Pinterest Hair Tutorial

I've been pinning like crazy.  It's funny how I can go months without even pulling up my Pinterest app, and then I'll pin like crazy for 7 days straight.  Let's get real here, I've been doing a lot of laying around over the past couple of weeks, and plan to do a lot more until baby girl gets here- I'm going to be a pinning maniac.  For reals.

I wish I could say I was one of those cool Pinterest chicks that logs in and gets inspired by home projects and decor.  However, that's not me.  I'm the girl that searches for yummy, super-fattening dinners, and anything hair and beauty.  As any of you that read my blog know, I have a love/hate relationship with my hair.  It's wavy, takes forever to grow, and I'm constantly on a mission for something new and exciting.  In an effort to get the new and exciting faster, I'll do something drastic like cut bangs, dye it (remember Marilyn in the front/Norma Jean in the back, or just cut it off).  Hot mess.  You live and your learn, people.  Anyway, in my search for the "perfect" hairstyle (whatevs), I have made a few hair discoveries of my own:

1. My hair does best on the second day.  If I wash, dry, flat iron/curl all in one sitting it's like my hair goes into shock therapy. #notpretty
2. I've also learned that I can go at least 2 (sometimes 3) days without washing, and I swear it looks good- not greasy.  This is all because......
3. Dry Shampoo.  It's your best friend, y'all.  If you're not on board get on.  It will save your life.

In my Pinterest craze over the past few days, I was delighted to discover this pin:

How to Curl Your Hair: Wavy Curls

I linked the web address under the pic, but here's another link: http://www.littlemissmomma.com/2011/04/how-to-curl-your-hair-wavy-curls.html. 

Basically, she washes her hair at night (love that), combs, towel-dries, works in some scrunching gel, lets it air-dry, and then loosely braids for the night.  Wakes up, sections hair off, curls, and then sprays it down.

Last night was my first attempt at this *possible* new hair venture.  Here is the results after following her instructions step-by-step:

Forgive me for the lack of picture quality.  I promise I'm not that pale and that I am wearing bronzer and blush.

Side shot

 What do y'all think?  Not too shabby, right?  CVS did not have the Garnier Fructis Wonder Waves in stock, so I ended up buying the Sally Hershberger Glam Waves and it worked great.  I'm not used to using hair spray, and truthfully I was a little worried it would make my hair too stiff, but the BigSexyHair spray is ah-mazing.  Of course, I still have some kinks to work out and etc., but I'm kinda digging it.  It was easy as far as washing at night; however, it did take me a good 15-20 minutes to section all of this hair off and curl.  All in all, I will be doing this again.....and again....

This works for me because with our second baby on the way very soon, I'm not going to have the time to devote to my hair and makeup like I usually have.  Washing, drying, styling all in one day can sometimes be a bit much, especially when I want to be using that time bonding with Harper, doing laundry, cleaning the house, meal planning, etc.  Plus, I'm not planning on washing my hair again until tomorrow night- possibly Friday night if it lasts (total ponytail day, btw). 

Hope this hair tutorial helps you, too!  Ladies, we all know that if we're having a bad "hurr" day it's not a good day.  Hair lovers unite!!

~LL








 

Getting closer!

Hey friends!

It's been over a week since my last blog post- so sorry. We are without Internet for the second time since we moved into our new house (damn AT&T) and won't be getting it back until next Monday. I downloaded the Blogger app and that's how I'm reaching out to you, my lovely readers! It's a long story, one in which I don't understand at all, but I will say that it is completely AT&T's fault. Since I'm starting to feel myself getting angry about the situation all over again I'm moving on...

I had my 31 week appointment for Harper Beth today, and luckily everything looks great! I'm measuring right at 31 weeks, baby girl's head is down (knew that I was feeling some extra pressure over the past couple of weeks), heart rate sounded great, and my weight gain is at 26 lbs. Phew! No guilt tripping over French fries or donuts today! Tomorrow I'm going for her 3D ultrasound and I absolutely cannot wait to see her. Little punkin!!

We are still in the process of decorating the house and getting Harper's nursery ready. Slowly but surely, we're getting it done. My two girlfriends and I are hosting a baby shower for a good friend of ours at my house a week from Saturday, and I'm using that as a deadline to get as much done as possible. I'll post pics once our Internet is back working normally.

I got 2 1/2 inches chopped off my hair yesterday and I feel so much better. Here's a pic:

I look cray in this pic, but whatev. It doesn't seem like a lot, but all the long hair was dragging me down. I knew I didn't want to get it chopped again as (through lots of trial and error) short hair on me=disaster. I just needed something more updated. Voila! The "lob." We'll see how this relationship goes...

Until next time, loves. 

~LL

Updates

Wow- this week has really dragged by.  BUT, it's hump day so that means 2 days closer to the weekend- whoop!

I've been keeping my friend Nicole's little girl, Zowie, this week.  She's nine months and adorable.   It makes me really excited to get a glimpse of what life will be like with a baby girl.  Aaron has been great with her (for the most part) so that gives me hope that he'll be a great big brother.  Fingers crossed!

