I didn't die doing Day 1 of Insanity....

As promised, I'm bringing you a blog about things that make me happy. Happy is much better than annoyed, and I have to keep up my "Sunshine and Rainbows" positive persona. When you approach life positively, you feel better about the outcome of anything life throws at you, anyway, so we can all use a good dose of it every now and again. There is no easier way to improve your mood and help you feel better about yourself and your situation, than to make a list of things that make you happy. Not things that you think would make you happy (A mansion! A million dollars! A Remington 700! --that's for JP--etc, etc, etc) but things that you already have in your life that make you happy.

There's a little kid's saying that is appropriate for this kind of thing: "We get what we get, and we don't fuss a bit." I say this is appropriate because life doesn't just hand you a golden ticket. Sometimes, life hands you lemons (to that, I say add vodka and throw a party), and sometimes, life takes a big poo and you step in it while wearing your favorite shoes (to that, I say, weren't you wanting new shoes anyway?). No matter what life hands you...what curve ball gets hit into the left field of your existence...it's important to take stock of the good, and wonderful things you have and what makes you happy.

So here is a list of mine.

1. Chocolate makes me happy. I know, there is a chemical compound in chocolate that makes a person feel that way, but I'm still listing it. Chocolate would thrill me if it were fat free and still tasted good, and I would be nearly to the point of spontaneous combustion due to happiness if chocolate were fat free, tasted good, and melted away unsightly fat.

2. Lily's voice makes me happy. It's just the cutest sound in the world. I can't explain it. Her laugh is contagious and makes me so happy to hear. I love hearing her talk and laugh. I guess, what really makes me happy is that she is happy.

3. Reading a good book...actually...reading mostly any book, makes me happy. I like how quickly the time passes when I get engrossed in a book. I like learning new things by reading, and I like the enjoyment reading a trashy book brings. It makes me happy to be into books enough to read pretty much anything anyone puts in my hands.

4. Pink stuff makes me happy. I thought by the time Lily actually got here, I'd hate pink because it exploded in a way I never thought possible in my house during my pregnancy. But in actuality, quite the opposite has happened. I LOVE the color pink, both for Lily and for myself and my stuff.

5. Getting something I want on a really good sale makes me happy. Getting it on a really good sale AND being able to use coupons with it? Even better.

6. My car makes me happy. No, not the Impala that I always complain about (though, in all actuality, once we fix the cosmetic problems and get it tuned up, I won't dislike it nearly as much), but my Ford Escape. I have had it for 9 years and 130,000 miles. It's been my car longer than JP's been my husband (or even my boyfriend, for that matter). When we finally do get rid of it, I'll cry.

7. JP makes me happy. Duh. I know you all know this. So, something specifically that he does that makes me happy is when I'm having a bad day or not feeling so awesome, he acts extra goofy just to make me smile.

8. Bath time makes me happy. Lily is a little wild monkey, and when you put her in the water, she becomes a little wild monkey fish. She splashes so much water, that I might as well be in the tub myself. Some people would get mad at having to change clothes and sop water up off of the floor in the bathroom every night, but she has so much fun, I can't be mad. If she even hears the water running in the tub, the look of sheer joy in her eyes is the best thing in the world. She could flood the bathroom (and probably will, one day) and I'll still be happy.

9. Don't anyone tell my husband, but it makes me happy that he is so into the whole survivalist thing. I mean, it does drive me crazy that he goes on and on and on about buying guns and ammo and making me & Lily go bags and how we need to stock up on food, water and supplies, but deep down I know he is crazy over it because of how much he cares for us and wants to protect us, should something bad ever happen. THAT is what makes me happy, to know that he cares that deeply, because other people aren't as fortunate to have a person like that in their lives.

10. My sense of humor makes me happy. I can take a joke, and I can laugh at myself. I have a self-deprecating sense of humor and I'm the first to poke fun at myself. I never used to think I was funny, but as I get older, either I'm getting funnier or I have recognized I'm a little witty from time to time. Either way, I think I'm pretty down to earth, and I like that about myself.

I don't know about you all, but I feel better already.

Yesterday was annoying!

Yesterday was a terrible, no good, very bad, awful, icky, yucky, blah, "I-wish-I-could-go-back-to-bed-and-sleep-til-tomorrow" type of day. Nothing really, really bad happened, just a bunch of little crappy things that all together formed one big finger that pressed my big red "Do Not Push" button. Because I was little Miss Negativity yesterday, I have re-evaluated my day and tried to come up with something positive or some lessons I learned. Here's what I've got.

