Tuesday, December 22, 2009

We Have A New Child!

We have a new child! Well, same child, new attitude!

Not that Emery was a fussy baby, or even a difficult child..... but she has battled one ear infection after another since she turned one....six ear infections, three of them double, since July.

My poor poor baby! We finally got the go ahead, and referral to get ventilator tubes put in her ears.

Easy procedure, you can read more about it in the link below..... 15 minutes total. She was a different child by that afternoon.
Mayo Clinic

Here's to no more ear infections!


Friday, December 18, 2009

It's Genetic

If you've known me long, the fact that I have a slight obsession with books is an understatement.

I love love love books.

I was the girl who never sold back my textbooks, because I loved them. I used to hate loaning out books, because I loved them. I would buy books anywhere I found them, because...you got it.....

I loved them.

Upon graduating from seminary/ having a baby, and buying our first real house (we owned a condo before, but all that means is we didn't get the 8,000 bucks from Obama when we bought our first real home) anywhoo..... after all that I decided it was time to downsize our book collection.

So I sold. And sold. And sold.....books in 3 yard sales. It was sad to see them go.

In my attempts to be "green" I have also made a commitment to not buy anymore books and to use my library.

Let me just tell you. I stinkin love my library.

It makes me actually read a book in a timely manner, because I know I have to return it as not to be charged. And we all know I won't be charged.

I'm frugal like that.

If you don't visit your library. Do. I cant' wait until Emery is old enough to check out books.

Did I mention that she has a slight obsession with books as well? If she could she would have me read her every book she has, all day everyday.

It's genetic. I know.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Favorite Christmas Song Eva

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), 1867)

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

It Was Bound To Happen

Our church had a big tailgate party for the Clemson/South Carolina game.

So in the spirit of ministry, for the work of the Lord, Benji and I HAD to pick a team.

So we went with orange. We had a great time at the tailgate and watched the game on a huge screen in the gym. Here are a few pics of Emery in her orange and purple!


GNO Christmas

I know you've all been waiting for GNO pictures from December.

Well here we are, in all our pajama glory. We decorated ornaments with adorable stencils from this website, uppercaseliving.....

Then we all exchanged ten dollar gifts in a white elephant swap.

And of course we ate way to much! I love these girls...it is truly the highlight of my month.



Farm Fresh Bread

Whew!!!!! We have been partying hard! I'm telling you, six Christmas parties in two weeks will take it out of ya! haha....

We've had a blast, but I am exhausted. The first party that kicked it off was our high school gingerbread contest/party. Our small groups got together and built gingerbread houses. The Church staff then voted on the best out of the 10....First place won Bojangles biscuits every Sunday for the rest of 2009.

Guess which group won????

MINE! yahooo! Ours was a replica of the barn of one of the girls in my group.

We had a blast at the party, eating pizza, talking smack about the other groups and just hanging out with each other.

Notice our hot tub in the back....sweet!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Do Your Part

So we signed up for Netflix.

Love it.

But, that's beside the point. One of the first movies I watched was a documentary called, Food INC...... I've been wanting to see it for awhile. Here are some simple tips on how to help our environment, our wallets and of course help YOURSELF.

We could all use some health tips right? And if it benefits our wallets and our environment that is a plus.

1. Stop drinking sodas and other sweetened beverages....(in my case...DIET COKE)
You can lose 25 lbs in a year by replacing one 20 oz soda a day with a no calorie beverage (preferably water).

2. Eat at home instead of eating out.
Children consume almost twice (1.8 times) as many calories when eating food prepared outside the home.

3. Support the passage of laws requiring chain restaurants to post calorie information on menus and menu boards.
Half of the leading chain restaurants provide no nutritional information to their customers.

4. Tell schools to stop selling sodas, junk food, and sports drinks.
Over the last two decades, rates of obesity have tripled in children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years.

5. Meatless Mondays—Go without meat one day a week.
An estimated 70% of all antibiotics used in the United States are given to farm animals.

6. Buy organic or sustainable food with little or no pesticides.
According to the EPA, over 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used each year in the U.S.

7. Protect family farms; visit your local farmer's market.
Farmer's markets allow farmers to keep 80 to 90 cents of each dollar spent by the consumer.

8. Make a point to know where your food comes from—READ LABELS.
The average meal travels 1500 miles from the farm to your dinner plate.

9. Tell Congress that food safety is important to you.
Each year, contaminated food causes millions of illnesses and thousands of deaths in the U.S.

