It's Just A Little Bit Funny

Kitchen Renovations, Supper Reservations, Eco Celebrations

2009-05-09T21:39:00.006-04:00

My kitchen is finished for now. With the exception of a light fixture and a good cleaning, it is complete. Down the road, I plan to change out the look of the cabinets and counter tops, but that is way down the road. For now, it has a new floor and new appliances. The photos only show the new stove, but we also have a new fridge and a new dishwasher.

The floor is through Britt's in Snellville. We chose to go with vinyl on the kitchen. Here is my logic on that. Marc and I vowed to try and be as eco-friendly as possible with this house. I only wish our contractor was as eco-minded. His sentiments are that he just doesn't care since he will only be around for another 20 yrs or so. But that is beside the point as much as that rubbed me the wrong way.

So I researched and researched my options for eco-friendly flooring. After wanting cork in my living room and finding first hand how easily it dents with a finger, I chose against it. But my kitchen was still important to me. I had the options of linoleum, vinyl, laminate, or hardwood.

Linoleum is a plant based product that is very eco friendly. It was popular in the 60's and 70's. Since it comes from a plant oil, it is renewable. However, it does take a more energy to produce. There are new varieties of traditional linoleum, but I just didn't find one I liked.

Vinyl is a petroleum based product, durable and comes in a variety of options to choose from. It can be laid in sheets or in tiles.

Laminate is affordable and provides a hardwood look without using the real wood for the floor. There are lots of options for this one as well. However, the durability of laminate can vary depending on the cost. In laminate's world, you get what you pay for.

Hardwood is always a beautiful option, but depending on the practices of the lumber providers, it can be very eco friendly or unfriendly. Bamboo is a popular eco friendly choice because it is actually a grass and not a tree. However, many lumber companies are destroying virgin forest to plant bamboo to sell it as eco friendly. Not too responsible in my opinion. Hardwood can also be expensive. However, some options are available such as engineered wood which is all the left over scraps compacted down to a dense board and then just a small layer of the desired wood (ie, oak, maple, pine, etc) is put on top. So instead of having a whole board of that tree, it is left over scraps with just a layer of the desired tree making it more efficient.

Anyway, I chose vinyl for the following reasons:

1. After researching, I found that while vinyl is petroleum based, it takes less energy in the factories to make whereas linoleum was made from a renewable resource such as flax seed oil, it took more energy in the plant to create as more steps were required.

2. Vinyl was an affordable option to have a look we desired in our house, and it is very durable and easy to replace out should it need to be replaced.

3. When and if we decide to get a new floor down the road, vinyl is recyclable and can be broken down to create new vinyl floors.

So I felt at peace with my choice after weighing the options. More on my eco-friendly choices for my new home coming soon.

This is the old flooring and old appliances. We removed the stove, but we are keeping the fridge for now in the laundry room for extra freezer space. Our new one is stainless steel like the stove and dishwasher.

The new floor looking towards the front door which is in a beautiful entrance room with beautiful hardwood floors that we have no plans of changing.

Ignore the trash and dirty cabinets. This is my new stove and other appliances are in place. They came after this photo was taken.

She's At Home

2009-05-08T22:04:00.003-04:00

My little sugar bean loves being out at the new house. From the first day it was officially ours, she feels right at home. When we are out there working, she is such a sweet little girl. She watches her DVD player, helps in the garden, colors in her Scooby coloring book, plays in the water hose and loves collecting rocks. We can't wait until we are in the home officially!

Down Came A Coop

2009-05-08T20:38:00.005-04:00

Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl who were madly in love. They decided to get married, have a baby and eventually buy a house out in the middle of a magical place called Walnut Grove.

Inside the Grove stood an adorable little house that would become the home of the boy and girl. But first much cleaning and repair had to be done. The girl, who loved to garden, wanted a patch to harvest yummy fruits and vegetables. Yet, the ideal spot was the home to an old rackety chicken coop.

So to please his girl, the boy put all his might into bringing down the treacherous eye sore that once housed chickens. Four days of endless chopping, breaking, hauling, swinging, and a little sweat, the boy triumphed over the victory he had taken over the coop.

The girl swooned and sang a lovely song as she saw that the coop was gone, and she began to plan for her garden. Once again, because the boy loved the girl with all his heart, he worked day after day to complete her dream of raised beds for her garden.

