime. It is the most emotionally challenging thing I have ever done in my entire life. Seriously, it hurts so bad. But Stephen and I are confident that it is the right thing to do and that both Sara and us will be better for it. Honestly, it has already started working after about a week. Last night she only cried for four minutes before she conked out for the night.

10. I am losing my mind. No reason, but really, its slipping away.

Anyway, these are my reasons/excuses. I will be back in business and updating regularly after we get settled in our new place. I have to go take a final now. Wish me luck.

My Husband is a bit strange...

2009-06-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

Weird things that my husband has done lately....

1) He ate ice cream off of his dinner plate, without rinsing it off first, and used the same fork...the real kicker...we had meatloaf for dinner. There was meatloaf juice all on his ice cream. And he thought I was weird for thinking he was gross.

2) He put whipped cream on my baby's head and licked it off. And then he put more on and let the dog lick it off. I must admit that I was DYING laughing and a willing participant in this activity. Sara thought it was funny too. Honest. She was laughing.

3) We were driving home from Warner Robins on Sunday. For some reason the iPod had gotten turned off and we were left singing silly songs and talking. There had been a pause of silence which Stephen broke with a little song. I don't remember the lyrics except for the title..."Flame Retardant Panda" I believe that the tune was the same as the Stanley Steamer commercial. I asked him if he had gotten that phrase from one of the weird internet humor sites he travels...but no. There was no one to blame but his own brain. Oy.

4) While we were out to dinner for our anniversary (at Henderson Village in Perry, GA.) he kept raising his pinky to drink from his water glass. He then started talking snooty and asking me to participate by telling me it was "my turn" to say something stereotypically aristocratic.

All in all, he may be strange, but I love him. He his my strange husband and I am equally weird. Stay tuned for what I am sure will be his next blog entry..."My psycho Wife."

Mom, are you there?

2009-06-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

So, my mom keeps promising to read my blog- even though my Dad insists that she should not and refuses to do so himself. He thinks that I should have to call him and talk to him if I want him to know what is going on in my life. I keep trying to tell him that this is not at all what we would talk about on the phone, but simply a diversion that would mildly entertain him. Maybe I will get through eventually. I guess he does have a good point- I should call him and not rely on the internet to do my communicating for me. Anyway, my mom wants to read it (or at least says she does!) but every time I bring it up she talks about how she does not "sit around on the internet" like I do. Its okay, I get it. But I am posting this as a test- Mom, if you have read this entry, or when you read this entry- call me and say, "octopus". It's really okay if she never reads it- I love her anyway and I do call her and tell her everything, so most of this would be a repeat anyway. However, I will be very happy when she calls me and says, "octopus"....

It's June!

2009-06-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

It's June! I am currently sitting in my summer class waiting for it to start. Capital Punishment, MW 6-8:30pm. Its actually looking to be a pretty interesting class. We are split fairly evenly between those who are proponents and opponents of the death penalty. For those of you who don't know I am against the Death Penalty. I have my own reasons, mostly faith based, and I just don't think its worth it. Anyway, there is potential for lively debate, which in my opinion really makes the class challenging and interesting.

In other news, we went home last weekend for my brother-in-law's high school graduation. BIG DEAL! It was awesome. He got more applause than anyone else. Well, at least more than anyone before him, we slipped out after he was done. There was a party afterwards at my in-laws' house- ice cream and pizza. I still cannot eat pizza because of Sara-face not liking me to eat anything with taste. There were quite a few people there, after all Jeffrey has always been very popular and well-liked, even loved, at school. They are really going to miss him there. I am pretty sure the feeling is mutual. There was a girl there who I assumed was close to my age, only to find out she was only 16!! She was so beautiful, I mean really really pretty! She was so pretty I initially felt the need to hate her a little, but when I found out that she was a rising Junior in high-school and involved in ROTC, planning on joining the Air Force after graduation- I had no choice but to like her and wish her all the luck in the world. It was strange to meet an ROTC student that did not know my dad. My dad taught ROTC at HoCo for like, a million years, but left 3 years ago to teach at another school. Stephen and I got to see some of our old teachers at graduation and freak them out by showing up married with a baby. It has been 7 years since we were students there, and although we were dating when we graduated- its probably pretty weird to see us all grown up and parent-y.

Sara got her shots last Wednesday, she was pretty cranky for a few days. However, the doctor told us that she was perfectly healthy and developed enough to start solid foods. So we went out and bought some rice cereal and we are going to start her on it tomorrow. I will be sure to let you know how it goes. I suspect it should be pretty entertaining at first, but the cute may wear off after a couple of times of cleaning cereal out of my hair. She is growing so fast, and becoming more like a real mini-person every day.

Stephen and I are looking for a new rental home to move into. We were considering going ahead and buying a house- but we are still not sure that we will be in Athens long enough to make it worth while. Our criteria are fenced back yard, single story, 2-3 bedrooms, and at least 1 1/2 baths. We are looking at a few this week. I am not looking forward to moving. I like our condo, but we have outgrown it. It will be a little sad to leave it though, because it was the first home Stephen and I shared together, it was where we got our first dog, where we brought Sara home from the hospital. It will always hold a special place in my heart. I know it will be worth moving though when I see Bauer running around in a back yard, no leash, acting like a goober. Stephen has also assured me that we would be hiring people to do the heavy lifting. Otherwise I would be making excuses not to move. I don't mind packing, its the LIFTING, and CARRYING, and SWEATING, that I do not love. We have a lot of furniture, upstairs, boo.

My mom is coming up tomorrow to help out while I run errands trying to get into one more class for the summer. It requires me to get a form signed by four different people, in different buildings, IN ORDER. Anyway, one of the people was on vacation until tomorrow, so I have to track her down and then get all the other signatures.

Well, class has started, so I will finish up this conversation later. TOOTLES.

Life Lately

2009-05-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

Holy Moly is a lot going on lately. That is why it has been a while since my last post. I graduated on Saturday (sort of). I walked in the ceremony and participated in the festivities, but I still have to take some summer classes to have my diploma delivered! Much of my time has been spent trying to get registered and started with my classes. I am trying to get into a class outside of the law school- Organizational Theory- its in the Public Administration and Policy department. The class looks really interesting and meets at an ideal time. Apparently I need about a gazillion signatures to get in and get credit towards my law degree- so here's hoping I get it all taken care of.

Graduation weekend was a lot of fun. My parents came down on Thursday (it was their anniversary). I made them reservations at Porterhouse Grill and chauffeured them to and from their date. Friday my Mom and I went shopping and then spent the rest of the day cooking and baking and cleaning in preparation for my graduation party. We were too tired to even go out to eat after all of our hard work, so we ordered Ribs to-go from Logan's Roadhouse (OMG they were amazing, and so tender). Saturday morning was an early morning- we all were up around 6:30 and were at my graduation by 8am. The ceremony was over at noon and we all headed back to my house for some frivolity. My Aunt and cousin from North Carolina came down to join the celebration. Also in attendance were my parents and sister, Stephen's parents and brother and grandmother.

