Smile---It's Monday!

I often get comments and emails asking, well begging, for more videos of Sweet Bean! And since I'm such a people pleaser (insert a tinge of sarcasm here), I'm more than happy to oblige!

Shot yesterday evening just after she awoke from her nap, this is just a quick snippet of what life is like with Miss Priss---nonstop! No joke, from the time she wakes up until she falls asleep, Gillian Grace is on the go! Lately we're lucky if she slows down long enough to sit and eat! But above all else, our Bean loves to boogie!

{Song in video-Train: Save Me, San Francisco}

Can you see why we're both tired at the end of the day?

From morning until night, Sweet Bean is one bigger than life bundle of spunkiness! Now if I could only figure out a way to capture and market all this energy, we'd be set for life!

Hope your Monday is going well and that your week is off to a fantastic start!

{There's still time to enter to win the CSN gift certificate! Click here to find out more!}

Almost Wordless Wednesday---Squeaky Shoes

One, two, three, one, two, three...

Gillian Grace loves sidewalk dancing with her shadow.

Watching Gillian Grace walk and dance around has always been fun, but now that she has a pair of squeaky shoes, it's pure entertainment.

So look out all you Dancing with the Celebrities and Wannabes Stars, my Sweet Bean's got some moves of her own!





Happy Wednesday!

{Giveaways- Love Stamped Jewelry and Pear Tree personalized Halloween Stickers}

Sick of Ants?

It's quite possible that I get every bit as much enjoyment out of watching some of Gillian Grace's favorite television shows as she does. But it's not everyday that I, a soon to be 31 (cringe) year old momma, learns something new from an orange fuzzy Muppet on Sesame Street.

In a genius skit spoofing A&E's Mad Men, three Muppets bantered back and forth about emotions while flipping through several ad campaign posters. When the boss, coincidentally known as Don Draper, closes the scene by calling out, "Good work, sick of ants!"

Sick of ants! Are you confused?

Well, I was! I couldn't understand for the life of me what in the world sick of ants could possibly mean. I thought about it on and off for the rest of the day, in between loads of laundry, dirty diapers, and my never ending war against the always on the floor Cheerio. By the time Bret walked in the door from work, I had all but forgotten about the whole Sesame Street conundrum until I found myself watching the day's episode once again while GG drank her evening milk.

As my know it all hubby (said lovingly), explained what the Muppet had actually said, my confusion soon turned to understanding. Which was quickly followed by a cheek flushing rush of embarrassment at my stupidity that, if compared, would've made Snooki look like a Rhodes Scholar.

Sick of ants was actually sycophants. Oooohhhh, I should've have known that!

But in my defense, they do sound similar. Right?

Now should Alex Trebek ever come a' callin', and you find yourself with this Daily Double answer...
a servile self-seeking flatterer
synonym: parasite

You'll know the correct question: What is sycophant? And should you win, remember me with a little monetary cha-ching!


Good stuff, right? Sesame Street is clearly not just for the munchkins anymore!


Gillybean loves Elmo!



{Click here to enter the current giveaway from Mama's Messages.}

Miscellany Monday

one. And then there was 1---Now Gillian Grace is the only munchkin on the block; school started today! In 3 short years, I'll be that nervous momma walking her sweet girl to school for the first day of prekindergarten. And yes, we are those parents and have had our daughter on the admissions' wait list since she was just days old.


I took GG to visit her future school and my old workplace. I visited with my teacher friends and Gillian Grace found a familiar face, our neighbor, to keep her company.

two. No, Tebow is not auditioning for the role of Friar Tuck in the newest Disney on Turf production of Robin Hood, but sadly is just sporting his newest do, courtesy of the Denver Broncos veterans. I heart Timmy, I really do! But, I just can't get on board with this new look. Thank goodness in a few weeks he'll be as purty as ever!


three. Gillian Grace is cutting 4 teeth! Oh how I wish all 20 of her pearly whites would make their debut at the same time. This every other week teething thing is wearing us thin---

four. I'm a little late in the game, but I've recently become addicted to Etsy. I've got a few items hanging out in my cart just waiting to be purchased. Among the items, are a few handpainted signs from Mama's Messages. My new bloggy friend Anna has recently opened a shop. Be sure to check out this week's awesome giveaway to win one of Anna's signs for yourself.



five. And whatdoyaknow? It must me Anna's day! She was the correct guesser (um, if that's even word) for Friday's impromptu giveaway. Congratulations, girl! Hope Baby W enjoys his pool as much as Gillian Grace has!



We call this GG's stinky face! She scrunches up her nose, shows her teeth, and snorts! It's a guaranteed riot every time she does it; she just looks so silly!

six. Thank you for all of your kind words and prayers for my grandmother. After a weekend in the hospital, doctors have been able to rule out any cardiac complications and instead have determined that it is her gallbladder. She is scheduled for surgery this morning, so please keep her in your thoughts.



seven. It wasn't me! Finally I'm not the only one around her in need of visiting the Wizard for a brain---Saturday evening, Bret sat my dinner leftovers on top of the tonneau cover over the bed of his truck while he got GG situated in her carseat. Said leftovers were discovered about 15 minutes and 5 miles later when we stopped for ice cream, sitting precariously near the edge. Now while I know that we're not the first goofs to drive with a forgotten something atop our car, we should certainly earn high marks for making it clear across town without a spill!



eight. I'm feeling crafty! Since receiving so many compliments on the wreath I made for Gillybean's birthday party, I've been busy making a few more. I've had several requests for Fall, football, and Halloween wreaths, so it looks like I'll be busy! (Want a custom wreath of your own? Email me and we'll chat!)


