Madeline Grace

My best friend Alli had her baby on Friday, August 9th!! She gave birth to a BEAUTIFUL baby girl named Madeline Grace weighing in a 8 lbs 4 oz and 22 inches long. I am just crazy about this little girl already and have only spent time with her twice!! I never thought that I would say this but it has totally made me want a baby. I don't know that we are ready in reality for a baby but it has definitely given me (and Patrick) baby fever...go figure!! We will wait a bit longer to actually start trying though. Alli told me that we should go ahead and start trying so that Maddie can have a best friend or a boyfriend. haha

Here are some pictures of baby Maddie. I can assure you this is just the beginning as Auntie Angela fully intends on spoiling this little girl rotten!!

Michael and Alli the morning that they went into the hospital for Maddie to be born

Me & Alli just waiting on the little one

Madeline Grace

Daddy is already completely in love

She's got him wrapped around her finger

Mommy and her new little love

The new family of 3!!

Isn't she amazing?! She's wrapped up in a blanket that Maddie's great grandmother made for her

Love the little bow!!

Me and Maddie

Maddie & her daddy. Maddie is wearing the same dress that Alli wore home from the hospital

Ready to go home

About to leave

I broke my promise...

Shame on me! I promised that I would write a new blog last night and I didn't. I have a valid excuse though...kind of...had I written it last night you might have gotten something to the effect of

"Hey! I'm finally back and I am so s l e e p"

That would have been the end of it because I was very tired last night. We had a very busy weekend full of tennis matches, going to a wedding, selling my car, getting my mother-in-law's dog to dog sit for the week and celebrating Father's Day!! Yesterday was pretty interesting too. I had a "normal" work day but I was constantly watching Lily (the dog). She's super sweet but is lacking discipline. She tried to eat several things in the house (remote, telephone, washcloth, etc.) She also proceeded to roll in soil outside and eat some of my plants in my back yard. You can certainly imagine why our patience is wearing thin. This morning I gave her too much credit because she seemed to be behaving perfectly. Wow, she had me deceived. She has walked around in the pond in our back yard, eaten some Starbursts candies and got into my dried wedding flowers...what else will this day bring?! I'm sure I'll have more fiascos with her this week and I will be sure to share along with pictures!!

On a different note I threw a baby shower two weekends ago for my best friend Alli. She is due on July 4th with a little girl named Madeline Grace. I cannot wait to meet her so that Auntie Angela can spoil her rotten....I think that I have already successfully started! :) Here are a few pictures from the shower. They ended up out of order but you can still enjoy!

Alli and her mom

The shower hostesses and mommy-to-be

Me, Leslie & Alli

Mommy-to-be about go eat some goodies

The candy for favors

All of the gifts, clothesline and baby box

The baby box I made with Maddie's initial in her room's colors

Some of the spread

Diaper cake that I made along with the blocks spelling out baby Maddie's name

The table with the yummy food and beautiful flowers from my mom's garden

Next time I will tell you all about our vacation we took almost a month ago to Kiawah Island, SC. Until next time!!

Stay tuned...

New blog coming tonight! I PROMISE!!!!!

Meet Our Newest Addition

We have a new addition to the family...his name is Frosty. He was a stray kitten who showed up at our house with his sister, mom & friend. He was the most skiddish of the bunch. After some sad circumstances (his sister was sick and had to be put to sleep, his mom started ignoring him and his friend Choco got his by a car) he decided he finally wanted to receive some love and attention from us!!

After much deliberation we came up with a name...not Peachy, or Marmy or FO...but Frosty!

This is just for giggles...I put Callie is Lanie's dog sweater...I'm pretty sure she will pay me back for this when I least expect it

Easter Eggs

HAPPY EASTER...2 days late!! We had a great easter! We went to church with my family, ate lunch at my parents house and went to a wedding! It was a busy day. Unfortunately, we both had to work in between and during events. Below are some pictures I thought I would share. I didn't put any of the images from Tim & Laurie's wedding. That will come tomorrow!

