Page 2 of 6

ICYMI: Goodbye, Kitty!

Here is a recap of the last few months in and around the plantation:

When we last “spoke”, I had just started a new job at a small CPA firm. Excited to expand my skills and actually do something I was truly passionate about, writing and fundraising, I jumped right in…into Tax Season!

Who knew the next four months of my life would be eerily similar to football season, the TV/spectator football season. Anyone with any experience living the vida fútbol loco knows that football season starts well before and goes beyond what you see on TV. 

Continue reading → ICYMI: Goodbye, Kitty!

Check Yo ‘Fit Fool

A couple of weeks before Christmas break, I got a call from Georgia Peach’s preschool…

The Office Lady: Hello. This is The Office Lady from “The Best Preschool In Town” (well, it is). Your daughter, GP has been complaining that her head hurts and she wants to come home.

Me: Her head hurts? Did she fall? Was she hit in the head? What happened?

The Office Lady: Her Teacher says she has mentioned that her head hurt a couple of times so, she thought she should just come home.

Me: Okay, I am on my way.

Now, from the time I ended the call until I got to the school (a 10 minute ride from our house), I had self diagnosed GP with everything from an aneurysm to a tumor! My mind was in overdrive so, I needed to get there quickly.

As I arrived at the school and readied myself to get out of the truck, I noticed my attire. And it did. not. look. good!

tumblr_inline_n1mmizkMY31ss9nq4

After I dropped off GP at school earlier that day, I decided to sort clothes to donate to Goodwill. Naturally, if I came across something I was on the fence about putting in the bag, I would try it on to ensure I wanted to give it up. I know…such a charitable heart.

When I received the call, I was trying on a maxi dress that I would normally wear with a tank top underneath because of the plunging neckline. I had been home alone all morning, so didn’t pay much attention to my clothes or what was “exposed”. I never thought to change clothes, I just grabbed my keys and left. Thankfully, I am obsessed with cardigans and had one in the truck with me. Whew! Unfortunately…it was a v-neck and didn’t help. Boo! Now, I was in a “make it work” situation a la Project Runway and felt Tim Gunn would be somewhat displeased with how I fashioned the top of the v-neck sweater together with my child’s hair accessories.

giphy

Sorry, Tim.

I dashed into the school clutching my sweater top and checked in with the security guard. He instructed me to head to the office. I rushed into the office and noticed my baby laying in the chair. I picked her up and began asking what was wrong.

Me: Hey, Sweet Pea. Are you okay?

GP: Mommy, my head hurts.

Me: Where does it hurt? Did you hit your head?

Interrupting our one-on-one…

The Office Lady: You will need to sign her out.

oprah-reaction

I throw her a look.

Relax, Lady. This is my first sick call and I don’t see a line forming behind me.

As I leaned down to put GP back in the chair, the hair accessories holding my sweater top closed start to shift in unflattering ways. Luckily, the verbally observant GP doesn’t notice I am coming undone. I grabbed the top of the sweater, turned around and leaned down to sign her out. By the time I picked GP back up, the sweater was open and “situations” were in jeopardy of being exposed. I positioned her in front to cover me and carried her through the church lobby (yep, her preschool is in a church) to get to the parking lot.

Once we got home, I gave GP some Children’s Tylenol and we cuddled on the couch until she fell asleep. A few hours later she was all better and that dress ended up in the “toss pile”:-)

After I spoke to GP’s Teacher, it all made sense. For the past 3 days, GP and I had been picking up her BFF, Carolina Belle from her preschool to play until her mother picked her up from our house. So GP had been skipping her much-needed daily nap to play.

Side Note: Anyone that has spent more than 10 minutes with GP knows that Carolina Belle is her BFF. Recently, GP convinced a friend at school that Carolina Belle (who attends a different school in a neighboring town) was also their BF. GP was so convincing that the little girl’s Mother asked me about their new friend, Carolina Belle! GP will do anything to spend as much time with Carolina Belle as possible.

Turns out she was simply an exhausted preschooler, too much play and not enough rest. Seriously, when will I learn? Truly some of our finest work as a Mother/Daughter team.

Until the next adventure…:-)

Photo Credits 1 2 3

ICYMI: Back At It

Happy New Year! I am starting off this year with a recap post of last week… in-case-you-missed-it-small

Back To School: Georgia Peach and the Coach headed back to school! I was happy to finally answer, “Yes!” to GP’s morning question, “Is it a school day?”. She asked us the same question almost daily during her break. She was excited to reunite with her teachers and friends!

We hope her enthusiasm for school and learning continues for years to come. Or at least for the remainder of the school year. 🙂

Back To Work: I started a new position and could not be happier! I am so excited to work with this group and really looking forward to the work I get to do with them. My last position allowed me to work from home, so naturally I had to make some adjustments to working in an office….with other people. Outside of the most obvious adjustment, the dress code, I had a little hiccup with my usual music routine. I enjoy listening to music while I work and I noticed that the majority of my co-workers did too. So when the battery on my iPad Mini needed to be recharged, I decided to listen to music on my phone.

