365:Day 181 ~ This Recipe is Grrrr-APE!

I got the recipe for this delicious concoction from my friend Cara. She served it at Meredith’s baby shower recently and I fell in love! It’s the perfect alternative to plain old fresh fruit! Tomorrow I’m co-hostessing my sister-in-law, Rebecca’s, baby shower to celebrate Baby William, so I immediately thought of this recipe!

When Cara emailed me this recipe, it didn’t have a name. So, I’ve come up with one that seems extra appropriate! Julia, my 2 year old niece, calls William “Baby Yum-Yum.” {how cute is that???} Well, I decided that the perfect name for this recipe is…

Yum-Yum Grapes

…because they are totally YUM-YUM, and tomorrow they are being served in honor of my favorite new nephew…Baby Yum-Yum!!! See, I told you the name was perfect!

You should definitely try these! They’re totally addicting!!!


Yum-Yum Grapes

2 lbs. Red Grapes
1 pkg. Cream Cheese
8 oz. Tub of Sour Cream
½ cup Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla

~ Mix together cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, & vanilla until well blended.
~ Fold in grapes until coated.
~ ENJOY!!!

365:Day 180 ~ Snip, Snip, Snip!

My bangs have been driving me CAHrazy for the past few weeks since they were veeeeerrrrrrry long. And today I could stand it no more.

I made a urgent phone call to my new stylist {thanks to my sweet friend, Gina} that has only cut my hair one time before, to see if there was any freak way that she could get me in today! AND SHE COULD!

So, I have 3 things to share in relation to this haircut:

1. Apparently the 3 days of All-Soft is already working because she told me that my hair is very healthy. It hasn’t been cut since April and it only needed about an inch snipped off! Which is really weird since I thought it was TOTALLY BROOMISH!

2. I can see. You know, since my bangs aren’t down to my lips anymore. Yeeeeeesssss! You guys all look fantastic, btw.

3. I have GIGANTOR bags under my eyes due to the fact that we had an excessively loud thunderstorm around 6ish this morning, which meant that we had 2 adults, 1 wild toddler, 1 big girl, and 1 dog in our QUEEN size bed. Wasn’t the best night’s sleep ever.

What??? That doesn’t have anything to do with the haircut? Um yea, I know. Just felt like I needed to explain! :)

365:Day 179 ~ Um. Is This How This is Supposed to Go?

Okay leather furniture owners … I need your advice.

We steam clean our carpets every 3-4 months. Until tonight, we haven’t cleaned it since we got our new furniture in April.

My question is this. When you steam clean your carpet is it necessary to cover the furniture with super cool 80s towels {that are usually super cool 80s car wash towels} to keep from having the steam cleaner spray water all over it?

Just wondering. ‘Cause that’s what we did. You know…to protect it.

I think that the super cool 80s towels are optional. It’s the covering of the furniture that I’m wondering about. Thanks a mil.

365:Day 178 ~ $11.98

Over a year ago, I stopped using Redken All-Soft shampoo and conditioner, which I’ve been using on and off since I was preggo with Macy thanks to my friend, Paige. I’ve tried SEVERAL things since...both cheap and expensive...but can’t seem to settle on something I like. I’m super weird about the smell of my shampoo – not floral, not fruity, not minty – and I want my hair to be clean, shiny, and soft, but not weighed down.

Anyway, I’ve been using Redken Clear Moisture for several months now. Thought I liked it. Turns out I don’t. Ilike the smell, but I think that it’s not providing enough protection for my flat iron and my hair is getting, well broomish. YUK! So, I’ve been patiently waiting for Beauty Brands to have their annual liter sale! It’s finally here!!! Today, I got a liter of All-Soft shampoo and a liter of conditioner for $11.98 each. That’s less than the normal sized bottles cost a piece. The sale is going on until August 16th … I’m tempted to go back and get a couple more bottles at that fantastic price to tide me over for a good long while.

I so LOVE the Beauty Brands annual liter sale!!! And I used the All-Soft tonight for the first time in ages tonight, and my hair feels better already!

365:Day 177 ~ I'm Thinkin'...

…that Carly Anne Bixie Loo Hoo Peanut might be a make-up artist when she grows up. What do you think? Please feel free to give me a call if you would like Carly to apply your lipstick just like she did hers.

