Morning message.

Beck a la Weekend at Bernies.

Fishermans hat? Check. South African soccer jersey? Check. Shark trunks? Check. Green Crocs? Double check.

Isn't there something so glorious about being awake before everyone else? And by everyone else I mostly mean Becks since B's been at work for over an hour now. There's just a certain peace about the house, and plenty of time for me to do things like unload the dishwasher or fold a load or two of laundry before I'm chasing after my rough-and-tumble 2-year-old.

Becks has been sleeping on his summer hours schedule. Which means he goes to bed a little later and sleeps until 9am. I know. It's crazy. I made the unfortunate mistake of waking him up around 8:30am the other morning and paid for it the rest of the day from a cranky, hold you mommy kinda kiddo. So now I just let him sleep until I hear him calling from his crib (which I just can't bear to change over to a toddler bed yet), and then he's the most well-rested, enjoyable child compared to his sleep-deprived alter ego. Apparently that extra half hour makes all the difference. And I'm not one to argue with a little more me-time in the morning. Even if me-time is dictated by family responsibilities (nothing like a little checkbook balancin' at 6:45am to get the blood pumpin'!).

I seem to be most productive early in the morning and late at night. As my husband would attest, it's not uncommon for me to start a project after 9pm and expect to have it finished before I go to bed. Like, um, painting a curbside treasure (a window) the most obnoxious shade of yellow and then changing my mind after it was completely covered in canary. (It's black now - I don't think I've shown you a picture of it before...) It's just the way I'm wired. However, this means that my ability to do anything productive between the hours of 9am and 9pm are severely lacking.

My sissies are on their way over for coffee and muffins, so I'm out! Happy Wednesday!

Birthday Party Pics

Beckham had a wonderful birthday weekend. We opted for a low-key pool party at his Nana and Papa M's house and Beckham loved it. We swam, at a delicious dinner and cake, opened presents and then swam some more. A perfect way to turn two!

How awesome is that cake?! Courtesy of my talented mom!

PS. Nanas & Bobo, how come y'all aren't in any pictures????

Happy Birthday, Becks!!!!!

We're busy celebrating the 2nd birthday of our favorite boy! Have a great day!

Debbie Downer

If you need to feel better about your week, read about mine...

1. My kid vomitted in the car, remember?

2. My room looked like this yesterday:
3. My family room looked like this:

4. Revist pic #3. My kid is wearing a life jacket with his jammies and is wearing no pants. That, however, is something to smile about. Tripping over that enormous gatorade bottle as I was shooting this picture is not.

5. My computer battery bit the dust. On Monday. So it has to be plugged into the wall at all times as we await the new one. Plus one for me for buying the extended warranty when we puchased it, so the new one is free. But still isn't here yet. Boo.

6. B's car went to the shop yesterday complaining of chest problems (i.e. violent jerking when shifting gears). Turns out it needs open-heart-surgery (i.e. a new transmission) plus a host of other repairs. All to the tune of $3000-$5000. Yes, the car that was inches away from being totalled just a month and a half ago now is on its deathbed yet again. We're in the process of getting a second opinion. Double boo. {Mark my words, we will NEVER own a VW ever again.}

7. I have misplaced 2 packages of stamps.

8. I have been running consistently now for over a month with no body improvement. Argh.

9. My baby will be 2 on Sunday :( Where has the time gone?!

10. I think I have PMS. Bad.

Smokey Mountain Getaway

We left last Wednesday evening for the lakehouse, in an attempt to cut our trip to Sevierville, TN in half because, well, let's just say that Becks can think of one hundred other things he'd rather do than be strapped into a carseat for any time longer than fifteen minutes. And he's not shy about informing us either, as he writhes beneath the carseat straps, loudly wailing. "Get out! Get out! Too tight! Too tight!" The trip to our halfway point to spend the night was uneventful, and Becks loved spending time checking out his Papa's boat and splashing around in the hot tub.

