10 Things I Learned This Week

1. New Moon is coming out on DVD March 20th!!!
2. I love seeing the photographs on the Bing.com homepage. So beautiful, and interesting at the same time.
3. I love the fact that when I ask E what he wants, he says "Ummmmm" and has an expression like he's thinking about it.
4. My son will not eat processed chicken nuggets and for that I am grateful.
5. E keeps bringing home the songs he's learning at school. Just this morning when I was changing his diaper he sang "Baby shark do do do do, baby shark do do do", all while doing finger motions like a shark. It brought back so many memories for me. E and I kept singing it with different animals.
6. By the way, he LOVES to sing. He sings ALL THE TIME! His favorite is Bare Necessities, when we can make out what he is singing.
7. Glee won a Golden Globe for best comedy/musical show! It certainly deserves it.
8. Painting your closets are not so much fun. Your stuff is just all over the place for at least a day and you have to end up sleeping on the lumpy fold out couch in the bonus room.
9. This week is going to be beautiful! Playground - here we come!
10. After having the book for two months, Olivia (my sis) finally started reading Twilight!

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. I think we will need to invest in a naughty mat. E has been misbehaving and not listening so we need to take actions into our own hands. Any other suggestions are appreciated.
2. Now it was Chris' turn to clean out his side of the closet this week and he ended up getting rid of a ton of shirts that are too big on him. I joked with him telling him all his clothes are too big because he's lost all his muscles. He didn't like that too much. ;)
3. The laundry room is officially painted! I've been begging Chris if we could get rid of the ineffective wire shelf and replace it with a wall cabinet as well as paint the room. Finally now it's done! Every now and then I'll go open the door, take a look (and a whiff) and smile. Now it's on to cleaning out all the closets and repainting them. Fun!
4. I forget how small a newborn baby is and how precious their life is when you hold them in your arms.
5. The dates are starting to roll out for the spring/summer children's clothing consignment sales! The first one is at the end of February and I'm so excited I can barely contain myself.
6. Thanks to Chris Thompson, he did inform me that he learned via Tweet that the State of the Union will NOT interfere with the Lost premiere! Yea - bring it on!
7. I'm just waiting for the day that Eclipse clips start emerging.
8. I find myself thinking a lot about friends I haven't talked to in a while and I miss them.
9. All this talk about Avatar 3-D really makes me want to see it. Now, if I can just get a babysitter. Mine is on maternity leave. Shoot!
10. Ok - so we found that having a naughty chair certainly works a lot better than just a corner. I have a feeling the chair will be getting a LOT of use.

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Cleaning our your closet can bring out things that will surprise you: a favorite pair of earrings that you haven't seen in ages, 20 bobby pins, a used Q-tip (don't ask - I was disgusted as well), a pacifier, half a bag of Skittles, a map of NYC, a deck of cards, my prom shoes from my junior year, 63 cents, a really old gray pea coat (think Edward Cullen) and Christmas cards from five years ago.
2. Our son cracks us up every single day! Just tonight he was playing with his Cars flashlight to make Abbey jump around and yelling "Chase me" while running in circles around the couch. Hilarious!
3. Our son has a new found love for broccoli. Score!
4. As much as I despise The Bachelor, it never fails that I get sucked in every time. This season is bound to be quite juicy.
5. New Year's Eve at home with your family is a wonderful, low-key, way to ring in the new year.
6. It's amazing to hear God speaking to you exactly the moment you need Him to.
7. We've been trying to find a cute little cabin tucked away in the mountains for a family get away in February, and they're all hideous! I mean, did these mountain folk breathe in too much air at a higher altitude and it affect their design sense? And why do they all have stuffed bears hanging from the rafters.
8. My most favorite snack is popcorn and a Cherry coke. It just happens to hit me at 10 PM.
9. We are out growing our house! Especially after Christmas with all the toys Ethan received, we are realizing it even more. It is driving Chris crazy, but not me as much. So, we have started the process of getting the house ready and tidied up for possibly putting it on the market in the spring! It's definitely a little nerve racking seeing how the real estate is currently but I just keep telling myself - God is in control, not me!
10. I was in Lowe's today and they were still playing Christmas music. Did they get the memo that it was a week and a half ago?