10. Demand job protections for farm workers and food processors, ensuring fair wages and other protections.
Poverty among farm workers is more than twice that of all wage and salary employees.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Puddle Jumpers

My new favorite product for baby! SO CUTE! Emery has this brown pair, and she has a pink pair for when her foot gets a little bigger.


You can find more info here-
Puddle Jumpers

Boo and Me

I love this picture. Mainly because I'm in it with my child..haha... as most moms know, the mom is usually the one snapping the photo, so we never end up in a picture with our kids!

Look how precious my child is....I mean come on.

Love her!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Life After Seminary

No secret that I love our church. No secret that I love Greenville, and my friends here.....

So here is one more reason why we will stay here as long as they will keep us.

This is Benji's theme poster for his Disciple Now weekend, coming up in January. I mean does he have the best job ever or what!?

For those of you who didn't grow up Southern Baptist, (I didn't) DNow is a weekend for youth, they spend the weekend in family homes from the church. We have guest speakers, great music, just a great time of discipleship and growing as a youth group.... and as believers in Christ.

(btw....Benji is in the yellow)

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Tags

Since I've been blogging a little over 2 1/2 years I've decided to go back and label my post. Please have patience with me as I work on the "maintenance" side of blogging. As if I wasn't busy enough.

Man good thing I don't have a REAL JOB!

You Might Be Frumpy If......

These are your "good" shoes........



And I'm talking to myself here. I'm guilty. Somebody help me please.

This realization hit me today. As I was deciding what to wear tomorrow to Sunday worship. I was planning my outfit around my favorite shoes.......

And I claim to love fashion. *sigh*

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

52 Lbs, Gone, Just Like That


It is with great sadness that I announce I am down to my last pound of my partner markout coffee.

Many of you may know that Starbucks partners get a free pound of coffee EVERY week. You have to drink a lot of coffee to go through a lb a week.

I gave away many of my markouts over the four years I was at da bux.

But my last year of work I knew I would never get such opportunity again, so I began stock piling it. (Hoarding it whatever).

I also happened to be pregnant my last year at work, so I wasn't drinking much coffee, the occasional decaf, but I was so nauseous I mostly wanted nothing to do with coffee.

Well I managed to save around 60 bags of coffee. I gave some away, and kept some...today I opened up the last bag.

It is a sad, sad day. Not because I will never taste fresh ground Starbucks coffee again, oh no. But because now we will be out ten extra dollars a month, since I will now have to buy the beans.

I have officially graduated to the other side of the counter.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Smoothie Queen


So during the summer I tend to go a little crazy purchasing berries. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries....I ain't picky. I LOVE summer berries. But the hubbs, not so much. I mean he can handle his share of chocolate covered strawberries, but give or take fresh blueberries....haha.... SO I end up with an excess.

Being the frugal mama that I am. I can not stand to throw perfectly ripe berries in the trash, so I freeze them. (I also freeze ripe bananas when I know they wont get eaten. Just peel and halve them.)

And I wait.

For days like today!

Emery L.O.V.E.S ice cream. So to her smoothies are the same difference!

I like to feed her fresh in season fruits. Mainly because it is the cheapest way. Right now we are loving the Honey Crisp apples.

But for the occasional treat (for her and me) I'll blend up a smoothie for lunch.

Throw in a tablespoon of flax seed for added fiber and omega 3. A cup of milk, a dash of sugar in the raw, and some crushed ice....mmmm. mmm...mmmmm!

This week we had a pineapple, banana, peach smoothie and also a strawberry, blueberry, raspberry smoothie.

Flax seed must be crushed to get the full benifit of the omega 3, so smoothies are the perfect place for them.

Friday, November 13, 2009

GNO Turkey Style

Our monthly Girls Night Out group got together this month for a Thanksgiving meal..... Have I mentioned how much I love this time? Every month I look forward to our night together.


Our host, Carla, is a graphic designer and wife to Matt, who took Emery's one year photos... Two artist in one family means her house is super cute!






I have to give props to Amanda and Carla for these pics! I was too busy stuffing my face and talking to get my camera out. :)

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Boo Boo

Here are a few more pics from Emery's one year photos.... Love them!



Monday, November 9, 2009

Bread and Water

Okay, after a nap (Emery) and a shower (me), life is much better again. Never underestimate the power of a long hot shower during nap time.

Now on to that BREAD!!!!!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread:

3 ripened bananas, mashed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
whatever chocolate chips you have/like

Preheat oven, 350, mix dry ingrediants, add mashed bananas, eggs, etc. Add as much choc. chips as desired.

