Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Wordless Wednesday


 
 
First time at the Beach


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Sometimes People Can Be So Stupid...

I don't know what it is about a pregnant lady/lady with a baby that can bring out the most stupid comments and questions ever. Here are just a few that I have personally received during my pregnancy and Grayson Boy's first 11 months of life and the things I wish I would have said.
 
"Are you pregnant?" (At 9 months whale-huge mind you)
"Nope, I ate alot of doughnuts."
 
"Were you excited to get pregnant?"
"No, we were trying for surrogacy but the owners backed out so now I'm stuck with it!"
 
 
"What does it feel like to be pregnant? Do you feel huge all the time?"
"Like a ninja is trying to break out of my belly at any given second, and I do now you skinny snot"
 
"Ouch, do contractions hurt?"
"No, they tickle- that's why I'm doubled over here you ass."
 
 After baby has arrived...
 
"Aw, what is it??"
(Keep in mind hes in head to toe blue with a bib that says Daddy's Little Man)
"Its a baby, you half-wit."
 
"Did it hurt?"
"Did what hurt?"
"Having a baby."
"Nah, I bought him at 7-11. Didnt hurt a bit."
 
"Wow how old is he?"
"Eleven Months"
"Woah, hes a big 11 months."
"Yeah, and you're an ugly 30 year old, whats your point?"
 
"Does he have any teeth?"
"Yep, six"
"Wow, your nips must be raw after he gnaws at them"
... (to this I had no comment, whatsoever.)
 
Ohhh lovelies, sometimes you just cant account for peoples stupidity.
Have any of you have any similar experiences?


Monday, August 27, 2012

Show & Tell Link-Up- Showing off our wedding!

Back from the beach (boo!!) in time to link up with Becky to show off the day I went from Miss to Mrs!
 

 
1. Are you married? If so, when did you get married and tell us about your special day.
 
Patrick and I got married on October 30, 2010 on a beautiful fall day and it was in a word, perfect.
The one thing I was adamant on was that I wanted to get married in the church I grew up in, because my parents and grandparents were both married there. I DIYed a ton of stuff for the big day- the invites, programs, bridesmaid jewelry, ceremony decor, flower girl flowers, reception centerpieces, and aisle runner all to match my pink and pewter shabby chic theme- and save myself TONS of cash.  Our wedding also included so many personal touches- like the groom wearing custom Nike Shox and the groomsmen all wearing sneakers of their choice. We have big families, and are both criers so we decided to do a first look that was just for us- rather than him seeing me for the first time as I walked down the aisle with everyone else. It was so nice to have those few minutes to ourselves that day, so we could really express what we were feeling to each other.
 
 
 
 
2. Show us some wedding pictures!
 
My husband played hockey the morning of our wedding- eek!
 
 
The other shoe had our initals monogramed into it :)
 
 
Best friends- Elementary School, College, Birth. Love them!
 
 
Taken at Duquesne University- where we met waaayy back in 2003
 
That cake- it was funfetti :)
 
3. How about the engagement? Tell us your story.
 
Patrick did it while we were putting up our Christmas tree in December 2009. He invited his cousin and his family over, and his three year old buddy Gavin was helping us by picking up ornaments and handing them to me.  He reached into the ornament box and pulled out a ring box and walked over to me and said "Here Besamy, this is for you!"  and in my stupidity I was trying to figure out what ornament we put in a ring box until I looked up and Patrick was staring at me with tears in his eyes. He opened the box and said the sweetest things and then asked me to be his wife. Before I could even answer him Gavin came running up with another ornament yelling "Its a pickle Besamy, a pickel!!!"  Some people say that ruined the moment, but I think it made it perfect. I love that little blonde boy, and I love that he was such a special part of our engagement.  After I stopped laughing, and hung the pickle of course, I did say yes. 
 