I’m sure she’d be happy to oblige. :)

365:Day 176 ~ Little Mermaids

Every year when we go on our family vacation to the beach, I get several surprises for the long car trip, plus one or two surprises for when we arrive. Last year I got the girls each a new book and a princess washcloth {you know, the ones that start little and when you get them wet they expand into a full sized washcloth} for when we got there.

Anyway, this year I got the girls each a mermaid for the bath tub! I knew that they would be a hit, but I didn’t realize just how big a hit! They loved bath time before, and now they can hardly wait! They were $10 each and let me tell you … they are worth every penny! Macy and Carly just play and play and play! It’s a crack-up to listen to them! Isn’t bath time just the best!

365:Day 175 ~ ROCK IT!

9 friends karaoke cupcakes microphones

presents ice cream dancing FUN

***

Ashton’s 7th

ROCK STAR

Birthday Party!!!

365:Day 174 ~ Spur of the Moment!

Bill had a REALLY bad day at work today. We had planned to have grilled chicken, salad, and rolls for dinner, followed by Ice Age for “movie night”. Bill got home at 5:15ish and decided that he needed a marg, some good food, and a little time with his favorite girls to make him forget about his gross day!

So, we took a spur of the moment trip to Mi Cocina for dinner! It was YUMMY and just what BL needed! Then we headed home to watch Ice Age {thanks, Amanda … we totally copied you, btw!!!}. In fact, the movie is almost over … I’m off to catch the end of it!

Hope you all had a happy Friday and that you’re weekend is fun and relaxing!!! I think that a spur of the moment was a great way to kick ours off...

365:Day 173 ~ The LITTLEST Leonard Fish!

I think that I’ve mentioned that Carly and Julia take swimming lessons together, and Macy and Celia take lessons together … back to back ... 30 minutes per class. Carly is big enough this summer that I don’t have to be in the pool with her, but Julia is still young enough that Rebecca still has to get in {preggo with a baby boy, due in AUGUST, so getting is a bathing suit twice a week is super fun for her}. Well today, Sweet Julia did it all on her own! Rebs was on the steps, but Julia worked with Kayl the whole time without her mama AND had practice time all by herself like a big girl!

Since it was her first time to swim like a “big girl” I ran to the car and got the camera from my purse. It just had to be captured, after all!!! She did great! All the big girls and both of us mamas were cheering her on! JU.LEE.AH, JU.LEE.AH!!! I snapped several cute pics of her, but this one was by far my fave! Way to go, Jules!!!

365:Day 172 ~ Put Your Toes In!

Carly goes to My Gym each and every Wednesday morning. She has missed for the past 2 weeks {due to our vacation and dance camp}, so she was happy to be back!

Every week, right before the teacher tells the kiddos what their gymnastics stations are for the day, she has them all meet her on the red circle and “put their toes in”! I just love this part … all those cute little toes … attached to those cute little toddlers … patiently waiting for their directions! It’s cute, cute, CUTE!

P.S. Can you guess which tootsies belong to Carly Anne Bixie Loo Hoo?

365:Day 171 ~ A/C

Anyone know what this is? Yeah, me neither.

What I do know is that it’s some sort of circuit board that keeps getting jacked up and SHUTTING OFF OUR AIR CONDITIONING in the 100+ degree heat in the dead of a Texas summer.

Yes, this little ole’ circuit board is making things a bit toasty in our house from time to time. About once a day, actually. A nice, cool 83.5 degrees. Comfortable, chilly, and downright refreshing, don’tcha think???

So, say a little prayer that my hubby survives spending a serious amount of quality time in our HOT attic tomorrow … and that the new circuit board cooperates and doesn’t give Mr. Fix It too much trouble … AND that we have A/C before the day is over.

365:Day 170 ~ MORE Trashy TV!

Tonight Erin came over to join me for a glass of vino and The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All!!! A perfect combination, if you ask me!

The wine was YUMMO and the Men Tell All was, well … weird. Can I get an amen from anyone?!?! I thought the conversation with the guys was odd. I thought the the Jason and Molly segment was strange. I thought the conversation with Jillian was brief, vague, and totally weird. Huh? Can’t wait until next week! I think we’re in for A LOT of juicy drama!!!

