My OWN bed

It's calling my name. Yes, it's not even 8 p.m., but I could seriously lay down and fall asleep right now. My excuse could be that I've been on Eastern time for the last four days. Or my excuse could be a mixture of the Boy already being in bed and going down just as easily as he always does (Can't even put in to words how excited he was about his own crib tonight!), it being cold outside and the three glasses of wine I had because it's the last night of vacation (that is, until next weekend). But I don't care if I have an excuse ... I'm tired, and I get to sleep in my own bed tonight! If there had been clean sheets, I would be skipping the blog post for tonight, for sure!

Before Christmas, I envisioned this post-celebration blog post being mostly pictures with captions, outlining all of the fun we had. But I'm not the best camera gal. I see others get out their cameras, and my mind immediately thinks, "No need to get up. They're getting all of the photos you want, and they'll share." Plus, it's just annoying at times to have to hold up the same present or hold the same pose with relatives for six different cameras! The problem is, some folks aren't good about sharing photos. I can sometimes get my sisters to share photos, but that's only because I copy and save them off of their Facebook albums. My step mom is a camera queen and has ALL of the photos I want, but she only does hard copy prints through the mail. (Although she says this time my dad will plug the camera in to the computer with the USB cord and email me photos ... fingers SERIOUSLY crossed!) She even got a good photo of the Hubs, the Boy and me!

I definitely need to quit being lazy when it comes to photo ops, and needless to say, this blog won't be the photo essay recapping our entire holiday trip that I had originally envisioned. Besides a few cell phone photos here and there, I only broke out the camera once ... for the Boy's first experience in the snow. But I'll post what I've got! Please cross your fingers along with me that at some point (soon) folks that usually don't share photos electronically will share and that I can add more photos.

The Boy annoyed that I'm taking his photo while he's sleeping on the overnight road trip up to Michigan

The Hubs got a cute cell phone picture of the Boy while they were hanging in the back of Sunday morning church because the Boy couldn't remain quiet any longer

Ummmm, I got a new bill-paying calculator for only $1.60 at B & G Discount!

He loved the sledding and snow experience from the very beginning! (I loved that he looked like a little marshmallow man...)

Sledding with Aunt Lizzy

Got to get a photo with Dad!

Sledding with Aunt Hilary

Loving it!

The Boy was the best passenger on the drive home that we could ask for!

Good passengers are rewarded with Qdoba. It was actually the Boy's first time eating a full meal off of the menu. Made Mom proud ... he loved it!

To wrap up (and to get in some random thoughts), I love my sisters. I wish we lived closer and that I could be more a part of their lives! I chipped my tooth (in the tiniest way) tonight on a plate. (Don't ask!) I need advice ... do I need to do anything about it? And we're glad to be home with our sweet girl kitty kitty, Princess. Speaking of which, she's already waiting for me in bed (MY OWN BED!!!), so GOOD NIGHT.

Christmas, the Boy's first birthday, family, friends, fun, OH MY!

As my friend Cindy says, this post is going to be in true "Mommy blog" style. There's bound to be one every now and then, right? At least some of my Mommy-style rambling will be broken up with pictures... (Thanks for sharing your photos, Mother!)

Last weekend was busy, busy, busy and yet fun, fun, fun. It started with my mom (Mother, as I call her) and step-dad coming to town on Thursday. To us, the dates on the calendar don't matter; it's more about the act of getting together and celebrating, so Thursday evening was Christmas for us. Mother always spoils us, and this Christmas was no different. I got lots of cool things, but I'm really excited about getting two new pairs of jeans. I have about 25 more pounds to lose to get back to pre-baby weight, and the new jeans fit perfectly and hug in all the right places. WOO HOO! I also got an external hard drive, which is even more exciting! We have so many irreplaceable memories of the Boy saved on the computer, and I have hard-core anxiety that our computer is going to crash and we're going to lose everything. But now, problem solved!

The Boy reading books, waiting to get the Christmas show on the road

Too sleepy to care too much about Christmas presents

Friday was the big day--the Boy's first birthday!!! We spent the day running errands and doing party prep, and one of my best-ever friend's, Marlo, flew in to help us celebrate. Unbelievably, I forgot to take a picture of my completed party spread before we dug in. Bummer!



The Boy is an eater, and he loved his taco fixins'!



After the tacos, came the presents...

He didn't want to get off of his super cool new trike! And how snazzy is his jacket?!?

The big "kids" were REALLY excited about putting together the train!

