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Meet and Greet Series – Post 1

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Photo by the ever talented Mary Gibson Photography

I don’t show my crazy mug very often (and technically I’m not showing it here either) but a little series of “Meet and Greet” is in order so here goes.

I’m Jamie, married to the same wonderful dude for 12 years this fall, and we have two crazy and adorable kids, a 4.5 year old daughter and an almost 2 year old son (this photo was taken almost a year ago, I know he doesn’t look 2 here lol!) We have a 16 year old cat, Checkers, and a 16 month old border collie, Biscuit (the original Biscuit!)

Originally from the Blue Ridge Valley of Virginia, I’ve been in Texas since 1997. More in-depth (Part 2 of who knows) tomorrow!

#texasblogger #bloggerlife #meetandgreet

DIY Landscape Design… fulfilling, yet also kind of stupid.

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I get motivated to complete projects in the strangest of ways. Really, my hubs decided it was time to get the driveway concrete replaced, and so the crew arrived this morning and started the daunting (and crazy noisy) task of ripping out the old one and hauling it away. We have a TON of driveway so this is a fairly large project.

I see all that crap getting torn out and for some reason it gets me excited and motivated to start a project I’ve been avoiding for a couple months now – my flower beds. A few months back I got randomly motivated and completed all the current beds in the backyard by ripping out the 10 years of mulch the previous owners left behind coated in weeds and replacing them with nice stone edging and river rock. I have potted plants and container gardens strategically placed throughout. We still have two beds yet to be made or in various stages of half-assed back there, but that’s a project for a different day.

I decided to go ahead and start the front bed, specifically the large cut in portion by our front door and in front of our living room windows. We get a lot of water there so we’re working on the drainage, and I decided to do a wavy rock garden with some of the river rock we had left from the backyard project. Keep in mind this 1.5 tons of rock is currently housed on the back of our 0.75 acre lot, they’re ripping up the driveway right beside where the rock is being stored, AND the bed I want to work on is in the front yard. I spent most of the morning stripping out all that nasty mulch and this scrubby little ground cover plant that never took off and HOLYCRAP was that a lot of material to rake up and shovel into bags.

Got that finished and laid down the weed cloth, then started putting the rocks in. I puzzled over how to move them basically around the house crossing basically 3 sides of a 0.75 acre square and settled on small buckets pulled by a utility wagon. Smart, yet stupid.

That’s a lot of rocks. A LOT OF ROCKS. I made trip after trip after trip, dumping and spreading my rocks, then heading back the long way around the house for more rocks. Halfway through I start muttering to myself, and 3/4 of the way through I’m downright flat out bitching to myself. “WHAT stupid moron decided that an effing rock garden in the front beds would look good? Eh, Jamie? Oh yeah, it was YOU, you crazy delirious heifer. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING”

Luckily we have no neighbors within earshot on all three sides of the house that I was traveling so there was no one around to pass judgement on my sanity. My hubby made some sort of comment and I responded with something about my soft squishy mom body. I’m not even sure now what I was talking about, pretty sure I was delirious.

My whole day in painful photos.

I FINALLY got it all done, after modifying my “design” a little on the fly to accommodate some issues I didn’t think through or map out before I started. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, and VERY happy I probably won’t have to do this much work on the rest of the beds. (Not doing NEAR the rock work in those) – my current plans for this space call for some really large, low, round “dish” containers/pots to do some succulent container gardens in, a few small potted plants, and most likely a garden bench with flagstone stepping stones across to it.

What do you think? Do you love DIY garden or home projects! I’d love to see some of your work! Leave a comment and let me know what you’ve done!!!

Today, I almost died… or at the least almost lost my mind

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For realz guys, my life flashed before my eyes.

We had a great morning, a play date with friends, lunch at the roadside burger stand we love so much (well, that was so very close to being a disaster with a kiddo face full of barbed wire, but we narrowly avoided that little catastrophe…), and then on my way home I had to drop a check/contract by our utility district for a deposit on some concrete work we’re having done at the house tomorrow.

The SLUD, as it’s kind of affectionately named, is on the second story of a two story fancy-schmancy office building. I wonder if they’re spending so much on rent that they’re unable to afford repairs to our main roads, but hey, that’s a complaint for another day. I have both kids in tow, and it’s bordering on nap time, especially for the littlest. We go in, a baby on my hip and a sassy 4 year old by the hand, and I look around for the steps. Climb the steps to the second story, make it into the office, hand over the check while dealing with two kids annoying each other and squawking, and then head back out the office door. This is where it started to go downhill.

These kiddos are starting to get on my last nerve. Don’t judge my mom skills, y’all, I KNOW you’ve been in my shoes. Tatum (the four year old) insists on taking the elevator back down to the 1st floor….. from the second floor. I’m too annoyed/tired to argue, and even though I have this nagging fear of elevators I give in.

She pushes the button, the doors open, we get in. She pushes the number 1. The elevator starts to move….. ever….. so….. slowly.

DING! We make it to floor one…….

