Ooh-La-La!

T.G.I.Thursday!

There have been many moments this week when I didn't think I would make it through this week. It has definitely been a long one!

But its Thursday and I'm so ready for this weekend. We'll be celebrating Sweet P's 3rd birthday Fancy Nancy style!

I know some of you aren't familiar with Fancy Nancy, but she's only one of the cutest little book characters out there...in my opinion...and obviously Presley's, too. We love us some Fancy Nancy!

So for the past 4-6 months, I've been listening to Presley talk about her "Fancy Fancy birtay party"...the girl is beyond estatic. And in Fancy Nancy's words, "that's a fancy word for excited!"

*

So for the last couple months I've been getting a few things here and there, planning for the party of Miss P's dreams, and avoiding the stress of getting it all together last minute. It's a dang good thing I did, because I have no idea how we got to her birthday week this fast...how are we almost in March people?!

*

Anyway, I thought I'd share a few sites/items that I came across along the way. My bff Kelly told me about this particular ebay seller, Ruzer609, that she uses for cupcake toppers, and I ordered these cute Fancy Nancy ones!

And speaking of cupcakes, I'm super excited about the ones I've ordered. A while back I came across a fellow Memphis blogger, Sarah @ Moske Monkey Business, and started following her blog immediately! She's a super cute and funny girl! I knew that she had a cupcake business, and it just so happened it was one that was referred to me last year (before I decided to go with another cake). As soon as I saw her cupcake site, Monkey Bread Bakery, I fell. in. love! She is sooo talented and I can't wait to see AND taste them!

*

Another site I came across is Halo Heaven. If you need any kind of accessories whatsoever, this is the place to order them! They are super cheap and have just about everything you can think of! I ordered a dozen of each: feather boas, butterfly clips (for P's hair and decoration), pearl necklaces, black plastic top hats, and 8 pair of butterfly wings (the ones the girls can actually wear)...all for about $50. I guess that might seem like a lot, but it averages out to about $3 a kid which I thought was pretty good considering what I got.

*

I picked up some other stuff at Target...sunglasses, silly bands, wands, lip balm, foam swords for the boys (random, I know...but I had to do something for them!), and some stickers. I probably spent about $80/$90 total...shhhh, don't tell Clinton!....but at he same time, I'm not going crazy on cake and food like I normally do. I really wanted this party to be all about P and her friends. And at the end of the day, I really only spent about $6 per child which is totally worth it for all those our precious friends!

*

And last but not least, I found a very reasonable invitation site called Bless Express. The invitations were a lot cheaper than the ones I found on other sites, plus they included the return address labels...same for the Thank You cards, too. Within a couple of days, they email you a proof of what your invitation will look like, and they will totally work with you if you want to alter the saying or anything. They were fabulous to work with!

*

Well I guess that's about it for the main stuff (as if that wasn't enough for one day) I'll be sure to post some pics next week. Have a great day!

Heartbroken

In my last post, I talked about my excitement of becoming a new aunt. My SIL was just a few days away from finding out what she was going to have, and my sister had just learned that she was pregnant, too.

The good news? My SIL is having a beautiful baby boy! I was really pulling for a girl, for selfish reasons honestly, but I'm thrilled to have another sweet little boy in my life!

The bad news? My sister's sweet little baby didn't make it.

My sister's first round of blood work showed that her levels were lower than they should be, so they gave her a supplement to hopefully increase them. When she went back the second time around, they had gone down a little bit more. They prepared her for the worst and told her that she would probably have a miscarriage over the next few weeks. A few days later, she was told to come back in since she hadn't had any signs of a miscarriage, and they found that her levels had increased; however, still not as high as they should be.

Obviously she was going through a roller coaster of emotions, and since she wasn't very happy with her nurse, she decided to check someone else out this week. It wasn't because she expected to get a different answer...a better answer...but simple because she didn't feel like everything was adding up.

Wednesday she made another trip to the doctor to have more blood work done. The doctor also did an exam on her and mentioned that she showed no signs of a miscarriage. They called her back yesterday and told her that her levels were constantly increasing, yet still not where they should be. They suggested that she come back for an ultrasound today to see if they could rule anything out.

At 3:30 this afternoon, my mom called me to tell me that they were doing emergency surgery on her because she had an Ectopic pregnancy (tubal pregnancy). Apparently a lot of fluid had built up as well, which could cause her tube to burst, which could be extremely dangerous.

So as I write all this, I'm waiting for my BIL to call and update me on the surgery. I'm heartbroken for my sister. I can't imagine what she must be going through. She's been sitting here for almost 2 weeks wondering when she was going to miscarry, now she has to go through all of this mess.

