"The Corridor" - Kelle Hampton.

If you have not visited her blog recently - do.

Simply breathtaking post up by Kelle's dad, "Poppa".

You will sink into your soul as you read.

www.kellehampton.com.

Simply breathtaking, simply beautiful.

Bliss giveaway!

Contains:

Bliss Raspberry Chocolate!

12 Pretty Blank Note Cards!

Bath & Body Works:

4 oz. Summer Melon Candle!

4 oz. Sunflower Candle!

8 oz. Sweet Pea Body Lotion!

Liplicious Gloss - Fruit Punch Flavor!

Purse Size Coconut Lime Verbena Hand Sanitizer!
Purse Size Nectarine Mint Hand Sanitizer!

Fun stuff! Woot!

Want a chance to win? Become a follower of my blog ( <---------- on the left, scroll down ) & you will automatically be entered! If you are currently a follower (thank you! :o), you are already entered!

I will randomly choose a winner on Saturday, May 1st!

Thanks for being so sweet to me & leaving all your neat comments -

I cherish all of our friendships! You are a blessing! :)

(*If you have previously won a giveaway hosted by me, you are not eligible at this time to win again. But fear not, you will be in the future! :o)

Personal hygiene.

For quite some time now, my little people have been obsessed with deodorant. After showers, I frequently hear "can I have some deodorant, please?" They don't need deodorant yet. They are little people. They smell like little people. But they love deodorant. I usually oblige, & give them a swipe or two under each arm. They get all giddy & off they go.

Today in Wal-Mart, Audi spotted some tiny deodorants in the travel section. He got so excited, I thought he might hyperventilate. "Mom look! Deodorant! Can I please have this? Please?" He was so tickled, I thought if one silly toiletry makes him so darn happy, then by all means. Let's just go ahead & get him, & his brother, in the habit of good personal hygiene now. :) As we searched for just the right one, I spotted this:

Woot! A spray! How fun would a quick spray or two be under their arms? Big stuff. Such big boys. Except, we discovered tonight it's not actually deodorant. It is, but in the form of a bodyspray.

Oh good glory. Let me be the first to inform you, for $1.97, your house too can reek of Axe. Reek, I'm telling you. My entire house reeks.

Now excuse me while I go pop some Advil before this horrendous odor triggers a migraine. I just might be sleeping on the trampoline tonight.

Happy Monday! Ü

My girls. They ♥ shoes.

♥

♥

I may have to get a real job, to afford all the shoes they love! Hubby has no idea what he's in for. Teehee. Ü

From 5 lbs. 13 oz. to 9 years old.

He was the tiniest, cutest baby. And here he is today. Still oh so cute.

He has the type of face that just draws you in. Big, brown eyes that I adore.

It really doesn't seem like it's been 9 years since we drove him home from Dallas. Since we told everyone waiting for us at our house, that they couldn't hold him for 3 weeks. Since I sat staring at him in his new, white, crisp bassinet wondering what in the sam hills I was going to do with him.


We don't do huge birthday celebrations here. My children have never had a birthday party - Bentley had an extended family celebration when he turned 1 and also 2, Audi had one when he turned 1, Jaguar & Audi had a joint celebration when she turned 1 & he turned 2, & poor Mercedes. She didn't even get one for her first birthday. I honestly don't know why it's like that, but it makes me feel like a complete loser mom. Birthday celebrations are now big stuff here at our home. There are some summer plans in the works to make up for past birthdays. These plans may not fall on their particular birth dates, but whoopie. Fun is fun! Ü

Bentley thought he only received 2 gifts from us. Books (of course), & a new glove. He never complained. But I certainly know he was thinking "just two?"

We made him hide his eyes & told him there was just one more gift from us. Do you see Jaguar, in the right corner? I guess she thought she had to hide her eyes, too. Baha!

Then we rolled in this big guy. He was surprised! He loved it. And he went for a ride.

Or forty. :)

I despise the challenges we have with him right now. It's no fun. For him, or us. And I just pray like the dickens that this season will end soon. For him, & us.

No matter the struggles, no matter the trials & tribulations, my love for him is unconditional. There really are no words to describe how much I love him. I absolutely cherish every 48 lbs. of him. He is precious. ♥

Happy Birthday, sweet boy.

A sweet, very unexpected gift.

I ♥ the internet for many reasons. But the main reason? The amazing friends I have met. I just adore all of my friendships that have developed due to modern technology. You know I am a people person. I ♥ people. And I simply ♥ meeting new friends.

Anytime someone visits my blog & leaves a comment, I try oh so diligently to visit their blog, return the favor, & say thank you. Because comments mean so very much to me & I know they do to others, too. I appreciate so much every single comment.

A few weeks ago, Launa visited my blog & left a sweet comment. I began regularly visiting her blog & leaving her comments. One particular day, she had a post about a cute recipe notebook her sister had sent her. Being the humorous girl I am (baha!), I left a comment asking if she'd make me a copy. Oh I know. I just kill myself. ;o)

You know what? She did!

I tried to explain to this sweet girl that I was only joking! Didn't phase her. Look what she did!

