Christmas Quiz

Two blogs I follow have done this and I'm going to hop on the band wagon so I will not focus on how much I don't want to be at the office today :) Thank you Velcro Dog and The Wiegands.

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Both! Not mixed together. 
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Both. But, most of Santa's presents are unwrapped. He's just too busy to wrap them all! 
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? My parents have done both...different every year. 
4. Do you hang mistletoe? My mom used to! I wish I did? Next year...
5. When do you put your decorations up? Well, I always mean to the weekend after Thanksgiving, but it hasn't happened yet?? Decemberish...when ever I get to it usually. 
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? My mom and grandma's homemade toffee. Divinity- I die. Chocolate! All the repeats of Thanksgiving. Broccoli-rice casserole, pumpkin pie. Love it all.  
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Waking up at Granny's and Santa had brought a trampoline and set it up in Granny's backyard :). 
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't even remember? I pretended to believe for a long time because I have a little sis who is 7 years younger. I think I still wish I believed. 
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Omg yes! Christmas tradition at my house is to open pjs and wear them the night of Christmas Eve. Usually it's just me, my mom and sister, but last year, Robert and my dad got matching ones too. I love it. Oh and we always get together with my aunts and uncles on my mom's side of the family and open presents from each other on Christmas Eve. It's so fun. 
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Well, Robert and I have never had an official Christmas tree since we've been married, so I'll have to plead the 5th on this. BUT, my mom got me a bunch of cute ornaments after Christmas last year. So when we do have a tree, it'll be really fun with bright colors and lots of random ornaments. 
11. Snow! Love it or dread it? oh goodness. Love love love it, especially on Christmas. 
12. Can you ice skate? ha. I doubt it. I maybe have once? Or maybe I dreamed that? 
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? hmmm. I don't know? My parents have been so good to me and spoiled me rotten. Last year's ipad was a big surprise! But, what I'll never forget is my mom got me this pretty little box and it was empty and she said the most precious gift she could give me or I could give her was time. I've always loved that. My mom is amazing. Time is the most precious gift.
14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Remembering that God sent His son to earth and through him we are known by God. And family, family, family!!! 
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Well, I think I covered that earlier :). I love all desserts. Pies, chocolate. Homemade candy that my mom and grandma make are the best!! OMG and Chelsea's gingerbread cookies!!! ahhh! I will miss those this year :)
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I love my family's Christmas Eve tradition with the pjs :). Oh, I also love how my mom used to wrap everything individually in our stockings and then say they were from famous people. Like I'd get chapstick from Marilyn Monroe. Awesome. Also, used to love to go to the candlelight service at our church every year. 
17. What tops your tree? once again, we have no tree. #bahhumbug ha. 
18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving...I get so giddy when I think I might have got someone something they will like!!! Ahhh! Receiving is so humbling and pretty fun too :)
19. Candy canes: yuck or yummy? Yummy.  
20. Favorite Christmas show? so many. It's a Wonderful Life, Elf, Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street, The Holiday...they are all so goooddddd
21. Saddest Christmas song? Song and Movie - The Christmas Shoes. I mean slit my wrists...makes me want to bawl! The Little Drummer Boy always gets me too. I mean all he could do was play his drum??! 
22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Well, "All I want for Christmas" by Mariah Carey, of course :). I also, used to love "Mary's Song", pretty moving!


hmmm, k. Merry Christmas everyone!!!  

In West Philadelphia......

Nothing says Christmas like a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion....click here. How random. How great.

Where was Mrs. Banks?? And Geoffrey the butler?

Talk about a theme song really shaping that show. I think I liked the show so much because I loved the opener.

One of my best friend's, Adrienne, would start rapping the theme song at date parties in college and everyone would join along with her. It was kind of amazing. She still does it sometimes. Actually, I think she busted it out on her honeymoon in July? Her husband sent us video footage of it. 

The Fresh Prince....still bringing people together....

479

So, if you know me or if you've read this blog a little, you have probably gathered that I love pugs. They are my favorite. I grew up with a pug. My mom has two pugs at home. I just really like pugs. Shout out to Doug and Daisy.

For a while I was updating petfinder.com and adoptapet.com for the DFW Pug Rescue. It's not much on the scale of what they do for the Dallas area pugs, but it was just a little way that I could help them. When I got pregnant, I noticed that I was delaying in updating the pugs. I didn't want to click on another pug that needed rescuing. I was too emotional and the sad pugs made me very sad and I couldn't do it. So, I handed over my duties and now I am not actively doing anything for them. It makes me sad because I want to be helping the pugs find happy homes, I just can't in this season of my life. Thankfully, there are lots of awesome people volunteering and working hard for the Pug Rescue that will continue to support and help the pugs get medical care, foster homes and eventually forever homes.  

