The post where I brag about my birthday.

We celebrated all weekend. With Ryan's family Friday night, great friends Saturday night, and my family Sunday night.

Here is my loot.

I got the watch I have been wanting...



I also got lots of goodies including 2 dresses from The Loft, a few new shirts, a new bathing suit, and this bad boy...


My very first speedlight. I'm so excited about using it.

I got this cute beach bag...


Mine is apple green with soft pink trim and my traditional monogram in white. I will take a picture of it when it gets here.

A subscription to People magazine and beach towels.

Money and Starbucks GCs.

An Amazon GC that I have already used to order...


Rockabye: From Wild to Child by Rebecca Woolf

AND I was able to pre-order...


I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy by Angie Smith

Another pair of my all time favorite jeans.

Cutting boards and this awesome Paula Deen saute pan...



I am one lucky girl. Thank you to everyone for making my birthday so special!

PS- Thank you Dana for the awesome gift. I think it was by far my favorite this year...


Look at just how much wine it actually is. Here it is as compared to your average can of Pepsi Throwback.

Wordless Wednesday

Someone got a haircut... and she wasn't too happy about it.

Just for fun. . .

Dyson Airblade is the most awesome gadget in the world.

I have been meaning to post about it since last September when we went to Busch Gardens and I keep forgetting. They had them in their bathrooms and I feel in love.

Google it.

It is awesome.

Totally worth every penny.

I think we should install one in our home.

Ryan thinks I'm crazy.

Dyson people, please send me one. Help a sista out. I need one. I would rather have this than one of your awesome vacuum cleaners. I'm.just.sayin'. I would have a Dyson Airblade party at my house and show all of my friends. We could all take turns just washing our hands and using the Airblade. Wine would be included in your visit.

Sincerely,
Dyson Airblade lover

Tick off Tuesday.

Thanks to Carrie for starting Tick off Tuesday. It gives me a reason to complain and rant.

What ticks me off?

Kelly's Kids.

I am now boycotting the company.

Here is the REAL e-mail sent to their customer service department...

I e-mailed a few weeks ago concerning my order (order #XXXXX-XX). I was told that these items would ship on or before 3/21 and I still have not received these items. Both items were to be worn for Easter Sunday which is this Sunday. I am extremely disappointed in the lack of customer service, communication and in-stock items. This is the second Spring catalog I have ordered from and both times I have ordered, I have not received my items in a timely manner. Before ordering the items from the Spring 2010 catalog, I asked my rep to check and make sure the items were in-stock. When I placed my order, both of my items were in stock. I would have never ordered the items had I known they were out of stock.

I cannot continue to order from Kelly's Kids when I do not receive my items in a timely manner. In my account on the Kelly's Kids website, it states that my order date was 2/14/10. Today is 3/29/10. I need those items before Sunday April 4, 2010. My order was placed 6 weeks ago and I don't think it is too much to ask that my items arrive within that period of time.

I would like to know why these items still have not arrived and why I was not told that these items were out of stock when I ordered them. I also would like to know a date on which the items will arrive.

Due to these circumstances this will be the last order I will be making with your company.

Sincerely,
My name
My e-mail

Attached are the 3 previous e-mail sent and received involving Kelly's Kids.


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Someone that works for this crap company
Date: Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 4:12 PM
Subject: RE: Kelly's Kids Order #XXXX_XX
To: ME



Hi,
Your order will ship on or before 3/21.

Thank you for shopping with Kelly's Kids.



Someone who words for Kelly's Kids
Kelly's Kids
Customer Service
Phone Number

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ME
Date: Wed, Mar 3, 2010 at 9:57 PM
Subject: Fwd: Kelly's Kids Order # XXXXX-XX
To: customerservice@kellyskids.com



To whom it may concern,
I do not have any recent orders or tracking information in my Kelly's Kids account.
I was wondering if my dress and sash had been shipped yet.
Thank you in advance for your help,
My name
My e-mail
Customer#: XXXXXXX
Order number: XXXXX-XX
--------------------------------

No word yet on the status of my order.

They haven't e-mailed me back yet.

If no e-mail comes tomorrow, I'm calling.

Calling... and that, my friends, is NOT a good thing.

They are about to meet "Psycho Hailey who wants her freaking dress and sash that she ordered!"

Wipes brow... shew... I'm done.

Emma Raegan

I finished Emma's Easter bucket today.

It turned out exactly as I was hoping. Now, I have to get Caroline's done. Hers will be similar. It will only have a black "C" in the middle. I may also switch up with ribbon on Caroline's.


I saw a bucket in an online store that was similar. I didn't like the price tag so I decided to make my own. I am also making them for two friends. I put together all four buckets for the price of the one I saw online. Pat myself on the back. ;-)

Mommy and Me Monday

Hosted by Krystyn

Thanks to Krystyn for heading up Mommy & Me Monday's.

This week is Mommy & Me... Emma Edition.

Enjoy!

Answers.