For the party were served brunch. We started with cheese, fruit, and mimosas. Then came the main course- an egg casserole (eggs, bacon, bread, cheese, etc.) and a french toast casserole (soooo good). Then for desert I made a cake from Pioneer Woman- Strawberry Shortcake Cake. Highly recommend, will make again, and again and again.

In baby news, Sara held a bottle for herself while I was in class on Wednesday. I called Stephen on the break to check in and he told me about it. I was so sad that I missed it. I mean seriously, I am only gone for 3 hours and that is when she decides to develop? Without me? I know that it is unavoidable, that I will miss things occasionally- but it still bummed me out. At least it was a relatively minor step and not her actual first steps, or words, or something of that nature. Those are still a little while out.

My first mother's day was the weekend before graduation. (You all know when mother's day was, I don't know why I felt the need to spell it out.) Stephen (I mean Sara) gave me diamond stud earrings as a gift. The are very sparkly and I love them. I have worn them everyday since I got them. I have been waiting for this exact pair for three years. I think I earned them. We went to mass and then we went to brunch (I love brunch, by the way, best meal ever) at Farm 255. The food was delicious and I had a mimosa (yummy). Sara was very well behaved while we were out and spent most of brunch chewing on Pooh Bear. That afternoon I drove down to my mom. My dad was in Charlotte and my sister was in Pittsburgh- meaning my mother was almost alone on Mother's Day- so Sara and I packed up and drove down for a few days. There was a really bad hail storm that night and we lost power for about 4 hours. The wind was so strong that we all hid in the closet for awhile fearing a tornado. The hail was hitting the windows so hard I seriously thought one was going to break. As you can tell, we survived the storm and had a really good visit.

I have been baking and cooking up a storm lately- I keep meaning to take pictures so that I can write a post about one of these dishes or desserts, but my camera battery is dead and I am so very bad at remembering to plug it in! I will eventually and eventually I will post about the mac and cheese, or the strawberry cake, or the mini- angel food cakes. I promise. I think next however, I will have to post about all of the wonderful things that I spent my birthday money on! We went to a local kitchen specialty store "The Rolling Pin"- I went a little crazy. Stay Tuned.

I love this picture of Bauer- I came across it today while browsing old pictures. Thought you might like to giggle at how goofy he looks.

Pot Pie, Spaghetti, and More

2009-05-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

Today was my final exam in Workers' Compensation, I was the only person in the whole class who took the exam by hand rather than on a laptop. This was not by choice but rather a forced situation involving my dead laptop and the lack of funds to fix it or get a new one (tragedy struck last semester- my 2 year old Dell laptop just stopped working.) Anyway, my hand was about to fall off by the end of the exam, but I feel that it went pretty well, that it was a very fair exam, and that I am glad to be done with it. So yes, I am DONE with this semester and once I finish my summer classes and independent project I will be DONE with law school, for real. That will be a weird feeling- my first time really being done with school- I have been in school every year for the last 20 years- no breaks longer than a summer. I am sure my knee jerk reaction will be to consider getting a PhD in something, just so I don't have to think about what life outside of school is like. Give me a break, it's all I know!

Moving on- last week I made an awesome chicken pot pie out of all fresh ingredients. I used half and half instead of heavy cream and yet it was still rich and delicious. I will probably post the recipe eventually, buts its too long to do right now. Here is a picture of it though- I use a biscuit topping like my mom does, instead of a regular pie topping.

Also, as anyone who read my last enormous post knows, I have a new pot that has been added to my kitchen family. I used it tonight for the first time to make spaghetti. It made me feel very cheerful to use it, with its pretty color and even heating! The spaghetti didn't taste half bad either. I switched to a new brand of sauce that I doctor up a bit. I used to use Hunt's but not I use Earth Fare brand- its organic and tastes fresher (more fresh?) than the other brands I have tried. I admire people who make their own sauce from scratch, I just do not have the patience for it, plus I don't think that I could do better than the jar- although I know many people who do make it better, but they have many more years of experience than I do and I am just not ready to take on that challenge yet.

In other news, my baby got to spend the morning with her daddy while I was taking my final and she has been in a really good mood ever since. I think that means that Stephen should spend every morning with her! No, not really... someone has to make some money around here. Anyway- here she is holding her new favorite friend- Giuseppe the Giraffe...

Catching Up...

2009-05-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

So, its been far too long since my last post. Here is what has been going on around here:

Paper:
At first I was absent because I was writing my final paper for Animal Law. It was due last Wednesday at 5pm. So of course I was working on it up until about an hour before it was due. Once I emailed it in, I crashed for about an entire day! I had not accounted for how much more difficult procrastination is when you have another person who needs you all day. It was a lot harder to pump out 3 pages an hour when Sara was hungry, tired, and poopy. Luckily, Stephen was able to take off work on Wednesday so that I could finish. The man is a Saint. I would have been a panicky fool if I had to finish my paper without his help. I owe him big-time. Anyway, the paper turned out fairly well I believe. Fortunately I really enjoyed the topic. This may sound weird but it was a paper about new legislation that is coming up in California and Illinois that would ban the use of tail-docking for dairy cattle. It was a very interesting topic- mostly because it was so controversial. There was actually a lot of information for both sides of the issue. I switched from a different topic that I had been going with for most of the semester. At first I was writing about Puppy Mill legislation, trouble is- there aren't any people writing about how we need puppy mills or how great they are for mankind! (At least I could not find any- honestly, who thinks puppy mills are awesome?!) For a lot of issues in Animal Law, the two sides of the debate seem to be "pro- animal" versus "who cares." Ok, that was a lot about something that most of you really do not care about, my apologies.

Thursday:
Thursday my mom was supposed to come to Athens for the weekend to celebrate our birthdays. My mom's birthday is April 30 (Thursday) and mine is the next day. We decided this year to go shopping for our birthdays instead of surprising each other with gifts. It is simply more practical. Well, on Wednesday she called me and said that Kelley (my sister) was sick with something really icky and that the Doctor was testing her for all the flu varieties (swine, A, B, etc...) and that she would not be coming until after Kelley's appt. on Thursday morning. The hospital confirmed that Kelley was pretty sickly but not with anything they needed to call the CDC for- so Mom postponed her arrival until Friday so that she could take care of Kelley for the rest of the day. It turned out okay though because Kelley got the extra mommy care that one needs when they are sick and I went to the mall with Greer to check out the new Baby Gap. Oh BABY GAP!!! Everything was soo freakin' cute. However, I am not so gullible as to believe that I needed to purchase everything that I fell in love with right there at that moment- oh no, I am much to savvy for that! I live close enough to the mall that I will simply be checking in occasionally and waiting for the clearance bins. Then it is time to stock up. I can stock up for all the babies in the family that are on the way too. As I mentioned before my cousins are expecting. My cousin who is expecting her second baby found out that it is going to be a boy. So now she will have a girl and a boy- YAY! I am sure he will be a handsome fellow. My other cousin found out on Thursday (or at least I found out on Thursday) that they are expecting TWINS! I was in a baby store when my mom called to tell me....which was OH SO DANGEROUS. So if you add these three youngin's to Stephen's cousin who is also pregnant with her second- that's a LOT of babies on the way. Not to mention Greer's baby/tumor and now my classmate who is also very freshly preggers. I am serious- there are going to be BABIES EVERYWHERE! I love babies and cannot wait for them to all be toddlers running around together causing mayhem. Anyway- what was I talking about? Oh yes- the mall. Greer and I looked around at baby stuff and talked pregnancy and looked in the jewelry store for shiny things that we hope to one day receive from our respective hubbies. It was a lot of fun hanging out, but then while I was trying to maneuver the tank of a stroller in and out of Chick-fil-a, we had a terrible realization- "How the heck are we going to eat at a mall food court together with TWO HUGE STROLLERS?!" Greer was willing to accept defeat and proclaimed very simply, "We just can't hang out anymore." I almost believed her- but then decided that we will just have to go in on a double stroller together. PROBLEM SOLVED. Man, I am a genius.

