Where dreams come true (Part one)

Can you believe it has been a whole entire week since I've been around those parts?

Crazy, I know!

But no worries, I'm still alive and well. Obviously.

I am WAY behind on reading all of your wonderful blogs, but I'm slowly making my rounds.

You know, between screams of a crabby baby and changing tons of small diapers.

Also, I've got to thank you all for your support and prayers on my first interview.

You guys are the bestest!

But please keep them coming. I've got two more interviews tomorrow.

I think the first one went pretty well.

It's just so stinking hard to find a daytime position, and I refuse to work anymore nights.

That's all I've worked when we lived in TX, and let me tell you, I looked as happy doing it as a dead pig in the sunlight.

I was miserable!

So I said no mas of that nonsense.

But let's move on to the real reason why you've missed me all those days.

You did miss me, right? Anyone? Mom?

Ok, I still got one fan left.

So what have we been up to?

Well we've been living it up with my boy Walt.

Who just happens to have the last name of Disney.

Isn't it a great last name?

I've been in love with it since I was two.

Back then, I would have given all my toys for a day with Minnie.

And thanks to my husband's awesome job, I was able to live my childhood dreams.

The three of us together with my BIL (who is conveniently Brandon's boss), SIL and their two kiddos, took off on Monday afternoon for sunny California.

{A little side note: Whenever I'm up in the air I am SO overwhelmed with how amazing all of God's creation is. This is the top of mountain Rainier peeking though the clouds.

Breathtaking, no?}

We spent the entire day on Tuesday in Disney Land and all of us had a great time, but especially our nieces who are at that perfect dreaming age where they could take it all in and hold on to it for a life time.

My girl is not there yet.

She'll get there in a few short years, but for now she enjoyed long stroller walks and multiple short naps.

Oh, and also, she wanted to be carried around EVERYWHERE.

I held her so much for the past few days, that I swear I could arm-wrestle a sumo-wrestler with my left arm alone.

There were so many beautiful things to see...

... and even more things to do, for both young and old.

Needless to say, we all had a blast!

"All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them."

~Walt Disney

{Come back tomorrow for more Disney fun}

Weekend happenings and a winner

Hello there Monday lovers!

Before we go on to today's post, I would like to announce the Wean Green's giveaway winner.

Random Number Generator made the final decision, and the lucky number was 35, which makes Tracy a happy girl today. Congrats momma! Please email me your info so I could have the stuff sent your way as soon as possible. I hope both you and Landon enjoy them!

There are so many things I could tell you about the weekend.

Including the fact that my attempt of using the rest of Giada's size two diapers (which she outgrew weeks ago), has severely back fired and I ended up with baby crap allover my shirt....and arms...more than once.

I must admit that even though unpleasant, my outfits have seen WAY worse.

Comes with being a nurse.

Or I could tell you that every time I thought about the interview that I'm having this morning, my stomach turned into knots and I had to run to the bathroom so I wouldn't have an, lets just call it, "unpleasant accident" from all the nerves.

Or maybe I could tell you all about how I have about a bazillion and one things to do before we leave for Cali, and that of course, none of them are done.

Instead my house is a complete mess, and it looks like the coupon fairy has barfed allover my living room floor. I feel like, single handedly, I am responsible for half of North America's dead trees.

However...

I'm going to concentrate on the good and happy parts of the weekend...

Such as the fact that it was beautiful and sunny side up.

Just the way I like it.

And on the fact that hanging out with those two hotties makes any weekend a success.

I've also been soaking up as much time as possible with this little cutie, since I'm very much aware of the sad fact that my SAHM phase is quickly coming to an end.

My throat gets that painful, pre-tears feeling, every time I think about it.

She's getting so big, and I feel so blessed that I was the one chosen to watch her grow and see her sweet smile every single day.

The weekends are also always good for father-daughter interaction, while mommy plays paparazzi.

However, the really good news is that looking into those big blue eyes and knowing that she's mine, puts a smile on my face every day, regardless if it's a weekend or not.

I hope you ladies have a beautiful Monday, and if you can remember, will you please say a quick prayer that I do well on today's interview and that I don't make a total fool out of myself?

I will love ya forever.

