In the Sky with Diamonds...

Sunny Days, Chasing the Clouds Away!

2012-01-05T09:29:00.002-06:00

Sometimes a walk around the block is all you need to cure your blues... And if you happen to be walking with these two, you can bet you clouds will be chased away!

Penny Lane Update!

2012-01-03T11:12:00.001-06:00

Yay!!! The surgery was a success!!! We are so thankful that everything went exactly according to plan. Penny is resting now and drinking some apple juice. She is extremely drowsy and probably will be for the rest of the day. Today will be all about resting and drinking fluids, tomorrow will be a little rough as that's when the real healing begins. Also, a lot of the inflammation will have gone down so her ear drums are going to finally start vibrating normally (this is the hope!) So along with the healing tomorrow, Penny will be experiencing some really new and LOUD noises. This might be challenging and uncomfortable at first. We are going to try and keep it really quiet around here for a bit.

She is such a little snuggle bug and that's all she wants to do right now, so I'm going to get back to doing that! Here are a couple pics we snapped before and just a bit ago...

"Hear" We Go!

2012-01-03T08:05:00.000-06:00

We just watched our little tiny girl get wheeled back to the operating room for her ear surgery. To recap why we are having ear surgery, read THIS post. It is very bittersweet right now. We are so excited for our girl to hear like she should (or the best she can) but I hate that she has to go through this. Also, I am sad that her cute little voice and unique speech pattern might change. But the benefits FAR out way all that, so here we are! She should be out of surgery here after a bit and I will update you all. Thank you for all you support with this, y'all are great!

Merry Christmas, One and All!! [Chistmas Card 2011]

2011-12-23T13:14:00.000-06:00

Whoa. Is it just me or has this year just been a freaking whirlwind? I digress... I just wanted to pop in between wrapping and baking to say MERRY CHRISTMAS from us to you. All of you. I wish I could send a Christmas card to each and everyone of you ~~mainly so you would free like you would then need to send me one~~ ;) <- I really like Christmas cards! HA! Love you all.

Ladies & Ladies... [Erin Condren Giveaway Winner!]

2011-12-12T10:33:00.000-06:00

I totally flaked out on posting this on Friday. Because I am lazy... Or I have two toddlers and my days just get away from me ;) With no further ado... The WINNER OF THE ERIN CONDREN GIVEAWAY IS:

MANDY from TICKLED PINK :)

Mandy, email me at mybeatlesbabies[at]gmail[dot]com so I can get you your gift card!

Thanks for playing! Love you all :)

Confessions of a Size 4.

2011-12-09T11:03:00.002-06:00

Disclaimer : These are my personal opinions and feelings. They are not a reflection on anyone but myself :)

I used to be a size 0, pre-kiddos. I was totally happy with my body. I was little and cute and I could wear, literally anything. I didn't have to work at it, just normal maintenance and diet. And then... The Babies. Back-to-back attack on my body. Do not get me wrong I would not trade them for all the skinnies in the world... But oomfph, the havoc they left behind! HA! You can read up about some of my weight struggles here and what I have done to combat them. For the record, I have kept off every pound I lost on the HcG diet earlier this year and even lost a few more.

I joined weight watchers over the summer, and while I liked the regimen and control, I didn't really lose any weight. I most certainly could do more on the exercise front. I am going to start doing something with my friend Jared (hows that for accountability, J? Its on the blog for everyone to see! HA!) So there's that... I mean I guess I just lack motivation right now. Come springtime and the impending ~~doom~~ swimsuit season. And being as I spend all day everyday at the pool, that's some mah-jah motivation right there. So if y'all have any tips for me, please share :)

That's me currently, as in like this week. Am I at my goal weight? No. Do I wish some days that I was the skinny minnie I used to be? Yes. Do I fit in all of my pre-preggo clothes? No. Do I fit into most of them? Yes.

I am a size 4. And right now, I am okay with it :)

You have little bit longer to enter the Erin Condren Giveaway, HERE.

If you need a chuckle, watch this video :)

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer...

2011-12-06T09:27:00.002-06:00

Is donning a leotard and lip-singing Mariah Carey?

Yes.

ps - I wish I looked as good as that guy in a leotard. Damn ;) HA

ERIN CONDREN GIVEAWAY - HERE - ENTER! Please&ThankYou

This is my Grown up Christmas List...

2011-12-05T09:44:00.001-06:00

Now, before you get all excited that this might be a blog post that is enlightened, thought-provoking, inspired or self-less like the song. I need to tell you that its not. It is purely my ~~needs~~ wants list for Christmas. You, know just in case Santa is reading this ;)

Nikon 1 v1 - 2 Lens Kit

Sorel Tofino - size 8

Michael Kors - Gibson Sunglasses

BB Dakota Camel Bostwick Jacket

Old Gringo - Lepidopteran Butterfly Boot

AudioBulb Wireless Speaker Light Bulbs

VuPoint iPhone Dock Printer

IO Metro Cards

One Trip Grocery Bag Holder

And World Peace.

Oh, and for you to go enter my Erin Condren Giveaway!

And then the Internet came back... With a Winner!

2011-12-02T20:38:00.000-06:00

Thanks for being patient with me. My wifi is acting like a total butthead and it keeps going off and on today. Trying to sneak this in before it goes off, again! Urgh!

So I totaled up the enteries (one for liking Shabby Apple on fb, one for following both of us on the twit, and one for tweeting about the giveaway) and came up with 31. Low entries meant a great chance for you to win... And I have a feeling the winner is going to be super happy! I went and checked out her blog, which you must do, and I can just she her wearing it!!

Blair from Wild & Precious, you be da winner :)

Email me girl, so I can get you your necklace!

Thanks for entering and I wish you all could win, I really do. But if you didn't win this one you can still go HERE and enter to win some Erin Condren Goodies :)

Delayed. Internetz down.

2011-12-02T10:43:00.000-06:00

My internetz is acting a fool this morning. So there will be a SLIGHT delay in posting the winner for the Shabby Apple Giveaway. I will post this evening... So you have a couple more hours to enter :)

Also, don't forget to enter the ERIN CONDREN giveaway HERE!!!

Color Me Perfect [an Erin Condren Giveaway]

2011-12-01T11:12:00.003-06:00

Here it is. The best giveaway EVER. You know her, you LOVE her... its Erin Condren!! I mean, I'm sure you love her. I do. I have a very strong feeling that if I knew her in real life, we would probably be best friends. HAHAHA! Maybe. Well, no definitely :)

I have her planner. It is my life line, fo sho. Its the first thing I look at in the morning and the last thing I check before going to bed. I have tried LITERALLY every planner ever over the last ummm, 15 years... This is the only one that has worked for me. The.Only.One.

I love the planners so much I got one for my mom, nanny, sister and best friend for Christmas. I actually already gave the planners to each of them. I couldn't wait til Christmas, I just had to share!

But, do not be mistaken, thats not all Erin Condren is about... She has gift wrap, address labels, canvases, iPhone cases... I mean just about everything! I love how colorfully (is that a word?) everything is designed. They are clean and trendy but not too trendy. Just about perfect!

Have you gone to look at the website yet? Do you love it? Do you want some of your own? Well, then you are in luck! I have partnered with Erin to give one of my readers a $25 gift card to ErinCondren.com! WOOT! I am so excited to host this giveaway, you have no idea. I'm not even getting anything out of it... I just love the stuff SO much, I want to share it with the world (or my blog... ha!) Wanna enter? Here's how:

MANDATORY ENTRY - Like Erin Condren on Facebook HERE

1 ENTRY - Follow ME (HERE) and Erin Condren (HERE) on Twitter

1 ENTRY tweet about this giveaway - make sure to "@" me and include the hashtag #mybeatlesbabies

3 ENTRIES (thats right 3!) - Blog about this giveaway and link it back to me!

Make sure to leave me a separate comment for EACH one of your entries.

Oh and there are a couple of rules:

1. You have to be a public follower of my little ol' blog.

2. You have to be in the US to win.

I'll count them all up and randomly pick the winner at NOON on FRIDAY DECEMBER 9th!

GOOD LUCK!

Also, I'll be picking the winner for the Shabby Apple Giveaway tomorrow! So go enter, if you haven't already!

Lucy's View - Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T09:37:00.000-06:00


Practicing making patterns

Please don't forget to enter my Shabby Apple Giveaway. It ends on Friday!

Black is the new Friday... [a shabby apple giveaway]

2011-11-25T07:50:00.000-06:00

I like to shop. Like a lot. Like so much my husband cries over the receipts... Well, not really, but I really do like to shop. Black Friday, however... I do not like. The crowds, the crazies, the excess of it all. And for ME to not like excess... Well, you know its bad. Frankly, to me, there is no deal worth going out in that madness.

Will I be shopping though? Duh. I'll just be doing it from the comfort of my own home on that little thing called the internetz. And were will I be shopping you ask? Lots of places. But I want to tell you about one of them in particular... Shabby Apple. Oh, you heard of it have you? Not surprising as its only like the CUTEST stuff ever. Srsly, I can't get over how cute. I want everything. Only for fear that i might ACTUALLY make my husband cry, I will show some self restraint, and not order one of everything :)

I'm sure you are wondering, what does this have to do with me? Blah blah blah, Jessica talks way to much, blah blah blah. Stop blahing! I want to give you something! You, yes you. Because yesterday was Thanksgiving and I am thankful for YOU, I have partnered with Shabby Apple to give one of you a little something to show you how thankful I am!

Shabby Apple has a Alice in Wonderland inspired jewelry collection right now and its fabulous. I have a special love for Alice in Wonderland (see #13 HERE) so I just had to pick one of them for one of you!

The White Rabbits Time Keeper - Antique Watch Necklace

I mean, I die. Srsly. So cute. I love it. Do you love it? If you do, enter my giveaway! Here's how:

MANDATORY ENTRY - Like Shabby Apple on Facebook HERE

1 ENTRY - Follow ME (HERE) and Shabby Apple (HERE) on Twitter

1 ENTRY tweet about this giveaway - make sure to "@" me and include the hashtag #mybeatlesbabies

Make sure to leave me a separate comment for EACH one of your entries.

Oh and there are a couple of rules:

1. You have to be a public follower of my little ol' blog.

2. You have to be in the US to win.

I'll count them all up and randomly pick the winner at NOON on FRIDAY DECEMBER 2nd!

If you don't want to wait to snap up some Shabby Apple of your own you can get 10% off your order when you shop with the discount code : mybeatlesbabies10off

GOOD LUCK!

Oh and a quick PSA... If you are out and about tomorrow shopping, be nice to the people helping you in the stores. Without them, well you would have to get your own sizes :)

Quakepocalyse 2011

2011-11-08T13:10:00.003-06:00

We've had Snowmageddon, record high and record low temps, F5 tornadoes and now...

QUAKEPOCALYPSE 2011

In the past 3 days we, here in good ol' Oklahoma, have had THREE earthquakes!!! Three. Tres. Trois. And big ones too! The "fore-shock" came in at 4.5, the BIG ONE was rated 5.6 (the biggest in Oklahoma history) and the after-shock was 4.7. Lets just talk about this for a second... I live in OKLAHOMA. Not California. We get ice,snow, HEAT, and heck we had tornadoes and flash flooding last night... But earthquakes? We are not equip to handle the stress. Twitter and Facebook nearly exploded. People were fa-reaking out. There was quite a bit of damage, mostly because people are not prepared for earthquakes here... Obviously.

Here at Cermak Manor we suffered some pretty devastating damage. But we shall carry on. We will rebuild. We will recover.