Friday:
MY BIRTHDAY! I turned 25 on Friday. It was a really good birthday. My mom got here a little before 11am and we promptly left the house to go shopping at the mall. We browsed the stores and I found a cast iron enamel dutch oven on sale- 70% off! It is light blue and I love it. I cannot wait to cook something in it! It was so inexpensive that I got an icing spatula as well. THANKS MOM AND DAD! We found my mom some stuff at J.C. Penney's (always dependable) and then headed over to Target. I got a cake leveling knife at target and then we headed home because the baby had reached her limit. Stephen came home from work early so that he could take care of the baby while my mom and I hung out. My mom and I made our birthday cake (double chocolate raspberry) from scratch. My dad got into town around 5:30 and we all got ready to go out to eat. We went to Agua Linda (a very yummy Mexican restaurant near our condo) and had a great time. I had my first drink in a year. What is really funny is that my last drink was a margarita at my birthday party last year at the same restaurant. Oh, the circle of life! Once we got home and put the baby to bed we opened our presents and cards, ate cake and ice cream, and hung out for a little while. My husband got me an hour long massage from my salon! I cannot wait to use it- although I think I will wait until after I am done with summer classes. Then I will be 100% finished with law school and ready for some de-stressing and pampering.

Saturday:
On Saturday the birthday celebration continued. My mom and I went shopping for my party on Sunday. I took her to Earth Fare to get all the produce (she had never been to one before because they do not exist in my home town). As suspected she really enjoyed it- there are so many yummy looking things there. Then we hurried home and unloaded the groceries so that we could make it to our manicure appointment on time. I got my mom and I manicures as a present to her. We so rarely get to go because they are too expensive, but it was a nice treat for our birthdays. I love how they massage your hands, sooo relaxing. Anyway- that night my parents watched the baby so that Stephen and I could go out to eat, like on a date, a real one, with no baby. Well- there is a long story to go along with this little adventure. Let me start from the beginning- there is this restaurant in town that is pretty pricey but I have wanted to try it for a long time. It is called Farm 255 and they also run a farm in town that they get all of their food from for the restaurant. Its a really cool concept and I wanted to try it out. The menu changes every day depending on the day's harvest. I have been looking forward to trying this place for over a month. We got all dressed up and went downtown, we parked on the wrong end of the street and ended up walking FOREVER before we found the place (it was hidden in an alley). I had worn heels- BIG MISTAKE. I now have blisters the size of Kansas on the balls of my feet. Once we finally found the place, it was closed for a private party. I seriously almost cried. My feet hurt, we only had my parents for the night to watch the baby, so all my hopes of ever eating at this place were dashed. Funny thing is that we ended up eating at a restaurant called "The Last Resort"- and it was, literally, our last resort. They have some really tasty praline chicken though and once I got my wine and we started talking, everything turned out great and we had a good date. We got back to the condo and my parents had put the baby to bed and we sent them back to the hotel and tried to find a movie or something to watch. We ended up watching season one of 30 Rock on Netflix. As many of you know the last thing I need in my life is another TV show that I must watch. But it was so funny- right up my ally, humor-wise. I kept laughing out loud- and that does not happen very often. I was surprised by how much I loved it. Anyway- we went to bed after a couple of episodes and I slept like a rock!

Sunday-
PARTY DAY! My mom came over first thing and helped us get ready for the party. We had to clean the house and bake the cake and cook the food. We ran around like crazy people, but I was still in the kitchen busily trying to get ready when my guests arrived. At least the house was clean and there were chips and salsa for people to munch. The party was great and I got lots of goodies from my friends. I got to meet my friend's new beau, which was lovely and I look forward to being able to talk to him some more- I barely got a chance to interrogate him! The baby got passed around so much I don't even think I saw her for more than 10 minutes the whole time people were over. We set up a burrito bar, had chips and salsa, cheese dip, and guacamole. We had water, sweet tea, and margaritas to drink. For the cake I made a four layer lemon cake with lemon filling and butter-cream icing. It was pretty time consuming but worth the effort. It turned out very pretty and had a great flavor and texture to it. I meant to take pics of all the cakes, but the weekend was so rushed and crazy I failed to get photographic evidence of my labors. I say "all the cakes" because in addition to the two birthday cakes I made my first angel food cake with the egg whites left over from the lemon filling (which required 16 egg yolks!). I also made two mini-apple pies for my dad because he is allergic to chocolate. It was a baking marathon and I loved every minute of it.

All in all it was a great birthday weekend. I have a final on Friday that I am studying for and then I will be done with the semester. I will have a whole week before graduation and then summer classes will start the next Monday. I know this post is impossibly long so I don't expect that many people will read the whole thing. Hi there to anyone who is left! Stay tuned for my mother's day post and my graduation post! Peace Out!

No Pudge Brownies

2009-04-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have yet to try these brownies- turn off your computer right now and get in the car and go and buy some. They are the best brownies I have ever tasted. They are better than brownies from any other box, better than homemade- and they are FAT FREE. I love these brownies so much. I made some this afternoon because my best friend is on her way over to my house to hang out. She is pregnant and I think it is rude to invite a pregnant lady over and not have something warm and chewy and delicious waiting for her when she gets there. I mean really, chocolate baked goods of some sort are a requirement. She may not even know it yet- but soon she will not be able to go an evening without something comforting to eat. I, having very recently "been there" have decided to anticipate the need. So, rest assured, if you are ever pregnant and come over to my house, there will be plenty of tasty treats waiting for you when you arrive. There is also a practice baby for you to use for learning skills and a toilet near by for any morning sickness or squished bladder needs. I have your back. No worries. (I love you Greer- and your little tumor.)

