dining room makeover - take 2

Remember that this is what I started out with

And this was my "finished project"

(please note the position of the table)

And here's what we've got now! There are still stripes on the walls just

a little more difficult to see against the red

what do you think about the table? This way? or the above?

shower photos

as promised, here are photos from my sister's bridal shower

Here are the invites, along with the actual invite I included

a recipe card; the larger of the blue slips was a cute little poem

about bringing a recipe and the smaller has the couples website on it

The theme for this shower was "dessert & wine tasting"

Hopefully you are drawn to the cake I had made (wish I could say that I made it!)

We had a cake made for the 4 bridesmaids, the junior bridesmaid, and

the 2 flower girls... they were so cute!

here is the dessert that I made (sorry I forgot the before pic!)

It's called Chocolate Elegance

If anyone is interested in the recipe let me know

And THIS was my favorite gift for the bride! I had all of the bridesmaids bring a bottle

of wine, I needed a total of 6 bottles. Below the picture you'll see the rhyme that

went along with the bottles...

Wedding Night

The night you have dreamed of is finally here
The future surrounds you with hope and yet fear
You’ve wanted so long to find your perfect mate
Sip this wine and toast this perfect date
The night is meant for you to share
Enjoy each other – a perfect pair!!

First Fight

When fights occur and tempers get hot
Pour a glass and be thankful for what you’ve got
If you always agreed it would certainly be a bore
And by asking for Emily's hand Lonnie is surely
in for more!

First Anniversary

Been married a year, where did the time go?
No longer newlyweds, now you are pros
Hope the days found you in good health and
good spirit
Keep saying I love you –
one always needs to hear it!
Now toast this first date, it’s certainly not the last
And as you build your future don’t ever forget
the past!

First Dinner Party

Open your home to entertain and eat
Catch up with old friends and new ones to meet
When the night is over share this bottle of wine
But don’t sit down yet – it’s clean up time!!

Christmas Eve

A wise man said wine is better than beer
And now is the season for lots of holiday cheer
So pop the cork and relax a bit,
And when the night is through,
Kiss goodnight, close your eyes
And Santa will be good to you!

First Baby

The news that a baby will soon share your life
will make you a mother, not only a wife
You’ll see it through good times and sometimes
through bad
Emily the loving mother
and Lonnie the dearest dad
Sadly Lonnie must drink this one alone, and Emily with an empty glass
Sit back and relax – nine months will quickly pass!

may skip the weigh in

And it has nothing to do with a chicken fried steak sandwich & beer.... ok maybe it does! I had a long day at clinical today and the only thing that sounded absolutely fabulous was leftover dinner & a nice cold beer! So depending on what the scale shows me tomorrow, I may or may not be sharing my weekly update! Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend, I successfully threw a bridal shower for my sister and will have pictures to come!

Where the Magic Happens

Last October my family moved into a fabulous

new home....

piece by piece I am putting our own touches on it.

This weekend I was able to finish the master bedroom

Before:

After:

Isn't it fabulous! I am sooo in love with it!

Weight update

total loss - 14 lbs

Same as last week but you know what,

I'm ok with that! It's better than gaining weight!

And I'll let you in on a little secret -

I may or may not have (ok fine I did) make

myself a heaping plate of nachos late last night....

That's the first time I've eaten after dinner in the last 6 weeks!

In my defense I've been moody, I painted my ass off the last 2 days in my house

(pics to follow)

and damn it I just deserved those nachos!

At least I didn't wash it down with a beer! lol

Will it ever be easy?

