Just for Fun

I found an ice-breaker today that I thought was too funny not to share, it's called the name game. These are my names, try your own and let me know which were your favorites in the comments!

Gangsta Name: Jesizzle
Detective Name: Pink Monkey
Soap Opera Name: Brooke Jefferson (this one is my favorite)
Star Wars Name: Hayjeban
Superhero Name: Blue Izze
My Witness Protection Name: Dru Earl
Goth Name: Black Annie
Stripper Name: Mumu Croyden

How to find yours -
Your gangsta name (first three letters of your name added to izzle)
Your detective name: (favorite color and favorite animal)
Your soap opera name: (your middle name and your current street name)
Your Star Wars name: (the first three letters of your last name, the first two letters of your first name, and the first three letters of your mother's maiden name)
Your superhero name: (second fav color and your favorite drink)
Your witness protection name: (mother's middle name and your father's middle name - (put in reverse order for men)
Your goth name: (use the color black and the name of a favorite pet)
Your stripper name: (name of your first pet and the street where you grew up)

To Blog or Not To Blog

That is the question. I honestly did not intend to go a week without blogging. I've been blogging in my head, I guess it just never made it on here. (That sounds a little crazy, huh?) Anyway, I'm trying to decide whether or not to participate in NaBloPoMo again this year. I've successfully blogged every day of the month of November for the past two years but this year is a little different. We have had friends or family in town almost every weekend for the past 3 1/2 months (it's been wonderful), there's a little person who dominates all of my time now, and I've tossed in one too many photo shoots just to make things interesting. I have loved every single second of it. I don't know if I have time to blog that often, much less anything interesting to say but if I am allowed to blog about Rosebud every day then I'll definitely make it a whole month. I think I'll try it, I like to make myself crazy.

It makes my heart sing

Today, Kelly's Korner is doing "Show Us Your Life" and the theme is show us what you make or sell. Well, for a very long time I didn't think I had a "gift." Some people are gifted with a talent for music, others can make beautiful things, I thought God had decided to make me good at a lot of things but hadn't given me a special gift. Then I picked up the camera again ... photography makes my heart sing. Although I have recently launched my website and started taking paying jobs, I feel so blessed to be able to take pictures for my friends and family and capture the special moments in our lives! Here are a few favorites from my most recent session with a friend's adorable baby!

Ramblings of a sleep deprived perfectionist

I have so many different posts bouncing around in my head, yet nothing seems to come together when I sit down to write. It might be due to the fact that I have fallen asleep while typing on my laptop for the past 3 nights. Rosebud sleeps like an angel but getting up every 3-4 hours, working full time, having visitors every weekend, and still trying to have some type of social life is starting to wear me out. Here are my ramblings ...

Crazy Betty called me on Sunday to tell me she thinks I am trying to do too much (she's a smart lady). She offered to come over and cook some peas for me. I think that's her southern way of nurturing and trying to take care of me. I declined the peas (although I love field peas and they don't sell them at vegetable stands down here) and immediately called my mother to make sure she didn't tell her about my cake fiasco on Friday. Nothing gets Betty riled up more than a homemaker disaster and even if the house is burning down I can't have her thinking I'm stressed out or else she'll start worrying like crazy. First she'll offer peas, then she'll ask if I need to borrow money. Every time she asks if I need money now, I reply "yes, I'd like $100,000 please" - for some reason that gets her quiet pretty quickly. (I don't need money but I'll take it if anyone's offering)

The theme song of my life right now is These are Days by 10,000 Maniacs. It keeps running through my head over and over - These Are Days ... to remember. After we gave Rosebud a bath the other night we were standing in her nursery listening to the rain outside and the classical music on the ipod, and we started slow dancing with her in between us. Seriously cheesy I know, but none the less a moment I will cherish forever. It's a crazy busy time right now and I'd give anything for a few more hours of sleep but all that said, I find myself constantly stopping and soaking it all in. These are the days I will look back on and wish they didn't pass so quickly. Those little smiles, her tiny fingers grabbing mine, her soft hair against my cheek ... I've never been happier in my entire life.

Grinch Rehab

I think I am in Grinch rehab. A couple of years ago I posted about how I am the Halloween Grinch. As an adult, I have never liked the holiday and hate the pressure to dress in costume. My favorite quote from the movie Mean Girls sums up some of my feelings about the holiday. "In the real world Halloween is a time for little kids to dress up in scary costumes. In girl world it is the one night a year a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it." (I mean seriously!!! Why does everyone's costume have to be ridiculously revealing? Even if you've "got it," there's a certain age when it's no longer appropriate to flaunt it.)