Scary Times

2009-04-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

So today a professor at the UGA Terry College of Business went scary nuts and killed three people off campus. One of the people was apparently his wife, the other two were with her at the local community theatre. He still has not been found. What makes me more than a little uncomfortable about this whole debacle is that his house is less than a mile from my condo. I assume that because he is a professor he is not dumb enough to come back this way- surely he knows that cops are parked all over the place waiting to apprehend him. Still, it is a little scary knowing that you live less than a mile down the road from someone who put his two kids in a car, drove them down to the theatre, shot their mother and two others, drove them back to a neighbor's house, and then disappeared. I feel terrible for these two young children. They are only 8 and 10 years old. I hope that they catch him sometime before the morning. I hope they find him before he gets too far gone. I pray for his children, that they have someone they can live with who will love them and help them through this tragic time. Mostly though, I pray that he does not hurt anyone else before he is caught.

Annoying Facebook Quiz Transplant.

2009-04-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a quiz that was on facebook. But since I have a strict policy against long notes on facebook I am going to answer the quiz here, on my blog- so that only those who really care have to know about it. It won't annoy people in their mini-feeds. (Does facebook even have mini-feeds anymore?)

1. Where did you take your profile pic?
On facebook, it is from my wedding. On blogger it is from my college graduation.

2. What exactly are you wearing right now?
yoga pants (I do not do yoga) and a maternity t-shirt (yeah, so what?!)

3. What is your current problem?
Getting the baby to stop crying. Seriously, STOP.

4. What makes you happy most?
A quietly smiling baby and a cupcake. Together.

5. What's the name of the song that you're listening to?
WAAAHAAHAAHAAA.

6. Name someone with the same birthday as you.
A guy who was friends with my husband in undergrad. His last name was Bridges. We could be twins!

7. Ever sang in front of a large audience?
Yes, a lot actually. Not huge audiences though- never more than a couple hundred people.

8. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
A really hot foreign exchange student in college told me I look like Amanda Bynes. I don't see it, but at least she is skinny. And at least he was hot.

9. Do you speak any other languages?
A tiny bit of Spanish. A tiny bit of sign language. I can sing in German though!

10. Has anyone you've been really close with passed away?
A lot of someones. Two grandfathers, One grandmother, my great grandmother, uncle, great aunts and uncles, some friends.

11. Do you ever watch MTV?
Negative.

12. What's something that really annoys you?
Political apathy. Mean people. Inconsiderate smokers.

Chapter 1:
===============
1. Middle name:
Anne

2. Nickname(s):
Kate, Katie, Miller

3. Current location:
Home

4. Eye color:
Hazel

Chapter 2:
===============
1. Do you get along with your parent(s)
Very well.

2.Are your parents married/separated/divorced

?
married

3. Do you have any siblings?:
Younger sister

Chapter 3: Favorites
===============
1. Ice Cream:
strawberry

2. Season:
Early fall. At berry we called them "catalog days"

3. Shampoo/conditioner:
White rain, because it does not test on animals and is dirt cheap. Smells good too.

Chapter 4: Do You...
===============
1. Dance in the shower?
All the time...have to when you sing.

2. Do you write on your hand?
never.

3. Call people back?
Try to.

4. Believe in love?
Absolutely.

6. Any bad habits?
I am sure I do, but you would have to ask my husband.

7. Any mental health issues?
Don't we all?

Chapter 5: Have You.
===============
1. Broken a bone?
nope.

2. Sprained stuff?
wrists.

3. Had physical therapy?
nope.

4. Gotten stitches?
thankfully, no.

5. Taken painkillers?
Nubane (generic for Demoral) and EPIDURAL BABY!!!! God Bless 'em. Also Endocet (generic percocet...sp?) after childbirth, my gall stone attack as well as my surgey, I still have two left- I am hoarding them for a rainy day. And by rainy day I mean killer headache.

6. Gone scuba diving/snorkling?
Snorkling

8. Thrown up at the dentist?
no...eww...

9. Sworn in front of your parents?
sometimes, but I try not to.

10. Had detention?
Once. I was mortified. I cannot remember what is was for though.

Chapter 6: Who/What was the last...
===============
1. Movie(s):
We Are... MARSHALL

2. Three people that texted you today?
I have never texted three people in one day.

3. Person you called?
the hubby.

4. Person you hugged?
my baby girl

5. Person you tackled?
the hubby...hehe

6. Person you talked to on IM?
the hubby, I am sensing a trend here.

7. Thing you touched?
the keyboard

8. Thing you ate?
vegan chocolate cupcake with fluffy vegan frosting. true story.

9. Thing you drank?
apple juice

10. Thing you said?
ouch.

Chapter 7: Other.
===========
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
my great grandmother.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
a couple hours ago.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Depends on the pen.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
turkey.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
just the one. she's new!

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
we would bake all the time and watch BBC shows on netflix together.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Why never! (yes, actually, quite a bit.)

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
nope, nor do I have a gallbladder.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Holy cow- no.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Oatmeal Crisp, or maybe Multi-grain Cheerios

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Why would I?

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER?
21

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
eyes

15. RED OR PINK?
red...go dawgs.

16. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
I miss the Jacksons! I miss watching Jeopardy with them. Jeopardy makes us lonely now.

17. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
gray pants, no shoes. Shoes are for suckers!

18. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO ABOUT TOMORROW?
Maybe taking a nap.

19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
my dog panting and my baby finally settling down.

20. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
ummm....Mountain Meadow, issued in 1998. Thank you, Wikipedia.

21. FAVORITE SMELLS?
chocolate, baby head, fresh peaches.

22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
repeat.

23. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
I married him, so yes- I do.

24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
College Football and Baseball.

25. HAIR COLOR?
dark brown

26. EYE COLOR?
geez, repeat!

27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
no

28. FAVORITE FOOD?
Italian, baked goods.

29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings

30. LAST TV SHOW YOU WATCHED?
Oprah (please don't judge me)

31. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
blue and gray.

32. SUMMER OR WINTER?
winter

33. HUGS OR KISSES?
both

34. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
I am not asking for a response.

35. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
There is no one to respond.

36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
What to expect the first year. But mostly I read blogs. Lots and lots of blogs.

37. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
No mouse pad.

38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
American Idol, 24, Monarch of the Glen (via Netflix)

39. FAVORITE SOUND(S).
baby giggles, josh groban, birds in the morning, stephen snoring (ha!)

40. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles.

41. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Hmm....Not sure.

42. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Yes. Not telling what it is.

43. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Sacramento, CA

44. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
NO ANSWERS. Geez. Give it up already.

45. WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER?
My Dad was pretty entertaining in the classroom.

46. WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST GOAL/DREAM?
To sell pie. And have 4 kids. And save some puppies.

Babies EVERYWHERE!!

