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Showing posts from 2012

SURPRISE!!!!

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We got an early Christmas present this year, with the arrival of a certain little baby who came 6 weeks early! Deacon Elliott Singer-Towns Born: December 17, at 8:29am 5lbs 10oz 18in On December 7th my water broke! Being only 32 weeks at the time, it was very scary. Once we were at the hospital I was put on immediate hospital bed rest. They said that most likely I would go into labor within 72 hours. But if I didn't, they wanted me to try and hold out until I was 34 weeks. So for 10 days I rested and waited and prayed that little baby would hold tight. The doctors and nurses were always so surprised when at the end of the day there were still no signs of labor! As soon as I hit 34 weeks they had me set up to have a c-section since baby was transverse (sideways). Although right before they started the surgery they did an ultrasound and he had dropped head down! But at that point we just all agreed it was best to proceed with surgery.  Very quickly Deacon wa

Halloween 2012

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My little frog! P.S. Yes we are still living with my folks. But the end is in sight!!!!! Our house is almost ready...

Real Quick...

Hello! Hello! I feel so out of touch with the blog\social media\life\world! I am so limited on time to the computer that it's rare to have a moment to just sit down and write something. A couple of things: We had a great 2 weeks in Michigan in the beginning of August! When we got back we moved into my parent's basement and 3 weeks later, we're still here, still waiting to move into a new house. waiting...waiting...waiting... I miss having my own space, 100% toddler proofed, my own kitchen and my alone time. But I am grateful my parents have been so accommodating. I'm hoping we'll be moved in by Halloween so I can start decorating for Fall\Halloween!!! It makes me so happy. I am 20 weeks along now and tired all the time. I think it's because I'm chasing a very active little boy around. And he is also sleeping in the same room as us, so it's been very interesting how sleep has been for us. (not good). He needs his own room PRONTO! We had ou

Hey! It's Me!

What the What? She's alive?? I am indeed alive and well. Although, at the same time life is a bit chaotic right now, so blogging is at the bottom of the to-do list. In case you were wondering this is what we've been up to... We sold our house!! Whoo hoo happy dance! But we were asked if we could do a quick closing date (Aug. 2!) Our plan is to leave for Michigan for our annual vacation on August 3, so closing on the 2nd acutally works really well for us.  The only hitch, is that we have no house to move into. We made an offer on a house, but since it's a Short Sale, we have no idea how fast the bank will make it happen. Or sometimes banks don't even accept your offer and you have to start again. I don't know about the rest of the country but houses are flying off the shelves here in Minnesota. We went to look at 5 houses, and by the time we got to the first house, 3 houses already had accepted offers on them. We LOVED the two houses we did get to see, but b

Summer Swimwear

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  This post is underwritten by Old Navy . Whether you're looking for a tankini, bikini or a one piece, Old Navy has you confidently covered.  Now that it is officially summer... it's time for the water! We might not have an ocean here in Minnesota, we do have over 10,000 lakes, including Lake Superior. Plus there are a ton of different pools and water parks here as well. Everett is old enough to really have some fun in the water, and of course I need to be right there with him. And totally catching some rays myself!  I have to admit that wearing a swimsuit is not my favorite thing in the world. No matter what size I am, I always feel self conscious in a suit. And you can forget a 2 piece, especially after having a baby. Not only is my belly my least favorite part on my body, I have a GIANT scar from my belly button to to the bottom of my belly. (thank you c-section).  So I will definitely be rocking a one piece this summer season! Plus running around with a toddler,

Happy Blog Birthday!!

