Jenna's 4th Annual Comment Challenge

Good Monday morning (is that even possible?!)....I'm so excited that Jenna's 4th annual comment challenge starts this week!!!  I joined in two years ago and found some wonderful new blogs to read along with and I'm really looking forward to doing that again this year.  It's really easy...link up and try to comment on 10 new blogs a day...but no worries if you can't do 10...no one will throw you off the island!  Jenna will also post topics for each day that you can use to get started or blog about whatever...just remember to try and reach out to some fellow bloggers!!!

Today's suggested topic is an "About Me" post or if you already have a page on your blog about that, than link there.  I've actually just updated mine...so if you are stopping by from the comment challenge you can click that "About Me" title up above.  Thanks for stopping by!!!

we will never forget

I'll never forget the day...the place...the voices...the emotions...the fear.  Those memories are etched in my mind forever...but today, 11 years later...serves as a reminder of all of the sacrifice that so many Americans made and continue to make to support this county and preserve our freedom...and that should never be forgotten.

Source: honestlywtf.com via the workaholic momma on Pinterest

how beautiful is the day that is touched by love...

the day we laid my grampie to rest was a beautiful one...the sun was shining..not a cloud in the sky.  his service was held in davenport, iowa and he was laid to rest in the rock island national cemetary in moline, illinois...just a short trek over the mighty mississippi...i'll let the pictures tell the story. 

Benjamin Franklin Matthews 1921-2012

the final salute...one of the most touching memories

speechless

my cousin and brother

show & tell - all things wedding

Linking up for the second week with Becky over at From Mrs. to Mama for show & tell...this week we are sharing all things wedding...which can i just say, where in the world was pinterest when I was planning my wedding?!?!

1.  Are you married?  If so, when did you get married and tell us about your special day.

YES...and have been happily so for 4 1/2 years...although it seems like its only been a year.  We said "i do" on a beautiful spring day on a green overlooking the sand dunes of the chesapeake bay.  we completely lucked out weather wise and celebrated with family and close friends.  one of my favorite memories was the dinner we enjoyed together away from everyone else where we really got the chance to soak it all in (i highly recommend at least 10 minutes of alone time during your event)..we went with a station/buffet style dinner so we actually chowed down during the cocktail hour (which was the "picture hour" for us and we snuck in a meal at the end while our wedding party got started on the end of cocktail hour...i really don't think anyone had any idea we even slipped away).

2.  Show us some wedding pictures.

3.  How about the engagement.  Tell us your story.

eeeeppp...slightly embarrassed to say but I helped my hubs pick my ring...so i totally knew it was coming...and i was totally inquiring on a daily basis what the hold up was...yes, i was that girl.  he surprised me by proposing in our home one evening after i had just finished my shower...we celebrated by getting dessert at the melting pot.

4.  Show us your wedding rings or an engagement photo.

a picture speaks a thousand words...my all time fave pic of my rings...a very simple platinum set with a round cut diamond

5.  Tell us why you think marriage doesn't work out for so many.  What can we do to make things last.

COMMUNICATION is key....for real.  Make big decisions together...and be considerate of each other's feelings...and always kiss each other goodnight...no matter how mad you are - sounds corny and cliche but it's worked for us.

Who am I...

Ok...so I totally got like giddy excited when I saw that one of the blogs I first started reading, "From Mrs to Mama" (not to mention one of my favorite mommy-friend blogs to read) when I joined the blog world was hosting a little link-up so that everyone could spill the beans on who they are.  I remember being totally confused at how to even write my first post so I did a little about me and you can read that here...but here's some more as I try to answer Becky's "get-to-know-you" questions below..



1.  How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging?  I've been blogging since March of 2011...shortly after the birth of my precious baby girl...who I write alot about!  I first discovered blogging when my bestie shared her blog with me...that got the wheels turning and then after Addie's birth I decided we needed something better than just my brain to remember all of the important moments in our family...and this blog was born.


2.  Did you go to college?  If so where, and what did you study? I did...I attend James Madison University (go Dukes!!) and was an accounting major...super exciting, right?!