I unplugged my headphones from my iPad and tapped the Pandora music app on my phone.Unfortunately, the app started immediately and this song began to play loudly from my phone! Imagine quietly working at your desk and all of a sudden you hear…”Dirty South! Can y’all really feel me?” from the newbie’s desk! I frantically tried to silence my phone by swiping and fumbling with the screen. I had no idea what lyrics were next! Side note: Plugging my headphones into the phone never crossed my mind!

Luckily, only one person turned around to see what was happening. Everyone else…had on their headphones! Whew.

Back To The Drawing Board: After finding a temporary Nanny for GP for my recent jury duty, we were thrilled when we were able to land her as our full-time Nanny. Two days into my new position, Fit Nanny calls to tell me that she is quitting to take a job at her boyfriend’s company. Honestly, I wasn’t as upset about it as I would have been in the past (I know, who am I?). Maybe it was all the Nanny drama we had been through in the past that has left me numb? I don’t know. But, she explained that she had been a Nanny since moving to the US and wanted to try something new. Without experience, she was having a hard time making the transition. So, while I have no idea how I am going to tell GP she is getting a new Nanny (she LOVES her), I am happy Fit Nanny will be doing something she really wants to do. I know how that feels! 🙂

Back to the Blog: December is a difficult month for me so, I was mostly silent as the end of the year approached. My mom’s birthday, her favorite holiday, the anniversary of her death and funeral all fall in December. This year she would have celebrated her 65th birthday and for whatever reason that fact alone put me in a mini tailspin at the beginning of the month. Which I know is okay. But it was difficult balancing my joy of the season and the pain of not being with my favorite lady. Unfortunately, I know many of you share similar journeys of personal loss and together we take it on, one day at a time. Writing always makes me feel more connected to my mother so, I’m back! I will not only write here but, I will be branching out to other publications this year.

See you in a few days! I have a couple of posts I never published chilling in draft mode, so more is on the way. Thanks for reading!

 

Photo Credit: ImageChef.com

Ready, Set, Scream!

My Georgia Peach loves to scream. Happy, frustrated, sad, excited doesn’t matter she will scream sometime during the day. Today, she was screaming (as usual) but, this time when I asked her why she was screaming she simply responded, “I needed to.”

Say what, toddler?

I am not one to complain about my life. I know I am blessed. Every single day I am able to share with my Husband and our daughter, I am thankful. They gave me life. So, when she said she needed to scream I thought, my sweet baby girl…

I think I do too!

images-4

I need to scream…

for my Mom who loves me near and far, for my feisty and very handsome Papaw who defies medical logic and does things his way, for my Step Mother who is regaining her strength from her victorious fight with breast cancer and for my Father who is by her side every single second, for The Coach and his devotion to our family in good times and better times.

Mostly, I need to scream for myself so, I screamed with GP today.

We went to our backyard and ran around screaming our heads off :-). GP thought it has hilarious and I thought, it was needed.

Now, we get back to the business of life.

Time is up!

PS-Obviously, I edited a little, I added an image. Sorry I’m not sorry. 🙂

Photo Credit

When Did We Get That?

My response to the Daily Prompt, a ten minute free write. Good luck reading it. 🙂

He can’t say no.

And because this impacts me too, I would like to officially request that you only ask The Coach to help you move when the following is true…

You are completely packed and all you need is some labor assistance.

There…I said it!

My Sweet Husband will help you move if you ask him because he is that kind of guy. But problems arise when you send him home with stuff you (a) no longer need and feel someone should have or (b) don’t have the energy to pack it or even throw away. He will likely say okay to something. First, he will text me and ask if we need (insert miscellaneous item here). I respond with a yea or nay but he will still show up with some random item.

Now, don’t get me wrong we have obtained some awesome move related things like:

  • A brand new camcorder (courtesy of my Mother-in-Law)
  • A flat screen TV (I guess it does pay to be nice)
  • And my favorite, my writing chair in my office (Thank you, Neighborhood Mom!)

But oftentimes he comes home with gems like this (The Coach spent a good 2 hours reliving his childhood, fixing the tires, chain and seat. I wholeheartedly expected to find a card in the spoke):

Blog Photo

Pic 2

Quick note: Our daughter is three and while she is below the weight limits, she exceeds the head circumference restrictions. In other words, Georgia Peach has inherited her Mommy’s big ol head (sorry, Love) and I can not see over it! Besides, I look like I am riding a horse while riding this bike. Not cute or comfortable. Looking forward to him taking that weird seat thingy off!

