Natalie Natalie Natalie

Here is a picture of my sweet friend Natalie in the hospital. Read her baby journey here.

Brady's new best friend

Here is a few pictures I received via text on Saturday night from Brady's new best friend Meghan. She let him out and fed him for us while we were at the wedding. He had a great time with her! What an awesome feeling this gave us!

for Meredith

Of course I wore this beautiful bracelet for the wedding! LOVE it!

wedding weekend

We went to a wonderful wedding this weekend on the campus of a small southern college. The couple was cute as can be. The weather was perfect. We had such a fun time.

springtime surprises

I have gotten lots of fun prized this week! Lucky me!

Wii had a neighborhood girls night

What started out as an innocent "hey, would you and Kelly like to go out to dinner on Friday" turned into a fun fun neighborhood girls night. There are 4 count them 4 teachers from my school that live on my street. Kelly, Meghan and I were going out to dinner on Friday. We ended up at the only restaurant in town I ever seem to eat at- yes, you guessed it readers Cozumel Grill. I don't remember who had what, but it was so very yummy. Afterwards I invited the girls back to play Wii. Julie got home from her night with her children and hubby at the Chuck E. Cheese. She came over and played to. It was very impromptu but so much fun. Sometimes the most fun evening as the evenings you didn't plan for. We had a blast. Here are some pics of the girls playing. Kelly and Meghan are boxing.

Here is Julie playing Dance Dance Revolution.

If anyone else would like to join in on the fun- there is a house for sale in the neighborhood. You never know when another girls night might break out on a moments notice.

these are the shoes

Thursday 13: Thirteen song lyrics that describe me

Here are 13 song lyrics that describe me.

1) "If I had an airplane I still wouldn't make it on time"-Manic Monday by the Bangles
2) "Wishin', and hopin', and thinkin', and prayin', planning and dreamin'" -from My Best Friend's Wedding soundtrack
3) "He thinks I'm pretty. He thinks I'm smart. He likes my nerve and he loves my heart"- My Baby Loves Me by Martina McBride
4) "I hope it doesn't take the rest of my life until I find what it is I've been looking for" -River of Dreams by Billy Joel
5) "Looking for my lost shaker of salt" -Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett (I put this one because we aren't big "salters" at my house and when we have people over and they ask for salt I always have to look for it.)
6) "In my mind I'm going to Carolina" -Carolina In My Mind by James Taylor
7) "And how you enjoy your two hour bath"- I Love the Way You Love Me by John Michael Montgomery.
8) "Blue eyes laughing in the sun, laughing in the rain" - Blue Eyes by Elton John
9) "Girls just want to have fun" by Cyndi Lauper
10) "Sweet home Alabama where the skies are so blue"- Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynard
11) "I see babies cry.. I watch them grow" - Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong (and my have my kids cried this week after taking the week off for Spring Break!)
12) "Look into my eyes-you will see what you mean to me" Everything I do by Bryan Adams
13)"All I want to do is have a little fun before I die"-All I Want To Do by Sheryl Crow

in one of my smoother moves

I fell down today and scraped my knee. I feel like a kid again- because as a kid I was always falling down and scraping my knees.

Happy Wii-ster Mr. D.

He FINALLY got the last star on Super Mario Galaxy!

the little black dress

I finally found a cute dress to wear to the wedding next weekend. The best part is I got this little gem for a steal (save money). The strap had come unstitched at the seam. They were basically giving it away. A needle and thread and 2 minutes later - just like new! Now I just need a pair of cute shoes....

What did we do today?

Today, I went to our friend Natalie's baby shower. The baby will be here in an estimated 4 weeks and 3 days, but Natalie would be just as happy if she came tonight. She is very uncomfortable at this point.

After the shower- I came home and met Mr. D. who had just returned home from the car wash. If you know Mr. D. be sure to ask him what happened at the car wash! Anyway, we went to the grocery store and got lots of food for the house. I think we may have been out of everything. We then met Matt at Cozumel Grill for lunch.

After lunch I (FINALLY) met Donovan on the web cam. It was so much fun. I also got to see my sweet Kaleigh and my brother as well. Donovan was mostly riding his smart cycle - but it was fun just seeing him. I am looking forward to more chats.

Tonight, we had Natalie and Jesse over for dinner and wii-ing. It was "restaurant night" here. Everyone got to have whatever they wanted cooked on the grill. Natalie had steak and I had ribs. Jesse had ribs and chicken wings while Mr. D. had a little bit of all of the above. I made baked beans, Texas toast and homemade mac and cheese for the sides. We also had symphony bar brownies and ice cream for dessert.