2009-04-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

So, it seems like lately there are a lot of babies coming out of the woodwork. A lot of my friends from undergrad are all preggers and that is really exciting. However there are a few pregnancies that I have recently learned of that make me almost giddy. First- over Easter weekend I found out that my cousin and his wife are expecting a baby. Let me just say there is no way these two individuals could have an unattractive child. That little boy or girl is destined for beauty. My cousin's wife is beautiful! Anyway, I am excited for them and that there will be another baby in the family. Its also pretty cool because his sister (also, my cousin) is having her second child. Her first baby looks like a little Gap model. There are going to be some pretty good looking kids running around when we all get together! As much joy as these two babies-in-waiting bring- I must confess that the news that has me the MOST EXCITED EVER is that my best friend is due in November. She found out today that she is 10 1/2 weeks pregnant. They went in looking for a tumor and found a fetus. HOW NUTS IS THAT! I get weepy whenever I think about it. I am so happy for her and her hubby (I love you guys) and selfishly happy to have a new member to the club. Our babies are only going to be about 10 months apart. We went to Panera today to celebrate. Then we went to Target to look at baby stuff. (We did this even before either of us were pregnant, its just a fun thing to do.) I got to see the ultrasound picture and it made me cry- such a tiny little peanut/tumor. YAY! I cannot wait to throw her a shower and be mommies together and have play dates. Also, if its a boy- our children will be betrothed. If its a girl- they will be best friends. I realize that this all depends on a lot of factors- but that is the dream. I would love to share my grandbabies with Greer. It would be awesome for family barbeques. Besides, I am quite fond of her entire family and this is the best way to make them be stuck with me forever!! (insert meniacle laugh here...) On a side note, my baby has been a wreck all day- I think she may be upset that she won't be the center of attention anymore with all the new babies sprouting. I tried to reassure her that there is plenty of love and attention for all the babies and more babies means more fun for her. She needs friends. But she just keeps crying. I made Stephen suffer with me by putting her on the webcam so he could see what its like over here while he is at work. Its normally a lot of fun, but on days like today I don't think anyone would believe me that she cried for an hour straight unless I made Stephen see if for himself. I hope she is not coming down with something. She is three months old and has not been sick yet, so- I might have to call my mom and figure out what I am supposed to do!

Adventures In Vegan Baking

2009-04-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

As you all know, I love to bake. Baking brings me joy. It can be a lot of hard work, but it is totally worth it when you dive into the finished product and it is so pretty and so yummy.

Today is my last day of Animal Law. We were told that we could bring in some treats for the whole class as long as they were vegan. I have never tasted, let alone baked anything Vegan. I decided to take this as a challenge and make some chocolate vegan cupcakes.

First I tried a recipe from a vegan cupcake blog- S'mores cupcakes. Epic Fail. They were sooo not okay. I threw them all away. They sunk in and never cooked all the way through. Seriously I put them in for TWICE the time suggested and they were still liquid in the middle. I chop it up to the funky ingredients.

Stephen can attest for how depressed I was after this. I was tired and it sucked to fail. I was really really upset that I had put in so much time and effort and had nothing to show for it.

The next morning I woke up determined to bring something to class. So I tried another recipe. This one was simpler- with less freaky ingredients. It still called for vinegar, which as weird- but whatever. These came out much better. They rose the way a cupcake should rise. I had made Vegan Fluffy Buttercream frosting the night before and piped it onto the cupcakes. They were still nowhere near as pretty or as tasty as my normal chocolate cupcakes (you know, the kind with eggs and milk!) But they were good enough to bring into the class. Basically I learned from this experience that when I try something new that I should be prepared for it to...well...fail. I should also take a practice run of anything before I plan on giving it to someone outside of my family.

Also, I will not be going vegan anytime soon. But I am switching my frosting to vegan frosting permanently I think, because it was very tasty and healthier. Although to be honest, I am not convinced that "health" should be in my baking vocabulary. It seems just wrong to worry about calories when making cookies and cupcakes and pies. However, maybe that's why I will never be really thin. That's okay. I would rather eat cupcakes that taste like real cupcakes.

Really?

2009-04-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday my dear friend Meghan came to visit and she spent the night at my house. She lives in Atlanta and I do not get to see her very often. I refer to her as Meglet because in college she reminded me of Piglet (in a very endearing way). After all, Piglet is the most loyal friend of Pooh. Anyway, last night Stephen put the baby to bed early so that I could hang out with Meglet. In order to achieve this he had to give the baby a bottle of breast milk that I had pumped earlier. This in turn meant that I had to pump sometime before bed to replace the bottle. So now we get to what this post is about. I was sitting on the couch pumping when I looked around and took note of how bizzare my life has become. There I was sitting attached to this machine, being milked similar to a cow. Sitting next to me was my husband playing "Left 4 Dead" on his xbox. He had a headset on so that he could talk to his two best friends that he was playing with via xbox live. Across from me is Meglet and we are just chatting away like nothing is weird about this. But it is weird right? I mean, it is strange to be sitting on a couch pumping breast milk with your husband playing video games and gossiping with your best friend. Maybe if you all knew how gross and violent this video game was you would see why it was so weird for it to be on my screen while I am trying to express milk, which is very dependent on my mood and comfort level in order to be successful. And yet, I was unfazed by the gore. I have Meglet to thank for that because without her there to distract me and make me happy I would have been highly annoyed that my husband chose to spend his evening killing zombies. What is it with boys and zombie games? Even now, after a night full of zombie slaying, Stephen is sitting on the couch -once again with his headset and in his pj's playing the same game with his friends.

I keep hearing- "I'm down, I need help." "Oh no, I got threw up on." and "Throwing my pipe bomb."

Two out of three of those phrases we hear on a daily basis, without playing any games. Minus the pipe bomb, that's pretty much life here in our condo.

Meet Bauer

2009-04-18T07:28:00.001-07:00

Bauer was a puppy once, a long time ago. As a puppy Bauer was very photogenic, now- not so much. He either blinks or has his tongue out. Bauer is not at all what we expected from the five pound puppy that we picked out from the rescue organization. We thought we were getting a shepherd mix that would top out around 40 pounds. We now have a 71 pound goofball. He is an incredibly picky eater, and we are not sure how that happened because he had been on science diet since we brought him home. One day he just decided that he did not like his food anymore and would not eat it. I thought, he will eat when he is hungry- but NO. I was wrong. He would let himself get to the point where he would throw-up from hunger and would only eat bread. I am telling you he is a freak-dog. He also will only go potty in bushes, seriously if there is not a bush he will hold it. He will also not go out in the rain, once again he will hold it- for days if necessary. After he goes he scratches at the ground like a cat. He likes to rub on our legs like a cat too. I love him anyway. He has done a great job adjusting to life with a baby in the house. He is very respectful of her and when she cries he runs to check on her and then comes downstairs to get me as if to say..."Mom, baby is crying and you need to get up there...NOW!" Bauer was my first baby and I cannot imagine life with out a canine companion.

Here is a video of Bauer on his second birthday. Gooberific.

Testing Mirror Blog

2009-04-16T16:51:00.000-07:00

I added the "mirror blog" application on my facebook. I just want to see if it's working properly. This way all of my friends on facebook can read without having to leave facebook. It's so clever, I love it. That is if it works. Sometimes applications are a little, well, fail. So here goes....testing, 1, 2, 3....