10 Things I Learned This Week

I guess I should title this 10 Things I Learned This Month since I've missed the past three weeks. Obviously with the holidays, things have been nuts around here. As much as I love this season, I'm breathing a sigh of relief that it's over. So with that said, here we go:

1. As much as I don't believe in making New Year's resolutions, this coming year I have a lot of resolutions I need to make. That will have to be for another blog though! :)
2. 2010 is going to be a great year! We have a lot planned as a family, all God willing of course!
3. If you are not folding your hands together and bowing your head during grace, Ethan will call you out! Paw Paw and Liv - you better watch out!
4. For a first time in a long time, I can honestly say we have absolutely no plans for the first three months of the year, besides the occasional birthdays of friends and families. That is quite a feat for our family, but I'm sure it won't last long!
5. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Nuff said.
6. I have been craving scallops lately - ummmm. Maybe a trip to the beach is in our near future!
7. The latest book I have been reading and haven't been able to put down is Wicked. The Broadway show is coming to the area in May and I'm just getting geared up. I can't wait!
8. I need to brush up on my Q words for Scrabble. I always get stuck with the stupid Q and can never think of any words!
9. After seeing two people laid off at work in the past two weeks, I am ever more thankful and blessed to still have a job.
10. It means so much to me for my friends to wish me Happy Birthday, but even more so, to wish Ethan a Happy Birthday. Thank you!

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. It's so wonderful to have understanding friends who know exactly what you're going through and love you no matter what the storm.
2. A good way to burn off some of those calories from Thanksgiving is Fundaygos, an indoor inflatable playground for kids. I felt like a big kid myself.
3. New Moon is way better the second time around.
4. The most precious thing I've seen is a 2 year old and an 85 year old sitting and watching Jungle Book together.
5. The average American gains 12 pounds around the holidays. A good way to start that is two Thanksgiving dinners in one day and Pumpkin Cheesecake three times in one weekend. No wonder I feel like my jeans have been painted on.
6. Scrabble is my new favorite game!
7. A good way to keep a child and a dog entertained is to give the child a flashlight. It's hilarious!
8. I wish I didn't care so much about what people say or do.
9. I'm going to be the big 3-0 in three days. Ugh. But ...
10. We will be strolling the streets of NYC in three days!

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. My body does not recover as quickly at ALMOST 30 as it did at 21.
2. Sleep is so precious, especially when you only get two hours of it.
3. Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday - spending time with family and eating, a lot. Yummm I can already smell the turkey and pumpkin pie.
4. Speaking of the holidays, why do they stress me out so?
5. I'm so ready to see New Moon again, and again, and again! Anyone up for going?
6. 2012 is also another good movie. Chris and I had a date night (yea!) last week and we really enjoyed it. Kinda scary though since it's about the end of the world.
7. Potty training is hard work. I know he's learning every day, but sometimes I don't think he is getting it at all.
8. Someone stealing your wallet is not fun. However, someone finding it (with no cash in it - figures) makes up for it.
9. I'm in the market for a really cool scarf and glove set for our trip to NYC - any ideas?
10. I'm going to be 30 in 10 days. argh

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. We've "unofficially" started potty training. It's a very exciting, but exhausting, time in our house. We're going commando!
   
2. Potty training a child bears a strong resemblance to potty training a puppy - chasing after them when they start to go, cleaning up after them and praising and giving of treats when they go. And no (ahem Brian P. - I know you're reading this), that does not include making your child wait by the back door and cry so they can go outside to potty! Real funny!
   