One of his favorite gifts was his alphabet train. Even a week later, he hasn't been able to get enough of it!

Then came cake time...

The cake was pretty darn close to the picture!

I have to tell you. The Boy is an eater. I know I've already said that, but I feel the need to reiterate it. He eats anything and everything. I've bombarded him with every fruit and veggie I can find, and he eats it all, along with any other type of morsel we put in front of him! But there's one thing he doesn't enjoy, and apparently that's birthday cake.



He seemed quite interested...

And he dug right in when we gave him the chance.

But he did NOT like it! I know you can't tell from the pictures, but he would NOT eat it. We tried to give him a bite on the fork, and he spit it right out and made awful gagging noises. I must admit ... I was a little proud. He definitely didn't get that from his mama though!

The Boy got sleepy, went down with ease (as always), and the rest of us continued to celebrate his first birthday into the night with various adult beverages and of course a rousing game of Catch Phrase. Yes, the boys won this time, but that never happens! (And it won't be happening again anytime soon!)

Saturday was filled with laid back visiting time with Marlo, Mother and my step-dad. That evening, after a nice dinner out, Grandma and Grandpa came home with the Boy, and Marlo and I pretended we were young again and visited lots of old friends downtown. Tons of fun, and we even drove through McDonald's on the cab ride home! We took a bunch of pictures to be sure we'd have good ones to share, but Marlo took them home on her camera, and she hasn't shared with ME yet...

Sunday was the day things were scheduled to "return to normal," but then the snow started to fall. We got about two inches, which for Tennessee, is pretty significant. Mother and my step-dad made it home, but it turns out their flight was the last to leave Nashville. After sitting at the airport for several hours, Marlo found out her flight was canceled, and she wouldn't be getting home until Tuesday morning. Well, we HAD said we wouldn't wait two years to see each other like we had last time...

After a couple of bonus days with Marlo on our couch, things did return to normal. I've been procrastinating on getting this post up, because I knew there was so much I wanted to include that it wasn't going to be a quickie. (Thanks to the Boy for going down early and the one motivating orange vodka and Sprite I consumed, I finally sat down to do it!) I am so thankful for all of our loving family and friends. I am blown away that so many folks went out of their way and spent so much money to help make the Boy's first birthday a perfect, memorable celebration. I feel so blessed to have so many special people in my life not only during the holidays and times of special celebrations, but ALL THE TIME.

And I really can't say it enough, but I can keep trying. THANK YOU.

Belmont. "Progressive university." REALLY?

Early this month, after women's soccer coach Lisa Howe disclosed that she and her partner were expecting a baby, Belmont University forced her out. This is a coach that has a winning record over the course of her six seasons at the school, and last year she led the team to an Atlantic Sun conference title. According to USA Today, as a place that thrives on its connections with Nashville's music industry and has even hosted one of the 2008 presidential debates, "Belmont is seen as a progressive university that had been affiliated with Southern Baptists until it broke away in 2007, wanting to bring greater Christian diversity to its board of trustees." Progressive? Well, they just took a BIG step backwards! After hearing this news, I was livid. Admittedly I am a person with extremely liberal beliefs and an advocate for equal rights for all, but even if you're not, in today's culture, this should not be happening! Are we on our way back to racial segregation and pre-women's suffrage?

As Sports Illustrated puts it:
A good coach has lost her job because she's about to become a mother.

A good university has lost its reputation for the same reason.

Lisa Howe took the high road in all of this and, through a news release distributed by her attorney, gave thanks to all who have supported her and notes that this is an educational experience for all involved. She closed with "respectfully ask[ing] members of the media to turn their attention away from me and toward the broader issues at stake that affect so many people in the Belmont community--such as what it means to be a diverse Christian community and how we can support and respect each other despite our differences." So well said!

Mike Curb, a music industry executive, emeritus member of the board of trustees and most importantly, major Belmont donor, made bold statements on Howe's behalf, saying "Belmont has to decide whether they want to be a national recognized university--particularly with their school of music business--or they want to be a church." According to Curb, Belmont President Bob Fisher asked that he hold off on making any further statements to give him an opportunity to resolve these issues so that this type of injustice can never happen again. Curb promised that "if the matter is not resolved, I will continue speaking out about this the rest of my life." (Way to go, Mike!) Even though I am in disbelief over this, I was sort of in holding mode, waiting to see if Fisher would actually do anything to resolve the issues.