I took a wreath I'd made with me up to my old school this past week. I was so delighted when I heard it was hanging on the office door for Parent Preview.


Of course I had to make a Florida Gator wreath for the upcoming football season! My favorite part of all my wreaths has to be my handmade bows! I may not know how to sew, but I can sure make a decent bow!

I painted helmets and footballs to accent the wreath! Go Gators!

Have a great Monday, y'all!

Almost Wordless Wednesday---Shopping

Yesterday I learned that shopping with a one year old can turn a quick trip to the mall into an all morning affair!



With Gillian Grace pausing every now and again to bust a move, Bret wanted the caption for this video to be, shop til you drop it like it's hot. If you remember the Snoop Dogg song of the same name (Drop it like it's hot) from a few years back, you'll probably understand why his suggestion had me rolling with laughter---We're so not hip hop people! But I must say this for my girl, she does know how to shake that junk in her trunk!


Who's that pretty baby?


How does this drawer open?


Now, how do I get up there?


Mom, this is so Real Housewives of New Jersey! Teresa eat your heart out!


Every girl needs a good pair of jeans!


Can I get some purple carpet in my room?


See ya! Catch me if you can!


{Sorry for the poor picture quality and the red eye. My pocket camera gets the job done, but the end result is never as great!}

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Who Dat?

A Seuss book came to life in 1966 on the big screen

In a movie starring the Grinch who was tall, skinny, and mean.

But the movie also featured a pretty little girl

That danced around Whoville with a jump and twirl!

This sweet darling had a strange something on her head

"Sprouting up like a fountain," many have said.

This little girl had a silly sounding name

And a hairdo so wild, no styling product could tame.

Introducing the newest, most adorable Cindy Lou Who yet

And with a face so sweet this new Who you'll never forget!















Take a look and I'll think you'll agree

Gillian Grace is the cutest darn Cindy Lou Who you'll ever see!



Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Giggling Gillian Grace

If...

Then I'm pretty sure our sweet girl can light an entire city block!



What makes you laugh?


{Be sure to enter Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday's fabulous giveaways! And, stay tuned for today's great giveaway at five from Two Savvy Sisters.}

The Night the Stars Feel on Alabama

This past Sunday on a Sunny Afternoon over 35,000 Parrotheads in need of some Changes in Latitudes and Changes in Attitudes, packed up their Fins, donned their finest tropical garb, and headed Back to the Island {well...to Gulf Shores, Alabama} for a free concert featuring Mr. Margaritaville himself, Jimmy Buffett! Now that the Coast is Clear it was time to celebrate our beautiful beaches and help the local economy by Spending Money.



Bret and I were amazed at the crowds that were Bigger than the Both of Us could have ever imagined. Barefoot Children played in the sand while fans from Biloxi to the Coast of Carolina enjoyed a little Barometer Soup and a Cheeseburger in Paradise. With many a Jolly Mon downing Boat Drinks like they were water, it was obvious that Come Monday some would be feeling a little like they'd just eaten a few Fruitcakes leftover from 1980. And then there was one over-the-top man destined to wake in the morning with A Permanent Reminder of a Temporary Feeling when he saw his Rastarfarian braids {a huge Jamaican Mistaka} and Pencil Thin Mustache {Making it look like He Went to Paris instead of Alabama} starring back at him through the bathroom mirror.







Though it was clear that the Natives Were Restless Tonight, we did our best to meet up with one of my best blog buddies, Same Sweet Girl: Memoir of a Southern Belle. Amy was kind enough to send us a pair of extra tickets {Thanks again, girl!} But, Who Are We Trying to Fool? Between the crowds and the concert equipment I would've had more luck sending Amy a Coconut Telegraph than trying to call and text on my iphone. I might as well have been Somewhere over China, I simply could not get a message through. For long stretches of time we were Incommunicado, then suddenly a text would make it through. We'd race to a new location only to have missed Amy and her friends by mere minutes at times. Basically, If the Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me. I tried everything I could think of to get my phone to work, but trying to reason with technology at times is like Tryin' to Reason with Hurricane Season, a complete waste of time!


Amy and her husband---We missed each other by five minutes here at the Hangout!

As the night Stars Feel on Alabama, it was Time to Go Home. Though this part of the story didn't have a Happily Ever After storybook ending for me and my long-distant friend, Someday I Will meet Miss Amy. Only Time Will Tell where and when! And between now and then the Stories We Could Tell will grow and only get better.


Every time this snazzy golf card whizzed by I cracked up. So of course I had to get Bret to snap a picture.









This was a Semi-True Story, but it's My Story and I'm Sticking to it!



{All italicized words are actual Jimmy Buffett song titles. Click here to see his entire music anthology.}

Click here to enter my newest giveaway (a $45 value), courtesy of Jumping Jax Designs.

When Mom's away...

....the kids will play.

And by kids, I mean these two...

My daughter

and

my husband.

While I was out this past weekend taking care of a few errands, I received the text message {pictured below} from Bret.

What followed can only be described as classic Daddy/daughter bonding. After all, there's nothing quite like an oreo to bring two people together.





Not only did I arrive home to find Gillian Grace cleaned up, oreo free, and wearing a completely new outfit, but the upstairs had been vacuumed and the laundry started.

I'm beginning to think I should run errands alone more often. Bret is a regular Mr. Mom. {Minus the kitchen rubber gloves, clothespin on the nose, goggles, and apron of course!}


Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom, 1983

Pretty sure when Bret videoed this moment with GG he didn't intend for me to post it, but I just couldn't help myself. Much like an oreo, this little snippet of father/daughter sweetness is just to hard to resist!