I still get all of their email updates and follow them of Facebook, so I know what is going on in the DFW Pug World. Yesterday, they posted that they have saved 479 pugs this year. Isn't that so exciting??!!

One small step for mankind, one giant step for pugs. They have tons of great events and always need volunteers and donations if you want to hop on over to their website and check them out.

and yes i just google imaged Christmas pugs

Next year, I'm hoping Santa will get me a pug and maybe a bulldog and maybe a kitten too. What? Too much?? :)You don't understand I grew up around a minimum of 3 animals. I need an animal or 3. I want Doug to come live with us, but Robert says no because he pees on everything. :( Doug...why?? why??! 

Oh well, for now, I'll just pray that the little pugs that need rescuing find great homes. 479 is a lot o' pugs, you guys :) Yay for the pugs! 

IIIIIIIIIIII don't want a lot for Christmas.....

and that is the beginning of the Christmas song that just keeps on giving by Mariah Carey.

here it is if you need a refreshing of it's greatness



never gets old. it just doesn't. (old school Mariah in the video is kind of cute too?) WOW. I'm calling Mariah cute?? I am definitely in the holiday spirit.

And yes, I'll state it, it is official, I have crossed over from stress and dread and I am now fully excited about Christmas. How does that happen?? Maybe I just decided to buck up and change my horrible attitude? Yes, that could be it. Or maybe I can't really control my attitude because I'm pregnant and my hormones are insane. Who knew hormones were such little bitches? I mean, we girls experience it a little, but this pregnancy thing is a WHOLE other monster. So, really, I could be out of the Christmas spirit in the next 12 hours, I better embrace it while I can....

DECK THE HALLS!!

HO HO HO!!!!

SILVER BELLS!!!!

RUDOLPH!!!! 

Yes, my mood is like the wind. Ever changing. Ever unpredictable. Ever annoying. Ever full of debris that could kill someone that gets in it's path. Sounds scary, doesn't it?? It is! You can ask Robert! ha. but not ha.

So with all this Christmas cheer all about, I've declared a new Christmas tradition for Robert and I. So far our Christmas traditions have been

a. we don't get a tree
b. i have a major breakdown

Brief recap:

For Christmas of '09 we were just married and got back from our honeymoon on December 20th and then we were going to Houston for Christmas, so there was no time to get a tree. Even if we did, we would have had it up for like 4 days. What's the point? Also, I had minimal half ass gifts for Robert's family because after the wedding and running around like a crazy person, holiday shopping was LAST on my priority list. My first Christmas with the in-laws and I was playing at the junior varsity level with Christmas gifts? Omg, did I even buy one thing for Mamaw?? Panic. This caused me to have major guilt and turned into me having a major crying breakdown pre-Christmas '09. Yikes. Welcome to marriage, hang on because I am going to freak out now. Everything ended up being fine. We had a great Christmas.

Christmas of '10 came about and we kept putting off getting a tree. Eventually we rationalized that we couldn't afford it, plus we would have to buy lights and ornaments and it just seemed like it would be "more economic for us if we didn't get a tree". How depressing? No tree. That year we were driving to New Mexico to be with my family. We were packing and loading up the car and suddenly I turned into Satan towards Robert. I emailed my friends afterwards that I had just turned into the "black swan". It was really bizarre in casa de Scarff for about an hour. It started out with me being REALLY hateful to Robert and saying some awful things, then I packed the whole car by myself out of rage and then starting crying because I realized that I was being a complete psychopath. I mean. WOW. Girl Interrupted on Christmas. Please admit into the ward with Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. It was really weird/disturbing. Luckily, Robert didn't file for divorce and forgave me and all was well. We went to New Mexico and had a great holiday.

And here we are Christmas '11. And guess what we don't have...oh a tree. We moved the first week of December and are still in the process of "putting up" and "organizing", so once again a tree did not make sense for us. NO CHRISTMAS TREE....3 YEARS RUNNING. I bet Santa is angry. I bet the Easter Bunny is angry. I bet the Great Pumpkin and Charlie Brown are angry. Why no tree?! My office has a tree up and they are the cheapest, non-celebrating Christmas people on earth. I mean, my boss is Jewish. On what planet would my office have a tree up and my home not??? Mars?? No, this planet. I do have some decor up. Stockings (from the Judds...yay), garland, a couple snowmen, Christmas dish towels, a Christmas candy bowl with all three Christmas Hershey kisses...I'm kind of proud of that actually...here's a pic

Merry Kissmas :)

All that is well and good, but still NO tree. Hoping to break this tradition in 2012. 