We Adam finished the kitchen floor Monday night.  I love it!  Here's a pic:

Excuse the counter clutter

Since I'm lame and can't figure out how to do a before and after shot, here's what the floor looked life before. 
I truly think he did an amazing job.  You can see how the floor darkens the kitchen, so keeping the cabinets white is really our only option.  The next time the hubs is home, he and my father-in-law are repaving our driveway, so we're not looking at repainting the cabinets until later on this month.  In the meantime, I'm happy with my new (or what feels like new) kitchen!

Now onto the house situation......grrrrr.......not really going like we hoped.  We put in our offer Monday, they counter-offered yesterday (not a really great offer in that they barely came off the listing price), we put in our final offer, they counter-offered again last night (again, not that great of a counter-offer), and we're standing firm on our final offer from yesterday.  Lucky for us, we have an excellent realtor who is supporting our every decision and keeping us updated minute-by-minute.  When they counter-offered the first time yesterday I cried.  I know, I know, I need to toughen up.  Blame it on the pregnancy hormones and just the general aggravation of it all.   I know this is common procedure in the real estate market these days.  When Adam bought our house in 2006 it was so much more simple.  The house was on the market for two weeks, Adam submitted his offer, the seller agreed, and he was closing within three weeks.  I'm just trying to stay positive and know that it's out of our hands.  If it's meant to be, it will be.  Repeat mantra......

I'm getting my hurr did Saturday and I am so pumped!  No cut as my hair is finally growing out after 9 months, but color and I'm thinking ombre.  Here's some of my pinspiration:

Gorge via

So pretty via

Pretty but my least favorite.  I guess b/c she's all the way blonde & I'm brunette.

Love how subtle the ombre/highlights are via

I haven't gotten my hair colored in awhile so you can imagine the excitement.  I'll be sure to post a pic!

Enjoy your hump day, friends!

~LL

Sometimes I think I'm an entertainment critic

While at the grocery store today I picked up the Most Beautiful issue of People that featured Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover.  Sadly, I haven't committed myself to a book since.....uh....January.  That's bad, right?  Don't get me wrong, I pour over What to Expect When You're Expecting almost daily, but reading for a hobby has gone out the window for now, so magazines it is!  Maybe I need some good book suggestions......

Anyway, I just put the magazine down and had to blog: Gwynnie looks amazing, y'all.  I think People totally nailed it this year.  Don't get me wrong: I've never been a Gwyneth fan.  I mean, my distaste for her doesn't go as far as Angelina "Hoelie" (haha- cracked myself up);  Gwynnie's always seemed like a know-it-all and a bit of a snob in my opinion.  Now: I think I might be wrong.  After reading her interview I really like her.  To sum it up:

• She exercises 2 hours a day Monday-Friday. Not really realistic for us normal folk, but I'm not totally shocked by this.
• She has a protein shake for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and whatever she wants for dinner (so she says). 
• She still takes baths with her kids.  Who are 7 and 8.  I find this really weird, but maybe parenting styles are different in London......or England.....where does she live, again?
• She admits that her and hubby (Chris Martin) have been through some really tough times but they're still hanging in there and still married.  This makes me wonder if the rumor that he and Kate Bosworth were hooking it up a few years ago is true??
• She shares that she suffered a miscarriage in her second trimester.  I don't know when this happened, or even how far along she was, but I felt bad for her.  The loss of a child- even a child you've never met- is a horrible thing to go through.  She says that the "door is not shut" as to having another child, and that a friend told her not to base the number of children you have off of "the pain in the ass of infancy" but rather as to how many people you want around your table at Thanksgiving.  I liked that example.  Maybe Adam and I will go for another.....kidding!

As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed the interview.  If I just completely bored you, I apologize.  Here's a pic:

This woman is 40.  She looks like she's 25.

Via

The rest of the magazine featured the obligatory pics of Halle Berry, Blake Lively, Megan Fox, Jennifer Aniston, Michelle Obama, Catherine Middleton, etc.  Some were asked what their least favorite thing about themselves was and JLaw said she eats like a caveman (love her), and JLo said that her wrists and ankles are too skinny.  For real?  Cause we all know you've stressed that a$$ at some point in your career.  Ugh!  Get real, woman.  Stop acting so damn perfect!

Connie Britton was listed for having the most beautiful head of hair.  I agree.  That woman has the best head of hair period.  And (gasp) she only washes it once a week! 

Gorge.  Via

And that's that, folks!  I'm definitely thinking my year will probably be next year once I lose this baby weight! ;)  (kidding!)

~LL

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

Happy New Year!!

It's NYE!!  I'm actually excited for our plans tonight.  We're meeting friends for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant and then headed back to our friends home for games, drinks, and (I'm sure) a dance party or two.  My sweet parents took Aaron Mo for the night so we can indulge in some much-needed adult time.  I honestly can't remember the last NYE that we got dressed up and went out (that's sad, right?).  Cheers!

So, let's just go ahead and get it out of the way: Kimye's having a beybey.  Celebitchy predicted this last week.  I don't think it's that shocking.  I guess she felt that her clock's ticking and her divorce is dragging, so she might as well get knocked up.  Please God, let this child look like her.  Or Mason.  Or Penelope.  Check out this link for the hilarious twitter reactions to baby Kimye.

