The Wise House

Biggest Loser Weigh-In {Week 2}

2012-01-30T12:10:00.001-05:00

Well this weigh-in did not prove to be as successful as the first, haha! I was supposed to weigh-in last Thursday but I ended up staying home with my sick little Emma Kate (another ear infection, yuck!) and on Friday we went out of town for our anniversary trip... and we all know anniversary trips usually include lots of yummy food and drinks and lots of relaxation. So no weigh in for me last week meant I had to weigh in first thing this morning upon arriving to work. I will say that we did hit the gym at the hotel Saturday morning and spent all day walking around Savannah and Hilton Head the rest of the day so my weight gain would have probably been around 5 pounds had I been sedentary, ha! So that's enough stalling I guess, here are this weeks results...

Week 1 Weight Loss: -2.2 Pounds

Week 1 Weight Gain: +1.1 Pounds

Total Weight Loss: 1.1 Pounds

So that means I have until this Thursday's weigh in to lose some weight!

Guess I better step it up on the exercise this week, huh?

Anniversary {4 years}

2012-01-26T00:01:00.004-05:00

4 years.

A Wedding.

A House.

A Baby.

The Bad.

The Good.

Love.

Tears.

Happiness.

Commitment.

Joy.

Michael,
I can't think of anyone else I would want to spend my days with.
You are my other half.

Yours Forever,

Emily

I found the one my heart loves.

~ Song of Solomon 3:4

Biggest Loser Weigh-In {Week 1}

2012-01-19T09:52:00.003-05:00

So today was our first weigh-in and to say I was nervous is an understatement. You see, my brother and his family came to visit this past weekend and we just happened to eat quite a bit of yummy food, haha! So I had to drastically cut back and work out this week to make sure I would not be gaining pounds instead of losing them. I am happy to report my hard work paid off!

Week 1 Weight Loss: -2.2 Pounds

Now I just have to maintain that loss and kick it up another notch to get some more of this weight off! Wish me luck!

Final Weigh-In is 4/4/2012!

Lazy 5 Ranch

2012-01-18T22:03:00.040-05:00

This past weekend my brother and his family came into town for a little visit. We wanted to take the girls somewhere fun for the day and Lazy 5 Ranch did not disappoint! Saturday morning we all loaded up in Michael's truck and headed to Mooresville, NC. The girls had fun watching Toy Story on the way and us adults got to catch up and talk too :)

At Lazy 5 Ranch you ride through the farm area and the animals come up to eat out of your feed buckets. Lets just say these animals are not shy! They know exactly what you have in that bucket and they have no problem sticking their heads ALL the way in your car to get to that food... hold on tight to your bucket!!

The girls absolutely loved the animals :) Neither of them wanted the animals to get very close but as long as they kept their distance EK and Abby were all smiles and giggles.

Our Family

Mr. Zebra was VERY eager to get some food!

This is not a very good picture but I wanted to share it so you could see just how big that cow really is. It was as big as the car in front of us!

Not until we got home and actually read the pamphlet they give you, did we realize you are not supposed to feed the cows, zebras or buffalo... Oops!

At least we weren't the only ones, haha!

EK was determined to get as close as possible to the windshield so she wouldn't miss a thing!

Abby was pretty excited too!

EK also enjoyed helping her daddy "Jive" (drive), haha!

Mrs. Ostrich

Mr. Emu playing Peek-A-Boo!

These giraffes were so gorgeous! Such amazing creatures :)

Cousin Love!

Jim and Abby :)

Angie and Jim :)

Our Silly Goose!:)

Such a little Ham!

There is not much better than riding on your daddy's shoulders!

On the way home the girls watched Alvin and the Chipmunks and held hands the whole ride, so sweet :)

We finished out the night by grabbing a bite to eat at one of our favorite restaurants City Tavern in Charlotte, yum! Not very diet friendly but worth every calorie :)

Happy Wednesday!

Being A Wife and A Mommy

2012-01-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

Being a Wife and a Mommy is a lot harder than I imagined during my days of playing house as a child. Being a Wife and a Mommy are two things in this world that will remind you on a daily basis that you are human and will never be perfect. Some days I feel as though I have this "working wife and mother" thing all figured out... I repeat some days. Some days I feel like a complete failure.

On those days when I oversleep, EK wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, refuses to eat her breakfast and barely even drinks her milk, I chase her down to dress her as she flails like a wild crocodile, Michael is grumpy from working night shift and we barely make it out of the house in enough time for me to get gas because that pesky "empty" light is on again when I just filled up four days ago, EK screams during the ride to get out of her car seat, we walk into daycare and I pry her little arms from my legs so I can at least have a shot at getting to work on time, I proceed to get behind every granny on the interstate and arrive at work at 8:01am, just late enough to make me "late", oh and now I realize I seem to have forgotten my lunch, papers are piling on my desk faster than I can get to them and an ornery customer calls right at 4:25pm when I am about to walk out of the door (reminder: never answer the phone at 4:25pm, it's never a good call), I rush to get EK and of course there is an accident blocking my normal route home so I rely on the GPS to get me through Charlotte without getting lost, EK is grumpy by the time I get to daycare and refuses to let me help her put on her jacket or hat as she flails on the floor, we make it home, there is nothing in site for supper and EK is crying "eat, eat!", we settle for scrambled eggs and whatever else I can find, Michael is working night shift so it's just me and EK as she pulls and whines at my feet to be picked up, all I want to do is fix our supper so I can finally sit down to eat in peace, she whines during dinner and refuses to eat, playtime is no fun because she is not a happy girl, bath time and bedtime are filled with screaming and bribing and by the time I get her to sleep I crash on the couch to watch a show only to wake up to my alarm going off on my cell phone the next morning... those, those are the days that will have you begging for mercy.

Then you have those days that you get up bright and early, EK is all smiles when she wakes, she eats all of her breakfast and doesn't whine a bit when I try to dress her for the day, Michael is happy and well rested and ready for his day of work to begin, I make it out of the house with time to spare and my gas tank is even full because I remembered to fill up the night before, EK runs into her classroom ready for the day ahead and no tears are lost when I leave, I make it to work early and get started on the piles of paperwork awaiting me, the day flies by and before I know it I am rushing out the door to greet my happy toddler to take her home, Michael has already started supper and we sit to eat as a happy family and talk about our day, playtime is fun, we give EK her bath, some milk, read her books and she is off to bed without a whimper, then its Mommy and Daddy time to relax and get things ready for the next day, followed by a full 8 hours sleep... those are the days you live for!

Now rest assured we do not have an all "good" day or all "bad" day very often. Most days are filled with the good and the bad, the pretty and the ugly.

Being a wife and a mommy can be so frustrating at times but it is honestly one of the most rewarding jobs you will ever have. No one ever promised life would come without frustrations and worries but I can promise you that the good days always out-weight the bad ones. The good days are that much sweeter because of the bad days and I can't imagine spending my good days (and bad) with anyone other than Michael and Emma Kate. I sure hope I never have to.

The Wise House {To Do List 2012}

2012-01-15T17:24:00.006-05:00

So as I mentioned in a previous post I have been making a list of little projects I would like to complete around our house so I thought I would share a few of them with you. And just maybe yall can hold me accountable so that when 2013 rolls around I will have crossed a few of these things off the list :)
1. Paint the Chandelier in the dining room black...

This light fixture was a hand-me-down from a friend and it was originally a lovely brass color. I bought the brushed nickle spray paint from Lowe's in hopes of giving it a new look and while it did make the fixture bearable, it wasn't quite the color I had hoped for. So after living with this "brushed nickle" look for about five years I am definitely ready for a change. A $3 can of spray paint should do the trick right?
2. Paint this Dresser!

This dresser has been in our garage for a few years and I want to use it in our master bath for storage. Since we removed the ~~dust collector~~ garden tub from our master bath during renovations we have had blank space just waiting to be put to good use. I think this dresser will be the perfect spot to store our unmentionables so when we get out of the shower they will be right there! :) Better get to painting and sanding!
3. Quarter Round!

We installed our Hardwood Floors back in 2008 and I love them (well I love hardwood floors but I hate to clean them!). Call me OCD but the one thing that has been driving me crazy for almost 4 years has been that they are not really complete. Why? Because we never installed the quarter round to give the floors that finished look! Now most people would probably not even notice this but I notice it every time I use the downstairs potty.... The wood doesn't quite match up in that corner and it drives me batty. Hoping we can get this done some time this year :)
4. Paint the Downstairs Bathroom!

So Michael wanted one orange room in the house when we bought it and I gladly gave him the half bath to fulfill his wish. Unfortunately both of use have grown weary of this bright orange color and have decided maybe we need a less vibrant color. Not really sure what color we are going with this time but I was thinking something along the lines of this...

via

I just love these subtle stripes!!

And maybe paint our cabinet in there black?

Michael is going to kill me, ha!

5. Bead board in Emma Kate's bathroom along with a little more color on the walls...

I really want to paint her bathroom a fun color and add some bead board to give it a little detail. I also want to hide this little yucky spot that occurred from water dripping out of the shower onto the wall :)
6. Adding Picture Frame Molding to our Dining room.

I think it would give this space a whole new feel if we added the picture frame molding and painted the bottom half under the chair rail all white to give it a crisp clean look :)
7. Find new kitchen table chairs...

My in-laws gave me their old kitchen table to use because I wanted a round table instead of the rectangle one we had from my college days. Now I just need to find some cute chairs that I could maybe paint and add fabric to the seats? I really need to go thrift store shopping soon :)

So we have a total of 7 projects... I have high hopes to complete them all but I also know things don't always go as planned. At least we have all year to complete them right?

Wish us luck!!

P.S. And another project I am currently working on is new curtains in our living room made from drop cloths...I was tired of all the dark brown in this room so I wanted to lighten things up... I am starting the sewing tonight so hopefully I will have some after pictures soon!

Before

Biggest Loser... It's Back!

2012-01-12T05:41:00.000-05:00

Well it's that time of year... you know, when all Americans pledge to become health nuts and rid their bodies of all things fried, sugary and altogether yummy!

And so we are starting another Biggest Loser challenge at my work :) Today is our first weigh-in so its good-bye to the couch and tasty, yummy, delicious food... say hello to the treadmill, fruits and veggies!

I lost 10 pounds during our first 10 week challenge and 12 pounds during the 2nd challenge which lasted 12 weeks. So my goal this time is 12 pounds over the next 12 weeks. A pound a week seems doable but I know it will be a challenge... I just have to remind myself of the end goal and that pair of jeans in my closet that I really wanna fit into :) Not to mention bathing suit season is quickly approaching and every department store is going crazy displaying bikini's in January, ha!

Final Weigh in will be 4/4/2012!
I'll be back next week to share my loss... I hope :)

Wish me Luck!!

Addiction

2012-01-08T20:40:00.000-05:00

It seems EK's Paci addiction has hit an all time high...

One Paci is no longer enough for Miss Priss!

Please say a little prayer that we will be able to complete all the steps of Pacifier Detox before she is a teenager, wink wink ;)

The Paci Queen!

21 Months {Emma Kate}

2012-01-05T22:39:00.004-05:00

Emma Kate, You are getting way too big way too fast!

- You are constantly learning new words and doing more things all by yourself. It's so bittersweet!

- Just this week we were walking out of daycare and you pointed to the sky yelling "It's a Pane (plane)!", I had not even noticed the airplane but you heard it as soon as we walked outside :)
- You also take your coat and hat off by yourself and give them to me to hang in the closet.
- You love to wash your hands in the sink and like to help me wash your hair in the tub.
- You still have a very determined nature about you... this makes for a battle of wills at times but I am so glad you want to be an independent little girl :)
- You still love to give hugs and kisses.
- You like to snuggle in our bed in the mornings while watching cartoons and drinking your milk.
- You request to watch Elmo by pointing at the TV and saying "Ayyy-mo!".
- You smile and say "Cheese!" almost every time I pull out the camera, even before I have it ready to take the picture.