365:Day 169 ~ A Little Behind...

…and I use the term “a little” very loosely! I started watching All My Children and General Hospital the first year I was teaching. I'd record the whole week and then marathon watch both shows while I graded papers over the weekend and Bill was working late. Needless to say, I’m a huge fan! And when DVR came around, it made watching that much easier! But toward the end of this past school year I got WAY, WAY behind. And as of today, after summer activities and two vacations, I’m a whopping 39 days behind on GH! OOF! I think that I need to delete about 3 weeks worth of episodes, but I’m trying to get through a “crucial” wakeupfromacoma storyline.

Dude! I’m such a tv junkie! It’s a sickness, I tell ya! :) Maybe I’ll catch up one day soon!!!

365:Day 168 ~ forever.

july 18, 1998.

eleven years ago.

we decided to make it ...

forever.

365:Day 167 ~ I Heart D.Dub!!!!

tonight ...

i was 13 again.
i screamed at the top of my lungs.
i jumped up and down – repeatedly.
i was a total teenybopper!
i was with 2 of my favorite people in the world, Erin and Gina.
i had so much fun and couldn't stop smiling.
and most of all, i was reminded that...

I LOVE DONNIE WALBERG!

365:Day 166 ~ Growing Up...{sigh}

On Sunday, we took Carly’s toddler gate off her bed to see if she could sleep in it without rolling out! It’s been 5 days and we’ve had not one fall! And, I don’t think I’ve mentioned that she’s done with Pull-Ups! She’s been dry all but one morning for the last 2½ weeks!!! Our little peanut is growing up! {double sigh}

365:Day 165 ~ What Do You Think...

...is the cutest part about this picture?

The teeny tiny tushy, the itty bitty ballet shoes, the cute little legs, or the long swishing pony tail? I can't decide. :)

365:Day 164 ~ Pop Stars!

Today was the second day of Macy’s Hannah Montana Dance Camp! Macy’s friends, Ashton and Jenna, are in the class with her and she could not have been more thrilled! Yesterday they started learning a routine to a Hannah Montana song, and today they learned the second half! They even performed it for us at the end of class, so us mamas took the opportunity to snap a picture! I love the way that Macy was dancing so hard that her hair is falling down! A sign that she is loving every second!!!

365:Day 163 ~ Itty Bitty Ballerina

Okay, you have just got to click open this picture and look at Carly’s facial expression. She is SO serious! And SO adorable, if I do say so myself!!!

Today was the first day of Carly’s Princess Dance Camp! She got to wear different costumes and a light-up twinkly crown, but I think that she was most excited to wear her own little leotard and ballet shoes!

She absolutely loved her first day of camp! Tomorrow they get to have a tea party and polish their nails! Oh to be a princess!!!

365:Day 162 ~ Mail Call!

After being gone for a week, we came home to a giant stack of mail today! And this is after I weeded out all the junk! When you look at it daily, it doesn’t seem like that much, but when you save it all up for a week, that’s a different story! OOF!

365:Day 161 ~ Our Little Detour

We decided that it would be fun to take the ferry out of town instead of just the usual, well, highway! :) The ferry leaves every 45 minutes and goes from Gulf Shores to Dauphin Island, an area we really wanted to check out. The girls and I had never been on a ferry before, so it was pretty cool! We were one of 24 vehicles on the boat! And it even cut about an hour off our drive {we skipped driving through Mobile}! We got to stand on a platform and look out at the gulf AND we even saw dolphins! It was the perfect way to end our trip! Something I know we will all remember!

The girls thought it was so cool to see the captain, which is why I snapped this pic! I just adore how their little minds work!

365:Day 160 ~ Wrapping Up Our Vacay

We spent our last afternoon in Gulf Shores on the beach. Today was a perfect day … sun shining and not too hot! We found TONS of sea shells, played in the sand, and jumped in the waves. It’s hard to say goodbye! Our week went by WAY TOO fast!