 
 
 
4. Show us your wedding rings or an engagement photo!
 
 
 
5. Tell us why you think marriage doesn't work for so many. What can we do to make things last?
 
Now I'm no expert by far but I do know that marriage is HARD- anyone who is married knows that.  I think so many marriages don't last because people don't know how to make it through the hard. You need to know how to love, how to respect, how to communicate, how to argue, how to compromise and how to forgive and move on. The second you cant do one of those things, the marriage can fall to pieces.  A marriage is between two people, that is all- so you have to block out the outside influences and just focus on the two of you. If you're having problems communicating, or if there are pressures that are making it hard don't just give up- talk to someone like a pastor, a marriage counselor, or a therapist. There is no shame in needing some help, if it means that it will save your marriage.  Remember, you got married because you love each other. Show that love to each other everyday. Give kisses and hugs, write notes to each other, hold hands, go on dates, rekindle the love; do whatever it is that made you fall in love with each other. If you love each other, respect each other and figure out how to make it through the hard you'll be just fine. 

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

If you knew me- your questions answered!!

I got tons of great questions- some as comments but a lot in email; and here I am to answer them all! Well, half of them today and Ill answer the other half later.  If you still have a burning question- you can always ask and I promise Ill answer! 

With all of the stuff you bought for Grayson, did you have a registry regret?

I have two. One would be our monitor. We registered for and received an The Fisher Price Lights and Sounds analog monitor.


It sucked. If anything electric was placed between the base and the receiver (because we have NOTHING electrical in our house?!) it blasted out this wretched beep that sounded like Morris Code and scared the crap out of you at 2 AM. So we tossed that and got the Graco Secure Coverage Digital Monitor and it works amazingly well. I do wish, however, that from the start we had registered for and received a video monitor.  I realize that once little man is in a toddler bed, were going to want to know whats going on in there- so we're going to have to bite the bullet and buy one here soon. I just wish they were not so darned expensive!

The second is our stroller. Don't get me wrong, I love Chicco but that thing is HUGE. It takes up the whole cargo space of my SUV, and that can sometimes be very annoying.  Had I known what I know now I would have gone for a smaller stroller. My current lust is the Britax B-Agile- hear that, hubs?!

You said once that Grayon was a good sleeper- when did he start sleeping through the night and how long does he sleep now?

Grayson first slept through the night at 5 weeks old. Even before that he only woke up once at around 3 am to eat really quick, then he was back out till morning. Now he goes down somewhere between 8 and 9 depending on the day and he wakes up usually around 6, will have his morning bubba and be back out till around 9. So total hes sleeping somewhere between 11-13 hours per night. I cant complain about his sleeping habits at all.

I was wondering, how is the C25K coming?

I finished the program, but Im not a big fan of running. When Im running I think of all of the things I could be doing or need to be doing, and I zone out and nearly fall on my face. Its dangerous for a klutz like me. I think we're going to run a 5K together in the fall, but I much prefer things like Zumba or Spinning that I have to concentrate on what the person leading the class is showing me. Oh, and I can laugh with others. I like to laugh, even if it is at myself.

I know that your husband is handy, but what does he do for a living?

He works in a family business as a project manager for a flooring and general contracting company. I also whore him out to the teachers I work with to do side projects for them- because I know what they make and they deserve a break.

Do you volunteer anywhere?

Not on a regular basis, unless you count the hours after school I tutor the children who don't pay attention to me the first time I teach it (I kid, I kid- well in some cases).  I used to be really involved in my church, but when I moved in with the hubs it was 45 minutes from my home church so it makes it hard to do all of the stuff I would like to do.

I read in Grayson's Birth Story that you let your husband name him, and I was just wondering how you gave him all of that responsibility?  Did you have a list of names and he picked off of there? Im preggers, and my dh wants to name our little girl and I'm terrified to let him!

Let me clarify, Patrick (that's the hub's name btw) REFUSED to agree on a name for the Bean until he held him.  Way early on in my pregnancy I had a dream that it was a boy and that I named him Grayson. Originally Patrick haaaaaaaaated the name, but I was adamant that it was kept on the list. He wanted to name him after his dad and my dad, or himself.  I told him there was already one Michael and one Patrick in the family, so those were out (though lord knows he kept trying!). As we got closer to d-day we had a list of 5 names that we kind of liked. Grayson Michael or Grayson Patrick, Zachary David, Michael James, Emmanuel James, Jason Patrick, and finally Thomas Patrick.  I was all set for a fight, but after the delivery I was so tired I told Patrick that he could name him no fights- I was too tired to fight about it anymore.  Once he held him he just knew, he was a Grayson.  He looked at me and said he wanted to him to have his middle name in honor of his Dad, and that was that.  I figured he could be Grayson whatever, because I felt like I had won the name lottery.

