Photo Story Friday... Punkin Carving {Oh- Eight}

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I just love {PSF}! I think it is so fun to show off my pictures and to see what other people have to show off as well. If you have not participated, click on the link and start this week... You do not know what you are missing out on. Plus, who does not love some good comment love from fellow bloggers...

This particular night just so happens to be Hallows eve! Ooooh, spooky! Well, not really too spooky at our house anyways. We keep it pretty low key for Halloween with the traditional pumpkin carving and baking pumpkin seeds {my fav-o-rite part}. I just knew that this year Mason was going to love carving the pumpkin and that he would be getting all of the yucky pumpkin guts all over his hands and loving it... It was time to cut the pumpkin open, we sat Mason on the counter to watch and as soon as I took the top off he said, "Ewwwww, No, I done!" He wanted absolutely NO part in helping pull the guts out of the pumpkin... So, I did the dirty work.




Daddy did some of the cutting, and so did I, but there are {zero} good pictures of me cutting the pumpkin, we all know why! Mason wanted to do it just like his Daddy on his little baby pumpkin, I thought this was so adorable to see them both so hard at work.



Me & Mason with the finished product... He did not even want to be close to the pumpkin after we lit it up he said it was HOT! I did put a candle in it, at lease he is learning not to play with fire.



As you can see, he warmed up shortly after we put Mr. pumpkin on the front porch... It was so hard to say goodnight to him....



PS- If you have time to stay and chat a while, I would love for you to read my post below... I NEED some ideas....

Lets talk about {*me*}

Ok, so lately I have been super stressed. I have a lot going on {life in general} is super crazy. The business is super busy, which is great, but still very busy. Mason is {2} so there is not much more I can say about that. He says {no} to everything and basically just acts like a 2 year old. He does not stress me out, but sometimes things he does {for example: open the fridge and pull out the pink lemon aide and give Gabby a "dink"} stresses me waaay out. He did help me clean it up- so that is pretty good.... Right? I have to remember he is {2}. Tonight I totally laughed to myself about this little incident. When I went to check on him and saw his sweet little sleeping face, I realized that it did not matter.

Sometimes it just feels like I need a break...... But when does a Mommy take a break? Is there such a thing when you are a Mommy? I have started to do things lately that I have been neglecting {little things} that take hardly no time at all, but the results are so rewarding... I am realizing that I cannot keep a perfectly clean house 100% of the time, have a happy child 100% of the time and make fabulous meals 100% of the time.... I need to break the cycle in my head that makes me think I have to be all of these things all of the time and start getting back to me.

So, you ask, "What have I done for me...?"
*I painted my toenails. {which hardly ever happens... unless it is summer and then I have someone else do it... It felt so good to do it myself...}
*I made some new stuff... (more on this later)
*When I was at the gym, I totally took my time- this never happens I am always so worried about getting done super fast- I must say that it felt pretty good... Mason did not even know I was gone and extra 15 minutes.
* Started reading a {great} book, The Shack.
*Made this post about "What am I gonna do for me..."

Well, that is it so far, I am still thinking on what else I can do for ME! If you have ideas, I would love to hear them. It is so hard when you are stretching yourself in so many directions to even think of 5 things...

PS- if you even say 1 hour massage or pedicure or go shopping, I just might hunt you down........ Get creative, I really want to hear it-

"What do you do for yourself?"

Wordful Wednesday- Digger

Mason loves bull dozers and diggers. I guess it is a boy thing! We went on a bike ride on Sunday and came across this and guess what? It was unlocked! I let Mason out of the bike trailer to take a look. He was amazed. He has never been this up close to a bull-dozer before. He pushed buttons and sat in the seat, he even made me close the door. I guess he wanted to see what it was like to be a "dozer driver!"

Here's to not getting caught! I am sure it was not illegal because we were doing no harm, but it felt like if someone saw us, we might run- FAST!

Head on over to see Angie at "7 Clown Circus" and check out more Wordful Wednesday posts!

Do you know what today was?

I was one of the most beautiful days we have had in Murfreesboro. It was an even 70 degrees and there was not a cloud in the sky...

Proof- not a cloud.

It is no secret that I {heart} fall. It is my favorite season. Curt and I were married in the fall, Mason was born in the fall- it is just hands down my favorite time of the year... Plus, pretty red leaves like this falling in my yard make me like it even more...

Beautiful

This little tree has not changed yet, but I cannot wait...

Now that you have gotten the daily forecast, how was your day? Your weekend?