- You like talking on the phone and always kiss the phone while people are talking to you.
- You LOVE your kitchen set we gave you for Christmas! It is so cute watching you pretend to cook and eat the food and it's even cuter when you try to use the pot holder to get your cookie sheet out of the oven :)
- You are all about your accessories these days. You love your jacket, your hat and insist on wearing your mittens. If I would let you wear jewelry to daycare I am sure you would have that on too!
- You love to play dress up and prance around in your princess shoes and Tu-Tu.
- You are a very picky eater but you love dips like Ranch, Honey Mustard, Sour Cream and Ketchup. You are always asking for "dip-dip" when we give you your food :)
- You are now sleeping in a toddler bed. I use the word sleeping very loosely. None of us have gotten a full nights sleep since we converted the crib this past weekend. I put you back in your bed 12 times the other night before you finally fell asleep. I am praying you will adjust to your new found freedom very soon... or your mother may just lose her mind :)

- You are starting to sing the ABC song. By no means are you anywhere close to knowing all the letters but you have got the "A B C" and "Ella-Minnow-Pee" parts down pat!
- You are trying to count to ten. You leave quite a few numbers out but you love to yell "ten!" and throw your arms in the air at the same time.
- You love for me to sing to you. I am wondering how long it will take you to realize your mother is not a singer :) Your favorites are "Where is Thumpkin", "This Little Light of Mine", "I Love You" (from Barney), and "The Wheels on the Bus".
- You love to brush your teeth and try to comb your hair.
- You bring me your bow to put back in your hair when it falls out.

- You have started trying to sneak a bite of food while we say the Blessing before our meals. You will have your hands folded neatly and just as you see us close our eyes you try to grab something off your plate, it is soo funny! You always act so surprised when I catch you and quickly fold your hands again so we can finish the prayer :)
- You weighed 26 pounds last time you went to the Doctor
- You sleep with 3 things every single night. Your Blankee, your Lamby and your Taggy. Well, make that 4, of course you have to have your Paci too.
- Yes you are almost 2 years old and yes you still have a paci. You love it and I just cannot take it away from you yet...

EK's Word Bank {most of the words EK is saying on a regular basis these days}
Daddy          Dog         Momma      Cat
Plane          Cold         Hot              Bye-bye
Hello           Hey           Juice           Milk
Eat              No!           Uh-Uhh       Abby
Elmo           Jacket      Hat              Papa
Dip-Dip      Pappy      Mine           Love you
Poo-Poo    Baby        Ball             Pee-Pee
Book          Bus           Swing         Shoes
Blankee     Cheese    Spoon        Please
Apple         More         Up               Thank You
Help me     Jump        Boom!        Bow
Socks Girl Open Uh-Oh
Boobie Oh No!
(and maybe a few others but this is all I can think of right now)

A New Year

2012-01-03T06:12:00.003-05:00

1. While everyone is busily making their new years resolutions I am trying my best not to make any at all. Well at least not an specific ones like to lose weight or to become a runner, etc. Not that I don't need to shed those pounds but because I have never actually kept a new years resolution before and I doubt I will this year either. Instead I just want to focus 2012 on being a better Me. Nothing specific, just being a better wife, a better mother, a better employee, a better friend, a better homemaker, etc. I just want to be a better person and enjoy the life that God has so graciously given me. To really live in the now.

2. I had the whole week off from work last week. It was AMAZING. I spent lots of time with my girl, my hubby, cleaning house, doing laundry and staying in my PJ's all day most days. It was lovely.

3. Two of my sweet friends Samantha and Ginny came into town Thursday. We ate Mexican, laid around in our PJ's, shopped, watched TV, played with EK, did lots of talking and had so much fun. It is so refreshing to have some girl time :) And I am so lucky to have a husband who can tolerate being surrounded by women for a day or two!

4. I don't know what came over me this past week but I don't think I pulled out my camera even once. Hence the reason for this picture-less post.

5. I am well on my way of ridding our house of all the clutter. It has been driving me crazy for quite some time and I've realized I am hoarding things I just do not need, like, or want. There is no reason two and a half people should have as much stuff as we do just sitting around. Might as well give it to someone who can use it, right? We have already taken 2 truck loads to Goodwill and I hope to have another truck load here soon.

6. I am making a list of all of the little projects I want to complete around the house this coming year. Nothing drastic but just a few little changes here and there to spruce up the place a bit. I can already hear Michael groaning, haha :)

7. In three months we will be the parents of a 2 year old. How can that be?

8. Speaking of birthday's I guess I better get to planning that Birthday party huh? I am so excited about the theme this year :) It's all Beachy! Sand, crabs, beach balls and all!!

9. I just love how our house looks and feels after all the Christmas Decorations have been put away. It looks cleaner and bigger :) A fresh start for a new year!

10. Sorry for the long boring post... I will try to pull out the camera this week :)

Before and After {Emma Kate's Kitchen}

2011-12-29T08:36:00.005-05:00

So my dad saved my little kitchen set from when I was a kid and I am so glad he did. After Emma Kate was born I knew I wanted to try to fix it up for her to play with when she got older. Michael and I picked it up from my Dad's house a few months ago but we of course waited until the last minute to finish it... you know, the week before Christmas :) Anyways, it was complete for Christmas morning so that is all that matters right?

So here is the before picture. As I mentioned back in this post Michael got a little saw happy while I was at work one day. He had also already sanded the entire kitchen down before I got pictures. Back when I played with this kitchen it did not have a hole cut in the top and had knobs on the front but you can get the idea. Let's just say it needed a lot of TLC :)

Before

AFTER!

As you can tell we sanded, painted and did a lot of accessorizing to make this little kitchen a lot more modern :) We extended the counter-top and I decided to paint it a fun red color to give it a little pop of color.

We added hooks too the end of the counter-top as well for her cooking utensils.

We used an old faucet from when we did the master bathroom renovation to make the sink a little more realistic. We also purchased a stainless steel dog food bowl for the sink :)

Next I went to Michael's Craft store and bought a wood plaque, craft circle and knobs. I painted the plaque silver to give the appearance of stainless steel and painted the burners and the knobs black. Michael attached the knobs by drilling screws from the bottom so she can actually turn the knobs as well :)

We also added some hooks on the side of the stove to store her pots, pans and pot holders. I think I may try to find a small towel rod to attached to the end for a dish towel to be hung?

I added some baskets with labels to store her dishes and food as well.

Gpa helped us out by adding some plexiglass to the oven window and trimming it out :)

I found a cute little baking pan set at IKEA that fits perfect too!

Now obviously all of these pictures were taken during Emma Kate's nap time because 2 minutes after she woke from her nap this is what the kitchen looked like, haha!

She LOVES it!

So again we have the Before...

and the After :)

Linking up with Thrifty Decor Chick!

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T23:42:00.004-05:00

Emma Kate did not sleep very well the night before Christmas. I am assuming she did not want to miss Santa and his reindeer but lets just say Mommy and Daddy were ready for Miss Priss to go to sleep and stay asleep :) The lost sleep was all well worth it though when we saw how excited she was about all her new stuff!

She went straight for her kitchen and the packages :)

Daddy had to help her with the ribbon but she took care of all the paper :)

One happy little girl!

Mommy got to help her too...

After all the presents were opened she went straight to "cooking" in her kitchen. I think she tasted ever fork and spoon before the morning was over.

She also had fun trying out her new tricycle but she was NOT a fan of the helmet, haha!

Mid-morning Gma and Gpa arrived to spend the day with us and brought EK more presents. I am still trying to convince Michael he needs to build us a playroom on the back of the house for all these toys. A girl can dream right?

Michael was on duty all day Sunday but luckily he only got called out to a few accidents. He fried up a turkey, I made the sides and Gma made some yummy desserts. One of Michael's coworkers came and ate with us too so we had a house full :) I was so excited to get to use my Christmas china for the first time and to cook our first Christmas meal at home :)

The turkey was sooo juicy and yummy!

Gma and EK opening her stocking :)

EK got new hair clips from Santa so she decided to share them with Gpa...

He looked so cute, don't you think?

EK has played with her kitchen non stop since Christmas Day!

I will post the before and after pictures later this week :)

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T22:39:00.004-05:00

Michael had to work on Christmas Eve this year so EK and I loaded up to visit my grandparents and family for the day.

But not before making her pose by the Christmas tree in her new cute outfit from The Switzer's :)

She is such a Ham!

I was hoping EK would sleep during the 2 hour drive to Springfield but she had other plans. If only I had hooked up her new DVD player before we left! So we sang along to the nursery rhyme CD while she tried to break out of her car seat straps for an hour and forty minutes before falling asleep... you know 20 minutes before arriving at our destination, ha :) Good times!

EK was a little grumpy when I woke her from her short nap but she snapped out of it after Great-Grandma gave her a new toy :)

Playing with Aunt Angie

EK really liked playing with Britt this time...

he is such a gentleman and made sure to help her put Elfie's skirt back on :)

Abby being silly!

EK giving her Great-Grandaddy some lovin!

We tried to get a group shot of Abby, Myself and EK with Grandma but Abby wasn't really into it, haha :) I would give anything to have my Mom in this picture with us!

Luckily EK fell asleep in the car before we even got out of my grandparents driveway so it was a very peaceful drive home :)

Michael was home from work when we arrived so we let EK open one of her presents from us.

She got a Princess Potty and a Princess Potty Book!

Now we just need someone to offer to potty train her and we will be all set, wink wink ;)

She of course had to try it out but I won't be sharing those pictures :)

Next we put EK in her Christmas Jammies and went to look at Christmas Lights. One of the neighborhoods in Rock Hill has a contest every year for the best Christmas Lights so we always like to go there first. I swear some of these people must start putting out lights in October! EK had so much fun pointing at the "Lies" as she calls them and listening to the Christmas Music.

Mommy and EK taking in the lights :)

By the time we got home EK was ready for bed so we set out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer before hitting the hay.

Christmas X 3

2011-12-22T14:34:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we kicked off our Christmas celebrations in high gear! Michael has to work on Christmas weekend so we decided it would be best to do all of our visits a week early and it worked out great :) Sometimes I really do not know how we manage to fit so much into a weekend but somehow we always manage to get it all in.

After work on Friday we loaded up the car and hit the interstate to Orangeburg. We spent the night at PawPaw and Grandma's house and EK was up bright and early Saturday morning ready to play! Michael and I were both a little less than excited about an early morning with such a big day ahead but we all know who won this battle :)

Saturday we celebrated Christmas with my parents and my brother Jim and his family. It is unseasonably warm around SC this year so we enjoyed letting the girls play outside and even tried to fly a kite. I reiterate the word tried... but Abby and Emma Kate loved it anyways :) We also enjoyed an amazing spread for lunch, lots of presents and lots of family time :) I love watching Abby and EK interact and play together... and steal toys from each other while the other one is screaming to give it back, haha!

Uncle Jim gives the best shoulder rides :)

Trying to get that kite in the air...

PawPaw and EK

Playing the Ukulele

Grandma Linda reading the girls the Christmas Story

Present Time!

EK loved all her gifts!

The next stop for the weekend was at Gma and Gpa's house for the Kuck Family Christmas. Every year the whole crew gets bigger and bigger and more fun :) I just love watching all the kids interact with each other even though some of them only get to see each other once a year, they are all so cute!

Gma's pretty tree!

A sea of kids, paper and bows!

Some of the Looper Crew...