1. An 8oz bottle of formula, when spilled in it's entirety across your bed in the middle of the night, looks more like a gallon. It also requires the memory foam mattress pad and sheet to be removed because if you cover it with towels to soak up the milk instead of change the bed, it feels much like a Princess & the Pea situation. I thought Lily and I were going to roll off the bed because it felt like we were sleeping on a mountain side. To make this positive, JP had been talking about removing the mattress pad anyway, and it was just about time to strip the bed and wash the sheets anyway. Both problems, solved. Thank you, Similac formula and leaky Avent bottle.

2. Fuel injector cleaner really does work and make a difference when put in your gas tank; however, the "Easy open pull tab" is not easy open. This will splatter on your wool coat, making it (and you) smell like a garage. At least my car runs beautifully, and at 130,000 miles, this is VERY good.

3. I never carry an umbrella. One day, while out wandering through Wal-Mart, I happened upon a very compact, zebra print umbrella. I bought it, and have been quite proud of myself ever since because now, I always have an umbrella with me. Well, now that it's rained and I've used said umbrella, who's approximate circumference will only cover the width of a small child, not a fluffy (read: full figured) adult, I'm no longer proud of myself for my purchase. Maybe when I lose weight and don't have body parts sticking out all over the place from underneath the umbrella, I'll like it more. On the upside, my glasses didn't get wet, which is one of my very biggest pet peeves.

In honor of my no good, very bad, terrible awful day full of annoyances, I am going to tell you about my top annoyances. But first, here are a few other things.

Lily's word of the day is actually more like a few phrases. She now knows the first 4 letters of her ABC's, and can tell you what noise a cow, sheep, and chicken make. Her "baaaaa" sounds more like some kind of creepy machine gun alien voice, but it's cute nonetheless. She has also learned that she can stand up in the seat of a cart (much to my dismay, my child IS a daredevil with no fear of anything), and now does this little cheesy grin and wave to people when we're out in public. I bought her a pair of pink bunny ears at Target yesterday, and she wore them, grinned, and waved at people through the rest of the store.

Tonight, I'm doing the "fit test" portion of Insanity. Should I survive this, I will give you an update on how I faired. I have a friend who's lost close to 15lbs in about 4 weeks on the Insanity program, so I'm hoping I have similar results. I'm really hoping I don't throw up, pass out, or let this workout kill me. It would be very detrimental to my already faltering self esteem.

I told you the other day about the Nesting book I read. I've now started a new book, "Sliding Into Home" by Kendra Wilkinson (yes, that Kendra...from Girls Next Door). I just started it today and I'm nearly finished. It's her autobiography, and it's awesome. I had no idea a lot of things that she'd gone through in her life. If you don't mind bad language (the book is written exactly how she talks on the show, but without the bleeps), it's a quick, fun read.

And now, the topic du jour. We'll call this "Day 17..18..20? Things That Drive Me Crazy".

1. When people use big words incorrectly or misspell them, that annoys me. Pseudonym is pronounced Soo-dough-nim, not swayde-oh-nim. If you can't say it correctly, don't say it.

2. When people turn their turn signals on 230849023984 miles before their turn, so you get used to driving behind them with the signal flashing, and then they turn sharply...that annoys me.

3. Laundry annoys me. Why is it NEVER ever done? I can do 300 loads of clothes and at the end of the day, the clothes we all have on are dirty and need to be washed.

4. You all already know my annoyance when it comes to leggings, so I won't go into it again. One thing worth repeating: There are certain items of clothing that should not be worn once a person reaches a certain clothing size. These include: bikinis (not 2 pieces...bikinis...you know the things with the little triangles and strings), daisy duke shorts, and leggings, and this size is anything over about a size 4, unless you're in great physical shape.

5. When people question the obvious, it annoys me. If I'm sitting indoors, wearing a coat, why ask me "Are you cold?" Worst than questioning the obvious, is pointing out the obvious. If I'm shaking off a wet umbrella, I don't need you to tell me "It's raining outside." I'm aware, thank you. I'd much rather be told things I don't know, such as "There is a giant attack spider poised to jump on your head" or "I know a secret phone number to Wal-Mart that will get you to someone who will not only turn the air conditioning off when it's cold, but will also get someone to actually maintain a clean restroom."

6. Dirty glasses, wet glasses, or anything other than pristine, clear glasses, annoy me. I'm nearsighted so I have a hard time seeing anything that's not right up in my face. As a result, even the slightest smudge on my glasses is ridiculously visible and annoying. One of JP's favorite past times is licking his fingers then rub my glasses with them. One of these days, I'm going to knock him out if I can ever get my glasses cleaned quick enough to see where he runs off to.

7. When people ask when JP and I are having another baby, that annoys me. We'll have another baby when we feel like it. Right now we're enjoying and spoiling Lily, and Lily is our sole focus. We like it that way.