When I opened it, I was amazed. First of all, it's cute as all get out! Second, she spent her time & her money creating this for me! Someone she didn't even know. I mean really, it didn't take me long to discover what kind of heart she possesses. :)

It had the nicest note stuck in the front pocket. She filled the notebook with a few of her favorite recipes & put stickies, with some notes, on some of the pages! A girl after my own heart. I ♥ post-it-notes. And she has just the cutest handwriting! (I didn't tell her I noticed that little detail. :)

For me, this is what life's all about. Meeting new friends. Sharing & laughing & building relationships. Having fun. Appreciating. Enjoying. You know, those simple things I like to mention. And if it all happens via some crazy technology called the internet - who cares! Life is short. Soak it in. Grasp it & run with it no matter how it happens to come your way. Ü

I so appreciate Launa & what she did for me. So incredibly sweet! I'll be sending her a little thank you. Even though she told me not to. 'Cause I don't like being told what to do. Teehee. ;o)

Now go visit her blog, look at her darling children & leave a sweet comment. And maybe, just maybe, she'll make you a recipe notebook, too! Kidding! LOL :)

Go meet a new friend!

Happy Friday! Ü

Test photo of my birthday boy.

Pardon me while I test something out. In the meantime, you can look at my cute 9 year old. Ü

Writing & napping.

I asked her to please get in her booster seat at the table, so I could get her lunch. "Ok maw-maw" she said. (She calls me mommy, mom, mama & maw-maw.) I looked up from fixing her lunch & discovered this. She decided to add to my grocery list instead. Ü

Friday, my husband got the boys from school, so I laid down & attempted a nap. Later, when I walked into the front living room, it was evident someone else decided a nap sounded pretty darn tootin' good to him, too.

And nap, he did. Ü

I cherish them. ♥

An extremely difficult day. *Update.

Mercedes is sick. Again. I tracked the pattern.

1st round - 2.19.10.

2nd round - 3.13.10.

3rd round - 4.10.10.

I have not taken her to the doctor yet because it is the very same stuff. Only, her nose isn't really running this time. But she is sneezing.

Last Wednesday, she ran a fever. And Thursday. Then, gone. It disappeared as quickly as it arrived. She was fine after that. Saturday we had our family get-together. The weather was beautiful & she played outside for hours. Even put her feet in the pool. Around 1:00 a.m., the coughing began. We got thru the night, getting to sleep @ 2:30 a.m.

Sunday I began breathing treatments. Her coughing is so bad. She coughs so often, she barely has time to take a breath in between. Not a horrific cough, just an annoying, non-stop cough. No fever, nothing but sneezing. I'm contributing all this to allergies (because we had been outside prior) - the pollen here is unbelievable. But the coughing is so often, she can't sleep. Any.

She had no nap today. It's 9:10 p.m. She's still awake, coughing. I don't know what to do. I have her on Mucinex with an Expectorant. And breathing treatments. Neither seem to be doing any good. I don't know what the doctors would do differently, because it's their treatment(s) I'm following.

Tomorrow she goes to the Endocrinologist. I'm taking her. They look in her ears & they can tell me if she has an infection. Even though a specialist, I'll know from there if I need to take her somewhere else. Her required labwork will wait until she's better.

This is horrible. She is so exhausted. I am so exhausted & I am now running a fever. But really, who cares about me. I couldn't care a less - I have got to get my baby some help.

Tomorrow I do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this. I don't care if it means 4 different doctors. For now, I'm putting her in bed with me & praying we both get some sort of rest tonight.

I have photos to post. And the remaining Bliss to purchase. I will do both right after I get my precious one taken care of first.



*I am so glad we went ahead & made Mercedes' Endocrinologist appointment! Early this morning, I wasn't so sure we were going to go. I/we didn't actually see the Endocrinologist Dr. himself today, we saw his CPNP (nurse practitioner) & I just love, love, love her! We alternate appointments seeing him & seeing her, & quite honestly, I prefer her. She reminds me of Barbara Jean from Reba. Same disposition, looks similar & funny as all get out. :)

Mercedes does not have an ear infection! Woot! She does have fluid in one ear, but "M" is sure it's related to allergies (especially since all this began after playing outside for hours). She said at this point there is no need to take Mercedes to our regular physician. Yay! The reason the Albuterol treatments haven't worked much is because this is allergy related & not bronchial. However, she said the treatments have prevented the symptoms from turning into something worse, so no harm has been done. :) She also said allergies, if not treated, can turn into an ear infection, so possibly that's what we were dealing with in February (& the ear infection never completely went away, which we discovered in March).

Ok. All that to say. I've been giving the wrong medication! Sort of. Two or three times I gave Mercedes Mucinex Cold (I have been alternating that with a prescribed cough medication/decongestant we got from the dr. in February - I probably should have stuck with administering just that!), which has an expectorant & decongestant. Good stuff, she said! But I gave it at the wrong time(s). I thought an expectorant was to hinder coughing. Wrong. The expectorant encourages 'cough it up', so I want to administer that during the day, not at bedtime. At bedtime, I need to administer a suppressant. Because Mercedes is a tad congested, she recommended Robitussin DM ('D' is for decongestant). When all this clears up, if pollen and/or ragweed is up, she said to administer Zyrtec or Claritin daily until levels go down. She said this rule of thumb can apply to all littles, not just Mercedes. So I'll be doing a trial & error, so to speak. The even better news is that Mercedes cough is much improved today.