Do any of my readers have ex-husbands? Do you share a child with that man? I feel like life won't get easy between us until our son is an adult and making his own decisions. I got told tonight how selfish I am because I want my son with me and my family next weekend (which by the way is my weekend to have him). The ex wants to take him to a birthday party of his girlfriends nephew. That's fine, however, it's my brother's 18th birthday next week and if we are having a family get together it will probably be Sunday. So I want my son to be there. Am I out of line here? The next thing I know "I only think of myself, he wants our son more, and says that Logan wants to be with him". I have no clue what to think of all of this. I'm not allowing any additional time. Not to be bitchy, but we're busy enough as it is during the school year. Between homework, soccer practice, showers, & bed time, there just isn't enough time in the day! During the summer I let him go to his dads for an extra evening a week. I think I'm being fair! I imagine we'll be back in court soon which is probably for the best. He is very behind on child support and he quit carrying health insurance on our son. Oh the "joys" of split parenting. Anyone have any advice they'd like to share on how to keep my sanity for the next 12 years?

Happy St Patty's Day!

Today started out enjoyable for me, a little earlier than I would

have preferred, but still enjoyable!

My 3 nieces spent the night with us so I got up and

made green eggs & pancakes!

The kids were all a little freaked out by that but they

thought it was cool and even ate it!

Then we all got our green on and headed out to the parade.

Here's Logan - man he's getting so big!

What is funny about this picture is that I have one from

about 4 years ago where I'm trying to get him to wear

that wig and he is screaming.... too funny!

Riley on the other hand thought this wig was

super cool! He wore it for about 3 hours before finally taking it off!

Due to less-than-perfect weather, Riley and I hung out in the

car to watch the parade. We were lucky enough to find a

perfect spot to park so that we could stay in the car and still watch the parade!

After the parade we toughed it out for a few minutes & actually

took our coats off for a quick picture!

I think we're a pretty good looking bunch!

Here is a picture of us from last year.... the weather was soooo

much nicer last year! It's fun to look between to the two pictures

and see how much the kids are growing up!

Tonight the boys are going to go spend the night with their cousins

so that my hubs and I can have a little adult time.

Bring on the green beer!

On a small side note: I started my cleanser this week and have started

to feel the affects of it today. I'm slightly nervous

about going to dinner & for drinks tonight!!!!

Wish me luck!

American Idol

Do any of you watch AI?

I'm addicted so of course it's DVR'd and then watched whenever

we have time.

This week we actually are watching on the correct night!

Was anyone impressed with these performances?

Not me...

Maybe it's because I'm not a follower of the Rolling Stones, honestly

I only knew 2 of the songs and those were not too impressive.

Is it just me or does this season just kinda suck?

Poo!

Other t.v. news: I LOVE Parenthood! It's only been on twice but

it's really good!

Also, Who Do You Think You Are?

Very cool!

So I need some topics to chat about...

Any questions that any of my readers have for me?

Random: I've finally listed my blog on facebook... dun dun dun....

Oh! And this GoogleReader thing that people talk about,

how do I do this? Something I should be following?

Weight update

total loss - 14 lbs!!!!

I started some herbal supplements yesterday so we'll see how it goes!

Fingers crossed!!!!!

Happy Tuesday!!!!!

can you buy egg whites at the store?

who would ask such a question you ask?

this guy!

this would be my super smart husband!

(and I mean this in the nicest of ways because

he truly is super smart!)

Recently he has been doing the P90x, well let me re-phrase, he

talks about doing it and sometimes actually does! lol

Tonight he was looking through the meal guide that comes with the

program. Then the above question comes: "Can you buy egg whites at the store?"

I can't help but laugh thinking that obviously he is joking!

I said I'm not sure (cause seriously I'm not) but you can do the egg whites

on your own. Wait for his response... wait for it... wait for it...

"OH! You mean you just cook a hard egg and then cut off the white?"

No joke people!

So I continue to giggle.... and he says......

"Oh never mind, it's when you hard boil the egg, then you just take out the yellow."

Oh my dear husband how I love you so!

please know that I have now shown him how to separate the white from the yolk!

And here's another picture just for fun... someone just recently found his belly button!

happiness: ME!

Today was my final for my class, passed the final and got an overall grade of a B for the course! YES!!!! Also, lost 2 pounds since Tuesday! I think I've finally passed over my plateau! I can't wait for the rest of this weight to fall off! Happy Friday everyone!

weight update

woo hoo!

down another pound!

total weight loss = 13 lbs

I hope this means that I got over my plateau

I'll admit that I slacked on the exercise last week

but the weather has gotten better so I've already

gone 2 miles this week!