Heeheehee.

And just in case you forgot that I do in fact live in Oklahoma, this little gem was on the news...

I'm just waiting for what will come next... Hurricane? Volcano? Tsunami?

I missed you. That is all.

Urban Girls

2011-10-10T08:09:00.004-05:00

My little adventurers tackled the great Urban Jungle last weekend. Armed with only their shiny red shoes & beautiful smiles, the girls explored our downtown with their grandparents in tow...

All Photos by Sohpia Litchfield

If y'all have a minute, you should hop over to my mom's new blog, the journey... My parents are currently in Nairobi, Africa having the adventure of a lifetime! She is an AMAZING photographer (as you know from following my blog) and she will be posting lots of incredible pictures along the way.

Disco Inferno

2011-09-23T10:12:00.004-05:00

Incase you missed it on Twitter (seriously I LOVE YOU ALL,) last week was my birthday :)

My sister AND my birthday to be exact! If you have been reading for a while (if you are new, HI!!) then you know that my sis and I have the same birthday, 2 years apart. I love her. She's my bestest friend. And she's awful purdy, see :

For our birthday we wanted to have an "Anchorman" pool party... You know, 70's awesomeness :)

Well, afer weeks and weeks of +100° temps and gorgeous blue skies... The day of our birthday party was cold (80°) and rainy... WAHH! So we moved the party inside and changed my living room into a disco. Yes, we had a champagne fountain. Yes, it was full of pink champagne. Yes, I had like 14 bottles. Yes, it was a TON of fun :)

Olivia, Y U NOOO in any pictures?

Lucy's View

2011-09-12T08:45:00.000-05:00

Lucy is LOVING school! It took a couple weeks to adjust to the new schedule, but she seems to be absolutely flourishing now! Her teacher said that she has seen HUGE improvement in her listening skills and behavior. She also said that she was extremely smart and strong willed ;) heehee!

We could not be more pleased with Monte Cassino, so far. We love it! I mean I knew we would, its such a wonderful school. Lucy is THIRD generation there! My mom went there along with her sister AND my sis and I went there! Its so great because so many of the teachers and faculty still around and remember my sister and me. I love that :)

Lucy's teacher is fantastic and Lu just adores her. Every morning she races down the hall to her classroom and says, "Good morning, Mrs. Capmbell!" with the biggest grin on her face :) Mrs. Campbell is awesome at keeping us updated with the "happenings" during the school day. Every evening she post the daily schedule and some pictures she has taken through out the day. Its great to get a little glimpse into the kids day... And now you can too!

Lucy's View

9/8/2011 (sample of the daily email)

Happenings…

Painted with cars

Snack-Wheat Thins, strawberries and blueberries

Started talking about our community today

Introduced Rub-a-Dub-Dub

Library

French-stories and songs

Mrs. Burke read to our class

Nursery rhymes and finger plays

Stories:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.

Pete the Cat, I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

Franklin’s Neighborhood by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark

Jobs People Do by Christopher Maynard

Who Keeps Us Safe? by Ellen Catala

Communities by Gail Saunders-Smith

I Want To Be A Police Officer by Dan Liebman

Questions to ask your child-

Can you name something that the Brown Bear sees? (a red bird, a yellow duck, a blue horse, a green frog, a purple cat, a white dog, a black sheep, a goldfish)

What does a chef do? (Cook meals)

Counting!

Storytime! Lucy is in the VERY front resting on Mrs. Burke's lap! HA :)

Playdoh!

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Role Play acting out what the Brown Bear sees!

Playing with the girls

Lucy and her little friend, Cardyn

Imaginitive Play with Gunnison and Taylor

Creative Movement (Lucy is int the jumper up front)

Climbing!

Lucy's little BFF, Taylor

Crayola Coloring of Rub-a-Dud-Dub

Drum Roll Please... Its about Hair

2011-09-08T08:44:00.002-05:00

Here it is, the long awaited tutorial on how to put in hair extensions and do the perfect curl-down! I know y'all have been on the edge of your seats :P Ha!

Clearly I like to talk, a lot. I had to split up the video into 3 sections and if you really watch all three of them, I will be impressed! I am ~~slightly~~ very long winded :)

StepONE - The Extensions

Here I show you how to clip in your temporary extensions. If you don't have extensions or you don't plan on using them you can skip this one :)

StepTWO - The Curl-Down

Once I have the extensions in I show you how I achieve the curl-down look. I think this method works really well!

StepTHREE - The Fix

How I fix and set my curls. You can fix yours anyway you like, this is just my preferred method :)

And just in case you think I take myself too seriously...

There you have it. I hope you still want to be my friend after seeing that. Pretty much, I don't want to be my friend after seeing that! Haha! If you want to know what Hair I use, maybe you can ask Lindsey. She might remember... Maybe. Lindsey??

I did what?

2011-09-01T07:48:00.000-05:00

I Vlogged... I did.

I have been watching some "accent' vlogs this evening and ~~being a sheep~~ thinking its adorable, I thought I would do my own. I really don't know if I have an accent or not, so I need you to tell me! Here you go... Keep in mind that it is now 1AM and I am surviving on Coke Zero and Trident Gum this evening. I look a little scary. Oof. Be nice, please & thank you :) xoxo

ENJOY!

From Jenna's Blog :

The instructions are to say these words:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

And answer these questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug called that when you touch it, it curls into a call
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What so you call the wheeled contraction in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

New Designs :)

2011-08-24T11:12:00.001-05:00

Have you been over to Diamond Doll Designs lately? If you haven't then you been missing so super pretty designs that I've been working on! I'm having the best time with DDD. I LOVE working with my clients and get such a great satisfaction from the finished blogs. LOVE IT :) Here are some of my most recent blog designs.

If you want links to the actual blogs they are attached to, click on over to HERE.

All unique artwork (header & buttons) are the sole property of diamond doll designs - a subsidiary of In the Sky with Diamonds... & My Beatles Babies © j.cermak

HELP ME! (please)

2011-08-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

Moms of preschoolers, I need your help! Lucy started preschool last week and has been doing pretty well, EXCEPT for at rest time. We are having some issues with rest time. I'm not really surprised by this; Lucy is not a big napper and its on her terms when she does nap. So, when its time for rest at school, she pitches a huge fit and will not lay on her mat. They have been sending her to the office during rest time because she is being too loud! WAHHH! This make me sad. She my look super adorable, but she actin' a fool! Help!

Do any of you have any suggestions? I'm open to just about anything :|

Moving In....

2011-08-20T11:01:00.000-05:00

Has been a process! Good gracious doing anything with TWO toddlers in tow just take 1000000Xs longer. We are still settling in and taking pictures :) I am going to do some BEFORE & AFTERS soon :)

Ky has been painting his booty off! We have some definite updating to do... But I LOVE projects! Here was project numero uno... OPERATION PAINT THE DARK WOOD PANELING. I will do a full before/after but here's a quick peak at the after :

It looks amazing :) YAY!

I haven't linked up with Katie's Saturday Morning Scene in awhile... So here we go: Kyle is painting the dining room. I am watching and drinking coffee :) I have a feeling this will be our Saturday Morning Scene for quite some time :)

ALSO, I got to see these two yesterday! They are just so perfect! I love them so much.... Maybe not as much as their parents, but a lot :)

Super congrats to Momma & Daddy :) Check out Meg's blog for updates on the twinkies!

GAP Give & Get Coupon AND a Special Treat!!

2011-08-04T06:37:00.001-05:00

Grab your GAP Give & Get Coupon! Stating today Through Sunday receive 30% (or 35% with you Gap Card) off all your purchases at the GAP. Just print the coupon below:

Click to enlarge then print!

ALSO, I am having a little sale of my own over at DiamondDollDesigns!! For ONE WEEK (8/4-8/11) only, get a FULL blog make-over (button not included but only $5) for ONLY $20!!! That's a $45 value! Please email me at diamonddolldesign[at]gmail[dot]com to get on my list. My list is right at about 2 weeks right now, but I am working hard to get through it :) Anyone who gets on the list this week will receive the promo price.

AND, the first person to TWEET about this promo will get their make-over for FREE :) Make sure to include my blog address <www.mybeatlesbabies.com> and link to my twitter <@jessmodestlyrox> GO!!

Sweet Twin Treats

2011-07-27T10:34:00.002-05:00

You may have seen this over on Megan's blog, but a couple weeks ago I throw a little baby shower for the twinzies. Megan and I have a great group of friends here in town that we met through blogging, the Blogirls, so I invited all of them. Most of them were able to make it :) And we def missed those that couldn't make it.

Since Megan's favorite food this whole pregnancy has been frozen yogurt, so I decided to give her a fro-yo party! I have a frozen yogurt maker from Cuisinart, so this was the perfect opportunity to bust it out. I asked everyone to bring their favorite fro-yo topping so that we would have a big selection. I think it turned out pretty cute :) Here are some pics that I stole off of Megan's blog... Yes, my Lucy would not put on clothes. Standard.

I designed the invite above :) If you are in need of custom invitations, email me diamonddolldesign[at]gmail[dot]com Also, check out my super cute playdate cards HERE.

Wanna Play?

2011-07-26T16:14:00.002-05:00

We are knee deep in moving boxes and packing supplies, but there is an other pressing matter in our house right now... Getting Lucy ready to start school! She is starting preschool in a couple weeks! I can't even believe it :) We have been getting our unicorns (uniforms) ready, we have our saddle shoes, and of course our bows. We have a pink backpack and matching lunchie; monogrammed with an 'L.'

We are ready to go!

...And we are excited!

Along with getting our unicorns ready, I also made Lucy some little playdate cards to give out to her classmates. I think this is such a great idea... I mean what 2.5 year old doesn't need a 'business' card :)

If you are interested in some playdate cards of your own, for back to school, email me diamonddolldesign[at]gmail[dot]com and I'll get ya all hooked up :)

One of those days.

2011-07-21T08:03:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had one of those days when you just can't do anything but mope around? Like all you want do is to be the most pathetic version of yourself? That was me yesterday. I definitely had a overly dramatic, sobbing, feel bad for myself day. Why? Sometimes I just do. Sometimes its triggered by something. Sometimes its a little bit of both...

If you know me IRL, you know that being overly dramatic is one of my many talents. I can over dramatize just about anything. Proud of that? No, not really. But in my 28 years, I have learned that its part of me and that I have to really work at controlling it. I am really good at pretending that I am too cool for school and super tough. But really, I'm not. Yesterday, I was having a pity party for one and its was a dozey... Couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. Still can't really eat, actually. I have that kicked in the gut feeling going on. You know the one.

Lucy was a fantastic little buddy yesterday. Amidst the, "I don't feel pretty, no one thinks I'm pretty anymore, blah blah blah"s Lucy piped in with "I wub (love) you, momma. You're jus so pwetty." I mean she is so perfect. We laid around in bed and watched Max & Ruby and she snuggled me. I snuggle her when she is upset all the time, I guess she was returning the favor :) But, alas, she is 2.5 and her attention spam is that of, well, a 2.5 year old. So after a while she looked at me and said, "Momma, I wub you. But Ninny (her nanny) is big (more) fun." I couldn't argue with her... With her off playing with Ninny that allowed me to watch more mature TV programing... You know, like Degrassi and Pretty Little Liars. Apparently I'm 15.

I decided yesterday that I would allow myself ONE day of that nonsense. One day of the lameness that I was so masterfully displaying. One day. Then I had to get over it. So thats what I'm doing today. Getting over it. Making a few changes in some areas of my life and limiting some contact in others. If I know anything about myself, I know that I need to strip somethings completely out of my life (sometimes for good, sometimes just temporarily) so as to not be tempted to kick the hornets nest... Know what I mean?

