Friday Five

I'm linking up again this week with Darci, April, Christina, and Natasha, plus September Farm for this week's edition of Five on Friday!

[ONE.]
This weekend is being spent at Hadley's Grammy's house! (My mom.)  My family all lives in one place, with the exception of my cousin Scott and me.  Whomp whomp.  But we still like to get together as often as possible, and this weekend we will be celebrating Aunt Amy's (my cousin) birthday!  Which was in the middle of July!  But who cares... :)



[TWO.]
Hadley and I met some friends at the zoo this week and had a lot of fun, despite the heat.  Poor Hadley was soaked, she was so hot.  Our zoo just had a baby gibbon born a couple months ago, so we were excited to see that!  When we got to the exhibit, we moms were thrilled to see that Daddy Gibbon was actually taking a turn watching over the baby.  Momma Gibbon was sitting on the floor eating some oranges.  We got so tickled imagining her handing the baby off to dad and saying, "here, it's your turn!"



[THREE.]
This sweet pea has a cold.  She's such a trooper, running around playing, but her nose runs constantly and she's been sneezing for the last two days.  She's had a low-grade fever and wants the occasional cuddles.  She's actually been pretty healthy for her first year and a half of life, but I'm afraid of what we're going to get ourselves into when she goes to school in the fall!  Flu shots all around!



[FOUR.]
Do you guys make meatloaf?  My Aunt Diane makes the best meatloaf!  I've tried her recipe before but there is so much juice on top, it's so runny!  My aunt just gave me this pan--it's a meatloaf pan!  Have y'all ever heard of this before??!  I'm so excited to try it!


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[FIVE.]
My grandparents came last week and my grandmother is the photographer in our family and she took these two pictures of my girl while they were visiting.  The one of Hadley "smelling" the flower just cracks me up!





I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

 

What's Up Wednesday

I had a blog post idea for today about the books I've read in July and then got to thinking that a) I just wrote a blog post on some of my favorite books and b) I only finished two and that might not make for such an interesting post.  So, I decided to tag along with The Larson Lingo, Pinterest Told me To, and Mix + Match Family for What's Up Wednesday!

What We're Eating This Week:
We've got some yummy spaghetti on the menu, my Aunt Diane's special recipe for sauce and some of this delicious right here!  It's a recipe that's been in our family forever, my grandmother's friend originally introduced it to her and we've been eating it up ever since!



What I'm Reminiscing About:
Maybe it's because I'm getting ready to have another little one around, but can you believe my sweet girl was ever this small?  It makes my heart sad and happy at the same time. You mommas out there know exactly what I mean!

What I'm Loving:
I know I mentioned this in last week's Friday Five post, but I'm still loving the sinful colors nail polish!  We are still going strong a week later with just a few chips at the base of my nails!  With all of the dishes, bathing, and cleaning up I do, I'm thrilled with how well this polish is holding up.



What We've Been Up To:
Working on accomplishing our summer bucket list!  This past week, we painted flower pots and planted some seeds--we're keeping our fingers crossed something actually grows!



 We also made pizza for dinner.  And by made, I mean Hadley "taste-tested" all of our ingredients while I put the pizza together!

What I'm Dreading:
More 90+ degree days.  Y'all, I know for a fact it wasn't this hot during my last summer pregnancy and I'm so over the heat and humidity.  I'm all for summer fun, but when you can't even walk outside for 5 minutes without melting a little, it's time to pack it up and move on to fall!

What I'm Working On:
My mile-long to-do lists (that's right, I said lists!) before Griffin gets here in October!  No lie, every family member has a list and I'm trying to do my best to get things checked off in a timely manner.  Unfortunately, lists seem to grow longer faster than I can get things done!

What I'm Excited About:
It's consignment sale time!  Some of my favorite winter outfits last year for Hadley came from a consignment sale and it's back next week!  I'm hoping to find some similar looking outfits for Hadley and Griffin.

