Steph's Snippets

Funny how the intent of sitting down and being able to blog is always there,but the reality is, it isn't happening much.  If I try to accomplish this at any time during the day while the other people who live in my house are around, there are one million stops and starts and there is no fluid writing at all whatsoever.  And by the end of the post, I simply just want it done!  That's no good.  Waiting until after bedtime is ideal except we've been so busy and I'm exhausted, so writing hasn't happened much then either.  All that to say, I have a ton of posts in the works!  Actually, I'm going to continue writing about our summer and other events, activities, and birthdays that have since passed as well.  I know you simply cannot wait haha!  In the meantime, here's a snippet of life lately.

~We are gearing up for band concert season in the next few weeks! Reagan began rehearsals tonight and her very first concert is in a couple weeks. Andrew's last one for 2014, is next week.

~Wednesday night, I took Andrew and Reagan downtown to see the local kid Chris Jamison who is on NBC's The Voice, perform a local show that they were also doing some hometown filming of for next Monday's show!  Chris is a 2012 graduate from Andrew's high school, so we've been watching this season from the beginning and rooting him on! Andrew laughs at me for cheering and clapping in our family room like I'm at the show. Well, lo and behold, when I saw yesterday I really could be at a show cheering and clapping for him, I decided we were going! I tried to win tickets on the tv station's website with no luck. I won them on the radio that afternoon!  Andrew, aka, The Grumbler, immediately said he wasn't going. This was one of those things where I told him he wasn't being given a choice.  Turns out, as always mama knows best and he had a good time!  This was Reagan's first "concert" ever!  Even though there was a lot of waiting and reshooting going on for the tv show, it was still fun and Reagan thought it was "really cool."  We were standing near Reagan's science teacher and a kindergarten teacher from her school --both of whom had Chris Jamison as a student in elementary school.  Andrew saw a bunch of friends from school and Reagan saw some of hers also. Chris sang the songs he's done on The Voice and then he and his band played 2 originals.  I love his version of Uptown Funk! It was a lot of fun and I'm glad we went! George dropped us off and picked us up at the venue and he and the little girls hung out at home.

~I have a couple giveaways coming up next week! Be sure to check back for those.

~I have Violet's and Andrew's birthdays to get up on the blog--photoshoots and parties. I love them and can't wait to share about them!

~There's some stepmom stuff that's been going on I'd like to write about, some inlaw stuff, and some friend stuff.  So in addition to what we've been doing, I do have a little heavier stuff to write about as well.

~Recently, I took some maternity pictures of Lily's preschool teacher. She's also the owner of the school and over the last year plus, we've become close friends. I think the world of she and her husband and I was so happy to be able to do these pictures for them!  As her due date came and went, I had my phone turned on all night to be able to go and take pictures of their baby when she arrived. This past Monday was that day! What an honor to be there as their daughter entered the world! It was miraculous and I couldn't be more happy for them! I'm so glad they let me continue to work on my own skills. :)  They are first time parents and doing amazing! I hope to finish edits by the end of the weekend!

~We had a busy, happy Thanksgiving, Andrew's birthday weekend. Can't believe I have a 15 year old!

~Lily went back to the eye doctor this week for a check up. I'm so glad she loves to go! Update with her eyes coming soon.

~I'm personally gearing up for this winter weather.  I don't love the cold and feeling trapped in my house for eons.  We've already had a little bit of snow which I actually love still, but the cold zaps me.  Here's hoping winter flies by!

~A few months ago I started watching Sons of Anarchy for the first time.  I binge watched late at night to get caught up to watch this final season with George, who has been watching the show since it started.  There's only one episode remaining.  I love this show and just like I did with Dexter, I liked being able to binge watch since I didn't watch from the beginning.  Sons of Anarchy ending, Parenthood ending...my favorites.  Scandal better keep on!

I'm off to feed Violet lunch.

Happy Friday!

Steph Snippets

Oh my! It has literally been a month since I have blogged! Not for lack of things I'd like to get on here though.

~We successfully made a trip to Arizona and back to visit my family. Flying with a 3 {almost 4} year old and a 9 month old is no easy feat. Mostly just the carrying of all the stuff. I have a lot to blog about about this trip and my kids loving being with Oma, their cousins, aunt, and uncles.  It was bittersweet leaving!

~Violet turned 9 months old and Lily turned 4 within the last few weeks. Lily is an amazingly funny little girl and her love for her friends and family is pretty wonderful to witness.  She's still very stubborn and independent, of course.  It's a good mix. We celebrated with a party in AZ, on her birthday, we had cake when Andrew came home yesterday and we will have a party next week.  She's taken turning 4 into the next month!  Violet has finally become mobile--scooting first, then crawling. She's still super happy most of the time. ;)  

~Andrew has only been home for about 2 weeks total all summer with all of his traveling. Marching band picks right back up next week and in less than a month he will start high school! That's so crazy to me. His schedule came in the mail today and we have orientation in a few weeks. Wonder how happy he'll be to have his mom snapping a few pictures...

~I watched a couple of shows on Netflix late at night after the kids were in bed. Orange is the New Black and most recently The Killing.  OITNB was good and I hope its 3rd season is as good as the first. The Killing was pretty s l o w at the beginning and finally it picked up and I really liked it! I've just started House of Cards now.