Patrick's cousin Trey sporting the Easter sunglasses

Yes, even the adults must participate! :)

Our Easter Eggs...Patrick is missing one because he ate it. Go figure!

Naturally, I bedazzeled a few of them & Patrick made me an egg for our 2 year wedding anniversary

The following are a few Easter decorations at home

Chipmunk Cheeks

Well, it's been a while! This past Friday I had surgery to get my wisdom teeth out. I was SOOO nervous but it ended up not being so bad! Thank goodness!! I haven't had a lot of pain, just some minor discomfort. I think my favorite part of the surgery is getting to eat ice cream and NOT feel guilty about it! My inner fat kid is doing the happy dance! :) I have such great family and friends that have helped out!! If you need a great oral surgeon, let me know! :)

I feel like I haven't had a lot going on but I have been super busy and it's only about to get busier! I have been sticking to my workouts...at least 4 days a week, trying to do some house stuff and spend time with Patrick, family and friends. I still need to complete my shoe room project. I haven't painted yet but I have picked the color and have been finding some neat pictures for the walls. I think the hardest part has been gathering all the ideas! I think it's going to turn out great though! Hopefully I can start painting next weekend....

It's hard to believe it's almost April...that means wedding season is upon us!! Our first wedding is on Sunday (Easter Sunday) for our dear neighbors Tim & Laurie. They are a cute couple who actually met by literally living next door to us. They finally realized they have feelings for each other, started dating, got engaged and will be married on Sunday. Leslie & Jason's wedding is also in April, on the 17th. I am excited to be a part of their wedding and I hope everything goes perfectly. I will post pictures from both weddings. I can't forget the most important date though...APRIL 12th...our 2 year anniversary! I told Patrick he was in charge this year of making the plans. I think he wants to take my on a surprise weekend getaway! How fun!! I cannot believe we've already been married 2 years almost! Time has flown and it's been a fantastic journey!

Well, that's all for now but I'll be back soon....I PROMISE

Home Improvement Projects

So, it's official...I AM NEVER PAINTING ANOTHER CEILING!!! From now on it is totally worth paying my painter to come paint my house...especially the ceiling. I worked all day on my day off from work. I started the tedious project at 11 and finished at 9!! What a day off, huh? Granted, I know I am complaining a lot (because it was pain in the neck, literally) but I am pleased with the results. I painted the ceiling a lovely color called Coconut Milk. Below is a picture to give you an idea of the color, before and after. It is a huge relief to have this project put to bed though. It's been on the to-do list since we got married!!

In addition to the new paint, we also got a new kitchen light fixture (goodbye florescent). It isn't the most fancy but hey, we're working with a budget here. Also, we got a new fixture for the downstairs hallway (goodbye brass). I think it looks really good! I'm really looking forward to getting rid of all of the brass in our house....upstairs hallway light, door knobs and half bath light fixture. It all takes time but it is so pleasing to get each little item checked off the list.

Please ignore the messy kitchen!! I should have cleaned up before taking a picture, but I didn't feel like it! :)

I am hoping to start on the shoe room soon. I have decided that I'm going to go with the pinker color (Berry Blush, I think). I can't wait to find some cool furniture and accessories for the room!

Lastly, as I was on a conference call on Tuesday I started to smell some smoke...smoke of a burned out motor...from my washing machine!! I knew the washer (and dryer) was going to kick the bucket soon, but we were really hoping not this soon. We have done our research and I think we're going to go with a high efficiency top loader. It has the same energy savings as a front load, but the convenience of a top load. I'm not really looking forward to making this purchase, but I am looking forward to washing clothes! You won't hear me say that often!!

I think that is all for now! By the way, 2 blogs in 1 day!! :)

Valentine's Day

I must admit that Valentine's Day was a success!! I woke up and Patrick brought me flowers & a box of chocolate in bed. You just can't have a bad day when it starts like that. We went to church, ate lunch, played a 3 set tennis match (unfortunately, we lost) and came home to prepare dinner. We had shrimp cocktail. Garlic & Thyme Roasted Filet Mignon with horseradish sauce, broccoli & cauliflowerCheesecake for Patrick & Chocolate Covered Strawberries for me

The filet was amazing!! It was so easy to make and so delicious! If you want recipes I'll be happy to share!!