Also, I think my Christmas of '11 breakdown may have happened last week. At least they are getting earlier every year? I had a couple days that were touch and go. I could NOT stop crying at everything and I was just overwhelmed with life. All things Christmas made me want to throw something. Friday things started to look up and Saturday, Robert and I had to go to the mall to buy his Mamaw a nightgown and it really ended up putting me in the spirit. Things have been looking up since then! And I am so thankful. When they say the bad days make you appreciate the good days, it really is true. I appreciate the days when I'm not crying every hour on the hour. I appreciate them a lot. 

Okay, so onward to the new Christmas tradition that we are going to instill. Maybe something positive this time...this "no tree" bit and "mental breakdown" thing is not what Christmas carols are made of. Last night, we watched Home Alone and made spaghetti and it may sound like a little thing, but it was just really nice. I want to do it every year with Robert. It can be our thing every Christmas. Our tradition. We will always have good times with our families, but this can be just a little something we can do that is ours. 

Spaghetti +Home Alone=happiness 

So happy to have Christmas cheer right now ...hope you have some too. And if not, don't fret, maybe you'll have a breakdown and then it'll kick in like mine. :)

I can't resist, I'm sorry

Another Suri post. Someday, I will get a life. No, I doubt it. I'm guessing I will always have some weird interest in Suri Cruise. pppfffffttttt.

Read here about Suri visiting FAO Schwartz.

Seriously, what does this girl have to cry about? I don't know.

BUT -

I can't really fault her, because I too have had the same kind of feelings the last couple days. The feeling of wanting to cry in the middle of a toy store. My toy store is a metaphorical one. My life is this array of blessings (married to a guy i love/healthy baby/good true friends/need i go on) and wonderful things, yet I have wanted to crawl under the covers the last couple of days and hide. Holiday stress? Maybe. Burned out? Definitely. I'm burned out of my routine, burned out of having to plan and stress for the future. Exhausted and maxed of all on ALL of it. Plus, I'm pregnant and have all of these extra hormones and estrogen pumping through my system that helps every thought and emotion be that much more heightened.

Deep breath. Pray for Robert.

But, the good thing is that God provides even when I'm ignoring Him and asleep at the wheel. He's with me and I have to let him guide me out of these bad days and know that better days are ahead.

Plus, it's the Christmas season and there is all this love, joy and peace floating all about. I bet some of it will hit me if I let it :)

If you too are having a rough week/day...just here to tell you that I feel you. It's Friday. Time to move forward, let the past be the past and know that goodness is all around us.

Here's some happy Christmas pinterest pics to make everyone feel better about life....

Thank you Lord that you make all things new, especially my heart. Also, thank you for this bulldog. He is super cute. 

this is not a drill - Suri Envy - Year End Re-cap

People.com had a little slideshow on "Suri's Five and Fabulous Year". I gasped upon seeing it and immediately felt the Suri Envy swirling inside of me.

Let's begin....

Is she Rachel Zoe?? Who can get away with hats?? And she has a clutch?? At least she is playing with a baby doll. That is a normal 5 year old thing to do. As for the shoes...the ones on the left are too matchy matchy and the ones on the right are a little "Golden Girls". Is Suri slipping?? She better get it together. No one likes to end up on the last pages of US Weekly.

"Oh, no big deal!! Here I am at Miami Beach in my Ray Bans!! I'm just going to jump in the ocean in my clothes!!"- Suri

People.com's caption on this was "mo' money, mo' haagen-dazs". I thought that was pretty funny. I think Suri is saying, "What are these, dad?? Ones?? I like the One hundreds better."

Here's Suri and Mom on one of Dad's film sets. Suri is grabbing a bite with her legs crossed. So proper for a 5 year old. I bet she's already read all of the Emily Post books. 

Just another normal day for Suri testing out lipstick shades. Lipstick? Seriously?? I was afraid of real lipstick until college.

And here's Suri WEARING lipstick and toting a magazine. I'm guessing it's W or Haper's Bazaar...maybe Vanity Fair. 

For some reason this is causing me to have flashbacks from the Pretty Woman shopping scene. Where's Richard Gere? When does Suri ask the salesman for his tie??

Omg, you BABY, with a PACI!!!! That is so not chic. The lavender converse are a little juvenile too, but the pea coat evens it out. Oh but then the teddy bear shows her age. Must have been an off day? Maybe the NASDAQ was down? Maybe she had to cancel her weekly mani/pedi or acupuncture appointment? 

Suri, put down the $10,000.00 bag. Just put it down. Other kids your age just have a backpack with their name monogrammed on it. 