~Summer weather has been weird since we've come back from Arizona.  It's been in the 60s and 70s this week and mid 50s overnight.  I'm nowhere near ready for Fall. We still need warm weather and sunshine--especially after this past winter.

~The time away from home this summer has offered me a renewed and refreshed perspective on some people and pieces of my life.  The priority for me are obviously my husband and my children.  Beyond that, I need the negative gone and I need people who simply show up. I mean that both literally and figuratively. My tolerance for coddling adults has dropped to zilch.  Good thing I have good people in my life. The rest will no longer get the energy I was giving.

~I have a couple blog reviews to finish up on. I'm so grateful for the opportunities I am given and choose reviews that are relevant in my life or my families' lives. It's a blessing in the simplest of ways.  I'm thankful.

~My kids have all been sleeping in lately! I have had 6am risers since Andrew was a baby. Lily followed suit and Violet too.  Since we've gotten back from Arizona, Violet has been sleeping in most days until 9am! Lily too! I cannot even say how happy this makes me! I thought at first it was a fluke with the time change, but here we are more than a week later.  I think she's going through a growth spurt, actually.  I know she's cutting 4 teeth, so you can imagine how fun that is at times.

~I've been having to put out a few fires here and there with my stepdaughter this summer. I'm hopeful we're on the upswing. I've also come to realize that being direct with her seems to be a struggle for her.  Which sounds strange actually, but I've realized this watching her try to come up with the answer she thinks we want instead of answering what is asked. It's like giving someone a map with a straight line on it and they choose the squiggly line. I'm not sure how to redirect her in this because I'm very clear with expectations with all of my kids, yet she still, 7 years later, isn't able to accept that what I say is what I mean.  I have to do some research and some thinking on this one.

~My husband laughed at me when I told him I wanted a back up drive for our back up drive.  It stresses me out to have my pictures in only one place.  I've got to do something though--for my peace of mind and because my laptop has no space left.  What do y'all do???

~It's time for me to watch a little bit of my show or I should say, "my program" like my grandmother used to and now my mother does.

Pictures, soon.  Promise.  My kids are cute.  Get an Instagram account. :)

Steph Snippets

~Thanks for the comments, tweets, instagram messages, emails about Violet's birth story! It was one crazy, beautiful day--that is for certain!  She's doing great and growing so quickly and if I have time to sneak in a shower between she and Lily, well, then that's a great day!

~I have pictures and stats to update about Violet here. If you can't wait to see her, follow me on Instagram. That's my favorite social media outlet these days! :)

~Andrew had a birthday, so I have an update about him. I think the shock of having a 14 year old has begun to sink in.

~Life is tough with a newborn and a toddler.  And a big kid.  And a stepkid. And a husband.

~I do not understand the patterned leggings craze. They're out of control.  The Aztec? Whoa. I think it's because they remind of those Mexican blankets and those were itchy, but the fact that I put patterned leggings on my toddler and baby, so I think they're kind of weird for adult women.  And I crack up at the bootie craze too because I wore those ankle booties when I was in 8th grade. They were my favorite pair of shoes. Seriously.  I think this just means I'm officially old.

~I do not have the Christmas spirit this year.  At. All.  Bah humbug. :(

~Andrew has recently lost his electronic privileges. 14 is tough. He just said to me during a conversation about making better choices: "There's nothing left to take from me but my dignity." He was serious. I laughed. Out loud. 

~We got rid of cable a little more than a month ago. Honestly, the only thing I really miss is watching the local news (lame, I know), sports, and specials live.  Worth the money saved each month. One of  Lily's new favorite movies is The Lorax.  She stood up on a chair in our family room and shouted, "I. AM. THE. LILYYYYYYYYY"   She's clearly made the no cable transition just fine.  Netflix is ok by her too.

~Three is way more difficult than two.  In both age and number of kids.  ha!

~I love saying "the girls" or "my girls."

~Lily has asked for Christmas lights for Christmas.

~Lily's glasses got broken today at school. She slammed heads with another boy and her glasses went flying.  Here we are a week before Christmas and as I said above I have zero Christmas spirit...all I kept thinking was that she HAS to wear glasses and to be without them while the time to replace them plus the cost of replacing them... bah humbug again.  I took them to the place we bought them with a crying Violet and a can-I-spin-on-the-wheelie-chairs-in-here Lily and asked the woman when we walked in if they were repairable. She asked about Violet while she looked up our information --"How old is she? Ohhhh she's so cute"  She walked to the back while I kept Lily occupied spinning on the chairs, came back to her work station and said she had the same frames and to give her a minute.  She replaced the demo lenses with Lily's lenses, handed them to me and said, "Merry Christmas."   I cried.  A little less bah humbug now.

Steph Snippets

Some random things that have been going on aside from pregnancy updates:

~Andrew got his cast off this week!  He's got 2 more weeks until he goes back to the doc and hopefully will be completely released back to normal life!  It was super stinky and filthy!  He'll be in a brace until we go back, but he's happy with that.  What a trooper!

 

 

~When we went to the doctor that day, we had an interesting encounter with some random lady.  She stopped to turn left into the parking lot in a place where the concrete is angled for right turners only and a big "Do Not Enter" sign is posted.  She suddenly stopped to turn. No signal and obviously the wrong way. I honked at her and continued on to the place to turn in to the parking lot.  I ended up in a spot before she did and she pulled up behind my car and yelled out her window, "Who are YOU to beep at me like that?! You are NOT the police!"  I just said, "You were going the wrong way and I nearly hit you." 