EK got a Princess Tutu for one of her gifts and she LOVED it! She put it on as soon as she got it and wore it the whole night :)

We spent the night with Gma and Gpa and then were up bright and early to get ready for our 3rd and final Christmas celebration of the weekend :) We had so much fun watching the kids get so excited oer their gifts and we all enjoyed some great food! Beaufort Stew and Crab Legs are heard to beat!

Present time!

I think Chandler liked his Basketball!

Daddy and EK ripping into their gifts!

We were all so blessed this Christmas and have so much to be thankful for!

A Good Read

2011-12-21T09:18:00.000-05:00

Need something good to read this morning? Grab a good cup of Coffee or a yummy Diet Coke and click on over to Angie Smith's Blog to read her post titled Tyranny of Choice. It will really get you thinking :)

And just for fun take a look at how much EK has grown since last Christmas!

I'll post some pictures from our weekend later tonight :)

Only 4 more days till Christmas!!

Christmas Tour of Homes

2011-12-15T22:04:00.000-05:00

I am participating in the Christmas Tour of Homes over at Kelly's Korner :)

I have been decorating our house for Christmas since the weekend before Thanksgiving but I still have yet to take any pictures until now. Last year I put up 4 trees but decided to nix the dining room tree this year. I dunno why exactly but I just did not want to put it up. So only 3 trees for us this year :) I have a bad habit of always wanting to add more and more decorations each year and I feel like nothing is picture worthy until I get it exactly the way I want it, hehe! But... I figure it's only 2 weeks until Christmas and I don't see myself getting any more decorating done...

So here ya go :)

Our Entryway and Staircase

Don't you think the baby gate adds a nice touch? :)

Our Living Room Tree

More Living Room

The Mantle

The Dining Room Table Setting :)

Our Nativity

Emma Kate's Tree

Of course it's all Pink and Green!

The wreath I made for Emma Kate's door :)

Our Christmas card wreath hanging on the chalkboard in the kitchen...

A few kitchen decorations.

The Kitchen Tree...
She looks a little sickly because I need to find some more food ornaments, maybe next year?

Kitchen Table Centerpiece

And last but not least, Emma Kate's Nativity Set, she loves playing with the little people :)

Merry Christmas Yall!

Merry Christmas from The Wise Family

2011-12-15T12:06:00.000-05:00

She looks kind of mischievous to me? What do you think?

Weekend Fun

2011-12-13T21:43:00.001-05:00

So it was another whirlwind of a weekend but that is really nothing new around here, ha! We enjoyed a fun supper at the Switzer's house Friday night and got to met 2 new couples and their sweet little girls :) All of the kids had a blast and us parents had fun chatting it up.

"Miss" Meghan and EK

Cutie Pies :)

Jackson and his sweet Mommy

Michael had to work day shift this weekend so EK and I packed up Saturday morning and headed to Charleston for my niece Abby's 4th Birthday. She had a Barbie Party and fun was had by all!

The kids doing "Just Dance" on the Wii

Abby and PawPaw

EK is taking it all in :)

Abby's Beautiful Barbie Cake!

EK refused to take a nice picture with her Mommy!

PawPaw and Grandma Linda

EK and I stayed the night and enjoyed getting to spend some extra time with Jim, Angie and Abby. After the girls had gone to bed and Angie fell asleep on the couch, Jim and I ordered some Sushi and stayed up talking until almost 2am... thank goodness EK slept in until 8 the next morning! We had such fun visit and hated to see the weekend come to an end. Before we knew it EK and I were back on the interstate to Rock Hill.

We got home just in time to unpack the car, clean up around the house and start some laundry before Michael came home from work :) Let's just say EK was one excited little girl to see her Dada!

20 Months {Emma Kate}

2011-12-12T08:57:00.005-05:00

Since EK is 20 months old as of a week ago (running a little late with this post huh?), I figured I would share 20 things about her :)

Dear Emma Kate,

1. You love to laugh and giggle and be tickled. Your little laugh is just so contagious :)

2. You DO NOT like strangers or men with facial hair, they both freak you out and send you into a tail spin of tears and grabbing onto your Mommy and Daddy for dear life.

3. You are still a picky eater but from time to time you will surprise us by eating something out of the ordinary.

4. You are well on your way to counting all the way to 10. You say van (1), toooooo (2), free (3), figh (5), aaate (8) and sometimes tinnnn (10)! We help you by filling in the rest of the numbers you leave out :)

5. You are definitely a DADDY'S GIRL! You just love him so and he loves you more! :)

6. Everything is "MINE" these days.

7. You are so lovable and give lots of hugs and kisses to everyone!

8. You are still a great sleeper at night and during nap time. You love your sleep!

9. You have already received a few early Christmas presents this month and you of course are still most interested in the boxes and the paper, haha!

10. Your new favorite movie/show is Elmo. You love to point him out and say his name over and over again. It sounds like you are saying "Ammo", haha :)

11. You love Dora and Scooby fruit snacks and would eat them all day if we let you.

12. You tell us when you go "Poo-Poo" now and sometimes when you "Pee-Pee"... looks like potty training is right around the corner.

13. You still refuse to eat any veggies other than corn.

14. You do not like for anyone to feed you, you have to do it all by yourself.

15. You have started going to the table, pulling out your chair and yelling "Eat!, Eat!" when you are hungry.

16. Your favorite book is still "Little Loon and Papa" and you have started saying some of the words from memory when we read it to you.

17. You still run from us when we try to change your diaper or change your clothes.

18. You really like the Christmas Tree and love pointing out the Christmas lights in the neighborhood at night. Unfortunately you have mistaken the "Bahhhs" (balls) on the Christmas Tree for the balls that you throw, we have to remind you almost daily that they are not the kind of balls you play with, ha!

19. Just when I think we are moving past the tantrum stage you give us a run for our money. It really takes every bit of will power in my body sometimes to not die laughing while you are putting on a dramatic display for us. I can only imagine how the "Terrible Two's" will be, ha!

20. You are our number one girl and we love you so much!

Coming up with 20 things was tougher than I thought! :)

Tis the Season for Random Thoughts.

2011-12-07T20:51:00.004-05:00

1. December truly is my favorite month of the year. The trees, the lights and the smells are all my favorites.

2. I am so thankful for a great time with Gma and Gpa this past weekend. Michael and his dad went to the ACC Championship game where our Tigers brought home an awesome win. Gma, EK and I spent the day shopping and having girl time. So much fun.

3. We also got to see our friends Ginny and Phillip on Sunday and enjoy a day of shopping at the Gaffney Outlets. I miss them already...

4. Ginny gave me probably my favorite gift of all time for Christmas this year. It's an Erin Condren Planner and I almost cried when I opened it. She had it personalized with our names and family pictures. Those of you who know me know I love a good planner, this one now goes EVERYWHERE with me. L.O.V.E.

5. Ginny also gave Emma Kate "Elf on the Shelf" as part of her Christmas present and I am so excited to start this tradition with EK :) EK just laughs and giggles at the elf and Ginny even gave her a stuffed elf to play with too! We have named him Scooty but EK calls him "F" :)

6. I realize more and more everyday how blessed we are to have such wonderful families and such amazing friends.

7. We have already had 2 Christmas parties this week, one for Michael's work and one for my work. The next 2 weeks look even busier.

8. These weekday Christmas parties have really thrown me for a loop. I keep forgetting what day it is.

9. I was an eager beaver when it came to Christmas shopping but I just cannot seem to make myself sit down and wrap them all. Lord knows I am too OCD about how my presents must look to ask someone to help me. As long as they are wrapped before Christmas it will all be ok right?

10. Our house is completely decorated for Christmas but I have not taken the time to get pictures to put on this here blog. It's dark by the time I get home during the week and we all know night time pictures of Christmas tree lights are not so cute. Hopefully one day soon I can get some daytime pics of our decorations and share with you.

11. Every year since we have been married I have wanted to host a Christmas Party but we are always so booked during December that we never have a free weekend to have one. Maybe one day...

12. I have fortyleven loads of laundry that need to be washed, dried, folded and put away. I will take care of the washing, drying and folding if someone will please just come and put them away!

13. I am still addicted to Pinterest.

14. I used my Pampers Gifts to Grow Points and was able to get all of our Christmas Cards for free this year! For those of you not familiar with Gifts to Grow points, each box/bag of pampers diapers or wipes you purchase has a 15 digit code on it that you enter into your account on Pampers.com. You get points for the codes you enter and then can cash in your points for rewards. It's a great way to get awesome freebies :) Hoping to mail out our cards this week!

Sorry for my randomness but this is as close to blogging as it's gonna get today...

And just because they are too cute :)

Before and After {A Christmas Tree}

2011-11-30T06:04:00.003-05:00

So EK and I got the chance to spend a little time with our friend Samantha and her hubby Rocky this past weekend. Samantha asked if I could help her spruce up her tree a little bit and I happily obliged! But first we had to make a little trip to the best store on the planet... HOBBY LOBBY! You see, Samantha already had a lot of beautiful sentimental ornaments but she needed some fillers to give her tree that three dimensional look. We picked out some deco mesh, ting-ting, red and green balls, and lots of glittery things to stick in the tree. She really did not spend that much and we had everything we needed to add that extra something! We also used the Deco mesh to make a topper for the tree :) I think it turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself!

Before

Pretty but still needed something...

After

VA-VA-VOOM!

Rocky said it looked like we wrapped the tree...

Gotta love men!

I'll share some of the Decorations around our house later this week :)

{By the way, Hobby Lobby has all of their Christmas stuff 50% off!

You know I love me some SALES!}

Happy Decorating!

Lately...

2011-11-29T21:47:00.003-05:00

*Warning: Random pictures from our weekend throughout this post :)

Lately we have been SOOOO busy, too busy for computer time that's for sure! I sat in the bed last night with my computer and had full intentions of uploading pictures to the blog but before I knew it Michael was taking the computer out of my lap and telling me to lay down. I haven't been able keep my eyes open since getting back home on Sunday! So here is what we have been up to...

1. Lots of fun family time and lots of good food :) Thank you Jesus for stretchy pants!

2. Hunting, yes I said hunting, with my husband, haha!

3. Shopping at 2:30AM the day after Thanksgiving in Oburg... quite interesting to say the least!

4. Scored some awesome boots at above mentioned shopping trip!

5. Spending time with awesome friends in Lexington :)

6. Watching our poor Tigers lose to our Rival...

7. Falling asleep during the 4th quarter of the Clemson/Carolina game because it was so disappointing.

8. EK going to bed at 6pm Sunday night and not waking up until 6am the next morning. Poor baby was worn out from our busy week!

9. Mommy needing to go to bed early but enjoying the quiet house, the TV, the computer and the frig all to myself a little too much to sleep :)

10. Enjoying the fact that Michael is on day shift this month and will be at home more!

11. Decorating the house for Christmas! My favorite time of the year :)

12. Ordering our Christmas cards... I can barely wait to send them out!!

13. Wrapping presents!

14. Being so thankful for all our blessings that keep us so busy :)

Whirlwind Weekend

2011-11-22T06:57:00.002-05:00

This past weekend was filled with:

Girls Craft Night...

Lots of Laundry...

Snuggling with Emma Kate...

Attempting to take Christmas Card Pictures {FAIL!!}...

Cleaning out the garage and taking a FULL Truck Load of Junk to Goodwill {it's shamefull to have that much junk!!}...

Pulling 13 boxes of Christmas decorations out of the attic {also shamefull}...

Decorating 3 Trees...

Telling Emma Kate to stop touching said trees 1300 times...

Spreading glitter over every inch of the house while decorating for Christmas...

Getting my hair did...

Watching Clemson lose horribly to NC State while eating a lovely supper with a sweet friend...

More Christmas decorating...

Helping a friend with her Plate Party...

More playtime and snuggles with EK...

And before we knew it Monday morning had rolled around again...

Thank Goodness for a two day work week!