That is all. 🙂

 

 

Love-Me-Downs

Often times when we think of hand-me-downs, material items come to mind. Things. The problem with things…they can be lost, damaged or stolen.

The Daily Prompt asked, “Tell us about some of the meaningful hand-me-downs in your life.” I decided to share a few verbal hand-me-downs that have stayed with me through the years.

From My Grandma Josie:

“Never love a man more than you love yourself.”

“One of the reasons I decided to marry your Grandpa was because he was sincere.”

“Don’t expect to be paid for everything you do.”

“Praying is your letter to God.”

From My Mom:

“I know you think you are too impatient to be a Mother, but I see the capacity in you. You will see it one day too.”

“The sooner you realize that life isn’t always fair the better equipped you will be to handle it.”

“I wish you could see the beauty I see when I look at you.” 🙂

There really are so many nuggets of wisdom my Mom and Grandma shared not only with me but, with so many others over the years, I could really write a longer post. Even though I selfishly wish I had more time with them both, their many hand-me-downs always provide me with what I need, when I need it most. Comfort, laughter, strength, support or direction.

And they will never be lost, damaged or stolen.

Photo Credit

A Georgia Peach Kinda Day

Last week, our Sweet Baby Girl turned 3 years old! Time is passing much too fast for me, I am not a fan. 😦  It seems like only yesterday I was rocking Georgia Peach as an infant.  Okay, it probably was yesterday we sometimes play “Baby Goo Goo” in which she rocks HER baby (whose name is Goo Goo)  and I rock her. Anyway…The Coach and I have quickly become fans of a party a few days before her birthday and having her all to ourselves on her actual birthdate. 🙂 So, in honor of our GP’s birthday, I decided to take a picture every couple of hours to document the activities of her special day.

So, I present to you… A Georgia Peach Kinda Day!

First, we dropped off The Coach at Football Camp...

Can I wear your hat Daddy?
Don’t take your hat Daddy, can I wear it?

 

Next, a stop at her special occasion only breakfast spot…

I love donuts, Mommy! Wait, what is this…jelly? Yuck!
I love donuts, Mommy! Wait, what is this…jelly? I don’t like the jelly, Mommy.

A little playtime with her bathroom toys…

Let's go to the airport! The toys are taking a ride on the tissue box airplane. Buckle up.
Let’s go to the airport! The toys are taking a ride on the tissue box airplane. Buckle up.

 

And no day is complete without a little jumping…

Jump! Jump! Jump!
Jump! Jump! Jump!

 

All that jumping can make a girl hungry. Time for one of her favorite snacks…

More cheese, please!
More cheese, please!

 

It’s craft time!

Well, just in case you were wondering, GP likes her stickers!
Well, just in case you were wondering, GP likes her stickers!

Time for a carriage ride! Thanks to the Ladies at Plantation Carriage Company for the birthday love!

Got my Daddy and my fancy headband…let's get started!
Got my Daddy and my fancy headband…let’s get started!

This day would NOT be complete without a little pizza. “The Lineage “with Wheat crust from YourPie is the business. Get some, for real!

 

Yummy pizza pie! The veggies are for Mommy.
Yummy pizza pie! The veggies are for Mommy.

Can we ride on the boat now?

Yay! We are on a boat. So what if it was the free taxi. :-)
Yay! We are on a boat. So what if it was the free water taxi. 🙂

 

Hope you had a great day, my Sweet!

Happy Birthday, Georgia Peach!
Happy Birthday, Georgia Peach!

 

Fifty Words

I wanted to try another writing prompt so I took a stab at this one awhile back. Finally, I’m ready to post it. 🙂

The Daily Post Weekly Writing Challenge: Write a post using fifty words no more no less. Here goes nothing…

The first sign of a life forever changed.

The nightmare.

Clad in black. No light, no air, darkness everywhere.

Absolutely horrifying.

I awoke anxious, sad and scared. A dreadful start to her favorite holiday.

Christmas Day.

The second sign came less than 12 hours later.

Heavy snow and stubborn ice.

Daily Prompt: Third Rate Romance, California Love

Trying my hand at a Daily Prompt: Third Rate Romance 

My college friends love this story so I figured, why not share the embarrassment with the rest of you…again!

Here goes nothing…I re-present to you, “California Love”

At the beginning of my Junior Year, I started dating a guy from one of my classes. Let’s call him Detroit Red (DR).  Nothing serious but, we had fun and there was no drama until…

One Saturday night, I was hanging out with my fiery friend, Butterfly :-). At the end of the night, I asked her if we could make a quick stop at Detroit Red’s apartment.  He had recently moved closer to campus versus the country estate he previously shared with his roommate so, made sense to drop by, right?  I went to college in the early 90’s, no one I knew had a cell phone so, there was no calling ahead.  Butterfly agreed to stop.  The plan was for me to run up to say hello, since I was in the area and my apartment was on the opposite side of town. Harmless enough, right?