What I'm Watching/Reading:
Let's be really honest right now: if the tv is on, it's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Or Sophia the First.  Or Doc McStuffins.  I get quite the education out of it.  Sometimes I even find myself with it on when Hadley's napping.  As far as reading goes, I'm finishing up the last book in the Outlander series I mentioned Monday, "Written in My Own Heart's Blood" by Diana Gabaldon.

And working my way through "Strong Mothers, Strong Sons" by Meg Meeker.  I have no idea what to do with a boy (!!!) so I'm reading books on boys right now, ha!



What I'm Listening To:
Currently, the white noise machine over the monitor.  It's nap time at the Bell house!  Also, thunder. To cool it off for point 5 seconds and heat right back up.

What I'm Wearing:
So, we aren't hanging out on a boat, but this is the exact outfit I'm wearing right now.  Minus the sunglasses.

What I'm Doing This Weekend:
We are headed to Charlotte for my cousin Amy's birthday dinner!  I love when all of my people are together, so it's going to be fun for sure!

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month:
My glucose test!! (Said no one ever!)  Jokes aside, dare I say cooler temperatures?  I'm thinking that's not going to happen quite yet, so technically this weekend is a part of next month and we'll also be traveling back to Charlotte for my mom's birthday later in the month as well.  So, we are gearing up for lots of family time!

What Else is New:
We are trucking along on Griffin's nursery.  David got it painted, so now we are just waiting on the furniture to arrive!

Bonus Question: What Will You Miss Most about Summer:
The temperature for sure!

Hahaha.

Actually, I'm going to miss spending all day e'rday with my sidekick.  She's such a social butterfly that I enrolled her in preschool 2 mornings a week starting in September. (Cue the uncontrollable sobbing from this hormonal pregnant mom...) I have gone back and forth about sending her, but I really think it's going to be good for her.  She will get to interact with kids her age without me present, I'll be able to get some cleaning done, and once Griffin is here, spend some one-on-one time with him like I did with Hadley.  I know, I know, it's going to be harder on me than her, but can't she just stay little forever??!

Get to Know Me Monday: Books

I decided last week that because I've been absent from the blog for so long to re-introduce myself through a "Get to Know Me Monday" post each week, and by going through the alphabet!  This week is the letter B: all about books!

I love to read.  I come from a family of teachers, one of them being a Doctor of English who taught in  college and they all love to read.  They passed that love on to me!  And I'm so grateful because I love getting lost in a good book.  I've been known to finish a book in a day!  (Well, that was back in the day before I had a toddler to run after...)  So, here are a list of my favorite books, not in any particular order.


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Pride and Prejudice: by Jane Austin
I love everything about this book.  The style of language, the strong female character, and of course the love story.  I'll be honest and say I had to re-read it because of how it's written, but every time I re-read it, I pick up on something I missed before because I was so caught up in trying to read it correctly.  And oh, Mr. Darcy, I am a huge fan.  Is it possible to fall in love with a fictional character? Because if so, it's definitely him.


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The Harry Potter Series: by J.K. Rowling
I can't pick just one.  These books were coming out every few years when I was growing up and I would go to the midnight book reveals to get my book, stay up all night reading, finish the book and be heart broken that I had to wait another few years for the next one to come out!  These are my go-to books if I can't find anything new to read or just need something to tide me over.  The movies are so well-made, but they are nothing compared to the books.  Everyone should read them.  My husband asks me questions all the time about things from the movies and I tell him: "read the books!"


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The Outlander Series: by Diana Gabaldon
I am a late bloomer to the Gabaldon train.  She's been writing this series since the early 90's (I think.) and the content was way too mature for me at that point, but a colleague introduced me to these a couple years ago and I am hooked.  1940's Claire (a nurse from WWII) falls back in time (stay with me folks...) and meets/falls in love with a Scottish highlander Jamie Fraser.  All of the books are based on their adventures (including sex and romance, ladies...!)  Jamie is another character I swoon over, although I wouldn't want to meet some of Gabaldon's more hard-core followers because they might challenge me on who has a right to Jamie's fictional love, haha! ;)  Starz has just wrapped up the first season of Outlander, based on these books, and they did a fantastic job.  I'm so ready for season 2 to start.  And the best part is, she's still writing this series!  So more Jamie and Claire for all of us!