I'm certain C3 has the very same thing - though she doesn't typically get ear infections - so I'm not concerned w/ having her ears checked. I'll be using the same medication(s) for her, as well. This morning she sounded very croupy, but I haven't heard it since & her cough is now minimal. She's suffering from the same stuffy, runny nose & sneezing. Just generally blah & icky feeling.

Time to get past this & time for this family to get some sleep! I'm so grateful for M today. So thankful I/we made the appointment. Thank you for all the well wishes! :)

(Mercedes was 95% in height & 75% in weight. Pretty perfect & tall & lean! Just like her sister. :)

They complete me.

♥

The simple, white bowl.

My newest obsession. Or addiction. Or both. Ü

White dishes.

Pure. Sophisticated. Clean. Pretty. Quiet. Simple. Awesomeness.

I read many decorating blogs. Mostly "cottage decor", only because I haven't found many mod ones yet. :) I love the serenity of cottage decor. The calming vibe. But I don't prefer to decorate my home with it. That said, I fell in love with all the white dishes I was seeing. Grouped together, such a homey, beautiful statement.

I found this bowl today at -Wal-Mart! Oh, you know it! I needed a large bowl to hold certain fruits & such. This is perfect. Ü

It's solid Porcelain. Heavy. Great quality. It's a multi-tasker - can be used in the dishwasher, microwave & oven! Woot!

I've decided to pick up another piece each time I go to Wal-Mart. They provide all different pieces/shapes. I pretty much fell in love with all of them. If I begin to visit Wal-Mart daily, my husband will catch on. He is aware of my new found love of white dishes. But I really don't need to break the bank, so I'll have to pace myself. :)

The best part, other than the obvious? $7.96. For a 9" bowl I will have for many years to come.

Now go buy yourself a white bowl. And be giddy with me. Because as you know, it's all about the simple.

Sweet, tiny, happy toes.

So darn tootin' cute! ♥

And as so sweetly suggested by Kelle Hampton:

Celebrate life this weekend. There's lots of it.

How you sleep can affect eyelash performance.

Ever thought about it? It's true. How do I know? Because of the way I personally sleep, affects the position of my own eyelashes.



Let me back up. I ♥ eyelashes. Love them. Love their possibilities (black? blue? (I totally always used to wear blue mascara!) green? brown? false? natural?) I completely believe they are taken for granted. Reality is, eyelashes enhance the eyes. Mascara enhances the eyelashes & softens the face. Mascara, applied incorrectly, can make eyelashes hideous & gaudy. But applied properly - simple eyelashes can become a true wow factor. I don't think there is one woman on the face of this earth too pretty for mascara. Eyelashes & mascara are two of God's greatest gifts; too often ignored & not used to their full potential. And that's just a shame.

Giggling yet? Ü

Look at the with & without photo. Speaks for itself, doesn't it? One can obtain the same result (minus color) without eye shadow & liner.

Back to sleeping. If you are a back sleeper, chances are you're 'safe', unless you sleep with your hands/arm pressed against your face/eyes. If you are a side sleeper, or tummy sleeper, chances are your sleeping position(s) is affecting your eyelash performance. How? If your eyelashes are pressed up against, say, your pillow, they get smooshed. If they are pressed against an arm, like mine, the lashes get forced night after night into an unnatural position. After time, they begin to shape, or curl, into a somewhat permanent position. And because of an unnatural shape/position, mascara doesn't or can't apply effortlessly & smoothly making the lash(es) flow, which results in beautifully applied mascara. Unnaturally shaped lashes can just look weird.

In my situation, because of the way I sleep, my right eyelashes tend to not flow out & up like my left eyelashes. My eyelashes towards the outter corner of my eye begin to curl. Sideways. What I have found that helps resolve this issue, is using eye makeup remover (whether I've had mascara on or not) before showering. I apply using a cotton ball, & gently (never tug on your delicate eye area) rub down & out in slow strokes in attempts to 'reform' or reshape my awkward eyelashes. Applying remover also helps soften the lashes, as does the warm shower. After my shower, I close my eyes & run a warm washcloth over my eyelashes, in a straight, downward sweep. Does it work? Yes, enough to get my eyelashes flowing in a straight direction, so my mascara applies beautifully & works in the manner it was developed to do.

One of the first features someone notices about another is their eyes. I ♥ eyes. Eyes are one of the main reasons I love natural light photography. I once read "eyes are windows to the soul". They most certainly are! So, don't forget to wear mascara. If nothing else, seriously, apply some mascara & Lipsmackers. You'll feel better, you'll look better, & you'll enhance two very pretty features you are blessed with. Ü

So there you go. Do you have bent/curved/crooked eyelashes due to your sleeping position(s)? Are you going to go look? And/or pay attention to the way you sleep tonight? I bet you do! LOL :o)