I'm pretty lucky to have such cuties for children because they always make me feel better, and to have a husband that just kinda rolls with the punches. He listens and gets that its not about him, and that sometimes I just need to lose it a bit. He also knows that the quickest way to make me feel better is with something sparkly... He's a genius:

And no, I don't really feel that down on myself... Again I was being over dramatic. Reacting poorly to something that I should not have reacted to at all. I actually think I'm pretty awesome... Most of the time :)

Do you believe in Fairies?

2011-07-12T09:03:00.005-05:00

I do. I have two little fairies that live in my house. They are very mischievous and like to make messes but, boy, are they the cutest little things. My fairies are tiny little balls of energy and light. They can make you smile and make you cry with one look. They are happy and joyful and bounce off the walls. They think everything is beautiful and can turn anything thing into a game. They love to dance and play with pixie dust. They can fly. Its true! I have two little fairies that live in my house.

I believe in fairies. Do you?

Feathers.

2011-07-11T22:34:00.001-05:00

I re-feathered my hair today :) I love that so many people are getting feathers now. No, really I do! I just think they are so fun! But, true to me, since everyone has a few feathers in their hair now. I needed 30... Ha! I have a feather explosion, and I love it! I may add some more tomorrow...

Yes, I did them on myself! If you are local and you want some feathers, email me mybeatlesbabies[at]gmail[dot]com and we'll chat :)

Yummy, Yummy for your Tummy!

2011-07-08T15:13:00.002-05:00

Last week I received a package in the mail and inside was a 4-pack sample of the NEW Knorr's Homestyle Chicken Stock... It took me a second, while I stared blankly at it, to remember that I was picked to participate in a recipe contest featuring the new Knorr's product! YAY! I love to cook and I love contests, so win, win!

That week I had been craving some tortilla soup, so I had a little AHA! moment... That is what I will create for the Knorr's Recipe Contest! Duh. It turned out mighty fantastic if you ask me! And by mighty fantastic I mean freaking delicious.

So, here you go:

Freaking Fantastic Tortilla Soup

made with Knorr's Homestyle Chicken Stock Concentrate

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: at least 35 mins

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 pods of Knorr's Homestyle Chicken Stock Concentrate

8 cups of water plus 1/4 cup of water

2 large chicken breasts - I buy a rotisserie chicken and use those breasts

1/2 package of Lawry's Fajita Seasoning

1 small yellow onion

2 Tbls of EVOO

2 cups of frozen cut corn

1 - 10oz can of Original Rotel

1- 14.5 oz can of petite cut tomatoes

1/4 cup of diced green chilis

2 Tbls of chopped fresh parsley

1 cup of beer (optional)

2 Tbls fresh squeezed lime juice

Tostitos "Hint of Lime" tortilla chips

Shredded cheese

To make:

Shred the 2 chicken breasts. Make sure to remove all the skin and fat.

Chop the small yellow onion - make sure to wear your onion goggles (see below)

In a frying pan heat the EVOO and add the chopped onion. Saute until see through (about 3 mins)

Add the shredded chicken, 1/2 package of Lawry's Fajita seasoning and 1/4 cup of water. Reduce heat and cook for 5 mins

In a large pot, bring the 8 cups of water to a boil. Add the 2 pods of Knorr's Homestyle Chicken Stock Concentrate. Stir while the pods melt.

Add the Rotels, tomatoes, and green chilies - ALL DRAINED. Stir.

Add the parsley, lime juice, frozen corn and stir.

Add the chicken and onion mix. Stir.

Allow to boil for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes reduce heat to low.

Add the beer, if you chose, I recommend Michelob Ultra Cactus Lime.

Let simmer for at least 20 mins. Longer is fine!

Place a handful of the lime tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl.

Ladle soup over the chips and top with shredded cheese.

ENJOY!

A Thousand Thank Yous

2011-07-06T10:52:00.000-05:00

You guys are seriously awesome. Thank you for the comments and ALL the emails about Penny's ears. It is so encouraging to know that so many of you have gone through the same thing or something similar and everything turned out great! I tried to email most of you back. If I didn't get to you, I apologize, I must have missed you or you don't have your email reply set-up - you should go do that :) But know that I appreciate them all!

We started Penny on daily allergy medicine to help dry up the fluid that is collecting in her little ears, and it is helping! I first knew that it was working because my little girl has started to dance along with music! You have no idea how happy that made me. She able to hear music for the first time! Albeit not very well, but hearing none the less! Happy, happy, happy! I just know when she has the surgery to correct the structural problem in her ears, she will hear just perfectly!

Penny Lane! Can you hear me?

2011-06-24T10:14:00.000-05:00

A couple months ago at Penny Lane's 15 month appt, I brought up with the our Doctor that I was concerned because she was not speaking yet. Remember THIS post? He didn't seem all that worried, but because of my concerns he suggested we get her hearing checked. Depending on how that went, they would determine if we need to see anyone else about it. So we scheduled an audiology appt for sweet Penny and prayed that it would go well...

Penny and I went to the audiologist a week later to check out those little ears of hers. We sat down in the sound booth and the testing began. They played little noises at different volumes to the right and to the left of us. I had done this before with Lucy and she had no trouble at all. Penny WAS responding to the noises but they had to repeat several of them to get her to respond. After the hearing portion of the test they tested her ears for negative pressure. This test puts a small amount of pressure in her ears and sees how her eardrum reacts to it. In a normal ear there is an average of 75% eardrum movement. Penny Lane had 1% eardrum movement. ONE PERCENT. The audiologist could not really give me any reasons why her eardrum was not moving at all, but she did say that that very well could be the reason she was not talking...

BECAUSE SHE HEARS LIKE SHE'S UNDER WATER.

It was obvious that we need to see a specialist at this point, to find out why this was happening. So we scheduled an appt. In the meantime, I spoke with my pediatrician who suggested we all start learning sign language. I never really got sad or upset about any of this. It is what it is... If we all have to learn sign language to communicate with Penny Lane, then thats what we will do. She is the most precious baby, whether she can hear or not.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and we met with the specialist. We had to have a second hearing test before we saw him... and poor girl's hearing was worse this time :( The specialist examined Penny Lane's ears and said that she might as well be under water. He explained that due to a structural problem, Penny's ears are full of fluid and that her eardrums are basically sitting right on top of her adenoids. This is the cause of her eardrums not moving and the fluid build up in her ears. I felt SO bad that we did not catch this earlier. But she has not had ear infections, so there was really no reason to have check this before.

The doctor said that she needed surgery. She needs tubes and her adenoids removed. Tubes to drain the fluid and the adenoids removed to allow her eardrum to move so she can hear better. He believes that after the surgeries she will regain most of her hearing if not all of it!!! YAY!

She goes back to the specialist in about 5 weeks to get rechecked and to schedule her surgery. Why not just schedule the surgery right then, you ask? Girlfriend needs to gain some weight :) He wants to she her put on a few pounds before surgery... I wish I had that problem!

So, here we are, learning sign language and doing the best we can right now :) Good news is that Lucy still understands Penny's little language and can translate really well for her! They are so funny :)

Summer is for...

2011-06-17T12:48:00.000-05:00

Summer is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it. The food, fun, fireflies, even the heat. This is my list of summer essentials. Whats on your list?

pool time. strawberry ice cream. sprinklers. fireflies. flip flops. bright pedicures. amberlin's "blueprints for a black market." grass stains. watermelon. yellow. hot dogs. sweet tea. twinkle lights. dandelions. beaches. flavor ice. white. tiki torches. pimms cups. iced coffee. grilled anything. late nights. late mornings. naked babies. picnic blankets. friends. quiktrip. popsicles. sandals. blue. bicycles. sunscreen. straw bags. fireworks. stars. peaches. blue moon. shimmer. guacamole. bug spray. scooters. ponytails. paper thin tshirts. skyhigh wedges. coral lipstick. dresses. daytime movies.

nighttime walks. barefeet. ketchup. bronzer. naps.

(site)

New House Pt. One

2011-06-14T12:56:00.001-05:00

Hello! I miss you. Like a lot. All of you, really :)

Did you see that we sold our house? So excited! I mean its bittersweet... I LOVE my little house. I have spent the last 4.5 years pouring love into it. From floor to ceiling, I love it! You saw the pictures ;) So, when the plans for our big remodel just exploded in our face (I still owe you that story, but it still stings too much) I was crushed about having to leave. I cried... A lot. But then, out of nowhere, I found it: My BIG house. Want the story? You got it!

So, usually about twice a month or more I drive through my old neighbor (where I grew up) to see if my old house is on the market. Mind you, I couldn't afford it even if it was, but hey a girl can dream... Anyway, so I'm driving through the old hood and I noticed a cute little house with a for sale sign in the yard. Still hurting from the disappointment of the remodel fiasco, I was hesitant to call. But I did. Turns out the "little house" was really not that little... At all. It was cute, so I set up a time for the hubs and I to go look at it.

We got there before the realtor, and noticed the house was empty, so we when snooping around. We looked in the windows and it looked huge! Like a lot bigger than from the street. Liked it! Then we went around to the back and saw this:

I basically knew right then and there I had to have it.

When the realtor arrived she let us in the house. We poked around the 2 floors. Inspected the big kitchen and great room, the office, the mud/craft room, formal living room, dining room, the 3 bedrooms and 3 baths... It just kept going on and on.

We chatted with the realtor for a bit and then went on our way... The next day I got a call from the realtor. She said that the sellers think they know my mother and that she sang at their wedding. I informed her that they must be thinking about my GRANDmother, and that is a possibility... She sings at a lot of weddings. Blah, blah... not a whole lot more to the conversation. I got off the phone and called my grandmother and told her we were looking at a house and that she might have sung at the sellers wedding. She was like "Ok, which of like 500?" HA! She then said, "Oh, by the way I drove by a really great house the other day... I thought of you and Kyle. Its at blank & blank. Its 2 story, very nice." I laughed, "YiaYia! That's the house I'm talking about!!!" Totally strange. And then is got stranger (more strange?)...

That Sunday there was an open house at the house. So, my grandmother thought she would go have a look. She pulled in to the driveway just before the open house was scheduled to start. As she was pulling in, the owner of the house was pulling out. He got out of the car and approached my grandmother, "Pope?" She did not recognize him, but he started to explain who he was and as it turns out, my grandmother DID in fact sing at their wedding.... BECAUSE the mother of the owner's wife is one of my grandmothers oldest friends! Not only that but the wife is actually named after MY MOTHER! My grandmother's friend named her daughter after "the sweetest little girl in the world," my mom! How CRAZY is all that?

Looks like it was fate to me :)

I will do a full inside tour. I just need to get pics. The house is in great shape, but lets be honest... They people that lived there before us, well... They liked wood. Dark wood. A lot. (Read paneling, woof.) So, I have some work to do. But you know what, I like to put lots of love into my house... You know this :)

Midtown Tulsa Home for Sale : UPDATE

2011-06-09T11:18:00.000-05:00

Midtown Tulsa Home for Sale : OPEN HOUSE 6/5

2011-06-03T15:24:00.004-05:00

Come to our open house Sunday (6/5) from 2PM-4PM

Please feel free to share this information with anyone you know that is looking for a great little house in Midtown :) They will not be disappointed!