What are your resolutions this year?  I have a few.

• To wear a bikini next summer.  I really, really need for this to happen.  For great beach pictures, of course.  MyFitnessPal app is downloading on my phone as I type...
• To let go.  Of everything.  To stop worrying about everything.  To pray and trust that God's in control.  To grow closer in my relationship with Him.  To be a better person.  A better mother.  A better wife.  A better friend.  Just be better.
• To read more. 
• To blog more.
• And finally, to stop cutting my hair off. We don't work well together.

Some things I'm looking forward to in 2013???

image via

The return of this guy (well more like True Blood) in June.   I'm sweating right now.

The return of this show next month.  Eeekkk!  Love them.


And of course, I can't talk about 2013 without talking about this...

Aghhhhh!  JHutch!!  Finnick!!!  Too much excitement for me to handle!!!

Is it bad that all of my excitement involves televisions shows and/or movies?  Oh well.


Anyway, from our home to yours...........

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As a side note, Aaron got a helmet to use while riding on his "Show-Wheeler" AKA Four Wheeler, and he refuses to take it off. 

~LL

I am such a Scrooge on Monday's..

It's Monday.  Monday's suck.  And I haven't updated my blog in almost a week sooooo......here I go....

Did y'all have a good weekend?  Mine was nice.  Very low-key.  Aaron and I hung out in Griffin over the weekend spending time with my mom and dad.  I love visiting my parents on the weekends that Adam works because: 1) Aaron has lots more room to run around and play both inside and outside, and 2) I get a break from full-time mommy duty which is always nice.  Yesterday, I went and spent some time with one of my besties, Natalie, who is due to give birth anytime over the next few weeks.  Eeeekkk!  I'm so excited to meet her sweet baby boy!  It was heartwarming to see her and her sweet belly, and to know that in a very short time she's going to be holding that sweet bundle of love.  Very happy and excited for her and her hubby!

On a random note, whilst in Griffin this weekend my mom and I decided to do a little Christmas shopping in G-town (AKA hit up Marshalls).  After putting my whining toddler in a buggy (while he's wailing "I not wide in buggy, I wide in buggy car!!"  The "buggy car" he's referring to is indeed a buggy shaped like a car that he rides in when we shop at Publix.  This.is.my.life.) we proceeded to start shopping.  That's when I noticed a girl in high school....who used to terrorize me.  Literally.  She once chased me down the 400 hall at Griffin High.  I was wearing high-heeled loafers.  Don't hate, that was the style back back then.  She stalked me by phone, threatened me through messages delivered by her buddies, the works.  I'm not kidding, y'all.  I know some people reading this will know exactly who I'm talking about.  I was Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls eating my lunch in the bathroom (except not really, I would just beg my teacher to let me eat my lunch in my 4th period class room) this girl harassed me so bad.  And you know why she hated me?  All because of a guy.  Now this guy, he was gorge back then.  And it was a full-on high school love affair for me.  Getting back to my story, I run into this girl while shopping.  And do you know, she wouldn't even look at me?!  Seriously.  Saw me walk in, put her face down, and wouldn't even make eye contact with me.  I gave her several chances- she wouldn't bite.  Now let me say, I don't hold grudges.  High school was a long, long time ago and I'm sure she doesn't even think about high school drama.  I don't either, until it's right in my face like it was this weekend.  I just wanted to smile at her.  That's all.  Let bygones be bygones.  She wouldn't make any sort of eye contact.  And she saw me.  Oh well.  I hope she's happy with her life.  And can I just say that it was so nice to run into this person who used to scare the s&*t out of me, and be able to look at her and think "I really don't care anymore."  I wish her the best.  I really do.

Anyway, a busy week awaits.  Another one of my besties is getting married Saturday and I'm so excited for her!!  It is truly a joyous, happy time for many of my friends. :)

I have some news.  Well actually, a new development in my life...................................

I GOT BANGS (again)!!


They're side bangs.  And, I loved them at first sight.  And I still do, surprisingly.  I'll try and post a pic of the infamous bangs.  Agh!  I heart them....again!  Our relationship is like JT and Jessica pre-wedding: they treat me bad but I can't stay away!  The saga continues.....

~LL

Oh.Em. Gee.

Before I even begin, can we count the number of things wrong with this picture??

Ohhh Britney.......where do I even start?

People has this picture on their Star Tracks slideshow today.  I could say that I'm shocked, but I'm not.  The only thing cute about this picture are Tater Tot and Small Fry.  And look, they're growing up!

Britney (and Jamie Lynn) on the other hand?  This is not good, y'all.

Britney is modeling what looks like a summer ensemble from Roses.  The too-tight sleeveless button-down and the vomit-colored denim shorts (hello?) look like they were purchased for a total of $12.99.  I love me some outlet stores, but if I'm going cheap it's going to at least look like I paid a penny for it.  And what's up with that wig?  Girl, get your stylist to straighten out those extensions and pull it back into a nice pony.  Now I'm not claiming to be some fashion connoisseur, but I know if I'm going out in public (even if it is to Walmart) I'm going to have on some pants that cover my ass, and a shirt that covers these girls up.