However (and there always has to be a however), the trip the following day was eventful alright. After eating a handful or two of colored goldfish, and then continuing with the "get out!" plea for a solid 30 minutes accompanied by whining and saying "hold you, mommy!" I knew something wasn't right. I could tell he didnt' feel well. And then he was sick, bless his heart, all over himself and his carseat. There's nothing like rainbow colored vomit (remember the goldfish?) on a long car trip in 90 degree whether. It was fun. And smelled terrific. But besides that, the trip was great :)

Becks main goal once we reached our desitination was to go to "Ga-burg" and get ice cream. Of course, we obliged. The cabin we stayed in was actually in Pidgeon Forge, so we took off for Gatlinburg on Saturday morning. And, while I know the tacky, gaudy, air-brushedness of Gatlinburg is all part of its charm, I just couldn't handle the heat or the thousands of people crowding the streets. We were literally there long enough to find a soft-serve place before realizing how miserable all of us were. Tanger outlet mall shopping is much more my style.

Anyway, the bottom line is we had a great time. We spent some great times with our extended family, playing spoons, taming racoons, rocking on the front porch, and eating delicious meals. Becks got to play with his {2nd? 3rd?} cousins, and became particularly fond of little Paisley who recently visited our home.

The trip ended with a breakfast at The Apple Barn (apple julep and apple fritters - yum!) and a visit to Outdoor World. If you need a free field trip for your kiddos (boy or girl) you need to visit this mecca of all things outdoorsy. Becks was in heaven. Between the large mouths swimming around in an aquarium, to the many taxidermied critters on display, to the opportunity to sit on an ATV, this child was in love.

We made it back home on Sunday, but not before a little father-son bonding in the backseat.

PS. Thanks for many of your sweet comments about what to do in Gatlinburg/Pidgeon Forge! We've actually been many times, and are pretty familiar with the fun things to do there. You know how it is though - I didn't want to go advertising that we were going to be out of town, so I scheduled some posts to go up while we were away.

Just hanging out...

It's been a busy week so far! We spent last Wednesday through Sunday out of town, so pictures from our Gatlinburg vacation are soon to come. But, for now, I have several grad school assignments to complete, another vaca to prepare for, and 1st grade school work to do. And, most importantly, a waffle to toast!

Talk to you soon!

Just a big ole mess...

Behold...

the...

blueberry yogurt...

MONSTER!

Spoons? Forks? What are those? Monsters eat with their HANDS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Currently...

...what I'm doing...

...what I'm reading...

...what I'm listening to...

...what I'm trying not to think about...

...what I love about summer...

Yellow Sun Dress by je suis mode featuring Old Navy shoes

...what I'm excited about...

Happy Thursday!

Target Tactics

It's nothing I'm proud of, but there is no better way to ensure a successful trip around Target than to make the $1.59 purchase of popcorn and a medium soda upon arrival. It's the equivalent of cheap babysitting. And don't judge when I tell you it's only 9:36am. Or that Becks is still in his jammies. Or that he is shoeless (it's part of our culture in this state). Actually, he said the shoes were "too tight" and took them off within minutes of being set in in the basket. I pick my battles.

You better believe that medium softdrink is full of a mixture of Diet Coke and Cherry Coke and that I, quite possibly, let Becks have the tiniest, watered-down sip before I disposed of it on our way out. It was really watered-down. Promise.

And when he's sorted and dumped popcorn between containers a dozen times, leaving a pretty convincing trail behind us as we zoom through the aisles, we then move onto the toys where I "shop" for something to occupy him so I can stave off a meltdown make my way around the second half of the store. Removing it from the cart as I pay for my real items can be rather tricky and involves a strategy known as bribery. That is where the watered-down coke comes in.

Also, he is pretty much obsessed with this $130 Buzz Lightyear toy that does a little demo from a plastic cage trying to entice weary parents into the blackhole of overpriced playthings. I just let him press the button a few times and move on before Buzz's lazer eyes hypnotize me into buying him for my son for his birthday. {Stop. The. World. He will be TWO next week. Just passed out.}

This is what a kid looks like after his first taste of caffeinated wonderfulness. Really watery caffeinated wonderfulness.