Fabulous Midtown Tulsa home in desirable location. Total kitchen remodel in 2008 with high end custom cabinetry, honed granite countertops, mosaic tile backsplash, ss appliances and dual fuel gas range. Bathroom remodel in 2010. 2 bedrooms, 1 full bath, 2 living spaces, laundry room and office. Open floor plan with gorgeous hardwoods. Great feel. Elliot / Edison School District. Offered at ~~$169,500~~ $164,500. Please email me mybeatlesbabies[at]gmai[dot]com for more information or to take a look!

Update: Midtown Tulsa Home for Sale. Price REDUCED!

2011-05-27T10:51:00.003-05:00

Seersucker & Southern Belles

2011-05-26T12:11:00.001-05:00

A couple weekends ago, we celebrated my love's 33rd birthday! His birthday weekend happened to fall on the same weekend of the Kentuky Derby this year, and he is a HUGE Derby fan... Well, fan of anything southern :)

So naturally, we decided to have a Kentucky Derby themed party for him. It turned out fantastic, if I do say so myself! Everyone got into the spirit of the Derby and looked fabulous! It was such a joy to have all of our friend gather to help Kyle celebrate turning 33 in style :)

Brain Barf...

2011-05-18T09:10:00.000-05:00

I haven't blogged in like forever. I feel weird about that, like I'm letting YOU down. Thats weird, right? I mean... Its my blog and I doubt you really even care so much if I blog regularly or not.

Lucy is super hilarious. She is currently pretending to put make-up on my boy dog, Cash, and telling him, "Oh beautiful, Cashie! You're beautiful! Good boy!" Its hilarious :)

Penny has 12 teeth and is getting 4 more currently. She has been in an AWESOME mood lately. False.

Our house has still not sold. However we did get some encouraging news yesterday, so think some good thoughts for us, will ya? Thank you :)

I have brown hair now. I have had every shade of blonde, been red plenty too. I've had pink, purple and blue in my hair... But never been a brunette! This is going to take me a minute.

Yesterday Lucy and Penny were playing together (this is happening more & more! LOVE) and the fell to the floor laughing and hugging. I thought my heart was going to explode. And then Lucy said, "Oh my gosh, Penny Wane (Lane) that was so much fun!" And with that, my heart did explode :)

My mom found an awesome curling iron. Its the Conair 30-second heat-up with the gold barrel. Its magic. I just went and got my own yesterday! Um... it was on sale at Target for $16.99. Go get one now, you can thank me later!

These words just came out of my mouth, "Penny Lane, please do not put the TV remote down your diaper!" Strangely I've said those EXACT same word before... To Lucy! What is with my kids!?!?

For one second last week I thought I might want to have a 3rd baby. Then I regained my sanity.

And now Penny Lane is Sitting on Cash like a horse. Thank you, Lord, for giving me patient dogs.

One of our computers is not turning on. That annoys me to no end. Why can't things just work!

Lucy is now eating blueberries. She handed one to Penny Lane and said, "Try it Penny Wane, you'll like it! Good girl" What a silly head!

Apparently Penny Lane did like blueberries, because they are now fighting over the bowl. Never a dull moment!

Penny Lane is still not talking. Not one word. She is going to be a professional mime.

Can dogs eat blueberries? I should google that.

I should also do some laundry and pack. I'm going on a girls trip this weekend! I already miss my baby girls and the hubs, though. Haven't even left yet.

Speaking of the hubs. He recently lost a bet with me and now has to grow his hair out. Long. Yay! I love his hair long :)

I really need to get moving on to other things. I miss you guys :) I still tweet lots, so find me! @jessmodestlyrox - I'll be back to blogging lots soon. I have a whole new house to show you! Well, if mine ever sells :-|

Super Fab Midtown Tulsa Home, it could be yours!

2011-05-04T15:50:00.000-05:00

Well hi! So, I mentioned we are moving, right? Well, that means that someone super special (and super lucky) is going to buy my house! Is it going to be you?

Fabulous Midtown Tulsa home in desirable location. Total kitchen remodel in 2008 with high end custom cabinetry, honed granite countertops, mosaic tile backsplash, ss appliances and dual fuel gas range. Bathroom remodel in 2010. 2 bedrooms, 1 full bath, 2 living spaces, laundry room and office. Open floor plan with gorgeous hardwoods. Great feel. Elliot / Edison School District. Offered at $169,500. Please email me mybeatlesbabies[at]gmai[dot]com for more information or to take a look!

Typical.

2011-05-03T11:59:00.001-05:00

So, you want to know what things look like around here, day-to-day? Its raw, its real, loud & rowdy and there are two dirty little children.

Well....

2011-04-25T21:21:00.004-05:00

I'm alive. So, its been a little crazy around here. If you follow my twitter (@jessmodestlyrox) you know that we put our house on the market and bought another one. Looooooooong story. I'll get to it sometime, soon... Promise. In the meantime, let's just say I have been busy. Swim lessons, house showings, preschool interviews, packing... Ooooph! Y'all will be there for me when I catch my breath, right? What am I saying, of course you will :)

XOXO

I just couldn't believe my ears...

2011-04-04T10:04:00.001-05:00

First off, thank you for the emails, comments, and tweets regarding my last post! Deep down, I know that she is just fine, but its always good to have some reinforcements :) She is just so cute, I guess I don't really mind her not talking anyway... AND, she's so tiny still that its kinda like I still have a baby, not two toddlers :)

I hate the radio. I really try to avoid listening to it at all costs. I don't like the commercials and the "DJs" drive me crazy. I don't think they are funny or cute or entertaining at all. Well, the other day I had exhausted all the CDs in my changer and I have yet to figure out my iPod connector thingy, so I was forced to listen to the radio. Now, when I do listen to the radio, I generally keep it on NPR so I don't feel like my brain is melting... But it was a gorgeous day, I had the windows down and I just wanted to crank up some tunes and drive around. Well, that did not happen...

The first station I tried wasn't playing any music, the so called DJs were just talking and taking calls about a question that was posed. What was question you ask? "Is it less traumatic to be m•lested if the m•lester is attractive than if they are ugly?" I mean my jaw dropped. What in the world possessed them to even think that up? I last about 3 minutes on that station before I vomited in my mouth and switched the station.

The next station I flipped to was playing commercials... Switch! On to the next...

This station wasn't playing music either, the DJs were talking to a caller about how she got injured filming a p•rn with her ex-husband. They were discussing how they could make lots of money with "extreme p•rn." I don't know what the original topic was but it had morphed into talking about extreme p•rn and what this gal was doing (positions, etc...) in the video she made with her partner.

I just turned off the radio completely and completed my errands in silence.

I am not a prude by any stretch of the imagination. Really. But I'm sorry, I just don't understand why they are allowed to talk about that kind of stuff on the radio... A sign of the times I guess. I, for sure, will not ever listen to either one of those stations again. I was disgusted. The DJs were NOT funny. They did not come across as cool or edgy or intriguing... They sounded vulgar, uneducated and sexist. I mean, it was just embarrassing to think that some people were sitting in their cars thinking that those morons were hilarious. Call me stuck up if you wish, but it is for reasons like that, my husband and I work our butts off to live were we live so our kids can go to the schools that we choose. Its all in an effort to isolate them from crappola just like I described above.

For those who live in my town the stations were 92.1 and 106.9... But my guess is that you probably already figured that out! For what I can tell, these are not isolated incidents on either of those stations. Shall we do something about it??

OH!!! Make sure to visit MEGAN'S blog and enter her giveaway! You can win me! Well, really just one of my blog designs, and that's probably more exciting anyway :) Go! Go NOW!

Funnies & and a question

2011-03-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

So, by know you have probably figured out that things are pretty entertaining around here... My girls are hilarious and there is NEVER a dull moment. I am always dying laughing at something! Well, not always. The laughter is peppered with episodes of shock when I find plastic goldfish in the toilet, or sadness when I realize I don't have babies anymore, or frustration when the girls fight... Just keeping it real; its not all sparkles and rainbows over here. But for the most part its pretty darn fun :)

Little Penny Lane is turning into quite the ham! She is just as funny and she is cute, and she's pretty darn cute! She is not talking yet, but she communicates well and is always making people laugh! Here's a few of my favorites as of late...

So, my question to y'all with more than one kiddo... Did your younger babies take longer to get talking? I mean I know Penny Lane is smart; she communicates everything she needs very well; just through signing and pointing instead of words. Lucy and Penny Lane do seem to have their own language. They communicate in a foreign language that I can not even begin to understand, but they obviously understand each other. Like a twin language, I guess, but their not twins... Anyway, I'm not super worried about it, she'll talk when she's ready. I was just curious :)

For the love...

2011-03-29T10:56:00.001-05:00

of excess!

Clearly the love of everything sparkly & bejeweled is genetic. My SIL lives in New Orleans and sends the girls a HUGE box of Mardi Gras beads every year after the parade. Its like the greatest thing ever for the little ladies. It really just ends up as a huge tangled mess for me, but they have SO much fun with them, its worth it :) I went back and found last years pic of Lucy in her beads and compared it to Penny Lane's this year. They are the exact same age in these pictures... Umm... I think you can tell they are sisters! HA :)

Guess What!?!

2011-03-24T13:36:00.002-05:00

Can you guess what my ~~little~~ big monkey has been up to? Other that being adorable... Thats a given :) Well, she had swim lessons this morning, and hated it. But thats not the news. She has decided that she loves to wear sunglasses; big purple diva sunglasses. But thats not it either! Are you dying to know? This little cutie...

Is potty trained!

Brain Barf...

2011-03-22T13:47:00.001-05:00

My brain is fried. Even if I had something awesome to say, it would come out like barf anyway... So I'm just gonna go with it.

It was a super glorious weekend here. The girls and I spent most of it outside. One afternoon, the girls went around to all the neighbors' houses knocking on their doors saying, "Hello? Whatcha doing in there? Got any juice?" Well, Lucy did the questioning, but Penny Lane tagged along. We drew with sidewalk chalk, took wagon rides and lounged round on the picnic blanket, just soakin' up the sun. We even waved down the ice cream truck one afternoon :)

I love the spring time. My favorite thing is getting to plant new flowers, it just brightens the house and freshens everything up! I planted my spring pots over the weekend. I usually do a small hibiscus tree in my front pots, but this year I went with a funky grass called King Tut with some little orange flowers around it. I can't wait for them to bloom!

I bit ago I commissioned Katie, over at Loves of Life, to make me some cute headbands. I wanted something to wear during college football season, as its kind of a big deal around here. I wanted one for each of the teams we root for: TCU (obviously my #1 team!), OU, and Bama. They came yesterday, and they turned out so cute! Thanks Katie! You can visit here etsy HERE.

We had a bout of the stomach flu around here Sunday. Ky got it the worst, poor guy! Lucy was pretty bad too. Penny and I managed to escape pretty much unscathed, thank goodness! I ended up having to take Ky to Urgent Care on Sunday night for IV fluids and something to stop the nausea. He was miserable... Everyone's doing better now, though :)

Hop over to my design blog, HERE, to check out some of my newest blog designs! And don't forget to check out my March Special, HERE! There's about a week left to take advantage of the deal!!

Mission Skinny Jeans Week 4

2011-03-16T10:12:00.002-05:00

Here we are week four of my hCG diet. Did it work? Hell to the yes! I had a weight-loss goal of 25-30 lbs in 40 days. Well, I went to my doctor this morning for my weekly weight in and I ALMOST made it. It has been 30 days and I have lost 22.5 lbs!! On the hCG diet, if you are doing the long regimen (40 days) you can become immune to the hormone. And that is what has happened to me. So I am ending my hCG regimen 10 days and 8 lbs early :( However, I could NOT be happier with the results I got in the 30 days I was on the diet! I mean 22 lbs in a month? Word.