I'm trying to be positive and encouraging for her, but at the same time I know there isn't much I can say to make her feel better. My prayer is that I can just be there for her, and that God will give me the words to say...when its time to say them.

I'm going to be an Auntie...again...and again!

I am already blessed with two beautiful nephews and a niece, but I am proud to say that two more are being added to the mix!

Clinton's older brother, David, and his wife J.J, are expecting their sweet little baby in July! We find out next Wednesday what they're having and I can't wait! J.J. thinks its a boy, but I just don't know. I usually have a feeling about these things, and I just don't this time. Hmmm...we'll just have to wait!


And if this wasn't exciting enough, I found out that MY sister is pregnant, too!!!! She called me Friday night to tell me that she had taken a test and that it was positive, but she wanted to wait till she had gone to the doctor to make sure.

Monday she headed to the doctor to have her urine/blood work done, and sure enough...Positive! Our family is beyond ecstatic! Crystal had been really struggling with the whole idea that she might not be able to get pregnant, so we are all relieved to know that she can. She goes to the doctor on February 15th to hear the heartbeat for the first time! YAY!!! We're all just praying for a healthy pregnancy....and that she moves closer to home haha!

Have you noticed that it always seems like everyone is pregnant at the same time? I know a ton!And the funny thing is, they are all due within just a few months of each other. I love it!! I'm totally in baby mode and I can't wait to shower them with love and presents! But I'm definitely most excited for my sister and SIL....I love being an Aunt Candy Cane!!

Speaking of Candy Cane...this is totally random and off topic...but that's my nickname from Clinton. He doesn't call me that all the time, but he does it a lot. Somewhere along the way my nephew Will started calling me Aunt Candy Cane, and it has managed to stick. Well recently, Clinton decided that Presley needed to know that my nickname was Candy Cane, and she is now obsessed with calling me that haha. She'll just say it so casual like she's just saying "mommy"...like its no big deal. Trips. me. out! "Candy Cane...can you turn on that movie?"...."Where we going Candy Cane?" hahah! Love it! Random, I know...but thought I would share :) Have a great day ladies!

Hello there :)

I have tons of excuses for my hiatus...none that you'll care about I'm sure.

School is back in full swing and I'm going to class 3 nights a week AND Saturdays :( Work is still insane. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, nor do I really care for my new role. It keeps me busy, stressed, and unhappy about 90% of the time. Thankfully, my work bestie is assisting me with this mess, so that is helping things!

I've been a busy bee around the house, too. I've been doing a little spring cleaning, painting, redecorating...it's been a nice escape from reality. As soon as I get everything in order, I'll post some pics.

Sadly, there is not much else to talk about, so I'll post some pics from the last few weeks.

Jake and Sam playing in our FIRST snow of the year! That's right, we've had two!

Yummy!

Presley thought it would be a good idea to take a trip down the slide...she brought a mound of snow with her!

Playing on the 4-wheeler at YaYa's and Poppy's!

She was so excited when she found out that Frosty had arrived at YaYa's!

She even gave him a kiss and a hug!

My parents house when it snows....wish it looked like that more often!

We also celebrated the birth of my best friend's little boy...aka, Presley's future hubby!

The party was held at the Children's Museum, and it was absolutely perfect for Lawson's Mickey Mouse theme!

I thought these were so cute! L.A. and her SIL made them!

Happy 3rd Birthday Lawson!

His woody hat from us was a hit!

After cake and presents, the kids were able to roam around the museum and have a good time...and they did!

Presley's first and LAST time in the back of a police car!

Lawson was already practicing taking her out on their first date hah!

If only every weekend was that good

I hope everyone is enjoying their hump day! It's hard to believe its already Wednesday. We had a snow day on Monday so our office was closed. For all of those that aren't familiar with a "snow day," its for all of us southerners who only get snow once a year, and freak out when its time to drive in it. So usually the city of Memphis shuts down and everyone stays home so we don't kill each other on the roads. Pictures to come....


Friday night Presley and I had dinner with my in-laws and waited ever so patiently for Clinton to get home. He had been gone all week and we sure were missing him!


Saturday P and I did our usual shopping, came home and took a good nap, then headed on our date with daddy. We took Presley to see her very first movie....Tangled!

Tangled was awesome! I had no desire to see it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! Presley had a blast, too! You could tell she thought she was something else sitting in that movie theater hah!

*

After the movie, the three of us went to eat Mexican and spend some more QT with each other. It was nice just being by ourselves and spending the evening together.