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This weekend my blog had a birthday and turned five years old!! It's really hard to believe that I have been blogging for that many years. I just started this blog on a whim, mostly because my cousins started their blog about their adoption journey and I wanted to jump on the blog bandwagon.  When I told my parents I was starting a "Blog" they thought I was making it up! "What's a Blog?" Looking back at my blog, I do a lot of laughing and cringing at some of my posts. I had no idea how to blog and place pictures. What the heck was HTML? And what was a follower?  The best part about looking back, is all the changes that happened in my life. I started this blog as a single girl living it up in the better Twin of the Twin Cities... St. Paul. I just went through a pretty major break-up and was trying to figure out how to move on from that. Over the years, I've changed careers, bought a house, went on a lot of adventures, met my husband, got engag
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After our birthday bonanza a few weeks ago, I have had no desire to blog. Sometimes I just don't feel like I have anything to say. I do plan on totally giving my blog a make-over soon. So I can't wait to unveil the new look!  In the mean time, this is what I have been up to... I scored the mother load of craft supplies at a church garage sale! Calico heaven!!!  grapes & blueberries, cucumber sticks in hummus, and whole grain pasta with peas and homemade pesto from Grandpa & Grandma Brian & Betty We're working on eating more solids and less bottle. But no one tells you how difficult it is to transition from all meals in a bottle to all solids and milk in a cup! E wants his bottle and yet, I don't want him to have funky teeth when he gets older. Do I just go cold turkey and never give him a bottle again?  He's great with a sippy cup and straws, but he still enjoys his cuddle time with Momma and a bottle.  Oh and he doesn't actually c

Whitney Farms Organic Plant Food

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This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Whitney Farms for SocialSpark . All opinions are 100% mine. I was really excited for this opportunity to work with Whitney Farms® ! I come from a long line of avid gardeners and gardening is one of my favorite past times! I love growing flowers and vegetables, and all winter long I look forward to planting my seeds. Now that I have a little one I really want to focus on using more organic veggies and fertilizers. The thought of using  organic soil  &  organic plant food  made me feel better about what I was growing for my family. When I heard about Whitney Farms Organic Plant Food I was so excited. I really like the idea of using an Organic fertilizer on my plants, especially my vegetables.  This product to me, is better than the conventional fertilizers because they contain low to no dust, no manure odor, and they contain beneficial mircrobes. Plus it has the benefit of being 100% natural plant food! Yay!! I have all my s

Cards & Museums

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card from  Bill Main Etsy Yesterday was my husband's birthday! Happy Birthday!!  I got him this card because he is always asking me to watch Predator with him. I got this card off of Etsy from Bill Main . Do you know who his wife is? It's the fabulous Christina of Sweet Lavender Bake Shoppe ! The same chica who made the lightning bolts and name plaque on Everett's birthday cake! Hello talented duo! Today E and I went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts  with a bunch of other moms from my MOPS group, and Kelly, Kyle & P who decided to crash the party. I hadn't been there in years, so it was fun to walk around and re-explore the museum. E did great job looking around at all the art, only one tiny melt down when it was time for lunch.  I do look forward to the day when I can take him and he will truly appreciate the artwork. My aunt Sandy introduced me to art & museums when I was a little girl and since then I've been hooked. I've had the extreme f

Mother...

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I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day! Mother's Day is such a great day but it can also be a hard day for so many women.  I've had so many friends struggle with infertility or others waiting years for an adoption to go through. I know there is pain as each Mother's Day passes and there is no child in their arms. I've also have friends lose children, and the pain they carry each Mother's Day without their sweet child with them.  Or there are women out there who long for a child, but are not in a relationship or in the right one.  It's hard to spend year after year hoping that maybe someday soon, they too could have a family. I fell into the latter camp. Growing up, I had always assumed I would be married young and a handful of children to follow. But year after year, and relationship after relationship went by and the longing for a child just grew deeper. There were days (years) when I just started to think it maybe wan't going to happen.  I just

One Year of Awesome!

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Happy Birthday Everett!!!  I can't believe it's already been one year since you came into our lives! You made me a mother on Mother's Day and you changed my life forever! We love you so much and are so excited to celebrate a lifetime of birthdays with you!!! Happy Birthday Bubba!  Today Everett and I are just going to have a fun day together and then we'll have some more fun when daddy gets home. There is a dinner and playtime at the Library tonight so I think we'll go there later. But mostly there will be lots of hugs and kisses and doting on our ONE YEAR OLD... so crazy to say that!  I made a little photo video of Everett's first year. The first time I played it, I balled my eyes out. It's so amazing how much he has grown... and touched our lives! 