These are just a few of my favorites, but what should I add to my collection?  Anything I absolutely can't miss?  I'm up for reading anything: fiction, historical fiction, biographies, classics...give me some good ones, y'all!

Missed the previous Get to Know Me post?  Check it out here.

Friday Five

Man, it's been a long time since I've linked up to post a 5 on Friday! Today I'm linking up with Karli at September Farm



ONE. 
We have had a lot of visitors this week and it has seriously been the best!  My entire family lives about an hour and a half away so I really, really miss them!  After having seen them pretty much every weekend in June for wedding stuff, a month without seeing everyone seems so long!  Aunt Amy came to visit Tuesday and Hadley's great-grandparents came to visit yesterday!  My heart is always so full when my people visit.




(Clearly this picture wasn't taken this week...but call me a sentimental pregnant lady...I've been looking at pictures of my little girl when she was a baby!  Meeting great-grandparents for the first time...melt my heart.)

TWO.
Have you ever heard of Sinful Colors nail polish?  My mom had one color at her house and I painted my nails with it and y'all, it lasted SO long!  I usually use OPI and Essie, but I went out and bought two more colors of this nail polish because of how well it lasted!  I'm always washing dishes or cleaning something up and my nail polish seems to chip so quickly.  Sinful Colors lasts a long time and I'm really pleased with it!  And it's only like $1.99 at Target--score!  I think they sell it at Wal-mart too, but I'm not sure.  Grab a bottle, try it out, and let me know what you think!

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THREE.
I'm going to be the one to say it: it's too dang hot and I'm ready for fall.  We (as in me and my hubby) have talked multiple times about just how hot and humid it's been this summer.  By 9:00 am every morning, the humidity is so bad it already "feels" like 90 degrees outside.  I don't know about you other mommas, but I can't take my 21 month old out in that heat?!  And the girl needs some running around time!

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FOUR.
I have a huge list of projects to get done before Griffin arrives in October.  I'm s-l-o-w-l-y making progress.  As far as diaper bags go, I'm planning to get a bigger one than I have now with essentials in it, plus 2 individual bags: one for each of my babies- that has their own stuff in it. (Like a change of clothes, diapers, any medicine they might be on, etc.)  I finally got around to monogramming their bags yesterday while my grandparents were here and I am thrilled with how they turned out!



FIVE.
And because it's still 100000 degrees out, I'm just going to throw this out there.  5 months until christmas!! Oh, happy day...I can't wait to decorate the house and enjoy twice the fun this year with my daughter and my son!

Life Lately

We have had a really busy summer. Here's a little about what we've been up to lately.

Hadley's Aunt Amy (my cousin, but more like sister!) got married in June!  At the beginning of June, all of her bridesmaids took a weekend trip to Charleston to celebrate her.



And at the end of June, she got married!  Hadley was the flower girl and I was so proud of my girl!  She walked all the way down the aisle holding her little bouquet and my hand.



After the wedding, Hadley and I spent a week with my family while our bathroom at home was being renovated.  We spent lots of time at my grandparents pool!  We are spoiled!  I was also proud of how Hadley took to the water!  She would kick around the pool in her little float ring and had the time of her life.



We spent July 4th weekend at the lake with David's side of the family.  I was afraid Hadley wouldn't like wearing her life jacket, but it didn't seem to bother her a bit!  She got to see her first fireworks and she LOVED them.  She's fearless, this one.  On another note, she's decided she hates sleeping in her pack n' play when we travel, so while we were at the lake, David had to sleep on a pallet on the floor while Hadley and I slept in the bed.  At least she slept well, haha!

We have also done a bunch of things on her summer bucket list.  We had ice cream at Happy Cow, a local creamery.  The cows get fed right in the front, so always stop to say "hello" to them, grab some ice cream, and sit around to eat it!  Hadley couldn't wait for her ice cream to soften a bit, so she ditched her spoon and went straight to licking! ;)

She also got her first taste of a s'more.  I'm not sure she enjoyed it one bit...that smile on her face is priceless, haha!

