Look at my cute little baby!  So many funny things could go along with this picture.  I figured it'd be fun to open it up for a caption contest.  The winner gets.....a thumbs up from me!  (Highly coveted grand prize, eh!?)  Trying to get some interaction here, people.  Ok, go!

If you know me at all, you know that I am a music fan.  I love all music.  I especially love when an artist feels their music.  You watch him or her perform a song and it's as if he is in another world.  Maybe he is.  He's really experiencing his music, which in turn, gives his audience the absolute best musical experience.  It tells a story and I just love it!  One of my most favorite genres is probably soul music.  Or maybe it's not even the genre necessarily.  I love that raspy tone to a voice.  I guess since I enjoy the feeling of music so much, for me, the rasp adds a touch of wear to a voice.  A sense of world experience.  You can truly believe their story because it sounds like they've been there, done that.  I also really love how music mixes all kinds of people.  You get the best songs and collaborations that way, in my opinion. 

Here are a few videos I thought I'd share.  An interview with Marc Broussard.  If you don't know who he is.....check him out....now!  Seriously, one of my favorites!


Marc Broussard said in an interview, "Music has never been about being perfect, it's been about the ebb and flow of life."  That is so very true, and it's exactly what I love about music.  It can be uplifting, make you dance, make you cry, make you sing along.  It's a powerful, beautiful thing and I love it all.  That's me, lover of music, honestly.

We just had 2 large kids consignment sales in our area.  I had never been to one of these before I got pregnant, but I went to my first one when I was around 6ish months.  I just wanted to check it out.  I didn't expect anything.  I bought whatever I stumbled upon and liked.  I was happy with the deals I found.  This time around, our financial situation is a bit different.  I prepared for these sales and I went in with a PLAN.  I made a list of the items I wanted/needed.  I put blinders on so I wouldn't deviate from the list too bad.  I did end up with a few toys which weren't on the list.  Anyway.  I decided to track our savings this time. 

Here's what I got for $150: 

(2) Bumbo seats
(2) Bumbo trays
Boppy
Boppy cover
Bathtub
Mesh Bumpers (Breathable Baby)
Rainforest Jumperoo
Gated Play Yard
Cart/High Chair Cover
ABC Caterpillar
Parents' Shape Sorter
Spin and Discover Globe

All for $150!  And I'm pretty picky.  All of this stuff is in practically perfect condition.  Compared to current retail prices, I saved nearly $300.  I'm so thankful for programs/sales like this.  One day, I'll return the favor by offering up my baby's things at a good bargain to a new mom in need.  For now, my baby is loving her toys and products.  And her thrifty momma!  That's me, bargain hunter, honestly.

I am a breastfeeder/pumper. I struggle with it every day. It's a beautiful thing. It's the best provider of nutrients to your baby. But, it's also ugly. It hurts. Your nipples become unrecognizable. Personally, I became a pumper pretty early on. My girl was losing a good amount of weight and it drove me crazy that I could not SEE how many ounces she was getting in a feeding. Beyond that, it took us both some time to figure out what we were doing. In the meantime, my breasts were extremely engorged, and I had a cracked, bleeding, excrutiatingly painful nipple on one side. I could NOT feed her from that side, she wasn't getting enough from the other side. She was hungry, I hurt...I turned to my pump. (Medela Pump In Style, I love you and I hate you.) It was SO nice to put myself on a schedule and work out the engorgement while giving my poor nipple time to heal....all while still getting milk to feed the baby. Three months later, and now that I'm back to work, it's nice to be on such a schedule. M has had no "nipple confusion." I know that happens, but for us....so far so good. I still breastfeed my girl in the evenings and on the weekends. We're much better at it now. And sometimes, that girl just wants the boob! I can only talk about my own thoughts and experiences here. Maybe it's helpful, maybe it's encouraging, maybe it's just nice to know that someone is out there who understands? I hope so to all of those things. "Right" or "wrong" in the eyes of La Leche League, I don't care. This is what works for US! I came across this Hello Giggles article yesterday by Bethany Joy Galeotti. (I just love BJG. She just seems like a cool chick. And, let's face it....so am I. I totally think we'd be friends, but I digress.) It's just a word of encouragement to breastfeeding moms who feel like they want to give up. Like I said, I struggle with this every day. My goal is to make it to 6 months, then use whatever freezer supply that's left at that time. But if I should need to stop sooner, or if you are reading this and feel guilty because you have stopped. DO NOT FEEL GUILTY! Of all the benefits of breastfeeding, I can think of one thing that IS better for your baby. That's a happy and healthy momma. This article was encouraging to me and I wanted to share it, which prompted this blog posting. I thought about keeping all the bloody details to myself instead of posting them here. But...that's me, Milk Machine, honestly.

My 30 before 30 list got me thinking about travel. I love to explore, I love to road trip, I love to learn. And so, I love to travel. I have lots of places I hope to see one day. Here is my immediate list. I think I could manage it in the next 10 years.


1. Take my girl to Disney World.

2. Michigan in January. (Take M to NAIAS and to see snow…and visit her family, of course.)

3. Kentucky (I go here every year for a family reunion, but I really want to work in some site-seeing one of these years.)

4. Hawaii: cruise for 1 week, island for 1 week (to be determined if we’ll do Maui again or a new island.)

5. New York---Road Trip: NYC, Niagara Falls, Cooperstown, Queensbury (We plan to go to see Ken Griffey Jr. inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame….so this IS happening in 2016! Although it's a ways off, I’m as excited for this trip as I was for either of our HI trips.)