When is baby #2 coming?!?!

Woah nellie!! This one still has that whole new baby smell to him! Haha! Seriously, I want another baby, I do. But I had to give up every sick day I had to get my full 8 weeks off with Grayson, and still ended up taking 3 unpaid weeks off. So I have to save up some sick time so that I don't have to EVER do that again.  Going to work with the stomach flu because you literally cant take a day off, sucks big time.  We're thinking maybe in 2 or 3 years to start trying. Of course Grayson was totally not planned at all, so you never know. 

Did you have a feeling that it would be a boy or a girl when you were pregnant?

Seriously, every person in my husbands family has children in the boy then girl order. I was sort of hoping to buck the tradition- but in my heart I knew it was going to be a boy.  Mainly because I love the color pink, and couldn't wait to do a girly nursery- we even EASILY agreed on a girls name.  It was all too easy, so I knew it had to be a boy.

When are you going to do a house tour?


To be honest, Ive never thought of it.  I figured no one would care about my life enough to want to see what our house looked like, esp because it is a work in progress.  I guess it is something to think about though, and to get up on the blog.  Maybe when I find a good Link Up on it and I have the energy to hide all of the toys!

What got you started sharing Tips and Tricks?

Literally, some days my life is a mess and I need all of the help I can get. I started looking for answers to my questions and I couldn't keep track of everything. So when I cant remember something, I write it down or in this case, I blog it. Once I had it all together and hit publish it went Pinterest crazy and people wanted more, so I just kept going!


Stay Tuned for Part 2! 

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

I admit it- Im a weenie!

Last night I was walking to the front door barefoot when I stepped on something. I knew it instantly, it was a ginormous chunk of glass- and it was now embedded in my poor tootsies. From where it was, I knew it was probably tracked in on hub's work boots (who I had to step over to get to the door.ahem.) but that still didn't stop me from vacuuming like a crazy person and then using tack cloth on the floor just to make sure my poor baby didn't get a sliver in his chubby knees or toes. 

 Oh yeah, I did all of this on one foot because that glass was still in there.

So after I got it all cleaned up I asked the hubs if he could take a look.  He said he could see it, and would try to remove it with some tweezers.

Fast forward to me face down on the bathroom floor, squirming and squealing obscenities because it hurt like a mother-you-know-what.

He stopped and said what, he thought, was a rational statement.

"Stop it. You had a baby, no problems. This is a pair of tweezers, not a scalpel. This can not hurt as bad as giving birth."

Now I know he meant well. He just wanted me to stop squirming so he could get out the glass, which was now buried about 1/8 inch down. So I responded with the most rational comment I could muster.

"You're right, now go get the anesthesiologist to give me an epidural and you can dig away all you like."

He did not appreciate my snappy comeback- so he dug away. But he did get the glass out, and put a nice Hello Kitty Band-Aid on it. Then he offered me a Popsicle.

Because hes a good guy, and I'm a pain weenie.

Happy Tuesday, Lovelies!

Monday, August 20, 2012

High Chair Re-do!

Ever since Grayson was born I have been scouring Pinterest for ideas for photos- when I came across this guy.


Pinned Image
Source: Katie @ Loves of Life

I knew then, I needed one of these suckers. I started searching craigslist and came across this guy and brought him home for a whopping $5.


Blah. Old. Ugly. Scratched up. But oh so much potential.

So first I sanded...and sanded...and sanded. All of those rungs that you think are adorable, you will suddenly hate because they take forever to sand.

Just sand it enough to get the primer to stick- but you have to get all of the nooks and crannies, which took me a good hour with the sand paper.

Once sanded, use a piece of tack cloth and get off all of the dust. Then its time to prime.

This is my spray painting friend. You pull the trigger and get a nice even spray- its fool proof. Or as the hubs says- Bethany proof.  It was $6 in Home Depot and worth every cent.


After a few coats of Kiltz it was ready to go- but again those rungs make you want to kill yourself.  You have to flip it over to make sure you get all of the sides covered.

Then it was time to turn it blue. This is after one coat- and it already looks 1,000,000 times better.

And the finished product?


so.much.better!

Cant wait to show you the incredible 1 year pictures that he will take in this chair, or the smash cake fun-ness that will also happen here.