Birthday Boy!

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Everett's birthday party was an epic success! We invited both sides of our family over to celebrate with us. The weather people were predicting massive amounts of rain on Sunday, but it didn't rain! It was a perfect day. Our house is pretty small, so having 30+ people cooped up inside was not my idea of a good time. I busted out the triple crockpot (amazing!) and had meatballs, chicken wings & bbq wienies. The theme was Greek Mythology, so I also made hummus dip & Greek yogurt dip. I made cupcakes and a healthy cake for Everett's smash cake. I had no idea how his cake would taste with very little sugar, no dairy & no eggs. But it was a delicious Applesauce recipe and I'll share it with you in another post. We also had another cake and it was pretty awesome! Like I mentioned before i had my sweet blog friend Christina make a custom order of her edible decorations. She made a name plaque in Greek font & lightning bolts.  Check out her blog and her shop!

Birthday Party Madness!

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Happy Friday Friends!!!  Party Party Party Party Party Party As you can see I am in full PARTY mode! This Sunday we are celebrating Everett's first birthday! (his actual birthday is on Tuesday) I have been pretty busy getting together this DIY party, that I've had no time to blog... or visit my  bloggy friends! I miss you all!  I'm making all the decorations and the food for the party, so I have been strategically planning my days out, so come Sunday I'm not running around like Chicken Little with her head cut off!  I can't wait to show you all I've done for E's special day. The party's theme is Greek Mythology! We thought about either a Superhero party or Greek Mythology. My husband knows EVERYTHING about both! I mean you ask him something about superhero comic books and he can tell you anything you want to know. (And yes he was at the Midnight showing of The Avengers last night). But he also loves Greek Mythology and I find it pretty fasci

Direction?

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I've been thinking a lot about my lil' ol' blog lately. This June will be 5 years of blogging! 5 YEARS!!!! When I first started this blog is was to document my busy crazy fun single life. And in that time, I bought a house, met my husband, got married, then had a baby. Oofta! (yes we really do say that in MN!) Back in 2007 I had no idea what a blog was or where I wanted my blog to go. And really, I don't think many people did back then. I often wonder if I had started blogging and putting  myself out there, where my blog would be? But I just wanted to document all the fun I was having and I had no plans on going big or making money. My first readers where a handful of friends & family and I loved all their comments and love towards my blog. Did you know that my blog address used to be Puke Vs. Meow?!!! I'm totally not even kidding. And if you are reading this and remember that, you are awesome!  Puke vs. Meow was just a silly little inside joke that I won

Monday Monday!

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Good Monday Morning Friends!! I have been really lame about blogging lately, but I just haven't been feeling it. But I do have some fun blog posts up my sleeve for this week. Including some embarrassing photos I promised awhile back. whoo hoo! But I leave you now with a video shared over at Design Mom . Do you read her blog? If not, you probably should head over there and check it out. She said this video was emotional and oh boy! was she right!! I love the Olympics so much. And this video combines the Olympics with the daily life of mothers and their children. Now that I am a mom, this video was a double whammy for me. Olympics + Motherhood = Waterworks! Have a wonderful day!! 

To travel or not to travel...