What will next year bring?? 6 can be a pivotal year. Hello, first grade!!! Suri goes to Elementary School. She'll probably have her own Bravo show documenting this. 

2 years

2 years ago today, I was on a plane almost to Maui. I was about to begin our honeymoon. Honeymoons should be an annual requirement. Every year couples should go on a week long vacation to celebrate their marriage and just enjoy each other. I guarantee the divorce rate would go down. But, really why are honeymoons only a once a lifetime thing?? There should be more. I suppose they take time, money and planning, so technically it wouldn't be possible for most people. But, I wish it was. It should be possible for most people! Who is with me?

I'm really on this "Americans work to hard" protest lately. I'm over work. Work is pointless. Okay, off my soapbox now. Get me to my Christmas vacation days off. It's clear that I am in need of them.

Anyway, obviously, since two years ago today, I was about to start my honeymoon, that means that yesterday was my 2 year anniversary.

Memory lane....

I've probably posted these pics before? Sorry for the repeat. 

I can't believe it's been 2 years since our wedding. It was so fun and special because of our friends and family that came to celebrate. I wish we could re-live it, but since that's impossible, I just have to enjoy the memories. It's so fun to look back at the pics. I still haven't got any sort of an album made? Tack that on the to-do list....

When a marker in time happens...an anniversary or a birthday, it's normal to reflect upon the time past and how things have changed. This has been a year of changes for us. Would I have guessed on our honeymoon that in 2 years I would be pregnant with our first little one? I don't think so. To quote John Lennon, "life if what happens when you're busy making other plans". Life is definitely happening and I'm grateful to be along for the ride. We had a successful visit to the doctor yesterday and everything seems to be on track and healthy with the baby. After every doctors appointment that I leave and they tell us everything is fine, I feel like someone needs to pinch me. I'm thankful to God for a good pregnancy so far. Though there are things I can do to keep the baby healthy (i.e. stay away from vodka), I keep having to relinquish the control to God. The miracle going on inside of me is a constant reminder that God is in control and the baby is His. I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I'm involved, but I know that this really isn't about me. Even though I get to endure labor.  

That's all I've got today, folks. In normal pregnant girl fashion, I am tired and it's really not good for my blogging life, but I'll try to get better :)

Eight working days til Christmas weekend. EIGHT. We can do this. 

Anyone else?

Anyone else out there who reads or rather looks at Atlantic-Pacific??

That Celine bag. I die. 

I've never wanted to look or dress like someone so much in my life. It's a love/hate relationship because though I love seeing what she wears, it also makes me come to terms with how out of style I am. Then, I feel fug and realize I haven't had a manicure since last Easter or my hair colored since July. ppppfffffffttttttt. Still I'm addicted to seeing what styles she'll come up with next. Love the preppy undertones in her looks. and her jewelry. and her nail colors. you get the picture.

My sister loves her too. We showed my mom this blog over Thanksgiving. My mom was in awe with her clothes and accessories and had several entertaining musings. First she was like, "I need help with my clothes. Crocs just don't work." No, mom, crocs do not work. Atlantic-Pacific helping Moms out of crocs.

Then, my brunette mom also said, "I should dye my hair blonde!" Okay, whoa there.

Her final thought was, "You know, you really can have great style with out spending a fortune!!" My sister and I just looked at each other, because Atlantic-Pacific is NOT a bargain shopper. That girl buys the nice stuff and let's face it, the nice stuff just somehow looks better than the cheap stuff most of the time. We told my mom this and she said, "well you do need to splurge sometimes." OR all the time, like Atlantic-Pacific does. :)

Oh well, someone out there needs to shop like that so the rest of us can live vicariously through her and try to find the knock off versions at Target and Forever 21. Right? Right.

happy monday

Walrus Dance Party

Click here and turn it up.

Don't be afraid!! Okay, be kind of afraid. Thank you to my husband's good friend who sent this through his frat's yahoo group.

And for the origin of this tune.....click here.

I mean...I love Europeans.

J. Crew Wishlist of a pregnant girl

stuff that always fits. okay, so the pjs would need to be an XL. 

entertaining

Here are two websites that I've been made aware of in the last 24 hours. Pretty funny.

1. Texts From Bennett
2. I waste so much time

I hope these help you get through Friday afternoon. Why do people work of Fridays? I will never know.

Britney is 30, yall!!

Happy Birthday, Britney Spears!!

(and yes, i'm serious)

I loved her then and I still love her now.

Sure, she's had her rough patches. But, I ask you, who hasn't? She picks the pieces up and moves on and I dig that about her. 