We were able to borrow Matt and Julie's guitar and were able to play co-op mode in the Guitar Hero Game. I played bass and Jesse played guitar. Here is a picture of us playing.Then Natalie wanted to play Dance Dance Revolution- but we had to motify it due to her pregnancy.
We also played classic Mario 3, classic Tecmo Bowl, and Super Mario Smash Brothers. It was a jam packed fun filled day for all!

one more to go

We are one star away from having all of the stars on Super Mario Galaxy!

my bracket

click on the bracket to enlarge

10 years ago ... this very night...

He popped the question... and I said yes!

My day with my Mommy

My Mother came over last night around 11 after she got off of work. We watched Mr. D. play Mario for a while and then everyone went to sleep. This morning, I got up and helped to get Mr. D. get off to work. Then I moved to the livingroom and watched the Waltons. My mom came in and we both watched TV. Then we went in our pajamas to the Chick-Fil-A drive thru and grabbed chicken biscuits for breakfast. We came back to my house and ate and watched the second episode of the Waltons. My Mom snoozed on the couch and I surfed around on the internet, took a shower, played with Brady, and watched Tivo. I woke her up at 11:30 and she took her shower and then we left the house. We drove across town to get massages. We were both very excited to be going for a massage. My Mom had never had one, and I just really needed/wanted one. It was awesome. We both felt like we had great massage therapist and we both felt very relaxed. I was especially excited that my Mom paid for the experience. It was such a treat! I can't wait to go back. The spa was very nice and relaxing. I can't remember ever feeling so relaxed in a public place before. Afterwards we went to Ross Dress for Less- because I need a dress to wear to a wedding next weekend. No luck. On the way home we stopped and picked up Chinese food. Yummy! We came back to my house and ate-- and then she went home. That is when I had the bright idea to take Brady to the Vet to get his toenails trimmed and his Heartgard and flea medications....

Wacky Wednesday....

"... it all began with a shoe on the wall" - Wacky Wednesday by Theo. LeSeig (aka Dr. Seuss)

This blog post could also be titled Sandy's dumb blonde moment of the week.

Today, I accidentally locked my sweet baby Chocolate Chip (Brady) in the car. I was horrified that I did this. I was beside myself trying to free him and as usual Mr. D. came to the rescue. Yeah for him. Now I know you are wondering how I did this dumb thing. The answer is I wasn't thinking and I just did it. I had taken my purse and keys and everything out to the car and opened the back of the Tribute before bringing spazoid out. I went in and got him and put him in the back. I jumped in the car and locked the doors because I am always convinced that Brady is somehow going to unlock the car and jump out when I am driving. Anyway just as I was getting ready to leave I realized that I didn't have my garage remote (because my I took it out of my car when I went off with my Mom - but that is another blog entry). I jumped out to get the remote and as soon as the door shut I knew. Now- those of you who know me well know that I am a rock in the face of an emergency. I am the kind of girl you want to have around. I remained calm, called and texted Mr. D, and searched the house for the valet key. I tried not to think about it being 78 degrees out. I tried not to think about the fact that I couldn't reach Mr. D. on the cell phone. I tried not to think about the fact that this is how dogs die. After about a half hour of not finding the key, not reaching Mr. D. and obviously not magically opening the doors- I got a little panicky. I couldn't try picking the lock because I knew that would set off the alarm and that would make things worse. By the time Mr. D. called I was in FULL FREAK OUT mode. Now, once I heard that if you put the phone on speaker phone and the other person presses the remote- the car will unlock. This must be an urban myth! It totally didn't work. Mr. D. drove Lola like he stole her all the way home and saved the day. Hip Hip HOORAY for Mr. D. We got Brady out. He was so hot and panting. We figured out he was in the car for about 90 minutes. After the initial seeing that he was OK, I took him on to the vet (our original outing) and we got him a doggy pedicure and his Heartgard and some new flea medication. All is well and even though I feel like a TERRIBLE Mom - at least things around here are not boring. Brady is no worse for the wear and has had a wonderful night. We are getting an extra car key made tomorrow... just incase.

tales from my fortune cookie

"You will obtain your goal if you maintain your course"

I'm camera ready

I got a webcam today. I can hardly wait to use it to talk to my Nephew Donovan (and anyone else who may want to talk to me via webcam). I talked to my friends Meghan, Kelly and Tiffani tonight. I signed up for yahoo messenger for my chatting purposes. I feel so technologically savvy. I went to the store and bought it with very little assistance (OK- I was on the phone having Mr. D. read me internet reviews). I came home and installed it all by myself. I figured out how to download the messenger and everything. The hardest part was finding semi-good lighting so that it doesn't look to grainy. So here I am world...lets talk.

my new skincare products

My new skin care products arrived today and I just used them for the first time. I ordered from a company called Arbonne and the product line is called nutrimin c re9. The best part is that I got it at an incredible discount (SAVE MONEY!). I am pretty excited about trying something new. I will keep you posted as to if there is any dramatic improvement. I do not have what you would call problem skin, but it has been very dry lately. Also... rumor has it that I am getting to that age where I need to worry about wrinkles... so here's to prevention!

and today I ...