And we visited a local farmer's market!  Hadley got to try a chocolate croissant, a mango smoothie, dance to some music, and even talked her Daddy into buying her some pretty flowers.  She's pretty smooth!

 

I went to the Shania Twain concert with a couple of my girlfriends and we had so much fun!  It definitely took me back to my younger days.  When I was pregnant with Hadley, anytime she heard music she would move all around and now the girl loves to dance all the time.  And that's not an exaggeration.  But this kid?  Didn't move a muscle during the concert.  I'm so interested to see how different they are when he finally arrives!

We celebrated our "fur"st born's birthday.  He's seven.  I can't believe he's technically considered a senior now.  Cue the tears.  Luckily most little dogs live a little longer than bigger dogs and this boy has a lot of life left in him!  Until we bring another baby home, and then we might have to start medicating him, haha!

Hadley has figured out how to lock doors.  More specifically, lock herself behind doors.  We have a key that works on almost all of the door knobs in our house, but unfortunately she found the one room with the one knob that can't be unlocked for some reason.  Of course being the concerned mom I am, I took pictures of this whole thing....

And our favorite Aunt Amy (yes, the one who got married in June!) came to spend a couple days with us while Uncle Tyler was out of town for business.  Clearly, this girl loves her people.  I can't even handle Hadley's hand.

I love my camera, but I sure do love the iPhone photo invention.  Sometimes it's so hard to capture that perfect moment when I'm trying to chase down my big camera.  That fleeting moment would be gone.  So these photos are grainy from my phone, but definitely filled with a lot of love!

Get to Know Me Monday: A is for Activities

I am officially the worst blogger in the world.  I'm pretty sure it's written in a book somewhere and I should be receiving my award in the mail any day now.  I have no idea why it's so difficult for me to sit down and write about my life!

Oh, wait.  It could have a little something to do with chasing a 21 month old around all day and growing a new human at the same time.  

Somehow, other women make it just look plain easy.  To me, it's sometimes like pulling teeth and I don't want it to be like that.  So, I've concocted a new plan.  I want to be intentional about documenting our lives right now, so we can remember all the fun, mundane things we do.  I'm going to attempt 3 blog posts a week (gasp!) but they will be the same posts each week.

Mondays are for getting to know me.  I feel like that might be a good place to start.  I've "started over" twenty-thousand times (I counted.) and think it might be nice to start at the beginning.  So I'm going to run through the alphabet--one letter a week-- so you can, well, get to know me.

So, without further ado, today's blog is brought to you by the letter "A": "A" is for Activities

I don't have much time these days to really delve into the things I like to do, but I do try to get back to them occasionally.

I like to monogram.  Before I even had a girl, I wanted a monogram machine.  I have a Brother PE-770 and I love it!  Hadley has lots of monogrammed clothes that wouldn't really be an option if I didn't have my own machine, because let's face it, I'm not forking out money every time I want her initials on a piece of clothing.





I like to sew. I'm still very new to sewing, but I have my grandmother's old Bernina sewing machine that I love working with.  I made Hadley's baby blanket, a couple of bags, and her christmas stocking.  (which reminds me...I should probably start working on a stocking for Griffin...)  I'd like to try my hand at some outfits soon.



I like to read. Reading has really taken a back seat since Hadley was born.  I love traveling through the pages of a book and can spend hours laying on the couch reading a book from cover to cover.  I'm actually trying to make this more of a priority so that I can instill a love of reading in Hadley, too.  Monkey see, monkey do right?  I can't wait to read "Little House on the Prairie" and "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" with her when she's older!


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I like to take pictures.  I am no photographer by any means, but I do like exploring life through the lens of my camera.  I'd like to take a photography class some day!






I enjoy a lot of activities, these are just a few!  And thankfully, these are things that I can pick up and do whenever I have some down time.  Which isn't often these days!  What are some activities you enjoy?  Anything I should try?