3. I guess it's a good thing that your child poops, not on the potty but on the floor next to it, then comes to tell you "I poop!"
4. Seeing that #1 - 3 is all about potty training, it seems that potty training is all I talk about these days. At least it gives my friends and family a break from me constantly talking about Twilight right? ha:)
5. I am officially a dork. I bought a $10 T-shirt from Wal-Mart that says Vampire Girl. Did I actually just admit that? The only places I'm going to admit to wearing it to is the midnight premiere of N.M. and to bed.
   
6. When you think someone has it all put together, they don't.
   
7. So much can happen in one year and it will blow your mind just how much.
8. Thank goodness I'm a glass half-full kinda person.
9. When did life get hard? Why can't we go back to just worrying about what we were going to wear the next day or if that boy likes you. I sure miss those days.
10. I wouldn't trade what I've been through in life for anything. It's made me who I am today.

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Ethan is showing signs of readiness to potty train! If you read my last post, you'll see why I'm excited!
2. I cannot listen to the Christmas music this early. I mean, can we wait until at least at the end of November people?
3. Taylor Swift is so cute! I DVR'ed her on SNL this weekend and it was actually funny. It's certainly the best SNL I've seen in a long time. I have attached a video of her monologue for your viewing pleasure. :)
4. It's sad the things I get the most excited about, like Harris Teeter Triples.
5. Mexican food is so yummy, but NOT good on the tummy. :(
6. I miss my family terribly. I can't wait for Thanksgiving so I can see them all again.
7. I'm so glad we've finally taken the time to clean out the garage and get some organization. Since we started working on the deck last spring, it's been a disaster zone. I just hated walking in there to get in my car because it was so filthy. I was embarrassed to even open the garage door. Now it's spic and span and there's a nice row of shelving for all of our junk! Yea!
8. Yea for long naps, for E that is. He napped so well this weekend that I was able to get two hours of scrapping done both Saturday and Sunday. It was so nice and now I'm all caught up!
9. I'm just not ready for Ethan to transition into a toddler bed. Why ruin a good thing? Any advice on the issue?
10. Less than two weeks for New Moon! You know I had to throw that in there! :)

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. I'm usually not a huge hip hop fan but Jay-Z has a new song out called Empire State of Mind. I just like it because it talks about NYC.
2. Halloween is much more fun when you have a child.
3. I finally started a new book and I like it. Has anyone read Outlander?
4. It's November. Where did October go?
5. Christmas shopping is not supposed to be so stressful quite yet! So why am I stressed?
6. I am a freak. I cannot stop talking about how excited I am about New Moon and people are starting to give me really weird looks now. (17 MORE DAYS!!!)
7. I found a way for E to eat his veggies! It's called Hobo Stew and it is awesome! It's a mix of potatoes, corn, green beans, tomatoes, carrots and ground beef with a pack each of onion soup mix, ranch dressing mix and brown gravy mix. Try it on your non-vegetable eating toddler today!
8. Which reminds me - I have been making soups like crazy! My next one is Taco Soup. Yummm!
9. Apparently the new place for teenagers to go and make out is the playground. This is new to me.
10. I am so excited to have a girls night while Chris visits a friend. The Proposal and a bowl of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream ... here I come!

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. As of October 25th, my Granny Fae Ramborger has gone on to be in a better place. She lived a great life surrounded around many who loved her. I have to give her respect - she raised four boys! jeezy petes
2. I love how Ethan is so snugly and smoochy in the morning. When we are spending the night out of town, he often joins us from the pack and play to snuggle with us before we get up. He likes to say "Hi mama" and "Hi dada" and snuggle next to us. While my eyes are halfway open, I'll open them and he'll be giving me "skimo" kisses. So sweet!
3. It's Pink Lady apples, not Lady Gaga apples!
4. We are going to be appled out! We bought 1 peck of apples, a gallon of apple cider, 1/2 dozen apple cider doughnuts AND apple cinnamon pancake mix. It all sounds so delightful to me though!
5. Ethan is now 22 months old!
6. One more month until Thanksgiving - ohhh I can already smell the turkey and pumpkin pie and dressing ....
7. It's funny how many of my mom's old friends and colleagues from back in the days think that I look just like she did when she was my age. It's a nice compliment!
8. Note to self - do not wake a sleeping child. We took my parents out to eat Saturday night for their birthday and we had to wake E from a very late nap (he was too excited and wound up to nap at his normal 12 pm time). It was like the exorcist and I will NEVER do that again!
9. I can't wait to see E in his monkey costume on Halloween!
10. I just realized I have ended every single sentence with an exclamation mark ... !

