The Hill House

Day 18- "What You Like Best About Each Member of Your Family"

2011-08-06T13:08:00.003-05:00

I love so many things about all the members of my little family but I will try hard to keep it to what I like best...

Waylon: I love how much he loves his family. His kids always come first and I think that is a great attribute in a man. He is not shy about showing his love for them and that makes our bond so strong. I have known since early on in our relationship that he would be a great dad, but he exeeds my expectations everyday in the daddy department. I am proud to call him my husband.

Jon Walker: I love that deep down he is a mama's boy. He is so smart and can be on his own doing his own thing, racing cars, playing with his friends, playing Mr. Tough Guy, or whatever else, but at the end of the day he is in my lap showing me at his little arms length just how much he loves me. We are alot alike with our sensitivities and our hearts of gold, and I am proud to call him my first born.

Kennedy: I love (most of the time) how strong willed she is. She is so independent and is already alive far beyond her years. She has that special spark for life and will always be able to handle her own. It is a little scary how strong she is at this age, but I know she will grow into the strongest woman and that makes me feel safe for her. I am proud to know she will be secure with herself and stand up for what she believes in.

Day 17- "A Photo of Your Family"

2011-08-05T09:21:00.003-05:00

I have made it known that I do love to photograph our family and document our special occasions, but I do slack in the family photo department. At Kennedy's birthday last weekend, I told Waylon that I wanted to get a picture of all of us because it has been so long since we've had one taken of our family. Well, I didn't get a family shot, but I managed to get one of Waylon and I, so that was good. I guess when you have the cutest kids ever, they become the center of attention and they are what the camera focuses on! The family photo I am featuring today is our church picture from this year. It was taken at the end of spring and really turned out great in my opinion!!!

Day 16- "A Favorite Food"

2011-08-04T16:34:00.003-05:00

This is going to be so hard, but I will try to follow directions and post about "a" favorite food. Anyone who knows me knows that I love food. Not so much that I am a foodie who tries new restaurants all the time and goes way out there on trying really different foods, but I am one who loves what I love and I have no trouble putting it back! So, if I had to pick one food above all others right at this very moment, my favorite would be...

RED BIRD ROLL from SEKESUI

(with eel sauce, of course)

Day 15- "Your Celebrity Crush"

2011-08-03T19:38:00.009-05:00

There are no words needed for this post. This man's looks speak for themselves...

Matthew McConaugheeeyyyy

Day 14- "Things You Love" And A Pool Party!

2011-08-02T20:29:00.008-05:00

First and foremost, I love my husband. He is the man God picked for me to live a long life with and he is the one He chose as the father of my children. Kennedy and Jon Walker adore him and we have really "grown" into our relationship in the past couple of years. We have been together a long time, but now we seem to really have "it."

In somewhat of an order, other things I love include: God, my family, girlfriends, travel, nursing school, my strong will, the beach, red wine, small town living with the big city at my fingertips, design, a good deal, a great, unexpected find, my independence, cake, a Redbird sushi roll, romantic, exotic places, reality television and my dvr, flip flops, big bows on little girls, custom designed furniture, a clean house, and the list could go on and on...

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In other news, we celebrated Kennedy's 4th birthday this past weekend. Her birthday is August 7, but with school starting we decided to have her Pool Party right at the end of the summer. I used Pinterest (you must check out if you have not...it's the new addiction) to jump start my brain for ideas and I really ran with the whole water theme. It turned out cute and she had a lot of friends show up. She got lots of nice gifts and the pool was a perfect place to host a party on a 100 degree day!

Sorry for the craziness of the photo placement or spacing. I have no clue what happened and no patience to try to change it!

Day 13- "Something You Want To Buy"

2011-07-28T22:56:00.002-05:00

I have always enjoyed taking photos and actually took a few courses in photography in college. I think I'm pretty good at it, too. I have always thought "maybe one day I'll get one of those big fancy cameras" but a few months ago I picked up a friend's and the rest is history. One click of the shutter and I was hooked. I have done a lot of research and with what I want and the price I am willing to pay, I will probably end up purchasing the Nikon D3100. It is what I really want to buy next. Who knows though...my birthday is in November and Christmas is around the corner...can someone make sure my hubby reads today's post?!?!?!

Day 12- "Something You Bought Recently"

2011-07-27T16:25:00.003-05:00

I am very proud of one of my most recent purchases. For the most part, I am proud of myself for committing to a photo I liked enough to have it printed large enough for the wall. We have taken family portraits or portraits of the kids twice a year, but I very rarely order many. I guess I know that I have such limited wall space for larger portraits so I am always hesitant to order the larger sizes. At least I have the images saved for a later day though right?!?! So without further explanation, my most recent purchase for my house is a 16x20 portrait of the kids and I had it framed in a frame I've had my eyes on for a couple of years now. I love the old, distressed, carved wooden frames and finally made the plunge and started a collage wall in our entry way.

I love the final result...the overall product is young, fun, unique, colorful, and features the most beautiful children!

Day 11- "Nicknames You Have & Why"

2011-07-27T00:04:00.002-05:00

I have really only had two nicknames my entire life and that's pretty good I guess, considering my name is so long. I really like my name and always have people tell me how beautiful a name it is so I really prefer not to be called by any nicknames. The first nickname I was ever called was Katy Clare. That started in junior high and was given to me by my lifetime friend (and Waylon's distant cousin) Rachel Kattawar. She basically just took Katy as a common nickname for Catherine and called me Katy Clare. To my knowledge, she was the only person to call me that. My other nickname, CC, has become more prominent as I have gotten older and I really do not care for it but I myself tend to use it for shorthand. It is easy to see why it's my nickname since it is simply the initials to my long, double name.

Other nicknames around the Hill House...
When Jon Walker was a baby, Waylon began calling him J Dub and it has stuck over the years. He gets alot of that and he thinks it's funny. I'm just glad JW never stuck around! And of course, Kennedy gets called Kenn Kenn every once in a while. My favorites by far are the names they call each other. Jon Walker is "bubbi" or usually "bubba" to Kennedy and she is sometimes called "sissy" by him. It's cute how they interact at this age now (usually) and I hope they always have nice names for each other :)

Day 10- "A Photo of You Taken Over Ten Years Ago"

2011-07-25T23:15:00.004-05:00

I don't have a lot of old photos saved on my new laptop so I was pretty limited when it came to selecting a photo for today's challenge post. With that being said, the photo I chose is a pretty special one and one that sits on our night stand by the bed (hence the picture of a picture). It is special because it shows a part of my past that is so linked to the present. The photo is of my mom holding Jonathan and I am in the foreground. I should be right around the age of four and I believe I have lipstick on, which is so typical of my very soon to be four year old! As most of you probably know, Jon Walker was named for Jonathan and they are so much alike it's crazy. I believe God gave Jon Walker to us as a little piece of Jonathan for us to enjoy now. My mom raised me to be a good girl, one with values and morals and that makes her a special part of my life as well. She was a wonderful mother growing up and makes an even more wonderful Nana to my children. This photo definitely qualifies for the challenge since it should be about 27 years old!

Catching Up...Days 07, 08, 09

2011-07-24T12:01:00.002-05:00

Looks like I got a little sidetracked over the weekend and didn't abide the challenge rules by blogging everyday...oops. So I will get right into it since I have some catching up to do.

Day 07- "The Meaning Behind Your Blog Name"
My blog is named "The Hill House" simply because our last name is Hill and my blog is about all happenings at our house!

Day 08- "Cravings"
The only thing I crave on a consistent basis is the love from my family and friends. I consider myself to be a good friend and I would go out on a limb for any of my friends in need. Everyday I look forward to the hundreds of hugs and kisses I receive and give out to my babies. As far as foods are concerned, I craved salty foods when pregnant with Jon Walker. Burger King french fries was my dream food! While pregnant with Kennedy, I ate a lot of fruit and craved sugary foods. Most likely now (not pregnant), when I do have cravings, they tend to be for sushi, chinese food, fried pickles, or an Ann Olivia's cookie sandwich!

Day 09- "Pet Peeves"
I guess everyone has their share of things that bug the mess out of them. I probably have more than I can think of right now. Things that really peeve me are snoring, teeth gritting, attention hoarders, liars who can't keep their stories straight, having my dvr'd show turned off so it only records the first few minutes, having my seat kicked by a certain three year old while driving, people who are pleasant to your face but talk smack behind your back. That's about all I can pull out right now but I just know something will come up and peeve me and I will wonder why I didn't think about it for this post.

Now that I am caught up on my challenge, I can catch up on my dvr'd shows...let's hope they are all there!

Day 06- "Favorite Songs"

2011-07-21T19:31:00.002-05:00

I just recently blogged about how music is a huge part of our lives. I posted a video of Kennedy singing an Adele song, which is years beyond her time. Our kids are every part involved in our music around this house. They sing JJ Grey & Mofro songs instead of "Old McDonald" and songs from Jason Aldean instead of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." They know those too, but to hear them singing "Dirt Road Anthem" is much more impressive when they decide to belt out the tunes in the middle of Wal-Mart. Waylon spends more money at iTunes than he does on any other "thing" these days and I must say his library is filling up nicely. With all that being said, I cannot imagine picking one song as a favorite. For a sampling of my favorites, scroll to the bottom of the blog and play around in my "juke box." There is everything from my classical wedding song (that I knew I must have from about the time I was ten years old) to Britney Spears to Linkin Park. I don't discriminate when it comes to music...rock, pop, country, classical, oldies, christian, dance. I love it all...

... (and may just break out in dance in the middle of Wal-Mart when Kennedy starts singing).

Day 05- "Favorite Quotes"

2011-07-21T00:05:00.002-05:00

This is a post that will fall short. I have never been good at quoting anything. Nor have I really lived by any particular quote, other than living by what the Bible preaches. I did have a few quotes jotted down in my design sketch book from college. I guess those were more of my creative thinking years...neat to look back on what inspired me ten years ago.

"Only the good times are seen in the photo album. Life is what happens and takes you from picture to picture." -unknown

"Love is patient, love is kind...it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails." -1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

"One must strive with much effort, much labor and study, and in the sweat of one's brow to give the work one creates with utmost pain the appearance of having been done quickly, with almost no strain and with as much ease as possible. This is the defiance of truth." -Michelangelo

"There is only one happiness in life, to love and to be loved." -George Sand

"My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you." -Mary Stevenson

"Marriage is all the pleasures of friendships, all the enjoyments of sense and reason, and indeed all the sweets of life." -Joseph Addison

"Where there is love, there is hope." -Widespread Panic

"Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen." -Mark Twain

"Life is what happens to us while we are busy making other plans." -Thomas la Mance

Day 04- "Favorite Books"

2011-07-19T11:23:00.004-05:00

I do love to read and am so thankful that my children are learning to share in that love! Jon Walker reads a book every night and feels it is getting him "seriously ready for kindergarten." He reads far above his 5 year old level and he amazes me everyday with his smarts. Kennedy has the imagination in the family. She picks up a book and creates her own stories to go along with the pictures on her pages. Every mother should make time every week to go to their public library...mine adore their "quiet" time there!

I am pretty much always reading a book. Some books I fly through in a few days and others I have to renew the check-out because I'm not done in the month they allow me. Whatever the case, I always finish a book!

My favorite author, hands down, is Nicholas Sparks. I have and will read every one of his novels. He writes from a soft, southern perspective and always tells an enduring tale about love and passion. All of his books are my favorites.

For my favorite funny read, I would say my favorite set of books are written by Chelsea Handler...Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, Chelsea Chelsea, Bang Bang, and the Horizontal Life series. To laugh hysterically, these are a must read.

And just like with wine bottles, I also choose random books by their cover designs. Whenever I go to the library and need a book but don't know what I'm looking for, I love to pick the books with a girly, colorful cover. That usually provides a flirty, fun book that is filled with stories about a life we all wish we could live every once in a while!

