Last post before the holidays...

So, this will be one of the last updates for 2013 for you all...I'm thinking I might do some sort of special edition for 2013 at the end of the year, but we'll save that for if it really happens...lol.  Get ready....here's what's been going on in our world:

HANGIN' OUT AT PAPA'S HOUSE

For those of you who aren't privy to Facebook, here's a recent pic of all the girls I I took at their Papa's house after they took their holiday pics. We are really enjoying hanging out at Papa's new digs :-)

FIRST SNOW DAY ALREADY????

Yes...and several of them at that! So, that meant working from home several days for both me and Brook although her Daddy still had to be at work. So, I put her to work practicing on tracing her letters, writing her name, and practicing letter sounds...

Since she was so good for me while I worked, we even went outside for recess at the end of the day...lol

SUZY HOMEMAKER

Being stuck in the house also meant days of me cooking stuff that I could throw together from the pantry and  the freezer.  This was because so many times I grocery shop and then we still eat out because I'm either too busy or too lazy to cook. So, this made me feel good about somewhat not being quite as wasteful as I usually would be...lol.

First up was using several small freezer bags of turkey meatballs I had made and frozen and turning that into a nice piping hot bowl of pasta, marinara (uhhhh....Ragu of course...lol), and some shredded Parmesean cheese....bellisimo!!! Mwuah!!! Perfecto!! Lol!

You know there had to be something sweet thrown into the mix too....so I depleted the flour and sugar in the pantry and made a cinnamon roll cake....OMG!! Perfect "naughty" warm dessert to soothe those cold chilly nights....mmmm hmmmmm....

After these two things the only other thing that provided non-stop nourishment were the deviled eggs that my two egg-eaters over here go crazy over every time!! Never seen anything like it because I never really liked eggs as a kid but Kelvin did and Brooklyn does. They count how many deviled eggs each of them will have when I make them ;-) so cute! No pics of those but y'all know what a deviled egg looks like...lol.

ELF ON THE SHELF "MADDIE" STILL WORKING HER MAGIC....

Thanks to Daddy, that is...lol! I never remember to put that thing somewhere else until I'm already good and comfortable and even already half-sleep in the bed.  I saw this pic on Facebook that really sums it up...

Nevertheless, here's a few shots of ol' Maddie up to her usual antics...

SWEET POTATO PIE QUEEN...

I must admit this one was a shocker to me....lol. To know my friend Michelle, you would know that she's always doing something. She's the type of person who seems like they'd try anything once. When she gets older, boy will she have some stories to sit around and tell her children and grandchildren...lol. As you can see, I still can't stop giggling with this.

 When she text me a few weeks ago and asked if I would come out and support her in this pie contest, my immediate text response was "lol". It just didn't seem like her sort of thing. However, I guess it was after all because this chick won!! She made a smaller version of a pie in a cupcake tin and called it a sweet potato cupcake on which she topped off with a cream cheese icing she had made and it was all from scratch!! I was floored!!

So hats off to Michelle....soak and breathe it in because you know me giving  you any props is few and far between ;-)

I ❤️  MY NIECES

I know this is somewhat random on this post, but I'm trying to clear out some pics that I really meant to post a while ago. I had to scan this into the computer though so it had quite a turn around time for me to remember to do that. This was taken in the photo booth at the fair and it now hangs on the wall in my office over my desk being the first thing I see when I sit down at my desk everyday :-).  I'm the coolest Aunt those girls will ever have!! 

HAIR HAVEN

Yes, I think we'll have to name the hair section of the blog some cutesy name now. Hey, it's an ordeal within itself. I must say that I have really enjoyed playing with extensions, weaves, and wigs this past year. It's given me an opportunity to still be crafty but with something that can be useful too. Some things have been very dramatic and some have been pretty subtle...but all of them have made me feel so pretty and totally put together. Ladies, isn't there something about your hair having that extra mmph that makes you look better even in a t-shirt and sweatpants? You don't have to say it....I can hear it in your eyes...lol.

I've dabbled in making some u-part wigs here recently. Basically these provide the same look of getting a sewn in head full of extensions with some of my hair left out to blend in but with the convenience of a wig because the hair is actually sewn onto a cap and the cap can be taken on and off each day!! It is sooo convenient. With the exception of the dramatic length difference, you wouldn't even know this was something I was wearing....I just choose to reveal my beauty secrets to my beloved blog readers. Hey...I'm an open book....on some stuff anyway. So, you'll see a pic of the wig after I got it all sewn up and flat ironed out...then you'll see a pic of it blended in with my hair. Looks like I just had an explosive growth spurt of hair....

That's just juices and berries y'all...lol

Pretty neat, huh?

P&B HOLIDAY DECORATORS

That's what Brook and I are going to name our holiday decoration company...lol.  I must admit, it took Kelvin to get the ball rollin and prompt us to finally put the tree up but Brook and I didn't do too bad putting the deco together on it...

As If that weren't enough, we also went over to her Papa's new house and got it all festive for the holidays....that's all the jobs we took for this season though...

Well...I probably won't post again until after Christmas, but I think this gets us all caught up for now. 

Merry Christmas to all and to all...a good night ;-)

Let's Catch Up!!

Its been a while so let's catch up before the holiday so the next post doesn't have to be an explosion! Lol!

HALLOWEEN 2013- THE DOC IS IN!

