Life lately...

After composing myself from making every mistake in the world 2 weeks ago, I am happy to say I have not burned down anything or locked myself out of anywhere...so life is good!!

Emma's glue "stitches" on her face have fallen off and we are putting neosporin like crazy on it, hoping it won't scar.  I know that sounds vain of me, but life is hard enough without being a girl with a scar on your cheek.

The cats love dinner time because Emma is such an easy target...

One day last week, I totally reorganized my jewelry, and Emma had a blast with my Lily and Laura bracelets.

We've been sitting outside a lot in the evenings waiting for dad to get home...or the neighbors - anyone who wants to play!

We went to Saxapahaw one night and ate at the Eddy Pub.  It was delicious, and gorgeous there.  I see many return trips in our future.

On a particularly "hard" day with Emma, my dad invited us to head out to the lake for a quick boat ride before the rain came in.  It was perfect...and just what Emma (and I) needed to turn our moods around.

Emma's also really into washing cars....and I will never turn down help these days!

For Memorial Day weekend, I headed to the lake in Gates with Emma and my parents, and Brent went offshore with some friends.  The drive to Gates was peaceful thanks to this scene here...

Family selfie Friday night!!

Brent sent me this picture at 6am Saturday as they headed out to sea..

and then this one later that day..

I drove to Washington Saturday night to meet Brent.  We stayed with our good friends, Marcus and Lilly, and had a great time.  This was my dinner view on the porch.

and my little buddy sittin with me to enjoy it:)

Sunday, we spent the day with Brent's family.  First, we went to Belhaven and we both paddle boarded for the first time.  I promise, I finally stood up...Brent just didn't get any pictures!  It was windy and choppy on the river, so it was quite a workout!  Then we ate dinner in Bath.

We came home Sunday night so that we could wake up in our own beds.  Emma hasn't been the best sleeper when we travel - she stays up way too late and no one gets any sleep.  We spent the day Monday cleaning, unpacking, and getting ready for our week.  This is my last week at work before my summer break.  I am beyond excited....but also really nervous about being home with Emma all week.  I haven't done that since maternity leave!  I know there will be good days and bad days.  I also know it will go really fast and I want to really enjoy every moment of it - the good and bad.  I am currently making a list of things I want to do, projects, fun trips, crafts, etc... for our summer.  I see a lot of lake trips, backyard pool days, and crafting ahead:)  

(and meltdowns, tears, eye rolls.....)

Speaking of crafts, I'll leave you with my current obsession - my seashell necklaces!  I think I have worn one about everyday.  I was really proud when I walked into SOUTH, and all the ladies were oohing and aahing over one of them - saying I should sell them, etc...  I have NO desire to sell things I make - that just takes it to another level of stress, and I do this because I LOVE making them.  I love seeing something, getting an idea and reproducing it for much less.  Don't ge me wrong, if someone wants to buy me a Twine and Twig piece, please, go ahead:)  

#loser

It's been a LLLLOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGG 2 weeks.  

I feel like anything that could go wrong, has.  

And I know that's not entirely true...but let's make a list, shall we?

1. May 9 (Friday) Emma begins to show signs of the infamous tantrum phase.  I feel like we only go through it 3 times a year, but when it's on, IT'S ON.  Errands become nightmares, Emma doesn't nap, she throws violent tantrums.....  Lucky for me, she threw one at Homegoods and the ABC Store this Friday.  It was horrifying.  I was truly embarassed, and worried for Emma's safety.  (Small children and glass bottles don't mix well)

One night this week, she literally almost kicked her door down.  She even cut her finger somehow in the the tamtrum.  It was bad...like neighbors might call the cops bad.  I'm hoping it ends soon or we may be getting out that "For Sale" sign.  #kidding

2. Mother's Day - I go out for a quick errand alone and come home to a child who needs her face glued at Urgent Care.  You can read it about that here.  While this one was not my fault, it was still painful and nerve-wracking.