Rarely on Saturday...

...Will you find that I post on my blog... But, this Saturday we did all of our family time in the early afternoon and tonight Curt is working on his car. So, after Mason was snug in his bed and the house was quite, I took a bath, painted my toe nails {ask my sister, they needed it!} and now, I am blogging.



So, I thought I would share some pictures from today... We had so much fun. We went to a local mall that has an aquarium. Mason loves fish, he gets so excited when he sees them, he can hardly contain himself. Mason and I tried to pet the sting rays, but one jumped out of the water and scared the {p} out of me. They had food and you could feed them and I guess it thought I had some food for it... Anyways, it scared me and I screamed, which in turn made Mason very cautious and so he was having no part in petting the sting rays...



We walked around the mall enjoyed a Cinnabon and a coke and then headed home. Mason only had about a 30 minute nap in the car on the way there, so needless to say the ride home was the longest car ride ever...



Can you tell which pictures that Curt took? I can tell he cares so much about what the pictures look like {laugh!} He never said anything to me the whole time he was taking pictures (not that they looked funny or anything) and then when I get home to upload them, this is what I get- blurry! Oh, well, this is why you mostly only see Mason & Curt, I have to man the camera or we will have blurry memories...




Mason has this weird thing with putting his fingers in his mouth every time I tell him to smile... Not sure where this came from, but lets just say it was cute the first time- I have 10 pictures where he has his fingers in his mouth...




I hope you had a great Saturday- I am off to mess around in my craft-y office...

Photo Story Friday- Mat Man

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

This week, on Tuesday, we purchased Mason's costume. He was very excited about the fact that he gets to be "Mat Man"! It is so cute when he says it, because it kind of has a nasal-y sound to it! I wanted to try the costume on him, since he is a rather tall 2 year old and there are no returns past today at Party City! Immediately he was excited when I took the costume out of the bag. He was the most interested in the face mask part. It looks so funny because the eyes were cut crooked, and you can really only see 1.5 of his eyes...

Crooked face mask....

The look he gave me when it was time to take it off... We had to go to Wal Mart. I was almost for sure I would be making an appearance with the "Masked Crusader" to pick up some milk. I bribed him and he gladly took it off....

Here he is riding his bike around the living room, he ran into so many things because he could barely see. He did not really mind though...

I cannot wait to show you the full version of his costume!

For more Photo Story Friday posts, click on the logo at the top of this post and enjoy!

Bloggie Awards

I was given another blog award from my dear friend Angie, the funny thing is that I read her blog yesterday and did not even notice that she gave it to me... Awards are too much fun...! Thanks so much Angie. This award is written in Portuguese, the translation will be down below.





To translate the gift from Portuguese to English, it means:

”This blog invests and believes, the proximity” (meaning, that blogging makes us ‘close’ -being close through proxy) “They all are charmed with the blogs, where in the majority of its aims are to show the marvels and to do friendship; there are persons who are not interested when we give them a prize, and then they help to cut these bows; do we want that they are cut, or that they propagate? Then let’s try to give more attention to them! So with this prize we must deliver it to bloggers that in turn must make the same thing and put this text.

I am passing my award on to Amanda, Angie & Kacey! Two dear blog friends, you should go and check out their lovely blogs if you get a chance...

Pass it along ladies, pass it along!

Too Cute for an Official Title

You can relish in his cuteness.... I give you permission.... By the way, he picked this out all by himself. I was doing laundry while he was rummaging through Curt's closet and finding these handsome digs... He is too silly!

Mason-
I am saving this one to show your little girlfriend when you are 16 and way too cool.... Love you so much!
xoxo
Mommy

Wordful Wednesday- Sweet Treats

As most of you know I have been absent for a week from my sweet little blog. I have missed blogging so much, but lately my life just cannot keep up. I also have been having a bit of {blogger block} and I have not really had any time to craft at all, so there you go... There are my excuses...

I also only had a few pictures on my camera from the past few days, and Mason has been going wide open lately, so all of my pictures are blurry and off centered... Nothing too fun to look at...

Today when I went to the mailbox, I saw a package and immediately got VERY excited! "Yay, maybe it is for me...?" Nope, I turned it over and it said "Mason." It was a package of Halloween treats just for Mason from my Aunt Boo & Uncle Mark. Aunt Boo is my Mom's sisterand she is Mason's great Aunt.... She sent all sorts of fun stuff for him to eat and play with... I put the funny eye ball glasses on and he said, "oooooh, pookey Mommy...." I love hearing him say that, it is one of his favorite Halloween sayings. I will miss this holiday because he will not say it the same next year.... Thanks Aunt Boo and Uncle Mark! We love you and Mason loved all of his candy, well we still have some left... I think if I would have given it all to him today, I would have been driving him to Kentucky for a little visit! Haha!