Put into a greased, foured bread pan, bake for approx 40-45 mins.... It's really easy to over bake....The timing for me always varies for some reason. Stick a knife in to see if it is done, if it comes out clean, it's ready to eat!

Jokes On Me

Okay, seriously. Either everyone is lying, playing a big fat joke on me, or maybe I am just not cut out for this stay at home mom thing.

Here's my disclaimer, since most of my friends and family are working moms: This blog is in no way meant to discredit mom's that work out of the home, I know that you all have your own struggles, stresses, etc.

I love it. I know I am blessed to be able to stay at home. It's the choice that I made, and if given the chance I would not change it.....so I don't want any comments about how I should thank Jesus for my child. I do. That's not the point here.

All I have known since Emery was born was my job as a stay at home mom, and let me just say I don't think I was adequately prepared for the job. I have had various jobs (consistently) since I was 18 and this is by far the most stressful, exhausting job I have ever had.

Some days I am sure I'm going crazy. I'm just being honest here, because, well this is my blog, and I can be.

Today I burned breakfast while trying (although failing) to keep Emery from eating a votive candle and putting her in time out twice.....all before 830.

I just wish someone had warned me staying at home wasn't all about homemade bread and crafts.



Thursday, November 5, 2009

Our Hunny Pot

We had a blast this year at Halloween. I know all the drama surrounding it.....I am a seminary graduate....but save the drama for your mama! haha....I think people need to get a life.

Anyhoo. Emery was a hunny pot a hand me down costume from Jocelyn. I swung by Ange's annual party to show off Emery and let her see her friends, then we headed home for our party.





Our "first" family..haha...Pastor Carter, the tin man and his family.

Our assoc. pastor, the hulk...aka David. Jocelyn's man.

Why We Are Here

I will have to be honest. Most days I am so scattered and busy, I forget to take time to realize how blessed we are to be working with the youth of Brushy Creek.

When we first moved back, Emery was still tiny, I reflected on how great it was to be back. But as my days have gotten busier with Emery I tend to get into a funk....wishing Benji was home more, wishing we had more time together......

Let me tell you there are a ton of jokes out there about how pastors don't have "real jobs"....but I am here to testify that they are always on call. They are never off work.

With all that said, it has taken a ton of adjustment for me. I never believed we would be busier after seminary, but we are!

This weekend, yes Halloween, we had a HUGE party for Benji's youth. We had about 40 youth in our home..... Needless to say I was reminded why we are in ministry. There is nothing in the entire world I would rather be doing.

We had a blast! It will definitely be an annual tradition.

Thank you GOD for allowing us to minister to these awesome teenagers.





Friday, October 30, 2009

Make You Slap Yo Mama

This dip will make you do crazy things it's so good!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese,
softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Shred chicken chunks and add hot sauce in a pot over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in cheddar cheese and stir continuously until bubbly and hot.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?

Ever heard the saying, "messy car, messy life"? Well I believe it.

Disorganization is a symptom of a bigger issue. A chaotic house, piles of junk, clutter is all a representation of internal chaos. I know that when I'm feeling depressed, anxious, over stressed, my house, my car, my KITCHEN all reflects that.

anyhoo....I've always suspected all this to be true....well I ran across this book and it takes it a step further, noting that our issues with weight are also connected to all the clutter. The clutter in our minds, the clutter in our homes manifest itself as "clutter" on our butts!

Simple concept really....but hard and convicting to work through!


11.20.09

Can't. Wait.

Turn off/pause my music player at the bottom of the blog page to watch the video...you know you want to. No one can resist Edward.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Ghouls Night Out

About a year ago a few of my friends and I decided to start having a monthly girls night....well we actually stuck to our commitment and have met once a month! We usually have some sort of theme, we made valentines in Feb...I hosted the Derby party in May....we made decoupage Easter eggs in April....

This month we had our "ghouls night"!!! It was so fun! Every month we look forward to a night away from our routine.... I have really grown to love these girls.

I was a desperate housewife, we had Glenda the good witch, a ballerina, Indian, cheerleader, battered pregnant woman and H1N1....




Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The Starbucks Experience





Our good friend Matt Carter took Emery's one year photos.....he also happens to be the son of the pastor of our church, the guy that hooked Benji up with his job while we were in college, and our realtor that helped us find our hizzous......thank you GOD for Matt Carter!

We started taking the photos outside, but it started pouring and ended up inside Starbucks, which I thought was fitting giving the fact that Emery was basically "grown" at Starbucks as I worked there up until the week she was born.

Enjoy the pics....these are just a few of the best...more later.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

What's For Dinner!