Her {still screaming}: "How do you know that one of my kids (3 and 5 in back seat with window down) didn't have an emergency!?!"
Me: "Well, then you wouldn't have been turning into the medical building parking lot, but going up to the emergency room where you're supposed to turn."
Her {still screaming}:  "YOU'RE A BITCH!"
Me: "Way to teach your kids class."
Her {still screaming} "YEAH! YOUR KID IS RIGHT THERE!"
Then screamed at Andrew: "YOUR MOM IS A BITCH!!"

I laughed, said "Wow," and into the office we went. 

Good thing she didn't catch me last week when I was totally pregnant hormonally raging! ;)

~I have a lot to catch up on with Lily... preschool and new glasses.  That will happen soon enough!

~I've got a tutorial post coming up about Lily's Halloween costume {and the baby's too} that I'm excited about as well as a couple giveaways to get posted!

~Marching band has been in full force this fall and Andrew is loving it! I feel like a taxi most days.

~Hockey season has begun for the Penguins, the Pirates are in the playoffs for the 1st time in 21 years {that's since my husband graduated from high school}, and there's a 40ft rubber duck on the river in downtown Pittsburgh. 

~George has finally taken his hunting desire seriously after a couple years of talking about it. I love a man's man.  So, he's been peacefully enjoying the woods and learning about his new craft.

~Lily and Daddy had a fishing date recently and it ended with sitting around a fire at home roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.  She loves her time with him and has been enjoying one-on-one time with each of us before the baby arrives.   She cracks us up every single day. So glad she's us and ours.

~Andrew's dad crocheted the CA-UTEST gift for Lily from Daniel Tiger's neighborhood and a sweet little pumpkin hat for the baby...although I think the hat will be too teeny, I love it!  I also truly and genuinely appreciate the relationship we have. I hope Andrew does too. He and his wife just celebrated their 1st anniversary.  They're truly a good match. I'm glad he's happy.

~I haven't seen my friends and their kids in like a month.  Life got crazy for all of us when school started.  I miss them. 

~I'm loving this new season of tv shows!  Currently watching/recording some newbies: Hostages, The Blacklist, The Goldbergs, The Michael J. Fox Show.  And some oldies: Chicago Fire, Revenge, Parenthood, The Voice, Law & Order SVU, Nashville, 2 Broke Girls, and The Good Wife.   We have to remedy something about Homeland to get that without paying for Showtime because that's one of our faves, but so far we haven't watched this season.    So far we are loving The Michael J. Fox Show and The Goldbergs! I love the others, but I watch them on my own.

That's all for now!  Lots to do and lots to catch up on here!  ... p.s. I still need to pack my hospital bag.

Steph Snippets

~Well, here we are again... two weeks since I've last blogged.  Suffice to say this pregnancy has been R-O-U-G-H.  Ask my family.  I haven't been nice either.  So, silence has probably been a much better option all the way around.

~I have a review that I did almost two months ago and a giveaway coming up next week on it! I feel terrible for the delay and am thankful for each and every opportunity.

~I also have a local giveaway to share next week! It's one of my favorite local "events" each year. Mamas with kids, be sure to check back!

~I'm 14 weeks pregnant today and feel like I have been pregnant for an eternity.  When I realized yesterday, we still have half a year left, I almost cried. I do truly enjoy the miracle and feel so very blessed with the gift of carrying this little one. This pregnancy has just been so much harder than my others. Realizing that I have been pregnant in my 20s, 30s and now 40s is like WHOA.  So, I'm blaming age for this one being so hard!  Next week update will be at 16 weeks.  I've decided that every 4 weeks is good for me to update on the blog. :)

~Andrew's lacrosse schedule has kept us pretty busy these last weeks. This week alone he's had 3 games.  Practice is Monday through Friday except for game days of course.  He loves it a lot.  I'm glad!  His team isn't doing so hot, but they do have half a team of 7th graders who have never played before, so they're still learning.  I'm hoping they get a win soon! {He's 43 ♥}

~My blog commenting has been horrific too. I have been reading.  Mostly from my phone though while laying in my bed which is difficult for commenting.  So, I'm hoping to rectify that soon and catch up.

~The weather has finally decided that it's going to be spring/summer-ish and not winter. Thankfully! So, we have been playing outside a lot too.  Lily is loving it! It has been a long winter.

~I admitted on Facebook recently that I love Barry Manilow.  Those of y'all in my life for a long time have probably known that anyway. My first cat's name was Mandy! I've seen him several times in concert in the past. Andrew's dad used to make fun of me because people would steal random stuff out of my Jeep Wrangler, but they never took my Barry Manilow cassette.  A few weeks ago, a local blogger was having a giveaway for tickets to an upcoming Barry show and guess who won?!  This girl!  I'm super excited!!