********** Edited to add Carrie's question and answer.***********

I only had two people ask questions but they were good ones so here are my answers.
------------------------

Krystyn asked... Where would you visit if you could go anywhere in the world...sans the kiddos?
Paris.
My dream is to prance through the rain kissed streets of Paris when it is cold out. I want to wear a poofy skirt and a beautiful princess coat that falls perfectly over my skirt. I want to sit at a table on the street, eat scones, with an English bulldog and smoke a cigarette.
Yes, my dream is weird but that is what French people do. I will look fabulous while doing it. Think... Carrie Bradshaw... season six... second to last episode of the series. That will be me.

Jamie asked... if you would have had a boy what would his name have been? (Or you can keep it a secret if you don't want me to steal it or if you plan on having more kids hahaha)
Jamie, no babies in our future so I am glad to share my boy names.
With Emma, boy names came so much easier than girl names so we had a boy name planned. Emma would have been Brody Alexander. Brody has become such a popular name but we both loved it and Alexander is such a strong name. It would have given the boy an option of later changing his name to Alexander or Alex if he didn't want to be called Brody.
I also have a list of boy names that Ryan wasn't crazy about. I love them all though. Bodhi, Levi, Eli, Cooper and Finn are my top five.
As for another girl name, I would go for something different. Really different. I love the name Marlo. However, my all time favorite girl name is Ever. I know it is weird but that's what I love about it. Ryan HATED it. I mean HATED it. He said it was the stupidest name he had ever heard. That, my friends, is why the mother signs the birth certificate... not the father.
My children just better be glad their names aren't Evian Bouvier because that was my plan growing up. ;-)
In short, use those names up. My plan is to just name my dog one of these names one day. I feel they are better suited for a human though. Ha!

Jamie asked... If you had to choose one place to eat every Friday night ($ not a question) where would it be?
Oh goodness. Because of my love of food, this is a hard question. You know me all too well.
I really love Southern Exposure in Faison, NC. The Grilled Pork Chop served with a “mac & cheese” noodle cake,
collards & BBQ drizzle is like Heaven on a plate. Seriously. I guess this would be my top pick.
I also enjoy Chef & the Farmer in Kinston. The Slow Roasted Berkshire Pork Shoulder, sweet & sour collards & apples and smoked corn hushpuppy is simply AMAZING. We just eat and drink ourselves silly in this place so we don't eat there too often. A big plus to the Chef & the Farmer is the fact that she changes her menu frequently so you always have new, wonderful options to choose from.
During the summer months we love to eat at Amos Mosquito's in Atlantic Beach, NC. They have an awesome cajun remoulade that they serve with their fried dill pickles. We also always enjoy any of their fresh catch and their shrimp and grits.
We recently had dinner at Mickey and Mooch of Lake Norman in Huntersville, NC. It was delicious and they have the best collards known to man.
Of all of the restaurants we have ever been too these are my favorite "upscale" places. Meaning we spend way too much money on our dinner.
Right now, on my list of places I must go to eat is On the Square in Tarboro, NC. If any of you have ever been, let me know what you thought of it.

Carrie asked... What all would you like to accomplish by the time you reach 30?
This is a hard question. In the next 5 years, I hope to accomplish many things. I have a list of things I want to to before 30 and I haven't accomplished many.

1. Have a good job that I love.
2. Be a homeowner.
3. Cut my hair super short and dye it blonde.
4. Mow the grass.
5. Dance with my husband in the rain.
6. Plant a garden.
7. Stop biting my fingernails.
8. Learn how to control my temper.
9. Truly know how to not take life for granted.
10. I want to figure out how to make my marriage grow. I think every marriage has issues and lack of communication is a HUGE issue in my marriage. I would love to figure out how to fix that in the next 5 years. It would definitely make my life a lot easier. :-)

The list could go on and on. All in all, I just want to be happy. It took me a while to understand and figure myself out. To be honest, it has just happened in the past few years and with the help of an awesome therapist and my family. I've learned that I can change myself but I can't change anyone else which was hard for me to except. Once I did though, I was a much better wife, daughter, mother, and friend.

Happy Happy

A quarter of a century.

25 years.

Today marks 25 years since my birth.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

In honor of my birthday, leave me a question in the comments. Ask whatever you like. I like these Q&A posts. Plus, it's my birthday and I need this one day break from blogging.

If you would like to send a bottle of Riesling gift, I will be happy to forward you my contact information. ;-)

Bottoms up...

Happy Birthday to someone...

...who knows the name of every bug on the planet.


..who will do anything for his girls.


...who can spin the teacups so fast that your head hurts.


...who can name every shell on the beach and every fish in the ocean.


... who is the proudest man I know.


... who is the best Dad and Jay in the whole world.

Happy Birthday Dad/Jay!

We love you!

PS- Thanks for always sharing your birthday with me. ;-)

Feet, shadows and hair stuck to tears

Thursday Randoms

- I don't watch the news. Sad but true. I don't know much about politics. I know enough to get me by. When it comes to filibusters and other political jargon, I begin to snore.

Anyway, I am just now hearing about Joe Biden saying the F-word. And my Nana told me. That was some conversation. She is the conservative queen of the world. She was not happy about it. I will admit, I love to drop an f-bomb. I do. However, I'm not the Vice President of the United States standing in front of millions of people. If he wants to say it, let him say it but just not in the setting he was in. Wow. Let's keep the f-bomb in the privacy of our own homes. {And as I wrote this, a pastor came to my door and asked me if I was sure I was going to Heaven. "Yes, sir." He invited me to his church then I came back to sit down and write about the f-word.}

Here's the video.