If you remember from here, the reason I did the hCG diet to begin with was because of my PCOS and the inability to lose ANY weight on my own. So, my doctor sent me for an ultrasound this morning after my weight in. Guess what? I have 5 cysts!!! FIVE! Thats it! At the beginning of this journey I had "too many to even count." Now FIVE! This is GREAT news because it means that the weight-loss really helped my PCOS. Which also means, that 8 lbs that I still want to lose? I should be able to do it on my own, no problem! YAY!

hCG Diet - Week Four
Weekly weight lost : - 5.1 lbs

Total weight lost : -22.5 lbs

Weekly inches lost : - 5.75 in

Total inches lost - 21.75 in

Bust : .5 in (2.5 in)
Waist : 2 in (4in)
Belly : 1 in (6.5in)
Hips : 1 in (5.5in)
Inner thigh : .5 in (2.5in)
Bicep : .75 in (1in)

So, from here I start my 3 week maintenance period. Starting today I will have 2 days of no drops but still the VLCD (very low calorie diet) of 500 calories a day. Then Saturday, I will up my calories to 1500 calories a day, no carbs no sugar, for the remaining 19 days (still no drops). After that I can resume a normal diet. Hopefully a healthy one :)

Saturday Morning Scene

2011-03-12T09:58:00.002-06:00

A little impromptu road trip! Just me and my girls :)

Mission Skinny Jeans Week 3

2011-03-10T09:56:00.004-06:00

Here we are week 3 of the hCG diet! Only 3 more to go! Ugh, that seems like a LOOOONG time! I think I can, I think I can! :) Really, it is starting to get a little boring... But then I step on the scale every morning and get rejuvenated see my weight drop by at least .5 lbs! And I'm more than half way to my weight loss goal of 25-30 lbs!! WOO HOO!!!

hCG Diet - Week Three
Weekly weight lost : - 5.8 lbs

Total weight lost : -17.4 lbs

Weekly inches lost : - 2.5 in

Total inches lost - 16 in

Bust : 0 in (1.5in)
Waist : .5 in (2.5in)
Belly : 1 in (5.5in)
Hips : 1 in (4.5in)
Inner thigh : .5 in (2.25in)
Bicep : 0 in (.25in)

Starting jean size : 6

Current jean size : 4 (but getting baggy!)

I wanted to share a yummy recipe with you, I adapted it from the recipe found HERE. I made this last night and paired it with a small filet mignon. It was fantastic! So yummy, so hearty, and SO HEALTHY! Even if you are not on the hCG diet, you should try this. You will not be disappointed! It was quick and easy too. Note: Saffron is super expensive but makes the recipe so just use a pinch! You'll thank me :)

Saffron Cauliflower Pilaf
(yield 2 small servings - you may want to double the recipe for non-hCG eating)

Ingredients

1 cup of chicken stock
1/2 yellow onion, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 c diced plum tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp fresh thyme
a pinch of saffron
1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped small
salt and pepper to taste
a squeeze of lemon

Directions

In a dutch oven simmer chicken stock with onion, garlic and spices until onions are tender. About 3 minutes.
Add cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes
Simmer on low heat until cauliflower is tender. About 20 mins.
Squeeze a wedge of lemon on before serving to brighten the flavours

Its the little moments...

2011-03-09T11:44:00.001-06:00

That make me truly count my blessings. The other day (pre-ankle demolishment) the girls and I made a quick stop at Braum's on the way home from running errands. I got the girls tiny little chocolate malts and we had an impromptu picnic on the front lawn when we got home. Nothing special, nothing planned. Just my girls and me. And some ice cream, which they LOVED! Just like their momma :) They are so cute.

Springtime, la tee da tee Springtime!

2011-03-07T11:56:00.001-06:00

So, I'm still on copious amounts of pain meds. I apologize in advance. You will actually not believe how long it took me to type that first sentence. Or that sentence... Ugh. So, here's a little bit of my weekend... It all has to do with my ankle, shocking! All I can do is sit here and stare at it, so its all I got!

These are my crutches. I've had them since junior year in high school. They have been through 2 knee surgeries, sprained ankles, a broken foot (I kicked a bag of dog food and broken my food, what!?!), and my ankle surgeries. I painted them back in high school. I still love the animal print! Ha!

I had to take my big boot off because the pressure on my ankle was so bad. The swelling was too much to fit in the boot. It was unbearable! So I rocked my surgery wrap and yellow toes all weekend.

They had to switch my pain meds on Friday, because what they gave me just wasn't cutting it. The new ones made me sick :( Finally got the pain under control and now I'm feeling much better. I was even able to get my boot back on!

So, I told you HERE that one of my pins fused to the bone and they had to remove a chunk of bone to get the screw to come out... But I didn't tell you that I HAVE the pins! Here are the pins they removed from my ankle. The top one was the one that fused to the bone, bone still attached. It also sent metal splinters through out my ankle when they tried to take it out. The splinters are still in there! WARNING, this next pic is kinda gross:

Lucy is sitting on my lap right now telling me about a monster that lives in in he play kitchen oven. She said he's a nice monster and he like "rashburries" (raspberries) so she shared her "rashburries" with him. She also pointed to the pins int he pic above and said, "Those are swords, mommy!" Love. There are rashburries all over her face!

My Kyle is the best. He has taken such good care of me and done a great job running the house while I've been down. I've been pretty needy, he's been awesome! My parents have also helped out with the girls and brought me a super yummy steak last night for dinner. Kyle got me the most gorgeous roses I have ever seen. Srsly, they are stunning. I have them next to my bed so I can see them and smell them all the time! Makes me happy!

I also changed up my blog this weekend, spruced it up for spring! I think I'm loving it... What do you think?

Also, don't forget to check out the March Madness special I'm running on blog make-overs HERE!

Winner Update!

2011-03-05T20:37:00.000-06:00

Remember way long ago when Miss E's Misadventures won my blog make-over giveaway? Well we finally got it finished! YAY! Just in time for their little baby girl to get here, she's due soon! And it is so cute! Stop by and tell her hello!

Mission Skinny Jeans & Ankle Pins

2011-03-04T08:00:00.009-06:00

So, I have now been on the hCG diet for 2 weeks and I have to say, I am MORE than excited about the results so far!! I received a couple comments and emails about weight gain after the diet is over... I obviously can't see the future, but here's my take. After the drops are over, you have the 3 week maintenance period which I explained HERE. During this time, your body resets its metabolism making it more efficient and you learn to make smart food choices. The hope is that once you go back to your regular everyday food intake, you will make better choices. And because your metabolism has been reset your body processes the food you intake more efficiently. Also, personally, I am quite active with my two toddlers and I go to the gym 4-5 times a week. I have never battled my weight and have always found it every easy to maintain my ideal weight. So, I think I will be fine! Once the weight is off my cysts, caused by the PCOS, will be less active making my body able to process food (specifically cards and sugars) like its suppose to. This will also help in keeping the weight off.

So, now to the good stuff... Results from week 2!

hCG Diet - Week Two
Weekly weight lost : -4.5 lbs

Total weight lost : -11.6 lbs
Weekly inches lost : - 7.5 in

Total inches lost : - 13.5in

Bust : 1 in (1.5in)

Waist : 1 in (2in)

Belly : 2 in (4.5in)

Hips : 2.5 in (3.5in)

Inner thigh : 1 in (1.75in)

Bicep : 0 in (.25in)

Starting jean size : 6

Current jean size : 4

Switching subjects... I had surgery yesterday to remove the in my ankle. Want the back story? You got it!

Five years ago, Kyle and I had just moved to my hometown and were getting all settled it. It was January, so shockingly (sarcasm) we had a huge snow storm. Since Kyle was new in town, I thought it would be fun to take him to my favorite sledding spot where we went sledding EVERY snow day growing up. We met up with my little cousins and watched them sled down the big hill for a bit. Eventually, it was my turn. Right as I was getting ready to take off, Kyle said to me, "Don't angle towards that direction, you will hit a tree." So, guess what I did. I took off and ran smack into a tree. I stuck my right foot out just in time to stop my face from splatting into the tree. Saved my face, sacrificed my ankle; it was shattered. I had to have surgery to repair my ankle bone and pins were put in to hold it in place.

Fast forward five years later, after several months of pain and a really gross incident were one of the pins popped through the skin on my ankle, it was determined that I HAD to have them removed. So, I did, yesterday. Usually this is a super simple, quick in-and-out out patient surgery; about 20 minutes. But anyone who knows me, knows I am any but simple. The procedure took about a 1 hour and 25 minutes. Reason being that one of the screws had fused to the bone and sent metal fragments scattered through my ankle bone so he had to try and scrap a lot of the fragments out, he didn't get them all. And because the screw was fused it took a good sized chunk of bone out with it when it was removed. Gross. Needless to say it freaking hurts and I am in a beautiful boot for at least a month and have crutches to use when the pain is really bad. Yippee! False...

Well, that's all for now folks! Oh, and check out my design blog for a special March promo for blog layouts!!

My Girls

2011-02-28T09:22:00.002-06:00

Yesterday the girls were FULL OF IT. I mean they went non-stop from the moment they woke up til the moment they passed out in the evening. It was exhausting! At one point I looked at Kyle and said, "Babe, they're crazy! How'd they get like this?" His response? "Jess, have you met us?" Touché, Ky, touché. They maybe crazy, but they are mine. And I love them, crazies and all! If nothing else, they are entertaining!

Its been over a year...

2011-02-24T11:10:00.002-06:00

... It is time to get the weight off.

Being that I had two babies one year apart, and since I was actually pregnant before Lucy, I can say that I was basically pregnant for two years straight. Let me break that down for you:

January 2008 - positive pregnancy test
February 2008 - Ultrasound confirms no heart beat - D&C shortly after
March 2008 - back on birth control, can try again in 3 months
April 2008 - Trip to Liverpool, 2 weeks after coming home positive pregnancy test. so much for waiting 3 months!
December 2008 - LUCY IS BORN!!!
January 2009 - back on birth control
March 2009 - get serious about losing weight
May 2009 - Back into my pre-pregnancy jeans! woohoo!! 4 days later, positive pregnancy test. oops!
January 2010 - PENNY LANE IS BORN!!

So there you have it. Save about 4ish months in there I was pregnant from January 2008 - January 2010. Oy. Because of this, I was gentle with myself about losing the baby weight. I mean my body had been through a lot. But last fall, I decided to get serious. But nothing happened. Literally. I had lost 8 lbs since Penny Lane was born in January. Thats 8 lbs in 10 months. She was 6.3 when she was born. You do the math on that. Boo.

So I worked harder. Nothing. I went to a Doctor and explained my concerns; he told me to workout harder and eat less. Um, no duh. But that didn't work. ZERO change. At this point I began to get really frustrated and concerned. Something was wrong. So I found a new Doctor; one that actually listened to me and didn't blow me off as just being lazy. Hello, I have TWO kids TWO and under, I don't have time to be lazy.

New Doctor ran tons of tests. TONS and TONS. Obvious symptoms pointed to a thyroid issue, but all thyroid test can back normal. Back to square one. Doc sent me to a specialist, and Endocrinologist. She did a bunch of test and an ultrasound on my thyroid. Everything looked normal. We talked for a bit longer and suddenly she asked if she could do an ultrasound on my ovaries. Almost immediately after starting the u/s she said, "Oh, Jessica! There are just too many cysts on there to even count. You have PCOS. I will confirm with blood work, but I know that is what you have." Well, PCOS explained all of my symptoms, I mean Every. Single. One of them. The one I am focusing on right now is the weight.