~Summer plans are in the works.  Out of state travel has been decided for June for Andrew and July dates are pretty certain.  What I appreciate about my relationship with my exhusband is our ability to work things out pretty easily for Andrew.  A bonus for the beginning of the summer, is Andrew is done the last week of May this year for the first time since we've lived here! So, we're driving to Nashville together {instead of meeting his dad halfway in Cincy} and Lily and I are visiting friends! I can't wait!   Also, Lily's 3rd birthday is this summer, so I've been working on party stuff sparingly too. The theme has been decided. The picture for the invitation has been captured and I've been doing some researching.  I love party planning!

~I have so many updates to do on this blog. I'll get there eventually.  Trying to live life and enjoy my days with just Lily and I as much as possible.  :)

Thanks for checking in!

Steph Snippets

~Soooooo, two more weeks have gone by since I last posted and I wish I could say I've been super busy cleaning my house or I went somewhere exotic, but the truth is, I've been in this fog of exhaustion, nausea, and heartburn.  My house is a wreck.  Everything gets on my nerves and I'm just trying to do my best. My poor family. I've sucked lately.

~One week left of my 30s!

~I have very good friends who make me laugh, keep me sane, commiserate with me and I'm very blessed to have in my life.  Thanks y'all. I'm glad I found you.

~I had decided to do my pregnancy updates differently this time on the blog and due to last week of nauseadom, I'm already having to combine weeks 8 and 9.  'Cause you know I have pregnany stickers I have to use and the first one is week 8.  Important stuff like that. Oh well. Life happens.

~My new blog design is almost done! Thank goodness for an awesome understanding designer who is patient!

~Last week we had 6 inches of snow and then we were at the park in short sleeves at 60 degree weather. Pittsburgh is weird.

~Andrew started lacrosse this week. So far he loves it! They practice a lot (Monday-Friday for two hours each day) and he's sore, but it's been good for him.

~When I got Lily dressed today she asked me, "Where we going?" Ummmm....nowhere. Looks like we spend too many days in pajammies.  But really, why create more laundry for myself?

~I love Anderson Cooper.

~So with Google Reader going away...I'm trying to find the best alternative. I don't want simple RSS feeds just cluttering up my email and I'm not entirely sold on Bloglovin'.   Anyone else find something they love yet?

~Looking forward to going out for supper for my birthday this weekend with George and Andrew. Lily is going to play with her bestie so we can enjoy a peaceful meal! We're going to the Cheesecake Factory and I'm super excited that I just may get two different kinds of cheesecake!  Next week supper with my girls too!  Can't wait for that!  So far, y'all I'm obsessively thinking of Red Robin. :)

Anddddddddddddddd with that...I need to go eat something because I feel like I can right now!

Happy Friday!

Steph Snippets

Seems like I'm just full of random posts lately. Such is life. I have zero energy and my computer has been all wonky, so alas I've been MIA and this is about all I've got.

I have a yummy review and giveaway coming up super soon!
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This past weekend was busy and exhausting! Andrew's spaghetti dinner, a friend's daughter's birthday party and Reagan's friend birthday party and sadly, all I wanted to do was sleep all the live long day. I'm not complaining at all, honestly.  Just feeling every bit of my age this pregnancy.
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Looking forward to Lily's bff Victoria's 2nd birthday party this weekend! It's been too long since we've seen Amy & V and we miss them! Plus seeing our other friends--moms and kids is a bonus! I can't wait!
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This morning, Reagan handed Lily a cup of milk that she'd found hidden in Lily's kitchen that was from SUNDAY! It's Wednesday.  Thank God I walked in right as Lily was going to take a drink. *gag*
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I'm working with a designer on a new blog design. We'd started before I found out I was pregnant and now I'm all sorts of confused on what to do. I've been trying to come up with something to rhyme with "guy" and "pie" to incorporate this baby and well, pregnancy brain...so I've got nothing.   Thankfully, the designer is awesome and understanding about my lack of focus.   Feel free to offer your suggestions! ;)
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10 minute car naps for kids are the devil.
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Yesterday, it was pouring rain when it was time for Andrew to get home from school, so I drove down to the bus stop to pick him up instead of him walking home in the rain. As I was waiting for him, the time he is usually home had come and gone, so I decided to head home to see if by chance I'd just missed him. As I was pulling in, the phone rang with an automated message that the busses were leaving the school late due to a breakdown of one of the busses.  They left 30 minutes after school let out.  Grateful for the call, yes.  I don't, however, understand why if they were only waiting on only one bus, they delayed ALL the busses. Seems silly to make all the high school, junior high and elementary school kids get home later because one bus was broken down.  And if you knew that it was affecting all of them, call sooner and I would have picked my kids up at school instead.
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My irritation level is at an all-time high lately. I'm blaming hormones.
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I'm totally loving the young man my son is becoming, minus his mouthiness.  I enjoy spending time with him and talking with him.  He's interesting and knowledgable about things I didn't know he knew, so I'm really appreciating our conversations these days.  On that note, he'll be home from school in 2 minutes and we're off to get his haircut!

Steph Snippets

~After almost a week of no computer due to a battery on its last leg and a charger holding on by a thread literally, a certain two year old did the charger in and the thread was broken.  Out of commission. While we're awaiting a new part to fix and a new battery, I do have a new charger and am able to function plugged in.  The timing wasn't actually too bad with the exception of some blog work I needed to get accomplished. So, catch up, I will.