I'm finding it hard to remain in that "holding mode" after reading an article today in the Nashville Scene, in which Belmont students, faculty members and former job candidates suggest that Howe's treatment was not an isolated incident. Despite Belmont recently revising its student honor code to remove "homosexual activity" from the list of punishable offenses, a student-formed group Bridge Builders, which seeks to promote understanding between gay and straight students, has been repeatedly denied official student organization recognition by the university. Last year after finishing her doctoral work at Vanderbilt, published Shakespeare scholar Rebecca Chapman, who was very open in the interview process about having a same-sex partner and inquired about health benefits for their family, was offered a tenure-track position at Belmont that, after seeing the offer in writing, she happily accepted. A month later, she was notified that her contract was being changed from tenure-track to a one-year contract ending in termination at the school year's end. Even though she had passed on her other job opportunities and knew that she and her partner would barely be able to make rent, let alone keep the house they were in the process of buying, Chapman chose to resign instead of  "finish[ing] out a bogus contract under the scrutiny of an obviously unsupportive administration." She has previously not spoken out about her ordeal but due to a recurring pattern, silence is no longer an option.

So now that I've bombarded you with links and background on the story, I want to hear from you. How do you feel about all of this? Do you believe in equal rights for all? Should we be doing something to ensure injustices like this don't continue to happen? In response to a letter sent by the Tennessee Equality Project (a statewide organization dedicated to advancing and protecting the civil rights of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community), the Metro Nashville City Council will get involved in the controversy by evaluating their relationship with Belmont University, including park leases Metro has with Belmont. Should we do something to show support for the city council as they do this evaluation?

With all of the recent media attention on hate, bullying and discrimination, is silence really an option? For me, the answer is a definite no.

A quick message as I continue to procrastinate on the "awesome first birthday weekend" post

Yes, we had an absolutely fabulous weekend! We celebrated Christmas with my mom and step-dad. I had one of my best-ever friends come to town to visit. And the Boy turned one. My sweet, loving little baby is now a big boy. I have pictures and stories to share, but I am continuing to procrastinate on that post. It will come ... eventually.

In the mean time, I wanted to share some quick news on a current Qdoba contest. I am a BIG Qdoba fan. I am such a VIP that I've won lots of free food, lower level Nickelback concert tickets, free passes to a local corn maze and was even invited to one of their new stores VIP pre-grand opening celebrations. They have just announced a new contest, and it's not to be missed.

Here are the details:

From Dec. 16 to Dec. 21, swipe your registered Qdoba card at any Nashville area location for a chance to win a Music City Bowl ultimate fan package! Package includes two lower or club level tickets (your choice!) to the Tennessee vs. North Carolina game, a parking pass, two passes to the MusicFest/Battle of the Bands VIP party and two passes to the General Jackson pre-game tailgate party. There will be one winner at each of the four Nashville area locations, and three of the fan packages will contain two invitations to the coaches luncheon.

So get out there and eat some Qdoba! (Too bad the contest doesn't start until tomorrow, and I've already got plans to go today for my eat-out-once-a-week lunch.)

It's been fun, but it's time for you to go

Yes, I'm talking about my breast pump. I carried one bag in to work with me today--just my purse--and only a woman who has spent a chunk of every day for the past year expressing breast milk can understand what a big deal that is. The Hubs, my friends, my coworkers ... they've all (lovingly, of course) referred to me as the bag lady for the past months. I've been in constant tow of my breast pump bag (filled with several empty milk bottles, all of the pump parts, pump cleaning wipes and of course my trusty PumpEase band) and a cooler bag (filled with my lunch and ice packs in the morning and breast milk and ice packs in the afternoon) ever since I've returned to work when the Boy was 10 weeks old.

I have pretty strong opinions about breastfeeding. So strong that I frequently piss folks off when expressing them, but since this is MY blog, I feel no need to hold back. La Leche League, feel free to look me up. All the time you hear that breastfeeding is a choice, blah, blah, blah. Well, I feel that having a baby is a choice. I didn't get pregnant until I was ready for a child. My mom taught me all about the birds and the bees, and I took precautions to keep myself not in a child way until the Hubs and I made the decision we wanted to change that. It's really not that hard people! So in my opinion, the choice to be made is whether or not to have a child ... once you make that choice, breastfeeding is a responsibility. I know ... there are lots of you out there gasping, choking on your coffee and doughnut because you're so angry about what I just said. But again, this is MY blog.