Go on over to see Angie and check out Wordful Wednesday!

This is just a little viseo for you to watch if you are interested in seeing Mason open his candy, 2 year old style... Very cute! Please excuse the mess that my room is...

Palin?

Mason and I went costume shopping today and we did not find much. I found one or two that I like for him, but I wanted to wait on his Daddy, Curt really likes to be involved in the costume choosing activity... You could call it a tradition!

I am not really one for dressing up, but you could really call this funny! If I were Sara Palin, I might be offended at this mask, I think she is prettier than this... So, if I were going to dress up with Curt I would try and talk him into being John McCain and I would be Sara Palin... LOL! He would never....!
This is Mason looking through all of the Halloween stuff. I do not think he has ever seen so many scary things... He kept saying "ooooooo, pookey!" I love how he tries so hard to say new things and he repeats almost every single thing that comes out of my mouth...

Tagged!

Ok, so right after I tagged like 7 people, only one of which has obeyed my Tag! Ahemm.... I got tagged by Kim, she is a dear blogger friend and a local- so I have actually met her in real life. She makes BEAUTIFUL paintings, so you should check her out!



Here goes.... I hope ya'll do not think I am crazy after my last post and then this one...



7 Things I Want To Do Before I Die...


1. See Kiki & Lele be truly successful


2. Go on a hot air balloon ride with my husband


3. Run a marathon


4. Actually do the job I went to college for {teach}


5. See Mason win the race for the White house {high hopes, yes I know}


6. Travel the world


7. Visit all 50 states





7 Things I Can Do...


1. Talk your ear off... I mean it, get me going and it is so hard to get me to stop.


2. Make an awesome grilled cheese... at least my hubbie thinks so!


3. Shop till I drop... (Oh wait, you need $$$ for that, maybe this one goes on the cant do list)


4. Think of having a few more children


5. I would if I could--- see my parents every single day!


6. Nag my hubbie to death. Bless his heart... I am a super good nagger....


7. Make a mean Chicken Spaghetti!





7 Things I Can Not Do...


1. Listen very well {it must be because I talk so much!}


2. Convince my hubbie that we need a few more children.


3. Listen to my baby boy cry.


4. Listen to people say they do not believe in God.


5. Get into a conversation about politics.


6. I am very bad at returning phone call- I do not always like being on the phone...


7. Keep my house work done always- I am such a bi-polar house cleaner.





7 Things That Attracted Me To My Hubby...


1. He is super good looking...


2. We got set up on a blind date by a friend, when he came to my door, he brought flowers and a big cheesy smile.


3. The first time we went out dancing, I realized he has his own special set of moves that I have never seen before... Very cute when he dances.


4. He loves me for my own silly & wacky self!


5. He lets me think I win... I really like this one.


6. He thinks I am beautiful.


7. He sang in the car on the way to our 2nd date... Talk about opening up and being yourself... Love it!





7 Things I Say Most Often


1. "Seriously!"


2. "No, Mason..."


3. "Don't be silly."


4. "I do not think so mister!"


5. "Time out!"


6. "Love you Snugs..."


7. "What's the deal pickle?"





7 Celebrity Crushes - {currently, I only have 2}


1. Heath Ledger {because he deserves it}


* I do not really have too many of these, I like to watch hunky men on T.V., but I think my hubby is so *HoT*, it is hard for me to say that I have celebrity crusher, plus, I do not get to watch that much t.v. anyways!