(The following is how I understand PCOS, in a nutshell. I am not a Doctor, obvi.)

PCOS can make it nearly impossible for you to lose weight while your cyst sare active. This is because the cysts feed off of sugar and carbs, they make you crave sugar and carbs. The cysts, in a sense, trick your body in to think you are insulin resistant, like a diabetic. So, your body just holds on to all the sugars and carbs because it thinks it can't processes them correctly. Therefore you don't lose weight, no matter how hard you try. AND your cysts are more active the heavier you are, making it even HARDER to lose the weight. Its a vicious cycle.

I began to feel kind of desperate. I mean, I know I not fat really, but when I have stacks of jeans in my closet that I can't get into, it really started to get to me. Not going to lie, I wasn't in a great place. Then I remembered that my friend, Megan who also has PCOS, did the hCG diet after her son was born and had GREAT results from it. I did some research and talked to my Doctor about it. He agreed that it was a very good option for someone like me; healthy but in need of assistance to lose weight. He would like to see me close to my pre-pregnancy weight, that is a loss of 25-30 lbs. Wooph... That's a lot. But I went for it. I started the hCG diet one week ago.

(This is how I understand the hCG diet as explained to me by my Doctor. I'm not an expert, obvi.)

The hCG diet is a hormone diet that should be regulated and monitored by a physician. It is very affective if done correctly, losing 1-2 lbs a day. It can be done in 23 or 40 day cycles. I am doing the 40 day cycle. This is basically how it works: hCG is the hormone produced when you are pregnant. It cause your body to release fat to feed the growing baby, in the form of calories. Well when you are not pregnant and the body is introduced to the hCG hormone it still does the same thing; it releases the fat stores but instead of feeding a baby, it feeds YOU. So you are getting calories off the fat store that are already built up in your body.

On the hCG diet you have to follow a very strict diet plan. While on the hCG drops, you can only consume 500 calories per day for 38 days (remember you are getting additional calories from your own fat stores.) The first two days of the diet are binge days. The calories have to come from a list of approved foods. You can't have any oils or sugars and VERY little carbs. To get ready for this diet I felt like I was studying for a test! It was so much information! But I got it down, for the most part (I've been calling my Doctor's nurse and my personal nurse, Megan, with tons of questions. Sorry Meg!) After the 40 days on the diet, you have a 3 week maintenance period. During this time you stop the drops and start a 1200 - 1500 calorie diet. These calories need to come from smart healthy foods. No sugars and only smart carbs. They 3 week period is essential in keeping the weight off. Having PCOS means a lifestyle of smart food choices and healthy exercise. This is just a jump start to help me get to where I need to be!

I am on day seven of the hCG diet! Wanna know how I'm doing so far? Well, I'm gonna tell ya! (Sorry, but I'm not going to put my starting weight out there for everyone to see, but I will tell you how much I've lost!)

hCG Diet - Week One
Total weight lost : -7.1 lbs
Total inches lost: - 6 in

Bust : .5 in

Waist : 1 in

Belly : 2.5 inches

Hips : 1 in

Inner thigh : .75 in

Bicep : .25 in

I am super happy! I'm not in my jeans, yet. But I will be!

Tangled up in your love...

2011-02-22T12:33:00.000-06:00

Its no secret how much I adore my chicklets. They truly are the best things ever. We love doing things together, you know the three (or four when Kyle is home from work) of us, but some times a little one-on-one time is nice too! Yesterday, I took Lucy to have a little girls date. We went to lunch and then to an afternoon viewing of Tangled! I wanted to take her before it left the theaters. This was her FIRST trip to the movies and I have to say, she did really well for a HIGH spirited two year old :) Luce and I left little Penny Lane with nanny and headed to good ol' Mickey D's for a chicken nugget Happy Meal and fries. Pretty sure that Lucy's favorite part was the Barbie fairy toy that came with it!

Next we were off to the theater where Lucy scored a kids tray consisting of popcorn, m&ms and a sprite! She thought this was the greatest thing ever. Srsly. Made her little day :) I tried to plan it so we missed the previews, and we got there right when the movie began. She was mesmerized! We had to take two short breaks to refocus, but both times she said, "Mommy, lets go back to the chairs!" We made it all the way to the very end and Lucy was ready to go saying, "Mommy lets go home now." Kid knew what she was taking about because she was asleep in my arms before we even got to the car. Girls dates are exhausting!

Just wanted to say...

2011-02-14T08:06:00.002-06:00

(photo © sophia litchfield)

(almost) Wordless SNOWednesday, again...

2011-02-09T09:32:00.000-06:00

This was last week...

Notice the snow is up passed his knees...

AND this is what we woke up to this morning...

I feel like I'm stuck in Groundhog's Day...

Diamond Doll Loves YOU!

2011-02-08T11:52:00.000-06:00

Really quick, if you didn't already know, I have a little design studio HERE. You should check it out!

diamond doll designs is running a Valentine's Day Promotion. From now until Feb. 14th you can get a entire blog make-over for the low, low price of $35! Sign up now to reserve your make-over for only $35! Email me at diamonddolldesign[st]gmail[dot]com and I'll get you on the list :)

Check out some of my latest designs HERE.

Its starting to set in...

2011-02-07T11:12:00.000-06:00

...Cabin Fever.

Well, not really cabin fever; we aren't like clawing the walls to get out of the house. I mean we still have 10+ inches of snow that has yet to melt and its flipping cold outside and its not like I can go anywhere anyway, Ky has my car because his is still buried. We have accepted out fate. So, its not really cabin fever, more like we are just looking reeeeeally rough around these parts. Case and point: Lucy has not taken off her princess dress in, I don't know, maybe 4 days. Yah, she sleeps in it. She try to convince me to let her take a bath in it and I almost let her... That thing is getting GROSS.

Wordless SNOWednesday

2011-02-02T18:06:00.000-06:00

Whiteout Twenty-Eleven

2011-02-01T18:17:00.003-06:00

We are in the midst of The Great Snowpocalypse.

14 inches.

Good thing I bought the essentials: diapers, beer, cookie dough & brownie mix.

Otherwise, someone might die :)

Stay warm, cool cats.

You're a Weiner, I mean WINNER!!

2011-01-31T14:03:00.000-06:00

Well, I've been busy. Between over 100º fevers, barfing episodes, ear infections, and dehydration, we have also been preparing for the GREAT SNOWPOCALYPSE OF TWENTY-ELEVEN. Seriously people. 11-18 inches of snow headed my way. BRING IT. I'm ready. OH, and I also picked a winner for my giveaway!

Miss E from Miss E's Misadventures, YOU WON A BLOG MAKE-OVER!!!!!

I added everyone up, separating out everyone's comments and tweets and ended up with 72. Plugged that into the handy dandy randomizer and VOILA! I have a winner!!

Miss E, please send me your address, soon, to mybeatlesbabies [at] gmail [dot] com and we'll get started on your blog design!!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! This was too much fun! I love doing giveaways!

If you didn't win, don't you worry you're pretty little head!! I'm going to run a Valentine's Day promo starting... NOW! Contact me between now and Feb. 14th and you can get a ENTIRE BLOG MAKE-OVER for the price I usually charge for just the header! So hit me up and get your blog made-over for only $35. Word.

365 Days.

2011-01-28T09:38:00.000-06:00

One year (12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days) ago my baby angel, Penny Lane graced the world with her beautiful little face. At three weeks early, she was the tiniest thing I had ever seen! Tiny, perfect and just lovely.

Today, she is ONE YEAR OLD! She is the absolute light of my life. Her smile is infectious and her laughter sparkles like the stars in the sky. She is just the best.

We love you Penny Lane! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Its enough to make me want another... Almost :)

most photos © Sophia Litchfield

Don't forget the GIVEAWAY!

You Guys...

2011-01-26T11:21:00.000-06:00

I just had a gigantic breakdown. Big sobs and snotty wails...

Why, you ask?

I flipped to my calendar and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

This little angel will be ONE on Friday.

Someone hold me.

Double the house. Double the fun!

2011-01-25T11:28:00.001-06:00

So, I mentioned before that we are about to embark on a HUGE project at our casa. We have been updating/remodeling in stages and we are thisclose to starting the final phase. I.Can.Not.Wait. Like it needs to start tomorrow :) Here are the official plans. Our architect is freaking rad and he did the greatest job! Its seriously fantastic. We are adding on about 1000sq feet. So we will able to stay here for a looong time; which is just what I wanted! Maybe you remember that I had a breakdown when we put out house on the market last year... It only lasted one day :)

Will you all come over for a house re-warming party when we're done?

Note: the shaded area is the addition/remodel.

We have worked really hard to get everything in order to make this project happen, so I would appreciate your support!

OH!! Don't forget to enter my giveaway, HERE!

Hello, I love ya won't you tell me your [blog] name? (a giveaway)

2011-01-24T10:01:00.001-06:00

Welcome to all my newest readers! Thanks for reading, you guys srsly make my day :) I am going to try a lot harder to respond to my emails and comments, so keep them coming! Some times I get distracted. It may or may not have anything to do with these guys :

Those supa adorable dresses and leggings are from Cooper & Hadley (and their sweet momma Mary Kate) I love them!! Lucy looked a here shirt and said, :"L is for Lucy!" So I asked her what the P on Penny's shirt was for and she said, "Poopoo."

By the way, Penny said "stinky" this morning while I was changing her diaper. Her 4th word was stinky. Eh.

So, back to you guys. I wanted to do a real quick little giveaway; super fun, super fast, super easy. That how I roll. As you may have heard, I opened a little etsy shop. And I have a little website HERE where you can see my portoflio (NOTE : still under construction)

Do you need a blog make-over? Maybe a face-lift? I gotcha covered! I am going to give-away a blog make-over! This includes a custom header, blog layout, and buttons! Oh my! Here are a few of my recent blog face-lifts, you should also check out these blogs, because they're awesome (please note I also did my own.)

Living with the Landrys

Kniption Fits

Scootin' Down Under

Wenzel's World

Go HERE to see even more!

One of rule:

1. You have to be a public follower of my little ol' blog.

TO ENTER:

1 ENTRY - Be a public follower of my blog

1 ENTRY - tell me the name of YOUR blog if you have one

1 ENTRY - Tweet about this giveaway include @jessmodestlyrox (me) and the hashtag #mybeatlesbabies

Make sure to leave me a separate comment for each one of your entries. I'll count them all up and randomly pick the winner at NOON on MONDAY JANUARY 31st!

GOOD LUCK!

1 and 2 and Plié

2011-01-21T11:17:00.001-06:00

My angel took her first ballet class late last year. I look at these pictures and I just can't help but tear up; she is not only getting so big (she's TWO!) but she is just so gorgeous. How did that happen?

I stayed through the class. I couldn't leave. It was just to precious.

She LOVED the hoola hoop. It was her best friend.

Until she didn't love it anymore.

But then she decided she over-reacted a bit. She really did love her hoola hoop.

I am so proud of my little girl. Even though ~~she disrupted the class the entire time~~ the class didn't go quite as smoothly as I would have hoped, I still think she was perfect. She is perfect.

All picture taken by my lovely momma. I love her. So does Lucy.

Photos © Sophia Litchfield 2011

two hundred and fifty-one

2011-01-21T09:20:00.000-06:00

Word. Thank you :)

I will be announcing my giveaway on MONDAY MORNING. Be lookin' out!

PS - I have a super duper cute post coming later today. Be lookin' out for that too!

Say WHA???