Back in the summer, there was a big media controversy because famous supermodel (and new mom) Gisele Bundchen made some comments to Harper's Bazaar UK about her thinking that breastfeeding should be a worldwide law for the first six months of a baby's life. Oh the uproar! I went to Gisele's blog and left a comment of support noting my belief that having a baby is the choice, and that breastfeeding that baby is a mother's responsibility. Needless to say, my comment was apparently a little too unpolitically correct and it was deleted by the blog moderators. I guess they don't have the same beliefs of not holding back in one's personal blog...

Breastfeeding is hard work. It takes time and an intense commitment. But the benefits are many for baby and mom. I understand there are a few situations out there where it is not the right choice (ex. mother has AIDS), but other than those very few instances, I truly believe that it is a mother's duty to commit herself to working at it until she is successful. I believe most moms give up too quickly. I am proud to say that I put in the hard work and gave the Boy the best start possible. I will definitely miss that sweet bonding time we have when he strokes my face, hair and neck while he nurses, but it will be nice to not have to worry about pumping (and dumping) when the Hubs and I have scored a babysitter and get home late at night after a few (sometimes a few too many) drinks. Two days until the Boy's first birthday, and then cow's milk, here we come!

But what am I going to do with this newly found freezer space now that it's not filled with a back stock of "liquid gold?"

Must read: Enjoying the Small Things

You must read this. I read it a couple weeks ago, and I can't get it off my mind. This blog is one I read soon after officially starting my own blog, and now I follow it religiously. Checking to see if sweet Kelle has posted a new entry is one of the first things I do on the computer each day. I used to think of Grey's Anatomy as my outlet for one of those good cries where you feel surprisingly happy while sopping up the big puddle of tears that just streamed down your face, but not any more. Kelle writes with such beauty and passion and truth, and her photography is unbelievable. I am envious of the way she is able to craft words, and I am thankful for the thoughts and considerations that her blog has provoked in my own life on love, family and the things that really matter. And the tears ... the tears flow with every new post! It doesn't matter if it's a birth story like the post I've linked to above or just chronicling her most recent vacation, I cry. And I love it.

So be prepared for tears, be prepared to be completely moved, and be prepared that you might have something to add to your daily computer to-do list.

Four more days

That's how long I have a baby. After that, I'm going to have a big boy. Yep, the Boy turns one on Friday. (Deep breath, Katie) I just about finished up the party preparations this weekend. Saturday was filled with  Sam's AND grocery store shopping sprees, and I spent (way) more money at both than I had anticipated. (I'm not including amounts, since the Hubs reads this...) Doesn't Sam's always get you? It's okay though. I made absolute sure not to let myself be tempted into anything when I didn't actually need the feed-an-army size package, and I got some REALLY good deals. Thank goodness for my sister-in-law tagging along and keeping the Boy entertained on the Sam's trip. As far as birthday party preparations go, all that's left is getting the Boy a first birthday shirt for Friday (which the Hubs is handling--whew!) and the stuff that will be done that day like getting balloons and picking up the cake. I know so many of our friends and family members are going out of their way to do something special for the Boy's birthday, and I'm thinking of this party as a way to show them how much we love and appreciate all of their support. It might be a first birthday party, but beer or a margarita anyone? (I've got juice boxes, milk and water, too.)

Today was a fun day. It was my father-in-law's first time to babysit the Boy. He arrived 30 minutes early, which was great. My sister-in-law came too, which was even greater. Although I know he would never do it if he was alone with the Boy, my father-in-law needed a mid-morning snooze, so it was wonderful that my lovely sister-in-law was there to cover. Babysitters for Brady meant we got to go tailgate with friends before the Titans game. (And I got to use my frosting thingy again when filling the deviled eggs that I made to share.) We didn't go to the game--chose to watch it on our warm couch at home instead--but we had a blast with our tailgate group! (As for the Titans game, what a disappointment. But I'm still on the Coach Fisher bandwagon, and I really hope he'll be back next year. Read more about that here.)

The tailgate gang

Now I'm off to watch what I'm hoping is a new episode of Desperate Housewives. As I type, the Boy is coughing (and coughing) in his bed. He has also developed a runny nose today. Keep your fingers crossed that he doesn't get sick...apparently the sick fairy doesn't know what happens in four days!

Cooking is a thing I (used to) do

I enjoy finding recipes I want to try, making my shopping lists, following the recipe steps and of course, eating good food. I like others to eat that good food, too, and I definitely enjoy hearing them rave about how great the things I chef taste. I used to cook all of the time. I also used to be child-free.

