Mamakat

Goodness, I haven't blogged in a week! 

It's not that things have been particularly exciting; since last week was mostly spent inside away from the rain, Aaron and I had a lot of time to watch movies, build "sire trucks" out of Legos, read books, and (of course) hit up an indoor playground or two. We headed to my parents for the weekend and got to spend some much-needed time with family.  Last Thursday was my grandmother's (affectionately known as Mamakat) birthday, so me, Aaron, my mom, my Aunt Trish, my cousin Jill, and Jill's precious baby girl, Mary Leigh, went to The French Market in Locust Grove for lunch.  The food was delicious, but being with my family (minus my sweet sister and other family members) was the best.  We all don't get to see each other as often as we'd like so when we do it's nonstop conversation and laughter.  Here's a pic of Aaron and his cousin, Mary Leigh.  Are they not the sweetest things in the world??

presh

I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know how old my grandmother is.  Sadly, I don't even have a recent picture of her.  How terrible is that?  I should have taken a picture of her yesterday with her great-grandbabies and totally blanked.  Here's a pic of her from 4-5 years ago (I think...)

As you can see good looks & good drinks run in the family ;)

I love her so much.  I don't tell her enough.  I need to be a better granddaughter.  I need to call more, go see her and Pawpaw more.  She's gotten so old now.  She uses a cane to walk, and will ask you the same questions over and over again.  She's smart as a whip.  She's not as quick as she used to be, but every now and then she'll surprise you with her quick-wit.  She cusses like a sailor.  She can be totally inappropriate.  I remember going to see her once while I was in college.  I was 19 and (of course) thought that I was the coolest chick around.  I remember eating lunch (she used to be the best cook) with her and Pawpaw.  I was telling them some elaborate story, and I happened to have on a low-cut shirt that day.  After finishing my story Mamakat replied "You just walking around with your titties hanging out?"  I fell over laughing, and the funny thing was she did, too.  She was like that.  Another one of my favorite things she ever said: I had a Honda Civic with a sun roof, and when the weather was warm and beautiful, I kept that thing open.  One day I happened to drive over to see her and Pawpaw.  After our visit, they walked me out to my car (like they always have) to say goodbye.  Well Mamakat did not understand "why on earth" I had left my sun roof open while I was not in the car.  Instead of fearing rain, a break-in, etc., she said "Hayley, somebody could have come over to your car and poured a "Cocola" through that window."  I think I laughed so hard I had tears that day.

We almost lost her in 2003.  While undergoing an operation, she had a stroke during surgery.  She survived, but we thought she'd never be the same.  The doctor's had prepared us for the worst; she might not be able to speak correctly if at all, she might not know us, etc.  I remember leaving the hospital in tears the day that happened; we had gone to her room to see her, and all she could do was hold my hand.  It was like she knew who I was, but was struggling to say my name.  I cried all the way home from the hospital.  A couple of days later we went back to the hospital.  At the time it was me, my mom, and my dad.  My dad had not yet seen Mamakat; all he knew was what we'd told him about our last visit and what the doctor's had said.  Basically, we were preparing him for the worst.  Lo and behold, we walked back into the room and clear as day she said "all they're giving me to eat is this damn jello."  She was back.  God gave her back to us.  We were overjoyed.

Since then, she's been our Mamakat, but a more toned-down version of herself.  She's not as fiery, but the fire's still there.  She's not as quick, but her wit's still there.  I don't know what goes on in that big brain of hers, but I hope she knows how much I love her.  To take the one line out of Jodie Foster's infamous Golden Globes speech that made sense to me:

“But this is the only important one to take in: I love you, I love you, I love you. And I hope that if I say this three times, it will magically and perfectly enter into your soul, fill you with grace and the joy of knowing that you did good in this life."

You're a great grandmother, Mamakat. :)

~LL

Globes

Golden Globes.  Thoughts?  My sister and I were just texting about how good it was, and how it actually held our attention for the whole 3 hour-long broadcast.  Of course, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were hilarious and that helped a lot.

