Friday Foto Op!

I come from a long line of lip-kissers, & I certainly wasn't gonna be the one to break the chain!

Well, it's Friday.

That marks another week where I had to take pictures of myself.

I can tell you that I'm not enjoying seeing myself on camera this much.

I'm just so judgmental.

I should probably work on that.

BUT.......

I dun't wanna!

These are the ones, believe it or not, that passed my harsh scrutiny!

My favorite!  Look how wittle that hand is.  Wittle bitty!

Goof ball #1 & #2.

Precious baby boy!

I wish Walk was looking at the camera!  :(

Have a TERRIFIC weekend!

I'm counting on the Georgia Bulldogs to whoop some Volunteer bootay!  GO DAWGS!

Have a tickle-attack with your sweet babies!

And pinch your husband's hiney in public.  {he'll love it!}

Souper Thursday!

When the weather starts to get chilly, I like to make soup.

When I'm thinking about chilly weather, I like to make soup.

When I smell bonfires, I like to make soup.

Shoot, even when I'm just thinking about soup........... well, I like to make soup!

Here is one of our family's favorites.  It comes straight from my Mommy's recipe book!  ♥

I am shocked that I remembered to take a picture!

Taco Soup

1 pound of ground beef
1 pound of ground turkey
1 onion chopped or minced or whateva
1 garlic clove minced

Brown meats with onion & garlic.

2 - 16 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 - 16 oz. can diced Mexican tomatoes (if you can't find these, just use something similar)
2 - 16 oz. cans kidney beans
1 - 16 oz. can yellow corn
1 - 16 oz. can black beans
1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
2 packages of Taco Seasoning

Do NOT drain vegetables.  Mix all of the above together.
Serve with sour cream, grated cheese, & tortilla chips or Fritos!

Enjoy!

What I'm Learning About the Male Brain!

Almost every Sunday after church, my husband, my son, & I eat lunch at my Mom & Dad's house.

Usually my youngest two baby sisters & their significant others join us as well.

My little sistas will be so happy that I posted this pic!

Our last few Sundays together have proved very enlightening to me into the male brain.

{strange land that it is}

Here is what I've learned:

1.  Grown men will wear shoes that are literally falling apart!  Shoes which a certain red-headed man wears to work every day.  His response when I told him to PLEASE buy a new pair of shoes, "Well, my feet haven't gotten wet!"  Oh, good grief, Charlie Brown!

2.  College aged men will wear the same pair of socks each week.  Now as long as this brown-headed boy washes these socks, I really don't care EXCEPT for the fact that these "Sunday socks" have a hole the size of Texas in them.  Socks cost less than $5........ buy a new pair, sweet boy, BUY.A.NEW.PAIR!

3.  When little brown-eyed boys accidentally pass gas at the dinner table, it becomes a source of pride & hilarity for ALL of the men around the table.  AND said little boy will giggle & giggle despite the attempts from the poor, horrified momma to move on to a new topic of discussion.  :/

Boys, boys, boys!

What more is there to say???

I'm speechless!

And thankful I'm a GIRL!  ♥

Walker's First Field Trip!

There is this wonderful animal rehabilitation facility in our area in which you can visit & learn about & enjoy the animals --- it is called Noah's Ark.

It is a free visit, although donations are very appreciated!

We went with some of our friends, & had a great time!

The kiddos got to see all kinds of animals.

Lions.

Tigers.

Bears.

Wolves.

Chickens.

Bunny Rabbits.

And LOTS of animal poop........... I think the poop was more exciting & humorous to the kiddos than the animals.  Go figure!

Here are a few photos I snapped during the trip!

Mama & baby chick.  So sweet!

This tiger & bear live in the same pen together.  This little bear was trying to nurse the tiger's ear.  It was presh!

Walker & his little friend, Miss B!  It's so neat to see how God has used adoption to bring both of these babies into loving families!

Fun trip for frozen yogurt after the field trip!

And so IT begins..........

You may have read a previous post of mine entitled I Eat, Therefore I Run.

In that post, I divulged that I was a runner, & was going to embark on the Hot Chocolate 15k here in Atlanta.

Well.............

I've taken the plunge.

I've done the deed.

I've signed on the dotted line.

And that Finisher's Mug is as good as MINE!