Happy reading to all of you. What a perfect day for this post! I am actually off to the library today...my four books are due back and I'm only on page 163 of the first one! I am right at half way through I Did (But I Wouldn't Now) by Cara Lockwood. It is the story of how hindsight is a girl's best friend. Today I am re-checking!

Day 03- "Favorite TV Shows" and A New Addition

2011-07-18T12:35:00.006-05:00

I love my tv (reality for the most part) and I love my DVR even more, since it allows me to watch the shows I would otherwise miss due to my crazy schedule. Once again, it is impossible to name a single show as a favorite of mine. I will begin my list of favorites...in no particular order.

1. "The Next Food Network Star" because I love to cook and I love to see other "starter" cooks' ideas when put under pressure.

2. "Design Star" because I am obsessed with interior design and love to see designers get their jumpstart into the world of HGTV (my favorite network).

3. "Bachelor"/"Bachelorette" because I have no idea. There is no explanation why anyone watches those shows, other than it's the same reason people cannot look away from a trainwreck.

4. "So You Think You Can Dance" because I still love to dance. I enjoy watching how the styles change and how a dancer can transform themselves to perform another style no where near their own.

5. Any Lifetime movie/tv show because I am a girl and Lifetime is "television for women." Enough said. The Beth Holloway "Vanished" show falls under this category.

6. "Grey's Anatomy" because it is the perfect mix of humor and harshness in the medical world. I have never missed an episode and have always been on Team Meredith-Derek.

7. "Wheel of Fortune" because I am good at it! I even went to a WOF audition a few years ago. There is not a doubt in my mind that we would win big if my mom and I were ever able to compete on 'Mother-Daughter' week.

8. "Law & Order-SVU" because I do love a little crime and mystery in my life...on tv that is.

9. "House Hunters" because I have loved looking at/walking through homes for sale since I was a little girl.

10. "Keeping Up With the Kardashians"/"Khloe & Lamar"/"Kim & Kourtney Take New York"/"Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami" because the Kardashian family is prime entertainment of dysfunctional living at its finest.

I could probably continue with a much longer list but that's enough to show how bad of a tv junkie I really am. How else would I pass the early sleepless mornings? I might actually have to sleep if I didn't have so much tv to watch!

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Our family welcomes Sawyer Eden Powell into the world today! I love that I am a member of a huge famiy with lots of cousins for our kids to grow up with. Congratulations Bobo and Amanda on your new bundle of joy. I know she will have you both wrapped by the end of the day! She's beautiful and will be taught well by her older girl "cousin friends!"

Day 02- "Favorite Movies"

2011-07-17T10:58:00.005-05:00

In all genres of entertainment, I tend to be all over the place. I do not consider myself to particularly love only one type of movie either. I have a few movies that do come to mind as my "absolute favs" but I really have lots of movies that I could list as my favorites. Who actually ever puts down a single favorite on any sort of list??? That's like admitting you have a favorite child in your family!!!

First ever favorite movie: "8 Seconds" became a favorite of mine in high school and I could watch it everyday! It is a tear jerker and literally gets me every time. I cry (lose my breath crying) in the same spot each time I watch it. It is based on the true story of Lane Frost (played by Luke Perry, aka Dylan York for all you 80's 90210 babies) and his rise to fame and eventual death in the bull riding business.

Oldie, but goodie favorite movie: "Steel Magnolias" because it is simply a classic fav. You could not put another cast together like the one in SM! It is the perfect story of southern, small town living at its finest. It provides comical relief with ol' Weezer and heavy moments with Shelby's (played by THE Julia Roberts) family as she survives growing up with an overbearing mother (Sally Field). She finds love, has the ultimate southern style wedding, and starts a family only for her medical condition to worsen. I think my first real emotions surrounding death came from this movie.

Best love story favorite movie: "Up Close and Personal" because it is the ultimate story of fighting against one's own feelings only to eventually let go and fall into the most natural partnership. Sally/Tally Atwater (played by Michelle Pfieffer) lies herself into a journalism career and is forced to work with the arrogant, but most irresistable Warren Justice (Robert Redford). The two become a television powerhouse couple and end up marrying, only for jobsite disaster to strike-not once but twice. One final story was a death wish for the couple, but it was what made them who they were as people who loved and fought for their careers.

*Sidenote--maybe I do have a theme going on here...love and death.

Favorite funny movie: "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" because National Lampoon's movies are the greatest! Mix Chevy Chase and the year's most awaited holiday and you definitely have a win-win. I could not even begin to summarize the funnies in such a short post!

Favorite newer movie: "The Blind Side" because not only is it inspirational but it is the rags to riches story of a local, Memphis boy. There is the Ole Miss connection too which makes it more interesting to see my alma mater on the big screen. Michael Oher's story has not gone unnoticed and will always prove that no matter the circumstances in life, someone always has it worse but also that your bad can turn to good literally overnight. Count your blessings.

I could probably go on and on but those are my top 5 in the favorite movie category. Tomorrow is "Favorite TV Shows" and that will be an even longer post because I am a self-admitted tv junkie. If I were asked my number one favorite piece of technology, that would be easy...DVR.

Day 01- "A Recent Picture & 15 Facts About You"

2011-07-15T17:34:00.020-05:00

I usually am such a good photographer...in the sense that I take lots of pictures. That has not been the case recently so that's another failure added to the list. Jon Walker actually took this most recent photo of me. It was taken at the church just before Lindsey Keen Cade's wedding in June. Kennedy was the flower girl and we were trying to keep her occupied and in good spirits before she walked down the aisle.

I guess that one is a decent pic, but as a back up (and cuter photo, in my opinion), I have also posted an anniversary picture of Waylon and I. We took a trip to Gatlinburg in February and this is at the top of the ski lift.

Now for the factual portion of the post...

1. I am a great negotiator. (ie: I just called AT&T to cancel our fax line since it is barely used and costs $25 per month, but managed to keep all our services and cut our internet charges in half. These providers have the ability to lower your bills...all you have to do is ask!)

2. I am about to be a mother of a kindergartener...where have the last five years gone?

3. Apparently, I am slightly obsessed with using ... and never use more than three dots in a sequence.

4. I love lists, but more than that, I love crossing things off my lists.

5. I am officially a junior in nursing school.

6. I despise yard work.

7. I love to entertain and my favorite part is setting up, preparing food, and decorating with a theme.

8. I am at a constant battle with my inner controlling self and really trying to be better.

9. I live for days that I get to pull my hair back in a cap and not have to put on any make-up.

10. I look forward to cooler weather so I can get some motivation to get outside and run.

11. I need to lose weight and tone up, which motivated me to write #10.

12. I very rarely buy cookie dough in order to bake cookies...I think many women can relate to that. (I definitely had a raw cookie dough kind of week)

13. Even on the worst of days, my family makes me smile and thank God for this life.

14. I feel more confident with my own self in my 30's than I ever did in my 20's.

15. Has been to Italy and will return one day with my husband :)

See you tomorrow for day 02 of the challenge...so far, so good!

30 Day Challenge

2011-07-15T16:57:00.002-05:00

To say I have neglected my blog is quite the understatement.

I went from writing nearly everyday to basically once every quarter. I enjoy sitting down to write and I also think the blog can benefit us one day by preserving some good memories and photos to look back upon one day. Just today, I caught up on a friend's blog who is about a week into a 30 day blog challenge. Basically, for 30 days there is a given topic each day to blog about. I thought it would be a marvelous way to get back in the swing of things. I do need to get my brain back in working mode with school just around the corner. Apparently, Jon Walker agrees with that thought as well...last night he got in bed and said he needed to read a book every night before school starts so he will be "seriously ready for kindergarten." I love a good challenge and I love completing goals so this 30 day writing challenge should be easily attained...we will see :)

I will start with Day 01 tomorrow..."A Recent Picture & 15 Facts About You." See you then!

Superstar In Training

2011-06-02T22:48:00.003-05:00

Music is a big part of our lives. I love to dance to music, Waylon loves to jam to music, Jon Walker loves to make music, and Kennedy...well, she does all of the above. It is no surprise that both kids soak up lyrics like little sponges and sing along more to "our" music than that of the usual toddler music. At The Spot the other night, Kennedy got up on stage and sang in a real microphone and really thought she was something to talk about. Many nights we watched American Idol as a family and we quickly became fans of Haley who sang this featured song....

(make sure to first pause the music player at the bottom)

And please, please don't miss the hip shakin' action around the 1:28 mark!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tws3xG6V6qw

American Idol Favorite

2011-03-10T11:28:00.006-06:00

I have never been a tv show blogger, but I cannot help myself due to the amazing amount of talent on American Idol this season. I have watched the show for years and yes, there has been great singers come out of the show but they seemed to shine the entire time on the show. This season is different because the talent is so wide spread. With the exception of just a few contestants, the entire top group is awesome. I especially love the awkwardness of several of them. I loved Casey and Paul front the very beginning, but last night made Paul the front runner for me. Ryan Adams' Come Pick Me Up was a favorite song of mine from my college years and I personally think Paul sang, danced, and performed it great! I did my research on Paul McDonald and his band The Grand Magnolias and they have toured with Mofro (a very favorite band of mine and Waylon's). Their original music is great and I know we will be seeing more of Paul. I know he will have mixed emotions because of the quirkiness, but this show was in need of more great artists, not just singers. If you did not see it, the link is here for you to view (Make sure to pause the music at the bottom).

I love it! Maybe, just maybe I will vote this year!

http://youtu.be/dI__edJCr5k

Summer Dreaming

2011-02-14T18:52:00.005-06:00

I have been suffering from some very intense back and leg pain and had a MRI done today. The whole process was a little over an hour and for the majority of that time, I was wrapped in a warm blanket and cozied up under a huge, humming machine. I closed my eyes and tried to pass the time with a nap. I guess with the sun shining brightly and the temps reaching 60 today, I immediately went into summer mode and started dreaming of the most fabulous things. I am ready to go to the beach. I am ready to wear flip flops everyday. I am ready for summer cookouts and longer days. And looking forward long term, I would love to one day have a home with huge porches and one of these...

It's a twin size sleeper swing. And I want one. Maybe one day.

Can't a girl dream?

Christmas 2010 Post: Better Late Than Never

2011-01-13T12:29:00.004-06:00

We started the tradition of being in our own home this Christmas so Jon Walker and Kennedy could really enjoy the "big deal" of Santa coming. We are usually so wrapped up in making plans, visiting friends and family, and lost time travelling, but this year was much more relaxed. It was bittersweet I will admit. I am so happy to start new traditions with my little family, but I missed the hustle and bustle and noise of my entire family. I have not spent Christmas Eve away from my family in 29 years, so this one was a first. The kids got everything and more they wished for and we got plenty too. Probably one of my most favorite gifts was my stethoscope! School has definitely been real over the past year, but I am getting into the heavy stuff and truly enjoying it. The stethoscope just made it all set in...in the near future, I will be a nurse! Hope your holidays were great and Santa stopped by your home!

Merry Christmas from The Hill House

Cookies, carrots, and milk all ready to go

Going to bed hoping for Santa to arrive soon!

It was all boy for Jon Walker this year...guitar, drum set, football uniform, remote helicopter,

and bow and arrow

She got it all...Barbie laptop, Barbie car, Ole Miss cheerleader and matching uniform,

and other happies

Superman Snuggie was a hit :)

From Sea To Shiny Snow

2011-01-10T12:50:00.010-06:00

I rang in the new year with a surprise trip to Mexico. It was super nice and relaxing and had a great time with my mom, Maggie, and her boyfriend Tyler. Waylon was Super Dad and kept the kids home with him all week while I was gone. The weather in Mexico was great at nearly 80 degrees and the drinks were fruity!