….. and nothing happens. Seconds start to tick by, and at first it’s ok, but after about 5-10 seconds (which seems like an eternity at this point) Mama starts to panic internally. Holy shit, I’m gonna get stuck on an elevator with two kids 4 and under who are overdue for their naps. I start to hyperventilate, I’m internally losing my shit, my life’s memories flash before my eyes. THIS IS NOT HAPPENING. Probably about 60 seconds in I become crazed and desperate. I start smacking the “Door Open” button repeatedly. The doors open up almost instantly like there was never any problem.

And mommy walks out, cool as a cucumber on the outside, baby on my hip, and a sassy 4 year old by the hand, and nobody is the wiser to my minute and a half of complete internal meltdown.

Living the dream, y’all…… Living…… The…… Dream……. 😉

Fashion on a budget… here’s how!

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I recently discovered a website/app that I absolutely adore and while my shopping habit has not improved any with its use, my pocketbook afterwards certainly has!

I’ve always been a fan of a good deal, and I LOVE finding awesome pre-owned stuff in great shape at a fraction of the cost (plus you can find some styles and designs that are no longer in production!) – enter Mercari. I LOVE this app, and I kind of stumbled upon it a few months back by accident on one of my planner Facebook groups, believe it or not!

So I started browsing around, and found an insane amount of the things I love at some pretty great bargain prices! Not only that, but take the variety and selection of eBay, take out the auction format, keep the MAKE AN OFFER function, and you have online pre-loved selling at its best!

I’ve collected quite a few Patricia Nash purses for my collection, and lately picked up a couple of Dooney and Bourke that are on their way to me now (I seriously have no shame over here in my bag addiction). I’ve also found some awesome planner supplies, etc. but my current favorite purchase are these adorable Ugg boots!

After my first experience with the Uggs my hubby purchased for me, I wanted something in a short boot that I could slip on that would fit underneath my jeans cuff, because as much as I love my tall Uggs, I think they look a little weird unless worn with leggings, and although my, um, assets look great in jean leggings, there’s no pockets. And if you’re a REAL MOM like me, you need pockets. If you have to ask why, you must not have kids.

After saving a search on Mercari for exactly what I wanted I ran across these puppies! Exactly what I was looking for, BRAND NEW, still had the stickers on the bottom. Less than half the price new AND free shipping. Boom. Done! I love them!

I’ve also started to take advantage of the selling side of Mercari, and I’ve sold some purses and whatnot at really good prices. The selling end is super easy! Once the transaction is done, they email you the shipping label all ready to go! All you have to do is pack your item, slap that label on it, and drop it off! Too easy!

I know this seems like a kind of sales-pitchy post, and I guess it kind of is in a way, but I really love this site, and ACTUALLY recommend it to my friends, so I thought I’d recommend it here too!

Try it out, and if you get over there using this link, you’ll get $10 to spend on your first purchase (and I get $2, so thanks for helping finance my bag addiction y’all! LOL)

Mercari Marketplace – https://merc.li/4Pet2yb

Lesson Learned…

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After a tough morning of very little listening and crap attitude, and then asking her over a dozen times to get her socks and shoes on so we could leave, I decided I’d teach my 4.5 year old a little lesson about listening and following instructions…

-“Tatum, you have one more chance and then Wyatt and I are leaving and you’ll be here by yourself”

-“OK, Mom!”

-Waited a couple minutes, no action. So I pack up Wyatt, yell to her that we’re leaving, make a big production of opening and shutting the door. I put Wyatt in the car, get in, and start it. Then I wait, watching the front door……

-and wait.

-and wait….

-Shut the car off, go back inside. “Get your butt in the car Tatum, for realz. What are you DOING?!?”

-Cue the crying….. but not for the reason you think.

-“But I wanted to stay here by myself!!!!!!”

*facepalm*

Learning as I go.

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It’s kind of funny, but I’m starting to realize (yes, I’ve been a parent for almost 5 years now, why do you ask?) that you’re constantly learning and evolving in motherhood/parenthood. I learn lessons every day but I always forget to write them down, which means I generally forget the lesson, repeat my mistake, learn it again, and maybe that time it’ll stick.

Two Lessons I learned today:

Daylight Savings Time will ALWAYS suck when your kids are under 13.

Seriously, we never really had a problem with daylight savings time before. I am not bragging, it just never really was a big deal. For some reason, THIS YEAR SUCKS. It was fine all day Sunday, but Monday was fairly rough with neither kid napping much and both of them being fairy cranky. Then last night I SWEAR they didn’t sleep at all, followed by crap naps for both today, and it’s now 10:15pm at our house and they’re STILL FLOPPING AROUND in their beds. Now listen to me, I love my kids, but enough already! Whoever invented daylight savings time and decided to stick with it was probably a group of dudes who never had kids.

Going to a major attraction, like say, The Crayola Experience, on a rainy day in the middle of Spring Break is just stupid, stupid, stupid.

I got an invite, I didn’t think anything about it except “That should be fun, I bet the kids would love that AND playing with their friends?? Win Win!”

Lose. All around.