~If you have a tiny one that you've wanted to get a pair of Toms for, Zulily has an event going on right now where Tiny Toms are only $18.99. {they're $29 normally}   I actually ordered a pair for Lily using my Ebates money. Ummm hello??? Money I got back from shopping online that I was spending anyway.  If you're not using Ebates when you shop online, you're doing it wrong. 

Zulily has been restocking their Toms over and over. When I first tried to go to the site, it was down and then when I checked back, they didn't have the style I wanted. I checked again this morning and yep I ordered what I had originally looked for yesterday.  I'm a big fan of them for kids, not for me.  If you're interested in signing up for Zulily, it of course would help a girl out if you clicked through my link and same goes for Ebates. PLUS if you sign up for Ebates as a newbie, you get a $10 gift card!  And in case you're wondering, I simply wanted pink Tiny Toms for Lily.

~There's been a lot of exhaustion on my part this pregnancy. Par for the course, I suppose, but of course last time I didn't have a 2 1/2 year old. I've fallen asleep at 9pm some nights and woken up at 5am other mornings.  I literally could sleep all day if I was able to do so. I'm working on a pregnancy update with the rest of the sharing details and where we are, aside from being exhausted. ;)

~I'm over winter. O-V-E-R.  It's too cold and I'd like to get out of my house and sit in the sunshine. We've had a lot of random snow showers that are just a nuisance and making roads bad. Not really enough to play or when there is enough, it's too cold for Lily to be out.

~Andrew is playing lacrosse this year for the first time. I have no idea about lacrosse, so it should be fun to learn along with him! He's doing really well in school and having a great first year of 7th grade. This weekend we have his Scout spaghetti dinner and he's decided instead of waiting on us this year, he wants to eat with us, so we're waiting until his serving shift is over and then eating together. Love that kid. A few weeks ago he had a winter Scout event called the Klondike Derby...it was fa-reezing this year! He likes this event, but when it was over was ready to come home! You can read about last year here.

~Reagan turned 9 this week and although she's with her mom this week, it was our year with her on her actual birthday, so she came home after school and we had supper, cake and ice cream and presents together.  We're having a birthday party for her this weekend with her friends at a roller rink that she's thrilled about! {"We" being, us and her mom and stepdad.} This is the first time we'll all be together essentially outside of court.  Things have been great between us all for the last 9 months and we're all pretty excited to be able to do this for and with Reagan! 

~Lily is potty trained and although she wakes up dry from her naps, I still put her in a pull-up at both nap and bedtime. It's honestly been consistently a good couple months where she hasn't had accidents. I still need to write about the whole journey, of course, but I'm so grateful we will have only one baby in diapers! Yay Lily!

"I'm a lion, Mom"

~I've been very lucky to have found a pretty amazing group of friends the last year plus. It seems lately, everyone has had something going on and having an emotional time lately --not all bad stuff, but just taxing. Walking beside these women in all times in our lives is something that is important to me. I love having true friends who are there during both amazing and difficult times.  Yes, I'm purposely not writing details because they're not my stories to share, but I want this here for me to remember this time.  Instead of saying I'm lucky, I say I'm blessed.

Speaking of those friends, we're heading into birthday season for all these baby girls starting to turn 2 with the first one next week! So hard to believe it's that time of year again!

~One month from today I will be forty!

Steph's Snippets

Too much going on, so it's time for randomness.

~First, let's just get this out of the way: 

This weather sucks. 

It's beyond cold. And when it's near 80 in hometown, AZ and I live in this frozen hell... {Yes, I realize that's an oxymoron, but so is this stupid weather.} ...I can't help but want to be in Arizona! Anywhere, but here.  That's a country song, of course.

~Speaking of country songs... Gary Allan, one of my long-time loves, released a record this week and for the first time, in who knows how long, I drove out in single digit temps to buy it on release day! I'm still not ready to just iTunes everything, so cds are still for me.

He makes me swoon. Luckily, my real-life guitar playing husband makes me swoon too! We went to see Gary in June--which reminds me I still have to blog about that.  If you haven't heard it, listen to his latest single, "Every Storm Runs Out of Rain..."  I cannot. get. enough.

~I have zero personal space. If I'm doing something, anything, Lily is right on top of me.  It's not even that she's not independent because she totally is a "want to do it myself" kid, but holy jeez.  I go upstairs to pee, she's flying up the steps behind me.  And there's no sitting next to me, it's on me.  Rest assured if she can't be right on top of me because I'm doing something where she physically cannot, she'll do something that required immediate attention from me.  Perfect example on Tuesday, I was making meatballs.  Meaning: homemade mix up meat and eggs and gunk where my hands were busy. 

I turned around to find this...look closely...

Why yes, that is a frog pajammie wearing Lily in the refrigerator.  Washing my hands to take a picture was necessary as you can see.

And as I'm typing this, we're watching a new Bubble Guppies and she's literally leaning on my arm making it nearly useless because she can't get on my lap.  Yes, I know there will be days when I long for her snuggling and wanting to be close...I know. But, I would like to at least go to the bathroom by myself.

~Related: 3lbs of ground beef makes a lot of meatballs. In case you didn't know.

~Why is Beyonce lipsyncing the National Anthem news?  She can sing. Who cares. Why is it on the news so much?!

~What else is ridiculous? A game called Candy Crush Saga.  Seriously. I can't stop playing. I have two games going...one on my phone and one on Andrew's iPod. Because I'm insane.