Grasshopper mint cake (with some football flair)

Veggies!!!

Banana biscotti

My first homemade boneless buffalo wings...they were SO good!

(If you want to see more of my cooking, check out my Facebook album.)

With an almost-one-year-old, cooking isn't as enjoyable as it used to be, but I was determined to do some Thanksgiving baking this year. The Hubs asked me not to make a big mess in the kitchen. (Yeah, right.) I was decently successful with my baking conquests Wednesday evening and even made it to bed by a little after midnight. I made Paula Deen's pumpkin bars and Martha Stewart's white chocolate sweet potato cake, and I recommend both!

The pumpkin bars. (Thank goodness for my new frosting thingy. Read more about that here.) I was waiting to get a photo of the cake after we cut it to show the inside, but I forgot...

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. With wonderful friends, family and food, I know that I did!

PS--I know you're reading this because I can login and see it in my blog stats. Please click to follow me, so others know you're reading too!   :)

I'm a little nosey, and I'm not afraid to admit that I like drama...

I like drama. Well, I like drama that is not MY drama. The Hubs frequently tells me to mind my own business, but I don't listen. I like to know what's going on with everyone else. I'm not scared to "stalk" a Facebook page to stay in the loop. I'm also fine with weighing in on someone else's Facebook conversation if I have something to say about their discussion or want more details. I figure folks shouldn't post things publically on Facebook if they don't want others to get in their business. Oh, and I have a little gem for my fellow nosey Nashvillians out there...the Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk's website! You can enter someone's name in the search box, and it tells you about anything he or she has ever been charged with in Davidson County. You can even read the affidavit and court dates/outcomes associated with the charges. And let me tell you--those affidavits are juicy!

There is currently some Tennessee Titans drama going on, and I am intrigued. I am a Titans fan. I am a huge Jeff Fisher fan, and I have NEVER been on the Vince Young bandwagon (even through all of the taunting I got from friends during the 2009 season with Collins' 0-6 start and Young's success after he resumed starting QB duties). VY is a baby and has always been since his beginning in the NFL. Football is his job, and the amount of compensation he receives for doing his job is ridiculous. His coach is his boss, and in my opinion, in any career, if you want to keep being compensated for doing your job, you do what the boss says. After all of the immaturity, inconsistency and unreliability that Vince has shown over the years, I really can't understand Bud Adams' undermining his head coach. I can't come up with a single excuse/idea that makes it okay in this situation. There is LOTS of media coverage swirling around on this, but here is one of my favorite articles so far. And the Rich Eisen Podcast on this is pretty interesting too (skip to about seven and a half minutes in to get to this topic). It really sounds like Adams is so out of touch with this team that he's going to continue to side with "his" quarterback, and Fisher's tenure will be done in Tennessee. If that happens and VY is starting QB and Fisher isn't head coach any longer, I don't know that I'll continue as much a Titans fan as I now am. What do you think? Are you loyal no matter how this plays out?

Seriously, what does Bud see in him?

May you all eat lots of good food and have a happy (and drama-free) Thanksgiving tomorrow! :)

21 and up?

I always wonder the protocol for babies and the liquor store. Even with my advanced planning skills, I often find that I need to run by the liquor store on my way home from work (darn them for not being open on holidays and Sundays), and most of the time I have the Boy with me. So I skip it.

But do I really need to? The Boy is not yet a year old. I'm usually going in to the liquor store to buy a bottle, maybe two of wine, or maybe a bottle of vodka. I'd be going in sober and not cracking the bottle open as soon as I got back in the car. Is it okay to take him in to the store with me? My mind (and my mother) tells me yes, but will I be met with scorning glances from all inside, letting me know that I'm a horrible mother? Do I care?

Because I'm still torn on this, I'll be journeying out on my lunch break today to buy an airplane size bottle of brandy needed for a Thanksgiving cake I'm making and one bottle of wine to go with Thanksgiving dinner. On the bright side, the liquor store nearest my office gives a discount with our work IDs. Cha-ching!

And we're off to the holiday races...

We officially started our busy holiday season this weekend. We'll be going non-stop until the end of February, and that's exciting to me!