* If you are reading this and you have time, you are TaGgEd*

20 Things I Have Learned...

1. Never say Never, especially when you are saying that "your children will never wear character clothes!" Mason is hooked on Lightning McQueen- he likes to layer and wear two or three Lightning shirts at the same time...
2. If you need something, just ASK.
3. Do not expect "people " to have the same expectations as you...
4. Never let people borrow stuff, unless you can afford to give to them instead of let them borrow....
5. I need to pray more than I do.
6. I am so thankful for who I am.
7. I am so thankful for who my husband is and for how much he loves me.
8. I am thankful to have a healthy child.
9. I have a wonderful family {on both sides.}
10. Not to be jealous of other people.
11. Not to sweat the small stuff.
12. God never gives us more that we can handle.
13. My parents are saints- I cannot believe I am still alive after what I put them through {adolescent years}....
14. Not to be so critical of myself.
15. I cannot spell.
16. I should read my bible more than I do.
17. I only like my towels folded a certain way- CrAzY, yes I know.... I will refold them if they are done wrong... ( that comes from my Mom)
18. I spend too much time blogging... (but today my house work is all done, the kiddo is napping so I could not help myself.)
19. Never to talk about politics- Never! I even quit putting bumper stickers on my car- it always seems to start a conversation that I do not want to be in...
20. Sometimes I say things out loud that I was only thinking... Then I think- "Oopse!"

Okay, I am starting my own super annoying "blog chain tag thing..." I am tagging Kacey, Amanda, Rachel, Angie, Andrea & Joanne! Have fun ladies...

{Kiki & Lele}

To those of you who may not know , I am one of the proud owners of Kiki & Lele, the other being my fabulous partner, Kacey. We specialize in making personalized, hand-stamped jewelry.



You can head on over to our blog and see what we have been up to lately, if you like... Ahem... Hint, hint!

Also, do not forget to check THIS out. We are participating in Christmas @ The Gift Closet... Shopping on-line is so much better for so many reasons... Start early and then you will not feel so overwhelmed on December 20- that is when I start my shopping!

Pass it on.....

Ok, so lately Blog awards have been on my mind. My friend Kacey over at {Chronicles of a Mommy} recently got her first blog award. Go on over and check her out and tell her"Congrats!"

Back to my reason for this post.... I want to pass on my blog award. I received it from Angie at {7 Clown Circus.} Well, I never passed it on, I know HOW RUDE... But it was with good reason that I held on to it! I wanted to give it to the perfect person... Not that I already did not know any, but I recently met the perfect "Blog Sweetheart."

Rachel over at {Made with Love and Glue, Lots of Glue} deserves this award. She is a very kind fellow blogger. She epitomises the reason that I love blogging. She recently took her personal time to help me on my blog lay out. We spent over an hour total on the phone going back and forth on what exactly to do. This lady must have some extreme super powers or take a really good multi-vitamin... She has 5 kids and her youngest is 11 months. You tell me, vitamins? Has to be vitamins!

Well, anyways, Rachel you definitely deserve this award! It does not re-pay you for the hard work that you did for me, but at least it is a start! Keep on spreading the "Bloggy Goodness" you sure put a smile on my face...

Baby Room Make Over

Now that Mason is big and he is in a big boy bed {we took the side off of the crib.} I am really wanting to re-do his room, take it from baby to big boy! I am not too into themes, but I really love this bedding from The Company Store. It is a little pricey, but I think it will look great! Plus, Mason loves all things "2 wheels" or anything with wheels for that matter. I also have a great plan to make a head board for his bed, I just have to throw it into action. There are also some pretty inexpensive retro looking motorcycles that I would like to use for decoration from our Hobby Lobby!

Tell me what you think, I like it, but I am still on the fence. Should I go with a more "theme-less" bedding so I can change things up for years to come? I mean, what happens if he falls in love with rocket ships in 2 years...? What then? My pocket cannot afford to change things up that often...

Thoughts, please... It is so hard to make a little boys room look cute. If I had a girl I would not even be asking for tips, I would be posting pictures of a sassy little room...

pictures taken from The Company Store

Big Boy

Monday I had Mason at the Doctor for his 2 year check up. It is sad because he is starting to recognize what the doctor visits mean... We pulled up in the parking lot and before I even had the car in park he was saying, "no, no" and shaking his head. I convinced him that it would be fine and we walked in {he is all about walking like a big boy- I hardly get to carry him}.

Once we got in he was fine in the waiting room playing with the other kids and flirting with the little girls... Curt taught Mason a new trick. I was signing him in and I hear, "hey girl!" I look down and this little girl is standing next to Mason and he was totally flirting with her... Silly bug! He never ceases to amaze me with what comes out of his mouth.