Now the training begins!

I really hate training!!!!

{boo!  hiss!}

I like the way my pants fit more loosely, & I can eat more food........

I like how I feel disciplined & kinda awesome!

But I hate HAVING to run!

I guess it's my old sin nature creeping up on me.

But why exactly do I hate the discipline that training for a long run brings????

Mostly, I think it might have something to do with the fact that it will mean that I actually have to set my alarm & get up & RUN before Little Bit wakes up!

Which also means that I have to get up before my husband does!


Ugh!  Dreading it!

Don't you just feel so sorry for me - - - - - this whiny, grown woman?

Of course you do!  Because you're nice!

I could really use some encouragement here, peeps!  ♥

Friday Foto Op!

Well............. we snapped a ton of photos on several different days this week.

Some were epic failures.  Some were blurry.  Some were too close.  Some were far away.

This was the only one of which I semi-approved.

Of course, the baby boy looked fine in all of them.

I am reminding myself that these photos aren't for me.

They are for him!

The goal is for me to be IN them.

Not to try & look fabulous!

So here it 'tis!

Have a GREAT weekend!  Kiss your babies!  And flirt with your husband!  ♥

I Love You to Uganda & Beyond!

Lately, Walker has been talking more & more about Uganda - his birth country.

I think this is due to the fact that his English is getting better & better, and that he is able to put  English words to his thoughts, memories, & experiences about his life before we became a family.

He'll ask things like, "Mommy, am I going back to Uganda?"

My answer is always, "No, baby, you don't EVER have to go back there.  You live with us now in America.  You'll live with us forever!"

Of course, these are age appropriate answers to help build in him a firm foundation of family, love, & security.  I do very much hope that we'll take {at least one} heritage trip back to Uganda with him showing him the land in which he was born & lived before we were united as a family.  I also don't really plan for him to "live with us forever!"  I plan to train my little one to love life, embrace it fully, & be able to live ON HIS OWN after college.

Now that Walk's English is really getting so good, we find ourselves talking about Uganda often.  He'll be playing with his cars in the dining room, & he'll tell me that he's in America & that I'm in Uganda {which is usually the kitchen or the living room.}  Sometimes I've even overheard heard him telling his cars that they live in America & don't have to live in Uganda.  ♥

After we first came home from UG, we quickly discovered that Walk's favorite movie was Toy Story {we've since progressed to an obsession with Cars 1 & 2, but he was a die-hard Toy Story fan for awhile there}.

He loved to quote Buzz Lightyear, "To infinity & beyond."

These were the days where his English was still hit or miss, so you'd hear him say either "To I'm sorry & beyond" or "To obscenity & beyond."  It was really pretty cute to hear him butcher Buzz's famous quote.

It was at that time that I began telling him, "I love you to Uganda & beyond."

I didn't say it every day, but we went through a season where I said it pretty often to him.

I said it kinda casually.  I didn't really think he was paying that much attention. 

However, the other day he looked at me with those big, brown eyes & in his little, tiny voice asked me, "To Uganda & beyond???"

It was then that I realized that not only had he been paying attention, but he knew {to some degree} what Mommy was telling him.

I quickly scooped him up & said, "Yes, baby!  I love you to Uganda & beyond!"

A huge, sweet, toothy smile spread across his dark, smooth, little face, & his little, almond-shaped eyes sparkled like Christmas tree lights!

He's said it several times since then, & my heart just overflows with joy to tell him again & again & again!

What a gift from God our little boy is!  I am SO thankful for him, & for how the Lord has & is writing our story!  "To God be the glory!  Great things He has done!"

If You Can't Paint the Town, then Try The House!

When we bought our house, I {lovingly} referred to it as The Blueberry!

The precious people who owned it before us shared a True Blue love of the color blue.

Walls were blue.

Kitchen counter tops were blue.

The inside of the Master closet was blue.

It was a blue-rific mess!

We have slowly eliminated all traces of this 1990's country blue from the inside of our house.

Howevah, the exterior is STILL blue!

We toned down the Blueberry Blue shutters & front & back porches to a lovely gray called Mark Twain Gray Brick.

It's a very pretty gray that has served us well, but it's finally time to repaint the house!

HOORAY!

I've been trying to think & think & think what color scheme I want.

