Recaps

I have been incredibly slack about posting the last few days.  We had a super busy weekend of family, friends, and football, and I was still recovering yesterday.  

Since I'm on this huge diet kick right now, I made a couple of appetizers from the Hungry Girl Cookbook for our little football party; Sliders (Recipe here) and Cocktail Weenies (Recipe here).  I have to say that I was a little proud of myself because they turned out delicious!  And the best part was that it was half the calories!

Sunday, Aaron and I met up with Ashley for a Mexican lunch, and some catching-up back at my house.  We had a blast!  It's always so nice to get together with friends that you don't see that often.  Looking forward to our next lunch date, A. :)

I think I'm going to order Jillian's 30 Day Shred.  I've lost 5 pounds so far on my 1200 calorie diet, but I want to kick it up a notch.  This post-pregnancy weight is a pain!  I've never had 10 extra pounds cling to my body like this before.  Somethings gotta give.

I'm exhausted.  I'll do better tomorrow.  Promise.

What happened?

Today started with the promise of being a good day.  I woke up feeling a teeny bit better than I did yesterday, and after chugging a glass of water, popping a Z pill, and some Ibuprofen I was ready for the world.......somewhat.  After Aaron had his bottle and played for a couple of hours, it was time for his morning nap.  I love the morning nap; well, I love all naps (ME time), but I love the morning nap because it's my time to take a shower, throw on some clothes and makeup, settle in on the couch with a second cup of coffee, and make my to do list for the day.  I guess you could say the morning nap sets the tone for the rest of the day.  So, after showering and dressing, my doorbell rings.  My first thought is, "Dammit.  Aaron still has twenty minutes let of nap time."  Twenty-less minutes of nap time in our house is never a good thing.  I go to the door, and see my in-laws standing there.  I knew they were coming into town this weekend, I just did not know they would be at my house at 10:30 AM.  Eeeeekkkkk!!!!!  Aaron, of course, wakes up, so I decide to run Sophie May to the groomer while they watch A for a little bit.  After getting back and giving Aaron another bottle, I mosey on over to Tuesday Morning (just my favorite store in the whole world) to pick out some pretty new fall decorations, and a new bathroom rug.  (Y'all, this place makes me such a happy girl.  I absolutely cannot wait until Adam, Aaron, and I are in a bigger house where I can decorate to my heart's content.)  I was so excited for my soft new rug, fall wreath and place mats, and planter stakes.  Then I got home, and that's when all hell broke loose.  After putting Aaron down for a much-needed afternoon nap, I settled in for a turkey sandwich and a little All My Children.  Not even thirty minutes later, the doorbell rings.  Are you effin' kidding me?  Another nap interruption??  I go to the door with a look on my face that could kill, and lo and behold, it's our exterminator, Chris.  Dammit.  Totally forgot he was coming, and of course, Aaron had just settled down for his two hour nap.  Chris is probably one of the nicest men I have ever known.  He's the kind of man that I could probably tell him all the members of my family, and he would remember their names, and ask about them when I see him every three months.  As soon as I open the door, I whisper, "Aaron is sleeping."  Chris, in his loud, country voice says, "Oh, that's alright!  I'll just be a minute!"  Famous last words.  Aaron, hears him, wakes up.  Shit.  Chris precedes to stay for 20 minutes chatting away about the heat, roaches, and my Brita Pitcher (I fixed him some water, and he just could not get over the fact there was a filter inside my pitcher).  "Where can I get one of these things, Hayley?  Ikea or some nice department store?  I bet it's expensive."  "Well, actually Chris, I got mine at Walgreens for 12 bucks.  They're really not that great."  This is how our conversation went for 10 minutes while my baby was crying.  After he finally left around 2 pm, I basically spent the rest of the afternoon tending to a mad baby (because he never got his nap, and refused to go back to sleep), and fighting this sinus infection that I really think is slowly killing me.  Need.A.Drink.  STAT!

Now Adam is finally home, we're about to order pizza (screw the diet tonight), and I am vegging completely out.  Holla!

Yuckiness

Day 2 of sickness in the Mosely household, and the bug has officially bit me.  I woke up at 4AM this morning with a scratchy throat, and knew I was done for.  I called my Obstetrician's office (since that is the only regular doctor that I go to) to see if the Nurse Practitioner could call something into CVS for me.  Nope, I have to actually go into the office to be "accessed."  Bummer.  Just call me in a Z-pack and I'll be good to go, ya know?  I hate that Aaron and I are both sick at the same time.  Hoping Adam can avoid this bug altogether.