Fun Cakes!

2009-04-16T10:49:00.001-07:00

YAY CAKE!
I made these two cakes a while ago for different occasions. The first was made for a "Lego" party that we went to. The idea of the party was to lay a TON of legos on the floor and everyone build something unique. I decided to make a cake to match the theme. It was my first attempt at making a themed cake. It did not taste that great, I used a recipe that I found online that used strawberry jello to get the strawberry flavor- it made the whole cake taste like jello. Anyway, I thought it was cute.

The second cake is Stephen's 25th birthday cake. It is supposed to look like Pokeys from the Mario games. It actually tasted pretty good- it was confetti cake from a box! Stephen's request. My birthday is coming up soon, I am going to try and make a fun cake for that too. I LOVE CAKE. Any fun cake suggestions? Keep in mind how terribly amateur I am...really very simple is all I can handle. Don't expect too much.

Obscure Board Games That We Should All Play Together

2009-04-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

1. Stratego: Democrats vs. Republicans
I grew up playing Stratego with my family, but then I came across this political party version of the game and I really really want to play it. I assume that the rules are the same as the classic version, only you get to insert political smack talk. As most of my friends vote differently than I do, it would be fun to pit us against each other in a Stratego Tournament. Any takers?

2. Quelf:
I played this ridiculous game for the first time at a friend's birthday party. It was mentioned in my husband's blog a short time ago. It was a lot of fun and really silly. My husband had to belly dance with his shirt up for about a minute. Sara joined him, there are pics of this "happening" on Jared's blog.
I am hoping to get this game for my birthday (hint hint) so that we can play it on Friday nights, just like we used to play Cranium obsessively in college. I call the biscuit farmer, so back off. Although I would be willing to settle for the pickle. Play the game and you will know what I am talking about.

Boob Tubing

2009-04-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

I watch a lot of TV. Tivo opened up a whole new world of television watching for me- because I can watch my shows whenever, so I watch a lot more. You would think that a new baby would make it harder to watch TV, but not so. Because I am home with her I watch TV while I feed her, which is A LOT; I watch while I bounce her in the bouncy chair; I watch at night with my husband after the baby goes to bed; and of course late when I cannot sleep. My Tivo has over 20 season passes. This is not as bad as it sounds because some of these shows are only on over the summer, or half the year, like "Greatest American Dog", "So You Think You Can Dance", "24", "American Idol", "America's Next Top Model", and of course- "American Gladiators". I also watch "Extreme Home Makeover", "Desperate Housewives", "Family Guy", "How I Met Your Mother", "House", "Heroes", "Law and Order: SVU", "Ugly Betty", "Grey's Anatomy", "Private Practice", "CSI", and "Super Nanny". Daytime TV includes "Oprah" and the occasional "Tyra Banks Show".

Now that they are all written down I am freaking out about how many brain cells I am killing every week. Because these are only the shows that I never miss. I mean, ok, I miss the Tyra Show and Oprah a few times a week...But all the others, I NEVER miss. I started watching DH, Ugly Betty, Grey's, HIMYM, Heroes, and Private Practice from Season 1, so I have seen every single episode of these shows. I am so lame. How many hours a week is that? In the fall its about 11-12 hours a week. In the spring it jumps to 15 hours a week. And then over the summer it drops to only 4 hours a week. So that is about 2 hours a day at the highest level of Boob Tubing. Is that so bad? YES, crap. Its not like I don't do other things...

BEGIN RATIONALIZATION HERE: I cook dinner almost every night, keep the house clean (with the help of Hubby), take care of the baby (during the day, by myself, once Hubby gets home I have help), find time to blog, I have started working out to lose the baby weight, I talk to my mom for about 30 minutes every day on the phone, I write in a journal, bake cookies, I also have been known to read the occasional book. oh yeah- and do homework when I have to...I guess what it really boils down to is I NEVER leave the house (hence the name of the blog). I don't imagine I will be able to keep up such a heavy TV schedule in the future, so I am going to enjoy it while I can. Once I start sewing more that will eat up some time too. Anyway, if anyone else watches any of these shows and would like to know what happens if you miss an episode and are Tivo-less, I would be happy to fill you in. I can recap all of these pretty well, I do so for Stephen often because he does not like to watch certain shows anymore (24 and Heroes) but still wants to know what happened. OH MY GOSH I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT JEOPARDY!!! I follow Jeopardy like some men follow sports. (I do follow College Football, in Athens you get death by firing squad if you do not follow College Football, GO DAWGS.) I love Jeopardy. I Love Larissa Kelly. When she lost the Tournament of Champions I was more upset than these girls were when David Archuleta lost American Idol last season. Well, anyway- my professor is talking about insurance premiums and how they relate to medical malpractice and workers' comp, so I should focus on that now....(Mom please don't be upset that I am blogging in class).

It's Hump Day!

2009-04-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

This post goes out to my roommates from the ancient house in Rome that we shared senior year of college. We had a certain Wednesday tradition that involved me attacking them with LOVE when they least expect it. No place was safe, not the kitchen, the bathroom, the theatre office, not even the sidewalk. I was just overcome with nostalgia today and felt the need to shout out to my loves and tell them to watch out because its HUMP DAY!!

Just so you all know, a certain song from "Avenue Q" is running through my head. I love my life now and don't want to literally go back to college, but I do miss seeing all of you everyday. I am sad that our house has now been torn down and is a parking lot for a Lawyer's Office. At least we showed it a good time before it left this world. It had lived a good long life (over 100 years) and saw many things I am sure, and I know that we were by far the most fun people to ever live there. I miss living in the dining room, using the built-in hutch as a closet. Greer, do you miss living in a closet? Meglet had the only real bedroom in the whole house. Carmen lived in the formal living room, with no door. I certainly do not miss watching American Idol and Grey's Anatomy on our 9" screen.

Anyway, I love you all and miss you (I even miss you Greer, even though you are currently at my house watching my baby!) Meglet I cannot wait to see you this weekend. I think knowing you will be here is what brought about my reminiscing. Carmen, if you ever read my blog- I love you and miss you and you are still the most bad-ass friend I have ever had. You are awesome.

How do you Know if your Husband has BAD Allergies?

2009-04-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

The following conversation took place at approximately 8:30pm on my couch in the living room. I was watching American Idol when I received a rather strange, unexpected request...

Stephen: "Please don't seduce me tonight."
Me: "What?!"
Stephen: "I just really want a full night's rest"
Me: "No problem."

And that is how you know.

