Wordless Wednesday: Lucky to have my Momma

on days like today I'm lucky to have pictures like this. Count your blessings. Remember what's important, that's what I try to do. I hope y'all do too.

Tips Tuesday--Cleaning Up

So I was almost about 30,000% sure I was not going to participate in this week's hop thing, since I am not a domestic cleaning diva. But a few ideas popped into my head that works AWESOME for a college home:

• Make friends with Lysol. I am a firm believer in air freshener and candles and anything that will make my home not smell like people (and furbabies) live here. But Lysol, if you buy it in a perfume type smell, not only freshens up the house but kills germs and bacteria. Germs and bacteria, my wonderful future science teacher friend Haley has told me, are the real cause of odor. So not only are you smelling an immediate better smell but stopping the smell from coming back. How awesome is that?
  
• Okay, I know I spent another posting rambling on about my charming clutter so I am basically no authority. BUT I do live and die by Clorox Clean Up Wipes. Quick and Easy and Effective. I wish more things in life could be like that! I make a point after I bake or cook to wipe down the stove and all counter space. It takes about 3 seconds and gets rid of nastiness.
• If you are going to make the choice to have a furbaby, BUY a vacuum. I just recently got a brand new Bissel Pet Hair Eraser with the Power Paw and folks it was worth every penny. I used to borrow a neighbor's vacuum instead of having my own. That was just terrible. Then I was "gifted" by my very intuitive Momma an old school Dirt Devil. That was just terrible. I was vacuuming on my hands and knees. So again I say, if you are going to make the wonderful choice of bringing a furbaby into your home, you'll need a nice vacuum. It will up the cleaniness quality by like 25 atleast.
  

I hope these ideas help someone else! I know I am in a constant battle to figure how to balance life, love, school, work, more school and more work. I wish I had a butler/housekeeper but for now I have a nice vacuum, Lysol and Clorox Wipes. It works for us on a daily basis. I always clean the house top to bottom on weekends. Since its so small and cluttered around here it doesn't take long just time and effort. College is a giant learning experience and I just hope mine is helping someone else.

Happy Cleaning!

Gods in Alabama

There are many kinds of gods in Alabama. These gods are special--they basically shut the state down. And last Friday, we Alabamaians were lucky enough to have one grace us with its presence. I'm talking about the SNOW, of course. I don't have classes on Fridays (I know lucky me, right?) so the canceled class wasn't exactly awesome, but I do my clinical placements on Fridays so I was lucky enough to sleep in and work a full day. Sadly, the snow melted by the time I came home! Grace enjoyed her first snow day William, the stay at home Daddy, informed me. He took her on a long walk and being the Princess she is, hated every moment of being wet. Since it was just the two of them there are hardly any pictures, and sadly no pictures of her! I've got one of his car, one of our building, and then the view of the Strip with the Stadium in the background--the shot that I think basically sums up the basic gods of Alabama. Bryant Denny stadium, the year we brought home number 13, blanketed in snow.

With that I say, Roll Tide Roll!

Hoover Dam Style Wordless Wednesday

Tips Tuesday--Cooking Tips

Okay brace yourself for this one-- William's fraternity brother's wife, Leslie, who has become a friend of mine of course, is doing something called a blog hop about tips for life. I love to cook/bake and I wanted to try out the hop thing so here we go.

I am a sweets person. I eat cookie dough raw and I love freshly baked cookies! My best cooking tip came from a sorority sister. Although I am sure any good baker knows the secret: Parchment Paper. I line EVERY single thing I bake with Parchment Paper. While it might cost a bit more, you do not need to use icky aerosol can Pam spray and things do not burn (most of the time)!!!
Side note: if making more than one batch with a single cookie sheet you can use the Parchment Paper and not have to worry about washing cooked cookie off the sheet. Also, on the baking note I am a firm believer in holiday spirit. For instance, the Saints' colors are black and gold. So for the Super Bowl I made football cut out cookies and used left over black sugar from this Halloween to give the cookies Saints' flair. Along the same idea, red icing works for Christmas and Valentines! I always make sure the sugar has not gone bad for some reason, but usually you have close to year on things like that!

Happy Baking!

Priceless

Secret is out...I am a crier. And that is perfectly okay with me! But as William and I continue to watch hours of Winter Olympic coverage and I find myself SCREAMING during the downhill skiing for Team USA, which mind you I had no idea there was different types of skiing, something interesting happened. At a commercial break I was bawling my eyes out. I do not have a child and I can only imagine what it must be like to watch this with a baby. I know it reaffirmed why my Momma will literally do anything for me; because to her I will always be gap toothed, looking and acting just like my father, all the while refusing to let anyone brush my hair.

Bottom line: this is amazing and adorable.

P&G To Their Moms They Will Always Be Kids

Wordless Wednesday (Almost)

Rooting around I found this. I know I blogged a minute ago, but I love this picture and the idea of Wordless Wednesday.

Fully Recovered

So I am (pretty much) fully recovered from the big 2-1. I had a wonderful time and I really wish I had pictures to post. Luckily, or rather, thankfully, William did not take any pictures. I wore a wonderfully beaded high waisted skirt on loan from my fashionable cousin Kimmie. I paired it with a black tee shirt, tights and Jessica Simpson Henri's. I pinned my hair in a low chignon and did some sexy pink lipstick. I may say I was one hot ticket! It poured rain all day and well into the weekend so I tried to be positive. After all it was the big day!

Side note: Henri's are THE heels you must have in your closet. I beat mine to a pulp usually but I swear by them. Plain, flattering and all around amazing. I can and have run in them. Belk has them on sale usually and I was SO excited when I found them on Overstock! They are sooo worth the investment!

My birthday frankly is one of my favorite days of the year. Because, well, duhhh, it's ALL about me! But sadly Sunday came, along with the reminder of homework and the long week ahead. Today I am having a sick day, I woke up this morning with more tummy troubles. But tomorrow and Friday will require all my energy so I pray I lose these troubles :) Tonight is Grace-Kelly's third birthday party so look for some pictures and a posting about it soon!

Happy "Hump" Day to all!

Longest Week of 2010

So today marks the official start of the longest week of 2010.







This Thursday...drum roll please...I turn 21. F.I.N.A.L.L.Y.

Now, before I engage in a long ramble of how much my life has sucked not being the big 2-1, (and mind you with a boyfriend hitting 23 and mostly older friends it has sucked) I thought I would engage in a little pep-talk.
At twenty I did a lot of things I'd never imagine:

• I became a doggie Momma.
• I went to Disney World with the 23 year old boyfriend and acted like total 6 year olds.
• I moved into my very first 1-bedroom apartment.
• I got my very first credit card. Shortly after I "misplaced" said credit card for the very first time.

So while my list of accomplishments my first year of being a twenty-something is quite pathetic, I look forward to this big year. The picture above was taken at Disney's Hollywood Studios and captures the attitude I had as I moved into my twenty-somethings. It's all about how to dance and sing in the rain! Now, all I've got standing between me and the bouncer on Thursday are 3 tests and a paper.

Damn, it is going to be one LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG week.