My girl Ashley over at Kindredly has already given a great recap of the Globes so I'll *try* to keep it simple and short:

• Zooey D: Love her (shocker) and loved her red dress.  Disappointed she didn't win Best Actress in Comedy/Musical series (Lena Dunham did).  I thought Zooey D totally deserved it. 
• JLaw.  Absolutely gorge.  She had on red as well, and I have to say her girls looked pretty fab.  So glad she won.  I think she's hilarious.  And bless her heart, sister was battling the flu and a breakup.  She should totally hook it up with Bradley Cooper.
• Claire Danes: Rough.  Sorry.  Normally I love her, but last night she looked way too pale and had way too much raccoon eye going on.  She's so naturally beautiful; flaunt it if you got it, honey!  One thing's for sure, new mama has a bangin' body after babe.  Go gurrrl.
• Kristen Bell and Dax Shepherd:  One word: adorable. 
• Adele: I think she's so classically beautiful.  I cannot believe she's 24; she looks 34.  And I say that as a compliment....really.  Love that her date was a new "mum" and they were out tying one on. 
• Kate Hudson: She's such a hottie.  I loved her dress, and I love the fact that she always looks like she's having a great time.  Where was Matt Bellamy?
• Jennifer Garner: I thought she was beautiful.  Loved the smokey eyes, nude lips, and sparkly, red dress.  I also loved that she was showing some skin.  I mean, she just had her third child!  I think Ben Affleck's the lucky one in this coupling for sure. 
• JLo and Lea Michele: I'm grouping those two together because they are both the queens of duckface.  They're pretty and tan.  That's as far as it goes.
• Anne Hathaway:  Ughhhh.  Sorry.  She just annoys me so bad.  Thank God she won.  Maybe she won't feel the need to show us her lady bits again.  As for her look: typical.  Kinda boring.  She needs to grow her hair back out. 

A few of my other favorites: Hayden Panettiere,  Connie Britton, Sofia Vergara, Marion Cotillard, Jessica Chastain, Jessica Alba.

A few that need to do better next year: Sienna Miller....and Sienna Miller.  (wth was she thinking??)

One last thought:  If Nene Leakes can go to the Golden Globes than I sure as hell can go.

That's all.

~LL

Sweet Sundays

Sophie May and I are camped out in my room, watching New Years Eve on HBO, while my husband has taken over the living room to watch the Falcon's play.  We had to get away from him.  Apparently, today is the Falcon's playoff game and a serious nail-biter.  Or in Adam's case, you're biting your nails, you haven't taken a shower, and you're going back and forth between pacing the room and/or yelling at the TV.  This is the exact way I feel before Britney performs live these days. 

Today is a big day, y'all.  Golden Globes comes on tonight AND it's the Girls season premiere.  Wha??  I can't even handle it.  Will JHutch make an appearance at the Globes in a dapper suit??  Will Hannah tell Adam that she loves him too and will Marnie get back together with Charlie on Girls??  Eeekk!

Yesterday, Ashley and I met up for a Mexican lunch and we had a blast.  A 1:00 pm lunch turned into three skinny margs, a shopping trip, and an (almost) Michael Kors bag purchase.  *This is what happens when you drink tequila during the day.*  Luckily, our restaurant is planted in a shopping center so we were able to walk off the alcohol, and aside from the fact that I accidentally knocked over a boot display in Dillards, no one was harmed.  I even kept my spending to a minimum only buying a long-sleeved knit tee on clearance at Express, a fabulous new iPhone cover, and a couple of pairs of earrings from NY&Co.  Nothing like a full afternoon with a dear friend that you so rarely get to see!

Before I forget, Adam and I had date night Friday and we went to see Silver Linings Playbook and it was awesome.  Bradley Cooper is gorge and y'all know how much I adore some JLaw.  I won't go into tons of details, but it's basically about a guy (Bradley Cooper) who is released from a Mental Health Institute, moves back in with his parents, and meets JLaw's character.  It's hilarious, but in a dark way if that makes sense.  Adam and I loved it.  So, if you're in a movie-going mood I totally recommend it!

Au revoir!

~LL

Favorite Things Friday Part Deux

I love Friday's.  Don't we all?  Today, although overcast, has felt (in the words of Penny on Happy Endings) "ahmazing."  Aaron's in shorts and a t-shirt; I'm in cropped jeans, a tee, and flats.  Love it. 

In addition to having coffee this morning with one of my nearest and dearest, I got to hit up "Tarjay" during Aaron's naptime for a few essentials....and a few nonessentials.  Check out my new flats:

Thirteen bucks, baby.  I know they're nothing special; however, the only flats I have right now are hot pink and can be a bit too much when paired with yellow skinny jeans. 

I also came home to two packages in the mail: my leggings order from F21 and my January Birchbox- whoop!

Cute puppy girl not included

I ordered 4 different pairs of leggings Sunday, because I'm over jeans.  I wear them every day.  As much as I love them, some days I just want to throw a cute tunic over some leggings, put on some flats, and be done with it.  I got a gray pair, navy pair, a black, ribbed pair, and an Aztec patterned pair.  Nothing special- they were all on sale so I paid 20 bucks tops on them, and got some free press-on nails with it (just a tad trashy). 

