promised cake pictures

Last Saturday was one of my sister Sarah's baby showers. She has about 4 more weeks before Baby Jack will enter this world, thus changing her life forever. We are more than excited about meeting this little bit of preciousness. And I will be posting pictures.

But until then, you'll have to enjoy these pictures of the shower. She has most of them on her camera, but I did manage to take a few.

Here's the cake I made for my sweet sister. It was an almond-flavored poundcake with real buttercream icing. And it was yum.

The redhead helps Aunt Sarah open one of her gifts.

I tried to get a sweet mother/son picture, but the redhead wouldn't cooperate. At least its a decent picture of me!

Sarah, the redhead, my mom/"Nano", and me

We had a lot of fun - I got to see friends from college I haven't seen in a while, some family that I haven't seen in a few months, and chow down on some yummy food, all while celebrating my sister! I love you Sarah and I'm so excited for you and LeGrande to enter into parenthood!

my early morning gal pals

Meet Allie,




Annie,

and Alison (she's great for the self-esteem) from The Firm.

I have a standing appointment with them in my living room on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays around 6:30am. Yeah, its early. Yes, its hard to get out of bed. And yes, I try to talk myself out of it every time the alarm goes off.

However, they kick my butt, and its THE BEST feeling to know that at 7:30am my workout for the day is OVER.

I'm thinking that with my rave reviews of the workouts, I might be slated for a spot on the newest infomercial, whaddya think?


** This is where it would have been really funny to paste a picture of my head onto one of their bodies. Unfortunately that requires a program my computer lacks. And there is no way I'm taking a picture of myself at 6:30am in workout clothes. You would probably be able to smell my morning breath through the computer. So I'll spare you. But hey, maybe you'll get lucky enough to see pictures of my guns after I've worked on them a little bit longer.

the 8:50 showing

Saturday night, my friend Emily (Chatting at the Sky) and my new "bloggy friend who is now my friend in real life" Sissy (Out on a Limb) went out to dinner and then went to see..........you guessed it, Twilight.

Dinner was great. The movie...notsomuch.

Now I'm no movie critic and movies that the critics pan I sometimes like and vice versa. I had heard mixed reviews about Twilight, but I have to admit, after reading the book, I had high expectations for the onscreen love affair between Bella and Edward.

All my glittering expectations of Twilight greatness were dimmed as soon as I saw Edward as "a killing-machine" shimmering in the sunlight, his body sparkling as if he had doused himself in gold glitter from the craft section at Hobby Lobby. I almost laughed out loud at that one. PITIFUL. What happened to the million sparkling diamonds? Anyone?

Let's talk Bella for a moment. Even though she said that she wasn't scared of who Edward was (once she discovered his little secret), she looked TERRIFIED throughout the entire movie. She totally made me tense.

Now Rob Pattinson on the other hand, he was good, intense, but good. Once he got over all the "I look like I'm gonna blow chunks all over the biology desk" scene where Bella walks into Biology class.

While the movie wasn't a total bust, it definitely WASN'T the best part of the evening. After the movie was over, we were headed to our cars when we realized that we hadn't gotten a picture together. After all, I had to prove I was actually with the girls. We sat in Emily's van and took several timed pictures. We tried brooding faces, we tried normal smiles, I attempted a vampire crouch and spring, but we just ended up laughing hysterically so all the pictures are of us laughing.

The plan was for us to look brooding in this picture - you know, like Edward. Emily and Sissy look the part, but I got cracked up about something and ended up looking like I was about to throw up!

Emily, it was good to see you again and Sissy, I'm so glad I got to meet you! I feel like we've been friends for a long time! We definitely must get together again!

hear ye, hear ye...

On this, the thirteenth day of November in the two-thousand and eighth year of our Lord, I have-est two proclamations to shout from thine rooftops.

Proclamation Numero Uno:

My sister (Sarah) is great with child and the child is a............BOY!!!!! Her little sprout shall be called Jack Owen(our name that was maiden) Iseley. Goest thou forth and bid her congratulatory remarks if thou so desireth.