Anyways, back on track... It was our turn and he screamed the whole way back to the room and until the doctor came in. I switched Pediatritions, the other one we had was a teaching doctor {which I am not opposed to} he always had students learning from him and it made the appointment take twice as long. It was quite irritating and it wore Mason out. So, the new doctor came in and was talking to Mason, he listened to all of the crazy stuff I ask when we go for a check up and he took his time answering me, I never felt rushed and he acted as if he had all day long just to talk to me and play with Mason. I felt like I was in doctor heaven. I am so glad we made the switch, Mason was happier, I was happier thus the whole day went alot smoother... Until the shots... That was pretty much horrible. He only had one shot, but I opted for the mercury free nasal spray flu shot, so the nurse had to shoot it up his nose and then I had to hold him down while it soaked in and she was poking his little leg at the same time... I hate holding him down, he always looks at me like, "why mom?" Oh well, we made it through and Mason is super strong and growing like a weed. div>

Mason Stats

Weight 32 lbs

Height 36 1/2 inches

Head 50 1/2 cm

I was trying to get a picture of Mason. Do not feel sorry for him, feel sorry for his Mama who just wanted a cute little picture of her little man... He was on strike here, not in trouble or anything, just on strike.... He is soooo 2!



Oh yes, you do not need to adjust your computer screen. He is dipping a lemon into his salsa and he actually ate it. I did not promote this, I just had to take a picture though for the books... Does this mean he has a vitamin deficency?

{To be a kid again...}

Wordful Wednesday

This picture was taken at Mason Birthday Party... I think it is too cute. It was taken while Mason was opening his presents. Uncle Cliff, Curt & Brian are staring down the loot. When I look at this picture I think there thoughts go a little something like this, " Man, they did not have that when I was a kid..." or "Gee, can I get that in my size?" You see my hubbie {in the middle} loves toys, and I know the other two love them as well. Sometimes I think he gets to re-live his youth through Mason. Toys are just way "cooler" now than they used to be...



PS- I hope you noticed that I have a new look going on... I got all jazzed up for ya! Miss Rachel helped me with my blog over haul. I love it. She was so patient with me and gave me a few new tips. Like the big pictures? Me too! I dream to be like her, she has 5 {yes 5} munchkins and she still has the time to keep up with her family and help {special} blogger like me to make my blog look better and learn new stuff all at the same time... Thanks Rachel...

Mason's Birthday Party

Uncle Cliff, Gran and Curt stopping to take a family picture. Aunt Carrie pushing Mason around on Alex's bike" Wow! Cool Momo!" I made the mistake of letting him open the motorcycles second, I knew what they were and I should have know that we save things like that until last... I was left opening all of the birthday boy's gifts... It was kind of embarrassing, but I guess if you have ever had kids, you have opened their presents...! Opening the bike! Thanks Grandpa, Nonnie, Uncle Brian, Aunt Carrie, Uncle J & Aunt Katie! It is a Strider bike. Very cool. It has no pedals so balance can be worked on instead of years with training wheels... Mason is already rockin' & rollin' on this little baby. Plus the seat and handle bars get higher. Kacey's hubbie, Brian told me about these little bikes. If you are thinking of investing in a bike for your tyke, I suggest you go HERE to check them out!

Mason had a great day and he loved being with his friends and family the most, but he also loved the gifts!!!!

Happy Birthday to My Snuggle Bug

October 4, 2006
October 4, 2006
October 4, 2008

On the day you were born, my life changed forever. I never knew how exciting and fun my new life would be. Mason, you complete my circle. I am so excited to see you grow and turn into a strong, smart and handsome young man!

Love Always,

Mom

A Message for Women

How quickly we forget.... If we ever even knew.


WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE

This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago.

Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.



The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed
nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking
for the vote.

(Lucy Burns)

And by the end of the night, they were barely alive.
Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing
went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of
'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'
They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above
her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping
for air.

(Dora Lewis)

They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her
head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate,
Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack.
Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging,
beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917,
when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his
guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because
they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right
to vote.



For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their
food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.

(Alice Paul)

When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks
until word was smuggled out to the press.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdf

So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because-
-why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work?
Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?

Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new
movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle
these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling
booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.

All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the
actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote.
Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege.
Sometimes it was inconvenient.

My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history,
saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk
about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought
kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said.
'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use,
my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just
younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The
right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'

HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history,
social studies and government teachers would include the movie in
their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere
else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing,
but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think
a little shock therapy is in order.

It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.

The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'

Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know.

We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so
hard for us by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.

History is being made.


To read more go Here & Here

Curt's Aunt sent this to me in an e-mail. I forwarded it on to everyone in my address book, but I could not help but share with more people. I honestly never really knew about this growing up. I do not remember this subject being in any of my history books.

These women made history, the least we can do is show our faces at the polls to cast our votes.

Mary Blanche was the author of this original e-mail circulated through the internet.