Well Hello there! This past week has just been one of those weeks where I wanted to cuddle my baby and not blog... or do much of anything else. I had a great time in Michigan last weekend, hanging out with my gal pals. But for some reason when I come back from a trip, I don't like to join the rest of the world for awhile. As I've grown older, I've turned into a homebody. And I get lonely for home when I'm away. When I was a kid and then all the way through college, I LOVED to go away! To camp, to Grandma & Grandpa's house, trips, adventures, world traveling, YES PLEASE! No homesickness for me! But now, as much as I still like to see new places, or visit old friends, I like being home more. Sleeping in my own bed, having my own routine, and not living out of a suitcase (which BTW, mine still isn't unpacked and put away!) Now don't get me wrong, I still think mommy time away is good. And maybe it's just hard because I only have one child and he is

Prep for Spring's Busy Event Season

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Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective , but the content is all mine. Visit http://www.discoverbeautywithin.com/ . Ahh Spring! I so look forward to it after a long winter! Once Spring comes it seems like there is always a flurry of activities that pop up, and of course you want to look your best for them. Looking fresh for Spring doesn't have to break the bank either. Here are a few of my favorite beauty items that I picked up from Walgreens. Lotion  After a long winter my skin is always so dry and cracked. Using lotion instantly helps my skin hydrate and look instantly healthier. I love to use Jergen's Ultra Healing Lotion. It really penetrates deep down and gives my skin a nice soft glow.   Eyeliner  I would highly recommend using an eyeliner in a fun color. Use it with a neutral eye shadow to give your eyes a pop of color. My favorite right now is Cover Girl's Smoothers Eyeliner in Violet.

Easter Recap

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I'm really losing my mind. I totally thought I blogged about our Easter weekend... but I guess I forgot!  Last Easter I was 9 months pregnant, uncomfortable and ready to burst! So it was nice to not be heavy with child and actually watch my baby enjoy his first Easter.  Saturday we went to a family Easter party with lots of little cousin kiddos. It was fun to have all the kids together. (Although we missed you Una!) We had a great brunch and a fun Easter Egg hunt set up by cousin Kelly.  "They get Popsicles and  I get a Celery stick? Whatevs mom!" Too much Toddler Excitement!  Egg Hunter Extraordinaire  Sunday we got up early (when don't we get up early) and Everett got to look through his Easter Basket. Probably the only year I can get away with organic baby food, a Bible & water bottle.  We had our family over and it was a really nice day hanging out with the ones we love. On a day we are most thankful & grateful for a r

11 Month Easter Greeting

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Happy Easter!!! 

Ruffles!

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I have a confession... Although I know how to sew fairly decently, I don't like to sew. I get impatient and don't always take my time. Sewing calls for neat and strait lines, with very little room for error. Which reminds me of the episode of the Cosby Show, where Denise insists on making a "designer" shirt for Theo. Hilarious! Start it at minute 4:58 :)   Although I've never messed up as bad as Denise, I have had some mishaps myself. So much to my surprise, when I learned how to make ruffles, I was in lazy sewing paradise. I don't know why it took me so long to learn how to make ruffles, there is a very easy way to do it and it's basically setting your tension to the highest setting and away I went. I've seen a million ruffle totes all over Pinterest and I really wanted to make one. So I went over the top crazy and made this ruffle color bomb! It's a little intense and the ruffles are messy, but now I know how to make ruffl

Burlap & Stencil Chair

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Whenever I see a sad, ugly chair at a garage sale or thrift store, I scoop it up. I love a good underdog story and I'm determined with a little TLC to make these chair shine! This chair had great bones, but just needed a fresh coat of paint and a serious fabric upgrade. It's not heinous, but it kind of screams Grandma's House. I pulled off the old fabric and covered the chair with burlap. Then I made a stencil and added  one of my favorite numbers. Very simple and I loved how it turned out. Linked Up At: Happy Hour Projects ,  House of Hepworths ,  Pincushion Creations ,  The Shabby Nest ,  Five Days, 5 Ways ,  Love Notes by Lauryn ,  Bubbly Nature Creations ,  Anything Goes @ Bacon Time ,  Tatertots and Jello ,  52 Mantels ,  It's Overflowing ,  Itsy Bitsy Paper Blog ,  My 1929 Charmer Blog ,  Knick of Time ,  Very Merry Vintage Style ,  Taking a Time Out Thursday ,  Centsational Girl ,  Crafty, Scrappy, Happy ,  My Romantic Hom e, s