This is how my dearest sister and husband shall appear upon the arrival of their bundle sometime near the ninth day of the month of April in the two-thousand and ninth year of our Lord. (Only they shall look much more tired when tis their own child
and they are partaking in no respite)

Proclamation Numero Dos:

Following much prodding, it appeareth that my dearest friend, Mrs. Noonzie has indeed proceeded henceforth into the blogosphere. I almost partooketh in a massive coronary upon hearing the news of this greatness. Please go out from this place and bid her a warmer than warm welcome - but only after thou leavest me a comment. You may find her at the following address...

Love Me Through It

Now go thou forth into the blogosphere.

mountains, wine, and a cop with no couth

This past weekend, two of my girlfriends and I went to the mountains of Virginia, home state to two of my bloggy sistas (hi Debbie and Lula!).

We stayed up late, we slept in. We ate junk food, we drank wine (at a winery!). We hiked, we napped, we talked, and we laughed. It was great and the weather couldn't have been more beautiful. The scenery was pretty good too...

view from Lover's Leap overlook




Mabry Mill




Katie, Jennifer, and me looking a little squinty at Philpott Lake



Chateau Morrisette Winery

Lovely.

On the way to the mountains, we stopped at an ABC store in Greensboro because Katie wanted to make some daiquiris on Saturday night. As we walked in a cop sauntered over and asked to see our id's. We joked about how flattering it is to get carded even though we look over 21. Jennifer said something about her mother and clearly the cop had selective hearing because he then turns to me and says...

"Are you her mother?"

Its really hard to describe the look that came over his face immediately after the words escaped his lips. I thought he might pass out. Then, I thought I might grab his nine and pop him with it. The shocked look on my face told him the real answer and he skulked away.

Honestly, I was insulted, but I did think it was funny. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm 31, and in my opinion, don't think I look older than 31. My friend Jennifer is 25 and yes, she does look young, but dude..., didn't you just look at our id's for crying out loud? Do you think I would have been capable of birthing such a child at the tender age of 5? I think not. I had to wonder if he hadn't been taking a few shots during a lull in customers.

So, now I'm over it, and I'm enjoying a glass of Sweet Mountain Laurel whilst updating you on my fun and girly weekend. Hope your weekend was sweet and without run-ins with idiot police who should have just kept their mouths shut.

i heart your blog

I was awarded another little lovely...

by Tracy P. over at The Journey. She likes me, she really really likes me!

The rules of this award are:
1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you’ve nominated

And now the nominees in no particular order:

1. Heather at The Barbour Shop - Heather is an old college friend of mine who has 3 wonderful (and adorable) children. She is always coming up with creative and fun things for her "kiddos" to do. Plus, her blog design is beautiful AND she takes great pictures!

2. Courtney at Coffee Talk - Courtney and I go way back too, to Camp Willow Run in tiny Littleton, NC. Courtney is pastor's wife and mom to an adorable redhead. She always has something creative to post about, from funny things her redhead says, to almost vaulting out of a recliner in order to save her laptop. I always have to have a cup of coffee handy when I read her blog.

3. Octamom (I don't think I've ever seen her real name) - This is one cool lady. She is a wife and mother to 8 beautiful children. When she's not creating spreadsheets to keep her clan organized, she finds the time to leave the sweetest comments on the blogs of others. I also need to mention that she is a great writer.

4. Sarah @ The Wonderful Life That I Live is a dear friend of mine. She has an adorable little girl, Hannah, who is always getting into something. I love Sarah because she's real. If she's having a bad day, she'll tell you. If she's having a great day, she'll tell you. What you see is what you get with Sarah. She also loves to experiment with blog templates. I admire her for embracing change so readily.

5. The Queen in Residence @ Shiner's House of Fun - Oh my gosh, where do I begin? She's a wonderful mother, she's got the most beautiful eyes, and she's stinkin' hilarious (as evidenced by this post). She's finally home alone and both kids are in school. Who knows what she'll come up with next.