I don't know think my feelings about that part of it will ever change, however, I am already softening towards the holiday in other areas and it's all because of Rosebud. She's just so much fun and I can't resist diving into all of the fun activities (although she has no idea what's going on) like dressing her up, pumpkin festivals, etc. She has two costumes for this year (both were gifts) and I can't wait to take her to my friend's house on Halloween and take her out in the stroller with their twin boys. With all of this joy in my life, there's no room for any grinchiness (is that a word?) anymore, even when it comes to Halloween

Domestic Goddess FAIL

Yesterday was my first Friday working from home. The week went so much better than I expected and I was all set to start my weekend with a bang. I attempted to be super mommy and let's just say the afternoon did not go as planned. I went into the office for a few hours in the morning, got my hair cut and met friends for lunch (and bought these for Rosebud!). Things went downhill after that. I had planned to come home, do some work, bake a cake, clean the house and play with the baby. It honestly sounded realistic in my mind. Baking a cake from scratch while entertaining a baby is not necessarily a good idea. I accidentally used 3 tablespoons of baking powder instead of 3 teaspoons. There was smoke, tears and this ...

Although the afternoon was a huge mess (literally), and my lack of sleep caught up with me and caused everything to be much more dramatic than it should have been, I redeemed myself this morning by re-making the cake and a spinach & cheese strata for brunch tomorrow - all before 9 am! It's amazing how productive you can be when you get up at 5:30 :) I think I'll put less on the agenda for next Friday ...

Life is short ... make music!

Here's a smile for today - this guy is a little goofy but very talented!

Works For Me Wednesday - Green & Clean!

The theme of today's Works for me Wednesday is cleaning tips and if you watched the Today Show this morning you are probably disinfecting your entire house right now. They had a whole segment on where germs live and I was twitching for the Lysol wipes by the time it was over. I must say that the flu hype this year has reached epic propotions. With a new baby, I am definitely cautious and concerned about H1N1 and the regular flu, but the media is getting a little crazy in my opinion. I know people have strong feelings about this but I'll say that I am somewhat "granola" when it comes to medicine and prefer natural solutions whenever possible.(I know - shocking!! One can be a little granola and still love Louis Vuitton) Personally, I think the drug companies are laughing all the way to the bank this year. Anyway, the point of my post is to share my recipes for household cleaners with you. It's so much cheaper and it's all non-toxic!

All Purpose Cleaner
1/2 teaspoon soda ash or baking soda
Dab of liquid soap
2 cups hot water
Combine in a spray bottle; shake until all powder is dissolved. Apply and wipe off residue with a rag or sponge.

Glass Cleaner
1 quart water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 drop liquid dish detergent
Combine in a spray bottle; shake until all powder is dissolved. Apply and wipe off residue with a rag or sponge.

Furniture Polish
1 cup vegetable or olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
Mix in spray bottle and shake well. Apply small amount to a cloth.

Drain Cleaner
Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain, followed by 1/2 cup vinegar. Cover the drain and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Flush with 2 quarts boiling water.

Mold Killer
2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water
Combine in spray bottle and shake to blend. Spray on problem areas. Do not rinse.

Almost any type of home cleaner can be created using only vinegar, water and baking soda. For example, almost one gallon of an all-purpose cleaner consisting of white vinegar and water can be homemade for around $2, providing ten times more product than a 12-ounce, name-brand pine cleaner that can cost $3 or more.

In other news, the daycare adjustment is going well! Sunday was harder than any other day - I think the anticipation was the worst part. I miss her but I get to see her every day at lunchtime and it's making the evenings and mornings together that much sweeter!

Smile though your heart is aching

Smile though your heart is aching.

Smile even though it's breaking.

When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by...

Rosebud started daycare this morning and I am back at work full-time. I spent all day yesterday crying on and off but I'm doing pretty well this morning. Although I wanted to turn the car around and go back and get her this morning I know it will be easier tomorrow and by next week, hopefully we'll be through the transition period. I love my job and I am very fortunate to have flexibility (I'll be working from home on Fridays!) but I'll admit, it was hard to come back. I unintentionally took last week off from blogging but I'm glad I did - I just focused on my sweet baby and enjoyed our last week at home. Now I'm back to blogging & back to work and although it feels sad, it also feels good. Say a little prayer for us both today!