Today, with a coop gone and half a garden planted, the boy and girl and their little sugar bean are living happily ever after.

Tonight I Am Thankful

2009-05-05T21:21:00.004-04:00

After a few days of contemplating thankfulness, I just finished reading a wonderful friend of mine's blog on her evening prayers with her son. It came on at almost the same moment I was preparing my thoughts for this blog about thankfulness and gratefulness. So thank you, Lauren, for inspiring me to be continue forth with this post.

Sometimes I wonder if I truly am the person who sees the glass half full or half empty. I wonder if I am a true romantic or a true cynic. Some days I wake up and just can't seem to find the sunshine; others I welcome the rain for I know what the rain brings: growth, cleansing, refreshment. But for the most part, I try to acknowledge what I have in my life and appreciate it full heartedly.

Many people find the act of being grateful in line with their religion or spirituality. I am no different. While I practice a less commonly accepted spiritual path, I do acknowledge the gifts given to me from a higher source. In my pagan path, I am a firm believer that whatever we put into this world, we will receive in return 7 fold. Basically, if I do what is good and kind and respect all that surrounds me, I will receive the same in return. Likewise, should I put hurt and anger, turmoil or negativity into the world I live, it too will return to me. This is along the same lines of "Do unto others..." or "What goes around, comes around".

I also believe in my heart that there is much validity in the old saying "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth". When we are blessed with something--anything in our lives, I think it is our responsibility to be grateful for that blessing. It becomes a huge insult to the Divine who blesses us when we show a lack of appreciation for that which we have been given. I know when I personally feel that something I did was not appreciated, it makes me not want to do it again for that person. How awful would it be if the universe chose to stop blessing us because we don't appreciate it or show gratefulness for the many gifts?

So with that said, I make it a daily effort to find and state what I am thankful for. I try to take the things in my life that are less than pleasant or perfect and force myself to see the positive side of it. For example, when I get extremely frustrated at my hubby for his lack of attention to cleaning the litter box, I remember how well he cleans the bathrooms for me, and I also remind myself how thankful I should be to have a husband who is kind and gentle, as some women are not so fortunate. On days when I want to go to the park and play outside with my daughter, but I wake to mud and rain, I remind myself again that rain is a gift from the Divine, and how often do we receive a tangible gift from the Divine falling from the sky. I have even found the song "Rain Rain Go Away" to be a bit pessimistic and a bit unlucky to sing. I find living in GA, a drought filled state, and singing such a song to be a little risky, and I just don't want to push my luck. Much to my belief in "be careful what you wish for" but that is for another posting another day.

So to ensure my family continues to be thankful and appreciative of what life gives us, Anniston and I spend a few minutes each night after we read, sing, and say our prayer discussing what we are thankful for. We have been doing it for so long now, she sometimes comes up in the middle of the day and tells me what she is thankful for.

Tonight she said, "Mama, I am sankful for loving you...and I am sankful for spendin' the day with you too, Mama. Oh and I am sankful for my toys too"

After listening to her beautiful sentiments, I am torn between gratefulness for a child whom is so kind hearted and spirited, and the beautiful emotion of watching my baby girl grow up into such a thoughtful young lady.

But at the end of the day--each and every day--I remain thankful for my family. Each member holds a unique and special place in my heart. Every day I realize how important family is, and I appreciate their relationships to me even more. I remain thankful for the life I have. It isn't perfect, and on most days it is quite challenging. I don't have a lot of things or money, but at sunset, the bills are paid, there is food in my pantry, and I have clothes on my body. What more could I ask for? I remain thankful for the simple wisdom to know when I have it pretty well off.

Tonight, I am thankful!

Inman Art Festival

2009-04-30T21:08:00.005-04:00

This past weekend I had the amazing honor of participating in the Inman Art Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. I joined other amazing photographers from Atlanta Photography Group in a shared tent. It was a two day festival in the heart of Inman Park surrounded by beautiful old trees and amazing homes.

In my two day run, I sold two fine art prints. Now that may not sound like a lot, but in this kind of economy for a photographer to sell a print which is an unnecessary purchase is an amazing success.

I loved walking around looking at the other artists and their crafts and work. Anniston racked up with a handmade princess wand and a handmade doll. Mom found a great bird bath/feeder/planter made from recycled PVC and a great clay casted moon/sun decor for the deck.

