It's beginning to look a lot like SPRING~

WELCOME!

Here is my "Holiday" tree! As soon as the parade ended (the one I didn't go to remember) I took down all my St. Patrick's Day decor (which wasent that much) and put up my easter things... Which I LOVE!

I got most of this tree decor  from Michael's... the Place Mats from Khol's (a couple years ago after Easter for 50% off) and the Salt and Pepper shakers from Cracker Barrel (same way, after Easter!!)

Aren't they just the Cutest!!

Chris being the"man" that he is, dosen't call it salt or pepper anymore.. he calls it bunny or chicken brains! Seriously?!?!?!

Here's our "Bunny Brady" he is a bobble head bunny :)

This sweet sign I got from Michael's also... but this year.. it was only $10.00 so that wasn't a bad buy...

It sits on top of my Fridge

This looks cuter in real life.. the picutre dosent do it justice.. its a cute spoon holder in the shape of a chicken and a "Spring has Sprung" hand towel that Brady pulls off everytime he passes and throws it on the floor.. oh well...

Here's a better shot of the Chicken Spoon holder.. .(Cracker Barrel last year after Easter)...

You know, I dont even know if this is a spoon holder... huh... oh well, that's what I made it...

I just love this.. not sure why, but I do.. I bough several of these from Wal-Mart one year after Easter, of course, So I can use a fresh one every year...

Well, I guess that's it..  I could have sworn I have more.. oh well, If I find it,  I will post it... 

That's it for now

jenny

The era of a NEW Queen!

Everyone has different dreams and goals for their lives... One goal I always wanted to achieve ( and still plan on reaching one day) was to become a Sweet Potato Queen! Laugh all you want, but I absolutely LOVE them.. Love the way they look, the way they act, their "I dont care what you think of me" attitude... The way they think that the bigger your hair is, the smaller your butt looks....all of it!

Around my area, Jackson, MS, the Sweet Potato Queens are a big deal when it comes time for the Saint Patrick's Day Parade... they have their " Million Queen March" in the parade... there are thousands of groups of women from all over the USA that come dressed as tacky as they can to walk in the parade and party all weeken! I alway thought that was so fun! So a few years back, I decided to get all decked out in my own Queen attire and start my own "wannabe" group...

Seriously! I attended the parade in this "get up" that I bought from the Goodwill for 4 dollars and dressed up with sequins and tassles...Fish net panty hose... and lepord print arm legnth gloves (not shown)

Funny thing is, Believe it or not, I didnt get looked at any different, laughed at, nada.. for at this parade, this is normal... How Fabulous is that!

Fast Forward 4 or 5 years (can't rember exactly)...

Today was the St.Patrick's Day Parade in Jackson... Thousands of people flocked downtown for a day full of fun, drinking, loud music, good friends, and , of cours, The Queens! I used to be one of those thousands, and one day, I probally will be again..

 but this year I had a very special lunch date with my baby...

We went to Chedder's... Just me and him.

He devoured a bowl (a rather LARGE bowl of pasta)

Then, only after he was done, was I permitted to eat my, then cold, chicken tender basket...

It was still good ~

I was just wanting something Fried! It has been too long since I've had a good Fried meal... ya know, trying to diet and all...

He played with my keys to occupy the time ... while I was eating, The Nerve of me!!!

And on this day, I didn't care that I missed the Parade. The last thing on my mind was putting on fish-nets and that hot wig and walking in heels through downtown Jackson. Dont get me wrong, It is a load of fun, if that's your thing, but this year, it was not my thing...

My thing was sitting at the end of the table in a high chair with spagetti sauce all over his face screaming "BYE" to everyone that walked by us.

Its funny how your goals and dreams change when you become a mommy.  Because now, I dream about him. What he could be, what he will be... I dream about being the best mommy I can be for him.  I still have goals of my own, dont get me wrong, but they are just a little different. And just because I am not working toward my goal of becoming a Sweet Potato Queen right now,  dosen't mean that I won't one day..

 after all, I have all of his High School years to embarass him :)

Our First "Dirty Day"!!

Now let me explain the title... Brady was in October of 07, his first warm weather was last year ... he was around 6 months old.. not really crawling yet, so he didn't have very much outside time. So now that it is warming up he is going "outside" for the first time in his life and playing. Now that he is walking, he doesn't stop! I bet he walks 5 miles a day! Seriously! So today, I went to work and he came along (duh).. we worked at the Florence funeral home today, not the usual Byram.