8. Probably one of my biggest annoyances is when people treat me or talk to me like I'm less intelligent than them. I hate being made to feel like I am stupid, because I'm not. There are definitely ways to speak to people and ways not to. I also don't like being made to feel like I am less of a person or less quality of a person. We are all people, and none of us are perfect and flawless, so don't look down your nose at me.

That's all I'll list for now. Those are my biggest, ugliest pet peeves. I think I'm going to have to follow this with a second post about things that make me happy. There are many, many more of those than things that annoy me.

Things that were left out of my new baby handbook that I'm glad I know now...

After talking through a few facebook messages with a friend of mine last night, I got to thinking about things everyone tells women when they're pregnant, and what you read in books, and things of that nature, and how different it can truly be for some of us once the tiny, pink, wrinkled, curled up bundle of joy arrives. In the first few months, I often found myself saying or thinking "Well, this certainly wasn't in the handbook!" So today, I decided to write about some of my experiences, and fill you all in on some topics that should've, most emphatically, been in MY handbook.

1. Just because you have boobs doesn't mean you'll be a great breastfeeder. This also goes along with my number 2.

2. If your child ingests formula, she will not die. She will not have growth problems. She will not get sick more than breastfed babies.

These two things go hand in hand. So many different factors come together to determine how successful a woman will be at breastfeeding. I had just about every negative factor working against me. First, Lily was early, so her latch and suck weren't developed enough. Bottles are much easier to get milk out of than a boob, so she mastered a bottle quickly but never did have luck with breastfeeding. I also had low production and flat nipples. I pumped exclusively for months...sometimes up to 15 times a day for 30-45 minutes at a time. Then I went back to work and that was cut down to next to nothing. I took so much fenugreek I smelled like I bathed in maple syrup. I drank the nasty teas. I did everything to no avail. When Lily was about 5 weeks old, she was still a little bit of nothing. She hadn't made it back to her birth weight (which, by the way, they should do within the first week or two). We went to a lactation consultant who did everything she could for us, but who also suggested we start supplementing with formula. I had been so determined to breastfeed ("I'm going to breastfeed her until she's a year old!" I proclaimed.) that it was damaging to my spirits to have to supplement with the dreaded formula but I was more concerned at that point that my daughter, who was born early because she failed to thrive in my womb, was going to fail to thrive outside as well. There are a lot of very wonderful reasons to breastfeed, and I'm very proud of what I managed to accomplish for Lily, and I very quickly learned that while it was a setback to my "plan", it wasn't the end of the world. I did get some flack from some adamant breastfeeding proponents for supplementing and ultimately switching to formula. Some claimed I didn't try hard enough, and others claimed formula would cause her all kinds of problems. She'd get sick more, she wouldn't grow as fast, I'm not doing my motherly duty...I really let it bother me for a bit, but when we took her back at 6 weeks, after just 6 days of supplementing with a few bottles of formula a day, she had gained 15oz. The following week, she gained another 1lb 2oz. By the time my supply had dried up, in spite of the 20-25 herbal pills I was taking a day, I felt ok with going totally to formula. My child is thriving just fine. She's only been sick once, and that was just a cold (and it was brought on by teething), and though she's petite for her age (probably genetics inherited from both of her short grandmothers), her growth chart is arcing just perfectly.

3. Every book, birthing class, and nurse will say that babies LOVE to be swaddled, and when the baby is fussing, the tighter the swaddle, the quicker the baby calms and the longer the baby sleeps. Maybe this is true for every other baby in the world...but it was never, not once, true for mine. Oh, we practiced and practiced swaddling. Ask JP. He was a master swaddler of all of the stuffed animals in Lily's room before she arrived. But Lily? She was like Houdini in baby form. We'd put her in a long infant gown (another thing everyone swore was so easy to use and babies loved...except for mine) and swaddle her so tight she was a burrito with a face. We'd put her in her bassinett, sneak out of the room, and within minutes, she'd cry. We'd rush back in and there would be arms, legs, and an open swaddle. Several times she couldn't get out of the swaddle alone, so she'd get out of the nightgown! We'd go in and there she'd be, looking up at us, laying horizontally at the top edge of the bassinett instead of vertically in her sleep positioner like we laid her, naked except for a diaper. Houdini, I tell you, considering we'd given up the swaddle completely by the time she was about 3 weeks old.

4. Just because your baby CAN do something doesn't mean she WILL do it. Lily could crawl when she was 5 months old. However, she knew if she pitched a fit, threw her face into the rug, and reached up for us while giving us big puppy dog eyes, we'd pick her up. She preferred standing to sitting and holding our hands and walking to crawling. She has only just recently begun crawling to get places on her own, and still the whole time she grumbles. She slams her hands down and gives exasperated sighs the whole time. The reason she now crawls is because we get absolutely worn out walking her all over creation!! I'm fairly certain that the little whirling dirvish can walk, too, and just is too stubborn to show us. She's waiting until she's really good at it so she can take off running from me during diaper change time or something.