3. I take Emma to workout Monday, and as we are leaving, I manage to lock her in the car.  As I was putting her in the carseat, I decided to use the automatic start to get the AC going.  To do this, you hit lock twice, then the engine button.  I placed the keys on the center console, buckled her in, then shut the back door and went to open my door.  But it was locked.

It was a hot day - about 11am, and the engine cuts off after 10 minutes.  I don't have On Star (because I'm cheap), and my hubby works 35 minutes away.  I find a friend who hasn't left yet and she decides we need to call 911.  Meanwhile, I call Brent to give him the bad news that I have locked our child in a hot car.  He races home (and by "races" I mean he runs everyone off the road between Raleigh and Chapel Hill), the police come, only to not have the tool they need to open the door. Emma is fine, but she's getting antsy and I'm trying to act normal so as not to alarm her (because I always put her in the car then proceed to stand outside of it for 30 minutes....)

Brent finally gets there and we unlock the car...Emma is crying, hot, and sweaty all over.  Her hair is wet.  I felt like a complete failure and idiot - because you may recall that I've locked myself out of the car or house twice now in 3 months (#loser)

She got over it quickly, but I think I have a few grey hairs, and less stomach lining.

4. Tuesday evening, I turn on the oven and begin to make a quiche for dinner.  I proceed to open the oven to place the quiche inside, and there is a fire.  FLAMES.  Something must have fallen and built up and was now ON FIRE in my oven.  I quickly shut the door, turn it off and panic for a second.  Why is it you can never dial the number or remember ANYTHING in panicked situations?  I'm calling Brent to tell him and I can't find the fire extinguisher (of. course.)  He's yelling at me to calm down, and I'm tearing our laundry room apart trying to find it.  I finally do, and it's still in the box, so I'm ripping it open and trying to figure out how to use it.  My plan was not open the oven until I had the extinguisher ready.  I'm blonde, so of course I had visions of flames shooting out of the oven like a furnace and didn't realize that it would go out as soon as I shut the door and cut it off.

Meanwhile, Emma is watching Umi Zoomi or some show like that and has no idea what has just happened. 

Let's all say it together....#loser  #blondemoment

5. I spent all week working with 5 other girls on a baby shower for my dear friend, Corrie.  And I finally lose it with one of the girls - partly my fault - and send her a rude email.  I feel bad about it, and smoothed things over for the most part.  I think I was just nearing the point where I had no more patience and I was receiving 15 emails a day about the shower and some of them passive aggressive.  I don't do passive aggressive.  I'd rather just be direct, cry for a minute, then move on knowing we all got it out.  But anywho.  I feel awful that I let stupid stuff get to me, and I know I am a better person than that.  Lesson learned - don't email when frazzled.

6. The baby shower is Sunday, and I am getting ready to pick up the cake at Whole Foods in Raleigh.  It was ordered Wednesday and supposed to be ready at 10am.  It's 10:45 and they CAN'T FIND MY CAKE.  I think I may have started to smoke a bit.  They start scrambling, because Blondie is about to have a moment, and tell me that their decorator called out sick so they have someone who can work on it now and it will be about 15 minutes.  I'm like, I don't want some thrown together cake that looks like I frosted it, I want it done right or not at all. It's made, but not iced or decorated yet.  I normally am very calm and forgiving, but I was not happy.  I had to go to Fresh Market, get another order of food there, take it to Oakwood to drop off, then drive all the way back to Whole Foods to get the cake.  The lady also warns me that since the cake has just been decorated, it has not had a chance to "set" in refrigeration, so I should drive real careful and not let it sit in the car.  So I get my cake, which they discounted a little, but not enough to please me at the moment, and drive like a grandma all the way to the shower.  I'm a nervous wreck.

So, there it is...my disaster of a week.  I am thankful, that nothing was worse than it was.  But I'm still frazzled, and I don't know why.  I only have one kid and can't seem to get it together half the time, and she's EASY.  I think I'll blame it on my hair..

Here's hoping this week is NOT like last week!!

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...

Y'all, a girl can never have enough jewelry...and I'm super excited about this little beauty that just made it's way onto my neck!