Then I come home and three days later the snow storm hits...the weather hit low 20's and we are looking at 6-8 inches of the good stuff. We have had snow in the past few years but nothing like this. The snow that fell overnight was the fluffy, light, real snow--not the icy, wet stuff we've had in the past few years. We all packed on the layers this morning and built a "deer-man". Now we are making a day of it with hot coffee, homemade chicken noodle soup, and lots of movies (yay for classes being cancelled). I hope everyone is enjoying the weather, whether it be sunny or snow!

Quarterly Update

2010-12-15T23:54:00.003-06:00

Quarterly updates are not the goal of this blog but life has just gotten in the way since I posted last in August....

I started nursing school this fall and just completed my first term this past week. I put my entire mind and everything into my studies and it absolutely paid off....I got a 4.0...as in all A's...as in something I have never accomplished in a single school session all of my life. I am pretty happy about that and it makes me look forward to starting back in January. Now I have set the bar pretty high for myself from here on out, but I know my classes are only going to get more difficult as the months go on. BRING IT!

Titan Fence is doing well and we are so blessed to be having a good winter season...that usually happens about every other year. Praise the Lord and keep the clients coming!

Jon Walker turned 5 in October and is so ready for kindergarten...next year. He is so funny how he does his "homework" all the time and he is reading like a champ. He is so smart (I know all mothers say that, but he is really smart) and just asked last week if I could order him a textbook! He is growing up so fast as he now plays with the "big boys" on the block and loves his friends. Everyday he waits for the school bus to come to drop all the neighborhood boys off so he can go play tag, tackle, or ride his go-cart. Jon Walker may be 3-5 years younger than all of them, but he is Mr. Popular and that makes me happy that he is making great friends.

Kennedy turned 3 in August and I still do not believe she is only 3. She is not far behind Jon Walker with every move he makes and I love how much she loves him. She has a couple of neighborhood friends that she plays with but gets soooo mad at me when I make her come inside. She is going to be the social director for sure and is not shy of bossing everyone around...that's the not so good part. She has always had a mind of her own and I am thinking the "terrible 2's" are just now showing up. There are lots of time outs and threats but overall, she's the most precious, lovable best friend I could ask for.

The Hill House is starting a new Christmas tradition this year and Santa will be visiting our house. It is important that the kids get to experience Santa to the fullest and I am excited to see their little faces on December 25. I will definitely post again soon with holiday fun photos, so until then....enjoy shopping!

Almost 9 days til Santa arrives :)

Last Post: April--New Post: August...Yes, I've Been Busy

2010-08-25T10:16:00.004-05:00

I became a stay-at-home mom in May and have taken the opportunities that come with summer and have enjoyed them thoroughly. I took a couple of online classes over the summer too and now I start packing the good ol' back pack (can't even type that without singing "Back pack, back pack" from Dora) filled with heavy books, binders, and charts to make my way through the halls of nursing school. I just thought life was busy and I didn't have time to post...I have a feeling I have no idea what's ahead!

But here's a look at what you missed in the past 4 months...

I may be bias...

2010-04-04T22:51:00.005-05:00

...but these are the most beautiful babies in the world.

I'm back....with a list

2010-03-26T12:07:00.004-05:00

It has been quite a while (over 2 months) since I blogged last and I honestly don't know what had gotten into me. I was so blog obsessed in the past, but life has been a bit busy, so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. I have decided that near the end of each month, I will post a fun little "survey" on myself. I have taken these questions directly from blogger Melanie of 'This Ain't New York'. It's just a cute little reminder of the simple questions in life that most likely have a bigger meaning/answer than you think. Join in on the activity as well!

A Dozen of Random-1st edition

1. Tell me something about your favorite teacher.
I love that Mr. Donahoe can take something as complicated as science (Microbiology to be specific) and explain it with everyday scenarios. He is a really funny guy and he uses his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ex-wives as props in stories all the time. He uses such stories and characters in a method that makes the science make sense by taking the science out of it. I guarantee I will remember Arenavirus because it is passed on by lassafever…and duh, you “lasso” horses in an arena. Get it? Every class is 3 hours packed of such silliness and I love it. Best teacher ever…hands down.

2. Tell me about one pivotal moment in your life.
Sometimes it is the worst of issues that can change your life forever and for the better. My marriage/family was quite challenging in 2008 and I am thankful now for those hard times. It A) made our marriage strong as steel in the end. B) made me realize nothing good comes easy and without constant work. C) made me (probably for the first time in my life) give up complete control and hand it all over to God (that feeling is truly amazing).

3. About favorite colors--a lot of people will ask you what it is, but I want to know why it is. What feeling or memory does it evoke?
My favorite color red, ekotes heat. I love warm temps in the summer, and steamy hot baths in the winter. The color is fiery and hot and exciting.

4. What's a sure sign that you're getting older?
The fact that I walked my children around the neighborhood the other day soliciting the sales of raw cookie dough. I am now a fundraising mom!

5. Please don't sermonize, but Halloween--is it a yes or no for you?
I don’t particularly look forward to the holiday, but the kids love to dress up and collect candy (what kid wouldn’t) so we partake.

6. What's your favorite musical?
Annie…who doesn’t love a rags to riches story?

7. Are you more of a city mouse or country mouse?
Country mouse…I really want our family to move further out from where we are but even now, we are in the small, quaint town which is nice. But then we have Memphis so close for a slice of city life when needed!

8. Did you know that it is possible, for a small fee, to name a real star after someone? (It's true! Google it!) If someone were to name a star for you, would you appreciate it for its whimsy and romance, or would you say, "Are you kidding me? For $19.95 we could have gone to the movie and actually bought popcorn."
I would appreciate it. My goal in gift giving is to find the most unique and special gift, so this falls into that. I would love to buy one for each of my kids!

9. What's the craziest thing you've ever been doing and texted during it? This is a G-rated blog.
Running on a treadmill…I know, I'm such a risk-taker. Ha.

10. "It's not a party unless _______."
Waylon is there. He is the life of any party.

11. When you're stuck in traffic or a waiting room, what do you do to pass the time? PS--There are no magazines available.
Traffic: Daydream or sing
Waiting Room: People-watch and make assumptions about their lives (Wolfchase Mall is the best place for this sport)

12. If you weren't yourself, would you be friends with you?
Absolutely….I think I really am a good friend. I am thoughtful, honest, and a genuine person.

Better and better...

2010-01-13T21:57:00.004-06:00

I do think my pieces just keep getting better and better. I am so in love with this piece that made an AWESOME gift a couple of weeks ago. The color was perfect with the frame and the added personalization of the first names in the family just topped it off for a perfect piece of Naturally Named. I have this one in my "top 5" file now :)

Hotty Toddy, it's definitely a hit...

2009-12-13T13:23:00.005-06:00

This collegiate piece started out as a custom order I was working on and as I bragged on fb about how nicely it was turning out, it began to gain much interest from my fb friends. I had not even posted a picture yet and it seemed to be a hugely wanted item. Whoo hoo....love it when product flies off the shelf (if I had my product on a shelf)! The custom piece that includes a custom frame is more expensive, so I tried to offer my "fans" a more appealing price that may help with Christmas shopping:) I conquered my goal. I found the most beautiful frame that just screams classy, Ole Miss style. A few are sold and I'm open for more orders. And just remember, any team, name, or word can be featured in your Naturally Named art!

HOTTY TODDY Rebels....we're expecting a big win at the Cotton Bowl in just a few short weeks!

I Have Teamed Up With...

2009-11-26T15:52:00.003-06:00

...POLKA DOT MOM...

She is a great blogger who puts the word out on all Mommy Blogging Businesswomen.

I have purchased ad space on her blog and in return she has written a feature article

on Naturally Named and I have even thrown in a giveaway.

Go check out the great giveaway that may help with some holiday shopping

for a friend, family, or yourself!

And check out the other moms she has featured on the left sidebar.

The giveaway ends next Thursday, December 3 so go now

for your chance at a Naturally Named prize!

http://www.polkadotmom.com/2009/11/win-100-bucks-from-naturally-named.html

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

2009-11-22T18:09:00.004-06:00

I know it seems a little early, but I am not blessed with a whole lot of extra time these days, so I have to take advantage when I get a free ten minutes. The kids were a little (ok, ALOT) antsy to get started on the decorating once I told them that a giant Mickey Mouse Santa Clause was coming to live in our yard until Christmas.

I pulled out the boxes of Christmas decor from upstairs and we got to work on Friday night! The kids were a big help (if help is defined as damaging many of the goods). Needless to say, our hot glue gun got lots of use that night!

This is what the night started as...just a box full of unorganized ornaments/decorations.

(Notice the Rebel gear...Hotty Toddy!!!)

I first tackled the easy table centerpiece...just to feel as if something was accomplished quickly!

The mantle was pretty easy to decorate this year since we added the bookcases earlier in the year, so we had plenty of room for the collections. The stockings were hung with care :)

And what Christmas would be complete without an extra pair of eyes watching over the kids' behavior...really, an Elf on the Shelf is a MUST with small kids! Welcome back Emery the Elf.

Speaking of collections, do any of you have special collections you set out each year? My grandmother, Gran, gives Jon Walker a nutcracker and Kennedy a Santa Clause every year. I love watching their collections grow and it makes the kids feel special to have their own areas to decorate.

We don't have the tree up yet, so now we wait on that and then just Jesus' birthday...we wait now just as Joseph and Mary did.

Playing Catch Up...

2009-11-12T21:39:00.007-06:00

I have been so busy with life and have had little time to write on the blog so this is basically a mix of everything we have been up to around the Hill house.

The kids had a field trip planned at school for like 3 weeks, but the rain kept putting it off until the skies became sunny last week. They went to Cedar Hills Farm for lots of frolicking in the grass, feeding the farm animals, and eating their picnic lunch. One of the highlights for Jon Walker was the bus ride :) So, of course they pulled on their boots for the big occasion and acted like real country kiddos.

Sidenote: Kennedy aka "Shoe Queen" made everyone well aware of the new boots she was wearing.

Last weekend, Jon Walker, Kennedy and myself loaded up and hauled ourselves to Northwest Arkansas to visit friends...new and old. My long time friend, Lindsay lives there with her family which happens to include a boy and a girl my kids' ages! We had a ball shopping and walking around the park. We hiked up to the waterfall, jumped over a snake, and tossed rocks in the stream. It was loads of relaxing fun.

I also had the pleasure of meeting with a blog friend for breakfast. Some of you may recognize Kelly from http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/. She brought her precious Harper and we had a great time talking babies, blogs, and life in general. She is in El Salvador now with Compassion doing mission work, so pray for Kelly and all the volunteers as they end their work there tomorrow. It was so fun to talk with someone so inspirational, yet so down to earth.

That about sums it up...oh, and the fact I am seeing an Upper Cervical doctor about 3 times a week right now for a head injury I gave myself. Note to any of you out there: if you throw your head over to wrap your wet hair in a towel and the bath tub is in the way, IT WON'T MOVE!

Pray for me, my sanity, and my family as we are busy as bees right now just living life!

Bumblebee & Ballerina

2009-11-02T12:50:00.004-06:00

It was the first Halloween where both kids knew exactly what the holiday was all about...CANDY! They may as well have hit the jackpot with suckers, chocolates, and their favorites, M & Ms. The candy is fun and tasty until the temper tantrums and arguments arise from being told "You've had too much!"

Take a peek at how cute our Bumblebee Transformer and beautiful Ballerina were...

The Sweetest Baby Boy

2009-10-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am so proud to be hand picked by God to be Jon Walker's mommy. He is the sweetest, most generous, well mannered child anyone could imagine and he is such a mama's boy. Don't get me wrong, he loves to use the big tools, ride fast on the four-wheeler, and watch football with daddy, but at the end of the day, it's mama he is cuddling up to.

This is my beautiful baby boy (who was always referred to as a girl as a baby) on the day he was born...

And the same handsome boy who turns FOUR years old today...