2011-01-19T17:37:00.000-06:00

My blog nearly has 250 readers! That is crazy/hilarious/awesome! I'm going to celebrate when I hit 250 (at 249 now) by giving away an other blog layout!

Dude, this is seriously so funny. I LOVE ALL OF YOU. Say hi! I'll say hi back :)

i have nothing to say.

2011-01-19T16:33:00.000-06:00

my life has rendered me speechless... this is not an easy task.

lucy potty training

potty - 0 floor - 8

this is me waving the white flag.

Somethings Never Change...

2011-01-17T13:28:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to write a post about the time I met Cee-Lo Greene. There is a specific picture I am looking for that was taken the night at one of his shows with the Roots. But that was like 8 years and 4 computers ago... So, its proving to be quite difficult.

However, I have come across some of the most amazing pictures of my outfits from days past. Oh my word. I have always been a fashionista... No doubt. I think I will have to do a post all about my fashion sense through the years. But for now, just one. I about hit the floor.

I'm so proud.

2011-01-05T09:14:00.001-06:00

Lucy pushed Penny Lane down. Penny didn't cry. She got right up and punched Lucy in the face.

Lucy spit a piece of banana on the floor. I told her to pick it up and put it in the trash. She did. She picked it up with her mouth and spit it in the trash.

Lucy will not keep clothes on her Princess Jasmine Barbie. Refuses.

Penny refuses to eat off a plate. If you give her food on a plate, she throws it on the floor.

Lucy won't drink anything but chocolate milk.

Penny ate close to 10 iced sugar cookies last night.

Lucy calls Nanny Kate, "Ninny Butt" and "Tonto."

Penny Lane was blowing raspberries and Lucy exclaimed, "Penny Lane stop farting!"

Lucy only wants to talk in her "dinosaur" voice. Its scary. Penny does it too.

I'm so proud...

New Year. New Look.

2011-01-02T18:04:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to you all! I hope that twenty-eleven is just magical for you all! We laid super low on NYE; celbrated the new year on east coast time and were in bed and asleep before the clock struck midnight here in Oklahoma :) New Years Day was spent with some of our favorite people (Megan & Brent, Johanna & Josh, Meredith & Shane, Mom & Dad, and Jane.) We watched a lot of football, ate a lot of chili, and some of us had a lot of beer. I will not name names...

Alabama won! Roll Tide!

OU won! Boomer Sooner!
TCU WON!! RAH RAH TCU!

And... In case you didn't notice... I gave myself a makeover, well my blog.

Brain Barf.

2010-12-21T11:25:00.003-06:00

I like brain barf better than brain dump.

I'd rather barf than dump. Dump. Eh. [shudder]

I got a UV nail setter at Sally Beauty Supply yesterday. Worth every penny.

Not worth every penny? The ridiculously expensive nail polish I bought the other day. Gorgeous color. But its currently all over my bathroom floor.

Lucy has terrible breath. She gets a pass because she had surgery last week and a sinus infection this week. But it is BAD. Ooof.

Lucy slept in our bed last night (don't even go there, I don't want to hear it.) So did Cash, our 60lbs Golden Retriever. Lucy & Cash slept very comfortably. I slept on the very edge of the mattress.

Cash had a very rough day. I'd didn't realize how co-dependent he was on his sister, June. He was depressed and cried all day.

June had a rough day too. She had surgery; she tore her ACL. This is the second time we've had to get this surgery for her. Most expensive dog ever.

Cash is breathing in my face right now. His breath smells very similar to Lucy's. Double Ooof.

Lucy is telling everyone that, "June at de doctors. June broken." She's so funny!

Last night at my parents house she was making everyone get in to the big dog pen with her. All of us. 4 adults and Penny. She was calling it her nest. Kyle taught her to rattle the pen and scream, "Attica! Attica!"

I had a 90210 dream last night. Again. This time it was in the new 90210. Which is terrible, but I can't stop watching it. Srsly.

I wish some of the old cast would come on to the new show. Well, really I only want to see Dylan come back. But he won't. I'd take any of them except Steve. I'd even settle for some BAG (Brian Austin Greene) but even that won't happen as he's too busy following Megan Fox around. Pinching himself wondering if its all a dream... Val? Brandon? Matt? Noah? Anyone but Steve. Uck, Ian Zerohkajsfkdkjhdkhfsk. Yuck.

Penny Lane is walking!

I have to break Lucy of the binky. She is going to flip the eff out.

I have watched The Princess and the Frog every.single.day. at least once. Its pretty cute, so its ok. I think that Ray the firefly might be my favorite Disney character ever.

The other night we were watching The Santa Clause III and the DVR messed up the last 20 mins of the movie. I was WAY more upset about it than an rational 27 yr old should have been.

I have been on hold with surgery scheduling for 29 minutes now. I'm starting to get pissed. I have pins in my ankle and one of them popped through the skin. No joke. Ummm... kinda need to get that taken care of like NOW. So, take me off hold. K, thanks.

Oh, Penny Lane said "Puppy" yesterday! She is so cute :)

My sister thinks my new twitter picture is emo. That's like the worst insult ever. I told my dad that last night. So for the rest of the night he called me emo girl. Does he even know what that means?

Kyle got Lucy some crayons after her surgery last week. After about an hour of "coloring" with them, I was only able to locate 4 of them. It was a 26 pack. I figured she ate them. This is not unusual. WAAAAY later that night, Lucy was whining to Kyle, "My feets hurt daddy!" He unzipped her princess footie pjs (that she HAD to wear ALL day long) to find 20 crayons in the feet of her pjs. Mystery solved.

Yay, my sister and Bob get in town today!! We are going on a Christmas light tour tonight. FUN!

I bought myself a 30 set of sharpies yesterday. All different colors. Best investment ever.

Yesterday Lucy dumped and entire box of rice cereal all over my formal living room. And Penny Lane's head. I was less than thrilled. I vacuumed it all up, but it took forever. I also vacuumed Penny Lane's head. She didn't seem to mind.

I just thought about my best friends dad, Rusty. The other night he was out and a guy came up to his table, grabbed his beer and said, "What kind of beer is this? I want to try it." And he did. Rusty, shocked, grabbed his beer back and said, "I don't like you. I don't like anything about you! Go away!" That response cracks me up. I'm dying laughing thinking about it right now!

Ohhhh. I'm off hold. Gotta go!

Happy Christmas!

2010-12-20T13:36:00.000-06:00

From my little family, to yours!

Big Cedar, Bigger Family

2010-12-13T08:30:00.001-06:00

We are loud. We are weird. We are family.

In Novemeber, my "big" family took a little trip to Big Cedar Lodge for a little pre-holiday fun! (Over use of big & little in that sentence was, indeed, intentional...)

We laughed. Mostly at Nanny Kate.

We played.

We danced.

We hiked.

We S'mored.

We performed.

And, of course, we all cooed over the cuteness that is my babies :)

Horse Tails

2010-12-03T11:13:00.000-06:00

*A quick PSA : Don't have your Holiday cards, yet? DON'T PANIC!! You can still get me your orders. I will be accepting orders until midnight Dec. 15th. I have a 48 hour turn around. Visit my etsy shop HERE or email me mybeatlesbabies[at]gmail[dot]com - Thank you!*

The girls took their first pony ride the other weekend! They both LOVED it and cried big tears when the ride was up. I'm tellin' you ladies (and gentleman) there is just about nothing sweeter than a tiny little girl on a big beautiful horse. I used to ride English as a girl and my love for those magnificent creatures has never dwindled. It has always been a secret dream that my girls acquire my love for riding and take up the sophisticated sport.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T10:29:00.002-06:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU & YOU & YOU!

Today I am thankful for so many things, but most of all for these two, messes and all!

You want it, you got it!

2010-11-24T14:33:00.001-06:00

I have TWO winners from my giveaway!!! Are you just sooo excited? I am! But don't you worry, if you didn't win I still love you! And you can get a beautiful blog make over! More details below :) But now on to the good stuff...

Megan from Perfectly Imperfect and Lenzi from Homemade Happiness, YOU GUYS WON THE BLOG MAKE-OVER GIVEAWAY!!!!!

I added everyone up, separating out everyone's comments (*not including the ones who deleted themselves after my last post :( I'm sorry, really...) and ended up with 53. Plugged that into the handy dandy randomizer and VOILA! I have winners!

Megan and Lenzi please email, soon, to mybeatlesbabies [at] gmail [dot] com so we can get started on your make-overs!!!

An now on to my plug... If you didn't when, I still want you to have a shiny new blog by moi! So for a limited time (now until Christmas) I am offering you a complete blog make over for the price of JUST A HEADER!! So, for $35 you get the whole shabang! Just shoot me an email :) and mention this giveaway!

*I really didn't mean to offend anyone with my last post... This is MY blog and I wanted to share with you something that happened to me. Regardless of the person's stature, he should NEVER have acted so inappropriately. I may have down played the forcefulness of his advances in my story... I was truly shocked and humiliated by his actions. So, I apologize if you took offense, none was meant. Love you all :)

the Nightmare.

2010-11-18T10:23:00.002-06:00

I had a nightmare last night. It is one I have over and over again. Its not really a nightmare, more like a re-telling of a moment in my life that forever will haunt me. foooooorrrrreeeeeeevvvvvveeerrrrrrrrrr. (Name that movie...) This is not fiction. This is real life. My life. Don't be jealous. Anyway, back to the nightmare. Let me set the scene:

*The names have been changed to protect the innocent.*

Its my freshman year of high school. I hang with the cool kids. I'm pretty happy with myself. I had all the things that are important to a freshman girl: friends, looks, and a Northface backpack. It was approaching Homecoming time and I some how landed one of the hottest guys in school as my date. Not only was he super attractive, but he was older! I scored. Big time. We will call him Nate. So homecoming was themed the "Time Warp." Nate and I decided we would go as a T-bird and a Pink Lady. There I was the night of Homecoming in my best Sandy: oh.my.gosh those are tight black pants, black leather jacket, big hair, and RUBY red lipstick. I looked hot. Well, hot for a freshman in high school. Nate and his best friend "Sam" and his date "Allie" came by the house to pick me up. Pictures happened... They have long since been lost. We left for the dance, happy as clams.

*Disclaimer for the next part - Mother, if you are reading this... I'm sorry. Underage drinking is bad.*

We were all piled in to Sam's Bronco in the school parking lot waiting to go in to the dance. One of the boys brought a water bottle full of tequila. Note: to this day, tequila makes me shiver. We took turns taking shots then headed in to the dance. We were having a BLAST. I was feeling good, perhaps a little too much so... We danced, laughed, I thought I was too cool for school with my too tight of pants and super hot date. Then it happened. Nate left to go to the bathroom and left me on the dance floor. I was happily dancing with Allie and Sam when I felt someone bumpin and grindin behind me. I turned around and saw that it was one of the seniors. So, as to not make a senior all mad at me I danced with him for a minute. And then... And then... He planted one on me. A kiss. A BIG FAT WET KISS. I was in shock and a little buzzed so it took me a second to react. When I came to, I pushed him away and ran. This was no ordinary senior. Oh no... This was, well, he was not ordinary at all. He was *whispers* a little person. Everyone pause for a moment and check out #15 on my "about me" list HERE. Are you back? Ok, good. So this makes a little more sense now, right. I think I had someone take me home. Immediately. Needless to say, Nate and I didn't fall in love that night and live happily ever after. I never even told him I was leaving. To make matters worse, there were less 400 kids in my high school, so I had to see the assailant nearly EVERYDAY for my entire freshman year. Was everyone talking about what happened behind my back? I don't know for sure, but it felt like it. Luckily I transferred to another high school the next year (for unrelated reasons.) Leaving the scene of the crime, behind me. But in my dreams, I will forever be haunted by "the attack."