Pinterest Love

2011-11-21T06:17:00.002-05:00

I am officially addicted to Pinterest! I cannot get enough of all of the ideas and crafts and recipes! It makes me want to go home and conquer the crafting and home decor world :) If only there were enough hours in the day (and enough piggies in the bank)... So for now I just want to share a few of my "Loves" :)

1. Can I seriously have this bedroom? I think I could rest much better in a room like this don't you?

2. OK so I am dying to buy new fabric to make new curtains for my living and dining room!! I want to move my curtain rods to the ceiling to give the room height and choose a lighter fabric to make the space brighter :)

3. This would be so adorable in our kitchen! And it would save us so much room... All I need is a round table and to build the cute little booth. Looks like a fun project for the husband, right?

(Michael doesn't even know what Pinterest is and he is already hating it, ha!)

4. I am becoming obsessed with organization ideas! I feel like I spend so much time looking for stuff that it is so worth the effort to get organized and stay that way just to save my sanity! Look at this awesome way to organize your measuring cups and spoons :) No more rummaging in a drawer, they are all right there at your finger-tips!

Item #546 to add to the Honey-Do list :)

5. So I really want to make some changes in our Master Bedroom. I am soooo tired of the matching furniture in there and I am determined to give this space a new look. We remodeled and decorated every other room in the house first before even thinking about the Master. I really want to make this a nice cozy place for us to relax at the end of the day. I don't want to spend lots of money, so I was thinking one cheap way to make a change would be to make a headboard out of old doors? And maybe get some new-to-us night stands from the Habitat Re-Store or Goodwill and paint them? What do you think? I would paint mine white and distress it probably...

6. And last but not least... don't you just love this Girlie Room!! It will probably be a while before we move EK out of her crib (unless the little stinker decides to start climbing out like she was attempting to do this weekend while yelling for MAMA!) but I just love this room! I really think I want to put 2 single beds in her room once we do decide to move her out of her crib. It is just such a cute look and would be great for when she has friends or cousins over to spend the night :)

Well there you have it, a few things I have been lusting after recently.

If you haven't yet joined Pinterest you might want to think about it!! :)

Happy Pinning!

Blogging Vacay

2011-11-17T23:21:00.001-05:00

All of you (my 2 readers out there, ha!) may have noticed I took a little blogging vacay over the past week. I had intentions of posting some pictures and what-have-you's but never really got around to it. I think I am officially in my "Fall-Funk". This "funk" I speak of is brought on by cold temperatures, the darkness coming way to early for my liking and lots of sinus headaches. It happens to me every year after the time change.

I just hate it being dark when I get home from work and I find myself wanting to go to bed as soon as I get EK down for the night. Sinus troubles don't help the situation either. Unfortunately, there are quite a few things that need to be done around the house after EK goes to sleep and I just don't have the "want to" to get it done.

Not much else has been going on around here. Michael had to work this past weekend so it was me and EK for the most part. We did get to hang out with Kelly and Madi on Saturday night and the girls had fun eating at Chik-fil-a and playing together. Madi was so sweet to read lots of books to EK. I seriously cannot believe how much Madi has grown up over the past few years and the fact that she is now reading to my baby girl just blows my mind.

EK started coming down with what I thought was a cold over the weekend and it progressively got worse as the week went on. Lots of coughing and a nasty nose, so off to the Doctor we went. EK has an upper respiratory infection and a right ear infection.

The Doctor says the ear is the culprit for everything. She does have tubes but it appears there is some wax build up on the right tube which is blocking the fluid flow and therefor causing an infection. She is on ear drops, nebulizer treatments and an antibiotic. We are praying the wax will come off of the tube on its own and the fluid in her ear will not push the tube out. The good news is that EK is still happy and playing as usual, don't get me wrong, she had a tantrum or 2 yesterday but that is nothing out of the norm, ha!

To make a bad day worse, a tornado hit Rock Hill about 2 miles from our house last night. Michael was working so EK and I were holding the fort down by ourselves. Michael would call us when he got an update on the storm from his police radio while EK and I camped out in the downstairs bathroom. I tried to keep her occupied with books and puzzles but after about 45 minutes we were both so ready to get out of there!! I honestly think Emma Kate thought I was crazy making her play in the bathroom but I think she enjoyed it, ha! She also INSISTED that she needed to Pee-Pee while we were in there. I finally gave in but I was thinking, "Great! A tornado is going to come across our house and I am going to be holding EK on the potty while trying to hold on for dear life!" Thank the good Lord above the tornado did not hit our home but other people in our community were not so fortunate. A few people lost their lives and others lost everything they owned. Michael had to work the area where the tornado came through and he said it was pretty devastating. I am just so thankful God had his arms around us and I pray that he can provide comfort to the families that lost so much.

So tonight I'm sitting here reminding myself to be thankful for all we have... our lives, our family, our homes, our belongings and so much more. All that is even more reason for me to snap out of this funk I've been in, right?

A Sprinkle for You... A Sprinkle for Me

2011-11-10T20:32:00.000-05:00

Hmmm... sprinkles?

This is what happens when Mommy is on the computer, Daddy is in the kitchen and someone (not to mention any names ~~Daddy~~) leaves the pantry open....hehe

EK found the Sprinkles in my baking supplies and decided to have a few :)

Thank you Lord for the Hand-Vac!

Weekend Wrap-Up

2011-11-08T21:38:00.002-05:00

Another weekend has flown by and we are back to the grind. We had a very busy weekend that ended with all of us falling asleep in the living room around 7:30 Sunday night... we were just worn out! I just have to remind myself that the holiday season is just now gearing up so we have only just begun the craziness that is to come in the next two months.

Friday we made a quick stop by Gma and Gpa's house to grab a few things. Then we met my parents for supper at Duke's Bar-B-Que and as usual it did not disappoint. I don't care what anyone says, no one makes bar-b-que like they do in Orangeburg :) We spent the rest of the night at Paw-Paw and Grandma's house playing and catching up on the happenings in Oburg.

Saturday Michael got to go hunting and be one with the wilderness, he was in hog heaven! EK and I were also up bright and early to meet Gma, Memi, Amanda and Cayleigh at the Holiday Market. They always have lots of cute stuff to give (and get) as gifts :) So we all picked up a few Christmas presents and had fun hanging out. We all did a little more shopping and then I was off to grab Michael to head to the next stop at the Davis Family Reunion.

We had such a great time seeing everyone and eating lots of great food! One thing is for sure, the Davis family knows how to cook. A few of my favorites were the BBQ Chicken, brown rice, broccoli casserole, green beans, deviled eggs, macaroni, sour dough bread and of course the Chocolate Eclair! (I know your mouth is watering!) I am now in desperate need of a personal trainer.... I know a lot of people don't like family reunions but I really do enjoy them. This is the only time I get to see certain people in my extended family and I love to see how much all of the kids have grown and how everyone is doing. And the good food certainly doesn't hurt :)

After the reunion we were on our way back to Rock Hill. EK and I both fell into a food coma and did not wake up until Michael pulled the car into the driveway. We were able to rest for a few minutes before heading back out the door to a House Warming Party for one of Michael's co-workers. EK got to hang out with her boyfriends Jackson and Ross (and Meghan and Chris of course) while Michael and I got to hang out with some adults for a change :) It was freezing outside but once they got the fire rolling it was great.

Sunday marked Day Light Savings but we all know that is only beneficial for the ones who do not have small children. EK was up bright and early even though we tried to explain to her that in the Fall you are supposed to gain an hour of sleep, not lose one, ha! We had a pretty lazy day recovering from the busy weekend and I am not ashamed to admit I never got out of my pajamas, hehe! Happy Monday Yall!

P.S. Yesterday marked 3 years since I began this blog :) I am so happy I listened to my brother and finally figured out what that "blog thing" was that he kept talking about. I love looking back at what we have done over last few years and can't wait for Emma Kate to look back one day at little snippets of her life too! Happy Blogging Everyone!

Emma Kate {19 months}

2011-11-05T17:04:00.003-04:00

Where in the world did October go? I don't have a clue how November got here to fast! Another month passing means our Emma Kate is another month older.

So what are you up to these days Emma Kate?

~ You love to read books. We read at least 3 or 4 books every night and you make us read each one numerous times. Your favorites right now are Lullaby Little One, My First ABC School Book, and Little Loon and Papa

~ You are a pretty picky eater these days. There are a few things you never turn down: Kraft Mac n' Cheese, PB and J sandwiches and anything sweet
~ You are starting to use more words and repeat a lot of what we say
~ You are still sleeping well in your crib and sleep about 10 hours a night
~ You are very shy around strangers
~ You love to be outside all the time
~ You like to help us "clean up" around the house. You love to sweep and wipe the table but you are still terrified of the vacuum

~ You love to wash your hands in the sink like a big girl
~ You also like to put on lotion and help me wash your hair

~ You still hate to have your diaper changed or to change your clothes
~ If you see one of your bows around the house you say "Bow!" and try to put it on your head
~ You give the best hugs and kisses in the world
~ You love music and insist I turn on your Nursery Rhyme CD every morning in the car

~ You love to point to people you know in pictures around the house and try to repeat their names when we say them

~ You love to play with almost anything that is not actually a toy :)

~ You love to sit on the potty before you get in the tub but all you want to do is stuff toilet paper in there, you rarely ever pee-pee in the potty
~ You love to chase Pearl around the yard and love to play with Hannah's dog Reesie
~ You are getting really good at puzzles and love to do them over and over again
~ You have 16 teeth, weigh 25 pounds and are getting taller by the day

You are getting way to big Emma Kate! I can hardly believe in 5 short months you will be 2 years old... that just doesn't seem possible! We love you so much and can't wait to see what this month brings!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

2011-11-04T06:21:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to share a few of my favorite things here lately:

1. Shark Steam Mop: My sister-in-law was raving about her steam mop this past weekend, so I finally broke down and bought one too! I love it! I love not having to wring a mop out in a bucket of water, not having to use chemicals and not having to use a lot of elbow grease! Now that we have Emma Kate we have a lot more spills and drips around the house. The steam mop does wonders under her chair at the kitchen table!! If you don't have one, you need to get one ASAP!

Via

And yes, I am officially old now that I get excited about new cleaning gadgets!

2. Birchbox: So I love trying out new products but I hate spending money on things I don't know I will like. Let's face it, we all have about a million beauty products under that bathroom sink that we purchased and ended up not liking. Unfortunately, we feel the need to hold on to them because we paid good money for them and "MIGHT" use it one day. And then we never do. Birchbox is a great way to try out new products for a flat fee of $10 per month. Each month you will receive a little box in the mail with 4 or 5 good sized samples of beauty products. You try them out and if you like something that came in your box then you can purchase it online through their site and get free shipping during that month on that item :) I have only received 1 box in the mail so far but it was kind of like Christmas morning opening a gift to see what goodies you got! They also offer the option to give a subscription to someone as a gift! What an awesome surprise to receive each month in the mail.

Via

3. Pinterest: I am ADDICTED! So at first I really had no clue what this website was all about but now I can't get enough of it! If you think Facebook is a great way to waste hours on the computer, you haven't seen anything until you sign up for Pinterest! This site allows you to "Pin" your favorite website, pictures, recipes and ideas to your page. You have "friends" that can follow you and can see what you are pinning and they can re-pin what you pin! What a vicous cycle, haha! It's very addicting so if you don't have a lot of free time to look up awesome ideas for crafts, cooking, your home and fashion then you might not want to sign up... but I suggest you do it anyways! It requires and invite from a current member so just leave me a comment with your email address and I will send you an invite :)

Happy Friday Everyone!

*And nope, I am not getting paid to promote any of these items, just wanted to share the love with yall!