{for those of you who don't know, my family owns 2 funeral homes where Brady and I work}

Anyway, Florence is different from Byram in many ways, one of which being there is a cemetery there... a beautiful "garden" with a gorgeous fountain in the middle and a nice walkway... Brady walked non stop for about 30 mins! Trying to make a run for the fountain every time we turned around... after all, his favorite part of the day is bath time, and to him it was just a big bath tub.

No before you go off thinking I am weird for letting my son use a cemetery for his playground., just understand that I was raised in the funeral business all my life.. Once, I actually lived in the funeral home, I even took my bridal portraits in this "garden"... So this is nothing abnormal for us. You should sit down to dinner with my family and just hear some of the conversations that come up!

So after an afternoon of walking non stop, finding water puddles, dirt piles, grass, fountains, etc... Brady was a hot mess!! His pants were wet, knees were muddy, and shoes (New Balances without a speck of dirt on them) were Filthy!!! This was a first for us.. We truly have a baby boy on our hands not.. well, not so much a baby anymore (tear). This is just a taste of what is to come...

I made him ride home half naked! but his pants and shoes were a mess!! Soaking wet and muddy... Not in my car!

He didn't seem to mind being pant less though... He just curled up to his favorite book and enjoyed the ride... Then he got tired! He must have realized that somewhere among the afternoon of walking, running, and playing real hard, he forgot to take his nap! So we got a quick nap in the car on the ride home... still holding onto his book though :)

He was OUT! Soooo sleepy... He played hard though.

Our first "Dirty Clothes"...

We made a memory today. I hope you take some time out to do the same. Your babies are only babies for such a short while, then their toddlers, then kids, then preteens, then teenagers, then grown and gone... in the blink of an eye. I will always have the pictures and the memories, but there is nothing like be there, being Present, while they are still babies.

Gotta finish up this messy day with a HUGE bubble Bath!! I think he was overwhelmed!

Don't miss a single chance to make a memory!

Till next time,

jenny

Brady, Pictures, and My Cleaning Routine...

I have taken so many pictures of Brady in his 17 months on this earth... Every day I keep adding to that! And ever since I got my iphone, I rarely use my camera anymore... It doesn't help any that Brady LOVES the camera! He has a small vocabulary, but "cheese" is in it! He knows what to do when you pick up a camera... Today was no different... I want you to notice all those toys by the fireplace... I have turned into the "mom with all the toys out" ... But the funny thing is, he doesn't play with one of them.. if you notice,he is laying on the floor playing with a calculator! The reason for this is, he is obsessed with buttons, remote control, phone, anything with buttons! So instead of him throwing my phone or the remote around, I got the clever idea to give him a calculator and he LOVES it! He doesn't even know the difference.. I tell him to go get his phone and he gets the calculator :) Now my electronics are safe again... I seriously could put all of those toys in the attic and he wouldn't notice... Hopefully he will get in the "playing with toys" stage sooner or later. Until then , they will remain all nice and neat in front of the fireplace... How cute is this picture... He looked at me for the picture, then turned back around to play with "his phone" just a swinging his foot.... he is so content... I love this boy! And Tonight my little helper was in full swing! First he loaded the dishwasher for me :) He loves doing this..up and down, in and out.. he could play with the dishwasher all day long. Every morning we unload the dishwasher from the night before... I believe that is his favorite part of his morning... I actually do all the work, he just pulls the the door open and the rolling shelves out... Oh well, you can never start too early teaching them the values of a clean house :) Next up, Laundry!! I don't know what it is about doors, but opening and shutting doors of all shapes and sizes is so much fun for him... books too for that matter.. he likes opening and shutting books, but not reading them for some reason... oh well, He shut the dryer door for me then pulled out all the towels from the basket that I had just unloaded from the dryer... if only I could teach him how to fold them instead of throwing them on the floor... But we couldn't start another load with out his clothes going in the washing machine... heheh... He never walks around the house naked! I know some might think that a good thing, and others have kids that never wears clothes, but Brady is one who always has clothes on.. so when I took them off to wash, he felt a little off... he became modest.. sweet boy.. he just acted differently. At least I can rest easier knowing he won't be a streaker. How funny is he with his shoes on and no clothes.. but he refused to walk without shoes or socks one on... haha His all time favorite part of the day... BATH TIME!! He could spend all day long in the bath tub.. as soon as he get finished eating he makes a bee line straight to the bathroom.. that child of mine is one scheduled child.. and I love it! He loves his routine and doesn't do well when he is off of it... Notice that fabulous toy he is playing with.. NOT! He has a frog pod full of toys that squirt water, balls, animals, etc.. but he has a Braves cup and his bubble bath, that is all he plays with ... it doesn't do me any good to buy him toys... But I must admit, I have only bought him a handful of toys in his life.. most of his toy are gifts for his birthday, Christmas, or other special occasions. I seriously am not responsible for the toy overload at my house. After bath time, Daddy got to play with Brady for a while... Brady likes to chase him around the couches, kitchen, table, wherever! Tonight, Daddy put him on the cutting board and pretended he was the turkey :) He pushed him and pulled him back, and Brady was just so impressed with this (notice his face) He sat perfectly still and enjoyed the ride.. Well that was our day for the most part. Well, our afternoon and evening anyway... You didn't miss much this morning. Today was Toilet, Tub, Towels Tuesday... which means I cleaned the bathrooms this morning... and even though it is one of my least favorite rooms to clean, I decide today to do it with a positive attitude.. SO instead of doing it complaining, I did it with appreciation that I have two toilets to clean. And two tubs. And towels to wash. When you look at it like that, it makes you grateful, then you don't mind cleaning the toilets...