Plus, the fact that she's turning 30 makes me feel less old. Keep on keepin' on, Brit. 

Speaking of pregnant celebs....

I was just waiting for this. (click here)

Typical. She would.

Still upset that she divorced Nick

Baby #2

A couple celebs have announced their pregnancies with Baby #2 this week. Kourtney Kardasian and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Congrats to them and their growing families! The fact that women are willing to do this whole thing again gives me hope and motivation for pregnancy #1.


(sidenote: my dear friend, Brooke, had baby boy #2 early this morning. what a rockstar. he's perfect and precious. God is good. :) )


Anyway, Maggie Gyllenhaal's description of motherhood excites and frightens me.

“I just didn’t have a clue,” Gyllenhaal, 34, has said of motherhood.

“There’s no way to prepare for the challenges, the immense joys, the surprises, the disappointments and the shocks,” she said. “Your heart just rips open. It’s amazing.”

Why must things "rip open"?? That sounds like labor stories I've heard. But I guess the "ripping" metaphorically  continues during motherhood. 

Bring it on. Bring on the ripping. ppppfffffffffttttttt. 

Aversions

So, they say it's completely normal to have food aversions and cravings during pregnancy. This is very true for me. Especially during the first trimester, I could count on one hand the things I could physically get myself to eat. The second trimester has been better, but I feel like I have aversions to anything that is "healthy". I don't think I've had any vegetables unless they were smothered in ranch or butter. Sad, but true. Bring on the gestational diabetes. ha. I hope not. (Robert is still encouraging me to exercise. I'm still looking at him like he's crazy.)

I was kind of prepared for my tastes in food to change. Actually, I'm lying. I totally wasn't. For some reason, I thought that even when I got pregnant, I'd be one of those women that just felt normal. ppppppfffffttttttt. That's funny. I should know better. Nothing in my life is usually "normal".

What I wasn't prepared for was my tastes in my internet life to change. This is going to sound weird, but ever since I've been pregnant, I've had a major aversion to The Pioneer Woman blog. I have not clicked on her blog since I've found out I was pregnant which is a big change, since it used to be a daily read. I feel like I've broken up with her. Ree Drummond and I are no longer together.  I no longer know what she's cooking, what she's teaching her kids during her home schooling sessions, her travels, her book updates or her home and garden tips.

I'm not sure what caused this break up or complete aversion to The Pioneer Woman?? It might have been because I was constantly nauseous at first and the mere thought of looking at any of her recipes made me very ill. Or it might have been the disenchantment of her talking about her four kids on the ranch and how they are always covered in manure. Maybe it started out of frustration with her because she gets to frolic around and bank off of her blogging and I was sitting at my desk feeling pregnant and miserable.

I really just don't know exactly how or why it all began, but I still can't get myself to read her blog. Is this break-up permanent? Are we never getting back together? We really had something she and I. I even read her book, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. I know more about her life than the lives of some of my own family members. But, still, I just can't get myself to click on that blog.

I guess for now, I'll try to let The Pioneer Woman go. Along with my other aversions...healthy food, perfume, exercise, cleaning and the Whole Foods prepared food section. Just recently I've felt like cooking again which is huge. I still haven't acted on that feeling but at least it's there. I haven't touched a pot or pan since the pre-pregnancy depression hit in mid-August. Poor Robert. At least he likes fast food and take-out.

I bet the Pioneer Woman's husband never has fast food or take-out.....well, actually I'm quite certain of that since they live an hour away from civilization. Thank God that's not us. We might starve.

full of thanks

I spent Thanksgiving at home in my beloved hometown of Carlsbad, New Mexico. It was wonderful...here are some highlights....

My mom scheduled my sister and I massages. Massages in Carlsbad aren't at fancy spas, but rather in intimate massage studios. The one we went to is actually a house turned into a massage studio. Is studio the right word? I don't know. I do know the massage was awesome. Whew. It felt good. I think my massage lady is also some sort of Indian healer. Lots of Indian paraphernalia all over the studio, complete with Indian inspired music. So great. I was totally "feeling it". 

Here's my cousin Blair and I. She is a firecracker. She wants an iPhone for Christmas and has a bunny named Snowball. I'm pretty obsessed with her :). She was the flower girl in my wedding and danced harder than anyone at the reception. The girl has moves!! 

Here's me with my stylish sister, who blogs here, and my incredible mother, who doesn't blog. Can't imagine my life without these two.

What is a trip home without looking at old pictures?? My mom always has some classics out and I love looking through them. Here's a pic of me at age 13....15 years ago. Goodness. How awkward am I? How cute is my sis? Why are my parents dressed matching like contestants on Dancing with the Stars? 