Birchbox included some face/hand cream, eye "gellies" (excited about trying these), perfume, eye primer, and some hair stuff.  Not my fave BB, but nevertheless, they're always nice to find in your mailbox.  The $10/month is totally worth it in my eyes!

Before I forget, I have to tell y'all about my new favorite thing: Caress Sheer Twilight body wash. 

(image via)

Y'all, this junk smells amazing.  Like Bath and Body Works delicious.  Plus, the most you'll pay is $5.  I'm wondering if this is what Bella must smell like to Edward.  So far, Mr. Sparkles hasn't shown up and impregnated me with his half human/half vampire babe, but I'll be sure to keep y'all posted. ;) 


I forgot to mention this yesterday: People's Choice Awards.  Did you watch it Wednesday night?  You know I did.  I only watched to catch a glimpse of my younger lovah', JHutch.  Of course, I got tired of watching it, turned it off at 10:45, and lo and behold, he made an appearance in the last fifteen minutes with JLaw and Liam. 

Look at my little nugget.  I could just put him in my pocket and carry him around. 

They kinda make a cute couple.  Heffa. (image via)

And one last thing before we depart for the evening: Beyonce's GQ interview.  Thoughts?  Celebitchy covered this today.  Can we say egomaniac?  Someone's been hanging around Kanye too much.  Seriously, who does this woman think she is?  Yes, she's beautiful, and enormously talented.  Yes, her concert is the best concert I've ever been to.  But you know what, there are millions of people in the world doing their thing and rocking it, and we don't hear them saying, "I'm more powerful than my mind can even digest and understand."  Girl, get off your high horse and take that blonde weave out of your hair.  When it comes down to it you're a person just like every one else.

And that's my two cents.

Off to love on my most favorite person in the world!

~LL

I'm fixing to rock this shhhh.....

I Zumba'd yesterday.  For the first time.  OMG- what a work out!  I met one of my besties, Jessica, who's been "Zumbaing" for quite some time now.  Jess had already stated she had never seen "a white girl shake it like that."  Um, she was right.  This girl could have easily been one of Beyonce's backup dancers.  The class was an hour long and within the first ten minutes I thought there was no way I was going to make it through.  I was imagining the different ways I could leave: fake a family emergency, maybe I could "pretend" to pass out, fake puking, ANYTHING to get me out of what I just committed myself to.  Luckily after about 20 minutes of serious struggling my second wind kicked in, and I finished the class.  I know I probably looked like Gwyneth Paltrow at a Jay-Z concert, but I can honestly say that it was a lot of fun.  And I must be crazy, because I'm going back next week.  Sofia Vergara's bod is not easy to come by, y'all.

(image via)

I want to be just like Zooey...

Do y'all watch New Girl?  It's mine and Adam's favorite show.  If you aren't watching it- WATCH IT!  My mom was actually the one that told me about this show over a year ago, and we haven't missed an episode since.  Zooey Deschanel is adorable.  This is coming from someone who used to think Zooey Deschanel was annoying.  Seriously- you can ask my husband.  Have you seen her Cotton commercial?

My annoyance with Zooey soon disappeared once I started watching this show.  Now?  I can't get enough of her!  I really do think that her character, Jess, is based on herself.  She just doesn't really seem to be trying that hard, if you know what I mean?  I just adore her and feel that if she lived in Macon, G-A we'd be the best of friends.  For real. 

Anyway, one of the *many* reasons I adore her is her girlish sense of style.  Her look involves lots of feminine pieces.  (i.e. dresses, leggings, tights, flats, hairbands, etc).  Here's a sample picture of Jess' wardrobe on New Girl:

I would wear every single piece.  Including the glasses. (image via)

Now, I know her wardrobe is super prissy.  But God, I can't help it.  I love it!  I kinda want to dress like her.....every day.  Thoughts?  Too much?  Adorable?

Another reason I love her?  Her hair and makeup.  (Disclaimer: this post is making me seriously miss my long, dark hair.  Dammit.)  Hence, this photo:

(image via)

 I like that she's not afraid to pair a strong eye with a colored lip without going overboard.  You see, I'm one of those that loves my eyeliner and loves my lipstick.  I've always worn both and worried (at times) that it was too much.  However, girlfriend gives a sista hope!  As this photo suggests, sometimes the eyes and lips can work together.  Lerve.

(image via)

The hair's pretty fab, too.  I've googled to see exactly how she styles that gorge mane of hers, and it seems that she uses both rollers and/or a curling iron.  My hair up in rollers = hot Shirley Temple mess.  Therefore, I'll just stick with my curling iron.