The Skirted Desk

2011-11-02T06:58:00.002-04:00

So for a while now I have been drooling over this Skirted Desk I saw over at Beneath My Heart Blog. It's just so pretty that I knew I wanted to try to make one myself. So after a few weeks of planning to get it done I finally made a trip to Lowe's and bought the supplies I needed. We already had all of the tools in the garage, yay!

At the top of the stairs is my old desk from college (Target purchase!) and under that lives a pile of Emma Kate's toys... let's just say the clutter was driving me crazy! So, I decided this would be the perfect place to use Traci's idea.

Maybe I am just OCD, but that stack of toys was driving me bonkers... and with no playroom we really don't have many other options for toy storage :)

I started out by measuring my wood slats to size. Then I cut my drop cloth to be about 3 times longer than the length of the slats. This allows you to gather the fabric to create a ruffled look. Another great thing about this project is that it requires NO sewing! The drop cloths come hemmed and the side you cut is attached to the wood slat... this saves so much time!

Next I attached the slats to the desk using screws (can you believe Michael let me use his power tools!!), I fluffed my skirt and that was that!

I love the dark wood on top mixed with the light colored drop cloth on the bottom :)

From start to finish this only took me a little over an hour to complete and I love the result!

This whole project cost me $10 for the Drop Cloth and $4 for the slats!

TOTAL: $14 :)

Trick-or-Treating = FAIL

2011-11-01T20:26:00.002-04:00

So I know I said I was going to post some Halloween pictures of Emma Kate last night but after the way our night went I was just too tired to re-live the drama, haha!

We arrived at the church for Trunk-or-Treat and handed EK her candy bucket. We then proceeded to enter then trunk-or-treating area and EK stopped in her tracks... she would not get one inch closer to the first car where they were handing out candy. We tried our best to nudge her along but her feet were firmly planted on the ground.

So Michael picked her up and walked towards a small boy dressed as a clown handing out candy and she LOST IT! Grabbing onto Michael for dear life, throwing her candy bucket on the ground, screaming at the top of her lungs and tears rolling down her Minnie Mouse Cheeks. She did not care that the clown was trying to give her candy, she just wanted him to go away!

After a few minutes of hugging her and reassuring her that no one would hurt her we decided it would just be best to leave. She wanted nothing to do with Trunk-or-Treating. I was able to cheer her up once we got her in the car by giving her a sucker but I could tell she was done!

We did stop by The Rector's house but EK refused to get down from my arms or even go to Michael. She was officially over it. So we headed home... We were all so worn out when we got home that we fed EK, put her to bed and Michael and I crashed on the couch.

Obviously, I know that EK is only 18 months old so most of it was probably my fault for getting too excited about dressing her up and taking her out. To be honest though, it never even crossed my mind that she might think the other children were scary or that she would not enjoy a night of getting lots of free candy. To say EK HATED trick or treating is an understatement.

Better luck next year, right?

I know I am partial but she surely is the cutest Minnie Mouse I ever did see!

Weekend Wrap Up

2011-10-31T06:55:00.000-04:00

This weekend we had some visitor's from Oburg :) Gma, Amanda and Cayleigh came up Friday night so we could all go shopping on Saturday. We're getting a head start on our Christmas shopping this year! Friday night we cooked some supper on the grill and the girls had fun playing and pulling out all the toys :)

Cayleigh's favorite toy of the night was Emma Kate's Pacifiers. She would put one in Ek's mouth and one in hers, then switch them back and forth as she saw fit. Cayleigh has never used a paci but I guess she figured since EK likes hers so much she would give it a try.

This was only about half the toys they pulled out, but they had so much fun!

EK is not too keen on sharing yet so anything Cayleigh wanted to play with EK had to play with too, and vice versa. As you can see, they were both determined to sit in this chair, ha!

I tried to offer a paci to Cayleigh to take home but her mean mommy said no, hehe, jk!

Saturday we were up bright and early to get on the road to Charlotte. We hit Concord Mills, Toys R' US and Hobby Lobby. We had planned to go to IKEA too but with 2 toddler's needing naps we decided we might want to save that for another day :) We had so much fun though!

One thing that wasn't so much fun this weekend was watching our Tigers play on Saturday night. It was a pretty rough game, so bad in fact that I fell asleep on the couch during the 2nd quarter. Michael said he watched the whole game until the last 3 minutes when he just had to turn it off. So the Tigers are no longer undeafeated and we have dropped out of the Top 10 :(

We still love our Tigers though :)

Sunday Michael had to work so EK and I had a few errands to run and a lot to do around the house. Our dryer went cah-put last week so EK and I headed to Lowe's to pick out a new one. We picked up a few other things that I will share later in the week :) I also got a wild hair and cleaned the entire downstairs from top to bottom! It felt so good to have a nice clean house... that is until EK woke up from her nap and scattered the toys EVERYWHERE again.

You know the saying: "I cleaned the house yesterday, sorry you missed it!"

When Michael got home we put him right to work hooking up the dryer. EK is already such a big helper, she loved holding the flashlight :)

They are like Two Peas in a Pod!

But the best part about getting a new dryer was...

The BOX!

Michael cut a door and some windows in it and it was perfect!

Proof that EK needs not one single toy for Christmas!

It has currently taken up residence in our living room...

That is until the Trash Man comes on Wednesday, ha!

Hope yall had a great weekend!

Stay tuned for some Halloween pictures later tonight :)

Weekend Fun

2011-10-26T06:24:00.002-04:00

Not much to blog about around here lately. We've just been doing the normal things like work, daycare, playing and sleeping. Our sweet friend Katie came to spend this past weekend with us. EK loved having a new person to play peek-a-boo with as you can see in the picture below! She also convinced Katie to read her TONS of books, often times the same one over and over, ha!

Katie and I both graduated from Winthrop so we went out to the campus to see all of the new buildings and renovations that have popped up over the last few years. The campus really is gorgeous and the new facilities are amazing. There is also a really pretty courtyard area with fountains and waterfalls... the perfect place to take a few pictures of EK :)

If there's not a Paci in the mouth you can more than likely find her fingers there these days!

You can't really tell from the picture but those are waterfalls EK is looking at :)

My favorite picture!

A while back I won a free poster after entering and online blog contest. I loved this picture so much I used my free poster to get this picture enlarged... hopefully it will arrive in the mail soon!

This is the new student center at Winthrop. Gorgeous architecture and beautiful on the inside too! EK Looks soooo tiny in this picture, ha!

EK also entertained Katie with a few tea parties...

Nothing better than Tea and Crumpets :)

We hated to see Katie leave on Sunday but we were so happy to catch up and spend some time together. Can't wait for you to come back again Katie!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Whirl-Wind Weekend

2011-10-19T06:14:00.007-04:00

So this past weekend was full of visiting family and good food. You can never leave out the good food part here in the South! Saturday we headed to Orangeburg to visit with Paw-Paw (Grandma Linda was at work), Jim and Abby (Angie was at her mom's). We all ate lunch and the girls got to play their little hearts out :)

Sweet girls!

Abby is getting so big!

Giving "Shugga" to PawPaw

And kisses from Uncle Jim!

Next stop was at Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Davis' house. They were having a fish fry so we were able to see lots of family and friends. EK had so much fun running around the yard, chasing Great-Grandma's cat, giving out hugs and kisses and riding on the golf cart :)

EK and "Aunt" Keri

If there is one thing I miss about living in the country it has to be the beautiful cotton fields! Isn't it just gorgeous!

EK's first ride on a golf cart with Daddy and Tyler!

Socializing :)

Look at that 89 year old Stud of a Grandpa I have!

Then we were on to our next stop at Gma and Gpa's house, yes, that is 3 houses in 3 different towns in one day, ha! We had fun hanging out Saturday night and Gpa and Michael got to listen to our Tigers bring home an awesome win against Maryland on the radio. Go Tigers! We also got to spend Sunday with The Looper's and enjoyed another amazing meal :)

Helping Gma Cook!

EK was explaining to Aunt Amanda that a girl can never have too many accessories :)

Cayleigh agreed with EK!

Aren't they just the cutest!

Time for some Jump House fun :) Chandler is such a big helper!

It is impossible to get all of them to look at the camera at the same time, oh well!

Happy Hump Day Yall!

Battle {Cleaning vs. Having Fun}

2011-10-18T13:25:00.007-04:00

I will be the first to admit that I can be quite lazy when it comes to keeping my house neat and tidy. I am sure none of you have this problem and have very clean well kept homes but I cannot say the same. I am really good at faking having a neat and tidy house. Unfortunately, if people actually ventured upstairs or looked in our closets or heaven forbid looked in our garage they would realize I am just good at hiding our messes! Our coat/office closet (you know, the one I just organized this past year) is in complete shambles. Our garage is stacked full of JUNK that I am saving for "one day" when I might need it. Our attic is full of stuff I haven't used in years. Our closets are full of clothing we will never wear again even if we do lose that 20+ pounds one day, ha! We are not hoarders by any stretch of the imagination but I just can't seem to keep up with the weekly tasks of dusting, sweeping, moping, de-cluttering, etc. I hate it. I hate even thinking about spending a whole Saturday cleaning the house, yuck! So in order to try to organize my time and my home a little better I have decided to set a side 20 to 30 minutes(after EK goes to bed) a day to cleaning up our house. Dear Michael, if you are reading this, please do not laugh at my good intentions! (p.s. you are going to be helping me with the weekly chores too, hehe!) I am a list maker. I love lists. And what I love even more is crossing things off of that list!! So I made myself a nice little list with each day of the week and a chore(s) for that day. Am I going to accomplish all of the chores every week? Probably not, but I am going to try my best to do a little each day. That way there will never be a day of the week where I am scrambling to get my house in order if the grandparents (love all of yall!) call to say they are coming in for the weekend, ha! I plan to start this week and I will give you an update on how it is going next week... I need someone to hold me accountable ya know! I attached a copy of the cleaning schedule I am using below. Don't laugh at me, I need lists people! ha!

Patience is a Virtue

2011-10-14T12:20:00.004-04:00

Ever heard that saying, "Patience is a Virtue?" I've probably heard it a million times but I never really thought about it until recently. Being the mom of a toddler is the only thing that has truly made me realize the importance of patience. Patience is not something we are born with. Ever had a newborn baby who is hungry screaming at the top of her lungs because you are not getting her bottle ready fast enough? Well, we all come into this world as self-absorbed impatient creatures... we just don't know any better. We have to be taught discipline; we have to learn patience.

I myself seem to be struggling lately with patience and keeping my cool. I think it's something we all struggle with. I have caught myself raising my voice or being short tempered... I feel like I just cannot handle one more second of the screaming and tears! For example, Emma Kate having a tantrum because I will not let her eat a whole bag of marshmallows before supper time, just might push me over the edge some days, haha!

Here's the issue: I don't want to be the type of mother who just gives in to anything her kids want, I think this gives children a false sense of reality. The truth is that we will all have a time (or a hundred) in our lives when we want something we cannot have. If a child is not taught at a young age that sometimes the answer is "No!" then when will they learn? It's not so cute when an adult throws a tantrum now is it? That said, I also don't want Emma Kate to remember me as a mom who always raised my voice or lost my temper. I want to be able to control my temper and be a patient person. I want that happy medium of being a loving and caring mom but I also want Emma Kate to know that "No means NO". So I am sure all of you are wondering just how I suppose I will achieve that happy medium?

And so far, the only answer I have been able to come up with is:

PRAYER

I get a devotional sent to my email everyday that usually contains some scripture and a small lesson to go along with it. It's kind of like my 5 minutes with God each morning... even though I know I need way more than 5 minutes!! Well, the other morning the devotional was titled "Calming the Mama Drama." And boy did it hit home! This was the scripture for the day:

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."