That's all for now.  Fixing to cuddle on the couch with Sophie May while Aaron naps.  I promise better blogging tomorrow.

Shenanigans

"Blah" is the word for today.  It's Monday, I completely screwed my diet this weekend, and most importantly, my Aaron is sick. :(  I'm so sad.  I think I'm taking it harder than he is.  This morning he had a temperature of 101, and I called the Doc immediately.  Basically after they pricked his finger to get a blood count, I was told that monkey man had a cold.  Boo.  He's napping at this moment, and I'm hoping he's getting some good rest so he can get better.  

My in-laws kept Aaron Saturday night, so I could go to a Bachelorette Party in Atlanta Saturday night.  They took him to church yesterday, and here's a picture of my dapper little guy all dressed up in his Sunday best:

Isn't he just a love?

So, I went to a Bachelorette Party this weekend.  It rocked.  Six of my girlfriends and I headed up to Atlanta for a raucous girls night out on the town.  I'll say it again, as I've said it before:  I can't hang.....not anymore.  I was already drunk by the time our appetizers landed on our table at 10:00 pm (we had late dinner reservations).  We dined at Season's 52, and it was amazing.  Their Hawaiian Pineapple Cosmo was absolutely delicious, refreshing, and strong.  So strong in fact, that I had to order coffee in order to make it to the bar.  I was that girl with my eyes half-closed, stupid smile plastered on my face, and laughing incessantly.  Such a dork.  Anyhow, we all shared several appetizers, and can I just say they were delectable?  We ordered: Edamame, Goat Cheese Ravioli, Crab & Shrimp-stuff Mushrooms,  Sushi, and a Goat Cheese flat bread.  Needless to say, by the time our entrees arrived we were stuffed.  I had the Tiger Shrimp Penne pasta, and it was scrumptious.  Later, our waiter brought out shot glasses of mini desserts, that included: Rocky Road, Peanut Butter Mousse, Key Lime Pie, and Blueberry Cheesecake.  Heaven.  The awesome thing about this place was that everything was under 475 calories; although, I'm sure between the martinis, appetizers, entree, and dessert I had easily consumed at least 1000.  I was totally convinced that if I ate another bite, my ass would totally rip my "jeggings" in half; especially since I definitely planned on requesting that "Pretty Boy Swag" be played at least twice when we got to the bar.

After dinner, we headed over to East Andrews for the dance party.  Our first stop was Andrews Upstairs, where we all took turns getting in the "cage," and pretending we were Jessica Alba a la Sin City, while singing every word of "Oh Sheila!"  After wards, we went downstairs and after a few tries in the phone booth, got into their private lounge, Prohibition, where we drank martinis and smoked cigars.  Don Draper would have been so proud. We then took the party back outside, and danced until 3 AM.  Here are some pics taken before the night began:

Lauren & I posing before the night began.....

The bride!  Isn't her veil the cutest?

It was an awesome night, and we had a fantastic time.  Thank God for girlfriends and GNO's; I don't know what I would do without both! Congratulations to our bachelorette, Nicole, who will be getting married in 3 weeks- whoop whoop!

Off to check on my baby love.  Crossing my fingers for a better day tomorrow......

Book Review

I just finished reading Emily Giffin's Heart of the Matter last night.  I have to say, I'm disappointed.  Normally, I love everything this woman writes, but not this one.  Basically, the story involves two women, Tessa and Valerie, and how their lives interact after Valerie's son is in an accident.  In true Emily Giffin style it involves hooking up, marriage woes, trust, and fidelity.  Although the story was told through two narratives in the same book (rather than two narratives in separate books like Something Borrowed and Something Blue), I still found myself disliking one woman, and wishing the other woman would take charge of her life.  I don't want to give too much away in case you're planning on reading; however, it just was not a favorite of mine. On a happier note, I'm super excited about Something Borrowed the movie!  Kate Hudson, John Krasinski, and Ginnifer Goodwin are just a few of the big names, so you know it's going to be really good.


Next on the book list includes:


I read Firefly Lane by her and loved it.  We'll see if this one is just as good!