I'm back!!!

Okay, wow, I knew it had been a long time since I had written a blog, but NOVEMBER 18th?! Simply unacceptable. I will need you all to keep me accountable for being better at this! Thanks to those of you (you know who you are) for encouraging me...I really need it!!!


To recap the past 3 months (almost)...


Thanksgiving was great!! We ate too much as usual...Christmas was even better. We ran around like crazy people in order to spend ample time with each set of parents/grandparents. New Years was very relaxing!! We went to dinner & a movie with friends, came back to our house and crashed just after midnight!! Valentine's Day is tomorrow and I am in charge this year! :) I have a great menu planned:


* Appetizer: Shrimp Cocktail
* Main Course: Thyme & Garlic Roasted Filet Mignon with Horseradish Sauce
* Veggie: Steamed broccoli & cauliflower (I'm going to fancy it up somehow)
* Dessert: Chocolate covered strawberries & Cheesecake


I will let you know how it all turns out...the strawberries are done along with the "homemade" Cheesecake, the steak is marinating and the shrimp is waiting to be eaten. Hopefully it looks pretty so I can take a few pictures to show of my "skills" in the kitchen. Haha, I have to laugh out loud at that!!


So we got snow yesterday...which is very unusual for Georgia. The forecast called for snow but no one really believed it since we get those forecast and are almost always disappointed. This time we weren't!! We ended up with 4 inches of snow!! It was beautiful!! I took some pictures to show off the beauty!

I'm also starting a project...a home improvement project!! I was supposed to start today, but I got too busy running errands that I didn't have time to start when I got home. I suppose I technically have two projects...the kitchen/den/family room and my SHOE ROOM!!! Guess which one I am more excited about. In the kitchen/den/family room I am going to paint the ceiling... I went to touch up some spots the other day in hopes of making things look better and now I have a speckled ceiling. Attractive? Not so much. I figured since I messed it up so bad and don't have time to save money to pay our painter (who would do a much better job) I would take on the task...eek! Also, I'm (Patrick) going to replace the hideous fluorescent light fixture in our kitchen and replace it with this one.


I really would love to do recessed lighting but I am not about to cut holes in my ceiling and run all that wiring! We would end up giving up and putting lamps in the kitchen. Ha, it wouldn't be a pretty site!!


Anyhow, my fun project is going to be my shoe room. Now, I'm sure you are thinking, "This girl has a shoe room?! She must be crazy!" My response to this is, "Yes, I am. I love shoes!" I figure why not have a fun room right now I don't have kids and I can be selfish. Truthfully, I want this room the become my "Dressing Room" and ironing room. Since Patrick and I got married we have literally changed every single room in this house from new carpet to paint except for my "shoe" room. It is still painted as the baby's room from the previous owners. Don't get me wrong, it's cute, but we don't want kids for a few more years and it just isn't working for me anymore. I have dealt with it as long as I can. I am thinking of going for a shabby chic look! I am going to paint one of the two colors shown in the picture below. What do you like better?


I want to bring in some white furniture and accent with colors of green and pink...unless it starts looking too much like a kids room...this is going to be kind of an experiment. I want to paint a chest of drawers I have white. I'd like to find a cute round ottoman to put in the middle of the room. Also, I want to organize my shoes (just over 100 pairs) better than just sitting on the floor but I haven't found a cheap, decorative option yet that I like. Any thoughts?


Also, I found an idea of these jewelry boxes to display some of my jewelry. I would paint them white though instead of black. I think the black would be a bit too bold. I am really excited about starting this project!! If you have any ideas (whoever reads this, if anyone) please let me know!!!


Well, that's all for now...until next time (not 3 months) :)