life happens

the last several days have been busy, busy, busy.

i've been out of town and now i'm back home with a visitor. all of this busy-ness reminds me of exactly 2 years ago. it was such a busy day!

i started off the day by going and getting my hair done. it desperately needed some help.

then i went to the temple with family and friends.

after that, we took lots of family pictures and such.

when we were done with that, we went and had an amazing lunch at a place called duke's---best bbq on earth.

after lunch we had time for a short little break, only to rush to church to prep for a dance party of sorts.

and then we devoured lots of goodies and treats that my sister made.

i'm telling you people, it was a BUSY BUSY DAY.

oh, and on top of all of that busy-ness, i also got married!

ohhhhhhh...the memories! what a great day it was! what a great 2 years it has been!

it hasn't been perfect but it's been great. it hasn't been easy but it's been great. i dont always get my way, but i guess it's still been great. and the best part is that for the rest of my life, cinco de mayo will be the greatest holiday ever!!

interesting

even though my sister, LoW, hurt little jC's feelings by saying another baby boy was the cutest baby boy EVER...i'm still going to do what she did on her blog.
it's not a tag, so you can do it if you wanna. it looks fun, so here goes nothin'.

1. Go to http://www.flickr.com/

2. Type in your answer to the question in the "search" box

3. Use only the first page

4. Copy the html and paste for the answer.


1. what is your name?


2. what is your favorite food?


3. what is your favorite color?


4. favorite drink?


5. dream vacation?


6. favorite dessert?


7. what do you want to be when you grow up?


8. what do you love most in life?


9. one word to describe you?


10. what do you dream about?

i'm just coun'try

when my husband, juC, said that he didn't like our kitchen painted this color of blue because it reminded him of a "country kitchen".......i did what any other good wife would do.

i spent time ensuring that it was, in fact, a country kitchen.

first i bought these shabby country stars.

but i didnt put them up until i found this shabby country sign.

but that just wasn't enough. i needed more. and i gave myself one more opportunity to go big. i had to find some true country decor.

and so i did.

nothing says country like authentic "chick feed", "dairy milk", and "country grill" signs.

i'm such a good wife.

the reality

i didn't mention it on here, but at the beginning of the month on my private blog i mentioned that i was taking a little break from blogging to work some things out. here is what i posted today on the blog, explaining what was going on. i wanted to post it here as well, so more people would have a chance to read it.....

i've come to accept that life is just one huge adventure.

what i had to learn is that sometimes the adventures are fun. sometimes the adventures are hard. and sometimes the adventures just feel like you are stuck in the mud with no one or nothing around to help get you out. you do have a cell phone in your pocket though. but for some reason you are too ashamed of being stuck in the mud to call someone for help.

i have been trying to think of the best way to share the adventure i was stuck in for the past several months. i think it's important to, because if it helps just one other person out, it would make it all worth it. so after thinking about it, i figured the only option really, is to just come out and say it.

postpartum depression, for me, wasn't an immediate thing. i did feel somewhat disconnected in the beginning. but it wasn't until a little later that i really started feeling that something was really wrong. i would say it was a result of hormonal imbalance plus a major lack of sleep that began to occur.

i was sad all the time. i cried a ton. i felt like i wasn't meant to be a mother. i got frustrated so easily. i did what i could to get away. and i thought things that i wouldn't want to admit.

but on the outside, to other people, i tried to be as normal as humanly possible. because i was so ashamed of myself and the way i was feeling. and because i knew all these other women who had recently had babies too and they seemed so happy. i didn't understand why they were so happy and i wasn't. and i couldn't possibly talk to them about how i was feeling because they'd think i was crazy. so i just acted like every other new mom did.in my mind i kept thinking "do i have postpartum depression?" but there was no way i could bring myself to say it out loud or talk to anyone about it because i felt like something was wrong with me.

so few times in my life have i heard others talk openly about it. which now i think is such a shame. if people were more open about it, i think that it would be easier for those who are struggling to get help, and would probably prevent a lot of unfortunate things that happen.

i think back now to all of the times i was reading my pregnancy books and articles online. every time i got to a section about postpartum depression, i'd skip right over. i'd always wanted to have children, i was so excited to meet the baby, why would i have postpartum depression?

i finally mentioned to a friend how i'd been feeling, and she asked if i thought i had postpartum depression. after hearing someone else ask me out loud i was finally able to admit it to myself and to the people around me that needed to know. i was able to talk to a good friend who also happens to be a professional when it comes to all things mental health. things started looking up.

i finally had the strength and courage to put little judson in his crib and let him "cry it out" and we have all been able to get the much needed rest that has evaded us for months and months.

i hate that for so many months i kept everything bottled up inside. it makes me sad that i didn't put confidence in the people around me. the people that ended up being so helpful and caring when i did finally tell them what was going on. they didn't judge me or think i was a bad person like i thought they would.

and now...now things are looking up. i'm actually happy. i actually feel like i will survive and that i can handle everything. and i hope that i can continue to be open about my experience so that others won't have to suffer alone like i did.

and that, my friends, is the reality. i used my cell phone, called for some help, and a whole rescue crew showed up and helped me out of the mud. i still have a bit of mud stuck to my pants, but i'll probably wear them around for a while to let people know that i'm not ashamed that i got stuck.

we have a weeeeeeeeennnner

congratulations jess! i know you'll give these magnets a happy home! to those who weren't so fortunate...keep coming back! i promise time will bring another giveaway. and who knows, maybe the magnet fairy will visit some of you anyways.