Jamie Lynn?  Geez.  The shirt would be cute with skinnies/jeggings and flats.....not Uggs.  Which brings me to my next two questions: 1) Who said it would look great if you paired your Uggs with denim cutoffs?; and  2) Is it really that much hotter in LA than everywhere else?
(FYI: I just searched weather.com and LA's High is 64 degrees.  Way too damn cold for booty shorts.  Bam.)

Britney, I am begging you.  Hire me to be your stylist!!  I would have you rocking jeggings, a long tunic with a scarf, and flats so fast you'd be giving Kate Middleton a run for her money.  Let's make this happen.


In other Monday news, it's time for our Dead Recap!  What what.

• Michonne joined our favorite gang of Apocalypse survivors and Carol came back from the dead (or more like a prison cell).
• Andrea is already totally obsessed with The Guv'nah.  Shocker.
• Guy with glasses (forgot his name) thinks he can cure a zombie.  He learned his lesson....thanks to Andrea.  At least she's good for something.
• Okay, I admit.  Merle's a psycho.  But if people would just answer his questions they wouldn't be put in the awful situations they're in: Glen and Maggie duct taped to chairs; Glen having to kill a zombie while stuck to a chair (impressive); Maggie almost getting raped while being stuck to a table.  Sorry, I would just tell Woodbury and company where Rick and camp are.  Baby Judith would be able to live safely (somewhat), Rick and the Guv'nah (as well as Daryl and Merle) could hash it out, and Michonne would just kill everybody.

Blah, blah, blah.  Last night was boring.  And honestly, I found myself checking my Twitter feed through the last 15 minutes of the show and I kinda don't know what else happened. Rut-roh.

I'll be better next Sunday!

~LL

Just call me Pizza Face

Well, it's official.  I've entered middle school again.  (Disclaimer: this blog entry is all over the place.)

I have 4 zits on my face right this minute.  Wth??  I'm actually down from 5 so I guess it's getting better.  What is going on?

Before I continue, let me give you some background: I'm blessed in that I have pretty good skin.  I rarely break out, and when I do it's like one pesky little pimple and we move on.  This week?  I literally woke up Sunday morning with three zits.  Monday?  I woke up with two more.  Now, Saturday night was a biggie.  I met my future lovah, drank like a fish, and smoked (well more like "pretended" to smoke) 2 cigarettes.  I'm sure my body/skin had no idea how to respond to the smoking, wine/liquor/beer combination since I usually can't drink but one big glass of red wine without passing out within the hour.  However, this crater face I'm sporting is a little ridonk.  I have a blemish underneath my right eye (how did that happen?), one on my cheek (again, how did that happen?), one under my nose, and two on my chin.  I've scrubbed, masked, toned, etc. all week and only one has disappeared.  I even went and bought boxed hair color and turned my whole head into a color that resembles a banana peel (Garnier Honey Butter, my ass) to try to distract from the face and have done nothing but caused more attention to it (and reminded me that when I go blonde I must be tan). 

To sum it all up, I told Adam that I obviously need this for Christmas:

(http://www.dermatologysocal.com/products-page/clarisonic/clarisonic-mia-2-brush/)

This Clarisonic Mia 2.  Thoughts?  Have you used this before?  Is it a miracle performer?

We'll see...


I was going to post yesterday, but I was exhausted from little sleep, and suffering a major love hangover over RPatty after going to see the 10pm screening of Breaking Dawn 2 Thursday night.  The best thing I can say: it was so fabulously cheesy and I loved every second of it!

Enjoy your Saturday!

~LL

Tuesday Ramblings

I was so busy yesterday trying to update y'all on celebrity sightings and baby showering, that I forgot to mention one very important thing.........

HAPPY BELATED 32ND BIRTHDAY, RYAN GOSLING!!!

(http://www.ananasamiami.com/2011/01/ryan-gosling-by-mario-testino-for-gq.html)

May all your dreams and wishes come true this year....including dumping Eva Mendes, starring as Christian Grey in 50 Shades, and filming a Drive sequel.  Wait- those are my dreams and wishes! ;)  MUAH!!!


Now for our Walking Dead recap:

• As if I couldn't be more in love/obsessed with Daryl, he went on a frantic search for formula for baby girl, then rushed back to hold her, feed her, and possibly name her.  As Chris Hardwick said on Talking Dead, "I just ovulated." 
• Rick is mental.  I can't decide if I'm surprised or not.  I will say that I'm still quite disturbed over the bloated zombie that consumed Lori; I don't think that picture will ever leave my head.
• Michonne hightailed it out of "Woodbury."  Thank God.  I really don't think I could have handled another week of that attitude.  Girl, chill and go eat a hot dog.
• Governor's walker daughter.  O.M.G.  I kinda love her.  Was it just me or did she calm down when the Governor told her to?  Is there still some human lurking around in that zombie brain?
• I heart Merle.  
• As a side note, Daryl needs to get rid of the poncho.  It's hein.
• Zombie Fight Club?  Normally I am anti-Andrea as I find her extremely annoying; however, I did find that whole shindig weird.