Wow, how quickly time flies...

Website Launch GIVEAWAY

2009-10-26T14:48:00.003-05:00

Naturally Named is giving away a 4 letter name or word of your choice to one winner. Here's how to enter...

Go to the FABULOUS new website at www.naturallynamed.com and take a minute to look around. Check out the different styles of art that Naturally Named offers! Click on the ONLINE STORE tab to be directed to the storefront where we want you to become a member. Click "Log Yourself In" and it will pull up the form for all your info. By becoming a member, you will receive email updates and our Naturally Named newsletter whenever we post new products, giveaways, or anything else fun!!!

I am closing the contest at noon central time on Friday, October 30. Log on before then and you will be entered to win the 4 letter piece of art. I will use an online random number picker to choose the winner. (you will be given a customer number once you become a member) Do you HOPE you are the lucky name I draw?!?!?!

Good luck and stay tuned for lots of giveaways and good deals between now and Christmas!

Smell-Good Gifts

2009-10-15T16:12:00.006-05:00

We live in an ever so obsessed world of personalization and most people are pretty obsessed with candles. So *my brain went into massive overtime on this one people...personalized candles. I have added them to http://www.naturallynamed.com and think they are the perfect, most inexpensive gift you can give this holiday season. I have a couple of different scents for each of your likings...Tahitian Vanilla (pictured), Baked Apples (solid dark red red and oh so yummy), and Breezy Gardenia (solid, soft green color). Go online to purchase ($15) or email me for a special price...I'll throw in the shipping basically. If you email me with an order also let me know what font is more your style... fun (Curlz), script (pictured), or block. Thanks in advance!!!

*And I am so sure I was never going to be able to get away with the above reference...so thanks Lindsay!

What We've Been Doing

2009-10-04T14:09:00.008-05:00

For the record, for those who think I am slightly obsessed with my blog, you should notice it has been just short of a month since my last post. Needless to say, Naturally Named has my attention right now and it is making me very happily exhausted. I did want to update you all on what we have been doing in the last few weeks.

For the past 2 weeks (today included), many days have looked like this...

Which results in alot of this...

Which has allowed me to do alot of this...

Waylon and I are headed to Cleveland, MS next weekend for our first festival for Naturally Named. I have been working long hours photographing, staging, and framing to be able to have a nicely stocked display. Since Cleveland is home to Delta State University, I have been working on an entire group of pieces dedicated to the Greek system. I am hoping to be a big hit!

I haven't launched the new site yet, as it still has two pages to be finished, but check out Naturally Named and all it's glory at www.naturallynamed.com . It is a fabulous website if I can toot my own horn for a second.

Hotty Toddy

2009-09-08T13:05:00.005-05:00

We are in full swing of football season now and no doubt, we are bleeding red and blue around our house. We do plan on making a trip to the Grove a time or two this season, but watched the Rebels on tv for their opening game against Memphis on Sunday. We got home from church and Waylon quickly had our Rebel gear laid out ready for kickoff. Kennedy just looked cute, but Jon Walker knew exactly what was going on. Waylon said time after time how he has been looking forward to this moment for years...JW and his daddy watching some Ole Miss football together. Waylon got his wish as JW was in it to win it. We had a full spread of chips, dips, peanuts, hot wings, and ice cream on the table (adorned with the Ole Miss quilt and helmet of course). Jon Walker told everyone about our "picnic" we had right in our living room as the Rebels started the season off right...with a WIN!!!

It's Taking Over...

2009-08-26T16:20:00.004-05:00

Naturally Named is taking over my life, and trust me, that is not a complaint by any means!!! It just seems I am blogging less on here and more for NN on that blog and on facebook. I am currently in the works on a "real" website so once that is up, the NN blog will be deleted. In the meantime you can keep checking http://www.naturallynamed.blogspot.com/ for the latest and greatest. And the artwork is getting better and better! Consider us for Christmas gifts this year!

I am very proud of the "HOPE" piece that I donated to Greenville St. Joe's Parish Fair. It finished beautifully and is going to the great cause of helping support the Catholic schools in Greenville. I hope it gets lots of exposure and bids at the silent auction!

What Are The Chances?

2009-08-18T10:05:00.003-05:00

This is so funny that I had to share and give this girl some props on such cute stuff...

Keely from Make Mine Monogrammed was the winner of my Naturally Named giveaway last Friday. She picked out a Natural Collection piece to go in her son's room.

I just found out this morning that I was a winner from her giveaway that ended over the weekend. What are the chances of that??? I didn't win the free swag but I got an awesome discount to use and I am getting Jon Walker an Ole Miss football shirt to wear this season when he is introduced to the Grove for the first time!!! (the first time during football season anyway)

Thanks Keely...You do great work!!!

A Giveaway

2009-08-12T10:05:00.003-05:00

I have had awesome feedback and attention toward Naturally Named but also I wanted to throw a shout-out on my personal blog. I am having so much fun with this new project. It is fun, fast, and super refreshing! Go visit the website and read about the giveaway I have going on now. It ends at noon on Friday, so move quick! And pass the word around for me...I appreciate everyone!!!

http://www.naturallynamed.com

Kennedy's Uh-Not-So Big Birthday Bash

2009-08-11T09:26:00.006-05:00

We celebrated Kennedy's 2nd birthday last Saturday with family since no one else decided to show up. It was not a big deal as I had not planned any fancy food or anything to play for that matter. I was just sad because I thought my decorations for the cake table were just the cutest...so that's where you all come in. I get to share it on here and feel like it was seen! Kennedy still managed to have a great time and didn't feel like anyone was missing, I am sure. She had both sets of grandparents there, Uncle Joey and his friend Jennifer with sweet Jack, and JW's friend Harris even stopped in for cake and ice cream. And thank you Tammie for the awesome cake! It was not only beautiful, but oh so delish!!!

Happy Birthday (Baby) Big Girl!

2009-08-07T09:30:00.004-05:00

Today is Kennedy's 2nd birthday...but we think she is going on 22! She has been such a joy to watch over the last couple of years as she is our "girly girl." I love the fact that she is so outgoing in her personality but loves the prissy things in life. I only hoped two years ago that one day she would have such a passion for babies, high heels, makeup, dancing, and dress up clothes....mission accomplished.

The day she came home from the hospital...

This morning...

Girls Getaway...Texas Style

2009-08-06T13:50:00.015-05:00

Maggie, Kennedy, and I traveled to Houston, Texas last weekend for a well overdue trip to see my cousin Megan and her family. It was Kennedy's first flight and I was a little worried how she would do, but she boarded and flew like a pro. She was so cute with her little dvd player all set up. You would have thought she'd flown a thousand times. And of course, she was little Miss Social Director as she was standing to deboard the plane. She told one lady how pretty her toe nails were and played with one lady's buttons on her shirt sleeve. There was one man that she just simply looked way up high at him and said "Hey, I'm Kenneneee." (that's how she says her name)

We quickly made the short drive out to Katy and started the weekend off! First, we headed to Megan's house to see my great aunt Rosemary since she was there keeping Abby and Jackson. We had a nice visit and let the girls get re-aquainted after not seeing each other in a little over a year. They loved each other from the first minute. We all know Kennedy's slight obsession with shoes...well, she quickly wore off on Abby. They clanked around in high heels for a while and carried their purses and makeup with them everywhere. It was too cute!

We headed to grab some lunch and stayed at the pool most of the afternoon. The pool was AMAZING. I know we are only two states away, but we just don't have pools like that in Mississippi. They had the lap area of the pool and a regular area for leisure and fun but then they had this huge area for the tiny kids. The water started out at about 2" of water and went up to about 2'. In that area they had a splash pad where the water shot out of the ground and also a tall mushroom that spilled water out of the top creating a waterfall. For the big kids, they had a full size water slide area. You all may not be impressed, but Maggie and I were. I expect that from a water park, not your neighborhood pool!

Sunday was an interesting day as we spent the entire day at the Downtown Aquarium in Houston. It was "shark weekend" and that apparently is a big deal. So much of a deal, that we stood in line for 2 hours to ride the train that takes you to the shark exhibit. Neat thought, but not so sure about the actual execution. We saw other exhibits as well so it was a fun time. The sea turtles were my favorite.Sunday night was filled with more visiting with the family and then on to eat real "Tex Mex". It was yummy!

Monday was a pretty laid back day with lots of shopping. It was nice to be away and doing something different but not to jam pack a weekend full of things to do. I think it was a nice mix of out and about along with just relaxing and having fun watching the kiddos play like little girls do. We will NOT let another year go by without doing this again...already planning the next visit because you just can't beat a $100 plane ticket!

Houston, We Have A Problem

2009-08-03T09:41:00.003-05:00

Quite simply, that problem is that I will be leaving Houston this afternoon.

Maggie, Kennedy, and I took a quick weekender to the Houston area to visit our cousins. Megan has a little girl, Abby, who is Kennedy's age and they had a blast together. Megan is my age and of course we had a great time together...and Maggie just joined us for the fun of it, and I do think she had fun. Pictures to come in the next post :)

Quiet Time

2009-07-27T10:28:00.002-05:00

It has been over a week since I blogged and quite frankly I have nothing major to blog about and it's kinda driving me nuts. I guess I will post a list of things that are floating in and out of my head as I have tried to figure something worth blogging about.

*On Saturday, I went to file one sheet of paper which led to cleaning out the file cabinet, which led to cleaning out the guest closet, which led to cleaning out/re-arranging the kids' room, which led to re-arranging the den....which led to a pleasantly surprising outcome.
*My mom has decided to be all tech-savy and bought herself a Blackberry last week. I received my first text message from her last night and am still in shock she is a "texter."
*I am super pumped about my trip to see my cousin and her family this weekend in the Houston, TX area. It is Kennedy's first plane trip, so I am sure that will be a post all in itself next week. I just pray I will not be the dreaded "lady with a baby" on the plane.
*I could not fall asleep last night for my mind wandering with ideas of how to decorate for Kennedy's "shoe obsessed" 2nd birthday party two weeks from now. (still can't believe the baby is almost 2!!!!)
*I am having a love/hate relationship today with ABC because I love that tonight we will see who Jillian picks as her hubby-to-be, but hating that the season of The Bachelorette will be over.
*I am overjoyed with a decision I have recently made about myself...sneaky huh?
*I have just started taking a zumba class at the gym and it is the most fun I have had in a while. I love to dance and it is a dance I have never formally studied...just danced it like a fool in my own home while watching "So You Think You Can Dance." It is a mixture of all Latin styles (cha cha, samba, etc) and it makes for a killer workout.
*I am so happy that Jon Walker is a "mama's boy" because he just melts my heart when out of nowhere, 5 times a day, says "I just love you in the best wide world."

I guess I had some important stuff to say afterall. The posts with meaning will return next week. I promise.

When Beautiful Goes Bad...

2009-07-17T22:05:00.005-05:00

We leave Florida tomorrow to return to reality. I am sad and want to stay here forever. We had beautiful weather all week (thankfully) with only one half day of rain and we took advantage of the downpour to shop! Today (our final day) was forecasted for 70% chance of showers and a cold front but it turned out to be one of the best days of the week...it rained for about 10 minutes this morning and then the sun came out and stayed out. There was a pleasant breeze all day at the beach and the water was crystal clear (after several days of some seaweed this week). Of course, I wanted to squeeze in my annual "white" photos on the beach and I just had to share a few of them. The kids were tired and just not having any part of the beautiful photo opps. I managed to get a few good ones, but the "scream shot" makes me laugh...now after-the-fact.

Sneak Peek...Just Beachy

2009-07-14T22:23:00.004-05:00

So tomorrow is hump day and I am sad that we will be leaving the beach in 4 days...only 3 more full days to pack in the fun and sun. We are having a ball and getting lots of great time in with friends and Gigi and Nana. I am really enjoying having some color on my skin that was in desperate need of a suntan! I have already taken 118 pictures and they are the best ever. In the meantime, a little sneak peek...