Ephesians 4:2

Basically the devotional was talking about how we can make a choice in each situation how we will react. Are we going to lose our patience and raise our voice or are we going to give ourselves a moment to process what is happening before reacting brashly? The part that really hit home with me was this quote written by Lynn Cowell, " If time allows, I have found it's really good to pull away from the situation and give myself a time out. Removing myself, if even for just a moment, affords me the opportunity to humble myself before God and ask Him to help me regroup my runaway emotions and submit my thoughts to the control of the Holy Spirit. Pulling away also shows my kids the benefits, like patience and gentleness, that result when I don't allow my emotions to rule over me."

I want this patience and gentleness she speaks of. I want to be in control of my emotions. I want Emma Kate to learn this same thing from my actions. I want all of these things, but I know the only way I will even come close is by relying on God. I pray that I can remember to stop an pray when I need God's help to be this person.

The Prayer for this devotion is below.

Dear Lord, today help me to leave behind mama drama and use me to be a peace maker in my home. I want to learn to give myself a time out and ask the Holy Spirit to enter each situation I find myself in. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

XOXO

2011-10-12T06:20:00.000-04:00

Tiger Weekend

2011-10-11T06:14:00.001-04:00

A friend of Michael's family so generously gave us tickets to the Clemson game this past weekend and we were so excited! We took Emma Kate to the game last year but with her being a toddler now we decided it was probably best for her not to come this year. Chasing a toddler around the tailgate might be fun for some... but not for this girl :) So this past weekend began with EK heading to her Gma and Gpa's house for the weekend. This was only the second time we have spent the night away from her in 18 months. Michael had training in Columbia so he met Gpa on the interstate to drop her off. Not a tear from this little girl at all as she climbed in the truck with her Gpa! Needless to say, she had a blast all weekend. She was so busy playing and having fun she did not even want to talk to us on the phone, not that I would even think of calling to check on her 50 a few times, haha!

I'm not gonna lie, Friday night was quite lonesome around the Wise house. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with Michael, but it was so quiet in the house it was almost eerie. I was so bored!! Trust me, there were tons of things I could have been doing like cleaning the house or doing laundry but it was just so weird to be home and Emma Kate not be there! I am so glad we had plans to keep us busy on Saturday!

We were up with the moon early Saturday morning to get dressed in our tiger gear and hit the road for Clemson. We rode with our friends Chris and Hannah and had so much fun talking and laughing at each other the whole way to Clemson. I even tried to "unsuccessfully" teach Hannah how to do crossword puzzles, hehe! We had an awesome time tailgating and catching up with friends... and it's just not tailgating without all the awesome food! :)

Michael and I had awesome tickets on the 40 yard line :)

"The most exciting 25 seconds in college football!!!"

What a beautiful sea of Orange and Purple!!!

The tigers remain undefeated so far this season and we are hoping they keep up the good work! We stopped in Greenville on the way home to eat at California Dreaming... I could eat their side salad 7 days a week! Sunday morning we enjoyed the rare opportunity to sleep in late, which for us means sleeping until about 8:30, haha! Then we were up getting ready for the day, we had important places to be!! We were ready to go get our Emma Kate!

We met Gma, Gpa, Emma Kate, Amanda and Cayleigh for some lunch in Columbia. We were so excited to get our hands on Emma Kate and I think the feeling was mutual. She ran squealing and laughing to the truck as soon as she saw us, such a sweet moment!

Ek giving Gma and Gpa some lovin'!

Sweet Cayleigh!

EK happy to be back in her daddy's arms :)

Michael and I had such a fun "Grown-up's" weekend and I know EK had a blast too! We are currently on day 2 of Gparent detox, haha! If you don't believe me, just look at the picture below!

You know what they say, "Save the drama for your Mama!"

EK has that down pat!

Why you take so many pictures mommy?

2011-10-07T21:04:00.002-04:00

I don't think EK is as excited about my new camera as I am, hehe!

You may remember a similar look from this post here? ha!

A. B. C. easy as 1. 2. 3.

2011-10-06T06:57:00.012-04:00

Just for fun...

Hi, my name is Emily.

A. Age: 27.

B. Bed size: Queen.

C. Chore that you hate: Sweeping and Mopping.

D. Dogs: none but would love to have an outside dog.

E. Essential start to your day: cuddling in our bed with my baby girl for at least 5 minutes and a huge cup of coffee.

F. Favorite color: PINK.

G. Gold or Silver: Silver.

H. Height: 5' 6"

I. Instruments you play: The Radio...

J. Job title: wife, mommy, Resolve Application Specialist (my company's fancy name for Customer Service).

K. Kids: Emma Kate.

L. Live: South Carolina.

M. Mother’s name: Marcia Hope.

N. Nicknames: Emmy, Bem, The Emster (coined by my father).

O. Overnight hospital stays: 2 nights when I had EK.

P. Pet peeves: When my husband eats chips in our bed, nothing lulls me to sleep like the crunch, crunch, crunch of Doritos...sarcasm :)

Q. Quote from a movie: "And in the mornin', I'm makin' Waffles!" (Donkey from Shrek)

R. Right or left handed: Right.

S. Siblings: one brother, Jim.

T. Truth or Dare: Truth.

U. Ultimate Vacation: Anywhere in the Caribbean.

V. Vegetable you hate: Turnips.

W. What makes you run late: The snooze button.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Ankle. Abdomen.

Y. Yummy food that you make: Chicken Parmesan.

Z. Zoo animal: Koala.

Emma Kate {18 months}

2011-10-05T06:15:00.004-04:00

18 months.

A year and a half old.

1 year and 6 months old.

Don't all of those just make you sound too big!?!?

Happy Half-Birthday Emma Kate :)

You are becoming more and more a little girl and less a baby everyday!

A few things you are up to these days:

- You LOVE to be outdoors and throw a tantrum every time we try to take you inside

- You light up when your Daddy comes home and give him the biggest hugs and kisses

- You are still very strong willed and determined to get your way

- You love to "help" do the dishes. By "help" I mean you like to empty the dishwasher while we are busy trying to get it loaded

- You also like to help do laundry by handing me the clothes that are in the pile as I place them in the washing machine

- You love to read books every night and always pick out the same 2 books

- You are picking up new words everyday. The words you use consistently are Mama, Dada, Cat (Cah), Dog (Daw), Cheese (Chez), Shoes (Shoo-Shoos), Hello (Hey-Jo), Bye-Bye, Ear (Eah), Nose (Nooo), Mouth (Mou), Eye (Eyyye), Bow (wonder where you picked that word up, ha!!) Eat, Mine and NO (your all time favorite word)

- You also repeat a lot of words we say but they are not words you use on a daily basis

-You have the best little laugh and we do everything we can to make you smile and giggle

- You love to color and draw with crayons

- You love to climb the stairs by yourself (with mommy and daddy right there to catch you of course)

- You have started liking bath time again and you insist on helping us turn the water on in the tub

- You eat most things but can still be picky at times. Your favorite is Kraft Mac n' Cheese!

-You will not let us feed you anymore, you have to do it yourself!

- You love to wave at random people but hardly ever wave when we ask you to say hey to someone (have I mentioned you are strong willed, ha?)

- You LOVE music! Whether it's a commercial, a song on the radio, a TV Show, or one of us singing you love to dance and shake it!

- You love to chase Pearl around the yard and pull her tail if she lets you get close enough

- You try to get out of trouble by smiling and giggling
- You do not like to put on your clothes or have your hair fixed (this makes for a nice workout for Mommy and Daddy in the mornings)

- You don't like to be carried into daycare anymore, you point at the ground and say "wahh"(walk)

- You love to rip paper into a million pieces. If there is a magazine I want to read, I have to make sure it is out of your reach or there will be nothing left to read ;)

- You love being naked and make us chase you after your bath to get you in your PJ's

- You are still sleeping from around 8-8:30pm to 5:30- 6:30am with the occasional waking up in the middle of the night, we just let you cry it out a bit and you are back to sleep in about 5 minutes

- You sleep with Lamby, Taggy, Blankee, your pillow and 2 or 3 paci's every night and when we get you out of the crib in the mornings you insist on taking EVERYTHING with you

- You got bitten for the first time yesterday at daycare. I was not too happy about it but I know these things are going to happen (and if you remember you bit 2 kids a few months ago yourself) so I remained calm. It just better not continue to happen...

- You love to do puzzles and playing with your blocks

- You are the sweetest girl we know!

We love you so much EK! We just wish you would stop growing up so fast!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

XOXO

Today is EK's Half Birthday but it is also her Cousin Chandler's 6th Birthday!

Happy Birthday Chandler!!!

We hope you have an amazing day :)

A Daddy and his Girl...

2011-10-04T06:24:00.000-04:00

My New Toy

2011-10-03T22:20:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned yesterday I finally got a new camera... and I LOVE it! It is definitely a lot more high tech than anything I have ever had (not that this says much) and I have had so much fun playing around with the lens and the settings. I really want to learn how to use all of the functions and learn how to be a better photographer... although I know I will remain an amateur at best!

Just wanted to share a few pictures I have taken since yesterday...

of course most of them are of my best model, Emma Kate :)

Obviously I have a lot to learn but I think it will be so much easier to capture pictures of EK using my new camera. I constantly have a moving target so the speed of the camera is definitely a huge plus :) I can actually catch Ek smiling on film now, ha! I can't wait to play with my new "toy" some more!

Weekend Wrap-Up

2011-10-02T20:42:00.001-04:00

What a fun weekend :) Friday night Michael stayed home with Emma Kate so I could go to craft night with Meghan. I was one of 6 girls and we each brought a craft for everyone to make. It was so much fun and at the end of the night we had 5 crafts to take home :)

This banner hanging on our mantel is so cute!

We made this using burlap, paint, stencils and twine.

Next is this cute pumpkin made using a small frame, buttons for the pumpkin, a wooden knob for the stem and some green wire for the vine. I also put this on my mantel :)

We also made a bat specimen frame using burlap for the background and small bats cut from scrapbook paper using the Silhouette.

Here is the adorable spider plate that was Meghan's craft :)

We used a black bowl, pipe cleaners, a black plate and eyes to make this.

I have already used it for cupcakes!

And last we made these adorable Treats.

All you need are some toilet paper rolls, candy, scrapbook paper and ribbon.

A great treat to give to kids this Halloween :)

The craft I brought for everyone to make was Fall Coasters using ceramic tiles, napkins, mod-podge and cork. I did not make any for myself and forgot to take pictures Friday night but will post some pics when I can get a picture of the ones Meghan made :)

Saturday was so nice and cool (fall weather finally!) so we played outside and took some pictures in front of our Fall decorations.

EK looks so strong holding that pumpkin!

(it's one of the fake ones from the craft store, haha)

She loves her Daddy to throw her in the air :)

We also took advantage of the nice weather and ate lunch on the patio!

Emma Kate loves the outdoors and would stay out there all day if we let her.

Saturday night we got all dressed up in our gear and went to Hannah's house to watch the Clemson game. EK looked adorable in her new Clemson shirt and TuTu!

Our future Clemson Grad and her Alumni Daddy!

Beaufort Stew...enough said :)

Is this not the cutest cake!

Go Tigers!

I am not quite sure why Hannah let Shannon get away with wearing that Gamecock shirt but it wasn't my house so I didn't say anything, haha, just kidding!

We still love her even though she pulls for the wrong team :)
Hannah, Shannon and Me!

Glad to say our Tigers brought home there 5th win in a row!

Today was filled with church, lunch, and lots of relaxing. I also finally broke down and bought a new camera! I am so excited and played with it a little bit today. I plan to upload a few pictures later tonight :) I know I will never be a professional photographer but I hope my pictures will at least be a little better quality, wish me luck!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-28T06:41:00.000-04:00

Slap Yo Mammie Chicken Pot Pie

2011-09-27T07:59:00.001-04:00

I wanted to share a yummy recipe with you that my cousin Keri made a few weeks ago and I just had to try it for myself. It is so easy and yummy!