Friday, August 17, 2012

Fabric Birthday Banner

It feels like forrrrrever since Ive shared a craft with you guys. I'm super excited to share this one, because its one off the list for the big first birthday party extravaganza.


In the grand scheme, it probably took total two hours to make. But with drying time, it took a couple of nights total.

First I started with the letters. First I  made a template in Word using Areal Black font in size 300, and cut the letters out. Then I traced them backwards onto a sheet of fun foam.


After they were cut out, I busted out the glitter and some mod-podge.
Paint on a thin layer and smash into the glitter.


I let the letters dry overnight before hitting them with  a coat of clear acrylic to seal in the glitter so it doesn't get everywhere. You could also coat with another layer of modpodge if you like.

Then it was time to start the banner. Using the shape feature in Word I made a triangle template and traced it onto some duck cloth that was on sale for $3.99 a yard. I only got 1/3 yard of each color and I had way more than enough.


Just remember to alternate the triangles so you don't waste fabric, that way if you do screw up you have lots extra.

Once they were all cut out it was time to sew them to the ribbon. I laid them out on the floor and made sure to leave enough room to allow them to hang underneath one another. In my case it was 10 inches for the first layer, 20 for the second and 30 for the third.  I just used a few straight pins to pin the triangles 1 inch apart to the ribbon and sewed a nice straight line. If you don't sew, remember to use the reverse at the ends so that you can cut the thread nice and close and it wont fall apart on you.


Just a tip, make sure when you sew you pin the triangles on so that the clean side (the side you didn't trace on) is facing out. Otherwise, get yourself a seam ripper because that will bug the crap out of you if you're anything like me!

I used hot glue to attach the glittery Super Letters (it is a Super Why Party, after all!) to each triangle, and it was done! I saw these available on Etsy for upwards of $50- and in total I spent $10.59 on the supplies. It was well worth the savings in my book, because it was really super easy.


I promise to post a full shot of the three layers when I do the big birthday reveal :)

Cost Breakdown:
Fabric 4 Colors @ $3.99 per yard- $1.33 each x 4 = $5.32
Ribbon 1 Spool @ $.99 with coupon = $.99
2 Sheets of Fun Foam @ $.89 each = $1.78
1 bottle of red glitter @ $2.50 with 50% off coupon = $2.50
Total = $10.59
I already had the ModPodge and the red thread, but if you didn't add on another $5 or so for those.


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Its Okay Thursday

Linking up with Neely and Amber for Its Okay Thursdays- because, well, its been that kind of week.

Go check it out and link up what you're okay with this week!
Its Ok Thursdays

- If you get more cleaning done in the 15 minutes before someone comes over than you do all day.

- If the bean poops while Daddy is pulling into the garage to pretend you didnt notice so that you dont have to change it.

- To eat Redi Whip from the can for breakfast- its kind of like milk.

- To block someone on facebook who posts an absurd amount of political opinions and stupid pictures all.day.long.

- To shop online and at discount stores to avoid paying full price for something.

- To spend all of your fun money on a deluxe mani/pedi for Momma- sometimes we just need to spoil ourselves.

- To let the man child eat a whole slice of American cheese in the grocery store if it means that you get all of your shopping done in peace

- To tell the cashier at Kohls/Carters/Children's Place that you forgot your coupon at home to see if they will just give it to you anyhow. Most times, they do!

- To wear yoga pants everywhere, even if you have no intention of doing yoga in them.

- To go to a Zumba class and realize that your dream of being on Dancing With The Stars will never EVER come true because you spend most of the class looking like a goof.

- To grab a doughnut on the way home from spinning class- you need the sugar to keep up with the bean!


Happy Thursday, Lovelies!



Sunday, August 12, 2012

Sunday Social- all about Food!!

Back again for week 10 of the Sunday Social with Neely from A Complete Waste of Make Up!


Sunday Social
 
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?
 
Hmmm...thats tough, because I get bored with food easily. Probably chicken fingers and fries or mac n cheese.
 
What is your guilty pleasure/comfort food? 
 
Cheese Steak Pizza.
 
 
What is the weirdest/craziest thing you've ever eaten?
 
I love putting ketchup on my mac n cheese, and grilled cheeses- which people think is weird.  I don't eat crazy foods, but I always have eaten like a pregnant woman.  I will eat some cheese, then Ill want some peanut butter, then Ill need an apple, then some chocolate. One after the other- its kind of strange. Of course when I was preggo I didn't eat like that at all.
 