5. On a serious note, no one really told me how serious, scary, and real post partum depression is or could be. I was blessed with the opportunity to spend 12 weeks on maternity leave, and doubly blessed that JP was able to be home with me. That time wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, though. We had a LOT of things go on during that time-- the feeding issues, the discovery of Lily's Horner's Syndrome, finding termites in the flower bed, the air conditioner unit needing to be replaced (along with the hot water heater AND the dishwasher) and a host of other things, including some work stress that I will not go into. A few weeks in to being home, I remember JP's parents and sisters came over and instructed me to go get some sleep (I had been sleeping with Lily on the couch for the whole time at that point) and they'd take care of Lily and clean the house. I remember laying in the bed with the door closed absolutely beside myself with worry over Lily. I couldn't sleep. That fear quickly spread to whenever I was away from her, if anyone other than JP had her, I silently and quietly panicked until I was back or she was back in my arms. That turned into a nearly paralyzing fear that she something would happen to her if she slept in her bassinett away from me. I had myself convinced that if I wasn't with her every second of every day, something terrible would happen. As nursing and pumping got tougher, and every new bad thing happened, it got worse and worse. I was crying more than I was enjoying my time with my new family. I remember telling someone in my family who laughed it off and told me I was being ridiculous. It felt like I loved her so much that it physically hurt me to leave her. JP and his sister were the only two people who listened, didn't judge and encouraged me to talk to my doctor about it. I was put on anti-depressants for a while and the results were amazing. I could actually go take a nap without images of Lily being dropped on her head popping into my mind. Several months in, I started feeling so much better that I weaned myself off the pills. I don't recommend doing this because all of those feelings came back and quick. I'm only just now getting totally back to myself and even now, I still have some days where I don't know why I feel the way I do and don't know how to shake it.

6. I am almost completely convinced that my bladder will never work the same after being kicked repeatedly, from the inside, at increasing strengths, for 5 months. I am also convinced that my stomach will never look the same, and I may never be able to brush my teeth again, ever in my life, without gagging. Oddly enough, I am totally ok with it.

7. People will say that you'll forget the sucky parts of pregnancy, how tough labor was, and any other pregnancy, labor, delivery, or recovery discomforts as soon as you see your bundle of joy. They say that's the only reason why women choose to have more than one child, because they forget. That's a crock. I don't know that I will ever forget how sick I was and how just a totally miserable pregnant person I was, nor will I forget how awesome and easy labor, delivery, and recovery were. I really disliked being pregnant, with the exception how amazing it was to feel Lily move around all the time. That being said, I still want more kids. I don't think it is that you forget all the bad parts. I think it's that you get to see all of the fantastic good parts, and that makes all the bad worth it. I'd go through every second of what I did, every ache, pain, and nauseating minute of pregnancy to have another baby. And I doubt I'll ever forget any aches, pains, and discomforts I may experience with that pregnancy, either. But it'll be so worth it, because every time I look at Lily, or she gives me a kiss or does something hilarious, or even when she's sad and crying, she's totally, absolutely, unequivocably, worth it.

What's in a name?

I am actually going to do the blog challenge topic today, but not right this second. I'll get to it, I promise.

Here is something I noticed this morning. I LOVE my ob/gyn...she is wonderful, and I'm sure you've already read my blogs about how her quick decision making made the difference in a healthy, living baby and a stillborn one. But anyway, she has steered me wrong and given me false hope in one area. From basically the second I became pregnant, brushing my teeth became the bane of my existence. Every time...every single time...I would get gagged. My doctor said it was definitely from my morning sickness and once that went away (which ended up being when I had Lily), I would be fine. Now, 15 days before Lily's 1st birthday, I am still having the SAME issues brushing my teeth, and I assure you, it is NOT due to morning sickness. I'm going to chalk it up to something from pregnancy that is not going to go away, like some women end up with bigger feet or inability to ever eat their favorite foods again. But anyway...

One of my co-workers bought a wonderful book at the community help center for $0.25 and she brought it to me to read today. It's called "Nesting: It's a Chick Thing 100 Tales, 1,000 Tips, and Endless Inspiration for women who seriously play house and garden (and hold pink poker nights)" by Ame Mahler Beanland & Emily Miles Terry. It's really informative and funny, and it's basically taking a modern twist on the 50's housewife.