365:Day 159 ~ Beach Break

After 2 days at the beach and the pool, we could tell that the girls needed a little break! So we decided to head back to the self-proclaimed “little zoo that could”, the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo! It was just the break we needed! We had a great morning seeing all the animals and having a picnic lunch! This little zoo really is fantastic! :)

365:Day 158 ~ THE Famous Cottage

Bill’s brother, Terry, and his family have been coming to Gulf Shores for literally 20something years now. They always stay in a little cottage that Terry’s wife, Adrienne, has been coming to since she was a kid. How cool is that?!?! The cottage is off a salt water river and has a totally awesome pier. Terry and Crew got to Gulf Shores a few days before we did so our trips over-lapped a little bit. They came and swam with us this afternoon and then invited us over for dinner on the pier tonight. We had a night full of a hodgepodge of leftovers, fishing, laughter, and this beautiful sunset over the river! Ahhh…

365:Day 157 ~ Smokin' Hot!

One of our favorite parts of our family vacation every year is Daddy grilling one night! I hopped in the pool with the girls while Bill fired up the grill and got our supplies. We got down to the pool from the beach at about 4:45pm to stalk and grab a grill! And we got one that had just been used so it was nice and hot! Bill grilled up some yummy chicken and some delicious veggies, and I made some rice to go with it! I snapped this “smokin’ hot pic” right before the girls and I headed up to make the rice and set the table! And our condo was on the first floor this year so the kids could talk to bill from the balcony while he finished grilling! And woweeeeee … dinner.was.so.totally.YUMMO! I love this little tradition!!!

365:Day 156 ~ 20 Miles

The drive to Gulf Shores is pretty easy … aside from being LONG, that is! Most of the scenery is beautiful with lots of large trees and lots of water! One of the coolest things about the drive is this bridge in Louisiana. It is 20 miles long! TWENTY MILES! A two-lane bridge in both directions for 20 miles! It’s a cool feeling, but also a little bit of an uneasy feeling knowing that there’s no way off for 15 minutes straight! It literally “goes on for miles” and is bridge for as far as the eye can see. This picture doesn’t even do it justice … it is pretty impressive!

365:Day 155 ~ Life's a BEACH!!!

We decided to pack the car tonight. Our goal is to be on the road at 3:30 tomorrow morning! That way we’ll arrive at the beach by around 4:00pm. My husband has some mean car packing skills. I’m always amazed at how well he gets everything organized and he can usually even remember where he puts things! And this year was no exception! Bill’s favorite part of the packing was how much LESS STUFF we were able to drag with us! The car wasn’t overflowing this time! NICE!

365:Day 154 ~ July 4th

We thought that it would be best since we’re leaving town in 2 days that we skip a big fireworks show this year – much to Macy’s dismay! Our concern was the fact that they don’t start until after dark. We felt like it was more important for the girls to be rested for our long road trip! Soooooo….we did our own “fireworks” in our front yard. They were actually just various poppers, but the kids had a complete blast! I think that we all enjoyed the low-key event this year!

365:Day 153 ~ 583

The iPod is locked and loaded … with 583 of our favorite songs!!!

Do you think that we’ll get to hear every single song at least once on our 12 hour car ride to the beach {there and back}?


24 hours in the car. I think that we might just hear all 583 songs. I’ll let you know how we do…

365:Day 152 ~ Princesses x4...

Today, my mom took Macy, Carly, and me to a Princess Tea Party! It was FANtastic! Really…I think that my mom and I might have had more fun than the girls did! I’ll post all the details on our family blog soon, I promise! The girls were thrilled to get a crown, a wand, and a glass slipper. They were the cutest little princesses I ever did see!

365:Day 151 ~ Customer Service

The Bryce fam gave me a mall gift card for my birthday, so today I headed to the mall to see if I could find some shorts to take to the beach. I didn’t actually find any shorts, but I did score another fantastic bargain!



While I was in The Gap I noticed that my favorite “run around” jeans were on sale for $20. I got a pair in November, but last month one of the seams split. I happened to ask a saleslady if there was anything they could do for me since the jeans were defective since I was way past the 90 day return policy. I expected her to say no and was surprised when she told me to run home and get them and that she’d let me exchange them. But I was even more surprised when I got back to the store. There is nothing that I like more than great customer service! The lady not only let me return my defective jeans, but she gave me my full credit back since I had my receipt!!! So, I walked out of there with 2 pairs of jeans, a tank top, AND 64 cents. Now that’s what I call customer service!