Baby's First Easter

2009-04-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

This last weekend my husband and I took our daughter and our dog home to spend Easter with our family. The cat got left behind to fend for herself. I think she actually enjoys a few days to herself now and then. We leave out a bunch of food and extra litter and she has full run of the house, which I know she takes advantage of because there is always black cat hair on our bed when we get home (even though she knows full well she is not allowed on the bed, and does not try when we are home.) Anyway, we had a great ride down there- the dog and the baby shared the back seat. Bauer was very respective of the baby's space and left her alone. At one point he fell asleep with his head resting on the edge of the car seat, it was so cute it made me squeal, which woke him up and ruined the moment (oops.) We left on Thursday to give us more time with the family. We had a great time hanging out with my husband's family on Thursday night. Friday morning I left the baby with Stephen and went shopping with my mom for Easter basket paraphernalia which was SO MUCH FUN! We bought candy and toys and more candy. On Saturday there was a birthday party for Stephen's cousin's baby boy, Devin. He is so freaking cute it kills me. We got him a sock monkey and an eco-friendly "green book" with a monkey on it. We went with a monkey theme, don't know why. At the party there were children everywhere. Being a new mom I have yet to be in a room with that many children as an adult. In addition to our baby and the Birthday boy, there were two nine-month olds, a two year old, a three year old, a six year old, a seven year old, and a 10 year old. The kids all had a great time and there was even an Elmo pinata. At the party, the three year old girl wanted to hold my baby. We set her up on the couch with the Boppy and Stephen sat next to her and we showed her how to hold Sara. It was the most precious thing I have ever seen. She kissed her and rocked her and was so gentle. I got a little teary! Once I get a picture of that I will post it. After the party we made our way over to my parents house and hung out with my family. On Sunday morning we made our way to church for Easter Mass (My favorite mass of the year, such a happy time and there are always a lot of people so the singing sounds awesome.) After mass we came home for a delicious meal that my mom made. Venison cube-steak in gravy with mashed potatoes and green beans....YUM. Then it was time for the best part. EASTER BASKET MADNESS!!!

(Sara's Easter Basket)

We opened Sara's basket for her and went through all of the goodies that the Easter Bunny had brought the rest of the family and spent the rest of the day taking pictures and eating candy. Also we played with our new bubble wands outside. It was ridiculous and fantastic.

(Sara says..."eww gross Dad!")

We ended up spending the night on Sunday and driving back Monday morning. We watched "Slumdog millionaire"- we concluded that it did indeed live up to the hype. I am so glad that movie had a happy ending, otherwise I would have been pretty bummed.

One a side note: I watched "24" on my Tivo this morning. HOLY COW TONY?! WHAT ARE YOU UP TO!! JACK IS GOING TO FLIP OUT ON YOU! That is all.

Experiments In Parenting...

2009-04-11T04:38:00.000-07:00

I am currently trying to type as quietly as possible. It is 7:39am on a Saturday morning and my baby is still sleeping soundly. She has been asleep for 8 1/2 hours and counting. My husband and I almost do not know what to do. I woke up at 7 am, drenched in breastmilk, wondering if I should wake her or see how long she would sleep. First of all, we are at my in-laws house visiting for Easter, so she had a big day of visiting with relatives and she did not get her naps yesterday. Secondly, I am just curious- she has never slept this long and I want to see how long it will last. This experiment is purely scientific and not selfishly motivated because it's not like I am getting to sleep- my boobs woke me up and then the dog would not let me go back to sleep. So, here are the parameters of the experiment. A) I pumped the top four ounces off, so that I can comfortably wait for her to wake. B) We are being quiet, but not too quiet. C) Checking to make sure that she is still breathing every 5 minutes or so, just in case... and finally D) just waiting...

I will be sure to let you all know what the results of the experiment are. She seems to be stirring- nope, just pooting in her sleep!

Another running experiment that we have going is how long can she wear one outfit without spitting up on it or pooping on it. The current record is 2 days. I swear I am not just lazy, its for scientific research. (Shut up)

It is now 7:52am and she is awake and smiling. Hubby is changing her diaper and I am getting ready to feed her. She is 11 weeks old today and slept almost nine hours. Is she a freak baby? All I know is that I love her and can really appreciate this Holy Saturday miracle.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-04-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

The Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Vegetable Shortening
1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Butter, softened
1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
>1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 1/2 Cups Flour
12 Ounces Chocolate Chips (I prefer mini-chips)

The Tools:
Mixer
Cookie Sheets
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
Spatula

The Audience:

How To:
1. Using an Electric Mixer beat shortening and butter together for at least thirty seconds until completely combined and smooth.
2. Beat in brown sugar, granulated sugar, and baking soda until combined.
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined and smooth.
4. Lower the speed of the mixer and add the flour a little at a time until combined, you will need to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to get all the flour mixed in.
5. Using the spatula, stir in the chocolate pieces until they are evenly dispersed. I find this is easier to do with mini-chips rather than full sized chocolate chips. Plus it evenly distributes the chocolate throughout the whole cookie which means more bang for your buck!

Once the batter is made, eat a little. That is an essential step in the cookie-making process. Then scoop out spoonfuls and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Repeat as necessary until you have a kitchen full of yummy cookies.

Finished Product:

If anyone has any other recipes for chocolate chip cookies, send them my way- I am still searching for the perfect one. This is the second recipe I have tried and they are good, but not perfect. I took them to my Animal Law class and people seemed to like them (not that they would tell me different). Next up, I will be posting about our trip home for Easter, much fun was had by all and the Easter Bunny even made an appearance! Eat some cookies and I will talk to you later!

Easy Dinner #1: Chicken Alfredo

2009-04-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

This meal is super easy and quick. Oh yes, and yummy too. Start by taking whatever kind of pasta you have lying around in your pantry. Then take boneless chicken breasts and cut them into bite size pieces and put them in a skillet with some light olive oil. Once they have browned a little, add some Italian seasoning. Meanwhile warm up your sauce. What makes this meal so easy is using Alfredo from a jar instead of making it from scratch. I just add a little milk to it so its not too thick and some black pepper to spice it up a bit. Once the chicken is almost done, throw in some frozen peas until they are warmed through. Seriously this is so quick and easy, great for a night when you want real food, real fast (is that a fast food restaurant motto?).

I like to use Ragu Alfredo from the jar- its low fat and still tasty.

We were feeling healthy tonight so we made a salad- organic baby romaine with dried cranberries, pecans, asiago and parmesan cheeses. Very pretty! I wish the picture of the finished product looked as good as it tastes. One thing about the chicken though is that it can get a little dry if you cook it too long. A good way to avoid that problem altogether is to put the breasts in a casserole dish (whole, not bite-sized) and cover with the sauce, then bake in the oven at 350 degrees until the chicken is cooked through. This takes a little longer but keeps it really moist. Another thing we like to do is to marinate the chicken beforehand in zesty italian dressing- adds a ton of flavor and moisture. Anyway- if anyone trys this out and likes it, let me know! Otherwise- keep it to yourself (no really, if you don't like it, I don't need to know).

Can I, Please?