4.  If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?  Eeeppp...I suppose I probably should start playing first;)  If I played and if I won...hhmm...a new home would probably be my first purchase...something with a lot of land and a farm house!


5.  What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?  1)  People that don't hold the door for strollers...seriously annoying!!  2) Arrogance...uugghhh, I despise this personality trait.  3) People that wait until the lane ends to get over - so, I totally know that happens unexpectedly from time to time but y'all...I'm not letting you over if you wait until the last minute.


6.  What is your favorite movie?  Hands down...TOP GUN...I don't care what Tom Cruise is doing with his life now...that movie is still my favorite...oh, and Forrest Gump runs a close second.


7.  What is your drink of choice?  Sara Bee wine from Trader Joes...its a light wine that tastes amazing.  It's perfect for summer!


8.  What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?  Lay on the beach....like uninterrupted..just me, the sounds of the waves and the hot sun!!


9.  If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?  Yikes...this is a hard one...I think it would totally have to be either Home Depot or Lowes...we have SO much we still need to do to our house and so many projects I want to finish!!


10.  Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past?  geez...where do I start?  How about the most recent...true story and I'll spare you all of the details...my boss walked in on me mid-pumping session at work.  Yep, my door was closed..and thank god for my hooter hider but the pump just isn't a sound you can ignore... awk-ward.


11.  What day would you want to relive again?  I dont know that I have just one...my wedding day, Addie's birth day, the last Christmas with my grandfather, my graduation from college...


13.  What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?  I was your typical pool rat...I spent my summers life guarding and teaching swim lessons.  During the school year in high school I worked at a local "formal attire" shop selling wedding gowns and fitting guys for tuxedos...girlfriends and over-bearing moms might have been the end of me during prom season;)  I switched things up a bit in college and worked at the sub shop on campus as well chick-fil-a (on campus of course...but seriously - one of the cleanest places I have ever worked)


14.  Show us a picture from high school or college.  Ok...so I totally had to dig this one out of the bottom of a drawer...I actually disposed of alot of my high school and college pictures (especially those that I never wanted Addie to know existed) during one of my nesting clean-out sessions...so please excuse the quality - its a picture of a picture (we didn't have digital then...which I actually think was probably a good thing;)) 

16.  Show us the most current picture of you or you and your family.  Ok...just doing this post totally made me realize how bad we need to have a new family picture done....the latest I have is from just before Christmas...

17.  Where do you see your life 5 years from now?  Its so strange to finally be at a point in my life where I don't think things will look so drastically different 5 years from now.  We'd love to add to our family and of course we will likely need to move to a larger home...but, everything else should pretty much be the same.


PS If you're reading this and have a blog...head over to From Mrs. to Mama and join in on the fun!!

Looking within...

Source: gracelipscomb.tumblr.com via the workaholic momma on Pinterest

As Addie's first birthday approaches I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I can do to be a better mom, a better wife, a better daughter, a better friend, a better person.  All of this thinking has led me to reach several conclusions...the most important of which is spending each day being me and the person I was raised to be and not the person I think people want me to be.  My life needs some simplifying and no one can do that for me.  I've found so much joy in my life and have truly been so lucky with the life I've been able to live, which makes it easy pretty easy to pick out those things that I need to change.  I've set my expectations for myself higher and here are the hight points (with a few quotes thrown in because someone else is always better at saying what I want to):

on being a better mom and wife - I've got to do a better job of leaving my stresses at the door and focusing all of my energy on my beautiful family that are the lights of my life.  They deserve 100% of me...not the crazy woman that walks through the door at 6pm.

Source: theo.theodorealexander.com via the workaholic momma on Pinterest

on being a better daughter - Somewhere along the way I feel like I've lost my ability to show just how appreciative I am for everything my parents do for me....which is way more than any child could ever ask of their parents.