6. Vegas/Grand Canyon (I realize they’re not THAT close, but I figure if I’m going to 1, I may as well work them both into one trip. They’re a lot closer to each other than I am to either of them.)

7. Washington DC.

8. Go somewhere just to see the autumn colored leaves.

9. New York. We need to do a separate trip to NY that includes M. We don’t plan to take her on the “road trip” one. (of course….that’s 4 years, off so who knows.)

10. Cruise with my honey. I don’t care where, just go!

I'm a list maker. It's ridiculous, actually. I have lists all over my house. My husband loves it. (ha.) I thought it would be fun to jump on the "30 before 30" wagon. I have 18 months (what?!) to complete these items and/or work them in to my every day life. In addition to making lists....I LOVE to check things off of those lists. So, I had to throw a few easy ones in for encouragement.

1. Try one new recipe every month.

2. Complete one item from Pinterest every month. (No cheating challenge!: item cannot count as my new recipe of the month. If the Pinterest item IS a recipe….I must make 2 new recipes.)

3. Use my canvas shopping bags.

4. Update my blog in some way once per week.

5. Become a stay at home mom and wife….domestic diva extraordinaire!

6. Make money doing something I love.

7. Read more.

8. Workout three times per week.

9. Train for and complete a 5k.

10. Visit a winery. Will they let me stomp grapes?

11. Stomp grapes.

12. Shoot a gun.

13. Develop my photographic skills. My camera and I are capable of way more.

14. Speak up.

15. Go on a cruise with Adam!

16. Successfully make my own sushi.

17. Pay off designated debt.

18. Do something with my hair.

19. Learn how to better use my makeup.

20. Buy good makeup.

21. Get professional photos made of my little family.

22. Make it to Michigan at least once.

23. Brunch more often.

24. Bring back “date night.”

25. Learn to coupon effectively.

26. Meal plan.

27. Take M to the beach.

28. Go bike riding.

29. Get organized and stay that way.

30. Go to a new concert….and probably a few oldies but goodies. (Ahem, LP?!)

And MY how things have changed. I realize I have no grand following here, and that's ok. There's not been much to follow. I plan to work on that, it's part of my 30 before 30 list of goals. I have been inspired by my friend, Whitney to make some goals I hope to accomplish by 30...and really, as an avid list maker, why shouldn't I have such a list?! More on that later. Sometimes, I have stuff to say....sometimes I don't say those things when I should. I thought if I use my blog as an outlet, maybe some of those things can help someone out there? Or at least make them laugh. Maybe. This blog will be used for my various ramblings, musings, advice, recipes, etc....whatever strikes me. Because that's me. That's all I can be.

I am not a frequent blogger. I need to work on that. I have been entirely too busy lately. Working a ton of extra hours lately it seems, but I think that is finally slowing down. I've also just taken my last trip of the year. (...well almost) I've been to Michigan twice, New York, Kentucky, and Atlanta this year for various trips. My first Michigan trip was to attend a memorial service for my aunt who has passed away. It was a beautiful service and I was happy to be able to attend and see my family. The latest MI trip was for my brother's wedding. It was SO beautiful, I know they put a lot of hard work into it! I'm truly happy for him and his family! Kentucky and New York were for family reunions. The Atlanta trip was for my birthday, sort of. I'll give you some reviews: We went to see Creed and Skillet at the Lakewood Amphitheater. It was a good show, Skillet was really great! I don't know that I'd like to ever go to that venue again for a show. It was not very crowd-friendly, and it was SO HOT! They had fans...but didn't use them for some reason! Also while there, we went to Fogo de Chao for dinner. DELICIOUS! It's a Brazilian Steakhouse, and you can read all about it here: http://www.fogodechao.com/ The salad/side bar had a few interesting things on it. I really wish they had 2 bars set up, because it gets pretty crowded. Warning: If you are not a meat lover, this restaurant is not really worth it. The garlic beef and the ancho sirloin were my faaaaavorites. Yum!

So, I've been a busy, busy bee. But, I would not change a thing! I love my life, my family, my job. I am so very blessed to have a job which allows me to see and do all of these things. I do not take it for granted even for a second. I know I'm lucky to have a job period, let alone one with such great people, great opportunities and flexibility.

I'll leave you with a pic from the wedding since it was the most recent event. Is my family hot or what?! haha

I'm on a salad kick. I suppose there are worse things, right? So, I made a few this weekend.

I think I need to learn some landscaping. 2011 will be the landscaping year, I hope.

Long time, no post. I'll try to work on that, honest! We bought curtains around Christmastime for some areas of the house. This weekend, we finally got some rods and got to hanging. We have only got the living room and kitchen hung so far, but progress is progress and I will take it! This coming weekend, I'm hoping we can paint the guest room and hang the curtains there. I also need to fix the curtains in our bedroom, and we have to hang the "man room" curtains. You will never guess what color they are.... haha I also finally got the coffee bags framed, and Adam hung them for me. They are actual original bags that raw beans are shipped in from different countries. Here are some pictures for now. Ignore the mess. I'll try to take more this weekend. :)

Glidden Red Delicious on half the living room/game area. Love red.
















Glidden Cinnamon Stick in the kitchen. This pic does not do it justice. I'm absolutely in love with this color. I'm so happy with how it's coming out.
















Glidden Smoky Mauve is currently on the opposing walls in the living room. This color came out in no way like the swatch. I should have bought a tester, dang it! It's actually like a lavendar color, though you can't tell it so much in this picture. We are going to be re-doing the living room and using this color in the guest room instead.

Living room...front door is to the left. Hallway to 3 extra bedrooms and 2 bathrooms to left. Master suite on opposite side of the built in. (I'm thinking we will close-off the built in eventually.