wordless wednesday

reasons I love my kid

• He gives me the biggest grin when I walk in his room every morning...even at 5:30am!

• He has the best laugh...especially when he thinks his daddy is being funny!

• He loves to explore and learn new things.
  

• He has no fear. Ask me if I love this in a few years...could be scary-ha!

• He is a dog lover already. His 3 pups are his best friends. As a dog lover/rescuer there is nothing sweeter to me than watching Grayson's eyes light up when he sees his doggy friends.

• I love how he is now reaching up for me when he wants to be held.
  

• He makes the funniest noises and even though he can't talk yet, he has so much expression!

• He is an expert people watcher...just like his mama!

• He has an easy going personality. He doesn't mind when I go stir crazy and have to get out & about...he's just along for the ride.

• He has the funniest fake laugh ever. It's pretty ridiculous.

• I love how he only snuggles me when he is sleepy & in his glider. It's my happy time:)
  

• He tries to be so big when we are at the pool. He prefers to stand on the steps like the big kids and play with his toys...if they can do it, he can too! I love seeing that proud face when he feels big.

• He smacks his lips after he eats his baby food...he likes his mama's cooking:)
  

brain dump.

• I really can't stand how hot it is already! Grayson gets SO sweaty in his carseat and I always feel so bad for him. He's like me and is always red-cheeked and hot. Poor kid.
  

• I don't understand this new "white boy dressed like a rapper" style that the high school guys seem to be wearing lately. It's terrible. The baseball hat with the shiny sticker & flat bill, black socks with Jordans, basketball shorts, and a wife beater. You, lame 16 year old at the pool, will never have a girlfriend. Sorry.

• I unpacked all of my china and crystal this week. We've lived in this house for 2 1/2 years. That's how I roll!
  

• Next weekend is my friend Cathleen's bachelorette party here in Nashvegas. We will be doing some things at my house...dinner & lingerie party. I am in DIY party planner mode and am scouring the internet for fun decorations. I'm also making my first tissue paper lantern thing! I'm excited.
  

• Bathing suits were so much more fun before I had a baby. I'll leave it at that. Okay, I lied. I won't leave it at that. My chest has turned into deflated water balloons. Not so much flattering in any kind of bathing suit.
  

• Allow me to brag for a moment. I am 43 lbs lighter now than I was on my delivery day. I gained 24 lbs during my pregnancy. Boo-yah. Must. Keep. Working. Out. Can somebody teach me how to enjoy working out?
  

• I'm obsessed with looking at houses online. I have a problem. I feel like I will always have the itch to move. There are so many great houses around here!!

• I keep getting this anxious feeling that I need to squeeze in as many fun activities with Grayson before school start in August. My heart starts to beat fast. Then I realize I won't be going back to school in August. Still feels strange.
  

• I tried that wooden plaque/scrapbooking paper wall art yesterday. I failed miserably. I used wood glue and the paper got some bubbles in it and wouldn't lay flat. Crafty people, what type of glue should I use??
  

what our summer looks like so far.

Thousands of dead cicadas. Finally.

Skinny dipping in the backyard. Swim diapers are expensive, okay?! How cute is that little booty??

Naked car rides because it is 937 degrees. If we don't blog in the next few days, it's probably because we melted.

Lots of pool time with mama and friends.

Swinging in the park.

oh, and playing with anything that gets us dirty!

menu plan Monday

Let me just say that I successfully stuck to our menu last week...every single night! I was impressed with myself & happy that we saved money by not eating out. Here is our menu for this week:

Monday: Peanut Satay Chicken with edamame saute

Tuesday: Grilling out hot dogs...guilty pleasure of mine:)

Wednesday: Mellow Mushroom with the ladies!

Thursday: Breakfast for dinner...blueberry pancakes and bacon

Friday: Chicken spaghetti

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Here is the recipe for the lemon thyme chicken from last week...it got 2 thumbs up from Ben!

Lemon Thyme Chicken
2 chicken breasts
2 tbsp lemon juice
thyme (fresh or dried)
oregano (fresh or dried)
3/4 cup white wine
14 oz. chicken broth
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

Preheat a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, add oil to pan, and add chicken. Cook on each side (a few minutes each) until browned. Stir in lemon juice, wine, broth, thyme, and oregano; cover. Cook and stir 8-10 minutes...turning chicken occasionally. Remove chicken from pan. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth and pour into pan. Bring to a boil. Cook the sauce for a few minutes until thickened. Slice the chicken & top with the sauce.

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I've made myself get back in the workout groove. Grayson and I have been walking every single morning at the crack of dawn before it reaches 97 degrees. When he takes a morning nap I've been doing one of my video workouts. Ben has even started P90X and I am absolutely convinced that he's crazy. I survived 18 minutes of the P90X plyometrics and then about died. I do have a goal weight in mind but my main goal is to be comfortable enough to wear my old 2 piece bathing suits at the beach...which is the last week of July.

SO, this is where you people come! I'm on the hunt for healthy recipes that me & the picky hubs can enjoy. Do you have any healthy dinners you want to share?? Pretty please?

Facelift

I got a much needed bloggy facelift by Leslie @ Lamberts Lately. I had used her before and will say this again...she is GREAT to work with and the whole process is easy and quick! If you want a blog makeover, she's your girl!

I love the new look!! Thanks Leslie!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

my mind is spinning.

As if I needed something else to distract me & make my to-do list even bigger, I have recently discovered Pinterest. It is the ultimate time-suck. My mind goes crazy with DIY ideas when I see all these beautiful pictures of other people's creations. Now I must admit, sometimes I make fun of ultimate DIY people. I think there is a point where if you do everything yourself, some things turn out looking cheap. I'm not that extreme. You won't see me hot gluing crap to my walls or trying to widdle a canoe anytime soon. BUT, I love cheap art projects that make a room look complete. These are a few things that have recently been added to my summer project list:
This idea is actually from Better Homes and Gardens. You can find the tutorial here. All they did was adhere scrapbook papers to those cheap wooden plaques you can find at Hobby Lobby or any other craft store. How easy is that?! I actually just bought 6 pretty pieces of paper to somehow decorate the wall in our downstairs bathroom...and I think I may try this out! I love all the different shapes together!

I have discovered a new blog that I now love. Little Miss Momma. She made this cute Anthropologie inspired necklace! Her tutorial makes it look so easy & it is so cute. I'm obsessed!

I love this monogram. It's simple. I like simple. It is from this blog. She has lots of other great ideas, too! I think this would look great over our bed!

I'm always looking for inexpensive ways to decorate my walls. I don't do expensive art. I get sick of things too easily. Remember my scrapbook paper wall art? Well this is even better! This woman is a genius. I love, love, love this whimsical look using vintage sheets!

I forgot to bookmark this page. I think 2 of these would look great on our big & blank kitchen wall. I love frames but am lazy when it comes to switching out the pictures inside them. This would solve that problem!

What are your favorite DIY projects? I love getting new ideas!