...spent my day with Mr. D. We....
1) dropped off dry cleaning
2) went to the golf store and had 2 clubs ordered to be custom made for Mr. D.
3) got Lola's tire plugged- she had ran over a nail!
4) went to Tortuga's for a YUMMY lunch
5) went to get Mr. D. a haircut at an actual barber shop

Then he went to play golf and I stayed home and ... you guessed it- worked in my room. I had to break the seal and start season 3 of LOST. I watched 3 episodes while I worked. I went to the grocery store and grilled out some amazing ribs for dinner. Matt from next door joined us for dinner and some NEW tv shows. We have missed our favorites so much and now that are back!

Spring break - wing make

Mr. D. always has the best ideas. Today, he suggested that we cook out wings- and we each had to create a way to make them. All of the wings were sprinkled with Weber's tangy BBQ seasoning and they sat in the refrigerator in that rub all day. We then marinated 10 wings in Mr. Yoshida's sauce. Mr. D. marinaded his 10 wings in a Frank's Red Hot sauce. We had 11 wings that we put on the grill plain and basted with BBQ sauce. I used my homemade honey-mustard recipe and basted my 11. Here is what they looked like on the grill.

We each had to try atleast one of each wing and write down their rankings. We both had the SAME rankings.

#1Yoshida

#2 hot wings

#3 BBQ

#4 was Honey Mustard

As I am sure you can guess- we even have leftovers!

it's Spring break!

Well, I am officially on Spring break and it is going by way too fast. So far the only thing productive I have completed is rearranging the dining room. I have also completed Season 2 of LOST. I am not starting season 3 until later in the week... maybe.

Thursday 13: thirteen things I thought of when I couldn't sleep

For the past 3 nights- I have not slept through the night. I don't know how or why I have developed this insomnia- but I will be so glad when it goes away. Sleeping is something I used to be really good at. I am so very tired- and I am sure just the slightest bit cranky. I thought of this Thursday 13 at 3am this morning. Here are the 13 things I have been thinking about when I haven't been sleeping.

1) I thought about needing to change an appointment for next Tuesday until later in the afternoon. (I did that this morning)

2) I thought about how I need to get a recipe from Meredith- but keep forgetting to email her for it. ( I just did)

3) I thought about what I am getting my friend Natalie for her shower on the 22nd. (I'm not telling!)

4) I thought about finances. (We are between 2 banks right now and it is hard to keep it straight where the money is and what is being paid out of what account. We will be closing one account next week and it will all be better!)

5) I thought about how I really need to clean out my car. (I look like I am living in it)

6) I thought about needing to check with my Mom about coming to visit on her off day of my Spring Break. (please!)

7) Then I thought about what I wanted to do if she decides to visit. (It would be so fun!)

8) I thought about how Mr. D could just sleep sleep sleep when I was so awake. (I wanted to turn on the TV - or laptop- or blackberry- but didn't want to disturb him too.)

9) I thought about LOST! ( I am in the middle of season 2 now.)

10) I thought about the new skin care products I just ordered. (I hope they work!)

11) I thought about where Karen and I can go on our trip to wherever (and whenever!)

12) I thought about all of the stuff I need to do in my house. (especially before the house keepers come tomorrow.)

13) I thought about this letter that I meant to mail a few days go, and I don't remember mailing it but I can't find it so I must have mailed it. I just kept thinking about if I mailed it or not, and if not- where is it? (It was a wedding RSVP- so I hope I did!)

closet update

Here are some updated pictures of the closet organization at this point. This is all of the scrapbooking supplies at the top. This is something I really want to be in to- but do not have the space to truly work on it. I have not been going to the crops like I used to. I need to work on my 2 albums I am working on. One is all of the trips we have been on and the other is a whole book of weddings we have been to.

These are my manuals for work. I think they look very neat and organized here.

Here are some of my supplies. I want to find all matching clear spacemaker boxes and label them.