I plan to read this soon.  I know I'm like 6 years behind, but I need more religion in my life.  Hope this book is as inspiring as I've heard it was......

What are you reading?

Randoms for your Thursday.....

Are y'all loving the "fallish" weather as much as I am??  I totally broke out my new, Express cardigan (see post here), and intend to wear it as long as I can stand it today.  Fall is my favorite season of the year for these reasons: non-frizzy hair, boots and scarves, the Griffin Fair (no, I'm not kidding), and of course, the holiday hoopla.  Lately, I've been drawn to lots of neutral colors; hence, the black, tan, and cream color clothing that I keep on purchasing.  Besides Banana Republic, what stores do you recommend for stylish, but understated clothing that I can purchase for not-so-steep prices?


Speaking of neutrals, Adam and I have decided to paint our kitchen a lovely shade of chocolate brown, repaint our white cabinets, and find some nice satin nickel knobs to replace our tarnished handles.  Yeah, I know the chocolate brown probably does not sound that aesthetically pleasing, but after speaking with a sales representative in Sherwin Williams regarding color choices I was sold.  To make a long story short, she had to rebuild her house from the ground up because of fire damage, and painted her kitchen walls brown, and cabinets white.  She sold her house in 11 days.  Yep, 11 days.....in this economy.  Granted, I'm sure the decision to purchase her house was not based solely on the kitchen, but she believes the neutral colors did factor into the decision.  After showing me a picture of her refinished kitchen, I grabbed a paint swatch, and went home to talk to Adam.  I'm thinking (fingers crossed) that we will be painting the kitchen next weekend.....excited!  You see, Adam and I will be putting the house back on the market within the next couple of months, and in the current real estate world I feel that we need to make as many small updates that we can without breaking the bank.  We'll see how it all turns out!


Happy Thursday! 

Yummies: The Baby Edition

A few weeks ago, I was chatting with my sister-in-law about all things baby.  Last April, her and her husband adopted a baby boy that was two weeks younger than Aaron.  I'm sure you can imagine how much fun (and trouble) we're going to have with these two as they grow up.  Anyway, she told me that she was making baby food, and how much money she was saving doing it.  I was super excited hearing this, as Adam and I are all about saving money these days.  I also love the idea that it's organic in that it's made in my kitchen, it's healthier for Aaron, and I'm sure the taste is better.  

Friday afternoon, armed with a sweet potato and steamer basket, I dived into the world of baby-food making.  After peeling the sweet potato, and cutting into chunks, I decided to document.  Here you go:

Sweet potatoes, cut in pieces, arranged in the steamer basket inside stock pot.  I had already boiled around 1/4 of a cup of water; added the basket with the potatoes, and let it sit for 20 minutes with the lid on top.

After the potatoes cooked, I then put them in the food processor and pureed until soft.

Scooped the potatoes out, put them in ice cube trays.  This is 16 days worth of food from one potato.  Wow!

I put a sweet potato cube in a freezer bag to thaw over night in the refrigerator.  Put the cube in a bowl, heated it up for around 10 seconds, added a little water, and Aaron is officially about to try Mom's homemade sweet potatoes..........

And, he likes them!!!  Next up, green apples!

Welcome to the World!

I've been meaning to post a shout-out to our friends, Julie and Jared, who welcomed a baby girl into the world on Thursday, September 9th!  So, so happy for both of them!!!  We love you guy's and we can't wait to meet Miss Carolina!!!

The Mean Lady

Happy Saturday, friends, or should I say, Happy Football day!  We are literally about to hit the ground running; we have friends coming over around noon for the Georgia game, and we have brats to get on the grill, baked beans to be cooked, and pasta salad to be made.  Carbs aren't banned over here!  Which leads me to ask, what's your favorite game-day drink?  I am typically a wine drinker, but on a sunny Saturday afternoon a glass of Cab doesn't sound appealing.  Is there a yummy cocktail you would recommend?  Nothing heavy; just light and fun.  Gimme' some feedback people! :)