I made out with a midget. On the dance floor. At my freshman homecoming.

This post is not intended to offend anyone. It is just a recounting of an event in my life. Please don't send me hate mail.

Oh, and don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY. It will make me feel better :)

You want one of these? (a giveaway)

2010-11-17T13:27:00.001-06:00

Ok. Fine. You can have one!

I feel like doing a giveaway. Yah, you heard me. A GIVEAWAY!

So, as you may have heard, I opened a little etsy shop. I have already had the pleasure of working with quite a few people through twitter and have had a couple sales on etsy! Anyway, I was itching to do a giveaway because I'm totally in the giving spirit... It is the Holidays and all :) So, here you go:

Do you need a blog make-over? Maybe a face-lift? I gotcha covered! I am going to give-away TWO, that's right two, blog make-overs! They include a custom header, blog layout, and buttons! Oh my! Here are a few of my recent blog face-lifts, you should also check out these blogs, because they're awesome (please note I also did my own.)

If you want to enter, you have a few ways to do so...

1. Be a public follower of my blog. Leave me a comment telling me you are!

2. Become a follower of any or ALL of the blog above. Leave me a comment telling me you did!

3. Tell me why you need a blog make-over.

Please leave me a separate comment for each entry. I will be choosing the two winners at random Wednesday Nov. 24th at noon.

If you just can't wait that long, you can check out my etsy shop HERE :)

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2010-11-15T10:25:00.000-06:00

Let me tell ya, Christmas with a kiddo is WAY more fun than any other time in life... That I can remember, anyway. And I'm sure that this year will be double the fun, since I have double the kiddos :)

We started decorating a little early this year. It tends to take longer to get everything up when distractions every 5 seconds. But that doesn't keep us from going all out. Oh no... Christmas is magic for the little ones and the little ones' parents. So no way were we not going to pull out all the stops. I have even started my Christmas shopping. That should shock everyone who knows me IRL...

We put up the Christmas tree this weekend and as one would expect, half of the lights don't work. So darn annoying! Did I mention that I had to fluff the tree. I hate fluffing the tree. Worst.Job.Ever. But I love all the rest of the decorating! We will finish the of the decorating when we get the lights all figured out. But here's a sneak peak of the mantle:

This is our last Christmas in our house BC (before construction.) We have been doing minor projects around the house but our BIG construction will start after the new year. I decided to hold off starting the project until after Christmas and the girls' birthday party... The thought of having Christmas in a torn up house just made me sad. But the thought of the new construction makes me sooo happy!

Did I tell you that the house next door went up for sale last week? Well it did. And it already sold! I'm super curious as to who our new neighbors may be. I sooo hope that they are a young couple who will fix that old place up. Please cross your fingers for us. The old place is kind of an eye sore. Especially next to our house... I hate to brag, but we do have the cutest house on the block ;-)

Speaking of house construction, or re-construction, a sorority sister of mine and her hubs just bought an old Victorian style home and are in the process of restoring it to its former glory! Its a big project and I am so excited to watch it all unfold! So great for them! Anyway, Kate started a blog about the renovation project and it is just great. Not to mention, adorable (wink! I made it over !) You should all hop over and check it out. Its going to be an exciting ride that you won't want to miss out on!!

the Anniversary Home

Shameless Self-Promotion

2010-11-09T21:00:00.000-06:00

Ok, here we go... I opened up an etsy shop!

I am really proud of my little shop. Its something that I love and I am so happy to be putting it out there for all of you! diamond doll designs is my creative outlet; I play with everything from blog headers to stationery & invitations to custom artwork. In high school and college I had big dreams to be world famous fashion designer or artist. But the truth is, I could not be happier doing anything but what I'm doing, right now. My inspiration comes from the two brightest diamonds in my sky, Lucy Olivia & Penny Lane.

If you have a second, please check out my shop HERE and let me know what you think!

Happy Halloweenie!

2010-11-04T00:37:00.000-05:00

What were you for Halloween? I was a bee. A little rocker bee. My girls were bees. Little ballerina bees. My Kyle was not a bee. He was a bee keeper :) We did a little trick-or-treating... All of 5 houses. We go to my parents house on Halloween because we do not get ONE trick-or-treater at our house. Not a one. My parents get thousands. Yes, you read that right, thousands. No, I am not exaggerating. It is a mad house and we like to go for the spectacle of it all.

Lucy loved Halloween because she got lollies. Lots of lollies. Three sometimes four at a time :) I loved seeing my little bees looks as sweet as, well, honey!

Sunshine and Wildflowers

2010-11-01T17:37:00.000-05:00

Beautiful like wildflowers.

Bright like moonbeams.

They are my sunshines.

Don't you...Forget about me.

2010-10-29T21:44:00.000-05:00

So, I have not blogged in seven days. I have no excuse. I am just lazy. Yep, I said it. LAZY. Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery, right. I have been working, a lot. I've been trying to come up with some fun slogans for November ads for my family's restaurant... My favorite right now is:

The pilgrims served coneys at the 1st Thanksgiving... The indians let them stay.

Funny? I think it is, but maybe I'm wrong. Do you have any ideas?

On another note. Lucy is talking SO much! And she is FUNNY! She knows it too. She'll say something and just crack up at herself. The other night, when Kyle got home from work late, her took her outside to see the moon. She loves the moon, stars, and space. Anyway, we were out there looking at the moon and one of our owls buzzed Kyle & Lucy. I mean, I think the owl thought Lucy was a rabbit or something and was trying to swoop her up! She was less than okay with that. The following conversation took place:

Lucy: Let's go momma. Let's go inside.

Me: Ok, honey. We'll go inside.

Lucy: I scawed, momma.

Me: Of the owls?

Lucy: Yep. Owls scawy. Big and Scawy.

At this point Kyle and I are cracking up and I finally come to my senses and start recording her with my iPhone. Here is the video (I will transcribe below.)

Lucy: Owls, I say, "Stop it!"

Me: Owls stop it? (laughter) If you could say one thing to the owls, what would you say?

Lucy: I say, "tootoo" (laughter)

Kyle: What else would you say to them?

Lucy: Eeeee, Ow Ow.

Kyle: You would say owl?

Lucy: Woot Woot

Kyle: You can talk to them like that?

Me: Did you like the owl?

Lucy: (scared look)

Kyle: Did you like the owl outside?

Lucy: (more scared looks)

Me: Hey Lucy, did you like the owls ouside?

Lucy: No...

Me: No? Was it scary?

Lucy: (Really scared looks)

Kyle: Are you okay? Did it really scare you?

Lucy: Whoo. Yup. Owl suck. (Yes she said suck. Que my Mother of the year award.)

Kyle: Were you glad we came inside? Were you worried we were going to get hurt?

Lucy: Hurt?

Kyle: what can I do to make you happy?

Lucy: Happy? Owls?

Kyle: Owls make you happy?

Lucy: Yep!

Me: They do? I thought they scared you, the owls...

Lucy: Dad, dad! Owls (jibberish) owls, stop it! (jibberish)

Kyle: You want me to go outside and tell the owls to leave you alone?

Lucy: Noooo. Owls alone.

Me: Owls alone?

Kyle: Want me to say stop scaring Lucy?

Lucy: Oh, scared.

Kyle: You were scared?

Lucy: Yep.

Kyle: Okay, well what do you say I go outside and ask the owls to not scare you anymore, okay? And you and mommy can watch me do that from the window.

Me: What do you think about that Luce?

Lucy: Well...

Kyle & Me: Well...

Kyle: I'll be okay, I promise. Is that okay with you?

Lucy: Okay

Kyle: Okay, well lets go outside and I'll tell the owls to not scared you anymore.

Lucy: (Shakes head no.)

Me: Daddy's going to... Oh, you don't want daddy to go outside?

Kyle: I'll be okay.

Lucy: NO, no.

Me: Why can't daddy go outside?

Kyle: I'll be okay!

Lucy: (Shakes head no.)

Me: Is it because of the owls?

Kyle: Do you not want me to go outside because of the owls?

Lucy: No.

Me: Are the owls that scary?

Lucy: (Kiss for daddy.) Momma, go to bed now.

Me: Okay, lets go to bed...

-FIN-

I just can't get enough...

2010-10-21T12:56:00.014-05:00

If you are anything like me, then you probably look at the our FAIR pictures at least 4 times a day. Ok, so you may not be quite as obsessed as me... But maybe you want to see a few more? I know I do! My momma put together this funky slide show, so you should probably watch it :) Please note: it takes a second to load!

MY FAIR LADIES

lsdphotos.com

CLICK TO SEE SLIDE SHOW!
copyright Sophia

It gets better...

2010-10-20T12:43:00.000-05:00

Today, the girls are wearing our purple to show support for the all of our friends who are different. I am reflecting today on my high school years and it makes me kinda of sad. Although I was never on the receiving end of teasing or bullying, I was on the giving end. I was caught up in all that. I did bully those who were "weird" or "different," "nerdy" or "strange." I was a mean girl. Ugh, I feel terrible about it now. I used quotation marks on those sterotypes, because they are just that... Stereotypes. They don't define that person. I'm sure that I would like most of the people I wasn't very nice to back then, if I met them today.

I teased those that were a little bit odd in my eyes. However, I NEVER once bullied someone for being gay. Not once. Ever.

Not that excuses my bulling of other people, but I do feel good about that.

I hope to raise my beautiful girls to accept everyone for who they are, not what other people say they are. I hope that my girls will never be on the receiving or giving end of any bullying or teasing. I hope they will be confident enough to be the one that stands up and stops the bully. I hope they love everyone. I hope they are better than me. I want them to be nice girls.

We love our friends who are gay. Like, beyond love. They are some of the best people I have ever met. And I am crushed by the thought that anyone would ever tease or bully them for being who they are. So, today I am saying that teasing in this household stops with me.

And you can quote me on that.

Fair-ly Entertaining

2010-10-18T13:40:00.002-05:00

I am decently sure that I am not alone when I say I LOVE the fair.

I LOVE fair atmosphere.

I LOVE fair rides.

I LOVE fair colors.

I LOVE fair food.

I LOVE fair treats.

I LOVE fair games.

But, what I LOVE the most about the fair, is being there with these guys.

Thanks, momma, for the gorgeous pics!

My Love. My Best Friend.

2010-10-14T13:15:00.000-05:00

K+J

10•14•06

Happy Anniversary, Kyle. Love you to the moon & back.

(we look so young!)

Try Not to Die...

2010-10-08T10:18:00.000-05:00

Tonight we are ~~attempting~~ taking our family pictures! This is a near impossible task when you have 2 under 2, but we're going to give it a go...

Try not to die over what the girls are wearing. OMG.

You're a Winner!

2010-10-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

Michelle from Flying Giggles and Lollipops, YOU WON THE I MAKE ART FOR YOU GIVEAWAY!!!!!

I added everyone up, separating out everyone's comments and entries and ended up with 51. Plugged that into the handy dandy randomizer and VOILA! I have a winner!!

Michelle gets to pick either a custom print or new blog header... BUT, I think she's going to go with the custom print... She mentioned it in her comment entry! I'm soooo excited to get started on this little prodject with Michelle! I'll be sure to share the finished product :)

Michelle please email me at mybeatlesbabies [at] gmail [dot] com and we'll get started!!!

Again THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! This was too much fun! I love doing giveaways!