Source: be-the-change.tumblr.com via the workaholic momma on Pinterest

on being a better friend - I have some amazing and very special women in my life that deserve more from me than just a random phone call or a late return to a heartfelt email.  I often find myself giving more of myself to bad friends than those that are always there for me...that I take for granted.  My mom always told me that friendships are about "gives and takes" and "emotional deposits."  I've got to let go of those that continue to take and never return...and give more of me to those that are always there.

Source: None via the workaholic momma on Pinterest

on being a better person - I find myself sometimes judging people for what they do....which is totally out of synch with my "live and let live" motto.   It's not my business to judge how someone else chooses to live their life...whats it to me, anyways?!

Source: granvillehouse.blogspot.com via the workaholic momma on Pinterest

And at the end of the day...this is really what matters:

Source: itsirrational.com via the workaholic momma on Pinterest

BEEF, is that REALLY you in there?

direct from the farm

Ever get the feeling that you're just not really sure what's in the food you're buying.  Case in point...the shelf life a Twinkie that has a "cream filling" - how does that last forever...what's in it that makes it non-perishable??  I seek out the natural and organic side of the aisles as much as possible..not that I don't love me an oatmeal cream pie every once in awhile too (hello, 3rd trimester with Addie) but I also know that it can't be good.  But even more concerning than the non-perishables that line the shelves are the meats and vegetables that are sitting in your grocer's refridgerators.  Not sure if anyone saw the Jamie Oliver special (a recap is blogged about here) about what they're using to process ground beef these days...but if even half of it is true - its enough to send me to the farms.  And...so for awhile I've been looking into local farms and the idea of "purchasing shares" of cattle for consumption (you can also do it with dairy cows if you want un-pastuerized milk).  I love red meat...but have just really been turned off by whats in the grocery stores because I'm not comfortable that I really know what I'm getting (it also weirds me out that alot of the beef sold in stores is from cattle in far away places like Mexico and other South American countries - the FDA now requires that information to be disclosed but I honestly never thought to look).  So now you're either thinking one of two things - 1) this girl suffers from some serious paranoia and should probably have her head checked or 2) where is she going with all of this? - is this a plea for me to become a vegetarian?  The answer to 1) you may be right and 2) NO - I eat alot of meat but I just wanted to share my plan to get our beef direct and at a much better price too!

First, as I mentioned above I looked into finding a local farm (Virginia Beach and the surrounding areas are heavily populated but if you get about 40 minutes out of town its pretty rural and there are quite a few farmers) and found a few.  It just so happened that two of those farms would be at our local farmer's market that following Saturday and so I persuaded my husband to join me so we could talk to the farmers and buy some of their meat to try out.  We purchased some beef from Windhaven Farm and some pork and chicken from Full Quiver Farm.  Funny how a 29 year old woman can get SO excited about meat.  The prices were reasonable - the beef which was all grass-fed and natural (meaning no hormones, antibiotics, medicated feeds, or animal by-products in the feed - and raised from birth on the farm) was actually cheaper than what I usually can find for all natural at Trader Joes.  We tried some of the ground beef that night and were left wishing we had bought alot more.  The taste was much better than anything we had tried before and there really wasn't much grease either.  We felt completely comfortable that we were getting 100% ground beef and not 90% ground beef + 10% filler (or ground beef from unknown sources).  The nice lady I had spoken with at the market, who just happened to be the farmer's daughter was kind enough to send me an e-mail with all of the info on purchasing a quarter, half, or whole cow.  My husband and I talked it over and decided that for the peace of mind of knowing we were getting high quality beef at a great price, which worked out to around $6 per pound (for all cuts - so while that seems high for a pound of ground beef - its a steal for a filet mignon) and supporting a local farmer - it was a win win situation.  I sent back an e-mail letting them know we would like to purchase a half cow (works out to about 200 pounds of meat so our deep freezer came in handy) and it was arranged that they would be going to take several heads of cattle in that coming week.  I'm an animal lover so don't even ask if we went to meet the cow or if we got to pick it out...I don't like to think about that part of it...I even got sad the day I knew they were taking them in:(  Due to the process of hanging the meat and cutting it...it took about 4 weeks before our beef was ready.  We were provided a "cut sheet" where we could select how we wanted the beef cut..types of steaks, thickness, weight per package, etc..  When we picked up our beef, everything had been vacummed sealed into packages as we directed and labeled so we knew what we had.  We've already used some of the ground beef and eaten some of the steaks and the taste is amazing.  Maybe its all mental...but I promise you there's a difference.  I won't be going back to the store bought stuff...we also purchased a pork share and are waiting for that to be ready as I love pork almost as much as I love beef.  I'm also really looking forward to the drop in my grocery bill as meat is no longer on the list.  Thanks for sticking with me...if you made it this far...please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions at all (my e-mail is on the sidebar).  I can't attest to what is and isn't true out there in media land but I can attest to what our experiences have been with buying direct from the farm.