~Yesterday I was at Target {yes, I know I just was there Tuesday for Gary Allan} looking for a carseat since this is one of the clearance times for baby stuff, so I went to a different Target. I combed the racks of 50-70% off clothes and thought FINALLY I can get these Santa jammies for Lily on clearance!  Carter's two-pack with Santa on both of them.  The green boy version was 50% off, but the pink and red were still FULL price! Hello??? It's the end of January and these Santa pjs are still $14.99.  I talked to an employee and a manager. No luck. They wouldn't budge. Seriously?! Who is buying these at full price now?! They've been there since Halloween!  No luck on the carseat or pajammies.

~Roughly 14 years ago, Andrew's dad and I saw an lady wearing gold shoes walk down the street. I casually said, "If I ever think wearing gold shoes is a good idea, you'll know I'm officially old and lost it. Don't let me do that."   I randomly thought of that this morning as I looked down at my new silver sequined sparkly slippers. 

Two months left until 40 and I've lost it.

Happy Thursday!

Steph Snippets

~I've been sitting here staring at this blank screen for awhile. Too many thoughts floating around...Lily potty training, Andrew's 13th birthday, recent lessons in conditional love, a difficult element of parenting...just to name a few.


~I do have a giveaway to post Saturday, yes, Saturday it starts. I don't understand the weekends off from blogging {I write when I feel like writing} and I want to maximize the giveaway...so all girl mamas be certain to be back! You'll be glad you did.


~I ordered my second round of Christmas cards last night and started working on my 3rd. I like the variety this year and will post them all when they've all been mailed...ON TIME this year!


~I've had a few disheartening moments in the last few weeks and find that I don't like the feeling that people are disappointing. People whom I believed were friends have shown otherwise and rather than dwell, after my own attempts at communicating, the best thing for me is to move forward. Life is too short. On the flipside of that, I have some amazing friends in my life and the time and energy for friendships deserves to be put there. They deserve it. So I am doing just that.


~We've been homebound all week mostly because I've really wanted this potty thing to stick and needed to reinforce with Lily. Potty training update will get its own post soon!


~My husband's work schedule really gets to me this time of year especially. Not really much to say other than it's difficult for me.


~Finding time for me has been hard lately. The grocery store is not me time.  If I stay up late to have some time alone then I'm exhausted the next morning because no matter what time bedtime is, 6:30am is wake up time. So, lately...I've been exhausted. Blech. I need more hours in my day.


~O Holy Night brings me to tears instantly. As does I'll Be Home for Christmas.


~Watching the previews for next week's Parenthood was too much for me...gushing tears. The video  Kristina made for her kids saying she was so happy to be their mom gahhhhhhh I'm crying now just thinking of it. It's the best show on tv. The best.


~My new printer arrived yesterday and I thought I was excited about wireless printing, but eprinting?!?!? I am super excited! Which also makes me a super nerd.  I'm ok with that. I can print from my phone, I can print by sending the document to my printer's email. Seriously? Genius.

~We're taking a day trip soon and going to A Christmas Story house in Ohio!! Andrew has loved this movie since he was like 4 and we've been talking about it for the last few years.  Well, Groupon had a deal on tickets recently and we scooped 'em up to make sure we go! I can't wait!

~Yesterday morning George hit his toe on the wooden stepstool that Lily uses in the bathroom to wash her hands. We had a dumb argument about the whole thing--the stool, the kicking of it. Just one of those nonsense stupid arguments. Last night, after it had gotten moved to its regular space, I ended up hitting my toe off the dumb thing. First time in 5 years I've ever hit my foot on it.  Figures.

Ok these random snippets of Steph have come to a close for now...my bed is calling my name.

Steph's Snippets {& a freebie}

~Well, since I last left with almost losing our two year old, I figure I'd better get writing and document that we do still have her and there have been no more incidents.

~My mom has come from Arizona and returned already. It was a busy week with a lot of visiting, {hence the no blogging} running around and also getting her Christmas shopping done for the kids, so she didn't have to ship anything.  She's always been an early shopper. Add in the no shipping and it was a no brainer for her to get it done.

~We carved our pumpkins and went trick or treating late this year due to rescheduling of our town's trick or treating based on the weather. In some ways it worked out better for us, but I was bummed that George had to work the night we went, so just the kids and I did it. It was too cold for Oma, so she helped pass out candy! We had a lot of fun and I'm glad I ended up with several choices for Lily's costume because our original plan went out the window due to weather. Andrew recycled an oldie but a goodie and Reagan, who was with her mom on actual Halloween, got to be with us to trick or treat due to the rescheduling!

~I'm grateful the election is over! No more political ads to watch! woooo hoooo!

~There was a horrific event at the Pittsburgh Zoo this past week and it has brought out a lot of ugly in people. The bottom line is, a little boy Lily's age is dead and his mother will endure a far greater self-imposed "sentence" than anyone else could ever give her. She needs to be lifted in prayer and support not degraded and stones cast at her because she made a decision that will haunt her for eternity. My heart is broken for her and her husband.  George and I are both digusted that no one jumped in to try to help and after our experience at the mall last week with Lily where only one woman {aside from our friends} stepped into action to help stop a running 2 year old clearly alone in a crowded mall, I shouldn't really be surprised.  I'm disappointed we, as a society, have become so "I don't want to get involved." Rest assured, my husband and I would step in to help your child.