A few things on a Friday

• The word on the street is that the weather this weekend is going to be pretty fab and I'm as excited as a pro athlete on steroids.
• For the first time in months the hubs and I had a date night. While I love my daughter to death, it felt SO good to get out of the house. Some special alone time with my man was much, much, MUCH needed. We went to see "Water for Elephants," and while the movie was good, the book was SO much better. Either way, it got us out of the house and I'm beyond happy about that.
• Speaking of hubbies. I'm so glad that I have mine and that I don't have to date anymore jerks who piss on my leg and tell me it's rain. Most of you know the type I'm talking about, and for those of you who don't, well, you're a few of the lucky ones.

• So I've been watching "Extreme Couponing" and decided I should give it a try. No worries, you won't find me in city dumpsters searching for coupons, nor will I go Godzilla emptying all the store shelves claiming it's for charity. But being a one income family, requires certain sacrifices and for now I have no choice but to make them.
• Next week we're heading out to Cali for a couple of days for a special date with Mickey and Minnie. Can you hear me squeal like a five year old? It's going to be my very first time in sunny Cali, and I'm SO excited!

• I'm a pro baby talker. I don't know if I will ever speak like a normal human again.
• I've had "If you're happy and you know it" stuck in my head for a few days now. I sing it in my sleep. PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! or at least give me a trick that would substitute it for some other song. Preferably not another baby one.
• Needless to say, I'm in desperate need of some adult interaction. Any of you adults willing to hang out with a sleep deprived, baby talking, a little (or a lot) loony momma? I promise I will do my best not to talk to you in my baby voice.

I hope all of you have a beautiful weekend!

{You can still sign up for the Wean Green giveaway until Sunday at midnight}

It smells like a giveaway

So 'member last Wednesday when I told you that I'm making baby food?

Well, after that post, a lot of you mommas out there fell in love with my food containers.

I got a bunch of comments and emails asking me where they were from, so I told myself:

"Self, why don't you figure out a way for one of those awesome readers of yours to win their own set?"

Self agreed, so off I went and contacted the makers of my food containers.

So who is the creative mind behind those cuties?

WEAN GREEN

Ok, let me tell ya something about those wean cubes .

Beside being really adorable, which hello, they are, they are also safe and environmentally friendly!

As in hug a tree, and lets make this world a better place.

Can I get two thumbs up for that?

Being a momma who wants the best stuff for her cub, I make sure that my containers are not made out of any materials which could harm my baby. So if you feel the same way, those cubes are perfect for you too.

The wean cubes are BPA, Phthalates, PVC, and Plasticizer free. They are made out of durable glass (which I can attest to) and have a really cute and colorful silicone-sealed lid.

In fact, they are so durable that I let Giada play with one (not the smartest idea, I know) and after she dropped it on the countertop it did not suffer ANY damage whatsoever.

You can store your baby's food, be it home made, cereal, fruits or veggies, and rest assure that it will stay fresh, and resist extreme temps such as the ones found in your freezer or microwave.

Needless to say, I LOVE mine and use them all the time.

Now let's get to the part that you will really enjoy, yeah?

Wean Green has so graciously agreed to give one of you my loves a set of four cubes!

Rock on!

All you got to do is:

1. Follow this old blog and let me know you did for one entry.

2. Go and visit the wean green site and tell me what perfect food you would store in there for your baby. (separate comment).

3. Like Wean Green on Facebook and let me know you did for a third chance to win. (separate comment).

You have until Sunday at midnight to enter, and I'll announce the winner on Monday morning.

{Offer good for US and Canada residents only}

If you don't have any babies yet... well get on that!

And you know, it's never too early to start storing on the good stuff for your future babes : -)

Good luck and have an awesome Thursday lovelies!

My girl the marathon runner

Ok, so maybe she is not a marathon runner, but at this speed she is going to be running in no time at all.

And I'm going to be in a whole lot of trouble.

I can't believe that she's only 5 months old and trying to crawl!

We may need to invest in a helmet until she figures out that she needs to use her arms and not her head, but other than that she seems to be on the right track.

Happy Tuesday loves!