2009-04-08T08:42:00.001-07:00

This beautiful corgi is available for adoption at the Athens pound right now. I want her so bad it hurts my soul. We have always loved corgis, well not always- but ever since we went to a friend's graduation party and met the resident corgi named Carlos. He was awesome. Then we met our neighbor's corgi Winston. And now it is safe to say that we love corgis. Unfortunately with a new baby we simply cannot afford another dog right now. I really hope that she finds a wonderful home, I wish it could be mine. This is also a perfect example of how you can find purebred dogs at shelters. If we could save this little girl I think I would name her "Ladybug." Its a terrible name for a dog, but I like it. One thing that most people close to me know is that I spend A LOT of time on the Athens Shelter website pouring over pictures and following the stories, praying that they all get adopted. It's a bad habit in the sense that I depress myself on a regular basis. But I cannot help it, I love puppies and I have to know what happens to them. Anyway, please pray for this lovely lady, that she will find an amazing home where she will be loved and taken care of for the rest of her life. To tell the truth, I am hoping that my husband will read this post and be overcome with the need to adopt this dog against his better judgment. After all, she is very little and will fit in the car with our monster dog and the baby seat! How can it be a bad decision if it saves a life?

"The Scoop on Poop"

2009-04-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

So this is my life now...I got an email in my inbox this morning from "Whattoexpect.com" (a baby website that I read) entitled "The Scoop on Poop". I can only imagine what my classmates behind me would think if they could read that on my screen. I am scared to open the email to see what it says. Maybe I don't want the scoop on poop. Maybe ignorance is bliss.

One thing I do know about poop is that it can ALWAYS catch you by surprise. For instance, my baby girl was getting on a once a day schedule- which made me grateful and happy to only have to change one dirty diaper a day. I even got lucky occasionally and that dirty diaper would happen while I was at school and someone else would get stuck changing it. But yesterday she threw me for a loop- THREE IN A ROW! I changed her diaper, got her settled into the bouncy chair and then BOOM- another one. So I change her diaper again, put her back in the bouncy chair- I think, surely she is finished....nope. One more bomb a mere 30 minutes later. I briefly contemplated leaving it for my husband to change when he got home. I was expecting him within the hour. My "guilty mom" complex reared its ugly head and I went ahead and changed her again. I could not justify waiting for my husband to get home, although in all likelihood my baby would not have cared, she does not seem to mind sitting in her own filth.

As chance would have it, I have to finish this post now so that I can go change a dirty diaper. If only the dog were smart enough to help out.

A Note About Law School

2009-04-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

Law School is not hard. I am going to repeat that- and some will try to kill me for saying this, Law School is not hard. It is only as difficult as you let it be. For example, Law School is very difficult for those who want A's- if you are comfortable with B's, you really can cut your effort by about 75%. There are those that work really really hard, read every assigned reading twice, debate with their study group members over the intent of the legislature and the reasoning of the court- these people make law school hard. But for them it is worth it, because they get top grades. I however, having decided after my first year that I DO NOT want to be a lawyer- also decided to make law school easy for myself. All I try to do is be prepared enough to answer questions when called on by the professor. I skim the readings (unless it is a paper class or a straight lecture class, where readings can be skipped altogether, just be familiar enough with the subject to participate in discussions, it helps if you care about the topic) I cram for the finals, I do not outline or stress about the end result- and as a result I get straight B's. Keep in mind that the thought of B's before law school made me sick to my stomach- literally. In high school I got two of them and both left me scarred and owing my Dad money. On a side note: My first B was in Trig in high school. There was a boy in my class that I had a major crush on. I spent all of my time in that class writing notes back and forth on our graphing calculators and praying that his knee would accidentally touch mine. I flirted and did not do my classwork or pay attention. Of course in the long run it was totally worth getting an 86 in Honors Trig, because that crush is now my husband and I NEVER need trig in my real life. My other B was in AP English senior year- that was totally my fault, no flirting involved. I got an 89.4, but it was the only class to actually prepare me for college in any real way and for that I am thankful. I got a 4 on the AP exam, not perfect but I will take it! Anyway, the point is that B's no longer scare me or make me ill- I embrace them. I would not be so cuddly with the B's if I didn't regret going to law school in the first place, but what's done is done. My priorities when I decided to go to law school were much different than they are now- I wanted money. Now, not so much. I don't feel the need for a giant house, expensive cars, regular manicures, or even private schools. I just want to be comfortable, and it does not take much to make me cozy.

A Note About Myself.

2009-04-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

I am almost 25 years old. Approximately 1/4 of my life is behind me (possibly more and possibly less depending on, well...everything). I have been married for almost three years, have a three month old daughter and am in my 3rd year of law school. Sounds like a lot of threes. I have a crazy needy, very strange dog named Bauer, whom I love dearly despite wanting to strangle him on occasion. We are also blessed with the presence of a very sneaky and sometimes malicious cat named Jynx. Both are rescues. Jynx was plucked from my college campus sporting a broken tail and torn ear. Bauer was adopted from a rescue agency in Colbert, GA after his mom was hit by a car and all but him and one sibling didn't make it. :( They are both important members of our family. My daughter was born on Jan. 24, 2009 after 16 hours of mostly "medically aided" labor. Basically it sucked and I was a sobbing wuss until my epidural, at which point I slept for about 8 hours until they told me it was time to push. I was a champion pusher and had her out about 45 minutes later. She is my first but hopefully not my last. I would like to have a few more babies, but not yet. Oh God, not yet! I love my husband and still have quite a crush on him, similar to the way I obsessed over him in high school. (I have one friend in particular who can attest to that...you know who you are!) I love him even more that I see how wonderful of a father he is, right out of the gate. We live in Athens, GA where I attend school at UGA Law, but not for much longer. We are thinking about staying in town though- my husband has a job here and we have friends. Most of our friends are involved in a mass exodus to Atlanta (boo-lame). I cannot live in Atlanta because I am allergic to big cities. I am a country girl at heart and need space and a certain number miles distance from Starbuck's or I get itchy. Speaking of country, my parents are in the process of moving from their 20 acres in beautiful middle Georgia (OK, middle GA is not exactly beautiful, but certain parts of it are- especially my parents acreage) to big city Charlotte. I am not particularly happy about this change, but we have a lot of family there which makes it all worth while. My family is pretty awesome and we are all very close. I love living in the South, and although I am not from the South and don't like sweet tea (which according to my genuinely southern husband is essential for membership in the south) I consider myself "southern." I do love grits and country music!

I love cooking and baking. I am learning how to sew. I love home decorating and gardening. My dream life would be staying at home raising a whole slew of kids. Raising a sustainable organic garden and living on a couple of acres with a horse and a goat (they have to be best friends). Operating a dog rescue from my (heated/air conditioned) barn and making a living selling baby clothes and pies. Of course I would have vegan options for both the baby clothes and the pie. Oh, and I would love to have my own little hens to have fresh eggs on occasion. This would also include monthly trips to lobby at my state capital for certain causes (school resources, pro-life, pro-charity tax breaks, pro-animal welfare) and bi-monthly adoption days for the animals in my care. My children would of course grow up to by happy, dirt loving, independent thinkers that don't strive to belong to the "popular" clique at school but would rather quietly revel in their intellectual superiority. Well, I am allowed to dream, aren't I?