Yucky Bagel

Filed Under Food, Thirteen Months | 5 Comments

This nastiness that Bailey is eating? A cheese onion bagel with spicy mustard. Really, her tastes never cease to amuse/amaze me. I had all kinds of healthy stuff on her tray but my mom was eating this (as the bottom layer to her sandwich, yuck) and Bailey decided she needed it. Also, Bailey has caught on to saying “mmmmmm” while eating.

But it’s funny things like this, that I will want to have a memory of when she is bigger.

House for Sale

Filed Under Future, Home Sweet Home, Money, My Childhood | Leave a Comment

Not ours! My childhood best friend’s old house is now for sale. The one we grew up playing in all the time. So many memories there… This is the house where we went “tanning” on the roof. We played Nintendo for hours until we beat Zelda, sitting on her brother’s top bunk and looking down at the tv. We got locked outside and climbed in through the kitchen window more than once. We jumped off the deck onto the trampoline. It was just the house where we always hung out. She hasn’t lived there since 8th grade when they moved about a half hour away, but when we went to stop by a friend’s house last week we drove past and I saw that it was for sale. I looked at the listing and it looks amazing. And, get this- it’s a SIX BEDROOM house. How cool would that be. We could sell our house now and pretty much trade even, price-wise. It also has all new cabinets, countertops, hardwood, etc. Living room, family room, eat in kitchen, formal dining room, finished lower level with rec room and big storage room…

If I thought we could sell right now we seriously might be interested. I would just be afraid our house wouldn’t sell. We started looking at online mortgage stuff and it looks like we could get even a lower interest rate than what we have now. (Just under 6%). Gah, I know it’s not realistic but it’s fun to dream. I should be content with this house for now. Why is it that we are always wanting the next, bigger, better thing?

First Stride Rite shoes

Filed Under Clothes, Complaining, Shopping, Thirteen Months | 11 Comments

I decided it was time to get B her first pair of “good” shoes. Her white sandals from Tarjay kept falling off and they were starting to rub a blister on the back of her foot So we headed off to L@urie’s Sh0es this morning. The lady working was a total beeotch. We got the shoes, and they are cute, but I am so not sure about the fit at all. She put Bailey in a size and a half bigger than what she had been wearing, and an extra wide. They are gappy around the ankle and one fell off when I took her out of her carseat. Also I think the reason she told me she needed an extra wide is because they were out of the regular wides. Grrr so once we got home I spent time on the phone with their main office telling my tale of woe and we are going back to their main location tomorrow so they can check the fit and personally apologize to me. It would be really nice if that apology included a coupon.

I won’t get into all the details but basically while we were there the woman did not look at Bailey or speak to her and was very rushed and kind of rough with her. At a kids specialty shoe store. Great, huh? Then about a minute after I told her that I wanted a shoe she could wear all summer, she said something like, “And some people are really weird and want their kid to wear the same shoes all summer!” Thanks for making me feel like an idiot. Bad first impression, and they didn’t sign me up for their customer club thing so that was also part of my reason for calling, to get added to that.

The exciting thing? My grandma came with us and surprised me by paying for the shoes! All $42 of them… for a pair of toddler sandals… but aren’t they cute?

My cute little Bug

Filed Under Clothes, Gifts, Thirteen Months | 7 Comments

I haven’t posted any pictures of B in a few days and I thought it was time for some more cuteness The aqua dress is from Grammy and Grampa.  She was modeling before church on Sunday.

The pictures in the blue striped dress were taken on Memorial Day. She was opening a belated birthday gift from a friend of my mom’s. She was fascinated by the bag and tissue paper, but then when she found out it was a dress inside the bag, she lost interest. Unless it’s a toy or shoes, forget it. That girl knows what she wants!

If you click on the individual pictures it will enlarge them. I was just being lazy uploading

Funny nasty shirts

Filed Under Fashion | 2 Comments

Some of these t-shirts are really funny, and some are just plain wrong. But I thought I’d share the site with you because they made me laugh. I don’t know that I would actually wear any of them, because I’m not really a “shirt with writing” kinda girl… unless you count my college days when I had about 85 sorority and fraternity t-shirts. Now, I don’t even usually put Bailey in “character” shirts or shirts with writing. But anyway, go check out this site if you want a laugh. That’s all.

Skin So Soft Giveaway Winners

Filed Under Contests | 1 Comment

Thanks to all who entered! I put the names on paper and folded them each in half, put them in a bowl, and Jonathon chose the winners randomly.

The winner of the Skin So Soft original oil spray is Tami.

The winner of the Bug Guard Expedition with SPF is Michelle.

I contacted you both in case you didn’t see this post, so please reply with your address and I’ll get your prize in the mail Congratulations!

Five Things Meme

Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Five Things…

Harmony tagged me

What was I doing 10 yrs ago?
Actually, at almost exactly this time ten years ago I was skipping my baccalaureate to go to a Dave Matthew’s Band concert and then graduating from high school the next day!