J

like nails on a chalkboard

Are there things that just really put your senses in overload...the touch, sound, sight, or smell of something that just bothers you in a way you can't describe?!  Or maybe I'm the only crazy one...wouldn't be the first time.  Anyhow, i thought I'd share those very things that just really affect me for some reason...like in a way I can't be around them.  They don't make me mad (unless the hubs does them because he knows they bother me) and I really don't know how to describe how they make me feel...its just not "good."  I guess they're just my quirks...and without further adieu here they are:

*The sound of someone else eating or drinking (specifically, the gulping noise when you swallow) - Whenever we eat dinner I always like to have background noise so I can't here anyone around me eating.  Trust me, I know I make noise too but for some reason just the chewing and gulping noise really bother me.

*The feel of newspaper - This has always been something that bothered me - the touch just feels gross to me for some reason so I really try to avoid touching it - I know..weird!

*Kitty/Dog hair on my comforter - Ugh, nothing worse than getting in my nice warm bed after taking a shower and pulling the covers up only to have some kitty cat or puppy dog hair fly in my face.  It really disturbs me - I seriously keep a lint roller next to my bed and lint roll the comforter before getting in to try and keep this from happening.  For some reason, no matter how hard we try, we cannot keep our furbabies off our bed - its their favorite spot in the house!

Ok...so there it is...I've bared my soul just a little and shared some things about me that most people don't know.  So now its your turn - what quirky things bother you - please share so I don't feel like I'm the only crazy one:)

J

What half a million+ will buy you in Va Beach...

Ever wondered what half a million + will buy you in Virginia Beach...no probably not, but I figured I'd share anyhow.  I have always loved the HGTV shows that spotlight different parts of the country and show what various price points will buy you in various cities...so I'm taking a spin on that from my hometown.  This week was Homearama week, which is an event held by the local builders association in a new neighborhood that showcases new homes.  The price point for these was around $550k upwards to around $750k.  And no, in case you're wondering, these homes are NOT on the beach - they are actually about 15 minutes away.  No golf course, either...just suburbia.  The hubs and I both found our dream home...too bad it wasn't the same house...but never the less we got some wonderful home inspiration.  I thought I'd share some pictures we took while touring through the homes...

My favorite exterior - but I wasn't thrilled with the interior:

My favorite home in the show - the exterior wasn't a show stopper but it grew on me and I LOVED the interior - like if I had $675k, I would buy this house:

unassuming exterior

from the front door - love the openness

custom kitchen

master suite - this picture does NOT do it justice

entrance to shower on both the his and hers side 

I could call this home...

And now for the hub's favorite...

exterior - we would remove the flags

from the entrance - sunk in living space to left

beautiful stone fireplace

kitchen

bar in "bonus room"

master bedroom

look closely - the tub fills from the ceiling

We also got tons of neat ideas and inspiration from other things we saw in the homes. Here are just a few more pics of some things I just loved!!

love the curved staircase entrance

love this for wall art

love this fire pit idea

no more need for ugly concrete gutter stops

And...one of the neatest ideas we saw - see the door in picture 1 on the exterior of the house. Yes, that is the door to the little bathroom in picture 2. How perfect - no more wet feet from the pool to the inside of the house to use the bathroom!!

picture 1

picture 2

And...congratulations if you've made it this far. Sorry for ALL the pictures but I hope you found maybe even an ounce of inspiration or got a laugh out of how little or how much things cost around here...I know, everything's relative!
J

My momma suit and other summer related items

YAY!!  This weekend is Memorial Day weekend - the unofficial start to summer - and I'm ALMOST ready!!  I just LOVE this time of year - and after joining the pool this weekend, I had some items that still needed to be bought to prepare for the start of summer!  My first find was the momma suit that I scored from TJ Maxx.