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Glee is my most favorite show. I look forward to it every week and it makes me so happy.
2. I'm amazed at how much God is so good to us. God has provided a way so we are able to tithe more and that makes me so happy. God loves a cheerful giver and I'm amazed at how much we are able to trust in Him to provide for us so we are able to give back to Him.
3. Too much cotton candy is not a good thing, as much as I wish it would be. I love that stuff.
4. You can't please all the people some of the time or some of the people all of the time.
5. I miss my mom and dad.
6. A flu shot only protects you up to 70%. Knowing my luck, that 30% is more on my side.
7. New Moon is just shy of one month away! Oh my - I can hardly contain myself.
8. Christmas is just shy of two months away - Oh my - I can hardly contain myself!
9. Just give a child a field full of pumpkins and they are happy. Oh wait ... that's me!
10. I'm really craving apple cider and apple cider donuts.

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. The Office was HILARIOUS this week! I laughed AND cried (not laughter tears) at the same time.
2. It's so nice to spend time with good friends you haven't seen in a while and make a difference at the same time. Saturday morning Chris, Ethan and I participated in the HopeBuilders 5K for our friends Jamie, Amanda and Peyton in supporting our friends Peter and Leanne. It was to raise money for the Levine Children's Hospital who took such good care of Caroline before she passed away. I felt privileged to walk in her honor.
3. Seeing The Stewarts on Saturday made me miss them. We live so close, but yet never get the chance to spend time together.
4. It's so hard to balance your time between family and friends. Times like this I wish I could clone myself.
5. The Original Pancake house is AWESOME! Try it out if you're ever in Uptown Charlotte. I recommend the French Toast!
6. Getting kicked out, so to speak, of a public park because you broke the rules about having dogs in the vicinity of the playground is quite embarrassing.
7. It's amazing what a beautiful voice and a praise song can do for your heart.
8. I heart my sister, and was so glad she was able to come and visit this past weekend.
9. I'm so glad the fall weather is returning this week.
10. I'm looking forward to taking E to pick pumpkins this weekend!

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Who knew that hanging out with people almost twice my age would be so fulfilling and fun.
2. The mountains are a perfect place to reset your mind, reestablish your priorities and restart your faith.
3. Watching the sunset over purple mountains is a life changing event. I highly suggest it.
4. My hubby is an amazing photographer.
5. Note to self: do NOT drink 5 cups of coffee in one day. It will make you bounce off the walls and not sleep at night. Why can't I ever remember this simple fact! :)
6. I was reminded this weekend of my love for hiking. I wish I lived a close to all the many trails and waterfalls that are along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
7. The NYC trip is officially booked for my 30th birthday! I am just bursting at the seams with excitement!
8. I thank God every day for the many wonderful opportunities He gives our family to be able to enjoy the things that some people don't get the opportunity to.
9. I've learned life is too short to worry about the things we cannot control. I need to repeat this 10 times a day to remind myself.
10. I adore my in-laws and not a lot of people can say that. They took time out of their weekend to come stay with Ethan while we were in the mountains and for that I am so very thankful.