6. Angie @ John Deere Mom - Angie is a fun blogger and she's got plenty of blog fodder, what with her kids, Jackie the Cow and a recent illegal immigrant who showed up on her doorstep. She's funny, a great decorator, and makes great stuffed shrooms!

7. Lula @ Lulaville - I truly believe Lula and I share a brain (although I think she got the majority of it as her vocabulary is much greater than mine). Lula loves music, The Princess Bride, Jason Statham (that's right girls, she's got all dibs on him), and is Best Friends with Paula Deen. She leaves the most hilarious comments and was one of the first bloggers who evoked a belly laugh from me while reading her posts. Love you girl!

Now get on over to the gals and give 'em your love!

noonzie madness

Many of you have probably seen comments from one "Mrs. Noonzie" on my blog. Many of you have probably clicked on her name thinking, "Gee, how creative and funny, I'd like to read her blog." Many of you have probably been disappointed to see that the author of such funny comments does indeed NOT have a blog. For shame. I am still working on this travesty.

I will however, pacify you with this picture, identifying that at least she does exist. There is, in fact, a whole Noonzie family. Here they are...

Ain't they cute?

Mrs. Noonzie is the friend I've known the longest. We go way back - well, at least to 1993 when we were sophomores in high school and part of the Eco-Family (only the funniest thing to ever hit Providence High School - that's another post though). My visit to Charlotte put me close enough to Noonzie to make a day trip of it. She had never met the redhead, and I had never met her wee-est one either.

We hung around her house for a bit, watched the kids play, ate a little grub, put the boys down for naps, went to Starbucks for frappucinos, and took the kids to Barnes and Noble to play with the train table and such while we talked. Our plan was foolproof, but it seemed the kids had other agendas.

As soon as we arrived at the train table and settled into our chairs, wee lil' Noonzie filled his diaper with the stinky to beat all stinkies. The redhead, who normally would have to be pried away from the train table, was more content to roam, train in hand, around the children's section. Lil' miss Noonzie was good though, she tried to pacify the boys with sweet little stuffed animals. It didn't work, but she gets an A for effort.

We stayed at B & N for a while, then headed home for Mrs. Noonzie to whip up some dinner and teach the redhead a new saying..."ta-da!" We got a good laugh listening to him yell "ta-da!" with much enthusiasm and a mouthful of yogurt.

After dinner, it was time to say goodbye, but not before pictures on her porch swing.

Mrs. Noonzie, thanks for the great visit!

tales from the queen city

On Monday, August 4th, the redhead and I ventured to Charlotte to visit with my parents for a few days. This trip had been in the works for while and Nan was going to be in Charlotte with her two boys while they attended music and arts camp for the week. We decided to take advantage of some free babysitting (courtesy of the grandparents) and do what we do best when there are no kids around.

Yes, we are at Starbucks, and yes, we stayed here as long as possible while savoring frappucinos. And while we were taking this picture, I realized that this is the same shirt that I am wearing in like all of the pictures of me on this blog. Yes, I do own other shirts people and no, I do not plan it this way, throw me a frickin' bone.


Here is one of the grandparents I was talking about. This is my dad, otherwise known as "Papa". The redhead ADORES his Papa and is still talking about Papa and his "bee tru" (big truck).

On Tuesday morning/afternoon (Aug. 5), Nan and I went to visit a friend from college who just had a baby boy in July. Susan really had to twist our arms to get us to come visit her and baby J. It was a stretch, but Nan and I sacrificed of ourselves and went to see her. (I'm totally being sarcastic in case you didn't catch on) Here's the little guy.


Beautiful, isn't he?


Here I am cuddling with the little burrito. He was such a good baby and slept much of the time we were there. Precious! And don't I look good holding a baby. Mr. Baseball, if you're reading this, can we have another one soon...please?

Here's the new mom with her precious son.
She looks great and she says that she's getting to sleep in about 4-5 hour stretches at night. I know, sickening isn't it?