I meant to post yesterday, but spent most of the day running errands, laundry, cooking, the list goes on.  Went by Kroger armed with at least 20 coupons, and saved $35 bucks- woohoo!  I know that's probably not a lot compared to the coupon masters out there, but I'm getting there.  So, I get in the checkout lane, and me and the bag boy start stacking my groceries on the conveyor belt.  Y'all, I had a lot of groceries.  We normally only buy groceries twice a month, so when I go it's serious.  Anyway, as I'm waiting for the cashier to finish scanning all of my coupons, I hear this older lady in the same lane huffing and puffing.  She's telling people in the next lane over that "all she has is this one loaf of bread, and this girl in front of me has all these groceries and she should have let me go first."  She is seriously going on and on.  Look, had I seen this older lady with her one loaf of bread before I started loading all of my groceries on the belt, I would have gladly let her go before me.  However, I did not, and it was too late to turn back now.  So, I generously offered to buy her loaf of bread so she could get it and go.  She refused, and I offered again since I now felt bad; she refused again and said she had her own money.  You would think at that point she would have stopped complaining, as I was now paying for my food, but she kept on complaining to anyone that would listen to her!  Listen, I respect my elders, and if they need help I gladly offer my hand, but sometimes I think they use their age as a reason to be rude.  There was a self check-out lane 2 rows over; those lanes are made for people that just have a few purchases!  All I can do is roll my eyes, and in the future plan on keeping my eyes open for old women with loaves of Captain Derst's bread.

RIP Rich Cronin

Yesterday my friend, Lauren, met Jennifer Aniston.  She had driven to Atlanta to audition for a role as Jennifer Aniston's stand-in in a movie titled "Wanderlust."  To make a long story short, Lauren went to the actual set where they were filming, and Jennifer Aniston said: "Hey, I'm Jen."  Lauren said that she was in such shock she could barely breathe, let alone speak.  She ended up introducing herself to Ms. Aniston, after having a private freak-out, and shook her hand.  Lauren swore that her hands tingled- haha!  After wards, she called me to recount the amazing moment; she didn't get the part, but we agreed that just meeting Jennifer Aniston was worth the drive to be turned down.  She said that she was still in such shock, and now knew there was such a thing as being "starstruck."  I said I totally agreed.  

Don't hate, but I had that same feeling when I saw the boy band, LFO, in NYC in July 2001.  If you don't remember LFO, you've got to remember the "Abercrombie & Fitch" song.  Remember now?  K, so I saw them in front of the Virgin Mega-store on Times Square.  I had taken the trip with my boyfriend at the time, and his mother.  We were driving to Canada (long story for another day), and stopped in New York for a long weekend since I had never been.  We were walking around the city, doing touristy stuff, and the Virgin store was our next stop.  I didn't see the boy band at first; my boyfriend's mom did.  She said, "Hayley, look at the front of the store.  I think they must be famous."  Sure enough, I turned around and there were Rich Cronin, Devin Lima, and Brad Fischetti of LFO (Lyte Funky Ones.....hehehehe).  They were in all their boy band glory; the fake tans, gelled man bangs, gold chains, and left and right ear piercings were way too much for me to handle.  I froze.  I was the first girl to spot them at that moment; I had the perfect opportunity to get an autograph, and possibly a hug and I literally froze.  I couldn't speak and I couldn't move. Even my boyfriend nudged me their way, but my feet were stuck to the cement.  Basically, I never got the courage, and a minute later LFO was bum-rushed by a wave of girls, and I was left behind.  How dorky am I??  Although, they were only "big" for a couple of months, I still cannot believe how starstruck I was.

Imagine how surprised I was to learn that Rich Cronin (the hot blond) died of leukemia today.  He was only 36.  Isn't that so sad? It's so weird that I was just talking about him, and that experience to Lauren yesterday, and I found out from her that he died today.  Life works in mysterious ways.......RIP Rich Cronin.

Anyhow, I thought I'd share my little brush with celebrity.  Although I'm sure I would have froze when meeting Jennifer Aniston, I would quickly get my act together to shake her hand and say "I can't stand that b*#ch, Angelina.  Team Aniston forever and always"  ;)

Nighty-night!

Like a Prayer

Last week, L Cpl Blake Rodgers was killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan.  This young, handsome man was only twenty years old; he had his life ahead of him, and it was taken from him in an instant while he was serving our country.  I did not know Blake, as I am a lot older than he is, but coming from such a small town where "everybody knows everything about everybody," I have heard a lot of wonderful things about him and his lovely family.  His body was brought back to the states this past weekend, and he and his family made their way back to Griffin this morning by a motorcade of policemen and firefighters.  Although I was unable to be there, many people uploaded videos they took with their cameras, and it was truly one of the most moving tributes to a fallen hero that I have ever seen.  God bless this brave Marine, and his family as I am sure this will be a very tough and trying time.  