What I've learned from this book so far:

1. My decorating style is half Country Chic Chick and half Bohemian Babe. (There's that Gemini duplicity again!) What this means is in my house, you'll see that I'm "drawn to the patina of age and the charm of a little wear around the edges" and that I "weave a nest filled with character, whimsy, and in-your-face personality." I have a welcoming home filled with sentimental treasures as well as original artwork, unusual and unique furniture (or vintage, painted wood, or distressed pieces). This book says I should gravitate towards Country Living and Pottery Barn as well as Elle Decor and Crate and Barrel. I'm a little bit modern and a little bit shabby chic. I'd say that is pretty accurate, and anyone who has seen my house (or listened to my decorating ideas) should probably agree. Basically, I buy or paint first, then find a place to put it later.

2. Friends fall into 7 categories, and it's beneficial to have at least one in every category. There's the "Jackie" who is basically the Hollywood stylist-- from clothes to decorating. She's the fashion forward trendsetter. Then there's the "Green Gertie"-- the organic, dirt loving, garden happy friend who can lend you green thumbs when yours turn purple. The "Martha" who is, as you guessed, the Martha Stewart (who is the women's MacGyver...give her a bandana, paperclips, and a dryer sheet and she'll make you custom drapes). The "Bargain Betty" is on a first name basis with every consignment store or flea market owner within a 100 mile radius (and emails the ones outside of it) and knows every where in the universe to find a good deal. The "Fix it Fanny" is the friend who takes do it yourself to a whole new level. Tools don't scare her, even if she doesn't know their proper name. The "Neighborly Nellie" is the one who will always be there to help with anything-- whether you need to talk or you need someone to help you move furniture. Then, last but assuredly not least, there is the "Mother Hen". She is always there to take care of you, give you advice about any topic under the sun, and will not hesitate to swoop in and rescue you from anything from a recipe to a relationship gone bad. I can think of people in my life that fall at least somewhat, in every category. Do you know where YOU fall?

3. I really, REALLY want to have a Pink Poker Party Girl's Night. It sounds like it would be a ton of fun, even though I really don't know how to play poker. There is supposed to be a fun themed dress, like, pajamas, 50's housewife, etc. Then, everyone brings some kind of over the top "diva" item (like a big piece of funky costume jewelry, a tiara, a feather boa, etc) and that is what becomes the pot in the last hand. So, the person that wins the last hand becomes the Pink Poker Diva. That would be a lot of fun, I think!! Who all is interested?!

4. Create the right atmosphere and present food in the right way, and no one will ever know it was all store-bought.

5. I have been inspired to create plant holders out of, well, everything. Gift boxes, old high heeled shoes, cowboy hats, hat boxes...I think it's time we added some springtime to our house.

Next on the agenda...Lily's word(s) of the day. Today, my little linguist pointed to a picture (of herself) and said "Pretty baby!" (no one said she wasn't conceited). It was so cute "Pitty baybeh...pitty pitty baybeeeee!" Then, when she handed my grandmother a toy, my grandmother said "Thank you". Lily responded "Tank yoooo!" She is also learning to say yellow and purple, and can point to those colors when asked. "yah yow" and "pip purl"

Now, on to the blog challenge topic. I'm not sure what day this is, so we'll just call it "Day I'm-so-far-behind-in-the-challenge-I've-lost-track-completely: Nicknames!" (There, simple and easy to remember.)

As long as I can remember, my mom has always told the story that she named me Amy because she felt like it was short enough and easy enough to remember that no one would give me any nicknames. Shortly after I was born, and probably because I was early and tiny, that went right out the window when my aunt christened me "Sweet Pea". Later, my grandfather started calling me "Amo" which my grandmother later shortened to just "Aim". At Cumberland, my sorority sisters christened me "Amers", which was again later shortened to just "Aim" until my friend Brandi's mom started calling me "Aimless".

In the last 10-15 years, I've answered to any and every variation of "Amy", as well as "Baby", "Babe", "Sweetie", and now, one of my favorites "Mama".

As a funny side note, when I was pregnant with Lily, I was adamant that she wouldn't have any nicknames. "Her name is Lily Katherine!" I'd say emphatically. "She's been called Oops for the last 6 months! Her name is Lily Katherine!" Within minutes of the decision her name would be Lily Katherine, she was nicknamed Lily Kate. Within minutes of her being born, she was nicknamed Peanut, and she's been everything since then-- punkin, punkinhead, Lily-bug, sugar bug, sugar booger, baby girl-- you name it, and we've probably called her by it. So much for no nicknames!!

Luh Yoo Mama

I've got no challenge topic today, either. I'll do the photo ones, I promise, just as soon as I can get blogger to cooperate and put my photos where I want them in my blog. If I could get the hang of this and supplement my rambling with photos, I feel like you'd be much more amused. One day. Maybe this weekend I'll have a spare few minutes to give myself a tutorial. Until then, I apologize for subjecting you to endless text. Maybe I should start doing a quiz at the end, or nominating a reader of the week like Courtney at Cowboy Cookies does.