More old pics. Here I am on my first Christmas!!! This is the Christmas card my parents sent out the Christmas of '83. Kind of cool how though Christmas card designs have advanced, they are still pretty much the same. My mom is a total babe. I already feel like I look 10 years older than she did in that picture!

Here's Roberto with my cousin Blair's dog, Bella. Isn't she pretty??! We love bullies, almost as much as Jamie over at Velcro Dog :). 

Hi Daddy! Yes, I call my dad, Daddy. Deal with it. There he is after an unsuccessful morning of hunting. Very uncharacteristic for him, he is usually successful! Actually we had quail one morning for breakfast that he shot. It's a Neal family Christmas tradition, but we are not going to be there for Christmas, so we just had them over Thanksgiving break. They were yummy. Every meal I had at home was yummy! Why is food so good at home?

Check out this wrapping paper. I don't think words can really describe how much I love it. I got to open a Christmas present early and it was wrapped in this. #ilovedisney My mom got me this gorgeous fur stole that I want to wear everyday. It's beautiful!

Last but not least, a blurry pic of my pug son, Doug. For some reason we have this dog Harley Davidson hat and we put it on him. He's so cute and entertaining. I miss him!! Even though he has a really bad habit of peeing everywhere. 

So concludes the highlights of Thanksgiving. I am thankful for that break. I think all the love from home and from my family will be enough to power me through December!! Yay Christmas season! 

TV History

Can you believe it's Regis's last day???

I grew up watching Regis and Kathie Lee. My mom LOVED them!! Regis is still so cute.

Check out Huff Post's 15 Amazing Moments from his career.

ch-ch-changes

Whew. What a week kids, what a week.

Two pretty big things went down this week. First off...drum roll.....Robert and I are having a BOY! 

via

i guess our baby will be a hipster... if he wears this? i don't think Bob will allow that. 

We got a sonogram on Wednesday and they told us that it's for sure a boy. We're excited and continuously praying for the little guys' health. It's fun to know what the sex is...I'm glad we decided to find out. I thought about being old fashioned and waiting, but I love knowing. Robert wanted to find out. Good call, Baby. :)

*also, it's weird to say "we" got a sonogram. I got a sonogram. Robert watched, probably wondering why he was there. ha. jk.

Secondly, we are moving! Officially! We are signing on a new place today. It's a good thing, we needed to upgrade from a one bedroom place to a two bedroom place. #obvi. Now, the search is over and we've found our new place to call home. It's bittersweet. I know we need to move, and I want to (been really pushy about it...ha) but, the thing is, we've lived in our place our first two years of marriage and I love it. It's become home and it's going to be sad to leave.

love this. important to remember, when i'm stressing about what's NOT done about the never ending task of decorating :)

via

i love definitions. yes, i am a nerd. 

I'm thinking I will cry on our final days at our current home. Pregnancy hormones? I mean, come on, tears are a given. Plus, it is a little sad. I think I'll survive though, just maybe. :)

Saying that, I'm glad it's happening now. I'm ready to knock out the whole moving bit, while I'm feeling good (for the most part) and not obscenely big. It's going to be a low activity move for me, which will be weird. I always go into "energizer bunny power mode" during moves. Not this time...no more helping the movers. No more carrying boxes and furniture and sweating profusely, while burning calories. It's going to be difficult for me, but probably not that difficult since I'm so freaking tired all the time now.

I'm guessing that's a universal pregnant thing. Being tired. I feel like every time I see anyone doing anything that exerts more energy than walking, I get even more tired and a little bit despondent. I think "I will never be able to do that again." (Why am I so extreme? Really NEVER, Alexis? okay.) For example, when I see fans at a college football game on TV, or if I think of a party that involves standing for longer than 10 minutes. I think, "how did I do that before??" Then, I want to take a nap.

ppppppffffffftttttttt. pregnant girl promblems? 

I don't know though...there are those TLC stories where the women don't know they are pregnant until the give birth. Those stories are even more hard to believe now that I'm pregnant. How on earth do you not know that something is very very different?? But, as they say in all the pregnancy books, "every woman is different". Oh the wise pregnancy books with all of their helpful tips. "eat healthy! exercise!" are common themes in What to Expect When You're Expecting. Sigh. Even Robert is suggesting that I start watching what I eat and exercising more, now that I'm feeling better. Of course, this causes me to want to kill him and then eat a large pizza by myself, but I know he's just "trying to help". And what's even MORE annoying about it, is that I know he's right. ugggl;akdjfl;sdfjl;sdjkfl;

But somehow, in my head, it becomes a total man vs. woman thing. I think, "he has NO idea how i feel, i will eat WHATEVER  i want!!!" Which, I'm sure is a REALLY healthy mentality.