This is the little paper organizer that I bought at Target.

save money

One morning on the radio, our DJ's played this clip off of the internet about this guy calling and complaining about Jimmy Dean sausage no longer coming in a 16 ounce roll. Google it if you haven't heard it. While is is a little on the rough side language wise, it is very funny and this man is really pissed off about the whole sausage situation. Anyway- at one point in the clip the man says "save money" and they way he says it is very funny. Now, Mr. D. and I always say it whenever we are saving money. We said it a lot on our shopping adventure this afternoon. Check out our thriftiness.
Paul's new work shoes- saving of $35.01 (save money)
2 new bath sheets at BB&B- 40% 0ff on sale plus 20% coupon for each- savings of $15.60 (save money)
Taking the 20% coupon back for the sheet I bought at the BB&B 2 weeks ago-savings of $28.34 (save money)
Remaining balance of a gift card used at Best Buy for some new something for Mr. D. - Savings of $4.75 (save money)
2 new bath floot mats at Sears at 50% off plus use of a $25 gift card for a total savings of $57.94 (save money)

snow... again

This is the most snow in one winter that we have gotten since we moved here almost 7 years ago. I remember more snow when I was a child- or maybe there was just lots and lots of pictures of the same snow. However, I do remember it being in more quantity that what we have now. Today- the big snow just looks like a little bit of powdered sugar sprinkled over everything. It is also 19 degrees out as I am posting.. brrr!

Thursday 13: thirteen random facts

1) A kid in my class today suggested I should be in a commercial. I asked for what and she told me "hair lotion".
2) I just finished watching season 1 of Lost on ABC.com.
3) I had yummy Mexican food for dinner.
4) I have introduced Jenga to my class and they LOVE it as much as I do.
5) My Parent/Teacher conferences are all over- YEAH!
6) I am basically 1 week away from Spring Break- and have not made 1 single plan.
7) I desperately need to clean my cell phone and hook up the new to me (Mr. D's old) blue tooth.
8) Today was the first afternoon this year that I got to wear my Yellow Box flip flops-- and my how I missed them! (and my how I need a pedicure!)
9) Mr. D. has 102 of 120 stars on Super Mario Galaxy.
10) It may snow and ice here this weekend which is crazy since today was in the 60's-70's.
11) I have comfy new Pajamas!
12) I swear I am going to plan Daffodil bulbs this year- because every year when they pop up in other people's yards I wish I had planted them the year before.
13) Tomorrow is Friday and I am looking forward to the weekend!

apology accepted

I got this from Oprah in the middle of the night.

"About Monday Night's Live Web Event
Monday night's webcast was one of the largest single online events in the history of the Internet. More than 500,000 of you simultaneously logged on to watch Oprah Winfrey and Eckhart Tolle live, resulting in 242 Gbps of information moving through the Internet. Unfortunately, some of you experienced delays in viewing the webcast. We are working to identify the specific causes for the problems experienced and will work diligently to rectify them.
Harpo Productions, Inc., Move Networks and Limelight Networks recognize that interactive Internet broadcasting to a mass audience is still an emerging medium, and we're proud to have been pioneers in pushing the industry forward. We deeply regret that some of you were not able to participate in Monday night's live Web event and that others did not have an optimal viewing experience. The first session of the webinar will be available in its entirety for viewing on Oprah.com or for downloading as a podcast on Oprah.com or iTunes on Tuesday, March 4."

I got kicked out of class

I signed up to take the Oprah's New Earth class. It said you could log in anytime starting at 7:30pm. I logged in at 7:38. The class starts at 8pm. I watched commercials for the class for a long time. There was a count down until class started. At 55 seconds, it stopped and I never got any further. I tryed to shut down and get on again with the same result... so I guess I got kicked out of class. I will download it tomorrow and try again.

suggestions please...

It is almost time for the big hair cut for Locks of Love. I am taking suggestions on what style I should go for. Which celebrity hair cut should I get?

yesterday...

Yesterday I got an awesome surprise. I got to spend my afternoon with one of the neatest kids I know, Parker (2 1/2). I have known Parker since before he was born. I picked him up for our school and we came to my house to let Brady out. Then we drove back to school where we met his dad, brother, mom and Mr. D. for my school's 1st annual chili cook-off. Even thought I do not eat chili, (I got sick from it once) I had a super fun time. I ate way to many desserts. I got to see some of my friends that I do not normally get to see. It was just a fun family night. Then when we were coming home- I was surprised again because Parker wanted to ride with me again. Since I still had one of his car seats, Mom and Dad said O.K. and off we went. We all thought it was funny that with gas over 3 dollars a gallon- the 6 of us had 4 cars there all going home to the same place. However, that is life and we couldn't have coordinated it any other way (sorry environment!). Once we got home, Parker wanted to play Super Mario Galaxy so we played and chatted with Julie and Matt. Caleb (10 months), Parker's little brother was pulling up on the furniture and cruising around. He is such a good little one! I love them all! When it was time to leave, Parker stayed and played for a little while and then went home. As an added bonus- we are going out with their family again tonight to do something fun. I can't wait to see what it will be! Yesterday was a good day.