Oh! The Places I've Been...

I don't want to mix business with pleasure...

or personal blogs with business blogs!

BUT...

I posted a post this evening over on my "business" (if you call parties and vacations a business!) blog that meant a lot to me and so I thought I would post a link to it.

If you are someone who is ever looking for something "to call your own", I've found the perfect thing... and I get paid for it :)

Enjoy "The Places I've Been"!

A Tale of Mexico, Maracas, & More

Vance and I just returned from vacationing in Cancun, Mexico!

Allow me to tell you a few things about our trip...

1. We left our children in the very capable and loving care of our parents here in the "homeland", along with FIVE pages of schedules and child-care-taking notes ...

2. We were only gone for FIVE days...

3. We did NOT contract the swine flu or any other Mexican gastrointestinal disease...

4. We DID para sail (which sadly, I have no pictures to prove this feat)...

5. We did NOT get a room with an ocean front view (we got this view instead)...

6. My good friend, Kelly, DID get a room with an ocean front view, and so we "hung" with her...

7. I did NOT get a sunburn...
8. I also did NOT get the same lovely tan that my friends did...

9. We ate Japanese food... in Mexico... twice!...

10. I enjoyed a wonderful 80 minute massage at the spa... so much so that I actually fell asleep during it...

11. Vance enjoyed playing golf, twice, in the heat & humidity...

12. We did NOT pay for a single thing while we were there...

13. We drank fruity drinks & ate way too much food...

14. We (meaning mostly me & my friends) danced to music from the 80's and 90's and felt silly that we didn't know the words to music from the current decade...

15. Noah's "mystery" gastrointestinal issues (for which he had stool sampling AND blood testing done the DAY before our departure) mysteriously disappeared while we were gone

(ahem... let's just say that I think he has "inherited" his mother's anxiety/worry issues)...

16. Emily learned a few new "tricks" while were away, including...

Putting on her own shoes, and...

to quote Noah, learning to "go potty like a boy"...

which means she pottied on the floor while standing up!

17. We missed our flight home because we couldn't identify our luggage at the US Customs stop in Atlanta.... it was because the airline ripped up our bag in Mexico and it was disguised with brown tape...

18. We DID eventually get home... very late, but safely...

19. We had a great time, but we missed our children and are glad to be HOME!

And speaking of CHILDREN and HOME...

What would a Mexican vacation be without bringing HOME Mexican souvenirs for the CHILDREN?!

Before I go further, I have to admit that I brought Noah a maraca home as a souvenir from a trip to the Bahamas long ago. He loved it... for a day, and then he never thought of it again. It was noisy and not played with much, and therefore, SOLD in a garage sale! A certain noisy drum was also sold in that same garage sale.

About a month after said garage sale, Noah eagerly asked me one day...

"Mommy, do you know where my maraca and my drum are? I've been looking everywhere for them because I want to make a band."

As any good (and sneaky) mommy would, I felt horrible for selling his toys and I had to do the right thing and tell him...

"Honey, I'm not sure where those things are."

Despite the fact that this event occur ed close to 2 years ago, Noah has continued to make the occasional comment about his maraca and his drum.

Soooooo.....

When I saw the stand filled with Mexican musical instruments, I knew what I had to do...

Buy the noisy souvenirs!

As I was standing in line to pay for my maracas, bongo drums, and flute (I passed on the guitar), I actually commented to one of my friends that I would probably regret making those purchases.

I am, however, NOT regretting making those purchases because, noisy though they may be, my sweet children were so EXCITED to receive them!

And without them, we (and you if you choose to watch) would never have gotten the privilege of witnessing what I like to call "Maraca Mayhem"...

(remember to pause the blog music on the right to get the FULL effect of this production!)

And one last thing...

All of this Mexican fun, food, and Maraca Mayhem was brought to me...

ALL expenses paid...

by a little company called...

Yep, that's Southern Living at Home!

And yes, the hat was FREE too!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Sweet Siblings Sharing a Sucker!

Prayers for Zachary & Lindsay

All sick babies weigh very heavy on my heart...

But there are a few that I have posted about before that are very dear to me.... and both of them are in need of prayers today.