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Finding time in our busy day to spend with God, although we know we should, is honestly hard to do.
2. Keep new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, and the other gold.
3. I am close to complete with Ethan's fall and winter wardrobe thanks to consignment shopping! Now all I am in the quest for is another pair of tennis shoes.
4. Where is the fall weather when you want it!?! I'm tired of the 85 degree weather.
5. Nothing will get a fire under your butt to exercise like a picture taken of you at an angle you don't see in the mirror. Eek.
6. I have officially pre-ordered tickets to see the Midnight Premiere of New Moon! I have 2 extras if anyone is interested ... warning - it's going to be a crazy & fun girl's night!
7. Why can't I find a size 18-24 month monkey costume for Halloween, but there seem to be a million 2T?
8. I wouldn't become less interested in football if the Panthers would start playing better!
9. I have the cutest mug in the shape of a pumpkin from Starbucks! Now, I just need three more to complete a set.
10. I'm itching to get up to the mountains to see the beauty ... and some cooler weather!

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Taking a week to be with your family is one of the best things I've done in a long time.
2. Playing at the beach is overrated. However, playing on the playground with your son is not.
3. Being on a kayak surrounded by water, stillness and a blue sky is a cure for any ailment.
4. Sitting in a hot tub with your honey staring at a starry sky is also another cure for any ailment.
5. Ethan learned a lot of words this week: church, turtle, beach, Ethan, Graham, Cassidy and God.
6. Ethan sat on the potty for the first time. No result though - more to blog about that in the coming days ...
7. I hate getting soggy crab legs. That's never any fun.
8. Giving up 40 days of TV in the evenings for fasting is going to be a struggle. Thank God for DVR! Nobody better tell me what happens on 90210 ... or Vampire Diaries ... or Dancing With The Stars ... jeez ... for the next month!
9. Getting back into a routine sucks.
10. I'm so ready to decorate the house with all my fall stuff! I'm also ready for the smell of apples and spices to be floating around the house ... yummmm

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. I'm far from perfect and I realize that every single day.
2. I get my feelings hurt way too easily. That is something I wish I could change, but some things never change. It is who I am.
3. I wish I could go to Disney World! We have several friends that have either gone to DW this year or are going very soon and it makes me green with envy.
4. This weekend I went to two stinky consignment sales. No they did not smell bad, but just did not have a lot to offer. It was discouraging. I have quite a few more lined up to visit so let's hope for more! I did however get 1 set of pj's, 1 pair of Stride Rite shoes in great condition, 2 shirts, 1 sweater, 2 jackets (with one being a kind with removable arms to make into a vest) all for $35 and 2 Elmo books. Not too bad.
5. There is still so much to learn about couponing. I attended a workshop Monday night from the girl that does the Southern Savers coupon blog. There were things that I already knew and learned things I didn't. It inspired me to know how much she spends every week and I still do not know how she does it with a family of five. My new goal is to try my hardest to be well under budget for the month of September. The good thing is that I can lay back and not worry about it for a week while we are at the beach.
6. I have started reading Twilight again, because I'm bored. I'm enjoying it much better the second time around though!
7. I love fish camps!
8. Ethan loves to eat handfuls of ketchup. How do I fix this problem? :)
9. Sometimes doctors don't even have the answers. So, then who do we go to when we need to know why our child is running a fever of 103 at night but then is bouncing off the walls in the morning?
10. We leave for the beach in FIVE days!

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. I hate keeping a secret!
   
2. I heart my KWH girls! It's been too long since I've seen them and we had a chance to catch up this weekend. It was just fabulous!
   
3. If I were to count how many times I've watched the latest New Moon trailer, I would run out of fingers.
4. Feeling left out is a crappy feeling.
5. "All the leaves are brown - and the sky is gray" ... this song has been stuck in my head this week as I've started to see a few leaves starting to fall off the trees. Ohhhhh the anticipation is too much!
   