5 snacks I enjoy?
1. Totino’s pizzas (so they’re really more of a meal, whatever)
2. ice cream, as long as it involves chocolate
3. chips with cheese or real mexican restaurant salsa
4. M&Ms
5. popcorn

5 things on today’s to-do list?
1. clean the hallway bathroom (didn’t do)
2. strip the cloth diapers (done)
3. have my family over for barbecue (done)
4. put away laundry (done)
5. dust (done)

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire?
1. Buy a huge house for us, and for my parents, and get us nice pools and people to clean the houses and pools…
2. Do a skin whitening treatment to get rid of my stupid freckles on my arms and face
3. Stash away lots of money for stuff like retirement and our kids’ college funds
4. travel, travel, travel
5. Quit working forever, let Jonathon quit working except for maybe some computer stuff that he enjoys doing, and just volunteer for childrens organizations

5 jobs I have had?
1. fundraising and volunteer coordinating at Big Brothers Big Sisters
2. St. Louis Bread Company, a.k.a. Panera outside of St. Louis (high school)
3. working at a summer camp (summers in college)
4. Express clothing store, very boring!
5. sales and marketing for a publishing company

5 bad habits?
1. procrastinating
2. sleeping too late
3. not being able to get anywhere on time now that I have a kid
4. obsessively checking email and Google Reader
5. picking at my cuticles

5 places I have lived?
really just a few different places in Missouri… not too exciting I guess

5 random things about me?
1. I don’t have a huge circle of friends, but I am very loyal and close to the friends that I have
2. I hate constant noises (like a clock ticking) and ceiling fans make me crazy
3. I want to adopt a baby or child at some point in the future
4. I love selling Avon and hope to build it into a real career someday
5. I am a perfectionist and get frustrated when something isn’t perfect!

5 people who also need to be tagged?
1. Chasing Groundhogs
2. And Then There Were Four
3. Ladybugs and Lizards
4. Marriage 101
5. Kimmie

Reminder to Enter Skin So Soft Giveaway

Filed Under Avon, Contests | Leave a Comment

Don’t forget, I am drawing a winner for my contest tomorrow (Monday)! I will stop taking entries at noon CST. Please check out this post and enter to win a Skin So Soft product!

http://www.twolinesonastick.com/2008/05/21/skin-so-soft-giveaway/

My new sunnies

Filed Under Avon | 2 Comments

I have always been kind of a sunglasses junkie. I just like them to look a little different. For a while I went through a vintage sunglasses phase, and then I got super cheap and started buying all my sunglasses at ABC Trading Co. Anyway, if you are a sunglasses person, check these out. They’re from Avon (the mark brand) and I’m ordering them this week! Aren’t they cute??

Playing With DaDa and Book Recommendation

Filed Under Daddy, Play | 2 Comments

Being chased by Daddy

Caught!

Playing with her Little People Zoo (birthday present from Mommy and Daddy)

Her favorite book is Goodnight, Baby.
On each page of the book, you can tuck a different farm animal into it’s bed (pocket). The animals are attached by different colored ribbon. On the last page, you tuck the baby into his bed. Bailey LOVES putting the animals in bed. She kisses each one first. I seriously recommend this book to anyone whose kid likes animals! Some days we read it about fifteen times in a row.

I don’t even have an ounce of creativity

Filed Under Random | 1 Comment

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Something the prince never knew

Filed Under Celebrities, Difficult Stuff, Video | 6 Comments

I have been crying this morning. Steven Curtis Chapman lost his daughter in a tragic accident. Here is an excerpt from a Chicago Tribune article:

The 5-year-old daughter of Grammy-winning Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman was struck and killed Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle driven by her brother, authorities said.

The girl, Maria Sue, was hit in the driveway of the family’s home Wednesday afternoon by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by her teenage brother, said Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The brother, whose name and exact age weren’t available, apparently did not see the girl, McPherson said. No charges are expected.

“It looks like a tragic accident,” she said.

For those of you who know us well, you know that this just hits a little too close to home. Jonathon was the one to call and tell me about it this morning.

This is the daughter that Steven Curtis Chapman wrote the song “Cinderella” about.

The words even say, “She spins and she sways to whatever song plays, without a care in the world. And I’m sitting here bearing the weight of the world on my shoulders. It’s been a long day and there’s still work to do. She’s pulling at me saying, ‘Dad, I need you. There’s a ball at the castle, and I’ve been invited. And I need to practice my dancing. So please, Daddy, please…’

So I’ll dance with Cinderella, while she is here in my arms. Because I know something the prince never knew. Oh I’ll dance with Cinderella; I don’t want to miss even one song. Cause all too soon, the clock will strike midnight… and she’ll be gone.’

She says he’s a nice guy, I’d be impressed. She wants to know if I approve of the dress. She says ‘Daddy, the prom’s just one week away, and I need to practice my dancing.’