~I can't believe in two weeks from tomorrow it will be Thanksgiving! What?! Too fast! Then a few days later, my first baby will officially be a teenager! Whoa.

~Lily is cracking us up so much with her language, phrases, sentences, questions etc. I jot them all down because I know I'll forget and plan on writing a Lily-ism post too, but one of my newest favs is when she says, "Yee Haw, Partners!" because it comes out, "Weeeee Haw, Puckers!" And yes, she yells it and it makes me laugh.

~We watched a couple movies last week when my mom was here. Plus Andrew and Reag didn't have school Monday and Tuesday of this week! We watched Avengers and Madagascar 3. I tend to multitask while watching, but enjoyed them and the kids enjoyed the movies and popcorn or as Lily says, "pep-corn".

~And I'll end with a freebie! 

Beginning right now through next Tuesday 11/13 at 11:59pm PT



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Happy Wednesday!

Steph's Snippets

~The big bauble rage.  I don't get it.  I think I'm just more of a "less is more" kinda girl and the overwhelming neck apparatus is too much.  That being said, I don't hate them. I just don't get them.

Same with the chambray shirt. Perhaps because I'm old and wore that in 8th grade back in the 80s. Ohhhhhh my favorite chambray skirt paired with my favorite chambray shirt belted with a silver belt and my brown boots. Yep. 1985.   Yeah, I'm just old.  And to think I'd roll my eyes at my mom when she'd tell me some fashion trend was popular when she was young.

~Why people are so psycho about politics. Seriously, at this point in my life, your ranting isn't going to change my mind. But rather I'll just tune out, block your updates and the like. This election cannot be over soon enough.  Remember the Kerry/Bush year? Yeah, same thing for me this year. Not a fan of either.

~I was looking at both of my babies this past weekend and was thinking, "I give birth to blonde babies." They have the same hair color and same eye shape which they obviously got from me. Andrew's eyes are my favorite color of blue and Lily's are a gorgeous amber brown like her daddy's. Lily's eyes are actually two different colors...slightly. But they are. Both of them have amazing long eyelashes. I love that Andrew adores her just as much as she does him.

~I am seriously over cooking for my family. Between the exasperated sighs of the tween, the pickyness of the husband and the toddler food strikes, I want to just boycott.  And truth be told if there wasn't a resident two year old, I probably would make them fend for themselves for a little while.

~Approaching 40, {yeah, I've decided since I'm under 6 months to go, I'm approaching} I realize I have less tolerance for people who are not authentic in addition to what I touched on before about one-sided relationships.  Life is too short.
I don't want to spend time appeasing other people when my time could be better spent embracing people who want to be in my life and contribute to the relationship.  I'm more interested in ensuring my CHILDREN are navigating the social skills and settings than spending time trying to teach adults appropriate social interactions.  Selfish? Intolerant?Maybe. But, it's where I am.  I just can't get behind the attention seeking, game playing adults and it's a huge turn off for me. I desire to spend zero time investing in or with them.

~My husband said to me last week, "I would be perfectly fine if we had twins next time."
WHAT?!?! I still am shocked. One of those things I never thought I would hear from him.

~The rope we gave Andrew to hang himself with last year with school and his own success, worked.  He is carrying straight As this year again and making sure all of his work is complete not just hurried to get it done. I don't subscribe to the "it's good enough" theory. He learned that lesson last year. We're very proud and impressed with his junior high transition! We got a letter in the mail the other day stating we have no need for a parent teacher conference at this time. And since I'm satisfied on my end and don't feel we need one either, yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!

~Christmas time is approaching quickly! Andrew and Lily's gifts have been decided upon. Reagan, not so much. She's the hardest to buy for.  Last year I came across an idea that George and I have embraced...buying something they need, want, wear and read.  We're big fans of that! Especially with the older two to keep the excess down on wasting money.  Lily's easy because we pick things up on clearance and she's pretty much done except Santa, but we know what he's doing this year.

I'm also seeking a couple volunteer opportunities for Andrew and Reagan. It was impactful for me as a child and they are both old enough to participate in a way that I'm hopeful will impact them as well.

~My mom comes next week! Can't wait!! We have a busy, packed week, but it will be fun! Of course the weather is in the 70s all this week and the forecast next week will be in the 40s, she'll just freeze. Arizona is the place to be for weather in early November. And the fact, that instead of saying, "Oma", Lily calls her "Elmo" makes me laugh so much! Can't wait to get it on video.

~I wish someone would create and market Bubble Guppies merchandise. I mean, come on already!

Thanks for enduring the randomness in my head. Happy Tuesday!

Steph's Snippets

~Thank you for the support yesterday on yesterday's post. I will do an update soon on the situation. I appreciate you all very much.

~I started off my day today with two separate phone conversations with my ex-husband and former father-in-law. I'm grateful that we have relationships where our interest is simply Andrew and there's minimal, if any, bullshit. Makes life easier. But, still odd.

~Speaking of Andrew, I'm once again putting him on a plane only this time he has to change planes. I'm pretty nervous about it, if I'm being honest.  Thank God for cell phones.  To say I have a stomachache anticipating this is a vast understatement.  His dad is getting married and it's important he is there. He's looking forward to seeing his family which makes him happy and that makes me happy!  I like his dad's soon-to-be wife. Most importantly, Andrew likes her and she's good to him. I should be getting Andrew packed right now, but instead I'm procrastinating as usual. Hey! In my defense, my stomach hurts.