Beach Bound

2009-07-09T08:50:00.003-05:00

I am leaving this afternoon for my annual "moms and babies" trip to the beach. I have never been more excited to go. Maybe it's because Waylon and I haven't taken a trip this year, but I have just been antsy with energy to get on the road. I had planned on leaving tomorrow morning, but since my sister and her friend are riding with me, I opted on leaving this afternoon after work. My goal is that we can eat dinner around Jackson and the kids will fall asleep around Hattiesburg and sleep the rest of the way to Seacrest. That is the plan, so we shall see what happens!

Anyway, it doesn't really matter...I just pray for a safe and easy trip and looking forward to laying on the beach in the morning!

He's Not Even In The Doghouse

2009-07-02T11:41:00.004-05:00

When I got home yesterday, my neighbor walks down and asks if everything is okay between Waylon and I. Well, yes, that's a strange question...so I asked her why she asks. You see, his strange but oh-so-productive attitude started earlier this week when he finally got around to cleaning the garage like he said he was going to do three weeks ago. I do try to keep a clean, organized home, but the garage is a different story. That is Waylon's territory and needless to say, it's his place to throw tools around, sand and shave wood, and store his fence equipment. I may have a parking space in there about 3 months out of the year! Well, he actually did a massive cleaning in there and it is spotless. Everything is in it's place and it is about as clean as the day we moved in. And my car can go in with lots of space around it!!!

Even before the whole garage project went down, we had been working in the backyard and doing some major renovations. Waylon built a second deck directly across from the existing one and eventually one day, we will connect the two with a gorgeous arbor for more shade and better lawn appeal. The new deck looks amazing and the backyard makes more sense now with a more set area for grilling and lots more room for entertaining guests. We have a fire pit that we use alot and we wanted to put it in a more useful spot as well, so that was Saturday's project. With lots of help, we dug out the grass between the two decks...in laid some railroad timbers as the border...and hauled all the pea rocks from what used to be the kids' play area over to the new fire pit. It looks fantastic and I am so pleased it is done.

So now back to coming home from work yesterday and pulling into such a nice surprise, followed by the neighbor's questioning Waylon being in the doghouse. I have wanted flat rock to border our front flower bed since the day we moved in. I just never wanted to spend the $200 for a pallet of it. We have a friend who is a landscaper who was needing to get rid of some he had leftover. Waylon went and picked it up and got all the grass and weeds out of the flower bed, then laid all the flat rock out. It gives the yard a complete transformation as far as curb appeal goes. I love it and appreciate all hubby's hard work this week. I'll have to reconsider the next time I really want him in the doghouse!

"You're hot, then you're cold..."

2009-07-01T14:50:00.003-05:00

"You're yes, then you're no..." I am a huge Katy Perry fan but I have that song in my head solely because this counts the third morning in a row that I have taken a COLD shower. And it's not because I am just so hot that I feel the need to do so. We had our little AC overflow problem two weekends ago which we still haven't begun the renovations on and then this past Sunday I noticed we had no hot water. Well, actually Jon Walker noticed and gladly screamed at me to let me know. We had been playing outside and I put the kids in the tub but never paid attention to the temperature of the water. I mean, my hands were in the water with them, scrubbing heads and dirty fingernails, and the water felt okay to me. But when I poured the water over his head to rinse the shampoo, you would have thought I was drowning the boy. Poor Kennedy's lips turned a not-so-pretty shade of purple and I knew we had a problem.

I have been a good mommy and have taken the kids to friends' homes the past couple of nights for a warm bath, but I have somehow managed to freeze to near death in the middle of the summer. I don't think many of our friends want me in their homes at six something in the morning so I can get a hot shower...no.

Hubby is home today fixing the problem, which is only the pilot switch and just so happens to be recalled, so it was a FREEBIE! You can bet I will be taking a long, hot bath tonight. And I'll think about giving the kids a warm one too!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2009-06-22T13:45:00.009-05:00

So the heat is really getting to me. Does it seem so much hotter already than normal? I felt so sick after work last Thursday but did move on and have a better weekend...somewhat anyway. It was Father's Day weekend and we had a trip to Greenville planned. We loaded up and ended up having a great time and found lots of ways to beat the heat. We swam with an old friend of mine, Lindsay, and her kids and that let our kids all get the know each other pretty well. I think they had a great time together.

Then we spent most of Saturday afternoon on the lake with my brother and sister-in-law. Jon Walker was a little iffy at first but quickly got comfortable with the water and the boat once we played at the "beach" for a bit...it was actually the sandbar. By the end of the day, Jon Walker was driving the
boat on his own! I really had fun just relaxing on the lake, feeling the breeze, and enjoying good conversation with Paul on his birthday.

The "bad" and the "ugly" of this post is what happened on Sunday night. Our ac unit decided to clog some pipe somewhere and cause a leak to cause quite a bit of damage on our master bedroom ceiling and wall. The carpet is all wet and sheet rock will most likely have to be replaced. I just painted my bedroom in the fall so I hate that part because it will have to be re-painted, but I know that is minor in the big picture. We have never really had major house stuff happen because the house is pretty new, so this is more than I want to take on right now...in the dead of the heat!

I do have my beach trip coming up in less than three weeks, so at least I have that to look forward to...more fun in the sun!

The Happiest Place On Earth?

2009-06-11T10:36:00.003-05:00

It's bittersweet, I know, but I think St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis may be one of the happiest places on earth. I have a special connection to the hospital because my older brother, Paul, was a patient at St. Jude for years during our childhood. He is a cancer survivor and I have seen first hand that the thought of such a sad hospital holds some of the most vibrant memories for me. I understand that the babies, children, and teens going through the illnesses, treatments, and surgeries are living a scary and painful life but there is so much more to that pain and sorrow while there. The social workers and even doctors and nurses turn frowns upside down all day, everyday. The activities that are brought to the patients' beds are overflowing. The celebrities that visit just to make a difference are plentiful. The fact that these kids are getting million dollar medical help for zero dollars to their families is enough to warm a few hearts. My fondest memory of St. Jude is my first "sibling day" there. We were given pale green scrubs and became "doctors" for the day. I had the whole nine yards--mask, hat, booties, and outfit. We were the heroes for once. All day we did various hospital procedures and toured all the different wings of the hospital. I even remember putting in an iv (yes, it was fake) and then using the fun band-aids to cover the wound. I can so vividly picture butterflies, green tubing, vials of bloodwork and I can still smell the sanitization of the hospital....such a distinct smell. The best part of the day was wheeling a gurney down the "secret" tunnel that connects St. Jude to the old St. Joseph Hospital.

It is amazing to hear about the billions of dollars that is raised for the research and the treatment provided by St. Jude. I plan on doing my part this year as I plan on running the St. Jude half marathon in December. I hope to collect pledges from sponsors if I can finish the run. What can you do? Can you donate each month by becoming a Partner in Hope? Can you donate when you have a little extra one month by just going to the website?

I came across the video below from Mary Kate Rushing's Caring Bridge website that her mother continues to blog from. "MK" is the little girl from Greenville who just lost her battle with cancer a couple of months ago. She is featured in the video several times. It just made me re-think the fact that no one is safe from cancer or illness or accidents. I thought of my 22 month old baby girl and my soon-to-be 4 year old little boy as I watched the video. Those are my children's age kids on there. We are all angels passing through this life on earth. And speaking of angels, I love to look closer in pictures and see little reminders of us as angels. Lots of times, I see something in a photograph that is so ordinary but just because the picture was taken at that angle, the person appears to have wings or a halo. There are lots of times in this video that I saw this happen. My favorite in particular is of a little boy in a Spiderman shirt sitting in his hospital bed. The back of the bed appears to be his "wings." Look for him at 3:12 into the video. So pay attention to all the pictures and see what angels you find. Go to the bottom of the blog and pause the music before starting the video.

In the meantime, say a prayer today for the patients, nurses, and doctors at St. Jude. And hug your healthy babies a little tighter tonight.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It's A....World of Boys!

2009-06-10T15:28:00.004-05:00

And no, it's not me who making any announcements...trust me! The only addition to our family was a beautiful one year old german shepherd that we were so graciously given last month. Her name is Holly and she completes our family for the time being.

Back to the baby note though, it does seem as if 95% of my friends are pregnant right now. I am very happy for each and every one of you but also wishing I had all my friends back for a little while. I miss our late talks, hanging out, and drinking wine. Those days will come back soon enough once all these BABY BOYS are born. I love nothing more than little boys because they do love their mommies in such a special way so congrats to all you boy birthers out there, but seriously, who is Miss Priss going to hang out with? And don't you say all your little boys! I am holding out hope for Dana and Jeff since they will not know the gender of their "Baby Mc" before it's birthday. Kennedy and I are keeping our fingers crossed for a dance partner, make-up applying, baby doll carrying GIRL. Until "Baby Mc" makes an appearance, we still congratulate the others on carrying healthy, happy, stinky boys! Can't wait to meet...Baby Ott, Baby Stallings, and Baby Rousse.

And I can't forget my cousin Megan in Texas who just had her baby boy, Jackson...I will be seeing ya'll soon enough. I am counting down the weeks til my trip there to meet the little man!

Summer is Here!

2009-06-01T12:46:00.005-05:00

We had our first official weekend of the summer where we went out and did something as a family. And we had a great time, I must add! Our gym (and my second home I feel like...not a bad thing), HQ Fitness, held a "family day" and open house all day long on Saturday that stretched into Saturday night. The kids and myself went to the gym around ten am for my normal workout and then walked around outside afterwards. They had lots of arts & crafts booths set up and even a petting zoo with llamas, ducks, pot bellied pigs, guinea pigs, lambs, and rabbits. We stayed just a few minutes before heading home for lunch and nap time.

When Waylon got off work, we went back up to HQ for more walking around but the biggest hit was the water slide. I was so impressed with Jon Walker for taking part in the activities. Normally, he is a little shy and taken back by a.) water and b.) older kids. I just knew with the two mixed, there was no way he would partake. Boy, did he prove me wrong! He slid and slid all afternoon...keeping right up with all the big boys and girls.

The highlight of the evening was our friends, Inner 61, was the headliner band for the event. It has been quite a while since I've heard them play as a band and I must say they were phenomenal! We filled up on crawfish that were delicious...not too spicy but just right and then sat back and listened to the band. Well, most of us sat back...Jon Walker once again came out of his shell. He was front and center of the stage the entire time dancing his little heart out. The drummer threw his drum sticks out at some point and JW caught one of them. After the show the guys all signed it for him...he thought he was so cool. It was a fun night full of fun, food, and music!

The kids slept like logs after such a busy day and I had to wake them up for our family photo shoot Sunday morning. I cannot wait to see the proofs as this was our first formal family picture we have taken...yes, I am a little behind on some things. Better late than never though! We had lots of formal shots and candid shots taken by a lake and a barn so I am hoping for some great framers. And since we were out at a barn, we couldn't pass up Jon Walker's love for tractors. He had his own shoot with his John Deere tricycle and then even took some photos sitting on the tire of a real John Deere tractor. I have never seen so much joy in that kid's face!

Deja Vu...

2009-05-26T13:18:00.006-05:00

Or it's just ten years later actually. I cannot believe it has been ten years since I graduated high school. Ten years since my little sister was just in second grade but now graduating high school. Ten years since I never really dreamed I would marry my high school sweetheart and share the most beautiful kids ever with him. I sure felt old Thursday night as I watched Maggie graduate. It just doesn't seem like it should be here yet. We will be having our class reunion in September and I am really ready for that. The craziest part about it all is how quickly the time passes. I don't feel almost 30 and I don't feel like the past ten years have gone by so slow. I just wonder if the next ten will speed by as well...that is scary.