I saw the idea from a super cute mom-daughter duo that makes them in eastern NC.  Let be clear that I am completely in love with their stuff and will be buying some at some point (just not right now...it was either air conditioning in my car or jewelry...hubs made me get AC).  

They sell their jewelry through their Instagram account or at a few retailers:

-For Your Convenience in Raleigh (if you have not been here, you NEED to go.  Like NOW.  It is awesome!)

-Beaufort Linen Company (another new favorite spot that just opened up!)

-Marsh's Surf Shop

I felt a little bad about copying their design for myself, but then I heard that this mom/daughter get their ideas from Twine and Twig and that's how they started making their own affordable versions!  I love Twine and Twig jewelry too, but if it ain't gold, I ain't spending $200 on it.... 

Here is my inspiration...(please go follow them on Insta...super cute stuff and somewhat affordable - plus made in NC - can't beat that!)

And here is my version...

I have tons of shells at home, so I had Brent drill a hole through some of mine using his Dremel, then I painted the shell with 2 coats of Martha Stewart acrylic paint (which I had leftover from when I made the wood bead gold necklace).  Then, Ornamentea bead store in Raleigh had the seaglass beads, and I had some leftover wood beads from A.C. Moore.  I am really happy with how it turned out and can't wait to make more!  

Happy Wednesday, everyone!!

A whole lot of randomness...

Just a snippet of life these days....

Last week was Teacher Appreciation week, and I admit, I was not on top of it this year.  I wish I could afford to give Emma's teachers all something really special because I truly am sooo thankful for the awesome care they give Emma....but ironically, I am paying for daycare...which means I have no money.  (If you don't know, good daycare is outrageous...just sayin...)

This year, they sent out a newsletter telling parents not to forget about the support staff (floaters, the chef, etc...) and I totally get that because they work so hard but because they aren't assigned to a classroom, I bet their appreciation goodies are slim.  

So I decided to put together small things in a drink tumbler for all 9 of the staff/teachers at Emma's school (2 classroom teachers, 3 office admins, 3 floaters, and 1 chef).

I got the shower pouf, hand cream, and drink tumbler at the Dollar Tree (don't hate).  Then I went to Bath and Body Works for the shower gel.

I stuffed it all inside, and wallah!!!  Usually, I do gift cards, but figured at least everyone got a little something this year.  

Saturday, Brent had to work, so I took Emma to Marble's to meet some good friends' whose son was turning 5.  Emma had a blast!!

Here's Emma, Eli, and Lilly. 

(Emma and Eli are holding hands...be still my heart!!)

The rest of the kids...

Emma and Eli walked to the parking lot together like this...we all kept joking around wondering what they possibly could be talking about!

This past weekend, Emma also decided to poop on the potty (Carrie...this section is for you!!!!)  Emma has been peeing on the toilet for months now, but still wanted a pullup diaper to go poop.  I really wasn't that upset about it, because I had heard horror stories about having to sit in the bathroom for hours waiting for your child to poop.  All of a sudden, Emma wanted to get out of her bath and go poop on the toilet.  I was certain she was bluffing and would just sit there for a second, then get up and ask for a pullup...but low and behold.......

Emma pooped in the toilet!

(I had a poop picture..in the raw here, but then after looking at it, decided my toilet was dirty and that was more disgusting to me than Emma's poop...so consider yourself spared!)

I will include Emma's first real flush...which actually required 2 flushes and some plunging from dad...yep...Emma stopped up the toilet (Brent was soooo proud!)

Brent and I screamed in excitement the whole time and praised her!  She didn't seem too phased and looked kind of scared actually ("who are these crazy people and do I have to live with them forever?!?!?")

Unfortunately, we have not had any success since...and I held off on making her go Sunday since she had just spent her afternoon at Urgent Care. I did get back on the wagon yesterday and wouldn't give her a pullup.  I told her she had to go on the potty.  Am I messing up here?  Will it backfire?  Any advice mommas????