*

Sunday I cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned a little more...even though you wouldn't be able to tell if you walked in my house right now. I got busy doing a little pre-spring cleaning...wiping down cabinets, baseboards, doors, and window seals. Then we headed to do a little furniture shopping!

*

Clinton has hated our chair since the day we brought it home...he wanted a recliner, and only a recliner! I on the other hand HATE recliners. They are huge, puffy, ugly, out-of-style...I can't stand them. No offense...this is strictly my opinion!

*

Anyway, I loved our club chair and ottoman! But 6 years later, I got tired of hearing about it and I gave in...with strict guidelines of course. I had the final say on which one we could get. I'm not trying to be the nagging and controlling wife that I can sometimes be, but I figured it was only fair that I had the final say in it...hey, thats what compromise is all about. Right?! Hah!

*

So here was the final decision on the recliner...


I'm not a modern person, so to get any less "puffy," it was just totally not my taste and would have led me to re-decorate my entire house. Yes, I'm that crazy. However, this wasn't a clear-cut purchase either. This was the best option as far as recliners went, but it surely wasn't going to match our leather couch at home...not by a long shot. This epiphany led us to sofas. Ok, it led me to sofas and Clinton tagged along....

*

Right along to this pretty little thing right here :)

It wasn't my dream sofa...you know, the big, fluffy, all white slipcover sofas you see in Pottery Barn magazines *sigh.* But I still loved it. It was super comfy, but firm enough to not look like a hot mess every time someone sat on it. I'm super excited about it! Ive been living with dark leather furniture for so long, and so much black wood furniture, too, and I'm ready to brighten up the place a little bit! And as silly as it sounds, I feel like I can finally decorate the way I want to now that I have something I actually like to work with. Makes all the difference in the world!

Well thats all for today. Hopefully I'll post some pictures of our snow day tomorrow, and tell about my fiasco with ordering my new curtains from Ballard Designs. It's always something!

Happy it's Friday...

...for a special reason!

Clinton FINALLY comes home today. He left Tuesday to go out of town and we surely have missed him!! I know for some people, thats not a long time to be away from your spouse, but prior to this new job, I could count on 1 hand (ok maybe two) how many times we've spent a night away from each other...and I do NOT like it one bit! Plus he was originally supposed to be home last night, so it just really stunk to have to wait another day.


So I've already decided that tomorrow night is going to be devoted to just us 3. No one else allowed. End of story.



Nothing else really exciting going on this week...pretty obvious since I haven't blogged about anything :) I've been a busy been planning Presley's THIRD birthday party! Its not till February, but with 4 classes a week, I won't have much time once school kicks in.

*

She is going to have a Fancy Nancy birthday and I'm really excited about it...as much as she is probably! I've ordered all kinds of goodies for her girlfriends....boas, pearls, butterfly clips, rings. I've spent too much money already and I'm not even half way through. Oh well, my motto is to do it while I can afford it...and while there is only one!

*

Oh...I am also pretty excited about some new goodies I got for myself.

Gotta love Target! Have a great day ladies...and a safe and fun weekend, too!

Not much of a New Years celebration...

I'm not a real fan of NYE so we didn't have anything planned other than Sushi with some of our best friends. When Friday came along, I was feeling nauseous all day long and the thought of Sushi was not a good one. The last thing I wanted was to get sick and not be able to eat it for another few years either! It suited me just fine though because it was raining and nasty in Memphis. So Clinton picked up some dinner, and I curled up on the couch and watched Eclipse and Sex and the City 2 :) Pretty uneventful, but I loved it just the same.

Sunday night a few of us got together for the "Last Supper' for our friend Laura Beth.

(LB, her daughter Sydney, and me)

LB moved to San Diego in the spring because her husband is in the Navy. She absolutely loves it there...who wouldn't...but she doesn't get home as much as she would like to. Since Nick was going to be gone for about 7 months, she decided to come here and spend about a month and a half. She is leaving this morning and probably won't be back till the summer or fall **tear**...so all, well most, of her closest friends got together to see her off! We had a great time and I'm surely gonna miss her!

(Danielle, my bff Candice, Grace, Sydney, and Natalie)

But the good news is that most of us are trying to get out there this spring before Nick comes home so that we can spend some time with her! I talked to Clinton about it and he DIDN'T say no haha...that's a good sign! So Miss P and I just might be taking our first trip to Cali together! All we'll need is a plane ticket each...we have a free place to stay, and pretty much everything we would do there would be free, too. Sounds like a good trip to me!! Love you LB!!!