Colossians 3:23

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the lord, not for men."

Just in case you were wondering... Yesterday was "Menu and Market Monday".. so I did just that! I planned out our meals for the week and went to the grocery store to get what we needed. Last night and tonight I have enjoyed cooking our supper... Baked Chicken Parm and Chicken Quesadillas... ummmm... many more meals to come :)

Tomorrow will be Wash Wednesday... which means Laundry! I started tonight though, by washing a couple loads.... I makes it easier having a planned night to do laundry so it doesn't pile up on you.. Then you only have a few loads a week... and its not considered done till it is folded and put away... just so you know! So I should have it all done by tomorrow night.

Thursday will be "Thoroughly Dusting" Thursday :) I gotta put dusting in there somewhere and there is no day of the week that starts with a D so I added an adjective... That includes dusting the house and cleaning all surfaces... Windex-ing the end tables, etc.

And Finally... Friday will be "Floors Friday"... pretty self explanatory... do all the floors in the house. Vacuum the bedrooms and the rug in the den, mop the tile floors in the kitchen and bath rooms, and clean the wood floors..

I haven't forgotten the kitchen... I clean it every morning! Ha.. I load the dishwasher after dinner each night so I unload it every morning.. and while Brady is sitting in his highchair after breakfast, I can do a spot clean of my kitchen.. shine my sink, clean my counter tops, and all that jazz...

This way the whole house stays clean and you don't waste a whole day doing it all.. just a little bit every day and it doesn't become overwhelming. It might not work for you, but this works for me. I like list, and schedules and having a clean house.. so this lets all of that work together for my good... It might help you out, or you can just call me crazy, but this is how I maintain my house.

Proverbs 31:13

"She works with eager hands"

I'm not sure if you have ever read about the Proverbs 31 woman.. but it is something I have recently came across and I love it.. I am nowhere close to being able to call myself a Proverbs 31 woman but it does give me something to work towards. If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to do so. Women Living Well does a study on this every Wednesday.. She breaks it down verse by verse each week. It is something work checking out if your interested.

Well that's it for me tonight! I know this has been a long post for me.. hopefully you didn't mind it...

till next time,

jenny

A Year of First

I know this might be a few months late, but this is a video I did from Brady to everyone this Christmas. We gave them as Christmas Presents to our family. It is a sweet video of Brady's first year and all of his wonderful "FIRST"... Hope you enjoy.

John 11:4-

Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's son may be glorified through it."

I claim that verse everyday. I pray that God and his son were glorified through out this sickness. I pray that they will continue to be glorified as Brady gets older and is able to share his testimony to others.

{Watch the Video on Youtube here... sorry it dosen't have any music to it... youtube thought it didn't need it and the video was to large to upload to blogger... the music in the background is "He's my Son" by Mark Schults and toward the end its "Over the Rainbow" by IZ/ IS???... (that large Hawiian guy with the small guitar) }

Blessed be the name of the Lord!

jenny

"Tap Tap Tap..."

When I was a child I remember going over to my Memaw's house a lot. We would spend the night with her often, and if we were sick and couldn't go to school we would spend the day with her. One of my most vivid memories of staying with her is nap time. We would go get into Gag's king size bed, with the thinnest yet softest sheets ever, and a thick quilt on top... but before we could go to sleep she would reach for it.. it haunts me to this day... you might not know what I am talking about but my family will... "IT" was the Vick's salve!!!