~My mom is coming to visit in a few weeks! Cannot. Wait.

~Lily's Halloween costume has been decided.  Now, Daddy needs to get on the horn, so we're not still constructing an hour before we need it like Andrew's last year.  She's got a couple parties to dress up for before trick-or-treating, so we've got some other costumes ready too. I love Halloween!! Need to get decorating...

~I finally got Lily's 2 Year Pictures done and edited. I need some work on removing shadows from faces. That's my latest photography goal.  I'm am happy with them and the DSLR investment has proven so worth it!  If we're friends on facebook, you've already seen them. My plan for her annual pictures is to have a white sundress each year. I love seeing her grow! When I put a side by side of 1 year and 2 year, I could not believe how much of a baby she still looked like in the 1st. Chubby face, no hair, could only stand for a little bit. Her 2 year are mostly her running!

~Things are great with Reag's mom. Great! Could you ever imagine that I'd say that??? me neither! But I'm happy. Just like with Andrew's dad. It just makes life easier.  And who doesn't need easier? We work out Reagan stuff like normal people. In fact, our current scheduling is based on trust. Not paper.  Life....is....good.

~I've been hitting consignment sales. Most of 'em with my best pal, Amy. It's the best thing I've found for scoring deals for Lily... mostly clothes, but often toys too. Finding a friend whom you like, have plenty in common with, makes you laugh, listens when you cry and vent, has a baby girl who my baby girl loves and loves bargains like you do???...match. made. in. heaven. 

~Language development and personality coming out of Lily right now is so fun! George and I love it! We crack up so much watching her, talking about her and still find ourselves saying Lily words to each other when she's not around. Yeah, we're pretty much infatuated with this little person we created. 

~I wrote on twitter this morning that I'm at a point in my life where if both sides of a relationship are not putting in the effort, I'm over it. I'm moving on without guilt.  I cannot be all things to all people. If the relationship were of any value {to the other person} anyway, I wouldn't have to be putting forth all the effort in the first place.  Between 3 kids, essentially 3 different households/schedules, a husband and a house, I'm stretched thin as it is, so I need to put energy where it is reciprocated.  For me, this isn't about being busy and not having time to get together or along those lines. If I'm the only one calling, texting, emailing, reaching out and we don't connect unless I'm doing it, the effort is all mine. I don't need that in my life.  I'm not good at fake. So, you won't get placated. I'm simply moving on without guilt. 

~Aside from my friends' blogs I read and love, I want to share with you two of my favs. Not women I know in real life, but whose line of thinking is similar enough to my own that I look forward to reading their posts like a good book.  Jess and Kristen.  I like them equally, so I put them in alphabetical order 'cause I'm weird like that.

Time to get packing...  Happy Friday!

Steph's Snippets

I need a little brain declutter, so random it is.

~I didn't forget about Reagan's 1st day of school pictures and post. ;)  I have her all set for Friday after Curriculum Night and ending our 1st week of school...purposely. We have a whole new schedule with her this year, so I've decided to end our back to school week with her. ;)

~I have a handful of bloggers who I read {and have read} regularly for awhile. I so totally know that time is so precious to both read/comment and respond. I truly appreciate a few who consistently and thoughtfully reply either under the blog comment I have left or an email reply.  I have left many, many comments on blogs where the woman never acknowledges it.  Apparently, there is some kind of clique I am not privvy to~~especially "big bloggers."  While that in itself doesn't matter to me, if you've poured your emotions out and people respond, even a simple "thank you" goes a long way. 

~I have lived in Pittsburgh for nearly 5 years. One of the crucial missing pieces of living here has been the lack of friends. Certainly, I don't mean the quantity, but rather women whose lives are on similar paths.  Basically finding and developing a valuable friendship in a new town when you're in your 30s and most everyone has grown up with all their friends, it's difficult to find the emotional and meaningful supportive friends that I truly need in my life.  I've been fortunate enough to find a handful of them recently.  As in with any group, some people have more in common than others and closer friendships develop.  I have had some deeper conversations with a couple of these amazing women lately, as well as a lot of laughs which is important to me too. As I recently shared with my true and genuine friend, I have waited 5 years to have a friend like her.


~Junior High has kicked my son's butt by day 3. He, who has been a crack of dawn riser the majority of his life, said to me this morning, "This is early, even for me." hahaha! He asked to take a nap after school today too.

~ So I thought I had Lily's Halloween costume decided on a few weeks ago, but now I'm not so sure. Did you know that there are costumes that cost upwards of EIGHTY dollars for kids?!  Holy cow!  No, I didn't choose an $80 costume that I'm changing from, but rather I'm not sure I want her to be a character off tv yet. Plenty of time for that, I think.

~I seriously do not understand why every.single.day. there is a car that runs into a building or a house in Pittsburgh.

~My husband's band has an upcoming gig. Their first. I'm super excited for him! And I'm looking forward to hearing him play out. My first. I swoon like a 12 year old girl listening to him play at home.

~  Don't forget to enter my Crayola Color Wonder Summer Fun Pack giveaway! Ends tomorrow night!