6. I really like the Zac Brown Band album. It's so country, and I love it.
   
7. I am open to wearing a Team Edward t-shirt to the midnight premiere of New Moon come November 20th. (Did I just admit that?) Any girls up for getting all giddy and act like teenagers? Oh hush - you know it would be fun!
8. Consignment sale season is just around the corner and I for one am SUPER excited! I could just pee my pants.
   
9. I find it hilarious that people on Facebook feel like they have to spell out their entire schedule for the day and who they are doing it with and where they are going, etc. I mean really - why do we really need to know EVERYTHING that you are doing?
10. I forgot just how much I love praise songs!

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Some things never change, as much as you hope they would.
2. Ethan now calls every dog Abbey no matter what the size, color or breed.
3. Ethan is obsessed with Elmo. Long gone are the days of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I treated him to an Elmo book, faucet cover and bath towel. He LOVES seeing Elmo in the bathtub every night!
4. As sad as it sounds, I love Miley Cyrus' new song, Party in the USA. It's catchy and get stuck in your head!
5. It costs the same amount of money to take a week's vacation in a beach house, including food and entertainment, as it does for a weekend in New York City, not including food and entertainment. Jeez.
6. Spending Saturday morning with your best friend at a Scrapbook Convention with a cup of Starbucks coffee in hand is the start to a great weekend! Don't make fun.
7. We tried a new church this weekend and really liked it. We've been at a lull for way too long since we decided to try a new church for many reasons. We're looking forward to going back next week. (As a plus, they had Starbucks coffee in the lobby!)
8. Three tantrums in one day is three too many. Did I mention E is obsessed with Elmo? Darn that fuzzy red monster!
9. A weekend staying home with the family is wonderful and highly recommended. We had pizza night on Friday, had a picnic at the WU lake on Saturday and just relaxed on Sunday. It was awesome!
10. Carolina Panthers football officially starts tonight!!!! Go Cats!

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. It's comforting to know that there are other children that have had just as many problems with ear infections, and the problems were solved with tubes! After my post on Tuesday, I had several good friends comment on how they could relate and that calmed my fears. Thank you Heather and Jules! (I will post an update tomorrow - it's been a long weekend and I need to rest!)
   
2. Paula Abdul will not be back on American Idol next year. I'm not sure if I'm sad or relieved.
3. I heart Starbucks coffee. Chris brought back an awesome souvenir mug and a pound of Pikes Place roast from his trip to Seattle. I am in heaven.
4. I heart Sugarland. They had a concert on ABC on Monday night and I was just singing along with them just like I was there. It brought back so many memories of that concert that we went to and now I want to go again!!!
5. Now that So You Think You Can Dance is over there is officially NOTHING on TV until the fall! BUT it will return in the fall for season 6! Yipee!
6. I love all of our friends and they make everything in life that much more special.
   
7. The 4th Annual Cassidy Luau was a hit this year! See my post tomorrow!
   
8. God sure does have some funny humor. He also gives blessings in a strange way sometimes - even multiple blessings!
   
9. Sometimes you just gotta trust that the mom and raised you will do just as wonderful as a job babysitting your child. I just gotta have faith!
10. After a long weekend, I want to do NOTHING next weekend! Is that possible?
    

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Smart people make dumb decisions sometimes.
2. There's no problem that a big bowl of ice cream won't fix.
3. Ethan bit someone for the first time this week - eek.
4. All single mamas out there get my utmost respect! Chris was in Seattle from Sunday night to Sunday morning for business, so it was all up to me to take care of my little man. Little Bubba and I did pretty good for ourselves. I had some wonderful bonding time with him and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!
5. Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get.
6. Tis' easy to forgive, not to forget. I hate that.
7. Since Chris was gone all week, I really got caught up on my scrap booking. I think I did about 8 pages - I'll try to post them later.
8. After a lay-off here at work last week, it's now down to two of us left. Scary.
9. My daddy had a knee replacement surgery this past week but is now doing wonderful. I pray for him to have a speedy recovery.
10. One more month until Wilmington!