For anyone who has been to Bele Chere in Asheville, NC--this is very similar. Here are some photos of the festival.

Here was a kick back to the 60's. Hippie man with hat and long gray hair on his cell behind the van. I love people who dare to be bold!

This is just an example of the beautiful homes in the Inman Park neighborhood area. Each home was unique and stunning!

This woman in the black top and yellowish orange purse is looking through my photos. She really had her eye on my UGA photo. I stood back and just watched!

Lamar's BIG FOUR-OH!

2009-04-30T20:50:00.002-04:00

So I am backtracking a bit to catch up on the past few months.

Anyone who knows me and my family knows the following 3 givens in my life

1. I have two brothers

2. I am the baby of the family

3. The sun usually rises and sets on my brothers when it comes to me (in other words, they have always roped the moon)

Now that we have clarified that...Lamar turned 40 years old this year. The Big Four Oh! Oh My Gosh is more like it. Now last year, my other brother, Alex faced this same milestone in his life. For Alex, he spent his 40th in Disney World with his wife and kids. While he was traveling home, I was decorating his yard. Long story short, he did not care for my taste of decor.

So this year I wanted to bless Lamar with the same style of gift. He too planned to be out of town on his birthday. So my plan was to fill his swimming pool with beach balls and decorate his backyard. Another long story short, the town of Dacula became Georgia's "Windy City" that day and the beach balls ended up out of the pool before I could say "cannon ball".

But even without a pool full of beach balls, we still celebrated in style at his house with his close friends and family. My sis in law did an amazing job with food; we had fireworks, and we par-tay-ed til the wee hours of the night! Good times!

Happy 40th Lamar!

My Artistic Passion

2009-04-30T17:55:00.003-04:00

Many of you know I have a passion for photography. But I am not sure if I have ever blogged about it on my personal blog. So I thought I would take a moment and share with you a little about my passion.

When I was in college, I took a photography class (two actually) and learned how to use the basic 35mm manual camera. I also learned how to develop film and create prints in a traditional darkroom. I loved taking photos in college for two main reasons: one, NC is a beautiful state to photograph, and two, my second photography class was with Marc, so it was a class I enjoyed because of my time spent with him doing photo sessions.

But even before that, as a child, I had a passion for photography. I would dress my neighbor's son up and take pictures. I would take my niece and put flowers around her and take pictures. I never thought much about it except that I liked taking photos. I felt like I had an eye for composition, but never thought much about it as a career.

In the summer of 2006, Anniston was born, and it became a necessity for me to take pictures. I had to document every moment of her life if possible. I remember spending hours taking photos of her and changing her into different outfits. Seriously what else was I to do with all those girl clothes for her?!?!

One day, I had her next to the window (our apartment didn't get a lot of light and lamps weren't working) and I took her photo. I realized that the photo came out dark in the back and her face looked like I had posed her. I took several more in this lighting and came out with some great shots. I was very proud even though I knew it was a fluke, and I had no clue how I really created such a cool image. But it rekindled my passion for composition and finding something that appeals to the eye.

Today, I still love taking photos. I recently explained it to Marc (who already knew that I loved it). I explained it like such: I love photographing people, especially kids. I love capturing the true essence of a child's personality. Taking pictures of families is also important to me because it allows me to be an intricate part in preserving the memories of that family. I get to see and watch their interactions, and it allows and sometimes forces me to acknowledge the importance of relationships and how we interact with each other as human beings. It connects me to a world I would otherwise shy away from at times. I get to be a part of those memories!

Yet, I also enjoy taking fine art type of photos...nature, landscapes, historical buildings, artistic stuff. This allows me to be creative and work for myself and not a client. It allows me to see the world and show the world my perspective. It allows me to feel like a true artist when I see my art hanging in a show or know that someone buys a print to put it in their home just for the sake of enjoying it. It validates my views on the world.

I currently have a website and offer photography services for families and children as well as seniors, maternity and special events. While I offer those services, I still work diligently at my fine art prints and greeting cards. I have been blessed to have joined the Lawrenceville Farmer's Market where I sell my prints and greeting cards and also promote my services.