AGAIN! AGAIN!

in an effort to be just as small portion of cool like my sister LoW, i'm doing my own little giveaway. (remember, how she's doing a giveaway?)
i'm going to giveaway....drum roll please.....

homemade magnets!!!

hey! i only said i'm trying to be a SMALL portion of cool. what did you expect?!?!

leave a comment to enter. if you put my button on your blog, you can enter again. if you feel the desire to post about this giveaway on your blog (haha! i'm cracking myself up here) i'll even let you enter a third time.

in a few days when i decide to pick a winner. a winner will be picked on random.org (so no trying to convince me to pick you)

p.s. there is a 100% possibility that this is what i made for my peeps for the pay it forward homemade gift from me. so if you decide you want even more, i can't stop you from entering. but if you really don't like them, then you'd probably be better off just sticking to the ones i made you.

(the magnets pictured are the exact ones you'll get, and maybe one or two more.)

giveaway! giveaway! giveaway!

yeah...no, i'm not giving anything away. i'm not cool enough.

but apparently my sister LoW is.

because she is the queen of "i'm the best food storer ever", she's having a giveaway from shelf reliance.

just go HERE and she'll tell you how you can enter up to SIX times to win this food storage!

(i'm largely decreasing my chances of winning by largely increasing your chances of winning. something just ain't right about that. but whatev's.)

i have a confe.....

i was going to start out this post by saying

"i have a confession to make."

but then i realized that it wasn't really a confession.

so i looked to my sister to help me figure out what the correct word would be.

so...

i have a tattling to make.

my husband reads your blog.

yes. yours.

if there is a link to your blog on mine, or if there is a link to your blog from a blog that is linked to mine, then he reads your blog. if you are related to him, then he reads your blog. if you knew him in college, then he reads your blog. if you went on a date with him once, then he reads your blog. he is the original blog stalker. why? because he NEVER comments. no one knows he's out there, lurking around the corner, waiting for you to post something new. but trust me, he's there.

phew! i feel so much better having confessed...i mean, tattled!

truth be told

growing up, my mom always wore a house coat around the house as she was going through the process of getting ready. i thought it was so cool. i wished i had a house coat to wear around the house whilst getting ready. i just wore regular old clothes. i suppose i could have asked for a house coat...but house coats were for mothers, not for children.

last year, before little jC was born, my mom got me my very own house coat. i guess she was offically welcoming me into motherhood.

when i wear it around the house as i'm getting ready, i don't feel like i'm pretending to be a mother, i actually feel like i am a mother.

done and done

i apparently need to go out of town more often. i leave for a week, and all of a sudden my husband starts getting things done around the house.

there was a hole in our dining room ceiling for 9 months that just got patched a couple weeks ago. but when i was gone for a week, the holes that were recently made in our bedroom to fix a leaky faucet got patched. and our entire bedroom that was just plain old bright white is now a nice shade of tan.




we'd been looking for a mirror to hang in our dining room for forever, and while i was gone not only did my husband buy some mirrors, but he got them up as well.we'd also been searching for some extra storage space for our over-full kitchen. i leave, and DONE. he found something AND assembled it.i've been racking my brain trying to figure out why it is that when i'm home things get accomplished at a snails pace, but when i leave for one measly week everything is bought and added to our home quickly. and after thinking and pondering and contemplating, the only thing i could think of is that i'm just SO good looking that i'm too much of a distraction for my husband. (see picture) thus i need to go out of town more often so he can focus on the things that need to get done with out me stealing his attention.

the south

dear daddy,
it's me, little j.t. it's been a while since i've seen you...what's up with that? wednesday mommy and i took the plane down to a place called charleston. we got in grandpa's car, and soon after, stopped at that sonic place mommy always talks about liking. she didn't waste any time.
then later that night, she ate at duke's. i think it's pretty mean that she ate there with out you when she knows how much you love it too. she didn't even share her food with me!on thursday we went to visit aunt LoW. everyone ate at a mexican resturaunt, and i had the biggest blow out in blow out history. mommy wished you were there. then we went to savannah and walked around in the windy weather.on saturday we had a surprise early birthday pardy for grandma. she didn't even see it coming!on sunday we went to church. then mommy had grandma's really yummy pot roast for dinner. it smelled SO good. but all i got to eat was carrots and oatmeal. rude! after dinner, we went to see these really cool old churhes. mommy took lots of pictures, but i just sat in the car with grandpa.