We raced into Greenville just in time for graduation and got to spend a little time with our family. Best of all, I got to quickly visit with my good friend Kathryn who I don't get to see very often. We got some really good photos (and yes, I am in several so I can finally reveal the more slender me). I wish Maggie all the best as she moves on to a new place in life...even if it is Starkville, MS (boo dogs).

The rest of the weekend was very laid back. Both the kids stayed in Greenville so I had a nice break. I had so many things to accomplish but only checked one thing off my list so I was not very productive at all. I watched a lot of movies (Benjamin Button is a MUST SEE!), slept late-late-late, and repainted my chandelier over the dining table and changed out the glass shades to more modern linen ones. We got a new dog a couple weeks ago so yard renovation was on the list but with the rain and Waylon working so much, it just didn't get done.

Here are a few of my favorites from the weekend....

Putting Out Fires...We Hope

2009-05-19T15:21:00.003-05:00

My husband is testing tomorrow for a career position as a firefighter for the city of Horn Lake. He passed both the written exam and the physical test back in November but did not make the cut for the new firemen they needed. He received a call several weeks ago from the department letting him know they were having tryouts on May 20 if he was interested in applying and testing again. This is literally the "dream" job to go along with Titan Fence since firemen work about half the month but the pay and benefits are still excellent. Waylon wants this really bad and I believe it would put our family in a great place. Please pray for him as he approaches this next goal he has set out for. Hopefully, I can post at some point about his new position!

Crying...

2009-05-19T09:00:00.002-05:00

So now I look like I've been run over by a mack truck this morning and it's only 9 am. May 19 has been marked with a sad face on my calendar for months now but it has crept up on me. I am being as vague as I can possibly be because it just hurts right now to be more open. Time does heal and generally, I am okay. But on this day, on the 7th anniversary, it hurts and it makes me sad.

I text my husband this morning just to remind him of the day and to ask him to say an extra prayer for our angels who watch over us, and when I did, I broke. The flood gates opened and I cannot close them. I wish I could go see him today but I am not near him, but then again he is not even in that place where we left him. He is in heaven and that makes it a little better knowing that. Sometimes I feel selfish and want him here to meet my children. To play on the floor with them. To teach Jon Walker to play soccer as they are so much alike. To make Kennedy laugh as they share their dimpled cheeks. And just to be my brother and friend.

I Have Pictures!

2009-05-18T11:39:00.003-05:00

But no, they are not of me! I have had so many people asking for me to post pictures of myself after losing 20 pounds...yes, that is right. My final weigh in for "The Biggest Loser" competition was Saturday. I lost 20 pounds which is almost 12% of my original body weight and right at 20 inches lost as well. I am not shying away from posting pictures of myself, it's just that I haven't taken any recent pictures of myself. I will work on that this week and hopefully have a picture to post soon.
Even though the competition is over, I am still going to keep my same routine and hopefully lose about 10 more pounds. I can do it...I know I can!

The pictures I am posting are of two of the most beautiful children in the whole wide world. One of my bosses took these photos at a wedding party given for our co-worker, Michael and his fiance, Penny who were married on Saturday. He was busy snapping pictures the entire evening, but I never dreamed to see such gorgeous pictures come from the night. Enough said about them...just take a look for yourselves.

Final Week

2009-05-12T13:09:00.002-05:00

I don't know how much, if any, weight I lost last week. We always go to Waylon's grandmother's for Mother's Day and off we went to Stewart. I had to skip my work out and weigh-in on Saturday morning, so I have no results. I ate terribly over the weekend so that makes me a little nervous going into this week. I know I am not a contender to win "the biggest loser" competition so I am not frantic about the compettion coming to an end. I am so satisfied with my results this far. I am down to college years weight and fitting into clothes nicely and overall, just feeling great. I am not dreading swimsuit season like I normally do!

So this week is the final week of the Biggest Loser and we end on Saturday with the
5-K run that kicks off the Hernando A'Fair. I have been running anywhere from 3 to 4 miles a day anyway, so the 3.2 miles shouldn't be too much trouble for me. And even after this week is over, the plan is to keep going as if the competition is still going on. I have enjoyed getting back into shape and still have about 10 more pounds I would like to lose.

On a final note, Mother's Day was very nice for me. Jon Walker woke me up saying "happy mother's day mommy" and he continued to say it in his sweet little voice all day long. He even began singing it to the tune of "Happy Birthday" which was cute. You never know with men, and since I knew Waylon didn't have anything for me at his grandmother's, I just figured I was going to get just the "Happy Mother's Day." I wasn't being a bad sport about it either. I am very blessed to have a happy, healthy family and they are my gifts everyday. I was pleasantly surprised though when I laid down to rest with Kennedy while the boys went to get Joey and came back with happies for me. Jon Walker picked out a beautiful bouquet of roses and Waylon served me lunch in bed...chinese food that I haven't had in about 3 months due to the diet!

I hope all you mommies out there had a fabulous day too! I love you mom and Paula!

Quickest Post EVER

2009-05-04T16:52:00.002-05:00

I am terrible about long and drawn out posts, so let's just say hooray for a short one. I was worried about last week and my weigh in on Saturday...well, no worries.

I LOST 3 POUNDS LAST WEEK FOR A TOTAL OF 18 LOST SO FAR!

For the Record...This Week

2009-05-01T13:29:00.003-05:00

Just for the record...

*I do not feel like I have done well this week and honestly not looking forward to weighing in the morning.

*I have experienced what true forgiveness feels like this week, and it sure feels good.

*I have done my part this week in helping a family of eight who lost everything they own in a house fire.

*I have painted more pieces of art this week than I have in probably two years, and the creativity just poured out of me.

*I have misplaced (I refuse to say lost yet) a very important gift this week that my husband gave to me on the day our daughter was born.

*I have had each one of my children come to sleep in the bed with me this week and that is way out of the ordinary for them.

*I told my husband this week that I am the happiest and more in love with him than I can imagine being (I think the endorphines from exercising help with my attitude).

*I have started counting down the days this week until our beach vacation, which is not until July.

Halfway There

2009-04-27T09:19:00.003-05:00

I guess I am surviving on metabolism now....

Not that I am not doing a good job because I definitely feel I am. I continue to eat healthy (but just not as on schedule as in the beginning) and I remain to workout as I am supposed to. My outdoor runs have gotten really good and my endurance is building quite nicely. I can always do better though. This was a nice week for me as I have now hit two goals in two weeks. Two Saturdays ago, I weighed in and had hit the weight I was before I got pregnant with Jon Walker. That was huge to me to be fitting in clothes I haven't worn since our first year of marriage. I am beginning to feel comfortable in shorts and even thought I looked quite decent in the new swimsuit (yes, 2 piece) that I bought recently. That confidence hasn't been in me in years!!! This past weekend, the milestone I hit was my "halfway there" goal. I lost 2 more pounds last week and that puts me at a total weight loss of 15 pounds so far. My original goal was to lose 30 pounds and I am on my way to it!

I promise there will be pictures at some point...it just seems I am always behind the camera.

Down Again...whoo hoo

2009-04-20T08:43:00.002-05:00

So I was wondering about my last week's routine and thinking my weigh-in would not be so successful. But it was! I did not do the best last week on my snacking healthy...I just didn't snack at all. And my body actually does best when I eat more. Then Friday afternoon, I headed out for my run (which all last week I did outside--goal is to jog 4 miles a day) and decided to run off my path to Mi Pueblo since Madelyn and Rachel were up there...and yes, I literally ran. Of course after getting there, I couldn't turn down eating that delicious mexican food. So where normally I eat very light on Friday nights, I ate mexican...but at least it was a salad and had grilled shrimp in it. (I did indulge in a few chips with salsa, but had no drinks...WILLPOWER) And I really have to pat myself on the back because I then ran home after dinner. I felt I needed to since the weigh-in was 12 hours away.

It was great news...a little over 2 pounds lost last week. I guess my running outside everyday saved me. I am now over 13 pounds down and proud of it!

Sidenote: The previous post said I have lost 17" when really it's only 14" I have lost... I had a misunderstanding.

The rest of the weekend was nice and relaxing since we had down pours most of the time. I snuggled up in bed for several Lifetime movies and even started a new book. I can't wait for this week since the temperatures are supposed to be very warm and sunny skies most days. Praise the Lord!!!

17 is a big number...

2009-04-17T13:29:00.002-05:00

So it is a little over half way through my Biggest Loser challenge. I feel great and am just over 10 pounds lost so far. I got my measurements taken this week and knew I had lost some inches because my clothes are so big, but to add all the different measurements up and hear 17, I was shocked. Waylon had guessed 20" lost and he was very close. I am feeling better and better each week and I love it. I have my weigh-in and workout in the morning, so hopefully the next post will be just as good.

LONG Weekend, GOOD Weekend

2009-04-13T09:38:00.015-05:00

Our house was jumping with action this past weekend as we had three full days filled the the brim with stuff going on. We have not had this much time of just us together in a while since Waylon has been working alot of weekends lately. This weekend was so refreshing and lots of memories made.

Since the kids were out of school and I was off for Good Friday, we spent most of the morning at the gym so I could work out. I got a great workout in as morning workouts feel so much better to my body. We went back home and waited on Kennedy to lay down for her nap so Jon Walker and I could dye Easter eggs for the the Easter bunny to come pick up and hide for them. He was so into the Easter bunny this year, it was great. JW enjoyed dying the eggs so much and he really did a good job. Friday night Waylon and I had a date night while Joey babysat which is so nice of him. I think he enjoys his time with the kids and they love his company! We enjoyed dinner and movie and had a nice time just being alone without the kids for a few hours.

Saturday morning I went to the gym for my last chance workout and weigh-in and lost one more pound. I am still slowly losing but I am very satisfied as I feel so good and my clothes are too big so that is a good enough sign to me that I am doing great. We ran 4 miles outside as a portion of our workout and I really enjoyed that. Then I went back home and relaxed for a little while then Waylon decided we should go to Oxford and watch the Ole Miss baseball game. We had no other plans and it was a beautiful afternoon so we got ready to make it to the 4 pm game. Jon Walker was so excited as this was his first game (Kennedy's too) and I couldn't get ready quick enough for him. We had a friend and his 5 year old son ride with us so Jon Walker was the happiest kid on earth. We all dressed in our red and blue and headed to "God's country." We sat in the outfield and it got really hot so we walked to the Grove toward the end of the game. The kids ran and ran and it felt so good to lay in the coolest, most green grass ever! Then we had dinner at Proud Larry's (yum) and headed home just in time for the Easter bunny to make his deliveries.

The kids woke up on Easter Sunday to baskets filled with goodies and then we headed off to mass. They looked so cute in their new clothes and Kennedy is finally not pulling her bow out of her hair! We immediately did our egg hunt after church since the rain was headed our way. They both found lots of eggs and had a really good time running all over trying to get to the eggs before the other one! I made my first Easter lunch of barbeque chicken and lots of sides, including deviled eggs. The rain started and the rest of the day was a lazy day in front of the tv.

It was a fabulous weekend with so many pictures...it was hard to pick which ones to post!!!

Greenville, Mississippi

2009-04-07T10:30:00.007-05:00

We spent the last weekend in Greenville, visiting with friends and family and it was really nice. There was lots going on and our time was filled to the max while we were there. It was such a beautiful spring weekend as the temps were hot but the wind was blowing! And no mosquitos YET.

We spent most of the day Saturday at Warfield Point Park where Waylon rode his 4-wheeler in the River Mud Run. There was some confusion about which classification he should have been in and that part was unfair as they had him competing against much larger 4-wheelers. He did okay as he finished 5th place out of 9 riders. He was happy with that as he knew what kind of competition he was up against and I was happy that he rode smart and didn't push it to where he blew up his engine...he can be known to push the bike's limits! Jon Walker went with us and he enjoyed every minute of it. It is so fun to watch him grow into the rough and tough little boy. He rode the ATV trail with me and climbed a huge mud pile and even climbed to the top of the tower looking out over the Mississippi River.