Okay, something needs to be said so I'm just going to say it.  I'm real stressed by all these people sleeping together in this post-apocalyptic world and their hygiene.   Whenever there is sex involved (Glen and Maggie) all I can think about is, "When did they last bathe?"  I know it's weird but it bothers me.  I mean, have y'all seen them shower since the first season at the CDC?  It seems that while breaking into all these houses they would have found some Bath and Body Works Country Apple shower gel or something, right?


Alright, one last thing.  Let's appreciate how gorge our Robby Patts looked last night at the Breaking Dawn 2 premiere:

Delicious

Word on the street is, KStew's being a biyatch and not letting RPatty touch and/or kiss her.  I say dump her and her cheating arse.  She doesn't deserve him and his amazing head of hair, pretty baby blues, and hot English accent.  Girlfriend is lucky he even took her back.

That's my rant for the day.

Oh, and Aaron has Pink Eye.  Grreeeatt.

Enjoy your afternoon!

~LL

Thankful

Over the past week, many people on Facebook and Twitter have been posting what they are thankful for each day.  Although I am not posting about my thankfulness daily, I thought I would post some things I am thankful for today and every day.

• I'm thankful for my son.  My sweet, happy, wild, adventurous, spirited, Thomas the Train-loving two year old.  Each day when I hear "Mommy" over that monitor, and I walk into his room and see him grin a huge Sponge Bob smile at me, I know that God gave me the best job on the planet.  
• I'm thankful for my hubby.  He loves me and our little family so much.  He works tirelessly to provide for us.  He is the smartest man I know.  He is the kindest man I know.  I often ask him, "What did you do before we met?  It must have been something awful." because, bless his heart, he got stuck with me (ha)! 
• To add to that, I'm thankful that my hubby has a great job that allows me to stay home with our son.  After going back to work for a very short period of time earlier this year, I realized that being home with our child is where I'm needed.  And for that, I'm thankful for the jobs I did have, because had I not taken those positions I would not fully appreciate being able to be a stay-at-home-mama!  With all of that being said, yes, if I were to have a great career where I made good money and truly loved what I was doing, I would be thankful for that opportunity.  I truly believe everything works out for a reason.
• I'm thankful for parents that offer me and my family all the love and support that we need and my sister- the Tia to my Tamara!
• I'm also thankful for my incredible friends.  It's true, the older you get the smaller your circle becomes.  However, my circle is beautiful, hilarious, fun, creative, loving, and I could not be more blessed for these relationships.  

Okay, a thankful list would not be complete without some randoms so here goes:

• I'm thankful for dry shampoo.  Without it, my day 2 hair would resemble KStew circa 2009:

(Image via: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/twilight-series/answers/show/35787/does-anyone-like-kristen-stewarts-new-hair-cut)

•  I'm thankful for: RyGy, ASkars, and JHutch, and (lately) Adam Levine because you make my dreams so, SO sweet.  

(Images courtesy of: thefashionisto.com, fanpop.com, twilightandtruebloodlovers.com, & wordsmoker.com)

•  I'm thankful for weddings because without them we wouldn't have Bachelorette parties and without Bachelorette parties we wouldn't have a good excuse to listen to old-school Kilo Ali and wear feather boa's.
• This week, I'm especially thankful for Mint Oreo Fudge Cremes as I have already consumed 3 of them.

 

 That is all.....for today anyway. ;)  Happy Friday!!

~LL

Playing Catch Up

I should have blogged yesterday, but I just couldn't get myself together, let alone form a continuous thought.  The cold air had my brain in a fog and all I wanted to do was nap all day and catch up on my daytime programming.

Anywho, today's a new day and it's time to get back at it.  Let's talk Dead:

• I think The Governor is good looking.  I know that comes as such a huge surprise to anyone that knows me. (wink!)
• I also think The Governor is slightly psychotic, but you know, everyone's a little off their rocker in Zombie Land.
• Andrea's totally going to hit it.  And when I say hit it, I mean "The Gov-nah."  First, Shane.  Now him?  Go guuuurrl.
• Michonne is Lauryn Hill's doppelganger.
• While they were enjoying the sidewalk shopping "Woodbury" had to offer, they should have swung by Redneck Gourmet for fries and a BFGLT sammich!
• Merle cracks me up.  I don't know why they weren't happier to see him- there is no other crazy redneck I would want on my side during a zombie apocalypse than Merle Dixon.
• I found the head tank slightly confusing.

 First boring episode of the season!  Hopefully next week will be better.

I got blonde highlights this weekend and I love it.  I need to take a picture.  I'm now wishing I had just dyed my whole head blonde.  I know it's weird to dye your hair a lighter shade in the Fall, but I wanted a change and my normal go-to change (bangs) was not happening. 

I took Aaron to "Trunk or Treat" at the First Methodist Church in Griffin Sunday.  Here's a pic of my little Batman:

Love.