Hmmm, what else is new. Well, I'm in maternity clothes or really large clothes, full-time now. Robert said this morning I don't look pregnant exactly, just thicker. THICK. Who doesn't love being thick?? #awesome

Poor Robert. He can't win here. hahahaha.

He really is great and very supportive and always giving me false compliments. I'm a lucky gal, I could NOT do this pregnancy thing without him. No way. Noway. No. Way. I feel so lucky that he is with me through this. I can't believe I get to have a baby with the greatest guy I know. (cue vomit) but, really, I love him. Duh.

Final thoughts...I was emailing a cousin of mine this week. She was offering to give me some of her maternity clothes. How awesome of her, right? She was talking about how annoying it is because you only wear them temporarily. Also, she has two baby girls and she was talking about how quick they grow out of their "cute clothes" that you "have to have". It's all temporary. It's an important thought to remember, about life in general. All these things we are bombarded with day after day. They are temporary. This life is temporary. It's about more than us. What is really the goal we are striving for? It made me think of probably my all time favorite Bible verse. I sent this to my Granny when we found out she had pancreatic cancer and the pastor read it at her funeral. It chokes me up right now and of course, I was hysterical at the funeral. But, this verse is so important to remember....

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

 ¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

"what is unseen is eternal." Always hits me hard. God is eternal. His Word has stood the test of time. Fix your eyes on Him. Fix your eyes on a life that serves Him and serves others. It's so easy to forget this. I do everyday over and over. But, that's why Jesus died...as an atonement for my humanness. Because of that we can live by grace and grace alone. Nothing else, because we are always going to fail. It's what we do after that failure that matters. Seek Him again. Pray again. Don't lose hope in Him or in yourself. 


That's all I got today guys. TGIF. xo

Stuff I like this week...

Well, I like that today is 11-11-11. How cool is that? It doesn't take much to excite me these days.

I like that I'm feeling less like death. I'm still nauseous sometimes and tired a lot, but oh so much better. Cheers to week 14 of pregnancy.

I liked these two gift guide helper things this week. I've been looking for gifts for the fam.
- Daily Candy - Gifts Under $30
-Tory's Gift Guide - Gifts under $150
Yes, it's time to holiday shop. Bring on the materialism and stress. Ha.

I like this pug holiday card that I got today at Highland Park Pharmacy after I had lunch there with Sarah.

widdle widdle holiday pug 

I like that I have some new followers!!! HEY, GUYS!!!! 

I realllllllllyyyyyyyy like this post from one of my fave bloggers, Apollinas wrote this week. READ HERE. Amazing. 

I like that my boss hasn't been in the office this week very much (ha), but when he has been here, he's been in a good mood. It's the little things. 

Last but not least, I L-O-V-E that my great friend, Jamie (that I've mentioned several times on here), has started a little business. She is monogramming like crazy!! Who doesn't love monogrammed gifts?? I really don't know, but I know that I do. Check out her blog and monogramming here! Be sure to contact her for your holiday monogramming needs...her prices cannot be beat!! 

Alright, that's about all the the liking I can think of. :) Happy weekend everyone. 

Friday Fun

Go to this website and play around. Trust me. Just do it. It's fun.

yeah i did

eat this ALL last night.

chicken fried ribeye from The Common Table- comes w/ mashed potatoes. yeah, ate those too. 

Kill me. Sue me. I'm pregnant. It was delicious and amazing.

Not as amazing as the company though. I love my friends. They really breath life right into me. Thanks for the awesomeness last night, girls. You know who you are ;)

faith+pregnancy

So, I noticed throughout my "secret pregnancy journals" that I kept using phrases like:


"i have faith it will all be okay"
"i trust God's plan"


I'm paraphrasing myself here, but somewhere along those lines are the phrases I was dropping throughout those posts. I love how I just dropped them in there casually like no big deal. The thing is, it seems that those are the vague phrases that believers in Christ so often use and expect people to understand. It's like we are giving the picture to others that faith is EASY and trusting in God's plan when something unexpected happens just somehow miraculously happens.


HA. That is funny.


I'm here to say, that in my experience, that it is not the way it happens and it is usually NOT easy. When something bad happens in my life or to someone I love, my human nature questions God and when something good happens TO ME my human nature takes all the credit. Where is God and faith there?? Nowhere. But that is our human nature. We are conditioned to be selfish and to not want and need God. That's the stuff we have (or rather I have) to work on. Seeking God. Asking Him to be in our lives. Thanking Him. It's not our natural reaction to things.