Eat, swim, and be merry

Sooooo..... did anyone else feel like kicking blogger in the baby-maker after Friday's fiasco?

No? Just me?

Don't lie. You know you wanted to.

Overall, I guess I'm glad that the only damage I've had to endure was a lost post and a whole bunch of erased comments.

Not cool Blooger. Not cool.

Ok, my venting is done.

I've been told that holding grudges kills you sooner, so I'm moving on.

The weather last week was absolutely beautimous!

As in high 70s to low 80s and sunny.

As in bring on the Crisco and tin foil and let us have a baking party under the sun!

{Side note: I have never tried this do to the fact that it sounds too much like a recipe for an apple pie... and skin cancer.

Also, I've always wondered how the people who do that, clean out the Crisco which may have accidentally made it's way in places where the sun does NOT shine.

That image alone should keep you from slathering yourself in vegetable shortening.

And I think I may have saved you from skin cancer.

You're welcome.

I severely digress. }

My point is (before all the above nonsense), that the weather was phenomenal and it had to be taken advantage of.

Which we sure did, by celebrating my BIL's birthday and indulging plentifully in some of the best things this life has to offer.

Needless to say, the food was delicious.

See for yourselves.

But the best part of the day wasn't even about the food.

You may ask what can be better than delicious food and sunny weather?

Seeing my girl for the first time in a swimming suite, that's what.

The girl LOVES being in the water, so we all thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get her in the hot tub.

The sun was really bright, making her look half asian, but she didn't mind one bit.

As soon as her feet hit the water, she got super excited and we all had a blast until somebody decided to poop in the hot-tub.

Still talking about my daughter here.

Thankfully, her diaper held it all together, and her daddy got her out as soon as he saw and heard the signs of what could have been a very unpleasant ending to our day.

I am so glad to say that no damage was done.

I would call Giada's first hot-tub experience a total success!

I hope all of you are having a fantastic Monday!

There's a first time for everything

Mornin' loves!

Today I'm spreading my wings and flying over Through Clouded Glass.

Sounds dangerous?

Well, you know me. I live on the edge.

It may be the edge of insanity, but it's still an edge.

I've embraced who I am, it's time that you do the same. Haha

Anyway...

Callie has invited me to her blog home, and this is how I ended up with my very first guest post.

So please grab a cup of your favorite morning beverage and show me your true friendship by leaving some love. Yeah?

Enjoy! and don't forget to have a wonderful Thursday!

Wednesday Loves

Happy Wednesday loves!

Once again, I'm linking up with Jamie to share my weekly loves.

I hope you do the same?

I love the way this man loves and provides for his family.

He's pretty amazing in my book.

No biast opinion here.

Just pure truth.

For the first time ever, I have made my own baby food.

See that smile on Giada's face.

It means she approves.

You can officially call me Martha Stewart.

I would LOVE that.

My girl's a singer.

Watch out J. Lo.

You ain't got nothin on this one.

I love the way she "sings" to herself.

I also REALLY love hearing her giggle.

And guess what?

Today is your lucky day, because you too have the chance to hear my future American Idol before she gets discovered.

Special offer 'cause I love ya'll.

And if you don't like it...

Well, than you really need Jesus 'cause you have a heart of stone.

Also, you should most definitely invest in a shrink.

I hope you have a lovely Wednesday!

Look who's 5 months old

My sweet little Giada-bear,

Lovie, you’re FIVE months old! Each and every month that passes by, I can hardly wrap my head around the fact that you’re getting bigger, smarter, and more beautiful than I could ever imagine. You are the most precious little gift that God has ever entrusted me with. No doubt about it.

So what have you been up to this past month? Well, you have hit a few milestones. About three weeks ago, you started reaching for toys. You try to grab everything that’s in your line of reach, and they all go in your mouth. You’ve also really started to show us your full belly laughter and it’s so contagious. You are cute beyond words when you start laughing. For some reason the “Head and shoulders, knees and toes,” song really cracks you up. Really, it’s the “knees and toes” part that mommy demonstrates for you which gets you rolling with laughter. I’m so glad that you’ve already figured out how funny your momma is.