  Yes, that's my little Doc hitting the streets on Halloween this year! We only did "light" trick-or-treating in more ways than one in that we only went to about 5 houses and we did it during daylight. By that point, Brook already had 3 baskets full of candy from all the parties she had been to. We entertained a few trick-or-treaters before we left and when we got back too. I know this is going to sound Halloween Scrooge of me, but why in the heck do parents allow the kids to trick-or-treat so late?  I don't like to keep my porch light off so I turned it back on around 9 thinking surely we were done. However, I'll be dern if that dang doorbell didn't ring after I turned it back on!! Really??!!  You need to be in the bed chile!!! It's a school night!! Lol!

SUZY HOMEMAKER

What??!!! Yep you read that right---Suzy made a few cameos over the past few weeks. This first pic ain't nothin' but some good old fashioned tasty tender spicy turnip greens and yes I still use pork hamhock dagnabit!!  I served these sweeties with some baked chicken and some homemade Mac and cheese. None of that boxed stuff y'all!!  'Twas the bomb.com too if I must say so myself :-)

Last but not least, what you see in this next pic is Apple Dump Cake. It's a simple yet intricate pleasure that our cousins introduced us to. It gets served piping hot out of the oven and topped with homemade vanilla ice cream!! Definitely a "naughty" dessert as my co-worker Jenny would describe it :-). Now Jenny that's your cue to see if you read this post!

A GREAT TIME AT PAIGE'S

Brook and I were recently invited to my friend Paige's house to help celebrate her son's birthday. We were in for a definite treat which included a hayride, horse rides, and outdoor fireplace s'mores!! I'm not ashamed to admit that it was my very first hayride and my very first s'mores experience!! Plus, I was shocked and awed that my child actually rode the horse alongside the trailer for almost half the entire hayride time! We had a great time as we always do over to Paige's!

HAIR UPDATE

So here's the update on my hair---yes I relaxed it again but really I'd say I textiurized it more than anything. It's not bone straight unless I straighten it well. It's still pretty thin mostly because of poor nutrition but it's still growing like a weed. So, I still rely on my "helpers" to achieve whatever my desired look of the day is :-) here's a few recent pics:

STARTING A BAD HABIT

So proud that she's quiet and entertaining herself with a book!! However check out that pink item next to the book that she never goes anywhere without (her little princess cell phone)!! Cute, right? Until I realized she's imitating someone she loves and looks up to---her mommy!! Boy was that a gut check!

ELF ON THE SHELF COMES TO THE LORING HOUSEHOLD

Mama Pat insisted that the girls do Elf on the Shelf starting this year to the extent that she bought the kit for each household. On Thanksgiving night she schooled all the girls on the rules and it took them a while to go ahead and name these things. Finally the twins named theirs Izzy and Brook names hers Maddie. So, Maddie came home with us and made her debut this morning. What I'm going to say to follow tickles me to no end...Brook is scared of her...lol!! Well, she was. When she found her this am I think it really startled her because she sees it as some magical creature that's now in the house. The elf was in the bathroom and when Brook finally spotted her, she took off running! I guess the thought of that could be a little scary...lol! However, she's warmed up to it now and I hope I don't forget to put Maddie back out in the am!! 

ANNUAL HOLIDAY PHOTO SHOOT

Was a freakin' zoo!!! Portrait Innovations was absolutely bananas today!! However we had to make it work so we could get all 3 of the girls together for the pics. As usual, Mama Pat outdid herself with beautiful dresses and cute casual outfits for the girls. After waiting over an hr to take pics though, they were a little less than motivated and energetic for the entire session. We still got some good shots though and I really enjoyed spending the day with all my favorite ladies! Yes...the day! By the time we finally left we had been out there for almost 3 hours!!! Oh..and thank God for the Lego table!

CHRISTMAS WISH LIST

I'm gonna take a chance and say I'm gonna start my Christmas list over these next few posts. Here was the first thing I asked for: The Complete Series of the TV show Amen!! Yes, I love 80's and 90's shows like that. This show always takes me back to eating fried catfish on Saturday nights while Mama cooked dinner for Sunday and pressed my and Brandi's hair!! It was this show, 227, and Showtime at the Apollo (with Sinbad hosting) that made our Saturday Night line up! Anyone else remember that?

Happy Holidays dear followers!! Ta-ta...for now :-)

OMG- Disney World!!

Recently, I had to travel for work to Orlando and I decided to take my little shadow with me. Since I was working, she'd need a companion and who better than Mama Pat to take Brook out on the town while I worked. On top of that, what else better for them to do than check out Disney World!! They had a blast (completely without me) however.... I'm not salty though...ok maybe just a little :) you will be too after you see these pics. Not only was this her first trip to Disney, but it was also her very first plane ride! One would assume it was mine though because I was the nervous one with every bump of the plane...lol! I would grab onto Mama's arm in panic saying, "What was that?!". Brook would look out of her window screaming "Whoa!! That was awesome!".  Oh well...better I be scared than she...lol!  Last but not least, I'm adding a few pics from my few flashes of "play time" I managed to have while I was there. I went to Universal Studios with my co-workers one evening and it was great! Highlight of the night- the Delorian and the train from Back to the Future!!! OMG!! I bout flipped out!! I had to get a pic next to it! I also managed to get a few pics with my co-worker gal pals and some new friends we made along the way! My post would be remiss without some sort of food shot and what you will see is the chicken and waffle sandwich from a restaurant in "Springfield" in Universal Studios which was basically like being where The Simpsons lived with restaurants and everything. Pretty cool! Sandwich though...I give it a C+. Enjoy the pics!

THE FIRST PLANE RIDE EXPERIENCE

DISNEY PICS

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

Well I guess that's all for now. As much as I want to, I'll save the Halloween pics and update for next post and then MAYBE just MAYBE we'll be on the road to getting caught up :) Thanks for reading!