But the reward of finding Him, is so great, that it is worth this turn from our own ways. You must trust me on this. I've tried living in ALL other ways, (okay, well not like Wiccan) and I've found the way of God and Christ is the only way that satisfies. That only way that truly makes sense. That has true purpose and true meaning. I mean this wholly and deeply.


Back to pregnancy....


So, I've shared that when I got pregnant, I wasn't planning on it. (Sorry, baby in there, you were a surprise! It doesn't mean I don't love you!) It was very unexpected. And sometimes I would cry and wonder a multitude of things....


-did Robert and I get enough quality time of just being married?
-WHY now? WHY?? when we aren't ready?
-can I handle this emotionally? mentally?
-how are we going to afford this? no really, HOW? ha.
-well, shoot. we need to move now?


on and on....


It's like you can't be a 20 something year-old (okay 28) and be getting your affairs in order when there's a babe in the picture. A baby means responsibility. A baby means stability is needed. A baby means "sh** is about to get REAL".


Of course, people do this everyday "that live in mud huts and spend one dollar a day." quoting Robert here. This is how he comforts me. haha. jk jk. He does a better job than that :). But, he's right. 14 year olds have babies, we can have a BABY. We are really okay.


And to quote my dad, "you are never ready." To have a baby that is. He told me that once and he is right. You are just never READY. But, you do it. And you survive. Crazy how that happens. Crazy. God knows what he's doing....doesn't he?? I think so, or we all wouldn't be here.


More of my cliche Christian phrases again? I just can't stop, can I?


Anyway, during these times when I was crying and wondering about all of this....I would pray. I would ask God to help me trust Him, I would tell Him that I was scared. I soon remembered that I WASN'T IN CONTROL of this. That HE is. And He's got me. He's got me and He's got Robert and he cares for us and LOVES us and he is not going to desert us now, but rather, BE with us.


These verses below, Matthew 6:25-34  have helped me see clearly over and over in my life in lots of situations and they did it again for this one...

Do Not Worry

    ²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (omg duh! God loves me more than the BIRDS. I'm going to be fine!!)²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]? (yeah, this worry bit is not helping anything, except causing me to break out.)

   ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? (God will clothe me and prepare me for this baby, this pregnancy. Seriously, ye of little faith over here.)³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Love those last two verses. Can I get an AMEN. AMEN. 

Also, I remember reading this devotional (below) when I first found out I was pregnant. God was speaking to me. It's from a little devotional book called Hope for Each Day, Words of Wisdom and Faith by Billy Graham. (Sounds a little cheese, but it's a good one! Pick it up at your local Barnes and Noble. ha.)

September 9

Peace in the Storm

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace. Romans 15:13

A wonderful old hymn says, "He gives us peace in the midst of a storm."

In life we face all kinds of storms. We usually think of the personal "storms" that come our way- financial worries, problems in our marriage or family, illness, the betrayal of a friend, and so fourth. But we face other kinds of storms that threaten to engulf us also: storms of materialism, storms of secularism, storms of moral degeneracy, storms of injustice, terrorism, and war.

Do you remember the violent storm that came upon Jesus and His disciples one night on the Sea of Galilee? His disciples grew panicky- but Jesus stayed fast asleep. He was at peace because He knew God was in control. He was at peace also because He was sovereign over the storm, and He knew it would vanish at His Word: "Peace, be still!" (Mark 4:39)

His Word still calms the turmoil in our lives. Is some storm making you fearful today? Stay close to Jesus, for  His Word brings peace. 

I long to be at peace like Jesus was in the storm. To have that big of faith that I completely trust and GET that God is in control, but it's hard. Even Jesus's disciples, the guys that like invented church struggled with this. They were put in jail and beaten, they had more storms to weather then just being freaking pregnant. 

But, you know what Jesus told them over and over??

To have faith the size of a mustard seed. Well, a mustard seed....really?? That is pretty pretty small...

So, I try...to find a tiny speckle of real faith, just the size of a mustard seed. And I keep praying. Praying for my life, my loved ones, things I want to happen, situations I can't control. 

Matthew 17:20

 ²⁰ He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

God is listening. Waiting to move mountains. Pray. Trust Him. 


That's what I'm trying to do through this pregnancy bit....so far...so good. I mean, good days and bad days for sure. But, I know I'm going to be okay no matter what happens.


(sorry a little Biblely and serious today....i like the Bible and i am a VERY serious person. ha. for real on the liking the Bible part though. ha.)


(also, my fonts and formatting are weird on this post. i don't know why and i'm trying to fix it and can't. #sorry)