Talking about rolling; girl, you’re an old pro. You are not a huge fan of being on your back for too long. As soon as I place you on your play mat, you are rolling on your belly and guess what? You are trying to crawl!!! It’s quite a site to see too. You have no idea how the entire process works yet, but you are trying SO hard baby girl. You belly-crawl right now by moving your butt up and down, and scooting your chubby legs as you do so. However, you have not figured out what to do with your arms yet, therefore you get so upset about not being able to properly accomplish your task. Such an overachiever you are. {You get that from your momma, in case you are wondering}. Everyday, you get faster and faster at it, and I know that very soon we’ll have to baby proof everything that comes in your way, and hide our car keys or we’ll fish them out of the toilet. Well, your daddy would fish them out of the toilet, ‘cause I wouldn’t rather walk than get my hands in there.

Joli-jole (that’s one of the nicknames daddy gave you), you are such a great eater, too. You like everything you’re given, but mommy is still only feeding you solids once a day. I can hardly wait to see you eat real food, and loving all of it!

You are our pride and joy little love, and the only complaint I have is that you would hurry up and sleep through the night already. All this waking up every 3-4 hrs is for the birds, and you know it.

Sweet girl, thank you so much for being such a happy little bundle of joy. Both daddy and I love you more than there are words in this world. Keep on growing and making us proud love.

Forever yours,

Mommy.

First Mother's day

So, it's just another manic Monday...

And I'm wishing it was Sunday...

{don't worry,

those are the only lines I'm going to plagiarize from the song}

'Cause that's my Funday.

{ok, so maybe three.

But I'm drawing the line here}.

But see, I really, really mean it. Sundays are my Fundays!

And yesterday was such a treat!

Because it was "Mother's day!"

And that's a huge deal for me.

You know why?

Because now I can add one more day to my "present receiving" special occasions.

{Insert evil laughter}

Ok, I really hope you guys know I'm only joking about this.

Partially, at least.

Actually, last week Brandon asked me:

"Hey honey, what would you like for mother's day?"

And my answer was:

"Well, there's nothing at the dollar store I need right now."

haha.

'Cause honestly that's about the only thing we can afford until I get a job again.

Which I desperately need right about now.

So back to my first mother's day.

It was beautiful.

We had breakfast with my SIL and her family, but after that, we celebrated most of it just between the three of us.

Just in our little family.

With lots of hugs, laughs, and baby kisses.

Flowers and sweet words from my favorite guy, and eating homemade tiramisu until my own love-handles begged me to stop, also make yesterday a huge success.

But the best part of Mother's day, is just that.

The fact that I'm a mother.

God has blessed me beyond measure with the most perfect little girl that soon enough will be able to call me her momma.

And my heart is SO full right now.

Full with love, happiness, and all the other cheesy feelings you can think of.

And now, because I'm a mother, our family is complete.

Mama mia

Here's a secret.

I've got an A-MA-ZING momma.

Amazing!

And with mother's day quickly approaching,

I would like to take a moment to brag a bit about her.

It's no secret that she's such a beautiful woman and one of my heros.

But she's also so much more than just that.

She's a fighter and a survivor.

Life hasn't always dealt her the fairest or easiest hand, but so far she has won every single battle.

She is wise well beyond her years, and she always puts God and her family first.

She has taught me how to be brave and patient.

She's been my inspiration and my biggest fan.

Her smile lights up the room, and we have often laughed to the verge of tears together.

She's one of my best friends, and I can't thank God enough for putting her into my life.

This year she has become a grandma for the very first time,

and I feel so blessed to know that my daughter is the lucky girl who gets to call her that.

You can see the love that she has for this little girl seeping out of every single pore in her body.

It's so touching and beautiful.

Thank you for all your love and sacrifice mommy.

I love you more than there are stars in the sky.

I really hope you know that.

Those of you who have a heavy heart this Mother's day, my heart and soul reach out to you.

I pray that you find peace and comfort and that your wounds will be healed.

Happy Mother's Day to all you beautiful mommies out there!

When life gives you lemons.. have a party

I've got a confession to make.

Brace yourselves;

you're about to say I'm totally nuts... again.

I've been planing Giada's first birthday party for about, um, let's see, she's about 5 months now, so 5 months.