Portobello "pizzas"
"The Biggest Loser Simple Swaps"
Yield: 4 small pizzas

Most prefer to eat this “pizza” with a knife and fork!

INGREDIENTS


• 4 whole Portobello mushroom caps (about 5” each), stemmed removed
• 1/2 cup low fat marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup lean turkey Italian sausage, cooked, drained and crumbled
• 4 tablespoons shredded fat free or low fat mozzarella cheese
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wipe the mushrooms clean Place them on a baking sheet, gill side up.

Spoon sauce over each cap, then sprinkle on sausage and cheeses. Place in the oven and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve immediately.

TIPS
Mushroom factoid: One portabella mushroom has as much potassium as a banana.

Nutrient analysis (per pizza): 97 calories, 10 g protein, 7 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat, 1 g fat (saturated), 22 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 305 mg sodium

I added red peppers. Used spicy italian chicken sausage from Whole Foods, (which is amazing) instead of turkey, because i had it in the freezer.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

The Name Means Everything

Recently I have been trying to save money. Once I quit working to become the full time CEO of the Ladd house hold, I looked for any where to cut cost.

I am all about store brands. Whole Foods and Publix have execellent store brand items.

Target and Walmart have many that are mentionable, I just don't shop at either place enough because I tend to get in trouble in both stores. Ha ha....anyhoo....

Here is my list of items that I feel are inferior in their off brand counter parts.

Name brands are a must for the following.....

Trash bags, (I have tried and tried to find a store brand that works, they break every time.)

Dishwasher detergent
Tampons, (hey it IS my blog, you should be used to this kind of stuff.)
Mayonnaise, (Dukes is the only kind worth buying.)
Cheerios. E will eat the real ones, gives Vance the off brand. haha.
Coffee beans
.....Starbucks, need I say more.
Q Tips
Ice Cream... We are a Briars fam

Breast Is Best

I have a MEDELA PUMP IN STYLE that has been used maybe 6 times. Selling it for 150....OR BEST OFFER. Retails for 279....I'll be listing it on Craigslist, but offering it here and on Facebook first. Let me know if you are interested. I'm in Gainesville frequently so wouldn't have to ship it there....and of course I live in Greenville. It works great. You can find info on the link from Babies R Us below....

Medela Pump In Style

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Need To Breathe

NeedToBreathe....is THE best band out there. If you have not experienced their music. buy any of their albums. Trust me. Loves them.

NeedToBreathe

Monday, August 31, 2009

The Clock Moves So Slowly

The clock moves so slowly but time goes so fast....

One year ago tomorrow Benji started his new job at Brushy Creek. A prayer of ours that was finally answered four years in the making.....

Emery was 1 month old.

I was living with my mother, while Benji slept on the couch of a church member......

What a difference a year makes.

We are so blessed to be at Brushy Creek. Seriously. When we left Brushy Creek four plus years ago to head off to seminary we both said...."it would be so amazing if (Benji) could only get a job at Brushy Creek."

Little did we know that God would honor our request and bring us back to Greenville, back to the very church we loved and longed to serve......

We have had the time of our lives getting to know the people and youth of BCBC. We love Greenville and there is nowhere else that we would want to raise our family.

We love you Brushy Creek and look forward to a life time of service.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Christoper Ashley my new BFF

I may not seem like the kind of girl who is particular about my hair.

But I am.

I work really hard at looking like I do nothing to my hair. well, most of the time I actually DO NOTHING....but whatever.

When we lived in Greenville before I could never find a salon that I loved. When you are paying what I pay you must love it. So I drove back to Gainesville to get my hair done....for THREE plus years.

Once we moved to Louisville I found a place that was okay. I went there for awhile until they started canceling my appointments. I then found a great little salon called Jerry Heston...if you live in Louisville and are looking for a salon they are awesome. I was so sad when I had to leave.......

Any girl who takes this kind of stuff seriously knows how stressful it is to find a new salon. You develop a relationship like no other with whoever does your hair. It is a very personal and expensive experience. I found a salon that was okay here in Greenville. I really liked the girl who did my hair. But the last time I went I really disliked my highlights.

While flipping through my monthly Elle magazine I made an amazing discovery! A salon in Greenville was voted one of the best 100 salons in the country! I checked out their website, the prices were the same as I was paying, I went and had a fabulous time! So if you are in the Greenville area check out Christopher Ashley Salon.

Every Girl Needs Two Parties.

Since we were at the beach on Emery's birthday we got to have two parties for her!One at the beach and one once we got back home. I only took a few pictures until my camera battery died at the one back home. One of our friends took some more, but now I've just go to get them!