 

Aaron had a blast.  Of course, he was not interested in "trunk or treating" at all.  The church had a bouncy house and a HUGE bouncy slide blown up for the kiddos to play in.  Guess where Aaron was the whole time?  Either playing in the bouncy house with the 10 year old kids being bounced in the air like a monkey (freaking me out), or climbing up the not so sturdy steps on the bouncy slide and flying down this huge slide at super baby speed.  Freaks.me.out.  And the independent attitude has begun at 2 1/2.  "Mommy, Aaron Mo do it myself.  I do it myself!"  He must have said that to me no less than 8 times Sunday.  I think he was embarrassed because the first time he slid down the big slide, I climbed the slide with him and proceeded to accidentally flash my crack at every child below me (damn jeggings!).  From that moment, Mr. Independent took over.  I felt so bad for the kids climbing the slide behind Aaron.  They would yell out, "Man, we're behind that baby!  He's slow!"  Aaron, in no hurry at all to climb each slippery step, turned around and said "I not baby- I big boy!"  Oh my goodness.  Where did this talking little adult come from?  Needless to say, we left the big Halloween bash carrying Aaron away in major meltdown mode.  "I wanna side down the swide!" in crying 2 year old speech.  Jesus.  What have I gotten myself into?

~LL

Catching up

Okay, fess up.  Who watched Nashville last night?  Was it not great?  New fave.  As if I don't have several other shows that I'm obsessed with, let's just add this one to the list.  Love that it's filmed in Nashville (which btw is gorge) and love the country music.  Connie Britton is so attractive, right?  She's 45, y'all.  If I look that good at 45 I can die a happy woman.  Hayden Panettiere plays a good mean girl and she, of course, is adorable.  My only complaint?  Besides Connie Britton, the fake southern accents are annoying.  Especially the blonde that works at The Bluebird Cafe and calls Joshua Jackson (AKA Lucky) her boyfriend; her accent is the worst.  Like Anna Paquin's "Sookie Stackhouse" awful.  Writer and Producers: if you're going to film a southern TV series/movie about southern people, get actual southern people for the job.  It's almost offensive how bad they make us sound.

So we didn't end up going to the beach this week.  :(  Sad, sad face.  Turns out, the owner of the condo we were supposed to stay in, was trying to tack on $250 in fees (100- pet fee/150- clean-up fee) for only 3 nights.  Um, no.  Ridiculous.  And stupid.  This guy could have made some quick cash this week considering that we just decided to book a condo this past Sunday; if the condo was not already booked by that point I'm sure it was not going to get booked.  Uhhh.....some people are annoying.  That's my rant for the day..

Beach trip nevertheless, I truly have enjoyed this week with it's beautiful weather and fall breeze.  We took Aaron to the Griffin Fair Tuesday night and he had a blast, wanting to ride every ride that he could (just like his Mama).  I didn't take a lot of pics, but the ones that I did take were adorbs.  Check my Instagram.

Yesterday, Aaron, my mom, my sister, and I went shopping in Senoia at the Senoia Historic District.  I.Love.This.Place.  I want to move to this town....for reals.  We shopped at the Pink Door boutique (super cute clothes and amazing prices), and Table Talk (I accidentally broke a candelabra.....oops), and ate lunch at Redneck Gourmet.  Another huge reason to move here: The Walking Dead is filmed here.  And of course, I'm obsessed with that show as well.  New season premieres this Sunday.  What could be more awesome than casually running into a zombie as you head out to dine at Zac Brown's new restaurant, Southern Ground Social Club?

That's it.  I've mustered all my creativity today.  A good portion of that creativity was focused on styling the perfect flip-out for my hair today, and while my left side looks Posh, my right side looks more like Nick Nolte's mug shot.

TGIThursday.

~LL

How do you know?

Uhhhh.....today has not been a good day.  It's not been awful, it just hasn't been good. 

It started out promising.  My in-laws kept Aaron last night, so although I should have been in church, I slept in until 9:30.  I had a good cup of coffee, and caught up on all of my Words with Friends games (as a side note, I'm obsessed).  I took a leisurely bubble bath, and actually was able to perfect the wavy hair look with my curling iron; it totally would make Sienna Miller jealous.  But still, my mind has been on a million different things.

You see, Adam and I are in a little bit of a predicament as far as our housing situation goes.  We are living in a house that we love in a town that grows on us every day, but we are renting.  The house we own is not occupied.  We had a fabulous tenant that moved out in December, and we are in the process of looking for a new tenant to take up residence in our home in Macon.  We have until the end of this month to find a tenant, and with that being said, a good tenant.

We have settled into our life here in Griffin.  I'm going to school, Aaron's going to preschool, and Adam's working.  Life has been good (aside from the past couple of months).  Although we've definitely had a rough go over the last few weeks, I feel that we have yet another hurdle to cross over the next few weeks, and that's figuring out what we're going to do if we have to move back to Macon.  Yes, we've been through worse, but I don't want to take Aaron out of a preschool with teachers and friends that he loves.  And with me being back in school, I'm not ready to move away at the very beginning of the semester and start over someplace else. Why does our lives always seem to be all over the place??

I was talking about everything with my mom, and trying to figure out what would be the best decision for our family when it hit me.....it's not my decision, it's God's.  He decides where I'm going to go and what I'm going to do.  It's just up to me to listen to what He wants.

I've always been real good about listening to what I want.  I didn't want to take college seriously over ten years ago and I ended up with a degree in communications that has led me nowhere because I'm back in school at 29; I wanted to move back to Griffin so bad last year that I found a tenant and moved out without thinking about the repercussions (i.e. what we're going through right now).  For goodness sakes, I got pregnant last summer without adequate planning and because I could, and now I've lost a child.  Let's just be honest here, I've been ALL about what I want, but what about what God wants for me?  Do you think I've taken just a moment to listen?  Not really..