The best part is that it has your meat, veggies and starch all in one dish, my favorite kind of meal :)

What you need:

- 1 pack Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts

(they are right next to the biscuits in the store)

- 3 to 4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded

- 1 large can Veg-All (drained)

- 1 and a half cups chicken stock (or chicken broth from the can)

- 1 can cream of chicken

- 2 boiled eggs chopped into tiny pieces

*tip: cook your chicken in the crock-pot the day before to make it extra tender :)

Mix your chicken, veg-all, chicken stock, cream of chicken, and eggs together in a large bowl. Also add salt and pepper to your liking :)

Next, spray your dish with non-stick spray.

I used my cast iron skillet since the pie crusts are a perfect fit but you can use a regular casserole dish too. Put one of the pie crusts on the bottom of your dish.

Then poor your mixture on top and spread evenly.

Next, you put the other pie crust on top and make an "X" with your knife in the middle of your crust.

Heat your oven to 450 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

You can allow it to cool for a few minutes to make the filling thicken a bit or serve it right up!

The crust is definitely the best part, so light and crispy :)

In the words of my grandfather...

"Tastes so good, it'll make you slap yo mammie!" Ha!

Double Dates and Meetin' Half Way

2011-09-26T21:33:00.001-04:00

This past weekend we enjoyed some down time and then some fun with family and friends. Saturday night we went on a double date with our friends/neighbors The Switzer's. Meghan suggested we go on a double date a few weeks ago and it sounded like the perfect idea to me! We knew the boys would be up for it since they are practically inseparable, haha! So Meghan got their awesome "Nanny B" to keep her boys and Emma Kate while we went out for dinner and a movie. It was so awesome having some adult time with great friends! I had almost forgotten what it was like to have dinner with out telling someone to "sit in your chair", "stop throwing your food on the floor", "don't put your feet on the table", etc. Ha! We went to Sakura for some Japanese then went to see "I Don't Know How She Does It" at the theater. The kids had a blast playing with "Nanny B" and us adults had a fun time too, win! win!

DaTe NiGhT!

On Sunday, Gma and Gpa had the great idea to meet up halfway in Columbia for some lunch and a little shopping.

We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Olive Garden...

playing dress-up with Gpa,

shopping at the Mall,

more dress up at Target,

{Gobble! Gobble!}

and lots of lovin' from Gma and Gpa!

I think Miss Priss may be a tad bit spoiled :)

Happy Monday!

GO TIGERS!

2011-09-24T16:07:00.000-04:00

C-L-E-M-S-OOOOO-N!

Fight Tigers! Fight Tigers!

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Come on Tigers,

Beat Them Noles!!!

Lazy Days and Shoe Shopping

2011-09-19T21:29:00.002-04:00

I must admit that I was very lazy this weekend for the most part. I am going to blame it on the cool dreary weather and the fact that my allergies are finally catching up with me and causing me grief. I knew it was only a matter of time before the weather change affected me but hopefully it will be short lived :)

Michael had to work nights this weekend so it was just EK and I for the most part. Friday night EK was worn out and went to bed early so of course I took advantage of this down time and ~~cleaned the entire house~~ had a big glass of milk, a brownie, and plopped on the couch to blog stalk while watching Dateline. I have always been a multi-tasker at heart you know, wink!

So anyhoo! Saturday we hung out around the house and then after Michael got up for the day I convinced him to go with me and EK to find her some fall shoes. I am so thankful for a husband who will endure shopping trips with his wife and toddler to make life a little easier on mommy!

It turned out to be quite fun watching EK tromp around in different pairs of shoes. She tried on cowgirl boots, little faux-uggs, and some Mary Jane's. The main reason we went shoe shopping was to find some nice black Sunday shoes for the fall and winter, but we couldn't find any that did not have mesh bows and rhinestones... not really the look I was going for :) I wanted to get her the cowgirl boots so bad but the poor thing walked so bow-legged in them that we figured they would not be a good buy... maybe in a few years :) So after searching all of the major department stores and shoe shops in the mall and left with the faux-uggs and some brown Mary Jane's. Hopefully we'll find some black shoes soon!

Cowgirl :)

Struttin' her stuff!

We made it back home in time to watch the

Clemson game and watch our Tigers bring home an awesome win! We are hoping this big win is a sign for a great season to come! Go Tigers!

After the game we let EK go out on a little drive in her VW Bug...

and somehow she managed to get her first ticket!

Can you believe the nerve of that cop :) ha!

I don't think I have mentioned EK's addiction to shredded cheese...

We can't even take the bag out of the fridge without her having a tantrum until we give her some! The girl loves her cheese :)

Michael had to work again Saturday night so EK and I hung out with our favorite neighbors the Switzer's. If you can't tell by the picture below, I think EK is still pretty smitten with Jackson :)

Sunday was a another lazy day. EK and I should have made it to church while Michael was sleeping but it just did not happen. The only thing we accomplished all day was a trip to the grocery store. It was triple coupon week at Harris Teeter and we saved a ton! Doesn't take much to excite me these days, huh? ha! EK was also pretty excited since they have free cookies and balloons for the kids as you enter the store. It's the small things in life right?

That about sums our weekend up :) Happy Monday!

Where O' Where Did My Baby Girl Go?

2011-09-17T10:04:00.002-04:00

NOW

September 2011

THEN

September 2010

Chalkboard Paint {My Newest Addiction}

2011-09-16T21:54:00.002-04:00

Hey yall! I wanted to share another project using my new favorite thing... chalkboard paint! I decided I wanted to minimize the trinkets and doo-dads in my kitchen and decorate with items we use daily/weekly instead.

I found these cute glass containers at World Market but I know that Target carries them too.

All you need for this project is a container, some Chalkboard Paint, a foam roller brush and some painters tape.

First, you tape off the area you want to paint.

Second, apply the Chalkboard Paint and allow it to dry for 24 hours before applying your 2nd coat. After the 2nd coat dries, remove the painter's tape and you are done!

Put them out on your counters for some functional decoration or put them where ever you like... Not the best picture but you get the idea :)

Enjoy!

I'm watching you...

2011-09-13T05:30:00.001-04:00

Lately I have really become aware of the fact that Emma Kate watches EVERYTHING we do. She always has her eyes and ears open and wants to do everything we are doing. She wants to put on make-up while I am getting ready in the mornings, she wants to flush the potty, and she wants to stir the pots on the stove. If I give her daddy a kiss, she wants to give her daddy a kiss. If I drink out of the straw, she wants to drink out of the straw. These are all just examples of how EK's little eyes are taking in everything around her. Well this past weekend Emma Kate showed me she has also been paying attention at the dinner table. For the past few months we have been in the process of teaching Emma Kate to fold her hands while we say the blessing. We would always remind her to "Make Pretty Hands" and then we would bless the food. Well, Saturday we had just sat down to eat our lunch and I was about to take a bite out of my sandwich when I looked over to her folding her hands and patiently waiting for me to say the blessing... To say she put me in my place was an understatement. I quickly put down my sandwich and obliged her. I was so proud of her for reminding her Mommy to slow down and thank God for our food. Even though she may not fully understand why we pray before we eat, she was a great reminder to me of all we have to be thankful for.

I am especially thankful for this little girl :)

Weekend Wrap-Up

2011-09-12T21:20:00.000-04:00

Not much going on around here the past few days but just wanted to share a few pictures from the weekend. Friday Michael and I took advantage of some free babysitting offered at our church. Every few weeks our church sponsors what is called Parent's Night Out. They have Nursery Volunteers who commit to giving up there time and energy to keeping the children for a few hours so Mom's and Dad's can get out of the house without the kids. This is such an awesome ministry because every Mom and Dad need some alone time to have a nice dinner or to run a few errands without the kids. Michael and I went to Outback for dinner and enjoyed a nice meal :)

Family Pic

EK had fun playing with the other kids in the nursery and watching Veggie Tales.

She was all smiles when we picked her up :)

Saturday Michael was working at the Clemson game so EK and I played inside most of the morning, did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, ate lunch, took a nice long nap, played outside all afternoon, picked up some Chinese for supper and a few movies to watch. Before I knew it EK was worn out and asleep at 7:30! We really enjoyed our "girl's day"! I took advantage of my quiet time that night to do a few more things around the house and then hunkered down on the couch to watch some movies.

Sunday we were up bright and early for church and then lounged around the house the rest of the day. A perfect Sunday!

Walking with Daddy :)

Jackson and Ross came over for a few hours and they were awesome at entertaining EK as usual!

Playing "Princess" Golf :)

Bottoms UP!

Playing hopscotch :)

Ross can be so sweet :)

Emma Kate loves when they come over to play but sharing her toys.... not so much, ha! We are actively working on teaching her to share and take turns but I am sure it will be YEARS before "sharing" will really sink in :)

Nap time with Daddy

Well that about wraps it up.... Happy Monday Yall!

Chalkboard

2011-09-10T21:24:00.003-04:00

The next project we have been working on is in our kitchen. I made a small chalkboard picture frame for our kitchen months ago but I wanted something a little bigger and something a little more permanent. I am not one of those people who likes everything to be symmetrical so the pictures hanging in my kitchen have been getting under my skin for quite some time now.

So I decided to leave 2 of them hanging as they were and get rid of the other two.

I found a cheap frame at Michael's a few weeks ago on the clearance rack for $8. We already had the chalk board paint and I had Michael paint the frame white using paint we already had as well.

We traced the inside of the frame on the wall, taped it off and painted the chalkboard paint directly onto the wall.

Love me some painters tape :)

Michael attached the frame to the wall and there you have it :)

It's great for writing quotes, notes to your "honey", your menu for the week or whatever you like...

I really like the way it changes things up in the kitchen a bit...

I also turned our table at an angle today to try something new,

it might be growing on me :)

Happy Saturday :)

TGIF!!

2011-09-09T06:35:00.001-04:00

FINALLY!

It's Friday!!

Emma Kate {17 months} a little late...

2011-09-08T21:32:00.002-04:00

With the Holiday weekend and traveling I completely forgot to post Emma Kate's 17 month update. The months and weeks go by so fast I don't want to forget the cute things she is up to during this time in her life. So here is a quick update of what our little princess is up to these days.

Mommy thought it would be fun to use your blocks to show your age...

You thought it would be fun to knock the blocks down the stairs, hehe!

- You have learned where all of your facial features are and can call them by name. You say "Eah" for Ear, "Eyyyye" for Eye, "No" for Nose and "Mou" for Mouth :)
- You also like to show us where your belly button and your feet are.
- You can also say "Bahh" for Ball, "My" for Mine, NO!, "Cahh" for cat, "Daw" for dog, Mama, Dada and a whole lot of Jibber-Jabber.
- You still like to bark like a dog, cluck like a chicken (while flapping your arms like wings) and moo like a cow.
- You can be a good eater some days and eat barely anything the next but you always have room for your milk or something sweet.
- You are no longer sitting in the highchair at home. I think it has to do with you sitting in little chairs at school everyday that makes you not want to sit in a "baby" chair. We finally gave in this week and started letting you eat at the big table with us in your booster chair and you have actually been eating most of what we put on your plate.
- You love to be tickled and have started tickling us back... although your tickling is more like pinching and clawing, haha!

"Mom, you know I am not going to sit still! Just give it up already!"

- You like to make "pretty hands" when we say the blessing at meals times and when say your prayers at night

- You enjoy coloring, reading books and you also like looking at ~~ripping up~~ Mommy's magazines
- You love most smaller animals but still get frightened by some larger dogs
- You LOVE to be outside and would stay out there all day if we let you
- You are so lovable and give lots of hugs and kisses all the time
- You like to give high-fives and when we ask you to "put up your dukes" you show us your fist, haha!
- You are still our dancing queen and break out in a dance or nod your head anytime you hear music.