There. I said it.

Now it's out of my system.

Second confession I've got is that I've always wanted a summer wedding AND a summer baby.

The wedding part I could control.

The baby part?

Well, not so much, considering that she was born in the dead of winter, aka December.

But if I can't bring Giada's birthday to summer,

I'll be darned if I won't bring summer to her party.

And what says summer like a cold glass of lemonade?

Nothing else, that's what.

{some from here and here}

Here are some gems I've been collecting for the last 5 months from all over the web.

And honest to goodness if I know where every single one of them came from.

{Head hung in shame}

{via}

How fun would it be to have all those pretty, yummy "guests" at my lemonade party?

It's going to happen, too.

Just wait and see.

Unless, I change my mind.

Which I'm famous for.

After all, it's still 7 months away.

Let's hope that I won't, because look how beautiful and delicious everything looks!!!

{via}

Now stop drooling, sink your teeth in a big peace of cake and wash it all down with a big class of freshly made lemonade.

After that, have yourself a great Thursday.

I mean it!

Wednesday Loves

Happy middle of the week!

Today I'm joining in the fun once again and sharing my loves with the rest of you.

You can do the same over at Jamie's right heea.

I love the fact that even if we can see the snow on the mountains from my back yard,

spring is still very much on it's way.

I love the fact that God placed those two amazing people in my life.

Even more, I love the strong bond that they share, and the way their faces light up once they see one another.

My heart melts like a chocolate sundae left out in the 90 degree weather whenever I witness that.

The feeling is priceless, friends.

I loved reading "Water for Elephants" this week.

Let me tell you something.

The book was G to the O-O-D Yo!

I bought it on my i-phone and finished reading it in just a few short days.

I read most of it while breastfeeding, too.

I'm all about multitasking, ya know.

I can't wait to see the movie!

I love spending time with this little lady in the great outdoors.

I cherish every single moment we have together, because she's growing so stinking fast.

Now, I'm no genius but I know I'll never get those days back.

Also, I've been wanting to bribe Time into not flying right past me, but I haven't found his phone number yet.

If you've got his address, will you help a sista out and let me have it?

We need to have some harsh words.

Thanks.

PS: Reward will be offered.

Last but not least,

I absolutely adore hearing this little lady's giggles and full belly laughter.

The strangest things make her laugh her tiny pants off.

She also caught up with the rest of the world and figured out that her momma is REALLY funny.

Or maybe just funny looking.

I haven't figured that one out yet.

Either way, I can make her laugh pretty hard.

Have a fantastic middle of the week loves!

Let's clarify something, shall we?

Top of the morning to ya loves.

Before I go on any farther with today's post,

I'm going to clarify some possible misunderstandings some of you may have gotten from my last post.

Listen well, 'cause I mean it.

There's NO bun in the oven in this house.

NO new bambino waiting to make it's appearance.

NO baby bump waiting to creep up on me any time soon (just left over baby fat).

The only thing knocked up around here is our cat. (Darn hussy. Free kitties anyone?)

So let's recap.

No more babies any time soon for this lady.

Capisce?

Sorry to disappoint ya'll . Now stop spreading rumors.

Moving on.

You know what I love most about weekends besides hanging out with my most favorite peeps evaaaa?

The smell and taste of freshly made pancakes that magically make their appearance on our table every single Sunday morning.

Can I get a big "Yummo"!?!

And now that spring is here, I love taking family walks and enjoying the nice weather.

And so does our puppy. I mean, you couldn't wipe that smile off her face if you tried.

Something I'm not enjoying so much about the weekends, is the fact that each one of them brings me closer and closer to that dreaded time of leaving my baby girl in someone else's care, and going back to work.

I guess it won't be too bad since I'll only work part time, two days a week.

But still. I'm not so happy about the leaving my baby part.

Also, I've been reviewing this weekend, so when I go for an interview, people won't think I'm totally, what's the word? Useless.

I haven't worked for 7 months, so a refreshing course is quite welcomed.

Alright, back I go to review how to read those darn EKG strips and the different heart rhythms. You would want me to know them if I took care of your heart.

I hope all of you had an amazing weekend!

Happy Monday!