So that's it.  I let the cat out of the bag.  Zooey Deschanel/Jess Day is my ultimate girl crush.  If you watch New Girl she might be yours, too!  Here's some clips of the hilarity:

WATCH IT!!! ;)

~LL

Using our Gifts

This morning Aaron and I went to Griffin's First Methodist Church with my parents.  I love this church, and I especially love the preacher, Mr. Kevin Lobello.  He is a true definition of what a Godly man is.  I will never forget the love and kindness he showed to Adam and I last year as we were going through an especially difficult time in our lives.  Whenever we're in town on a Sunday, we always try to attend church.  He is really the only preacher that's spoken to my heart in a long time. 

Today's message was about our "gifts" and how we use them.  Basically, Kevin asked the question that "Are we using the gifts that God gave us or are we not?"  He went on to say that God "doesn't just give us gifts just to give them; He gives gifts for a greater purpose as a Disciple of Jesus."  Of course, in the scheme of things I know this.  But in a way, I really don't.  Honestly, I have never really sat down and asked myself if I was using the gifts that God gave me the way I'm supposed to.  Some days I don't know what my gifts are.  I mean, I love to write- always have; I guess I could consider that one of His gifts.  I feel that Aaron is one of His biggest gifts to me; He gave Aaron to me.  He allowed me to be Aaron's mother.  My job as Aaron's mother is to love him, respect him, keep him safe, lead him in the right direction so that he may find his gifts from God.  Yes, Aaron is definitely my greatest gift- that I know for sure. 

Kevin also touched on the fact that a thankful heart is a happy heart.  To always be thankful for everything in your life; to thank God every day.  That if you are so thankful your life will always be filled with grace.  This really hit home.  I mean, for the most part I feel very thankful.  Heck, I've even blogged about it before!  But there are days (and I'm sure more to come) where I wake up and I don't feel thankful.  I'm mad because we can't sell our house, someone has pissed me off (most likely on Facebook), I want a new car, I want another healthy baby.  Those days suck.  What I need to try to remember is: God gave us a roof over our head; that no one can make me upset unless I let them- I am in control of my day; that my little Toyota gets me where I need to go and keeps me and my baby safe; and bottom line, God will give me another child in His time- not mine.

So, to add to my New Years Resolution list  I'd like to say that from this point on, I resolve to be thankful about everything in my life.  Even if it's a great cup of coffee, I'm going to be thankful for it.  A thankful heart is a happy heart.  That keeps on echoing through my head.  And I'm going to come back to this blog entry and read when I'm in my "not-so-thankful" moods.  Because in the end, God has blessed me abundantly; it is because of His love and grace that I have all the blessings that I do. 

~LL

Favorite Things Friday!

I have been listening to Led Zeppelin since I was 5 years old.  No kidding.  My dad would pile me and my sister in his Chevy truck, pop a Led Zep tape into the tape deck, and we would seriously jam out to "Ramble On."  Now, I have been known to have some questionable tastes in music (Gucci Mane), but thanks to my dad and his excellent taste (in addition to Led Zep, Stevie Ray Vaughn, ZZ Top, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, the list goes on..) I have somehow come out alright.  Anyway, I saw where a friend of a friend had shared this today and I have literally watched it 3 times.  And cried each time.  This should go down in history, it's that good.  Without further ado, Heart's rendition of "Stairway to Heaven."  Hell yes.




As I've talked about in previous posts, I'm obsessed with scarves. I live in them in the fall/winter. They can take a simple outfit of jeans and a tee, and add instant style.  More recently, I've been dying over Infinity Scarves.  Well, I didn't have to wait too long, because my sweet cousin, Katie, made one for me!  Here's a picture of the finished product:

Can't really tell from this pic, but it's adorb.  I love how it hangs loosely and doesn't swallow my face.  Love it!

Here's a link to Katie's blog tutorial on how she made these scarves.  So easy and so chic!!


And last but not least, an oldie but a goodie.  This will always be one of my favorite things because I laugh to the point of tears every time I watch it.  Presenting my favorite YouTube video of all time:  Scarlet Takes a Tumble:


Happy Friday, y'all!!