For those that recommended the Insanity workout to me,

I'm working on getting a copy of that.

My husband already has the P90x but that just isn't for me.

I'm excited to try new things!

childbirth options

Yesterday I went to a childbirth education class that was

held at a child birthing center

Before I go on I'll remind everyone that I'm currently

going to school for my RN and am in my OB

rotation right now

me = believe in the science of medicine

At the beginning of the class everyone had to introduce

themselves and say if we had children and if yes, did we use

an epidural during labor

The instructor starts with the 3 of us students first

Do we have kids? yes

Did we have an epidural? absolutely

Within about 15 minutes the vibe of the class was no

pain relief, no hospital

I understand that everyone has their own birth plan,

and I am all for that

However, I don't feel that a person should

deliver their baby in a birthing center with no

doctors and no way to get a baby out immediately if

that becomes necessary

My question to the instructor, how do you monitor the baby?

There's a little thing called decelerations, variables... it's

all medical slang but it's important

Instructors response, use a doppler once an hour

Seriously?

Cause if that was me I would not feel confident in the

safety for baby and myself

In the last 2 weeks I have seen 4 deliveries

I know, only 4

but out of those 4 only 1 had a normal delivery!

One led to an emergency c-section due to infection,

the other 2 babies ended up in NICU

There is no NICU at the birthing center

Also, you get sent home after only 6 hours!

One mother and baby that I took care of had a textbook

pregnancy and delivery

At 24 hours old the baby coded

Thankfully they were in a hospital where adequate care

could be provided and now the baby is still alive

2 weeks later the baby is still in the NICU but

at least he's alive

Now I know that I have readers who are pregnant

This posting is in no way meant to scare you!

There are thousands of deliveries that go perfectly

every day

According to yesterday's instructor, out of 300 births

only 1 had to be transferred to the hospital to deliver

Those are pretty good odds

My point I guess is just to remind people that bad things

do happen

You can't know that it will be you

More than likely everything will be fine

I think that if someone does not want any medical interventions

than that is their choice

However, you can still deliver in a hospital where

immediate interventions can be taken

that would result in saving your child's life and

your own

Contrary to what some believe, if you go to a

hospital to deliver, we (the nurse & doctor) will

not try to persuade you into any pain medication

Every doctor does not have a timeline of when you

will deliver, and if you haven't gone by then you

end up in a section

Silly silly beliefs

We are there as your coaches and support

If you need help we are able to help you

Maybe this posting is because I was so offended by

the class I attended yesterday

If I have offended anyone I apologize

Definitely did not mean to scare anyone

Also! If someone wanted to do a water birth,

hospitals have fabulous birthing suites

to accommodate that

Midwifes also have privileges in hospitals,

as do doulas

Make sure to weigh all of your options!!!

Weight - stupid weight

I know that I shouldn't whine, but I'm going to anyway.

5 weeks of dieting combined w/some exercise:

12 lbs lost

Some of you may be thinking that is wonderful!

Me?

Not so much!

I have been sitting at this weight for nearly 2 weeks!

I'm still watching what I eat and how much I eat...

still exercising at least 3 days a week...

I gave up Dr Pepper for petes sake! I expected more in return for that huge sacrifice!

Today I ordered some pills that help to do the colon cleanse...

yikes...

not my idea of a good time

However, after researching, I figured I'd go ahead and do this over my spring break

(this way I won't have to be shitting my pants in public!) (excuse my french)

On a lighter note, I have 2 weeks of this class left. I'll miss the babies!

My final 8 weeks of the semester will be spent in Peds.

Also, my plans are moving right along for my sister's bridal shower.

I ordered some fabulous party favors last night, can't wait for them to get in!

I've gotta get the cake ordered & of course send out the invites....

Fun fun! So exciting!!!!

Back to the detox, anyone ever done that? Can you prepare me for what lies ahead?