What foods do you avoid at all costs?
 
Lots. Fish, whole tomatoes, watermelon, most veggies, guacamole, mustard...Im a pretty picky eater lol
 
What meal reminds you of your childhood?
 
Spaghetti, Ham and Mac and Cheese, Lucci's Pizza on Saturdays
 
Share one of your favorite recipes and the story behind it.
 
I love making bacon cheddar bay biscuits- they were one of the first things I thought at a restaurant that I could make myself and make better.  My husband loves them and requests them at least once a week- mainly because he likes to take them for his lunch the next day to eat a turkey sandwich on. They're also amazing with my quick homemade chicken soup- recipe for biscuits and soup here!
 
 

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Ten Months Old

Grayson Boy-

We did it- you have officially been on the outside as long as it took to bake you. I still cant grasp how you can be 10 months old, but that's besides the point.


You made it EXTREMELY difficult to take these pictures, peanut. You don't sit still for a nano second, and picture taking is a team event these days.

At your 9 month appointment you were 21 pounds 8 ounces, and when we took you back to your 10 month appt you were still exactly the same,  21 lbs 8 oz.  You did however, grow an extra inch- so you're one tall little guy.  You grow too fast, but Daddy is excited for the chance to have a tall boy so hes okay with it. You're breaking into 9-12 month clothes, but can still wear your 6-9 month shirts and size 3 diapers.

This month you took your first vacation- 11 hours in a car and you did excellent.  You barely cried, and were pleasant the whole time. We went to Tennessee and Georgia, and you did a lot of firsts. The only thing you really were not a fan of was the tubing on the Taccoa River because they made you wear a life jacket. You screamed the whole time, and made us all feel so bad.

You're trying so hard to walk, you take 5-6 steps off of the couch before you drop to your knees and take off crawling. You zoom around the couch, literally running the length of the sectional and fling yourself at whoever is there to catch you.

You climb on EVERYTHING. It drives Mommy crazy, because you take your little red chair and push it to the couch and scale it like its no big deal. The other day I was on the phone with Grammy and she asked where you were, and when I looked up to see what you were doing you were trying to climb onto the back of the sofa.  I keep joking that I'm going to attach you to the doggie run so you can't get too far!

You've mastered the high five and so big, and love to do them for people. The other skill you've figured out is clapping.  You clap for yourself all the time, and you wait for us to tell you "Yay Grayson!" while you're doing it. If we don't, you yell at us and its pretty funny. 

Your other new trick is the stinker face- and you give it whenever you are not thrilled with a situation.
 When you get really agitated, you also snort while making this face and that makes everyone laugh. You're full of personalty, and I love it.

You got to celebrate your first 4th of July as well as the birthdays of both Grammy's this month. You loved watching the small fireworks, but the big ones were too late for you- you passed out before they started.  You painted your first masterpieces this month for Grandma's birthday, and Mommy and Daddy were a little jealous that they got your first works of art.  

You love to eat new foods, but you hate when we baby you. You don't like food cut up into baby pieces, you want the big people food and you eat it like a champ.  The other day we went to eat with Grandma and you ate her burger, and you also eat whole slices of pizza.  You want your cereal on a spoon with milk, and a full on banana for breakfast. Chicken strips are a favorite, and so is any type of bread. Spaghetti you think belongs in your hair or on the backs of the puppies, but its so cute to watch you eat it. 

You're a talking fool. Of course all you ever want to say is DaaaaDaaaa! You jibber on and on and so far we can pick out words like Mama, Dada, Dog, Yea, and Nana. Mostly though, its all about daddy. He doesn't mind, but it does drive me nuts.  Grammy even tried to bribe you to say Mama- she offered to give you a dollar to say it. You held your hand out like pay up, and laughed at her. You are too much my love.





Grayson you are amazing. I cant say it enough. I love you more than words can say and even though I'm pretty sure you're going to give me a heart attack, I wouldn't change a thing about you or our time together.  You are the light of our lives and were really blessed to be your parents. I cant wait to see everything else you're going to be able to do next month, because you learn everything so fast. Its okay if you slow down a bit though, Mommy doesn't mind if you want to stay a baby for awhile.

Love always,
Mommy