I need help

In many ways.

So, you know how I won the MBS gift certificate? I have NO idea which picture to use, and even where to put it. I seriously want your help.

This post will include some possible photo options and locations for the artwork.  I need you to leave me a comment telling me how to decorate my house.

This isn't www.birthornot.com, but it is an opportunity for you to make a difference which doesn't involve voting if a couple should keep or terminate their pregnancy.

These are the locations:

Excuse the laundry basket to the right. This is the living room. That photo above the fireplace? Yeah, it was  a last minute purchase before a Christmas party a few years ago.  It's not my fav, but it does what it is supposed to do: take up space.

This is the long, sad hallway leading to Ansley's room. It needs something.  My concern with putting MB here? It won't be seen and oogled over enough.

This is a spot in the dining room. It needed something, so I grabbed these little plaques, but they are so small, they kinda look lost in the mix.

Still in the dining room, but should I move my bridal portrait?

Another spot in the dining room. However, this spot is not visible from the living room. It does have some great lighting though.

 So, those are the possible locations. By default, I'm leaning toward over the fireplace in the living room, but think that would require a larger piece than the hubs may be willing to help pay for.

Now, the so-stinkin'-hard-I-actually-lost-sleep-last-night difficult part.  The picture.

A beautiful shot from our wedding. Except, hubs has a new ring now.

A classic pic of my 3-week-old. My concern with having a pic of  Ansley is that I'll have to get one for each kiddo. Which,  I'm ok with.

Ahh, me and the hubs.

This one is kinda fun

Classic pic on the beaches of Puerto Rico

I simply love this picture.

Hmm. Maybe I don't like this one afterall.

If I pick a holiday specific picture, would it be ok to display it around the year?

Yum. Flower.

Beautiful picture, but nothing in my house is beachy.

Same concern about being season specific.

I like this, but don't like the carseat in the background.

So, do you see my problem??  Please, suggest a picture. Make this easy for me. I wish I had a beautiful picture of mother/daughter, but I just don't. I don't like to be in pictures, and I'm beginning to realize that is a sad thing.

So, help me. Leave me a comment. Give me advice. Tell me I'm a meany for not having a beautiful print made for my parents. Just tell me which picture I should use!

Steppin' Out

So, I'm jumping on another bandwagon. Because it is so much easier to follow a trend than start your own, right? I used to think of myself as a leader, but let's take a look:

Blog, not my idea. Just read some all the time, and decided to start one

McFatty Monday: Just a follower (and not a very good one at that)

And now, Steppin' Out. And I follow.

Anywho, this Steppin' Out thing. Mandy over at Harpers Happenings (great read, check it out. And her kiddo is super cute), along with some other of my top reads, have super cute clothes, and wanted to show them off. I'm totally on board with that. I like lusting over other people's cute clothes! I don't have any particularly cute clothes myself, but Ansley does, so I'm totally joining in!

So, here's what I got for you. Unfortunately, I'm normally the one behind the camera, so this means I'll have to make a better effort at being in front of the camera (which, I really don't like doing. AT.ALL.)

Me

Shirt, Old Navy, last year

Jeans, can't see, but also Old Navy, this year

Shoes, Chacos in need of repair

Ansley

Shirt, Old Navy

Jeans, Old Navy

Sparkly Pink tennis shoes, Walmart

Too cute not to have two photos.  Now that I'm on board, hopefully we'll get some better shots.  And, I promise, not all of our clothes are from Old Navy. Just a large percentage of them.

So, go check out Harpers Happenings, and, maybe take a step out of your own!

I'm a winner!

Check it out, ya'll!  I won a super cute set of hair clips from my favorite hair clippy maker, Sweet Harper! 

I love her blog. It's full of great advice on being mommy to two kiddos, and she frequently offers some giveaways of her adorable hair clippies.

So, I only found out about the win yesterday, and as soon as they get here, I'll be sure to post some pics of the kiddo with the bits of cuteness in her hair!

Oh, and I started a Twitter. Why, you ask? Not because I'm really that much of an AW that I think everyone should know what I'm doing EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY, but, honestly, because Blair is offering a sweet giveaway and you had to follow on Twitter.

I love free stuff.  I will also add, I am in no way being compensated by mentioning either of these giveaways. But, I promise. Both blogs are totally worth the read, even if free stuff isn't involved!

An Unhealthy Obsession

First on my list of things I "love" (mind you, these are in no particular order), has to be Ben and Jerry's Half Baked ice cream.

If you have been a reader for &some time, you know that I frequently reference that ooey gooey goodness.

Here'e the issue. On sale, it comes in at around $2.50 a pint. I get about 4 servings out of a pint, so, really it's about $5 a week. $20 a month. That means I spend 20 flippin' dollars on ICE CREAM. However, it must be stated that I don't buy it every week. Maybe more like every other week, or even once a month.

Granted, B&J is to die for, and if I was stranded on a desert isle with only one food for the rest of my life, I would have to figure out how to make a freezer cause I'd have to keep that nectar frozen. But, it may be nearing an addiction stage. Or, at least obsession.

So, you may ask, "Is it really worth the money?" HECK YEAH. I know all the different things I could buy with that $20 a month. Like buy Ansley clothes. Or buy me clothes. Or have lunch with the girls. Or put gas in the car. Or feed my kid. All those things are important, but doesn't a momma with a full-time office job and a full-time momma job deserve a little treat?

I have, however found a downside to my love of the cold comfort. It seems that my consumption has a direct correlation with my washer and drier shrinking my clothes. I haven't quite figured it out yet, and I should probably call the service guy to come out and take a look. If I can't figure out what going on and why all my clothes are shrinking, I may have to cut out the Half Baked and use that money to buy more clothes.