1. Lily's word of the evening last night: Fish. Her new word this morning: Shoe. Also, she said something I have been waiting almost a year (and the 9 months I was growing her) to hear. I told her "I love you" and she looked up at me, smiled, patted my cheek and said "Luh yoo maamaa" I melted into a big puddle of proud, mushy, gooey, sappiness and cried. After she said that, she pointed to my foot and said "Shoe!" and burst out laughing. I love her so much that it kills me to leave her every day. I just cherish what time we do have together.

2. JP and I did the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Home Study program in Oct/Nov. I calculated it today, and we've paid off $10,000 in debt since October. We still have about another $10,000 to go (about half of that is our car) and then we'll have nothing but the house. Remember those bad financial decisions I talked about in the "regret" blog? They're almost gone. I'm really glad they're almost gone, and I am still ashamed for bringing that to my marriage. Instead of debt, I wish I would've brought a fat savings account. C'est la vie. There's not much I can do now, except pay it off and try to instill financial intelligence in my daughter. It's been a hard lesson, and one I've had to burdern JP with, as well, but we've both learned a lot and have big plans for our financial future.

3. I am starting to get excited about Lily's birthday party. A lot of our closest friends will be there, and I can't wait to see how much fun she has. I'm sad she's almost a year old, and I don't know where the time has gone, but I know I can't stop her from growing. This year has brought us so much. I'm looking forward to seeing how how she grows and changes in the next year. We are so blessed by having her in our lives. This time last year I was wondering what we would do with her, and how our lives would never be the same. It's true, life is totally different than it was last year, but it's such a good different. It's hard to remember what it was like without her.

4. This entry should probably just be titled "Lily" because, so far, 3 of the 4 posts are directly about her, and the other even mentions her. So, some of you may know, she hates chocolate. I think this is completely crazy, considering A. she's female and B. she comes from a long line of chocolate lovers on both sides of the family. I let her try a brownie a few weeks ago, and she gagged so hard she caused herself to throw up. She always wants to try what we're eating, and every time it's chocolate, she gags and/or throws up. Well, last night JP went to Sonic and brought me back a chocolate milkshake. Lily likes milkshakes, so I gave her a taste. That little booger drank half my milkshake and CRIED when it was all gone!

5. Today, Lily rode in her big girl car seat for the first time. I wasn't there to see it. She rode to her D-Daddy and B-B's house with her Daddy in the forward facing big girl seat. Can you tell how sad it makes me that she's growing up? I hate missing big events in her life, and to me, the first time in her big girl seat is a big event!

6. I love springtime. It's probably my favorite time of the year. I love it when everything is sprouting, budding, and growing. HOWEVER...I HATE what it does to my allergies!! So spring is my favorite time of the year, and my least favorite time of the year. There's that Gemini duplicity again.

That, my friends, is that. We've gone from one end of my brain to the other. Until tomorrow!!!

Of mullets, gardens, and sewing...

I can't even remember where I am in the daily challenges because I'm a. behind and b. picking and choosing the order I write them (or if I write a particular topic at all). So today's blog is just going to be another daily dose of random thoughts. I hope you all enjoyed our lively discussion on jeggings in the last one, so you're as pumped as me about today's.

1. First, lovely readers, you'll remember a few days ago where I mentioned how God brings people together in strange ways at just the right time, right? Well, the prayers for my friend have been answered. She received very good news yesterday regarding that whole situation. I'm still so thankful that I was able to get my two friends together to talk about it, because she was able to go into yesterday with a bit more peace than she would've had, and was able to rejoice in the good news she received.

2. I have been discussing learning how to sew for a long time. I think I had even mentioned it when I wrote about finding a new, productive hobby. My grandmother and mom both used to sew their own clothes, as well as clothes for me. So, I figured, while my grandmother is here visiting, it was the perfect time to pick both her and my mom's brains and learn how to sew. Yesterday, my grandmother and I went to Joanns, where I picked out a pattern, material, and other things needed for the project. And, I'm proud to say, I sewed Lily a dress. It doesn't look awful for my first attempt at sewing using a real pattern on a sewing machine. Of course, I feel like you can tell it's handmade because it doesn't look immaculate, but I am patting myself on the back here for a "not to shabby" job. I have another yard of different material and I'm going to make another one this weekend. I feel like this may be the productive hobby I have been looking for. I MAY even try to make her some matching hair bows, or, when I feel more talented, make them and sell them. I may even begin to get really industrious and make matching hair bows and other accessories. Look out, Etsy and mothers of baby girls...