Last summer, I had a great season as I was able to sell lots of greeting cards and established a regular customer base. This season I expect to be just as good if not better as more people learn about the market.

So there it is...why and how I became a photographer. I still find it hard to call myself that, but at the end of the day, that is what I am.

Feel free to stop by my site and check it out. Alicia Holman Photography or my photography blog www.aliciaholmanphotography.blogspot.com

We're Homeowners

2009-04-30T17:42:00.005-04:00

We closed on our first home on April 21st 2009. It was a long and tedious process, but it was well worth it. After 4.5 years with this wonderful man, Marc and I are ready to start the next chapter in our lives together.

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait...

2009-04-16T20:03:00.002-04:00

...and something good must be coming, because you have been waiting for awhile.

Sorry I haven't updated lately.

More to come soon.

For now, here is what is going on in our lives....

We close on our house on April 21st 2009. It will be official! We will be homeowners and can begin the great exciting task of decorating and repairs.

I am participating in several art shows this spring. Inman Park Arts Festival is a long standing art show in Atlanta, GA and I will be showing my work through the non profit Atlanta Photography Group's booth on April 25th and April 26th.

I will also be showing and selling my photography April 25th and the following Saturdays thru May 16th in Auburn, Georgia at the Auburn Spring Festival Farmer's Market and Garden Expo.

Then starting June 6th, I will be back in my local spot at the Lawrenceville Farmer's Market.

So that is just a quick run down of our events. Coming soon....Easter, Lamar's 40th Birthday, update on the house buying process, and the ins and outs of our lives.

April 9th or sooner

2009-03-06T15:26:00.003-05:00

So for all who have been watching Marc and I scramble to find a house this spring, the search is over.

YES! We have found a home, put in an offer and are now under contract for our first home.

It is a great 4 bedroom 2.5 bath in Loganville. It has a great front and backyard. Perfect area for a garden, a gardening shed, a big ol playground thing (I never know what to call them) for Anniston and a huge wrap around deck.

The living room is three sides of beautiful picture windows and leads onto the deck. Anniston's room will be right next to ours so she will be able to get us in the morning and my fears of my daughter being taken from her bed at night will diminish somewhat as her room has no windows in it. Don't worry though, one of the other bedrooms will become her amazing playroom where she will spend most of her time anyway.

I have been watching a lot of HGTV lately and browsing through inspirational photos on HGTV.com and Rate My Space. I plan to learn a lot.

Since this is a fixer upper, we won't be able to move in right away after closing. We plan to close on or before April 9th (just in time to file the house purchase on our tax return and get the tax break without having to wait until next year)

After that, we have a builder who has become our friend who will work on the house for a few weeks. Here is a run down of the repairs we're doing.

The laundry room floor has rotted due to the previous owners not really knowing how to use a washing machine and the moldy rot creeped into the kitchen as well. So we are replacing the laundry and kitchen floors. Doing some base work around the bottom of the lower cabinets in the kitchen. Resetting a cabinet so it won't be crooked and drive me insane.

Then we are removing the old carpet in the family room and putting in a beautiful hand scraped Asian Walnut hardwood floor in it. What is hand scraped, you may ask. Well it is my best friend right now. After seeing samples of it and being talked out of my beloved cork flooring, I fell in love with the hand scraped look. It is exactly what it sounds like--hand scraped, so it already has imperfections in the wood, so any knicks or dents from wear and tear of a two yr old will not be noticed...and if they are, I simply say "oh it is a hand scraped floor, it comes that way--real popular" and people smile and tell me how beautiful it looks. :-)

In the family room, we also have to repair one side picture window due to vandalism. But we will be replacing one more window so we can open them for air flow. Right now none of the family room windows are intended to open. We also will replace a few doors and door frames.

The family before was awfully rough on their walls, so some patchwork will be done and some electrical work will be touched off.

Oh my goodness, the biggest repair, eh um expense of all for this house is installing heating and air. Can you believe that? This house sits on 1.5 acres of land in the middle of Walton County, GA with a family room that has no windows that can open and the people functioned without heating and air. I would have hated to have lived in that house in the middle of August. So our biggest venture is installing heating and air.