so that's about it so for daddy. only a couple more days and we'll come back up to visit with you for a long time. it's too bad you couldn't come with us. but don't worry, i'm keeping mommy in line!!

love,

little j.t.

clarification

i feel like i need to clear the air. set some things straight. clarify some things. make things clear for the record.

first of all, i did not vote for obama. i know a lot of people just assume that everyone did. but i, in fact, did not.

secondly, i know some people are jealous of my skin tone. so just to set the record straight, i do not bleach my skin to get this lovely shade of shiny white. i was just made this way.

third of all, a certain someone (i won't say any names, but her initials are LoW) thinks that i stated some things incorrectly on my last post. but, i stand by everything i said, just as i stand by my man.

fourthly, i'm usually going to carolina in my mind. but early tomorrow morning, i'm actually for real going to carolina. south carolina. at this time tomorrow i will be landing in charleston in 80 degree weather.

item number five. from here on out on this here blog, my husband, previously referred to as shad, will be referred to as juC (pronounced "juicy"). so as to match my name. and the little guy will be referred to as jC, so as to have the same naming as his parentals.

sixly, contrary to popular belief, when little jC decided to wake up a little after 5 this morning and just wanted to hang out, it did not make me happy. nor did i have the same desire as him. i'm one of those people who enjoys the 5 o'clock a.m. hour in a peaceful state of sleep.

seventh of all, and this is one that a lot of people don't know, i don't enjoy changing diapers. i'm one of those people that fails to see the fun in it. i know...call me crazy.

number eight is something that's been weighing on my heavily. but i really need to clear the air. i do not, i repeat, do not, watch 24 or lost. i'm a reality/comedy tv show junky. none of that drama mumbo-jumbo for me.

ahhhh, i feel so much better now getting that all out there. now i can travel tomorrow morning with out all the extra weight.

unbreak my heart

in virginia there is a house. outside that house sits a car. inside that car hangs a string. on that string is tied one half of a "best friends" key chain.

in georgia there is a house. outside that house sits a car. inside that car hangs the other half of the "best friends" key chain.

that means something, right? any two people who each have a half of a "best friends" key chain hanging in their car must be really really REALLY best friends.

you would think that if the virginia key chain owner traveled down to south carolina...a mere hour away from the georgia key chain owner, that the georgia key chain owner would do everything in her power to make sure she sees her key chain co-owner. wouldn't you think that??

wouldn't you think that if the virginia key chain owner traveled a whole 527 miles, that the georgia keychain owner could then travel a pesky 72 miles to see her supposed "best friend" key chain co-owner. wouldn't you think that??

wouldn't you think that when the virginia key chain owner called the georgia key chain owner to tell her of her impromptu visit to the south, that the georgia key chain owner would scream and yell for excitement and say "i am SOOOO there with you!!" wouldn't you think that??

well, I thought that. and guess what...i was WRONG!

do you want to know what the georgia key chain co-owner said?? she said "hopefully we'll get to see each other."

HOPEFULLY....HOPEFULLY we'll get to SEE EACH OTHER?!?! what kind of mess is that?!?

she has to "check her calander"?? she "isn't sure if something is going on then"?? she "doesn't know" if she can make it around??

i dare say that she is now in possession of a part of a key chain that she does not deserve. because if she was truly my "best friend" key chain co-owner, she wouldn't squeak out a measly "hopefully we'll get to see each other." i dare say that this key chain co-owner now has stolen goods having the other part of that "best friends" key chain in her car.

i dare say she is now a "best friends" key chain law breaker.

oh, and did i also mention that she is my sister?! makes the crime even worse, doesn't it??

if you see her, don't let her trick you into thinking she is your friend. simply call the authorities and let them handle it. she's probably armed anyways.

i thought i knew what rejection felt like...but now i REALLY know.

shop happy

there are 3 main reasons why i like grocery shopping at bloom.

3. they have parking right up front marked as "quick 20 minute shopping" and "shoppers with children" which FINALLY applies to me!
2. they sent us 5 coupons for 5 weeks. $10 off a $25 or more purchase.
1. they have the most awesome commercials.
here's my top 3






you have no idea how hard it was for me to just pick 3.

in the words of the pointer sisters...

i'm so excited!! and i just can't hide it!
first of all, i'm posting from a new computer!! you have NO idea how great it is to be able to post and not have to restart the computer 5 times in the process of writing my blog. not to mention the computer is upstairs now, so i don't have to go down to the igloo basement and risk losing any limbs to frost bite. when shad called me last week and said he was on his way to buy the computer, it was a lot more exciting than when he called me to ask me how long to microwave a hot pocket.

but even more exciting! i get to go home to SC in a week and a half!! my mom called me and was all "hey, come visit." and i was all "hey! ok!" i'm so excited to go home and see my family. and i'm especially excited that it's soon!

and hey, speaking of the pointer sisters, you wanna know what my favorite pointer sisters song is?



which then reminds me of when the folks in the movie "young @heart" performed it. haven't seen that movie yet? seriously, what are you waiting for?!


rent it! ASAP!