Saturday night we went to St. Joe to watch Maggie's senior play, "Lil Abner." I didn't realize how major her role was as she was Abner's mother, Mammy Yokum. She played a hillbilly, old lady with a terrible accent and I was surprised at how good she was at her character. Kennedy had zero interest in the play but Jon Walker enjoyed it as long as his attention would let him.

And Sunday was just as nice as the sun was shining all day long. We went to church and Kennedy would not let go of Maggie's pearl necklace. It was the cutest thing to see her carry her baby, sippy cup, and pearls all while giving that cheesy little dimpled smile to everybody she passed. Waylon and I had a nice Sunday afternoon alone while his parents spent some time with the kids. Waylon fished for a while at my parents while I laid out by him to get some sun...it felt so good to feel the delta heat on my skin for the first time this year. Then we did a little shopping and headed back later that evening.

It was a good weekend in Greenville and we will be back soon enough to watch Maggie graduate!!! I cannot believe how quickly time flies.

The Big 10

2009-04-03T08:56:00.003-05:00

I am very proud of myself this morning as I hit the 10 pound mark of my weight loss. The pounds are coming off surely but slowly and I am trying hard not to get discouraged each week when I only see a 1 or 2 pound loss at a time. I guess my body is just older and needs a little more help losing the weight.

I am satisfied with my 1 pound loss this week becuase I had two things going against me and I was nervous about my weigh-in. First, I had mentioned earlier about eating mexican food last weekend. I did eat some cheese dip and chips and the in-laws brought candy for the kids and I indulged in some M & Ms and sour chewy candies. Also, because of our trip to Greenville this weekend, I am unable to work out tonight before the normal weigh-in on Saturday. So I am short one work out and had to weigh-in a day early.

All in all, I am happy at this mid point in the competition. We just finished our sixth week in the 12 week Biggest Loser competition and although I am not winning, I still have lost over 5% of my body weight and feeling really great. The compliments I am getting aren't so bad either!

LOSER

2009-03-30T09:10:00.003-05:00

My weigh-in was another good one on Saturday morning...2 more pounds lost. I guess I am stuck on losing 2 pounds each week, but that is okay by me. I am down almost 2 sizes and feeling really great.

Last week was the first time I have had a hard time wanting to stick to my diet. I discussed this with my trainer on Saturday morning and began telling her how much I was craving mexican food. She said go ahead and treat myself because I can't keep holding out and just binge when I finally do go eat out. Waylon's parents were here this weekend and so we did go eat at the mexican restaurant Saturday night. I ate it up and it was so good. But then I didn't feel so good Sunday morning. I actually felt sick to my stomach and could tell my body just wasn't used to eating like that anymore. So, off to the gym I went (where I normally take Sundays off) and I will be working extra hard this week...and I will not eat like that again for a long time!

THe NEWs Around Our Home

2009-03-27T09:21:00.008-05:00

The last few weeks have been very exciting for us as spring is slowly getting here. The days are longer and it's nice to come home to sunshine. Also, the kids' school hired a new staff and they are wonderful. Jon Walker is learning in leaps and bounds...it is truly amazing how smart he is (I am sure I am biased, but really he is smart). He can tell you all about lower case and capital letters, new songs he sings, and his art skills are through the roof...that makes me smile big. Kennedy is also catching on to the idea of "school" as she is already singing the alphabet. All of the teachers talk about how prissy she is and never misses any conversation. She prisses from her age group to the older group (baby doll ALWAYS in tow) and points that finger and tells them all what to do. She is definitely the social director of HQ. And for all of you who know how much she loves her food, she sings this little chant when she sees the lady who prepares the food- "Ms. Bobbie...eat! Ms. Bobbie...eat!" She is a handful but I love to see what their little brains are soaking up each and every day.

Also, to go along with Kennedy's newfound knowledge, I guess her hair is growing because I finally got it up in a pony tail this week for the first time. She has been wearing barretts but pulls them out as soon as she is out of my sight. I thought the pony would come right out too but she has managed to keep it up! She looks so adorable and like a big girl. Time for the big bows!

Last but certainly not least, we did a little renovation in our den and I love the results. We (and I did help a little but mostly mean Waylon) added built in shelves around each side of the fireplace. I love the extra space for my McCarty pottery and the pictures of the kids fit perfectly above each unit. I also think it adds that character and charm that is always needed in a newer built home. Waylon also tore out the old mantle and put in a new much deeper mantle so the tv would sit up there instead of on the wall. I think it all looks great. He is so much more talented than we all give him credit for...thank you babe!

Enjoy the photos of the updates around our busy house!!!

Down Again

2009-03-23T09:02:00.002-05:00

I was really feeling yuck last week after my hemstring and knee being hurt. I wasn't able to push myself like the other weeks and then my cravings got the best of me. I ate Mexican one day and was wanting a Cadbury creme egg like there was no tomorrow. So I caved and just knew my weigh-in would be bad.

I showed up Saturday morning and weighed 2 pounds less...whew!

Our challenge was to do as many drop downs (aka-football drills, grass drills)as you can do in 2 mins. Once again, it came down to me and the 16 year old in the competition. She has won every challenge with me coming in a very near second each time. Saturday afternoon I couldn't even pick up my kids I was so sore and today I feel like I have been run over by a mack truck.

But I must pick myself up and get motivated for a new week. I am praying that my knee will not let me down and I can pull an even bigger number on Saturday.

Shot Down

2009-03-19T09:19:00.002-05:00

I was all excited last night and telling one of my trainers about my big goal for next week. The exact conversation...

CC-"So, did you watch Biggest Loser last night?"
Bobbie-"No."
CC-"Their challenge was to run a half marathon while on their hometown visit and I was thinking if they can do it, then so can I."
Bobbie-"What are you talking about?"
CC-"I have decided I am going to run a half marathon by next Saturday on the treadmill."
Bobbie-"Uh, no you're not."

Long story short, she went on to tell me I can't do that after a hemstring injury if I want to remain in the competition and that they had runner's training, whether the show let on or not. She gave me a runner's training schedule and said work up to it.
So, no more half marathon for me next week. It sounded good anyway!

And How Old Am I?

2009-03-18T10:10:00.002-05:00

So last week was tough on me when I worked legs with Kelly for the first time. OUCH! By Saturday's workout, my hemstring was so tight that I had to start soaking in Epsom salt and take off for the rest of the weekend. I skipped my workout Monday as well just because I wasn't feeling up to it and then went back in last night. I am so sad because I can barely run...and I am a runner, believe it or not. It takes so much for my body to sweat and I like to sweat. It makes me feel like I'm doing something. I started sprint training a couple of weeks ago...I sprint really fast for 30 seconds then jump off the treadmill for 30 seconds and keep going that way for about 45 minutes. It gets my heartrate up and down in intervals and makes me sweat really good. And I can't do that right now because my hemstring is still strained which is causing my knee to overcompensate and I feel like a 90 year old lady when trying to run. I am discouraged because I can't push myself this week and wonder how my weigh in will go on Saturday.

I do want to heal though because I gave myself a new challenge last night. Did anyone see last night's episode of The Biggest Loser? They each ran a half marathon during their hometown visits. It is a total of 13.1 miles. I kept watching them and thinking...if they can do it in less than 3 hrs at their sizes still, I can do it. So, by the end of next week, I am going to run a half marathon on the treadmill!

LOSS

2009-03-16T10:18:00.002-05:00

Our "last chance" workout on Saturday was crazy. First, we had our challenge of the week. We each put our backs against the wall and did a 90 degree sit challenge. You have to basically "sit" on air with your legs at a 90 degree angle and put your hands on your head. It doesn't sound that hard, but trust me, it HURTS! I pushed on through the pain and ended up finishing 2nd. My legs were shaking so bad and my quad muscles were cramping that I just had to give in. Then we did our workout for the next hour and half and it kicked me while I was down. We did the "body sculpt" class under Robin's instruction which is all cardio with lots of step, aerobics, and kick boxing all tied in together. I couldn't move after the class....literally. I was afraid to walk down the flight of stairs just to leave the room!

But it's all good. We all weighed in and I lost another pound, which is still a 2% loss. It wasn't exactly what I was looking forward to, but at least it was a loss. I was hurting alot last week with sore muscles, so hopefully this week will be a better, stronger week for me.

Till next time...

Over 3 Pounds Down

2009-03-09T09:56:00.003-05:00

I did not post after my first weigh-in, as I was a little discouraged. After the first week I had only lost half a pound. I had worked out like I was supposed to, but my diet was the problem. The problem being that I was not eating enough! So, after that weigh-in, my trainer wrote out a diet for me that she wanted me to follow last week. And of course, I was in the gym for about a hour and half each day so my schedule was really tight. I am actually enjoying the gym and my workouts now.

My second weigh-in was Saturday morning and I was a little nervous even though I knew I had a great week of dieting and exercising. I hopped on the scale and saw...

A 3 POUND LOSS!!!!

I feel like my metabolism is starting to kick in now, so hopefully this week will be just as good or even better!

Boys Will Be Boys

2009-03-02T10:46:00.006-06:00

This pretty much speaks for itself...I think he had more fun than the kids.

Painted Happiness

2009-02-27T15:34:00.003-06:00

The final product...top and then autographed bottom.
(It was a successful try at camoflauging the date and the "five")

Biggest Loser...I hope

2009-02-26T09:02:00.002-06:00

Many of you know that I am making my trillionth attempt to lose weight the good old fashioned way...at the gym and eating a healthy diet. The only difference this time is that I am being held accountable by two great trainers from HQ and about 25 other contestants...and not to mention myself. The Biggest Loser Challenge at my gym is going to last 12 grueling weeks but hopefully the results will outweigh the hardships. This was my first week of the program and I have been doing really good at my diet (actually found out I need to add about 200 calories a day due to not eating enough--who knew) and doing great in the gym. I am really proud of myself and just pray I have the strength and will power to keep it up.

So, I do plan on weekly updates of my weight loss (and hopefully not weight gain or stay the same weight), but you will never get my actual weight shown on here...SORRY...just not a lady-like thing to talk about!!!

I am extremely nervous as I am about 48 hours from my first weigh in after the first week of working at it. I feel like I am doing just about all I can do, but you never know. I have such high hopes for myself and I am afraid I am going to let myself down...I know, not the best attitude. I still have two more nights in the gym and the "last chance" workout with the trainers and other contestants Saturday morning at the high school football field. That will be interesting I am sure. Then on to the weigh in and then I will post my status. Pray for my strength please, as I have a long way to go and already sore as who knows what!

The BEST Anniversary...so far, anyways!

2009-02-24T10:38:00.010-06:00

WARNING...this is probably the longest post you will ever read!

Saturday, February 21, 2009 was one of the best days of my married life. It was an anniversary that will be remembered for a long, long time as Waylon put so much thought into making it "our" day. I woke up and went to the gym to do my weekly weigh in as I am in the Biggest Loser Challenge at HQ Fitness. Hubby met me up there and whisked me away to a wonderful day. Thankfully, my mom and Maggie were here to take the kids all day, so that part was stress-free! I had no idea where all we were going and that was really the most fun part. We first pulled up at Desoto Artworx which is a "paint-a-piece" studio. I have not painted pottery in a very long time so this was a great gift to me...the gift of my time doing something I enjoy. Waylon suggested we pick out a piece that we could put on our dining room table and we should paint it together in some way that symbolizes our 5th anniversary. After much thought and searching for the perfect shaped piece, we chose a boat shaped dish that is not too big and not too small. It took a little while for my creative juices to start flowing, but I knew I wanted to incorporate "five" and that day's date somehow in the piece without it being too obvious. You will see in the photos below that I painted a "H" on the dish and tried to creatively hide the date and the word five in the little bubbles on the stamped band going down the center of the piece. Hopefully, these won't stand out too much once it has been fired. Stay tuned for pictures of the final product.