3. My dad came over last weekend and he and JP built my garden boxes. Since this is my first year trying to garden, and I don't need huge amounts of crop yield, we decided not to till the yard. If I don't end up having a green thumb, I didn't want my yard to be too messed up. So, we built 3 big boxes. I'll fill them with fill dirt and topsoil and plant my plants on top. That way, if it is a big fluke, we can spread the dirt over the yard (maybe fill in some holes that the dogs dug) and put down some grass seed and ta da! the yard isn't ruined. I started my seeds in a little "greenhouse" which is basically a plastic tray with 72 little peat circles. I am so excited to see that some are already sprouting! We also planted a grape vine, a raspberry plant, and a blueberry plant. I have since read that it helps to have more than one of each plant because they cross pollinate, so I think I'm going to pick up another raspberry plant and another blueberry plant. Talk to me in the middle of the summer and see if I'm still as excited about my garden project, after picking weeds, watering, and protecting it from bugs, bunnies, and who knows what else.

4. I really need to take a tutorial on blogspot. I would like to post more pictures; however, I find myself getting frustrated trying to upload and insert them. Fellow bloggers...help!

5. Lily has been amazing me lately with how quickly and exponentially her vocabulary is growing. Just about 2 weeks ago, she had a vocabulary of 17 words. Now, it's around 25, probably even closer to 30. It seems like every day, she has a new word or phrase. She really is a little sponge. She just sits and listens sometimes and then pops out with the cutest, funniest little expressions, actions, and words. This morning, she pointed at a segment of her multi-colored caterpillar and plain as day said "yellow". And she was pointing to the yellow part! She knows where other people's eyes, noses, mouths, and teeth are, and when you ask to see her teeth, she'll chomp, chomp, chomp her teeth and laugh. She has a shape sorter and can put the circle and the square in the right holes. She loves to walk around. Last night she was practically running through my parent's house, holding onto my dad's fingers, and everytime she saw my mom, she'd scream at the top of her lungs and punch my mom in the butt. This morning, she saw my grandmother and said "Hey dude!" She points at pictures of herself and says "Aww...baby! Awww...." She greets everyone she sees by saying "Hey baby!" except for JP. When she sees JP she says, "Hey boy!" He answers her with "I'm not boy! I'm Daddy! It's 'Hey Daddy!'" and she just cracks up. It's amazing how much she's grown in the last (almost) year. As much as I don't want her to grow up, I can't wait to see what the future holds for us and her antics. I have a feeling we're in for a wild, crazy ride.

6. Fun Fact: Off-brand Pyrex glass baking dishes have the potential to explode into a million bajillion pieces if stored in the garage. Second fun fact: The pieces of exploded glassware will be so tiny that they will not puncture your tire if you don't see them when you pull into your garage and run them over. I learned these two fun facts yesterday night, much to my dismay.

7. JP and I have decided to do the Insanity work out program by Beachbody (the makers of P90X), because we're ready to do whatever it takes (read: gluttons for punishment) to lose our weight and get back in shape. Because we're cheap (read: scared we will hate the program and wuss out before the 60 days is up), we're getting the program from a friend of ours temporarily. Once we decide we like it (read: we don't pass out, throw up, or die), we'll invest in our own copy. Our goal is to do Insanity for the 60 days to shed weight, then do P90X for the 90 days after to continue weight loss and build muscle. I also plan on hitting up the park as often as the weather allows to push Lily in her stroller around the track so we can both get some sunshine and fresh air. If anyone would like to join us on these excursions, let me know and we'll plan something. I don't want to be the fat mommy.

8. I'm taking a week's vacation the week of JP's and Lily's birthday. I'm already compiling my list of things to do when I'm on said vacation, which will really make it not a vacation at all. So far, my week off includes painting the hallway and laundry room, and treating the yard with weed and feed and grub, tick, flea, and spider killer, and going to the eye doctor. I'm also going to reorganize the kitchen. Fun events of the week are Lily's first birthday and party, and JP's 30th birthday and party.

9. Today at work, I saw the most interesting mullet I've ever seen. It was a hybrid between dredlocks, a perm, and a mullet-- business in the front, and a curly, dredlocked mess about 11 inches long down the back. That's taking it to a whole new level. I get a front row seat to People of Wal-Mart on a daily basis. A piece of fashion advice for you all: If your belly hangs over your jeans...buy a pair of jeans in a larger size, and please, for the love of all things pure and innocent...wear a shirt that covers your midsection. Also, if coming to Wal-Mart and walking the outer edge of the store over and over again is your daily exercise, it's probably worth looking into a membership at the gym, or at the very least, using the walking track at the Jimmy Floyd or the park. Wal-Mart isn't part of the mall walkers club.