We're looking at about $12,000 in repairs and then small projects along the way. But we are soooo excited. We hope to have the house in presentable condition by the end of June so we can have Anniston's birthday party and housewarming get together with all our family and friends.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-25T15:55:00.009-05:00

Yes I know this is a little late. But what can I say, V-day has never been a day I cared for. When Marc and I first started dating, we chose not to celebrate Valentine's Day on Feb. 14th. Rather we celebrated it on Feb. 15th. This was our small way of protesting that for one day of the year everyone acts like they love everyone else. It kind of disgusted us that we had to have a day in which we told each other we loved each other. Even on our Feb 15th's it wasn't much more than dinner and a card (eh hm--if he could remember the card).

Well our first Valentine's Day after our marriage was planned to be just the same--no special plans. However, we ended up with heart break rather than heart shaped candy. Feb 14th 2005, I miscarried. So that was an official end to Valentine's Day for us.

But now that Anniston is 2 yrs old, I wanted to revamp Valentine's Day, and to be quite honest, I have found some really cute Valentine's Day crafts and receipes to do with her. It felt like a good time to welcome a mainstream (yet still cheesy) holiday back into our lives.

I must say, Anniston did have fun coloring valentines to send to her cousins. She took all of two minutes to color the valentines and was more excited about taping lollipops to them.

Now for a more adult take on the day (still PG 13--I promise)

Marc had promised to get my wedding rings fixed for Valentine's Day (why they are broke is a whole other posting). But after going by the jeweler, he chose to wait knowing we would be buying a house soon and would need some extra money for that project.

So instead, Marc brought this home on Saturday night.

And this was Anniston's....

And the coolest part about it--in my opinion--is that Marc arranged the flowers himself. Yes, I said it...my husband not only bought the materials which to some men would be a triumph in of itself, but he also arranged the flowers. It actually came out cheaper for him because he didn't charge himself his labor costs. So not only did he give me beautiful flowers, he did it in a thrifty manner, which I find really romantic!

Here are some more photos of the beautiful flowers

Mommy and Me

2009-02-15T00:03:00.000-05:00

I love having those special mother-daughter moments with Anniston. I especially love having them caught on camera.

Labor of Love....

2009-02-07T20:28:00.000-05:00

So after being inspired by a little sunshine, some cute fabric and my desire to handcraft something for my daughter that she could pass down one day, I attempted a dress for Anniston.

I went to JoAnn's Crafts and found some cute patterns on sale---only to come home and realize that sewing by a pattern is just one step away from geometry, physics, and algebra all rolled into one. Not having the capacity in my "left brain" compartment to understand pattern lingo, I went searching for an easier way to make a dress for my daughter.

Luckily I found simply instructions on how to make a pillow dress and jumped right to it. What should have been a easy afternoon project turned into a project that took about a week, but that was mainly because I kept refusing to get the machine back out and attempt another go at the seams of the arm holes.

But having my mom, a sewing veteran, at home and nearby should I run into a snag, I attempted the rest of the dress today. It is not good enough to qualify me on Project Runway, but I do find it quite cute myself.

In the end, even with the online instructions for the pillow dress, I still ended up creating my own pattern to follow and made my own tweaks to the concept. I guess the right brain got the best of me, and I followed my intuitive sewing gut on this one.

Home Is Where The Loan (I mean Heart) Is

2009-02-06T22:10:00.000-05:00

As part of our 2009 focus this year, Marc and I are determined to find a home...a house that is. We have been fortunate enough to live with my mom for the past couple years which has allowed Anniston to really bond with Maw Maw.

But as any child must do, it is time to fly the coop (again).

Marc and I have looked all over the beautiful state of Georgia...well the North East half of the state for a home that fits our wants and needs. Our list is modest in terms of the average Georgia resident wish list. A simple 3 bed 2 bath house with a large yard and possibly a basement is all we're looking for...and for now, a garden bath tub is still on my wishlist.

Anniston's priorities only require that the new residence have room enough for a treehouse/playground for her to acquire shortly after moving in.

In our search for our new home, we have learned a lot. With the economy the way it is and the housing market on such a shaky foundation, it can be quite a myth that this is a buyer's market right now.

Each day the loan process changes as the govt makes new changes to the housing market. Each day I watch homes go pending contract while we're still finding one that is right for us. We have submitted two offers which both have been left at a hault by no fault of our own.