 ~LL

The indoor playground

My nerves are shot.  Seriously.  The only thing that's stopping me from having a glass of wine right this minute is that it's probably not the most appropriate time. Now that I'm thinking, I might have a Xanax in my medicine cabinet....kidding.....maybe. ;)

Aaron and I met my dear friend, Laura, and her son Kade at Chick-fil-A for lunch today.  Chick-fil-A is a hot lunch spot anyway, but when you have a kid it's prime.  Especially the newer Chick-fil-A's that come equipped with a nice indoor playground for the kiddos.  On rainy days like this when you can't go outside and play, school's out, and cabin fever has set in, you cop to the fact that your child's lunch is probably going to consist of fried chicken tenders and go for it.  Since I made the mistake of telling Aaron yesterday morning (this kid remembers everything) that we were going to meet Kade at Chick-fil-A today that's all he's talked about for the past 24 hours.  So needless to say, we left for our 11:30 lunch date at 11:00 because I couldn't handle one more "Mommy, I want to go to "Chivalay" to see Kade!"  I realized that getting there for lunch at 11:00 is the way to go.  It's early, but no one's there, and the playground hasn't been taken over by thousands of loud, screaming, pushy children (I'm exaggerating- just a little). 

Y'all that place wears me out.  Children....EVERYWHERE.  Now, I love children.  Well let me be more specific; I love my family/friends children.  There is no way on earth I could ever be a teacher, as I have zero patience for loud, screaming, pushing kids.  And when the clock strikes noon at this place (especially at this place on a freakin' holiday) it's insane.  Banging, hitting, screaming, pushing, crying.....you get the drift.  Every man for himself mentality.  My Aaron Mo is a very social child, but when we get into these situations he freezes up; finds a place to sit and watch the madness go down.  It's way too much.  Heck, when I'm there I want to crawl under a rug and never come out.  Fast-forward an hour later, we get home, and another child has taken over my child's body; this child is hitting, pushing, yelling, just in general being mean and difficult (i.e. the playground mentality) and not himself.  Jesus. 

I promise, the point of this post is not to bash indoor playgrounds (particularly Chick-fil-A's); there is a time and a place for these.  Honestly, I love hitting an indoor playground in horrible weather, having a cup of coffee, and letting Aaron get some energy out.  With all of that being said, feel free to meet us on a rainy day at 10:30 AM.  We'll be out of there by noon- promise. ;)

~LL

Review

I was going to post yesterday, but I was experiencing the hangover of the century.  Like, I could barely move my body hurt so much.  One margarita led to three, and after having 2 glasses of champagne at our friends house I was DONE.

Midnight

 

 

 

 

Not long after the above picture was taken was I passed out on their couch.  I'm talking within the hour.  Geez...

All in all, we had an awesome time.  It was a perfect, laid-back evening.  Since we knew we were spending the night, we brought breakfast for the next morning.  I made these Bacon-Cheese Pull Aparts (recipe from Pinterest) and they were divine.  Cheers to 2013!

I have been meaning to update on Christmas; specifically, update on my Clarisonic Mia 2.  Obsesssssssssed!  I posted last November about wanting one because my skin has gotten seriously OOC.  Well, Santa granted my wish and it's as fabulous as I thought it would be!  First of all, I love using it.  I've never been one to love washing my face.  In fact, I'm downright lazy about it.  Usually while giving Aaron his bath at night, I would wipe my face with a makeup remover cloth, apply toner, and dab on my eye cream and moisturizer.  Nothing special. 

My, my, how things have changed....

This thing is awesome.  After charging for 24 hours before use it was ready to go.  Along with your Mia, you get some Clarisonic Cleansing Gel.  After wetting your face and the brush, you apply the gel to the bristles, press the power button, and let it go.  The brush stays on for a minute (20 seconds on forehead/20 seconds on nose/chin area/10 seconds on each cheek).  The Mia is already set for you to follow this standard.  Afterwards, your skin feels amazing.  Like, just had a facial- amazing.  My only concern was if it was harmful to use it once in the morning and at night, but according to the FAQ's on their website it's A-Okay to use it twice a day.  Again, I love it.  I even talked to the fabulous woman who does my facials, Angelique (here's her FB page if interested), to get her opinion and she thinks it's great as well.  Score!  She did inform me that with all of the exfoliating (i.e. deep cleansing) this brush does, it will bring up all of the impurities in your skin; bottom line, I shouldn't be shocked and demand my money back when a zit or blackhead pops up.  Just means it's doing its job!  So, if you're interested in this wonderful little gadget, and hesitant about the cost, it's worth every pretty penny.  I promise!!

Okay, gotta go cook dinner.  One last thought; I purchased Divergent on my Kindle today because I wanted to read something like The Hunger Games (and frankly, I'm still madly in love with JHutch/Peeta and I simply cannot get over him).  Has anybody else read this series?  Thoughts??

~LL