Let me set the scene for you…

Detroit Red’s apartment complex was a converted motel.  He and his roommate lived in the middle apartment on the second floor but, the steps to the second level were on the side of the building.  I got out of the car, walked to the side of the building, headed up the stairs and continued around the corner to DR’s place.  I knocked on the door and his roommate peeked out of the window and opened the door so I could only see his face. Hmmmm.

Me (a little confused): Hey, Roommate. Is Detroit Red home?

Roommate: Hey, Slim (back in my off campus living days, I actually WAS slim and in shape! I was also on the  Broke College Student Walk Everywhere Diet).  Naw.  He isn’t.

Me: What’s up with you? You alright?

Roommate: Yeah, I’m good.

Me: Okay. Just tell DR I stopped by.

Roommate: Alright girl.

He closed the door and I headed to the stairs (again they were located around the corner).  I walked down the stairs to find Butterfly trying to get my attention and yelling at me from the car.  I hurried toward her to find out what was happening.  Butterfly told me that while I was coming down the steps, A GIRL opened the Detroit Red’s door and looked to see where I went.  Now, I didn’t see the girl and for all Butterfly knew she was Roommate’s girlfriend. However, that never crossed my mind. I only reacted.

Without a second thought and my adrenaline pumping (mixed with the daiquiri I had earlier), I dashed back up the stairs taking two at a time (I was slim and in shape, remember?) and ran to Detroit Red’s door.  I banged on the door hard with my fist like I owned the place and they had been late with the rent.  Roommate (who at this point I’m sure was thinking, really? I’m trying to play this video game!) opened the door to a crack AGAIN but, this time I KICKED THE DOOR OPEN.

No one saw that coming…not even me!

I stormed into the room as Detroit Red (clothed) jumped to his feet.  He walked toward me and started to tell me to calm down. The Girl, let’s call her California immediately started screaming at Detroit Red, shouting all the questions you ask when you find out you aren’t the only girl your guy is dating.  But instead of letting him respond, I loudly hijacked the conversation. I headed to his dresser and started grabbing all the things I bought DR (which obviously wasn’t that much, I was a Broke College Student).

I was so focused on yelling and running around like a lunatic grabbing things that I hadn’t really looked at California. When I actually got a chance to see what this girl looked like I felt like I had been punched in the gut.  Lord! Wait a minute?  Is this really happening?

I turned to DR and said, “C’mon, really? Ugh”.  And slammed the door as I left.

Monday rolled around and I headed to my 9 AM class.  In this particular class, we had to sit in alphabetical order of your last name.  Guess who had been sitting behind me the ENTIRE semester?  California!  I think I threw up in my mouth when I saw her in the daylight.  Never noticed her before but, I couldn’t ignore her now. The entire class I could feel her saucer like eyes on the back of my head as I tried my best to concentrate. After 50 agonizing minutes, the class was finally over.  Only 45 more actual classes to go…  I gathered my backpack, applied a fresh coat of Carmex and lip gloss, and got up to leave.  Of course, California was waiting for me outside the classroom.  Fun times.

California: We need to talk.

Me (my attitude was SO off the charts at this time): About what? I said all I needed to Saturday night.

California: How long have you been seeing him? Have you talked to him?

Me: Since the beginning of last semester.  He called me a bunch of times yesterday. He never mentioned you…ever.

California: He called me too. But he lies so much. What did he say?

Me: That he was sorry and it was a mistake.

California (cutting her gigantic eyes at me): Well, he told me he wanted to be with me.

Me: That’s nice. I have another class.

I walked away. Later that night, Detroit Red called. I wasn’t about to LOSE to this girl.  At this point, it was ALL about my ego. In my mind, I was the better choice. Plain and simple.

Me: Listen, California and I talked today.  Did you know we are in the same 9 AM? Now, I have to see her every Monday, Wednesday, AND Friday.   I’m not dating you if you are seeing her, so choose. Me or her?

Detroit Red: I choose her.

Huh? Dazed, I asked again.

Me: Did you hear me? I said me or her?

Detroit Red: I heard you. I PICK HER!

The room started spinning, I thought I was going to pass out.  My heart was beating out of my chest. Did he just say he picked her over me?  Seriously?  This time I felt like I had been KICKED in the gut.  I hung up the phone. Defeated and embarrassed.

What I learned from that experience:

  1. I was the side chick and didn’t know it.

  2. Make your own decisions, don’t allow someone else to control your destiny.

  3. If you ask a question, be prepared for the answer.

Obviously, I survived.  Sure, every time I saw Roommate he reminded me of the time I slammed their door so hard I shook the entire second floor and sure one of California’s Friends tried to run me over with her car… but, it could have been worse.

Good thing I ran track. 🙂

There she is, get her!!
There she is, get her!!

Photo credits