Anyway, I bet you're super glad you read this post and got to see such awesome pictures:)

Mother's Day 2015

This year's Mother's Day was perfectly imperfect...just what motherhood is all about.  Embracing the chaotic moments that one by one seem impossible and awful, but all together make life lovely and beautiful.

Brent had made plans for an awesome dinner Saturday night...to meet some good friends in Kinston to eat at Chef and the Farmer..but they fell through at the last minute.  It was a surprise to me, so I didn't even know about it.  Then, it was almost impossible for Brent to find anywhere in the Triangle to eat due to graduation and Mother's day...but he did so the plans were to eat out that night.  But after a long day and lingering bad cold, I just didn't feel well enough to go out to dinner.  I know that sounds lame, but if I'm gonna go out to eat a nice meal, I want to be able to enjoy it.  So we chilled at home and had a low key night (perfect for me...although of course I still want date night!)

Sunday morning, Brent gave me this card...which still makes me crack up!

We headed to church and Brent was awesome all day - I barely had to do anything - which is exactly what this day should be like!  

While Brent took Emma to the grocery store, I cleaned the house and then headed out to run a quick errand.  I sent Brent this text...

I was pulling back into the driveway when I saw Brent backing out....and kinda fast.  I thought he might run into me.  He yelled out the window for me to park the car and get in.  I thought.. "ooh...another Mother's day surprise!!" but I quickly saw panic in his face.  He told me to get in the backseat and that Emma had hurt herself.  

Jesus take the wheel.  You never want to hear those words.

I raced in and sweet Emma was holding her cheek with a towel.  She had stopped crying and was settled down.  She had been playing with fatwood (thick sticks that you can use to start fires).  She likes to pretend they're drumsticks.  Somehow, she tripped carrying one and fell on it.  It stabbed her little cheek.

I was surpringly calm...probably because I didn't witness it and all the blood that first came out.  Brent is much better at those type situations than I am.  I tend to over react and freak out...

We went to urgent care and prayed that they could glue it (stitches on a toddler near her eye seemed like an impossible idea).  The docs were super sweet and all the staff wanted to see little Emma's cheek...even before we got in her room.  They assured us they were certain they could glue it, which was a huge relief.

She was so good in the room.  I let her watch Doc McStuffins on my phone and she loved getting a"check up" just like Doc did on her toys.

And she did great laying down with me while the doctor rinsed out her wound....

But then she refused to lay still for the gluing.  The first try, she cried and her tears got into the glue, so it didn't work.  We had to forcefully hold her down while the nurse pushed her cheek together and the doctor applied the glue.  It was the most painful thing Brent and I had been through yet.  I know far too well that this was really nothing and other parents have way more horrific experiences with their children.  But having to hold your child down while she screams and yells and kicks was excruciating.  We were all in tears by the end.  The worst part is that after the glue gets put on, the nurse has to continue to hold her cheek together to make sure it dries for at least a minute.  

As soon as we let Emma up she leaped into our arms. And we didn't let go for awhile.  She was soo scared and I'm sure it hurt.  The staff was soo sweet and caring and I am thankful for a good experience.  They were probably worn out after that too.

When we were leaving, we noticed the waiting room was now full, and the people all kind of smiled at us with empathy when we walked out...I can't imagine what it must have sounded like for them!  

Despite it all, Emma was fine and perked right up as soon as it was over.  She requested a Happy Meal for dinner, so that's exactly what she had.  She could have asked for the moon, and we would have gotten it for her.  

Brent and I made banana pancakes for dinner and snuggled on the couch with Emma.  So, obviously, it was a less than ideal Mother's day...but it was perfect to me.  I know Emma is going to get hurt, and I know I can't always be there.  I was blessed to be able to care for her, and also parent together with Brent.  He is my rock, and I'm only a good mother because he takes such good care of us;)  

And of course....I beyond blessed with my own mother.  This lady loves me and Emma more than anything and always finds ways to show us.  She'll come over in a heartbeat to help, and never thinks twice about it.

I am thankful for a memorable, laughable, perfectly-imperfect Mother's day...and more importantly, for the tiny, sweet little voice that calls me mommy;)