I'm a traditional gal, but I don't want typical traditional colors.

I don't want the white & black house with the red front door.  Nor do I want the array of tan & taupes. 

I love those colors, but I just want something more for our humble abode!

I still want the traditional feel, but I want it to be fresh, inviting, & with just a touch of whimsy.

After searching the dubya-dubya-dubya over & over & over again, I've finally found these that I love!

I was fortunate enough to run across these on Pinterest & other blogs.

Here are 3 that have made my short list!

What do 'ya think???  Which one is your favorite?

Fall Makes Me DREAM Big Dreams!

There is something about the changing of seasons that just seems to awaken ALL of my senses!

It's amazing!

I have no idea what the weather this week is supposed to look like............

But last week........ oh, last week........ it was glorious! 

It was a little FALL-ish around here, & I was in heaven.

I made pumpkin bread & hot white chocolates!

We slept with the windows open {and the ceiling fan on high} so that we could cuddle up under the covers.

I dressed my son in long-sleeved shirts & shorts.

I even started out most of my days in long-sleeved shirts as well.  By the afternoon I had to change into short sleeves, BUT for a little bit, I was a Fall Girl!

It must be this excitement over the changing seasons, that also has me wishing that I'd joined the cast of Les Mis when I had the chance!

Well............

I never really had the chance.

I can't sing.

I do sing!  And quite loudly!

But I don't do it well.

Hitting the note isn't much of a concern to me when I'm all wrapped up in the emotion of a song like, "Who Am I?" or "I Dreamed A Dream."

I have the Anniversary Edition of Les Mis where all the "best" versions of the cast come together in London & perform.

It's totally wonderful & rapturous!

It can make driving to the grocery store a heavenly event!

I sing along with EVERY song!

I sing every song ExAcTlY like the performers do............ I mean, I match their accent & all!

It's kind of crazy.........

I mean, charming & cute!

One of my dreams would've been {actually, it still is} to tour with Les Mis & be their Stage Manager or Drama Director or something awesome like that!

You know, some people have dreams that are actually attainable.

That's the easy road!

I prefer to have totally unattainable dreams............

That way, if they happen, it really WOULD be a dream.............

Kinda like if we woke up tomorrow to discover that my husband was a long-lost prince of a beautiful, wealthy, magical land.

You know....... that KIND of a dream!

Bring on the Fall.

Bring on the Dreamin'!

First Time Mommas Can Be CRAZY!

My son may be 5 years old, but WATCH OUT world I'm still a fIrSt TiMe MoMmY!!!!

Unlike most first time Mommys, I actually get to sleep all the way through the night!

{what a relief!}

Unlike most first time Mommys, my son has never baptized me with spit-up or a stream of tinkle.

{oh, wait! he did tinkle on my foot one time. he was too distracted to focus his aim in the right place.}

Unlike most first time Mommys, I don't EVAH, EVAH, EVAH have to change his dirty diapers!

{i am reveling in this one!!!}

As far as the "tough stuff" of first time Mommy-hood goes, I've got it pretty GREAT!

H-O-W-E-V-A-H!!!!

In all actuality, I've only been a Mommy for about 4 months.

Month 1 was spent in Africa, & it was wild & crazy. It was survival of the fittest, & the 5 year old proved to be the "fitter" beast!

At home, on our own turf, we have regained the proper parental control.

{most of the time}

But I can still be pretty neurotic about things.

The thought of leaving him alone ANYWHERE, mildly terrifies me.

{i'm sure this will pass with time, but to me he's only my 4 month old infant}

I make him use hand sanitizer AFTER he washes his hands in the bathroom. He calls it hand "sanzitizer."

{i'm sure that this will pass when child 2 comes along. or be strongly reinforced.}

I don't let him leave the house in a non-cute outfit!

{who am I kidding..........this one will probably never change..... at least until he begins to have his own opinion on his ensemble}

To add to the neuroses of a first time Mommy, I also am a first time adoptive Mommy.

DOUBLE WHAMMY!

I worry about how other kids will treat him. If they'll ask questions he doesn't want to answer. If they'll make rude comments. I anxiously wonder if adults will give him the patience he needs in a class environment, or if they'll brush him off & consider him unruly or a kid who doesn't pay attention.