It’s a SUPER COOL PLACE, don’t get me wrong, and I’m certain we’ll make frequent use of the season passes I bought us, but hell’s bells people, not on Spring Break, and sure as hell NOT when it’s RAINING on Spring Break. I’ve never seen so many people in my life. It was by far my MOST stressful parenting experience so far in my life. At one point both my kids took off different directions, I lost one, chased the other one, and sighed with relief when I caught him and heard my friend yelling that she had eyes on Tatum. For realz. I don’t know how half those parents didn’t make it home without their kids. Insanity.

Things Kids Say Part Deuce

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I’ve been having trouble lately with getting Tatum (the 4.5 year old) to go to the bathroom by herself at night. She’s also going through that scared of the dark/sleeping by herself phase, so kind of a double whammy. Each night I start the evening out with nicely begging her to stay in bed. She responds with “but if I really really need you, you’ll come in, right?”

Of course I will.

However the “really need you” moments have lately been getting more and more, um, how should I say…. creative. Tonight, for example….

-“MOMMY, I REALLY REALLY NEED YOU!!!!!!”

-I go into her room (btw, this is the FOURTH time since I put her to bed about 20 minutes ago). “What do you need, Tatum?”

-“Mommy, did you know I’m ALLERGIC to COYOTES???”

-“Um, no, kid, I wasn’t aware of that. Because you aren’t.”

And while it’s funny, it’s also annoying, because it happens at midnight, 3:30 in the morning, 5 in the morning, and so on and so forth. Last night I got about an hour and a half stretches of sleep between both kids. Mommy gonna lose her mind over here.

Anyone else with kiddos have that issue? Could really use some advice, or random thoughts, or maybe even some vodka and funny memes. 😉

Things kids say….

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Yesterday I was dropping Tatum off at her preschool, and they have horses there. We’re driving past the pasture and I comment to myself that there’s a ton of horse poop out there.

“That’s not horse poop, Mommy. It’s way too light brown”

So I launch into an explanation of that’s what horse turds look like and why until she gives me this “you’re stupid” look and exclaims:

“But it’s in PILES!”

Yeah, kid, it is. Big ones. 😂 Still poop.

Also tonight:

“Sharks aren’t allowed at my swim class because they’re too sharp.”

#truedat

Strap that baby to a chair!!

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No seriously guys, this one is for all you mamas of little ones out there!

Secure, and mostly happy.

I found this amazing invention on Amazon the other day and wanted to give it a try. I have my beloved “Tie Chair” but to be honest the bulk and complication of the whole thing makes it difficult to take with us to restaurants and whatnot. I get tired of trying to stuff it in a diaper bag or my purse, tired of trying to tie the knots secure enough, and let’s face it. I’m just tired. 😉

This “Cozy Cover” looked interesting, and the price wasn’t bad, so I thought – I’m already buying crap on Amazon so WHY NOT? AMIRIGHT? It came the other day but I didn’t take it out of the box until yesterday to try it out.

ERMAGERD you guys, this thing is super easy to put on the chair, the shoulder straps are nice and secure (much to my son’s annoyance LOL), and it folds up (or stuffs into, if you’re like me) a little tiny pouch that fits in just about any purse or diaper bag. I LOVE IT! Plus it’s machine washable. BONUS.

I seriously hate restaurant high-chairs (if they even HAVE them half the time), because they look like they’ve been through some kind of high school food fight several years back and never cleaned, OR they’re rickety, OR the buckle on the safety strap is broken, OR they’re missing the crotch strap and your son manages to clothesline himself on the waist bar…. (don’t ask me how I know THAT), OR any ungodly combination of the above. This solves all of that – for realz…..

Unless your restaurant has stools with no backs instead of chairs…. if that’s the case, you’re just screwed. Good luck. 😉

Find it on Amazon here!!! https://amzn.to/2He11Ss

Another Planner Nerd Post!

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Scribbles That Matter – My Planner Peace

Here we go with yet another planner post! Sorry you guys that aren’t into it – but ironically enough ever since I became a Stay at Home Mom my schedule has been a lot tougher to organize than it was when I was working! I know that seems odd, but it’s true. AmIRight Mom friends?

I’ve been kind of all over the place on the planners that I use…. I have gone through several different brands but none really had the flexibility on space that I wanted. I tried the bullet journal only and I still really like my BuJos but not necessarily for scheduling/planning because I’m not artistic enough and I enjoy a “clean” looking planner.

Enter the 2019 Scribbles That Matter A5 Bullet Planner. I was skeptical when I saw it but wanted to give it a shot. I’ve been using it for several weeks now and I REALLY LOVE IT. I think I’ve found “Planner Peace”! It has pre-done weekly spreads with a dot grid background that please my “neatness/pretty” side, and a bunch of plain bullet journal dot grid pages at the end of each month and the end of the book that please my need to have more space. I can add stickers or Washi, but still write like a bullet journal. It’s awesome!

It also looks super fabulous in my Chic Sparrow A5 Creme Chocolate folio, and I have a feeling I’ll eventually start using this as my every day carry. Totally loving it!

For my planner followers… Have you found your “Planner Peace”? Be sure to share in the comments or on social media using #MindYourBiscuitsTX! <3