And, thanks to TJ Maxx, I saved $87 - yes, I only paid $29.99 for this regularly priced $117 suit.  It's very comfortable to try on and I feel secure - like I don't think anything will pop out or over and I think even Addie's hands won't be able to pull anything down (only time will tell).  I actually got this suit in a sea green color (similar to the font color in the picture) thats vibrant and different from my standard black.

My next purchase was made online at J Crew (currently they are offering an additional 30% off their SALE items - and they do have a lot of mom suits in this category - and free shipping on $100+ orders) where I don't do a whole ton of shopping but their beach/pool stuff is very classy and pretty reasonably priced.  From there, I scored a pair of flip flops, 2 new fun tanks, a straw hat, and a beach bag.  At this point, you're likely wondering if I've ever been to a pool or the beach - I mean, who doesn't already have these things?!  Well, in the past - I was an early morning kind of beach/pool patron - get there with my ipod and a towel to get my tan and get out.  I didn't linger and take the salt air in - I was there for the SUN and the sun only...I'm changing my ways and really hoping to make much more of a social event out of going to the pool and the beach.  So...I figured I'd at least look the part to start with.


I had also picked up a cover-up from the LOFT when they had their bug 40% sale a few weeks back so I don't have to scare any innocent bystanders in the parking lot.

However, I am missing one....what I currently consider VERY IMPORTANT item...I don't have a towel for Addie!  I've found a few that are cute but I'm at a loss and was hoping I might be able to get some help or ideas from ya'll on my little...what I'll call...situation.  Most of the beach towels I'm finding are for toddlers and above and would be HUGE on Addie..fortunately I did find a couple of towels that could work but I'm undecided.  The first is from the letter tree and its a hooded towel in various animal ensembles.  I think the dolphin and turtle are super cute but I've never ordered from this company before, nor do I know anyone that has so I'm curious about the quality of their products.  Anybody out there ever used them?

The second is just the miniature beach towel from Pottery Barn Kids that doesn't have a hood but the need for a hood is part of my current internal debate.  I love Pottery Barn's stuff so I have no concerns about the quality - I just don't know if I need that darned hood or not.  So, I'm hoping ya'll might have some insight into what you've used that worked best, already bought, or great ideas you've heard of when it comes to the baby towels.  I know this seems SO trivial to be concerning myself with this but I'd like to get the towel right the first time...so I'm hoping with some advice and I can get there.

So, there you have it...everything beach/pool related thats going on in this little household in anticipation of the upcoming weekend - and....even better, I'm planning to be on vacation that week following...which makes this weekend extra exciting!

J

Is it Monday already??

I know...we all say things like "where did the weekend go?" how is the weekend already over?" "did I miss a day?" when it comes time for Monday morning.  For me, its usually the hardest day of the week - trying to get back in the grind and brush those cravings to be home with my girl to the back of my mind...

But, we had a WONDERFUL and very busy weekend this weekend.  I knocked out one of my May goals, we joined a pool for the summer, bought some cabinets for the pantry the hubs is promising to build for me, did some much needed shopping to buy a "mom" suit and some heels for work (thank you TJ Maxx) and got my butt kicked at the gym on Saturday morning.  I'm both excited and exhausted - I'm SO happy we were able to get SO much done this weekend but I'm exhausted from all of the running around.  The hubs sis was here this weekend and she along with Addie were such troopers and made the best of all of the running around (I doubt she'll be back to visit anytime soon  - kidding:))  I'm hoping to post more about the pantry and mom suit but suffice it to say - this weekend was a huge SUCCESS!!  If you see Friday hanging around - please send him my way...thank you!

J