First up... Zachary John

Little Zachary will undergo his 2nd open heart surgery tomorrow (Wednesday). He is very healthy and his mother reports that his doctors say he is the "perfect candidate" for his upcoming surgery. However, it is still open heart surgery and there are many risks that go along with a procedure of such significance. Please pray for a successful surgery, a quick and healthy recovery, and peace for his parents. Zachary's mother sent an email that you can see here. You can also keep up with him at www.carepages.com/carepages/ZacharyJohn

And next... Princess Lindsay

Little Lindsay is in the same hospital as Zachary. She received the "gift of life" a week ago and had a very successful heart transplant at one year of age. She had been recovering very well, but had a major setback yesterday and is now on life support. She is in need of prayers as well. Her mother seems hopeful that she will be able to pull through this very serious setback. Please pray for her... that her miracle and 2nd chance at life will come to a full and healthy completion. You can keep up with Lindsay at http://www.lindsaysheart.blogspot.com/.

And lastly... Jenna Kate

I don't have a picture to share of this cutie, but she is exactly the same age as my little girl. Her mother and I have been friends since high school. Jenna has been in the hosptial for 2 weeks in renal failure as a result of a food borne infection. She is on dialysis 24 hours a day and has had 7 blood transfusions thus far. Fortunately, she is getting better! Please keep her in your prayers for a quick and complete recovery.

Now go give your kids a big hug and say a prayer of thanksgiving for their health!

And thank you for considering these special intentions!

Life - Celebrate the Little Things!

I came across a quote today that summed up the way I have been trying to live my life recently...

"Enjoy the little things in life for one day you will look back and realize that they were the big things."

It's so true... taking pleasure in the little, everyday parts of life is something that I am learning to do. And when you start to focus on them, you realize that it really IS the little things in life that make life worth living!

So, today, I'm reflecting on a few "little things" in my life... the little things that really are the big things!

Enjoy and I hope that you, too, take some time to celebrate the "little things" in your life!

Celebrate the Little Things

like

Adorable Ruffled Baby Booty...

Toddler "Help"...

Feeling the Wind in your Hair...

Bare Feet & Painted Toenails...

Friendly Neighbor Rivalries...

Itty Bitty Sunglasses...

Blooming Front Porch Flowers...

(with the exception of the hanging planter in which a bird nested and killed the flowers!)

First Experiences...

Emily's 1st Day of Gymnastics

&

Noah's 1st Time to Bat in a TBall Game

Sweet Sibling Play...

Newfound Toddler Independence...

Sandaled Sweet Feet...

Getting Caught in the Act...

(side note: I do not condone backyard pottying except in cases of an emergency, which according to Noah, this was!)

A Completed Craft Project...

A Fat Lip...

(Noah's 1st time to bleed in 4 years!)

Here's to Celebrating the Little Things in Life!

A Mommy Tale

I went to Hobby Lobby today.

As I drove, I called out Slugbugs & Cruisers as I spotted them on the street.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I automatically pushed the button to open up both of my van side doors.

I reached over and grabbed my diaper/kid bag because I absolutely have to wipe down shopping carts!

When I got out of the car, I automatically reached out my hand to "hold hands in the parking lot".

I rocked back and forth as I stood in the checkout line.

When I walked back to my car, I automatically used my key fob to open up both of my van side doors.

As I drove home, I again called out Slugbugs & Cruisers as I spotted them on the street.

And guess what?

My kids were not with me!

It's funny to me all the things I do automatically... even when my kids are not with me!

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Bathrooms

It's Friday and that means Tour Time over at Kelly's Korner!

I mentioned this once before, but this "home tour" blog party has given me all kinds of inspiration and ideas... I've been working on doing projects that have been on my "to do" list for over a year! So anyway, I'm enjoying it and for that reason, I continue to participate! That, plus this gave me a reason to CLEAN my bathrooms!

Having said that, my potty rooms are not very exciting, but I'll go ahead and post pictures anyway. We have 4 bathrooms, all of which are fairly small. I'll start with the one in which I spend way too much time (well not really that much time anymore because I have kids now!)...

The Master Bathroom

This is a view looking in from our bedroom. There are not any doors, which I have always thought was a little strange! I've learned to completely sleep through any noise my husband makes in the morning as he gets ready for work!

And we have a much too spoiled Lab, named Lucy, who gets to come inside much too often and therefore, has a much too fancy set of dog bowls in our bathroom for her eating pleasure!

This is Vance's side of the bathroom. Although the bathroom is fairly small, we do have double vanity's (at raised heights) which is very nice! And bless his heart, he is such a good sport and allows me to "girly" up his side of the bathroom with my perfumes and lotions on the 3 tiered stand!