I'm not getting political so don't jump down my throat if you don't agree. That's fine. Just keep it to yourself or use your own blog to talk about it. I'm not saying it was right or wrong.

- I lost my keys yesterday... again. I was in a panic at 11:40. I had to call my Nana to get her car so I could go pick Caroline up at 12. Story of my life. PS- Yes, I found them. They were in a box of diapers.

- Emma has become obsessed with dogs. "DAWG! MAMA! DAWG! DADDY! DAWG!" Little nugget loves a dog.

- Date night Saturday night! WOOO-HOOOOOO!

- Caroline can write her name. Suck it bitches. She did it. Now I can say she could write her name at the age of three. But guess what? I didn't push her. She just kind of learned. Pat me on the back and suck.it. Bitter much?


- Reason 3,261,985 why I love this kid...


It is a terrible picture because I just said, "Stand there and smile" and then snapped away. Anyway, tell me you didn't laugh... just a little. I could hardly take the picture from laughing so hard.

- I caught Emma singing Taylor Swift the other day. Do you think there is a music career in her future? The next Britney, Taylor or Fergie Ferg? Be still my heart. Let's just skip the whole psycho-shave-your-head-stage in life.

- Last year at this time I was in Florida about to leave on a cruise to the Bahamas. Ahhh... it was the most amazing trip I have ever taken.

Wordless Wednesday

I want to always remember her 3 year old laugh. It is the perfect laugh.

Addison Rogan.

aka culprit in the Madame Alexander doll massacre.

HURRY!

Ok, I'm letting you in on a little secret.

You all know my love for my Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy Backpack. Love it. I will occasionally switch it our fo rmy newer coach bag that my Mom bought me for Christmas to use as a diaper bag... but anyway!

OUTLET SALE. You heard me. Petunia Pickle Bottom OUTLET SALE. Boxy Backpacks for like $99. WOW! You can get the Cross Town Clutch for $39! Check it out.

You're welcome, my little nuggets.

Let me know if you buy anything.

Where I admit to sometimes being a materialistic-whiny-bitch-mom

I had a mild heart attack last night.

I walked into Caroline's room to get PJs ready. Her disaster of a room was... well, a disaster. More so than usual due to the fact that I kept another 3 year old little girl yesterday.

I was searching everywhere for matching PJs. That's when I saw it.

Her dolls were missing. ALL of them. Not just any dolls either. Her Madame Alexander dolls that I placed high on a shelf. A shelf that I spent 2 hours hanging. Dolls that were mine and my sister's. Dolls that are valuable. Dolls that I wanted Caroline and Emma to pass down to their babies. GONE!

My heart stopped. I frantically searched for the dolls. Entangled in a huge pile of clothes I saw a shimmer of silver. The Tin Man. He really does have a heart. He helped me find the rest of his little family. He was ready to be rescued and I was ready to rescue him.

I pulled dolls out of the clothes one by one. As I placed Dorothy's red slippers back on her feet and Little Red Riding Hood's cape back on her head, tears made it difficult to see. I was just before one of those lay-in-the-floor-uncontrollable-crying-moments.

How in her 4 years of life has she NEVER touched those dolls until today? It was never really a discussion that we had because she never had interest in them.

For a small moment, I thought of Tori Spelling's book Stori Telling. She talks about how each birthday she received a Madame Alexander doll. After opening that beautiful box and seeing the beautiful doll laying inside, her mother would whisk it away to be put in her doll cabinet. Obviously Tori had a problem with this and it led to lots of issues with her mother. To be honest, I totally understand why Candy didn't want Tori playing with the dolls. They are not play toys.

As I dug through the clothes, I found all kinds of doll clothing. Then I saw it. As if things couldn't get worse. Miss. Gulch's arm. Hopefully arm number two is still in place. Wrong. I found Miss. Gulch's body... missing two arms. I wanted to crawl in a hole.

After seeing that, I knew nothing could get much worse. There was a small moment after though that I almost panicked because I couldn't find the Tin Man's hat. I calmed down, wiped my tears and had a come to Jesus meeting with myself.

"Why am I so upset? They are just dolls. They can be fixed. They can be replaced. It is not the end of the world."

Better.

I thought about taking the dolls out of Caroline's room. However, that is unfair. They are beautiful dolls and they are meant to be displayed.

Today, I am a changed woman. I'm different. I stand on my shelf, head held high. Even though I acted like a nutjob last night over dolls, I learned that they are just dolls. Caroline knows to never touch them again but I secretly know that if she does it will be ok.

As for Miss. Gulch, that's a different story. She stands proudly back upon her long white shelf. This time she looks a little different. She has no arms. That is what happens when you are mean, bad witch.

Lesson learned.

-------------------------------
Someplace where there isn't any trouble... do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It's not a place you can get to by a boat or train. It's far, far away... beyond the moon... beyond the rain.

spring is upon us