While I'm at it, maybe I'll just buy new appliances too, so my new clothes don't shrink. Then I can go back to my friends, Ben and Jerry.

Go away and leave me alone!

So, you know that game where you click the squares and use the numbers to help find the mines? It's called minesweeper, cleverly enough.

Anywho, if you aren't sure how to play, you end up just clicking squares watching that little smiley face at the top hold his breath as what is hiding behind the square is revealed. "3? Ok, that means this square is bordered by 3 mines."

The game isn't really hard. But, it is addictive. I mean, EXTREMELY addictive.

So, here it is, 10:30 p.m., and after a long day with a whiny baby (which, unfortunately, seems to be the norm as of late), I'm sitting here blogging about minesweeper. Because I can't stop. At.All.

I'm tired, my teeth are fuzzy, the house is a mess, laundry needs to be done, and I'm still dressed for a wedding that was 4 hours ago.

But I've just got to play one more game. Just one more, then I'll go to bed.

Do not disturb!

Dear real life,
Hello! It hasn't been long since we were last together. It is a joy to be with you.

However, I am writing to inform you that I will not be able to be with you tonight from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., EST. Please understand, I have a previous commitment that I must not miss. I am saying goodbye to a very dear friend.

This day has been 6 years in the making, so I am sure you will understand. I will be spending my evening with Desmond, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Ben, Claire, Jack, and the Smoke Monster. I am expecting others to pop in and out, including Charlie, Walt, Sayid, Sun and Jin, and many of our other departed friends.

I know it is not typical for me to spend such an extended period of time away from you, but this will be one of the last times. As such, I ask a few favors:

1. Do not interrupt. I am kind to you and rarely leave your presence, yet you seem to show up when I least want you here. I'll be back before you know it.

2. Do not make me feel guilty about taking this time from you. We share plenty of time together. We laugh, we cry. You need to work on your sharing.

3. Please do not punch me in the face when I have to get up early tomorrow just because you were jealous, m'kay?

I may be a little upset when we do reunite, but, please understand, it has nothing to do with you. This has been a long time coming, and all my questions are supposed to be answered. If I am upset, remember this name: J.J. Abrams. He is known to be a murder of love, and may strike again tonight.

Oh, and, one more thing. I'll also need to step away tomorrow night, from 8 p.m to 10 p.m. I have a date with Jack Bauer.

Hugs and Kisses!
Tiffany

Make Over Day!

So, whatdoya think? I felt like the place needed a little brightening up, so I did a little dusting, and some rearranging, and found a few new things, and, tada!

I'm not one to keep things the same for too long. I just get so...bored.

My parents hated this fact about me, I'm sure. Cleaning my room was never a simple folding of the clothes, making the bed and a quick vacuuming. It was often a three day fiasco that including dumping out all of my desk and dresser drawers, rearranging the furniture, and redecorating the walls.

I never painted my room. But, I should have bought stock in teen magazines. Yes, I'll admit it. I was a HUGE BSB fan, followed closely by N*Sync. My walls looked like Tiger Beat threw up all over them. I wish I had all that money back I had spent on those magazines. 2 a month, at apx. 2.50 each, for about 18 months... ok, so, it's only like, $90. But I think you could add another $50 in for good measure.

Hanging the posters was more of an art. Each photoshoot would typically include one large poster of the group, and then you would have to coordinate all the smaller ones around the big one. Every once and a while, Tiger Beat would screw up and put one band member on the front poster and another band member on the back. That was not good planning on their part.

As new photoshoots were released in the new magazines, it would be time to switch them out, and do a complete redesign.

Like I said, it probably bordered on obsession. But I was a total closet fan, and only my closest friend knew how overboard I was. In fact, she started the whole thing and called to me from the water. "C'mon! Just join me! The water is warm all the Backstreet Boys are here with me!"

Whenever there was a appearance on TV, I taped it. I had about 10 VHS tapes full of interviews, music videos, performances, you name it. My friend and I would get together on weekends and watch our tapes, and learn the dances. Yes. It's true. At one point in time I knew the dances for both "Everybody" and "As Long as you Love Me." We even celebrate their birthdays. Yikes.

Feel free to insert your laughs and mockery here.

I can remember when I realized it was time to stop. We lived in a double wide trailer growing up, and one spring, I think of my freshman year in high school, a terrible storm came our direction. I tornado had been spotted just a few miles down the road, so my parents decided it was best to hit the road and seek more stable shelter in the local hospital where my mom worked.

So, while the fam gathered up the furry members (my brother was perfectly capable of getting ready to go. I'm talking about the family pets), I rushed through my room removing EVERY poster with a delicate "down, up" fashion to tear the posters out from their tacks. I then folded them, according to their creases, and placed them in a huge plastic tub THAT I BROUGHT WITH ME. We made it through the storm safe and sound, but I decided not to hang the posters back up. It was time.

And I didn't hang them back up. And I stopped watching my videos. And I realized what a total loser I had been. But, ya know, I still have a soft spot for the boy bands of the late 90s. Heck. I still totally love NKOTB. And now, I can listen to the music and remember the fun that I did have. And I can laugh at myself.

And, I wonder if one day, Ansley will get hooked on a boy band. Hopefully, I can steer her clear of an obsession, but, if not, I have a TON of posters she can have. They're just some old things that I can't seem to get rid of.

So, enjoy the new look, and share your obsessions. They may just brighten someone's Monday.

A little bit of paradise.

Ben and Jerry's.

Half Baked.

Delish.

Any questions?