I am known to put just about anything inside of a hurricane and bathroom "supplies" are no exception! We use Qtips everyday, so why not make them handy in an attractive container?!

This is Vance's side and a bit of a view into the toilet/shower room. That part DOES have a door, thank goodness! Vance says that part of the bathroom makes him claustrophobic... it is small, but serves its purpose :)

The shower has doors on it, but honestly, no matter how often I clean them, they always look dirty to me. Soap scum and water spots just don't stay away for very long... so, I added a shower curtain to hang in front of the doors and hide all of the "yuck"! I love it and it makes that little room seem cleaner :)

This is my side of the bathroom. I love that little stool in the corner. It used to be used with a dressing table in one of our old homes, but this bathroom doesn't have that feature and so now I stand and just LOOK at the cute stool :)

I keep cotton squares in a cute glass jar I found at Goodwill & my makeup brushes are in a cute little glass for easy access! If you've seen my other rooms in my home, you know that I love lamps and try to find all kinds of places to put little ones... this one happens to be one of my favorites!

We have a soaking tub that sits in the corner of the bathroom and I thought it needed a little "something" since it is the focal point of the bathroom. So I added this Entertaining Bucket & Stand from Southern Living at Home and filled it up with decorative towels and sponges.

I guess that's it for our Master Bath, so onto the next bathroom...

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The Guest/Kids Bathroom - Upstairs

One of the things I would love to have, but don't, is a powder room... the little bathroom that only has a sink and toilet that is used by guests. We only have one, very tiny, bathroom upstairs for guests to use and it is also the bath that the kids use. I went back and forth trying to decide if I should decorate it with kid-type decor or keep it more traditional. Since it is so small, I opted for the more traditional route... maybe one day I'll have one of those amazing Pottery Barn Kids bathrooms :)

The view from the hallway

My cute "toilet tray"! I have been a Southern Living at Home consultant for over 3 years and I go to tons of ladies homes for parties. Over the years, a question that has come up so many times is... "do you have a tray that will fit on the back of my toilet?" From the number of times I received this question, I surmised that many ladies must really have a need for a "toilet tray"! And so when I saw this one, I immediately thought of my toilet and it's been residing there ever since! And no, my kids have never knocked it off :)

I like using rolled up towels in bathrooms. These towels are sitting in a firewood/log holder next to the bathtub.

Another view of the very tiny space

The counter top

Aha! Another hurricane! I love this one filled with those fat bars of soap! It's purely decoration... we use the tacky pump soap for the kids' hand washing escapades!

Another hall view. This one shows the little step stool that is the only sign of it being a kid bathroom (that and the towels hanging on the door and the gazillions of toothbrushes/Dixie cups that usually reside on the counter top!). This little necessary piece of furniture is a major thorn in my side because it provides access to the water, toothpaste, and all kinds of other items that my little Emily can use to make a hunormous (a word said by Noah yesterday) mess! She LOVES this stool!

Can't you just see the orneriness in her grin?!

And here she is doing one of her most favorite things... brushing her teeth and standing on the stool!

So that completes the tour of the Guest/Kids bathroom. Moving on to the Basement...

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The Guest Bathroom - Downstairs

This is another tiny bathroom, but we were able to get a bathtub/shower in there so that it qualifies as a "full bathroom"! I'm thinking of painting the walls green in here... what do you think?

View from the hallway. I love the shower curtain... it is chocolate brown and very long!

The pedestal sink

The opposing wall. I learned in a Southern Living at Home decorating class one time that it is considered very "sophisticated" (word their designers used) to combine stark-white and creamy, off-white linens on a table or in a bathroom. So I tried it. The shower curtain base color is a creamy, off-white and so I used stark white towels (with the exception of the little hand towel) and stark white accents in this room. I like the contrast... it's something I would never have tried had I not been to that seminar!

And last, but not least...

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The "Guest Suite" Bathroom

"Guest Suite" is much too fancy of a term... it just means that there is a bathroom IN our guest bedroom in the basement. One day, it will be great for a middle school/teenager, but for now, it is pretty much empty... just like the guest room!

I'll decorate it when we have a reason to start using it. For now, I just threw a few things on the counter top for my mother-in-law to use (because she is the only guest we ever have!).

This is the counter top area. There is a shower and toilet, but I'll spare you the boring-ness of those photos :)

So that's all my potty rooms! Thanks for stopping by and Happy Home Touring!