In some cases, a bank lets a home go into foreclosure instead of taking the offer which makes no sense to me, but then again, I am assuming if much in real estate and mortages made sense, then we wouldn't be in the current crisis our country is in.

We have found a few great houses that need a lot of work. One in Loganville has great potential. I would have my gardening area, Anniston gets her playground (there from previous owners) and Marc gets an extra basement room. On top of that, we have a wrap around deck, a lake we can see from the deck, and a great front yard. What's the catch, you ask? It needs 20k in repairs. With the loans changing every day, who knows if we can get that...and I hate to break it to anyone who thinks college degrees make you rich...we just don't have 20k lying around at our disposal.

But what makes me think this house could be what we want is this: I can see Anniston playing in the yard. I know exactly where my Christmas tree would go, and I can almost small the fall breeze coming through those living room windows. So is that what makes me happy with a home?

YES!

I don't need a fancy home. Everyone keeps telling me how to make a home an investment and how to make it worth selling in 5 years. Seriously, I want a home not an investment. I want a home that I can live in the way I want to live for 5 years and even more. I understand the logic behind these opinions. Yes, certain flooring and certain countertop will sell better. But why am I worrying about a potential buyer on a house I haven't even lived in yet myself?

Just another case of keeping up with the Jones (and I don't mean Terra and Zach) and worry about what people think. Since I left for college, I have moved in and out of dorms and apartments. I have lived by other's rules and guidelines. Now, I have a chance to own my own home and make my own rules. I will paint it what I want to paint it, and floor it with what I want to floor it with (which by the way, I am in love with cork---environmental, and hardy).

It is my goal to create a home where I can watch Anniston grow and play and learn. I want my own little corner of the world where I can grow a garden and live a simpler life. I don't need to flip a house to be wealthy.

So in this house hunting process, as scary as it has been, I have used it as a way to find more of my identity and what truly makes me happy. House hunting is a big deal and requires much faith. We can look forever for the perfect house. We can think we have found it. But when all ends don't tie together, it is only wise to tell myself it wasn't meant to be rather than beating myself up over something I can't control.

I believe that somehow Marc and I will find the house we are meant to be in. It will have what we need, and it will be our home. Some may say this is too big of a deal to leave up to fate. If fate doesn't have a hand in it, the only other one to trust is the housing market itself, and we all know how it is doing right now.

Resolutions....

2009-01-03T20:22:00.001-05:00

Each year people fight the urge to create a resolution for themselves. Many seem to do this because they are tired of failing at the goals they set for themselves. It appears that some outside force stands in these people's way and keeps them from achieving what they themselves set out to accomplish.

Now I understand that not every goal will or can be accomplished. This is why it is necessary for each of us to take a true reality check and inventory of our life and what we wish to accomplish. I find the idea of "I resolve to make no resolutions" to be quite a lazy man's way to start the year.

Now while January 1st is not the only time we can set goals for ourselves, it isn't a horrible idea either. It allows everyone to evaluate and plan for the new year collectively.

I understand failure and the fear of failure. I too have abandoned goals and resolutions in the past only to feel disappointed in myself. But for the first time last year, I made a resolution and kept it. Was it hard at times? Of course it was! But in the end, I am now starting a new year having a feeling of satisfaction that my goal last year was not only started, but reached a level of accomplishment that I am satisfied with.

Last year, I chose to start Weight Watchers and lose some of the pounds I had carried all my life. Losing weight, ha, I know...typical resolution. However, for me it was a new and uncharted territory. I knew I needed to learn how to rethink the concept of eating and taking care of myself. I knew it would be more than a lesson in weight loss. It would be a lesson in taking care of myself and realizing that I was worth taking care of.

Having started on January 3rd of 2008, I am not writing this on the eve of my one year anniversary of participating in Weight Watchers and my life altering journey. I am now 70lbs lighter, several inches smaller, and at least 3-4 sizes down.

This year I plan to continue my my weight loss journey, but I have also set a few new goals for myself now that I have found a new sense of confidence.