Stay tuned for more installments of the most exotic vacation in the history of the world!

happy birthday nan...a day late;'

Nan, I just want to say that I DID remember your birthday yesterday. And every time I remembered, did I pick up the phone to call you? No. No, I didn't. I am a tool.

My friends, yesterday was Nan's birthday. She was going to do something fun for herself, but I'll let her tell you about it. Anyway, I just want to tell you how awesome my friend Nan is.

Nan and I go way back, but not quite as far as my other friend Mrs. Noonzie, who you'll meet soon. Nan and I went to college together. Here's a few pics to prove it in case you don't believe me.

1995 - look how young we look!

1996

1997 - Nan restrings a guitar for the first time. Her Manly Man can play very well, but Nan doesn't play. This is false advertising.

August 5, 2008 (three days ago). Look where we are. Mmm Hmmm. I asked them if they sold frappucinos intraveinously, but unfortunately they don't. Darn. I had to get my fix before I left Charlotte.

Anyway, this post is about Nan, not me.

Now its time for a birthday acrostic: NAN IS MY FRIEND


N - Nan is nice.

A - always caring and concerned for others.

N - not afraid to be real and vulnerable


I - intelligent (she taught chemistry ya'll)

S - silly


M - marvelous mother to her two little guys

Y - youthful and beautiful


F - fun to be with and follower of Christ

R - radiant

I - interesting to talk to

E - exhuberant

N - nifty thrifty ideas for home decor or organization

D - dares to do what is best for her family no matter the cost


Nan has always been there when I needed her. I can count on her advice and the fact that she'll tell the truth even when I might not want to hear it. She loves her family fiercely and is such a wonderful mother to the boys. Where do you think I got a lot of reassurance and ideas on parenting from? Nan loves the Lord and allows Him to lead her life. She is a wonderful friend and someone that I treasure very much. Hope you had a happy birthday Nane! I love you girl!

wouldn't mr. freud be pleased

Sometimes, things just come out wrong.

Take for instance a little situation my uncle found himself in on a recent trip to New Zealand.

My Uncle Bill, his wife Sandra, and their two friends went to NZ (I already mentioned that). Uncle Bill and Mike wanted to go fishing one day while the ladies shopped. Since my uncle is in his 60's, and probably isn't fashion conscious, he still wears fanny packs to put all his gear in. Unfortunately, he did not have his trusty fanny pack with him on this trip (oh, for shame), so he and Mike ventured to a store they thought might carry the "saggy baggy".

Enter the sales clerk. I feel the need to mention the sales clerk is a young woman (20's ish). Uncle Bill proceeds up to the counter and asks if they happen to carry fanny packs. She asked him if he was sure he really wanted a fanny pack and he said yes, and asked again if they carried them. Okay, so maybe not a strange question - except that in NZ, "fanny" means va-jay-jay. Oops! So, what he was really asking for was a tampon! No wonder he got a really puzzled look from the sales clerk.

I realize that that was not really a Freudian slip, but merely a cultural miscommunication. It was still funny, no? Now on to my story...

Its not often that I slip and mess up my words. Okay, sure, there was that time that I accidentally said Reese's Penis Butter Cup instead of Peanut Butter Cup. No biggie right?

Well, the other day I oopsed again, but this time I was typing and my friend Nan caught my slip up and we had a great laugh over it.

She recently did a post titled Proving I'm Not Southern where she discussed such comfort foods as boiled peanuts. I for one am a southerner but have never had the likes of the boiled peanut before. So, I left a little comment for her that went something like this.

I guess I'm not southern either seeing as I've never had boiled peanuts before. Mr. Baseball loves them. I have, however, had a friend pickle. Anyone?... Anyone?... Yum.
(what I meant to say was Fried Pickle)

Well, smart-allecky Nan thought she'd be all cute and commented back to me.

No Caro, as a matter of fact I have never had a "friend pickle." I think that if I did, my Manly Man might just leave me!