So that leads me to my question, how do I listen?  I mean really listen for Him to tell me what He needs me to do.  How do I know when He's told me His plan??  I'm confused.  I want to make the right choices, and I want Him to tell me what He needs, but how??

How do you know what His plan is for your life?

Weekend Roundup

It's Saturday night and I'm blogging in my pj's.  Yep, this is the life.....lemme tell ya!  Actually to be honest, I'm enjoying myself.  It's been a low-key weekend so far and that's fine with me.  I did, however, make the mistake of ordering "Contagion" on PPV, and now am paranoid of walking out of the door.  Warning: if you're a major Germaphobe, DO NOT watch this movie- your life will never be the same!  (As a side note, Gwyneth P was in the movie, and don't get me wrong, she's a hottie, but I think Gwynnie might be showing her age.  Maybe it's time for a new hairdo instead of that same blonde hair parted down the middle look.  At this point, only the Kardashian sisters can pull that off.)

While Adam was busy "working for the weekend," Aaron and I went to visit my cousin, Jill, and his baby cousin, Mary Leigh.  They are only 5 months apart, and when they're together it's nothing but a major cutefest.  Here are some pics of them playing; be warned: the adorable factor is at it's highest:

I did a collage using the iphone app, Pic Collage.  I hope it works.....

I love when we can get them together.  They are at the cutest ages, and the way they interact is just priceless.  They hug, kiss, hold hands, and LOVE each other.  It literally makes my heart happy.  :)





Here's another pic to document our weekend; Sophie got her "haiiiirrr did":

I used effects on this pic because I look hein.  Sophie, of course, would not look at the camera.  Diva.

Adam and I celebrated one of my dearest friends 30th birthday last night.  I don't have any pictures of that because I'm a horrible picture taker, but I will say that if you end up having a dance party to old school "Back Dat Ass Up" you're having a good time. PCB 2000- what what!!


On a more serious song note, I was running errands yesterday and flipping through the songs on my Nano when Dixie Chick's "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)" came on.  I was going to turn it, but I made myself listen to it.  I also made myself pull over because I was crying so hard.  I've never been able to listen to it without crying, but now, since the loss of our precious Luke, this song has taken on a different meaning.  If you've never heard it, YouTube it.  It's absolutely beautiful.  Here's a peek at the beautiful lyrics:

"Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Sweet dreams"

Godspeed, little man. :)


Okay, I'm crying so we need a change of subject and a good end to this post.  Sooooo.........

When's Bey gonna have her beybey??  Let's bet!!

                    

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                            

And the verdict is..........

A healthy heart for my Aaron Mo!!

Ahhh....I can breathe again!!  Let me just say, I wasn't under the impression that something was wrong.  I basically had an echocardiogram done on my bug's heart for simple peace of mind.  And, it was worth every pretty penny!  He does have to go back in two years for another ultrasound since there is now a history of heart disease in our family.  To tell you the truth, it doesn't bother me a bit.  The doctor (who I might add was just a personable, wonderful man) put me at ease as soon as he walked in the door.  He said, "Honey, your son's heart is fine.  He's healthy as a Georgia bulldog!"  I knew at that moment he was good stuff.  Thank you, God.


I celebrated the happy news with my girlfriends over dinner and drinks tonight.  We met at Grit's in Forsyth and I honestly did not want to leave.  I am so blessed to have the most amazing friends in my life, and tonight was no exception.  I decided to put my big girl panties on, and had a bourbon drink for dinner.  Y'all, I am not lying it was the best bourbon drink I've ever had!  It was called the "Porch Swing" and included mint leaves and something else......maybe lemonade??  I dunno.  Definitely not a Mint Julep but better.  I meant to take a picture (Btw, my iphone is basically the best camera I have.  Can anyone recommend any good and FREE photo apps to download?  I'm trying to document more...) but of course forgot.  Guess that means our GNO needs to come sooner than later, right ladies?  Because we "just gotta dance!"


Plus, I've gotta show off the bangs while they're still lookin' good and not a hot mess which I can say for a fact, will happen.  In case you don't know, the bangs and I have a very rocky relationship.    Just like a toxic relationship, I turn to them for comfort during the hard times and dammit, they always let me down.  But I keep coming back for more.......(the saga continues)........

It's 11:28 right now, and while I would LOVE to keep on typing, my brain keeps on wondering off to my room where my DVR holds the latest episode of Grey's.  I've got to find out how Teddy takes the news of Henry's death before I pass out asleep on this keyboard.  Will update tomorrow!

Loves!

~LL

"I whip my hair back & forth!"

Happy Sunday, y'all!  Has everyone had a good weekend?  Our weekend has been fairly low-key and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.  My sweet hubby got home from work Thursday night, and we have literally been home-bodies ever since he walked in the door.  It seems that every weekend he's home, there's something going on every night: parties, get-together's, showers, etc.  I took my own advice, and said "No" to any invites that were extended our way, and with the exception of grilling out with his family last night, I have stayed true to my word.  Here's to hoping this new mantra will stick!