10. I'm thinking about having a yard sale in May. I have a bunch of junk that I'd like to get rid of, as well as a bunch of clothes, baby stuff, etc. Would anyone be interested in bringing their junk over and sitting with me? If I get a few people, maybe we can put an ad in the paper or something.

And that, ladies and gentlemen...probably just ladies, as I doubt men read my blog...is that.

Regrets are lessons you choose not to learn.

I don't know what today's blog entry is supposed to be. I'm so far behind I'm just kind of picking and choosing the topics I like now. The latest one I've read that I thought, "Well, this one could get interesting" is about regrets. "Something I Regret" is the official title. I think it's something like Day 20, but it's only Day 13 or 14 for me. That's ok, though.

Regrets, for me, are kind of funny. I try to look at everything that I've done in my life, good or bad, as learning experiences. I have learned different lessons from all of my mistakes, and every decision I've made is a decision that's helped me become the person I am today. Without them, I would have missed out on some valuable (read: long, hard, annoying, and costly) lessons. Having made most of these bad decisions when I was young, though, it's helped keep me from making worse mistakes (read: even more annoying and more costly) since I've been with JP and been married. I believe that everything happens for a reason, even the crappy stuff, because it enables us to make positive or negative changes in our life. But, that being said, I probably would change a few things if I could not change the outcome of any major events in my life.

1. I wouldn't have gotten a Visa credit card when I was 19. Well, actually, I probably would still if I had to do it over again, given that I was living on my own then and trying to build my credit. What I would NOT have done was add my then boyfriend as an authorized user of the card. 9 years and several thousand dollars later, I'm finally close to paying it off. Mistake? Yes. Lesson learned? Yes. Several. I will never have another credit card again, ever, and I will always tell everyone I know that if they DO have a credit card, to be very selective when and where you use it, and who is on it with you.

2. Normally, people would say "I never would have dated this person or that person". I am of the opposite opinion, which is kind of suprising to most people because until JP, I dated far less than stellar people who treated me terribly or took advantage of me, or both. I wouldn't change dating them. If anything, I'd change the duration in which I stayed with them. It would've been much, much shorter, and I would've made sure I didn't put up with nearly as much crap. Mistakes? Yes. Lessons learned? Oh, yes. The terrible, awful, lazy, dead beat, serial cheating, lying guys I dated made me realize what I had found in JP, very early in our relationship. Remembering how they treated me makes me appreciate him a million times more than I would if I hadn't had those experiences. They've also helped me learn to stand up for myself a little more and be less of a doormat, so my relationship with JP is give and take, and compromise. They made me realize I was worth more than I was giving myself credit for, and made me much more upfront with my feelings and thoughts. When JP and I first started dating, I laid it out on the table for him-- there were no games, and no back and forth. We were real with one another from the get go, and we still are today.

3. I wanted to go to school for interior design for as long as I can remember. I never did. I would've really liked that, I think, impractical as it probably would've proven. I have a great job and am very blessed to work for a stable employer where I don't have to worry. Had I gone to school for interior design, I would've been left to my own devices and probably been a starving artist. But, I would've done something I wanted. There is no real lesson to learn here, because deep down I do feel like I made the best decision. Even leaving college before I graduated is a decision I feel ok about. I didn't know what I wanted to do and wanted to wait to finish school until I knew what I wanted to do. When we're more financially ready, JP and I both plan to go back and finish school. Him for a degree in Criminal Justice, and me in nursing.

I read a silly email forward once that I think was supposedly written by Erma Bombeck. She was a comedienne back in the day, and I believe she passed away from breast cancer. But anyway, this email was about how, looking back on things, she wished she would've done little things in her life differently. For instance, she mentioned how she'd burn the decorative candles rather than box them up and hide them away in the attic. She'd let her kids and guests use the pretty hand towels and expensive soap. She'd set her table with the good china on an average Tuesday spaghetti night rather than hide it away in a china cabinet. Basically, she would've done things to allow herself and those around her to enjoy life to it's fullest. That email has always made me think. As a child, I collected erasers-- you know the kind shaped like flowers and smiley faces, etc. I also collected Lisa Frank notecards and stickers. And I never used them. I didn't want to "waste" them. I found a box at my mom's house a few months ago that contained ALL of those notecards, stickers, erasers, and all of my other "pretties" I never wanted to "waste". What did I do, then, essentially? Yep. I wasted them.

I could sit back all day and think about things I wish I would've done or said differently in my life. I could complain about people who have done me wrong, hurt my feelings, or broke my heart. I could hide all of my nice hand towels, and special food treats. But what good would it do? What good does being negative and constantly dwelling on the past? Instead of wishing about what I would change, I try to learn from my experiences and take those lessons to become a stronger person, and a better example for my daughter. Crappy stuff is going to happen. It's what you do when faced with it that makes a difference.