Touchdown!

- You have always loved bath time until recently. You start throwing a tantrum when we take you upstairs to bathe but I think it may be that you don't want to stop playing and you know bed time is right around the corner... oh well, hopefully this is only a phase.

- You haven't really shown much interest in the potty other than wanting to flush the toilet and wanting to put the Toilet paper in the potty.... oh, and you are still into toilet papering the bathroom when you can steal away to the bathroom without us noticing :)
- You are very attached to your Mommy and Daddy right now and down right throw a tantrum when we leave you, fortunately everyone tells us that it only takes a few minutes and you are fine.

- You are sleeping from around 8pm at night to between 6am and 7am the next morning. Just recently we had to start waking you up to get you ready for school. This works out great because it means we can get dressed and ready for the day before waking you up... making for a much smoother morning around here :)

Finally... not really a smile but you are looking at the camera and haven't yet knocked the blocks over :)

Emma Kate,
We are so happy God chose us to be your parents. We want you to know how special you are and we love that you keep us on our toes on a daily basis! We wouldn't have it any other way!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Also, just wanted to share one of the ADORABLE outfits I picked up for EK at our local consignment sale today! It was just too cute to pass up :)

New Pillows

2011-09-06T06:20:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was finally able to get started on some new pillows for our couch.

The ones we had were just cheap ones from the clearance end-caps at Target. I just love big fluffy pillows on a couch but I refuse to pay $20 to $40 for one pillow, especially when I know that I want more than one! So the other week I made a trip to Hobby Lobby with my 50% off coupons in tow. I found some really pretty fabrics and picked up a few pillow forms as well.

I came across a blog that showed a quick tutorial on how to make envelope pillows. This way I can take the pillow forms out and throw the covers in the wash... which is very helpful when you have a husband and a toddler who like to share Doritos on the couch, ha!

I measured my fabric to size and began by sewing a 2 inch hem on the edges of the "envelope".

After hemming the ends of the fabric I wrapped the pillow in the fabric to make sure the measurements looked good.

Then I turned the fabric inside out, Pinned the sides together with the two hemmed ends overlapping to create the "envelope". Then I sewed the raw edges together :)

Below is what the pillow cover looked like on the backside once I turned the pillow right side out.

Then you insert your pillow form and you are done!

I was only able to finish two pillows yesterday while Michael took EK out for a quick walk but I hope to get the others finished this week after she goes to bed each night :)
Can't wait to show you the rest of the pillows!

Labor{less} Day

2011-09-05T20:52:00.002-04:00

Hope all of you had a great Labor Day weekend! Michael had to work so EK and I went home to Oburg for a visit. Last week was my Dad's Birthday so we went out for lunch and celebrated with some cake on Saturday. Jim, Angie and Abby were there all day too so we had lots of fun just hanging out. I took out my camera and right when I clicked the first picture, "No Memory Card" popped up on the screen...uggghhhhh! To say I was upset was an understatement but oh well... I guess I was lucky to get EK, myself and all of our bags out of the house in the first place, haha! I think I will put a post-it on the garage door to remind me to check the camera before we leave the house.... Sunday we spent the day at Gma and Gpa's house with The Looper's and Jerry and Memi. The kids had a blast playing together and going for a swim in the pool. We had some yummy food and hated to see the time fly by so fast. We headed to Lexington after that to visit my Granddad in the hospital and had a nice visit with him before hitting the interstate back to Rock Hill. EK was so happy to see her Daddy when we got home and we have enjoyed doing a whole lot of nothing since getting home. Michael was off today as well so we have stayed in our PJ's all day, played, watched it rain, enjoyed some boiled peanuts, eaten yummy leftovers from yesterday and taken naps. The perfect day if you ask me! We have had a few storms come through today but luckily no damage in our area so far :)

Here are a few pictures from today...

EK playing with her favorite truck!

We did accomplish washing a lot of laundry today...

EK loves pushing the hamper around so we stuck her in it for a little ride!

The faster her Daddy would push her,

the more she would laugh!

Who needs toys when we already have all these cools things around the house?

We had a slight tantrum when the "ride" was over but she was off finding new adventures before long.

Happy Labor Day!!

Cheeseburger Please!

2011-09-03T10:26:00.002-04:00

Rip the bread and cheese off the burger. Check!

Stab burger with Fork. Check!

Devour... Check!

Isn't that how you eat your Cheesburger? ha!

King Ranch Chicken

2011-09-02T21:32:00.000-04:00

Anyone else out there getting sick and tired of eating the same things week after week? I know I sure do! I have been trying to gather up lots of easy recipes to add to our weekly menus. I have also started writing out our menu for the week on Sundays and it makes life so much easier when I know what we are going to eat each night. I can plan ahead to take out the meat to thaw the night before and maybe even get a head start on things. I must admit I am very lucky that Michael is also a great cook and doesn't mind helping out in the kitchen. With Michael's work schedule he is usually home between 2 and 3 days during the work week and can have dinner ready when EK and I get home. This is a huge help and I can promise you we would not eat at home as much as we do without him pitching in :)

So a few months back Kelly from my favorite blog, Kelly's Korner, had a "Show Us Your Life Series" where people could post recipes to give everyone new ideas for meals, appetizers and desserts. There are so many yummy things on there and I have wanted to try out one of Kelly's Recipe's for quite some time now. It's called King Ranch Chicken or Mexican Chicken.

I knew that Michael and I both would be working today, so on Thursday we put 3 chicken breasts in the crockpot to cook. Michael was home first so he followed the recipe to a tee and popped it in the oven. By the time EK and I were home supper was ready! We also put some fresh squash on the grill and let me tell you, it was all YUMMY!

So here is the recipe if any of you want to try it out! :)

King Ranch Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 chicken breasts, boiled and cut into bite size pieces

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can rotel

1-2 cups cheddar cheese

Package of corn tortillas (small)

Tear the tortillas into small pieces and line the bottom of a pan. Mix together the soups, rotel and chicken and pour on top. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Hope you enjoy!

Projects

2011-09-01T22:13:00.001-04:00

Over the last few weeks we have been doing a few projects. I am the one who thinks up/finds all of these crazy projects and Michael is the one who executes all of the handy-man hard work :) I am so lucky to have a husband who even listens to all of my ideas, let alone helps me execute them!

I have been in the mood to be creative lately and mostly I just don't have the time or energy to actually do anything. Mostly because I know everything I pull out I will have to put back up and some days I am just to lazy for all of that, haha! One day I will have one of those huge craft rooms with lots of work space... right? ha! But until then I will stick with the dining room table :)

This past week I got the hankering to make a new wreath for my front door. Something simple and that can be used well into fall... So I stopped by Hobby Lobby during my lunch break one day and picked up a grape-vine wreath, some raffia and a cute little "W". It only took about 5 minutes to throw all of those items together to make a quaint little wreath for our front door.

The wreath was $5.99 and I used my 40% off coupon making it only $3.59, the raffia was 2.99 and the letter was originally 3.99 but was 50% off last week making it only $2. So for $8.58 plus tax I have a new wreath to last me until I get Michael go in the stifling hot attic to get down all of the fall decorations :)

Next I saw a cute Pencil Wreath on another blog that I just had to make. I am not a teacher but my sister-in-law is, so I decided to try to make one for her. I bought a foam wreath, a small wood circle and some little animal from Michael's, 4 packs of pencils, and I already had the ribbon. You start by gluing the pencils around the Styrofoam wreath. I actually wanted the wreath to have more pencils but I ran out so sometimes you just have to improvise. I then covered the ugly part of the Styrofoam wreath base with ribbon by putting 2 layers on top of the pencils. I also added ribbon to hang the wreath. Then I painted my wood circle red, allowed it to dry, wrote her name in the middle and then added the wood appliques with some hot glue. Next, I attached the circle to the middle of the wreath with a little more hot glue. And Ta-da! A cute little wreath to decorate her door :)

Our big project we are currently working on is Emma Kate's Kitchen. This kitchen belonged to me as a child and I wanted to see if we could salvage it to make a cute little kitchen for EK. It definitely needs a lot of TLC but Michael has already made great progress with painting and making a few adjustments. I hope to post a picture of the finished project shortly :)

And no, the "kitchen" did not look like this when I played with it as a child. The Hubby got a little jigsaw and sander happy while I was at work one day and I had not taken before pictures yet. At least I got a few pictures prior to any painting being done...

I know it looks kind of rough but we have big plans to make it a very cute Kitchen for Emma Kate.

We are working on a few other things too so I will share those as soon as I get a chance to take more pictures :)

Week and Weekend Wrap-Up

2011-08-28T23:30:00.000-04:00

So it's been a while since my last post and all I can say is that life keeps getting in the way of me sitting down in front of the computer to write a post. Which is not a bad thing, but since this blog is pretty much just about our daily life it makes me sad not to write down things down. So I guess I will try a little harder this week :)

Anyways, last Wednesday EK came down with Croup so I stayed home with her and we went to the Doctor. On Thursday her sweet Daddy took the day off and stayed home with her to give her lots of TLC. And then on Friday EK got to spend the day with her daddy, her Gma and her Gpa. This little girl has gotten lots of love while she was battling the Croup and we are hoping she is on the mend for good :)

Here we are both putting on our best fake smiles last Wednesday. Please excuse the dark circles under my eyes and the state of my hair... I will blame it on the lack of sleep :)

EK and Gpa playing :)

I did not get any pictures on Saturday but EK and I had a blast shopping around town with Gma. We got lots of goodies and had fun just getting out of the house and spending time together :) The boys had fun working on a little project for EK (which I will share soon) and also did a few honey-do-list projects around the house. Saturday night we went out to eat at one of our favorite places Michael's, yum yum! Then Gma and Gpa hit the road back to Oburg.

Sunday Morning EK slept in until 8am, Hallelujah!

Emma Kate was in much better spirits so we got ready for church and we even had a minute to spare to take a quick pic with my cutie :)

Miss Priss has really started hamming it up for the camera! ha!

After Church we went over to our favorite Mexican place for some lunch.

EK has been giving us quite a few fits when we try to put her in the highchair so we decided to try out the booster seat for the first time.

It was a success for the most part and I think she felt like such a big girl sitting there eating in the booth with us. The problem came when she was finished eating, we of course were not finished, and she figured out she could push the booster back and get up out of her seat. It made for an interesting remainder of lunch to say the least :)

Then we went home and had a nice long nap for all of us before heading to Cherry Park to take advantage of their fun playground :)

EK was running from one jungle gym to the next and was walking around like she owned the place. She kept waving at all the little kids and enjoyed running from us when we would call her name.

Out of the Tunnel :)

The swings are by far her favorite :)

And the motorcycle was fun too!

Emma Kate had no fear so we had to watch her like a hawk...

After the park we came home to color, read books, eat supper and just hang out before it was bed time again. Hope all of you had a nice weekend too! :)

This too shall pass...

2011-08-21T08:51:00.002-04:00

As Emma Kate grows into a full fledged toddler, "this too shall pass" has become my daily motto.

When she is throwing a tantrum for no apparent reason, I remind my self...

"This too shall pass."

When she throws her sippy cup across the car then screams her head off because she wants it back, I remind my self...

"This too shall pass."

When she refuses to eat her supper and throws it all on the floor, I remind my self...

"This too shall pass."

When she unravels the entire roll of toilet paper and then begins to shred it into a million pieces, I remind myself..

"This too shall pass."

But when she gives us big hugs and kisses, and when she shrieks with excitement as we pick her up from daycare, and when she giggles with delight while playing in the bath tub, and when she snuggles on my shoulder before bedtime, I remind myself...

This too shall pass....

So I want to soak up every second and enjoy every moment of her being so young and so innocent.