So I’ll dance with Cinderella, while she is here in my arms. For I know something the prince never knew. So I’ll dance with Cinderella, I don’t want to miss even one song. Cause all too soon, the clock will strike midnight… and she’ll be gone. She will be gone.

She came home today, with a ring on her hand. Just glowing and telling us all they had planned. She says, ‘Dad, the wedding’s still six months away. But I need to practice my dancing. So please, Daddy, please…’

So I’ll dance with Cinderella, while she is here in my arms. For I know something the prince never knew. So I’ll dance with Cinderella; I don’t want to miss even one song. Cause all too soon, the clock will strike midnight… and she’ll be gone.”

Thank God that he understood how quickly time goes by. I know he never dreamed this would happen, but he was very aware that they may not have forever. I hope he cherished every moment with his daughter. I hope he stopped to dance with her whenever she asked. And I hope this is a reminder to all of us to slow down and enjoy each dance. We never know when the clock will strike midnight.

Skin So Soft Giveaway

Filed Under Avon, Contests | 25 Comments

I love spring and summer… warm weather and lots of time to spend outside. But in Missouri, it gets muggy and there are lots of mosquitoes! In honor of warm weather (finally) arriving for good, I am giving away two Avon Skin So Soft products.

The first is the Skin So Soft oil in a 5 oz spray. This is the original Skin So Soft product that most people have heard of. It goes on easily and smells nice. It isn’t sticky and is colorless. I honestly have no idea how it keeps the bugs away, but it works!

The other choice is the Skin So Soft Bug Guard Expedition in a pump spray. This has SPF 30 and is a little bit smaller than the one shown on the website. It’s the perfect size for a purse or diaper bag, and would also be great for camping or more “outdoorsy” type activities.

To enter, just leave me a comment and let me know which product you would like. I will separate the entries and draw a winner for each on Monday morning. The results will be posted on my bloggity blog. You’ll have to send me your address so I can get it in the mail to you

Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday

Filed Under Thirteen Months, Wordless Wednesday | 17 Comments

Going Green- changes for a healthier lifestyle

Filed Under Food, Going Green, Shopping | 12 Comments

We are trying to eat healthier and live a more natural lifestyle. I read a blog post yesterday about this and it inspired me to write about what we’ve been doing.

The biggest change in our lives is probably the way we are eating. I have been more concerned with chemicals, pesticides, and hormones in our food. I used to think this was just silly, but the more I read, the more I care. A lot of things are too expensive to do organic, but we are really trying to do hormone free milk, beef, and chicken. Also something i just discovered- Sam’s has hormone free milk and it’s only $2.85 a gallon for whole milk! The hormone free whole milk at Trader Joe’s is $3.69 a gallon. I know it’s not as “good” as true organic but it’s what our budget can allow and it’s better than all the growth hormones. Schnucks has a brand called Full Circle and if the prices are comparable with “regular” food we have been choosing the Full Circle products instead.

I read an article about how to choose what items to do organic if you couldn’t afford to go all organic. Basically the gist of the article was that anything with growth hormones (meats and dairy) were the most important. Fruits with thick peels such as bananas and pineapples were the least likely to be contaminated. Here is a chart you can refer to if you care.

Natural cleaning products- Full Circle line from Schnucks or Method at Target. I have been cleaning more with baking soda and vinegar, thanks to my friend who told me how to do it! I really had no idea that you could use things like that to get your house clean! I would rather have Bailey sit in a tub that had been scoured with baking soda that a tub that had been filled with bleach and other chemicals. We use Full Circle Glass Cleaner with Vinegar (under $3), Full Circle dish soap ($1.99), and Full Circle laundry detergent ($3.99 for 30 loads I think). The only reason I am listing all the prices is that I thought “natural” automatically meant more expensive, but it doesn’t. You just have to be smart and shop around.
Another thing we are working on at our house is conservation. Well, this is really more me than Jonathon. I have always been on his case about leaving lights on and stuff like that. Another thing he will do is turn the shower on and then go do something else for a while and then come back and get in the shower. I have started turning the water off when he does this. This might sound cheesy, but I guess now that I have a kid I want the earth to still be liveable during her whole lifetime. I have also been trying to reuse more and not waste as many things or throw them away. I try to get almost all my books either used or at the library. (Well, I’ve always done that, but its less books that are printed!)

Our grocery store also started selling reusable shopping bags a while back, and we now have three of them. They are usually only $1.25 but they were on sale for $1 each a few weeks ago. They are so much nicer than plastic bags and they hold about three times as much. They have a square/flat bottom so they don’t tip over, and there is a handle that you can carry over your shoulder. Even if I wasn’t trying to be environmentally friendly, I would use these bags! Plus, did you know that one plastic bag takes like 500 years to decompose? Wow.

Anyway, I just wanted to share what we have been doing around here. What have you done or thought about doing? Any tips you want to share with me?