Because the truth is, in many ways he IS only 4 months old {at least in terms of his "family age"}, & I guard & protect him like I imagine I would an actual 4 month old.

He is remarkable & sweet & resilient, & he has learned SO much in these 4 short months.

BUT my 4 month old has a long way to go until he functions as a "normal" {whatever that is} American 5 year old.

I know that I can't make the world perfect. I know that I can't protect him forever. I know that many will be kind & loving & accepting & welcoming. I also know that there are real toad-heads in the world & we all have to face their unkindness.

But he's only 4 months old!

I'm not ready for all of this yet.

So, I will keep my baby close until this new Mommy feels that he's {or I'm} ready to let go a little at a time.

And I don't think there's a single thing wrong with that! ♥

Friday Foto Op

Because this is Friday.

Because I vowed {just last week} to have at least one photo snapped with ME in it each week for a year.

Because I had on NO make up & hadn't even made it out of my PJ's.

This is the silliness that resulted.

We snapped several photos, but this is the only one that really turned out un-blurry.

Boys move constantly!

It wasn't until AFTER we were finished having fun in front of the camera {with our hands all over each others faces} that I asked Walker if he had washed his hands after coming out of the bathroom.

The answer was "NO!"

GAH-ROSS!!!!!!!

ps - Have a great weekend, and GO DAWGS!

Recipe Review: Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken

I {heart} Pinterest.

I find it so pinteresting!

What???

You don't?

Why aren't you pinterested?

You should be!  It's so fun!

Well, surely you find me pinteresting???  If so, you can follow me HERE!

If I'm not enough to do it for ya, then maybe this recipe will peak your pinterest.


{whew.......... glad you made it through all that corn!}


I go through phases where I am on Pinterest every day, just a 'pinnin'.

Then I'll go WEEKS & WEEKS without getting on there at all.

I love to post recipes!

I have 2 boards devoted to foods.  One board is for SAVORY foods & the other is for SWEET foods.  One quick glance at these boards will reveal to you which food is more precious & life-altering for me.  And you will also notice that I do not have a board called Healthy Eating.  Those things are usually too boring to peak my pinterest......... oops, Brittany, I did it again!

Even though my savory foods board is severly lacking in its number of recipes, there is one on there that I just HAD to try.

BaKeD sWeEt & SoUr ChIcKeN

Can I get a holla'???!!!

It just sounded too good not to try!

I followed the recipe exactly like it says on the blog.  However, I quickly discovered that I only  needed 2 chicken breasts for this recipe. 

If you decide to follow the recipe & use the 3-4 chicken breasts, like I did, then you'll probably find yourself needing about 2 cups of cornstarch & 4 eggs.......... the recipe calls for only half of that.

I give this recipe 4.5 peaches out of 5!

We really loved it!  All three of us!  My son could've eaten this for breakfast, lunch, & dinner!

If you try it too, then please let me know what you think!

ps - Wasn't this the most pinteresting thing you've read all day??!!

 

 

pps - {Disclosure}  I am NOT a food blogger.  Taking pictures of my meal as I prepare it & cook it & eat it just ain't gonna happen!  Those food bloggers are special, special people with an attention span far greater than mine!  Rock on food bloggers!  Rock.on.!

A Sexy Man, is a Man Who __________ !

True Story.

Short Story.

The other night my husband & I were laying in bed watching television.

{yes, I know that a TV in the boudoir is supposed to be B-A-D for your marriage.  i don't know exactly what that says about us.  don't analyze.  just l♥ve!}

As we're laying there, a commercial comes on.

It's one of those cheesy-acting, poor lighting, bad camera-work type of "dating" commercials.  I was barely paying attention, but I caught the last line of the commercial & laughed out loud.  It was so random!

Immediately following {and because of} my laughter, this conversation ensued between my Dear Husband & me:

DH:  "What?  Why are you laughing?  What did they say?"

Me:  "You're kidding right?"

DH:  "Huh, no?"

Me:  {beginning rumblings of hysterical laughter}

DH:  "What?  What's so funny?"

Me:  "You're kidding right?  Oh, puh-leeze!  You really heard what they said & you're just being silly, aren't you??!!"

DH:  "Huh?  No.  What are you talking about?  WHAT.DID.THEY.SAY?"