She would get a finger full of salve and rub it under each of our noses and tell us to go to sleep... It never caught on with me. I can sleep just fine without it... but my mom, my sister, and now MY SON must have it before they go to sleep. My mom says it puts her brain to seep... Katie just will not go to sleep without it... and Brady.. Guess who started it ... that's right, NANA did. When he stays at her house she does to him what her mom did to me... all up under his nose.

But obviously he likes it... or should I say LOVES it!! I have gotten in the habit of putting it on him before I put him to bed and he just smiles and lets me tap it on his upper lip. I started making the "tap tap tap"sound when I was doing it so now all I have to say is "tap tap" and he heads straight for his bedroom. Its unreal!! Not only does he respond with a smile and a bee line for his bedroom, but he also repeats me... "tap tap tap" with the biggest smile on his face.

I can't get the boy to say "momma" but he can associate "tap tap tap" to Vick's Salve and he gets so excited about it. I guess he will continue this for the rest of his life like Nana and Katie and Memaw still do.

The only difference is that Brady doesn't only want it smothered on his lip and nose.. he wants the container to hold on to and chew on... He went MAD the other night when I tried to take it from him. I had to show him that I was putting it in the drawer and that it would be there when he woke up... he was still visibly upset. So needless to say he went to sleep holding it and woke up playing with it. Hopefully he wont figure out how to take the top off... that will be a very messy morning.

So in conclusion, I would just like to say THANKS to Memaw, Nana, and I'm sure Katie too for continuing this tradition with the future generations. I can't wait to read Brady's blogs one day to find out what he truly thinks about it all :)

That's what's New-

jenny

Busy Day!

I am excited to say that today I introduced Brady to Waffle House! And he LOVED it!! I am so glad he did, because Momma loves it too :) He ate a whole waffle (with syrup of course), eggs, and a few grits.. he was not too sure about the hash browns or toast. He finished it all off with Chocolate Milk! Now that is what I call a good lunch! The people in the booth beside us were taken by him. They could not get over how much he was eating... they should see him at a buffet!We tried to get a picture with the cook but he was busy cooking of course... So we did the best that we could. The cook said he has a little boy who loves eggs too, but he was also surprised to see Brady finish a waffle!

By the way, I am not sure if this is the only finger that can reach the teeth that are coming in or what, but this is the finger he chooses to chew on.. which looks sorda weird... I don't want people to get the wrong impression of my precious child, but this works for him, so whatever.After we left Waffle house, we stopped to get some gas. After I got whistled at by the passing trash man, I felt dirty so we went through the car wash.. haha.. no, seriously, Brady hasn't been in a car wash in a while and I wanted to see what he would think...

He was pretty curious about it at first, but as time went on (and I do mean on.. it took forever.. I think it was broken) he started to love it. Every time it would pass his window he would open his mouth real wide .. almost like he was surprised... priceless

I thought that with all that syrup in his system I would take him to the park to release some of that energy.. even though he didn't walk around too much he seemed to have a good time... He like going up and down the slide ( an momma got a good workout doing it) The sun was in his face, but he was smiling...Then he found some "drums" so we played there for a while just patting on them... and it was in the shade so he could open his eyes... he liked this...He spent a few minutes trying to get them to spin like a steering wheel or something, but when he figured out that they were not going to do it he just banged on them some more... That's been our day so far... Its about time for a afternoon nap now that we got the syrup out of his system.

That's whats new,

Jenny

Cupid came a little early...

This year since Brady is not in daycare (not that I am complaining... I love him being home, but, its Dr.'s orders that he not go to daycare for the time being) so he is missing out on all the fun parties that they throw.... or should I say I am missing out on all those parties :) I can't wait to be that homeroom mom that throws all the parties and decorates out of this world.. but for now I dont get to attend those parties... So, I will make my own, hehehe.

Since Brady was not going to get any little Valentine's Day cards or goodies this year, I decided we would GIVE them. We started with cookies.. homemade... rolled dough cut into shapes.... Just so you know, this was my very first time doing this. I have never rolled dough for cookies in my life! But I sure had fund doing it...

Then came the even funner part... DECORATING THEM!!! Of course, I did all of it, but I put Brady in my lap for a picture or two... I want him to at least look like he was involved when he is looking back on these pictures... Oh, the icing and sprinkles... HOW FUN!! He wasn't too sure, but it was like I was in preschool all over again...

Here are just a few of our masterpeices.... Just like a snow flake, no one alike :)

And look at the lips.... Glamourous lips...