My 2009 Goals

To continue my weight loss journey and make healthy choices in hopes to lose an additional 15-20 lbs

To establish a website for my photography that allows me to build my clients and gain exposure for my fine art

To continue to budget my family finances allowing for our savings to grow using cost cutting tips, coupons and practices

To find and purchase a home with my husband

To read the books on my 2009 reading list

To use my blog as an outlet of expression that I tend to ignore even when I have something to say

To continue to explore my set of beliefs and practices and ways to engage my daughter in these ideas to help her develop her own

I hope that this year each of you will also find goals that you can work towards. It is a waste of a year when we choose not to grow and better ourselves, thus bettering our world! Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

A New Year Brings New Challenges

2009-01-02T15:41:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to all! I have never been a big New Year's person. I have never really wished to be in the middle of the chaos of Time Square or guzzle glasses of wine and champagne on the strike of midnight. (This tends to make my father's yearly Xmas gift of new year champagne glasses obsolute--if he only knew).

I don't like watching the New Year's Eve specials with Dick Clark or Ryan Seacrest or Miley Cyrus or any other famous person. It is a lot of loud noise and freezing people with funny looking hats and glasses. However, the main reason I tend to avoid these broadcasts is for the simple reason that they make me cry.

Each year, the shows go through the year pointing out the good and the bad, the happy and the sad. In my own mind, I realize that everyone has loads of each of those. I realized back in 2005 that New Years is not something I cared to celebrate in the midst of lots of people, rather, I prefered to celebrate in my own quiet and introspective way.

New Year's Eve of 2005, Marc was yet again closing at work. I was pregnant, and chose to watch the New Year's ball and peach drop on TV. Now that I think about it, I was in NC and couldn't even find a station showing the peach drop in Atlanta, so I was already on the lonely side. But right before the ball dropped in Time Square, they played John Lennon's "Imagine". I listened to the song in all seriousness and reflected on my own life from that year. Starting in February of 2005 I had lost my first child in a miscarriage on Valentine's Day. Strike another holiday from my calendar and add a few months of depression, confusion and serious loneliness. Then October 8th 2005 while attending a close friend's wedding, my grandfather had passed away--a mere week after mine and Marc's one year anniversary. Shortly after that, I found out that I was pregnant.

So sitting all alone at the strike of midnight on the eve of a new year was a very sad moment for me. While I absolutely love John Lennon's "Imagine" and every word it possesses, it was in that moment that I decided that New Year's specials were not for me.

But alas, what did I do the last 90 seconds of 2008? I turned it to Dick Clark and watched him with every effort in his face to wish the world a Happy New Year. I felt in my heart that I needed to watch his show as opposed to the other ones. I mean, Miley can rock a stage, but Dick Clark is a New Year's legend, and this could be his last New Year celebration.

The difference in this New Year compared to others was that Marc had made it home in time to bring in the New Year with me, I was not alone by any means--my family was closer than I could possibly imagine, and by the grace of the Goddess--they did not play "Imagine" forcing me to imagine my past year and the year to come.

Menu Madness: Meals to Welcome the New Year

2008-12-28T22:37:00.001-05:00

I love planning meals for my family. It seems to make life so much easier when I know what I should have cooking. With tutoring at night, it helps to have the meal ready to go by a certain time so everyone gets to eat (and hopefully at the same time).

Each year I ask Marc for a new cookbook to add to my collection at Christmas time. I love browsing thru them and dog ear-ing the ones that intrigue me. I don't usually follow the recipe to a T. But I do find lots of good inspirations. Since being on Weight Watchers for a year now and having shed 70lbs, it is important for me to plan appropriately to avoid eating everything including the kitchen sink.

So as I bring in the new year and welcome 2009, I have chosen to include my weekly meal plans on my blog so 1. I am accountable to actually cook it and 2. so I can share some of my ideas with the rest of the world and 3. I am much more likely to log into here than look at a hand written menu on the fridge.

Monday

Hamburger Steak Soup

Tuesday

Lemon Herb Chicken with Steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower

Wednesday

Grilled Cheese and Chicken Noodle Soup

Thursday

Pork Roast with Apples, Black Eyed Peas and Something Green

Friday

Homemade Pizza

Saturday

On Your Own/Left Overs

Yummy Yummy and a Happy New Year!

Family Celebrations!!!!!

2008-12-27T22:08:00.000-05:00

So the year is wrapping up and so is the crazy hustle and bustle of the holidays. Christmas at our home has been very fun and of course very special as I love watching Anniston grow and learn each day.