Anyway.

What are your best-kept-secrets for motoring through a store with a baby, toddler, or small children in tow? Surely you're not as bad a mommy as I am ;)

Little stinker. Literally.

Humbling is walking through Target with your verbal, almost-two-year-old, as he clearly proclaims to all patrons:

Mommy farted.

Like a broken record, the little goose continued professing that I passed gas while strolling through the diaper aisle, as I looked around to be sure no one was listening. Of course, I denied it because I did not, in fact, fart. I don't even know where he heard that word. Probably his daddy. Then, he sweetly tilted his head to the side, smiled, patted his heiney and said, Beckham tooted. Placing the blame on my mommy - totally another inherited trait from his father. Little stinker.

Wedding Weekend #1

We've been in Louisville all weekend attending the wedding of one of my BFFs, Amy. I had the honor of being a bridesmaid, and it was fun to escape for a weekend away child-free (though I don't think I can even tell you how much I missed Becks while we were gone!). It was super fun to get all dolled up with B and stay in a fancy hotel. FYI: I can barely type due to the set of fake nails I have yet to take off.

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Pay no attention to the state of my frizzball hair in the above picture. It was a humid 90 degrees the entire time we were there and my attempt at a little curl went all frizztastic on me the night of the rehearsal dinner. It was a valiant effort, nonetheless.

Here are some pics of the absolute gorgeous bride. Really, she could have been modeling for a magazine.

The bride and her groom, Ryan.

Me and B mugging for the camera.

Me and my bestie, Allison. You're next sister!!!!!

Hope y'all had a great weekend!

Crossing Off: Whip up some homemade ice cream!

Yesterday was more summer-list productive than I thought. Especially with the rain keeping us indoors for most of the day. When Becks woke up from his nap, I decided that whipping up some homemade ice cream was the soup du jour. He's excellent in the kitchen, and adds enough flavor to the process to make his short-comings admissible (i.e. licking, tasting, touching everything). First I had to locate a recipe that didn't involve a machine since, well, I don't own one. Also, I didn't want to use rock salt because that is more complicated than just mixing a bunch of ingredients together in my Kitchenaid. Also, I don't have the arm muscles or time to spend shaking or rolling anything. I like lazy ice cream making.

Lucky for me, I recently came across this totally fab blogger named Darby over a Fly Through Our Window. A) Go visit her blog - you'll love it & B) She has an amazing machine-free ice cream recipe posted. I credit her with the recipe - even down to the Walmart-bought products (not because I'm that big of a copy cat, but because I'm cheap).

So here goes...

First, you'll need all these really simple ingredients. I opted to make chocolate and mocha, which is why you see the chocolate syrup and instant coffee. Vanilla is an option too, though.

Next, you'll need to get some quart-sized containers. That's what I bought at The Dollar Tree yesterday that resulted in Becks hurling balls all over the place. I'm sure Ziploc or Gladware will serve the same purpose, but I'm el cheapo so it was Sure Fresh for me. And 2 for a $1 is a great deal.Now, recruit your favorite graham-cracker-eatin' kiddo to help do the pouring, mixing, and taste-testing. Sorry, mine is not for hire. He exclusively works for his mamma.

Now, follow Darby's directions and whisk together a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, chocolate, salt, vanilla, and sour cream.

Then get your mix on and whip up some heavy cream until it's all whipped creamy. Taste-testing optional but recommended. Just to be sure it whipped creamy enough.

Turns out it's pretty delicious.

Then, whisk in some whipped cream into the original mixture and then fold in the rest. You'll wind up with something that looks like this...

Freeze it for at least 6 hours and then you'll have this....

Oh, and you'll also be left with a big, sticky mess to clean up. And I'm not talking about Beckham.

But, oh so worth it! It was delish! Absolutely one of the creamiest ice creams I've ever tasted! I totally recommend this for an easy, machine-free batch of ice cream. Maybe strawberry next time!