(The text won't let me de-italicize, very frustrating. Hmph.) A friend pickle...now that's a new one. Mr. Freud would probably have a grand explanation of why I typed that one don't you think?

I AM YOUR FRIEND, DON'T EAT ME!!

arte y pico. its not salsa.

I won a blog award!

My super duper bloggy friend Hot Tub Lizzy gave me the Arte y Pico Award. While it might sound like a menu item from Baja Fresh, its actually this little lovely...



Here's the rules:

**You have to pick 5 blogs that you think deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.

**Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

**Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given
her or him the award itself.

**The award-winner and the one who has given the prize must show the link of the “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.


So without further adue (I never know how to spell this)...

the recipients are...

**Karin at 6 By His Design - Karin is extraordinary. She runs, she blogs, she's a mom to 4 precious children (including a set of twins), she makes cards, she plans slammin' partays, and she makes really, really cute t-shirts. I don't know how she finds time for all of this, but somehow she does. And I forgot the mention that she leaves the best comments!

**Ainsley at Chattahoochee Mama - Ainsley and I went to college together, but we've just reconnected through bloggy land. Ainsley is the mother of two precious boys and just ventured on a 10 hour (one-way) road trip ALL BY HERSELF with the boys. Makes me sweat nervously just thinking about that. Anyway, her blog is full of variety - starbucks, parenting resources, pictures of her cuties, and every Thursday, she writes about things she's thankful for. Three cheers for being grateful for the little things in life!

**Nan at Joys of Boys - Nan and I go waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back. What I like about Nan's blog is that its real. Nan also does Thankful Thursdays and shares funny quips from her two little tykes, her desire to take better care of her body by eating healthier, and savvy home decor ideas. She's a pocket full o' goodness. Love you girl!

**Sissy at Out on a Limb - I secretly (well, I guess not anymore) covet Sissy's blog design...it's SOOOOOOOOOOO great! Sissy is a wealth of information. Recently, she's done some great home re-decorating complete with pictures. Like Nan, Sissy is real and is not afraid to share her heart. She's witty, sweet, and sassy all in one - not to mention a great read!

Last, but certainly not least...

**Sarah, my seestar at Sprout Cultivator - While she isn't able to post as frequently as I, she always writes fabulous posts. From stories about things her kids (she teaches first grade) say, to more home re-decorating, to the beautiful landscaping her wonderful husband does, Sarah is always a good read. What can I say, she's my seestar and I love her.

Now, congratulate all these girlies and shower them with comment love.

why don't you set a spell

I am a GRITS (Girl Raised in the South). I grew up in the beautiful Queen City (Charlotte, NC). For obvious reasons, I can't tell you where I live now, but I can say that I'm still in NC. Contrary to news reports and movie roles of people from NC, we are not all mullett-rocking, accent-possessing morons with no education who live in small shacks and poop in the woods.

I actually don't consider NC completely southern. After all, the state does have the word "North" in it and that should count for something right? When I think of true "southern" charm, images of large, welcoming front porches complete with ferns and rocking chairs come to mind. Every evening around sunset, the porch beckons the owner (along with the glass of sweet tea or lemonade) outside to watch the Creator paint the sky with the most beautiful hues of purple, pink, and orange. Once the sun has gone down, the lightning bugs flicker and dance and a gentle breeze ushers in the evening.

No matter where in the south you live (if in fact you do), you can probably agree with me on this one thing - your mama or your grandmother taught you some manners proper for a young lady. I can still hear my grandmother saying in her sweet, lilting voice, "Sit up straight at the table, its impolite and unhealthy to slouch." She would also tell us, "Be polite to everyone you meet." My "Nana" was a southern lady to the core and was incredibly hospitable and kind, welcoming anyone to come visit.

So, in the spirit of all that is southern, I welcome you to my front porch - figuratively speaking. If this is your first time, sit down relax, and stay a while. If its not your first time, then welcome back! The more on the porch, the merrier - and I have a glass of lemonade or sweet tea for each of you! I'll even make unsweet tea for you non-southerners.