Yes, I am aware that Christmas is over, but this year I decided to keep up my silver tree all year long and decorate it with the seasons... I bought all this decor last year after Valentine's Day for half off... so this year I broke it open and decorated with it... at no cost to me :)

Oh yeah.. we made two pans of rice crispy treats (with pink marshmellows and SPRINKLES) for the fire stations and Police department... Just to show them a little appriciation. FYI- it doesn't have to be Thanksgiving for you to be thankful. Its a good jesture... plus, if you put your address on it, it might make them come faster to your house if you ever needed it... hopefully not though...

I just love my cookies.. they turned out so cute... too bad I never tried one, thats right.. not one bite... I am on a diet after all (that's right.. I lost 14 lbs in the month of January.. Go me!!!

Here is our Valentine's Day tree with all our little goodies... all wrapped in their little baggies that I bought last year for like $0.50!!

Nothing Sweeter :)

And there's my little helper now...

Till next time~

Jenny

Oh when the Saints, go marching in....

Ok, so, as I am getting older and settling down a little bit, I am finding that I really enjoy football more and more. I watched a few OleMiss games this past season, but I watched more of the Saints. I have several friends who are obsessed with them, which makes watching the games much more fun. It is really just something fun to do... expecially when others around you are going for the same team. I enjoy getting into it with everyone else. Not that I am jumping on the "Saints band wagon" or anything, but after watching this past season and after Sunday's Superbowl, I would say that I am truely a Saints fan!! And, I just can't say enough about Drew Brees... he is an outstanding man. I was watching an interview he did that I found on Youtube and I was just taken back. He is into giving back to the City of New Orleans and considers his disicion to come to New Orleans a "Calling" from God. You should watch this interview... Click the link above for that video :) And just look at this picture... I mean, there are no words... Such a sweet moment for them... Alrighty then... See ya next year Saints Fans!! "WHO DAT"

Beauty tips and Favorite Products!

Kelly's Korner is doing another "Show us how you live" blog and this time it should be pretty fun! I have always LOVED hair and makeup products :) even if I don't wear make up everyday, I still like having it. Chris jokes that I am a Make-up and hair product hoarder... oh well, we all have something... Let's start with hair. Seeing as how I did go to hair school and I am a licensed cosmetologist (not in practice) I love having fun hair products around... and, of course, Paul Mitchell is my favorite...

My hair school was Paul Mitchell and then I went on to become a National Educator for Paul Mitchell Systems so naturally I have tons of their products and tons of product knowledge, which makes it better :) Extra Body is my favorite line... cause " Big hair makes your butt look smaller"... I gotta have some body in my hair and their Extra Body finishing spray and Firm Finishing Spray are always on stock in my house... and I have a travel size one in my purse. I love that stuff !

Next, My favorite smoothing iron ever is the Paul Mitchell Smoothing iron.. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! However, my smoothing Iron recently went out :( I have had it since I was in hair school 5 years ago and I love it... unfortunately they no longer make the original one.. and since I haven't tried any of their new ones yet so I don't know what I'm gonna do...My hair has been large and wild for a week or so now so I gotta do something soon. Ok.. on to skin care... Every night for several years now I have washed my face with the same stuff my mom washes her face with... I smell like her when I go to bed.. its a very familiar smell... It smells like home :) Its Pond's!!! and not the new stuff, the classic Cold Cream... My favorite "guilty pleasure" of all is ... drum roll please.... MAC MAKEUP BRUSHES!!!!

I am obsessed with them, I don't think I will ever be able to have enough of them.. as a matter of fact, I spent Saturday night shampooing my brushes while coloring my hair... some may think "Lame" but I enjoy it! I keep and inventory of the one's I have in my phone in case I make and impulse stop at a MAC store and just NEED a new one... (they also make great Valentine's Day gifts... hint, hint, honey!)

And with my Mac Brushes, I love playing with my eyeshadow... here lately, I have worn a smokey eye using blacks and some days browns but on the occasion, I love a wild color.. and I have tons of MAC colors... Don't be surprised one day if you see me out like this...

And, on a final note.. my favorite nail polish is, of course, OPI.. my favorite color now is "Lincoln Park After Dark" ..

This is not that color, but I thought this one was pretty too...

ANYWAY- That is a list of my favorites and timeless beauty tips and products.. I am currently into watching YOUTUBE and other websites to get more tips and techniques and some of my favorites are...

Miss Jessica Harlow & Fashion Face

Alright, that's it for me.. See you guys next time... Hope you enjoyed it :)

Jenny