This Christmas we were again living with Maw Maw at her house which made the holidays (again) extra special. Anniston learned to bake cookies and looked adorable in the process. My little elf was quite helpful when it came time to make batch after batch of cookies and goodies.
The week before Christmas we had the family over for some good ol family fun...if that means all piling into the living room with 9 grandkids, 3 siblings, 3 spouses, a cat, a pile of gifts, a table full of food, one Maw Maw and a partridge in a pear tree. This is always my favorite time at Christmas other than Christmas morning. I spend months flipping through magazines finding just the right foods to serve as it is one of the rare times I get to entertain. On the menu this year was the following spread:

Fried Ravioli
Taco Chili

White Bean Chicken Chili

Chicken and fries (for the kids)

Gingerbread Trifle

Cranberry Salad

Smoked Little Weenies

Deviled Eggs

Chips and Dip/Salsa

Sandwich Fixin's

Sausage Balls

Gingerbread Cookies

This all came after a trip to Asheville and two days filled with baking 15 platters of cookies and candies. But in the end, spending time with my family this time of year is one of my favorite things. Everyone ate like champs. We laughed and in a moment's notice the frenzy of gift opening began. One of my brothers always tells his jokes and finds something to pick on everyone about. My nephews try and convince me that we need to watch the football game (one hour or so without tv isn't going to kill the Holman clan). In the end it was so much fun!

Needless to say, Christmas 2008 with the Holman clan was extra special and of course fun! It is always great to get everyone together. Christmas is always the time to spend with family and those who mean the world to me!

Disney World--A World It Is!

2008-11-23T16:56:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I am going to backtrack my life a bit. Gonna rewind the tape, skip back a track--catch back up on our life for your amusements!

Back in Sept we went to Disney World. Now I haven't been to Disney since high school, but I would hardly count that as a magical trip. This time, I had my wonderful husband, my lovely mother and my little princess all to enjoy the trip with me.

After MONTHS of tedious planning down to the restaurants we would eat at, I finally got to trek down to a world that is twice the size of Manhattan: Disney World. No wait--WALT DISNEY WORLD!

We stayed at the All Star Movie Resort where the Toy Story soldiers watched over us. This amused my mom and Anniston the most. Since it was a week before mine and Marc's anniversary, we soaked up some love bird pampering. On the second night, we came home to find that Mickey and Minnie had broken into our hotel room and left an autographed photo of themselves on the bed. I guess they MEANT to leave the evidence behind.

We visited all the parks: Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Magic Kingdom. We also made a trip to Downtown Disney. Quite the venture for a 4 day trip!

Meeting characters was on top of our list as that can be most exciting for a 2 yr old (and a 27 yr old who got to meet Mary Poppins). Of the array of characters, we met Pooh and all his friends, Mickey and Minnie. Donald and Daisy. Goofy and Pluto. Handy Manny, June, A toy soldier, a castle full of princesses, Alice, Aladin, Jasmine, the Genie and so many more. This was one of the highlights of the trip.

Okay, so I could keep going on and I have so much more to share. So I promise more to come on our magical adventure. Like I said, I am backtracking my life a bit. Since Disney is still a major part of our lives, I am sure I can give a sporadic commentary of the Mouse's House every now and then! Until then....

Getting Aquainted

2008-10-30T22:44:00.000-04:00

Blogging is a new venture me. Putting the day to day activities of my family into cyber world for all to view is, well, a bit surreal to me. But, chatting with a toddler the majority of the day has drawn me to find another outlet to express myself and continue to use words I learned past kindergarten.

So here goes...

If you don't already know, my family consists of three: Myself, my husband and our beautiful daughter. Marc and I met in college, married shortly after--and as the old story goes, along came baby in a baby carriage. We lived in Asheville, NC for awhile and loved it for the most part. But family was down in Georgia making for it hard for a family network to blossom.

So we packed up the mules and trekked on back to the Peach State. We now live with my mom who loves having us here. She no longer spends her evenings alone watching Law and Order, but rather with two adults and a two year old while playing ponies.

Marc left Target after 10 years and found a job with Kroger. He is a co-manager for a Kroger across town. I have the joy of staying at home with my daughter. But for kicks, I do tutor online about 20 hours a week. I am also a photographer breaking into the biz. But I am sure I will blog on that another day!

So for now, this is my world. Welcome to it. Excuse the clutter!