DID I MENTION I LOVE MY JOB??
It never fails that when the weight of the world feels like it's on my shoulder, my routing lands me in Hot Springs seeing those stores for the day which usually translates into a nice peaceful lunch break at Fisherman's Wharf...ahhhhhh...usually just me outside on the huge deck on Lake Hamilton with nothing but the sound of the water and the ducks and the fish dishes are always excellent (of course)....even though I'm pooped when I'm there it's the perfect place to re-charge before I have to "turn the charm back on"...lol!
KID SWAP STILL GOING STRONG...
A few of you ask me every once in a while if I'm still "doing that kid swap thing" and the answer is but of course my dears...I can say that Brooklyn is definitely maturing in that the two girls don't argue as much and they play and work really well together...it's amazing to me how agreeable she can be with everyone except me...lol! I included a few pics of the girls at Chick Fil-A a few weeks ago. They were starving by the time we got there so I didn't have to employ any mind play to convince them to eat this time...lol! Also, I was very proud of Brook for finally overcoming her anxiety of going into the slide contraption...lol! That translated into plenty of time to sit and relax and eat that warm chocolate chip cookie I had no business eating :)
THE DOC IS IN!
What I'm about to say is not TMI for moms and dads out there, but we are finally #2 potty trained!! Yes, she's almost 4 years old and she finally got over her anxiety to poop on the potty. I share that so my other first time mommies of little ones won't be discouraged if this potty training thing doesn't happen as quickly as you'd like. If I've learned anything with Brooklyn it is that these kids will accomplish these milestones when they are good and ready. It's like a switch turns on or something. Anyhoo---Brook's play date friend has had the Doc McStuffins dress up set for a while now and it seems to be a fave of Brook's. So, after Brook finally accomplished one of her last big girl feats her Daddy took her shopping to get a set of her very own!! She loves it!! I think we enjoy watching her play with it even more though. So since she decided she wants to be a doctor now it was the perfect Segway into Halloween Costume 2013!! I ordered her the cutest little pair of pink scrubs in her size and I'll add a few more things to the ensemble later...check her out!
Oh and yes...I'm already planning out the Halloween costume...that's not weird...lol!
DONUT LOVERS LANE
Recently Krispy Kreme was fortunate enough to have 3 generations of donut pros come in and sup with them...lol! Brooklyn, her Papa, and I went for a little after dinner snack last week and it did not disappoint! I must admit...my heart still skips a beat when I drive up and see the hot light on...lol!
SURELY YOU DIDN'T THINK I FORGOT ABOUT THE HAIR PICS!
So, I recently got a few new pieces. The first set of pics you'll see is the precious little piece I got from a beauty store grand opening in Memphis. It's a lace front wig and I'll put pics before and after I cut the excess lace on the front. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It's so natural looking and just blends in perfectly with my hairline. It's such a quick yet super stylish option when needed :) plus, I only paid $20 for it...now you can't beat that with a stick...lol!
This next one really is precious for real in that I had to splurge A LOT more for it. It's a full lace wig with human Indian Remy natural wave hair meaning I can wash and style it like my own!! I ordered it from China and after shipping back and forth to get the color right, it's finally a keeper. I even got brave enough recently to go ahead and bleach the knots on it so it can look even more natural. I haven't worn it since I did that but so far so good :) I figured if I was going to invest in a nice piece I might as well customize it just to my taste ;) the 2 pics you'll see here are me playing with it in a few different styles...
WHAT THE HECK DOES BLEACH THE KNOTS MEAN?
Don't be embarrassed...I know a few of you want to ask...lol! That is a technique to make the lace on which the hair is sewn lookout natural like your scalp. Because the hair is attached to the lace in tiny knots it can make the appearance of the lace a little dark so when you part it to style it...it doesn't look very natural. However when you bleach those knots, it looks like the hair is coming up out of scalp instead! I was very nervous about doing this because I didn't want to risk bleaching the hair...but it turned out just fine. I'm including a collage of the process I went through to do this and a pic of the finished work. Next time, I'll put a pic of it actually on and styled 
Last but not least, I like to put my own hair into a ponytail every few weeks or so (with a little Kanekelon, of course). This weekend, I'm wearing a high side bun. It took a little getting used to when I first walked out of the house with it like that, but I've been getting compliments all day! I even had a few girls at Schlotzsky's come to the drive thru window just to look at it and figure out how to do it...lol! I guess that means it's good, right?...lol
Gotta love that relaxed hair...I was able to accomplish this by moisturizing my hair with hair lotion and brushing it up into the ponytail. I used a little Creme of Nature perfect edges on my edges and sprayed a little holding spray on the style. I'll tie it up at night with a silk scarf and put a silk bonnet on and it should keep until Sunday or so! (Today is Friday)
CRAFT CORNER MAKING A CAMEO APPEARANCE
Although I vowed I was done with Craft Corner I must admit there'll probably always be one time of year when I can't help myself...Brooklyn's birthday. My little one is turning 4 years old in a few weeks so its time to kick it into gear for the party and surrounding festivities...lol! Notice I didn't say high gear...why? She's taking some of my creative thunder and has specifically requested a party at Chuck E. Cheese's :( however she asked for a Dora the Explorer party at Chuck E. Cheese's.....BINGO!! Enough room in the request for me to get creative. So...for starters, I'm kicking it off with a treasure map party invitation complete with a pic of Dora herself on them instructing the children on how to get to the party :) I even crinkled them up before I put them in the envelopes and yes....I really did send out ALL those envelopes you see here (there's some in the background too) and some are going to siblings so this one might be a doozie!! However, I do plan to enjoy the 3 things that will be different this time:
1- the party is indoors this year so no weather worries
2- I don't have to setup
3- I don't have to cleanup!!
Hip hip hooray!! Stay tuned after the party for pics of my craft projects for it :) I just can't help myself...hee hee hee
Once again this post is too long with the everyday stuff to get into another favorite things section...so maybe next time.
STORY OF MY LIFE
So Mary Mary recently posted this pic on Facebook and I thought to myself...hey! Who's been watching me...lol! This is the exact repetitive pattern that a goal junkie like myself follows...it's really almost addictive
Thanks ladies ( and maybe even a few gents) for sticking with me ;)