Me: {still Laughing-Out-Loud!}  "They said, 'Because a man who listens is sexy!'"

DH:  {soft, manly laughter}......... the embarrassed type

Me:  "Um-hmm!"

Pretty funny, huh?

I mean, you just can't make this stuff up!

If my DH was really a poor listener, this wouldn't have been nearly as funny!

Praise the Lord that he is {mostly} a great listener!

Thirty & Thriving

My husband turned 30 a few weekends back.

We had a marvelous weekend!

Part of which included lots of college football & a birthday party.

Since my husband is a UGA grad & a Georgia Bulldog fan, I decided to go with the party colors of red, black, & silver. 

I did double-duty with some of the decorations so that we could keep them up until I put my Fall stuff out.

Here are some of the pictures from the party!

We had a lot of fun, & I enjoyed planning it & pulling it all together!

This wreath greeted our guests & set the tone for the party!
You can order yours from the Sweet Georgia Sweet shop on Etsy.

Ribbon Wreath, Ribbon Topiaries, & Adorable Banner.  All hand made by ME!  My sister sarcastically asked if my husband asked me to make all of this for his party?  She's SO funny!  {I typed sarcastically}

Custom tea towels I whipped up on my tiny, blue sewing machine.  I am still SO proud of myself for making these!  I'm still a novice in the sewing realm.  I really love this chevron & polka dot fabric. It just makes me happy!

I made these tea towels too!  And, of course, the teeny, tiny, meeny, miny Burlap Topiary.  The platter is from Rosie Posie Designs.

These cute, little black & white chevron bags became chip bags!  I put potato chips in them & everyone just grabbed one as they went through the dinner line.

We had grilled hot dogs with CHILI!  I used these little red & white polka dot cups to serve the chili.  They were cute, convenient, & were consistent with my theme.  :)

The Drink Station.  Mini red Coca-Colas.  Silver serving pieces.  And CAH-UTE black & white polka dot & striped straws.  {I wish I'd gotten a better pic!}

Little Decorated Brownie Bites.  In alternating colors of black & white icing and black & white polka dot liners.  So cute!

Remember sixlets?  These are red & black!  I couldn't pass them up!

Here is my husband's ice cream cake, complete with his Triple X candles.  If you missed the post in which I shared my blonde moment regarding buying Roman numeral candles, you can read it HERE.

Cousin fun.  Rolling around in the grass.

They wouldn't both be still at the same time!

WJ & I are dressed in the party colors!  My husband didn't.  LOL!  My necklace & bracelet are from Southern Sass Sprinkles & my Ombre Ruffle Tank is from Bleu Bird Designs.

And, YES!  I'm already planning my son's birthday party........... for February!  :)


I love my guys!  They mean the world to me!

First Week of School

My son started school last week.

I hadn't really planned on starting him until October.  Bless his little heart, he is still adjusting to SO many things, & I was going to wait a little bit on school.

I guess I was feeling pressure or something because I decided on Tuesday that we were starting school that very day!  Crazy?  Probably!

Before we ever brought him home from Africa, we made the decision that I would teach him at home.

I am so very thankful that we have this choice!  It's really something that I wanted to do!

He needs so much one-on-one attention. 

He thrives on it.  He craves it.

I am amazed already at what he has learned in just his first week of school.

Since last Monday was Labor Day, we didn't actually start school until Tuesday.

Although he is 5, he doesn't know the things most American 5 year olds know.

He doesn't know shapes, colors, how to letter, doesn't recognize his numbers, etc.

So, since I am the Principal, Teacher, & Mommy, I made the executive decision to start him in K4.  I fully expect that he'll breeze through that, & that we'll be able to start K5 sometime in early 2013.  As several other homeschooling Moms have told me, "That's the beauty of homeschool."  You can tailor & adjust your curriculum to your child's level of knowledge.

To commemorate the start of K4, we had a little photo op on the front steps of our humble abode.

In this photo he included the things that are most precious to him RIGHT NOW:
- his "skippy" cup
- 2 of his favorite toy cars
- Ollie his stuffed animal
- the Cars movies 1 & 2 (Ollie is sitting on the movies)

He is ALL boy!  And has completely stolen my heart!  ♥

I am looking forward to a fun-filled year with my little student!

 

ps - We got our free printables for the 1st Day of School HERE.