As I was on Facebook viewing this heartfelt tribute, I came across people asking for prayer.  Asking for prayer is wonderful and inspiring; I believe in the power of prayer, and it is always so wonderful to see the many people that share in your beliefs.  However, I don't want to see your prayer request for: your child to poop, your hair appointment/color job to look great, your lack of sleep, your period to appear (yes, I have actually seen those), your hard day at work, or any other dumb-ass status update.  There are people that are going through difficult times: death, loss, sick children, job loss, dying parents, and you want me to pray for you because you had a rough day??  Get over yourself.

I hate that I even had to include that rant in a post that should be solely dedicated to this brave young man, but it just had to be said.  I know there have been several times in my life where I was "me, me, me" and horribly selfish, but then something as sad as this happens, and I find out that I'm pretty darn lucky to be blessed with the life that I have.  So tonight, and tomorrow night, and the next night, I will be praying for this brave Marine who lost his life protecting us, and I will be praying for his family and friends for strength in their days ahead.

Happy Labor Day!

Is everyone having a good Labor Day weekend?  Our time spent with the fam has been great.  Aaron and I have had a great time catching up, eating, playing outside, eating, napping, eating, shopping, eating (did I mention eating) all weekend long.  I've just given up on dieting.  I figure that if apply the art of "everything in moderation" to everything that I consume, and "work on my fitness" at least 4-5 times a week I should be okay.  Of course, the "everything in moderation" rule has been hard when my mom is whipping up goodies such as French Dip Sandwiches, Cheese Grits, and Potato Salad (just to name a few).  In the spirit of yummy food that's not so yummy for my waist line, I made Paula Deen's Strawberry Cream Shortcake for our Labor Day cookout tonight.  Here's the finished product:

It was pretty good if I do say so myself.  :)

Enjoy the rest of your Labor Day weekend, friends!

Just a little baby bragging.......

Happy Friday, everyone!  Aaron and I are visiting my parents on this long Labor day weekend, and from the looks of this picture, Aaron is loving his new swing at Nana and Pop's house.

My oh my, what ever did I do without this scrumptious, beautiful, wonderful, monkey man??  He's just delicious!

I am about to head to bed.  I had two glasses of cheap Merlot at dinner with my parents, and am ready to call it a night. 

Oh, and before I forget....... GO DAWGS!!  (my hubby would be really turned on by the fact that i just wrote that, fyi) :)

Nighty-night!

The Best Lip Gloss

My many attempts to be as frugal as possible with personal necessities has not included the contents my makeup bag.  Clinique's Bronzer, and MAC's Eye shadow have officially spoiled me completely, and don't even get me started on the Too Faced line of lipstick (it rocks).  

In the meantime, I have to shed some light on the best lip gloss ever: Bare Escentual's Buxom.

This lip gloss is incredible.  I stumbled upon this genius find in December, while doing some pre-Christmas shopping.  This gloss is the perfect mix of shine and moisture, and color.  It is rare that you can find a great gloss that offers all three of those benefits.  Also, there is a bit of the lip plumper added in ( I know these "lip plumpers" are such scams, but I do love the feel of tingling lips.)

My favorite shade is "Candi," although, I am completely open to trying many of their other shades.  You can find this line at Sephora and Ulta.  Hope you check it out!

Something new and blue!

A few months ago my mom told me about these cool necklaces that double as teething rings.  I made a mental note to check into this genius invention when the time arrived.  Friends, the time has arrived.  Aaron will gnaw on anything he can get his hands and mouth on including, but not limited to: mine and Adam's fingers (as a side note: we now keep sanitizer everywhere in our house), all of his toys, including the toys attached to his Exersaucer and walker (he just leans over and chews- haha!), my phone, the remote control, and even at one point Sophie May's ear.  I'm not kidding.  I decided to visit Smart Mom Jewelry last week to pick out my necklace .  Cute online store!  My necklace came in yesterday, and here's a pic:

It's super cute, right?!  And, it's called Teething Bling.  Love!  The pendants are made from a food-safe, federally-approved silicone, and they're not only stylish, but resourceful.  The website also offered patterned donut shaped pendants, bangles, and onesies. 

Can't wait to wear it!