Oh, and I would love to know those of you who stopped by...feel free to leave a comment. There's no such thing as lurkers - lurkers schmurkers - only friends!

(photo from hgtv.com)

wesley's out of town play date

Last week, Wesley and I ventured to the big city to visit Heather, an old college friend of mine. Heather and I both grew up in Charlotte, played on the same rec basketball team in 7th grade (check out our pic here), went to rival high schools, but didn't know each other until we ended up at the same university where we met! Crazy how that happens. Anyway, we wanted to see each other again and get our young'uns (as they say where I live) together.

Halfway through the day we took a walk to Cailey, Braden, and Kinsey's favorite neighborhood tree. It was pretty cool and we got some great pictures of the kids in the tree. Sorry Cailey, somehow I managed to miss getting a picture of you. I did however make Heather get a picture of this...

If you enlarge this, you'll see that this is a collie. A completely shaved and traumatized collie. As we were passing the house, Cailey exclaimed, "Look, that dog got a haircut!" I turned to look and busted out laughing. We owned a Sheltie (mini-collie) when I was younger and the vet told us NEVER shave shelties or collies. Their hair acts as insulation against the cold and the heat. They also feel embarrassed to be naked as they sometimes "hide" behind their fur coat. So, I laughed at the poor dog. Never mind the fact that as I was laughing (with tears), I was standing directly in front of the house in plain view of the owners who were clearly home. I felt bad, but not as bad as that poor dog. I even made Heather take a picture (she has the zoom lens) for your viewing pleasure.

Here are some other fun pics of the day. Unfortunately, Heather and I neglected to get a picture of ourselves, but you can see what we look like - or what we looked like in 7th grade by clicking on the link above.

Wesley didn't know how to move the car, so he just sat there.

Kinsey and Braden

All Heather's kids were cute, but I could eat Kinsey with a spoon. She is adorable. Cailey is extremely curious and is 5 (and a 1/2 as she corrected me) going on 25. She wanted to be in the middle of all our conversations. Braden is the strong silent type. He's precious and very willing to share his toys.

One funny story from the day happened right after we arrived. We had all congregated in Braden's room and the kids were playing with his train table. I made a comment about Wesley being in heaven (because he loves trains and cars - really anything with wheels) and Cailey glanced at Heather with a scared look on her face. Heather said, "Oh, no Cailey, he's not really in heaven. She just meant that Wesley is really enjoying himself." Classic. Kids are so literal!

Happy Birthdays

This is my "little brother", Daniel. He's 28 today. I guess he's not so little anymore. Here he is with Wesley last summer on a trip to the mountains. What a handsome duo. Uncle Dan-O (as we like to call him) is sooooo funny and can come up with one-liners like nobody's business. He loves music and plays guitar exceptionally well! Did I mention, he also loves Jesus, which is the best! We love you Uncle Dan-O, Happy Birthday!


Today is also the birthday of one of my bestest friends, Stephanie. We met back at good old Providence High School in Charlotte in 1993. Wow, that means we've been friends 15 years! Are we really this old? Anyway, we don't get to see each other very often anymore, we live in different states. I appreciate her sense of humor, how she tells it like it is, and the fact that no matter how much time passes between our visits, it feels like no time has passed. Love you girl. You have been and are still such a wonderful influence in my life! Steph, don't be a hater, this picture was the only one I had of you that was "recent". I think for 4 weeks postpartum you look DANG good! Plus, I think its a great picture of us! Happy B-Day Mico!

Mo Mo Fared Head

Here's a good chuckle!

Recently I was with a friend and we started talking about my blog. She said,

"You're going to think I'm so crazy, but for the longest time, I couldn't figure out your blog address - Mo Mo Fared Head. It wasn't until my coworker pointed out to me that it was 'Mom of a Redhead' that I got it! I thought maybe it was some inside joke that you made to be your blog address. How funny is that?"