So, I have a question for the ladies (and you guys, too if you're interested); do you wash your hair in the morning, during the day, or at night?  The reason why I'm asking is because I am currently trying to switch up my hair-washing, drying, styling routine.  The reason(s) why I've decided to rock the hair boat so late in the game is because (1) Aaron has officially dropped his morning nap.  This has been an adjustment, I will not lie.  You see, I don't like change, and while we are now getting used to the fact that he's up from 7:30a to 12:30p, it has not been easy; and (2) Since I am officially going back to school, I don't know if the morning hair process can go on much further..considering the fact that I can barely drag my ass out of bed at 7a (I know, lazy, lazy girl) without having a cup of coffee as big as my head in my hands ASAP.  If y'all know me, you know I have a head full of hair.  I'm not bragging I promise; this hair will literally be the death of me one day.  Ohhh, the things I've done to this head....well, it's a shame.  For example:

Me & Adam @ my cousin's rehearsal dinner- July 2007.  Can you say hein??  This is what I called "Marilyn on top/Norma Jean on bottom."  As you can see, my hairstylist hated me.  Guess the 20% tip wasn't enough?  Needless to say, she was fired soon after.  Why do I look so happy, you ask?  Probably because I had drowned my sorrows in multiple glasses of Pinot Grigio. 

SSI/Laura's Bachelorette party 2006.  This is what I like to call "Bangs: Part 1."  You see, "the bangs" and I have had a very tumultuous relationship.  Sometimes my "cow-lick" would do right in order for my bangs to look decent, most of the time it wouldn't, as you can see in Exhibit B:

Last summer at my sister-in-law's wedding.  Uhhh, I can't even comment on this awfulness.  Obviously, "the bangs" really hated me then. 

OMG- this one's the worst: a short bob/bang combo- ahhhhhhh!!  The horror!!  Can you see, I look just like my puppy girl, Sophie May??  That should've been the first sign..... This photo was taken in May 2010 the day I had it done.  That was the last day it ever looked like good, I assure you.  I'm chalking this mistake up to postpartum hormones gone bad.  NEVER again!!

Okay so I have to admit something, y'all.  I got bangs....again.  Rut-roh!  I know, I know, it's horrible.  They sucker me in only to throw me out to the wolves!  I got bangs in June; yes, I'm in the process of growing them back out, but I've managed to not let them control me...for the most part anyway.  Hence:

Destin, July 2011.  "I am in control of the bangs." Repeat, "I am in control of the bangs."

So to get back to my original question, do you style your hair in the morning, during the day, or at night?  I decided that in order to better accommodate my new schedule, I would wash/dry my hair every other night and style in the morning.  So far, it's been working okay...I guess.  Do y'all know any tricks on having that fresh-washed look everyday without the inconvenience of washing your hair every day?  What about styling tips?  I need help, folks!  This mane is finally growing out, and it hasn't been easy.  I need some tips in order for it to keep growing, so it doesn't end up looking like this again:

Look, even my precious baby is horrified.  This was taken last Fall, FYI. Terrible.

That's all.  Have a good day of rest!  Loves!!

Inspiration & Future Plans

Sunday night me and four of my girlfriends went to see "Eat Pray Love."  I must admit, I tried to read this book back in January.  I hit a brick wall somewhere in between Liz's carb-tastic journey to Italy and soul-searching voyage to India.  To my credit I was in my third trimester of baby-building, and the only thing that really held my interest at that point was picking out the perfect baby blue for Aaron's nursery.  

Y'all, I loved this movie.  Granted, I am a Julia Roberts fan, and she did look absolutely fantastic in this movie, but it was the story that struck a chord with me.  Elizabeth Gilbert's bravery to leave a life that she built to go explore and find herself amazed me.  I'm not saying that I want to leave my husband to indulge in pasta and a little flirting with the HOT Javier Bardem, but I love that she was able to check off places on her to-do list while searching within herself for forgiveness and ultimately, love.  I cried, laughed, and cried some more while watching Julia (AKA Liz) during her year-long voyage, and I fully intend to pick the book back up and finish what I started.  In the meantime, I am making a to-do list of what I want my journey to look like.  Here goes:

• I want to raise a kind, smart, and confident man who will be way better than both Adam and me.
• I want three kids.  Yep, I said it correctly- the number 3.  I want all boys- they love their mama's. :)
• I want to travel to Paris and Italy with my husband.  Just the two of us.
• I want to pray more.  I don't pray nearly enough.  
• I want a big, beautiful, cozy home that our family can grow in.
• I want my bangs to hurry up and grow out.  I hate them!
• I want to cook more.
• I want to write a book.
• I want to find a job that I love, and make some decent $$ while doing it!
• I want to go back to NYC for a girls trip!  I also want to visit California, Seattle, Chicago, and Vancouver.
• I want to fall in love with yoga.
• I definitely want to meet Ryan Gosling.
• And lastly (for now anyway), I want to grow old and gray with my husband.  I want us to ride around in our Cadillac, visiting our great-grandchildren and working in our yard on Sunday afternoons.

What's on your to-do list?