Since you have to put at least 3 coats of paint on the pottery for the color to be right, it took forever to get the project going. We had our next event planned for us at 1:15 (and I was getting hungry) so we left the studio and he took me on the road again...to which I assumed was a lunch date (since we seem to never miss a meal). Right I was. We pulled into Sekesui and I was so excited because we don't eat sushi too much. We sat at the sushi bar since we didn't have the kids and each ordered a couple of rolls. It was DELICIOUS as always, but Jimmy (the sushi chef) gave me an extra bowl of crab with crunchies so I was super pumped.

We finished pretty quickly there and went back to the pottery studio to finish the piece. It was late afternoon when we were done and Waylon had planned on me getting my nails done, but we really needed to get home to get ready for mass at 6 pm. Me, mom, Maggie, Waylon, Jon Walker, and Kennedy got all dressed up and headed out to mass and then waited on all our friends and family to get to the church afterwards for our vow ceremony. We had so many loved ones show up to support us and you all mean the world to us. Thank you for spending your evening with us as we celebrated a very meaningful occasion.

Now, I thought Father Greg was going to just bless our vows and say a little prayer and such. No, we did the whole nine yards. He gathered our wedding bands from us before the service started. We started with a prayer and then we knelt down as he blessed us and our family. Then he asked us to stand so we could say our vows to one another...was not expecting that. We did the whole business all over again of "I, Catherine Clare, take you, Waylon, lalalalala......" I must say it was very refreshing to take those vows all over again. Of course your wedding vows mean something to you on your wedding night, but when you go through the ups and downs of an actual marriage, saying them again puts off a completely different feeling and whirlwind of emotions. I mean, I was nowhere close to crying on my wedding night and I teared up Saturday night. Then after we said our vows, Father blessed our wedding rings and we did the giving of the rings and the whole verbage that goes with it. Then the kicker...part 2 of what I was NOT expecting...Father's words were, "and now everyone give the couple an applause as we end with a kiss". Oh, my gosh...I think I just got married all over again, and it was great!

We all went to Windy City Grill for dinner and it meant so much to be around such great friends and family. We had the longest table ever but everyone was close by and that was great. The food was amazing and the music, wine, and company was even better! I have the most wonderful husband and we had such a meaningful anniversary that will give me memories for a lifetime. The only thing missing is the honeymoon!

24 hours and counting...

2009-02-20T16:45:00.001-06:00

Just excited...see previous post.

48 hours and counting...

2009-02-19T16:41:00.002-06:00

It has not been made private that I am so excited about this Saturday night. First of all it is our 5th wedding anniversary. That is enough to be happy about. And grateful about. And enamored with. And spiritually driven about. All in all, I am a very blessed half of a parnership with whom I share an amazing journey. We have two of the healthiest, most beautiful, most loving and caring babies ever. We are growing emotionally with one another and most importantly, we are spiritually driven like never before. And that feels awesome. Five years and still figuring each other out...I guess it will never end and I pray each and everyday that we can embrace the surprises we find in each other, whether they be good or bad.

On top of the 21st being "just" our anniversary, we have decided to have our wedding vows blessed by our new home church in Hernando. We have attended mass at Holy Spirit for the past couple of years but it has never really felt like home. It is the complete opposite of St. Joseph, which possesses a century of woodwork and stained glass. It is just beautiful. It is so rich with heritage and generations of families and that is what I was used to in a church. Holy Spirit is a community of many decades with a brand new church on the grounds. We were not married in our church and neither of the children were baptized in this church either. Our renewal of our vows is our attempt to really bond with our new church.

So, it was a great excuse to buy a new dress (and no, it is not white) and an even better way to celebrate our love for one another. We will be celebrating with some of our closest friends and family at the blessing of the vows and then dinner afterwards. CANNOT WAIT...stay tuned for photos as I know there will be lots!

Isn't he the CUTEST?

2009-02-17T13:40:00.003-06:00

I just had to post this picture from this past weekend at my parents' house. Jon Walker loves to find the turtles in the lake...

Pure Happiness

2009-02-16T12:21:00.005-06:00

When my bible study group (awesome bunch of girls) met last week, our study was focused on our lists of negatives and positives--which was longer and ways to make or keep the positive list greater. I was actually surprised that my longer list was of the positives, because lately I have been taken over by my negatives. I am really trying to look up and see the stars much more often rather than to look down on the mishaps of life itself. Today is a perfect example of all the happiness in my life.

1. My husband gave me the most beautiful flowers for Valentines Day and they were extra special because of the thought he put in them. I carried white tulips on our wedding day and we will be married 5 years next Saturday. My V-day arrangement had 5 white tulips mixed with some other very pretty flowers (see below).

2. Next Saturday, February, 21, Waylon and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary with many of our closest friends and family as we renew our vows of love and committment to one another....so pumped about that one!

3. For those of you who follow Boo Mama's blog, she hosted a giveaway last week of lots of fun Valentines gifts and I was selected as a winner of a cd of Dave Barnes (I never win these type things, so I was excited to see my luck turning around)...see previous post.

4. My children are some of the happiest and loving children and I just thank God for that everyday.

5. I am priveledged enough to take a beach trip each July with my mom and girlfriends and we booked our gorgeous beach house yesterday.

So, all in all, today is a beautiful, sun shiny day and I feel so refreshed as I focus on the positive in my life and know that things could always be worse.

God is Good!!!

Happy Heart Day

2009-02-13T13:11:00.004-06:00

Happy Valentines Day to all of you! I hope your air is filled with love, compassion, and giddyness this weekend. We are planning a trip home since it was Christmas when we were last there. I know that our options of date places are much more plentiful here, but home is where the heart is, right? And it is definitely where the free babysitters are!!!! We have a nice night out planned with reservations at a small, but fabulous restaurant in tiny-town Inverness. I am pumped about some one on one time without the kids and maybe a couple of small gifts thrown in...we shall see.

Real Life Lyrics

2009-02-04T13:42:00.003-06:00

I have just been introduced to an artist with an awesome sound and best of all, his lyrics are real. They apply to everything you and I go through on a daily basis. It is refreshing to listen to such beautiful, relaxing, romantic music and what better time to find out about such with V-day right around the corner! Take a listen...I added a few of Dave Barnes' songs on my playlist. And visit www.davebarnes.com for the prettiest song which is new on his album he is promoting, You, The Night, and Candlelight.

Is YOUR marriage Fireproof?

2009-02-02T12:49:00.004-06:00

I really think this movie made its way around the conversation track at least a time or two, so most of you are probably well aware that the movie Fireproof has made its dvd release. Waylon and I went to the theater to watch this and we both cried and felt a special connection with the story. We do not have anywhere near a perfect marriage (and I would love to know of any of you who do!?!?!?!) and this movie put so many things into perspective for us as a couple. I am most excited to have this movie out just in time for our FIVE YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY...good gift, hubby--hint, hint. Every anniversary is special, but this year God is working His ways into our lives more than ever and I am so thankful for that. So, point blank--buy the movie, rent the movie, download the movie...whatever, just watch it. I hope it changes your lives like it has done mine!

Snow Day

2009-01-28T12:01:00.001-06:00

Just a few pretty shots near our house!!! This little bridge is where we will be having our family portraits made in the spring.

Underwear Obsession

2009-01-27T11:00:00.006-06:00

Ok, I know that bloggers blog about their family happenings, milestones, and events, etc so I figured I would share the biggest news in the Hill house. Jon Walker is OFFICIALLY potty trained. Yep, you got it...only about three accidents over the past six weeks...not too bad in this mommy's opinion. We started back in the spring of '08 and obviously JW was just not ready. Finally, right before Christmas, he started showing more signs of wanting to be a "big boy" so we started training again. He got a Mickey Mouse stool and character underwear and basically trained himself. It was amazing how quickly he caught on. So, now to the obsession...he loves underwear--especially his "Cars" ones. So much that he has in his mind exactly which pair he needs to wear that day. He has complete control of the inventory of the different designs he has. And he will throw a fit if the exact pair he wants to wear is in the laundry pile or MIA for whatever reason. And to top it off, every time we go to Wal-Mart or Target, he insists on buying yet another pack of undies...just because "I NEEEEEEEDS more mommy." And what kind of mother would ever deny her child clean, fresh underwear? I will take the $5 pack of underwear vs the $20 pack of diapers anyday...so Kennedy, the pressure is on!

I was tagged

2009-01-26T12:52:00.001-06:00

Here are my 25 randoms...

1. I started drawing floor plans in elementary school and knew that I would one day earn a degree in Interior Design.
2. I want to have more children...eventually, like down the road.
3. I have been fired for a job for "lack of performance".
4. I traveled across Europe for over 2 weeks with only my mother with me.
5. I got sick in the flower bed in front of the church literally 1 minute before walking down the aisle.
6. I have never done a single illegal drug in my life.
7. I love to cook really complicated dishes with lots of ingredients.
8. I did not know the gender of my first child before he was born.
9.I will be renewing my wedding vows on the exact date/time of my 5 year anniversary.
10. I have apologized to an enemy.
11. I have lost a baby and a baby brother, but still have all 4 grandparents alive.
12. I will go to a wedding just for the cake.
13. I have never been to California, but dream of going to wine country.
14. I absolutely love calamata olives.
15. I have no desire to birth babies without that little thing called the epidural.
16. I can outdrink my husband when it comes to whiskey.
17. I am obsessed with Wheel of Fortune or really any game show.
18. I was not named for anyone my mother knew...just after two saints.
19. I will never allow my daughter to be in a beauty pageant.
20. I always have and will travel somewhere at least once a year.
21. I am a genius speller.
22. I believe in writing thank you notes on personalized paper.
23. I want to take an adult dance class.
24. I have a newfound craving for answers regarding my faith.
25. I am much weaker emotionally than I let on to be.

Lots of Firsts for 2009

2009-01-20T10:10:00.007-06:00

We had our first snow of the year this morning and it only lasted about 3 hours. It was pretty and this is the view out my office door after it had melted a little. I like the snow, just hope the ice doesn't come this year.

Kennedy has become very head strong about doing things herself. She wants to pick up things and turn on the bath water and even feed herself. I try to give her things to eat that she picks up with her fingers (for clean sake) but if she sees Jon Walker eating with a fork or spoon, she feels she needs one too. And she throws a fit until she gets it! So, here's the scenerio of this picture....She is having a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. JW having a bowl of chili. Their highchairs are sitting side by side in the kitchen and I walk out of the room for a minute. JW climbs out of his chair to follow me. She snatches his bowl and goes to town. Needless to say, that outfit had to be thrown out (good thing it was a 9 month outfit since it was a Polo)....yummy!

We got invited to join some friends at the DCC last weekend to watch the Riverkings play hockey. It was both of the kids' first times to see a hockey game and it was pretty interesting. They had every mascot of every business you can imagine there on the ice during the break. Now, for starters JW is very afraid of characters so that was a bust (he thought he was going to have to go on the ice too since there were some kids out with them) and on top of the animals, he is sensitive to noise. And since noise is a requirement on the ice with all the hits and fights, Jon Walker was quite unsure. Then as soon as we got home, he wondered when we were going back!

Daddy took Jon Walker to the woods for his first time ever. JW even got brand new boots to go along with his toddler sized camo gear he got for Christmas. He was way too cute! They walked the woods but didn't see any deer. JW said they were all sleeping...who knows what he would have done if he had seen one! But he sure thinks he wants to shoot one...he practices ALL the time.

Crazies...

2009-01-13T16:17:00.003-06:00

I just want to say thank you out there to all the crazies who love to make life miserable for other people. You hold a special place in my heart. My words of encouragement...Grow Up.