Saturday morning, I printed the recipes for the Thanksgiving items I'm making, made my grocery list and the Boy and I were off to shop. It was early. I wanted to get our errands done before his naptime so that I could nap too. (I worked at Decades Friday night, so I got less than four hours of sleep.) We pulled up to Bed, Bath and Beyond at 8:58 a.m. The parking lot was empty, but I figured they opened at 9 a.m. It's Thanksgiving week, for goodness sakes. SURELY they open at 9 a.m., right? I got a shopping cart from the outside corral, put in the Boy's Floppy seat cover and strapped him in. It was now 9:02 a.m., so we headed towards the front door. That's when I saw their hours. They open at 9:30 a.m. REALLY? What store opens at half past an hour? I don't know of any (except, apparently, BB+B). I can't keep an 11-month-old entertained while strapped in a shopping cart outside of a store for 28 minutes. I was really annoyed, but Publix was several doors down, and we had plans to go their too, although I really wanted to do my Bed, Bath and Beyond shopping BEFORE I had groceries in the car.

I am a Kroger girl, but I needed to order the Boy's birthday cake from Publix, so I figured I'd grocery shop too. Publix is pricey. Don't think we could afford it on a regular basis. Plus they didn't have unsalted macadamia nuts. Do unsalted macadamia nuts exist? Surely they do...I have a recipe that calls for them. On the way back to the car to unload the groceries (we had quite a walk because we parked near BB+B which is on the other side of the lot, and I didn't want to have to put the Boy back in his car seat and unhook the Floppy seat to drive closer to Publix), a glass jar of baby sweet potatoes slide out of a bag in the cart and crashed to the side walk. What a mess! Of course, I was blaming this all on Bed, Bath and Beyond. (Again, who opens at half past an hour?!?! I'm SURE this wouldn't have happened if I had stuck to my original shopping route.) I was standing there, with a full shopping cart, just staring at the mess of orangish/brown slop and glass in front of me on the side walk when a nice man walked by. He told them inside the store about my mess, and they came to sweep up the glass. I offered to help clean up, but they insisted they had it. That's the biggest perk of Publix...they are extremely friendly and helpful!

Hopefully the Boy's cake ends up looking just like this!

After unloading the groceries, we raced through Bed, Bath and Beyond. I got a cake carrier (which I've wanted for a long time). I also got a frosting thingy, which I'm really excited about! Both of these things are needed for my Thanksgiving recipes, so I decided that they don't count as prizes for me. They're just part of the regular Thanksgiving grocery shopping. (Makes sense, right?)

My fancy new dessert decorator...wish me luck!

Finally we headed home with our goods. The Boy slept for three hours...bless him! I hate carrying groceries in alone, by the way. One of my least favorite things. When I have to carry them in alone, I put away the cold stuff but leave all of the non-cold groceries out in the kitchen floor. The Hubs HATES that. He always tells me he does, but I do it anyways because he wasn't there to help carry the bags in. The non-cold groceries tend to stay in the their bags in the middle of the floor for days until he can't stand it anymore, then he'll finally put them away. Normally it's the day before I do the next week's grocery shopping. (Yes, Saturday's non-cold items are still hanging out in the floor.)

We went to cheer on the 'Dores against the Vols that evening. (Or if you ask the Hubs, to cheer on Tennessee, although I kept catching him cheering for Vandy) It wasn't an exciting game. Was glad Vanderbilt didn't get completely blown away like some predictions. That's said like a true Vanderbilt fan...you stop hoping for a win and start rationalizing that at least they didn't get beat badly.

You can tell how excited the Boy was about the game...

Sunday was the day for our Thanksgiving celebration at the Hubs' dad's house. It was a long day away from home, but definitely good times and great food! The Boy loves to eat, so all of the good food that goes along with Thanksgiving is right up his alley! Excited for more celebrations (and lots more good food) this week!

Love his new trick!!!

Welcome to my (busy) life

I've been thinking about starting a blog for a long time. It's a necessity really. I have a lot to say, and the Hubs doesn't want to hear it all. I like to talk--most of my stories tend to be long--and I like to make plans. A lot of what I have to say is filling those involved in on my plans for us, reminding of those plans, and then reflecting on those plans after they happen. (You've got to reflect, right?) It's all that talking about plans that led to the title of this blog.

A regularly occurring conversation between me and the Hubs:
HIM: What are the plans for Sunday?
ME: No plans.
HIM: Really?
ME: I was sort of keeping it open just to have one day to relax.
HIM: Geez! You have to PLAN for time to not have plans. That's ridiculous!

Yes, I DO schedule time to NOT have plans. And I'm okay with that. If I didn't, I would NEVER have down time. I am a busy lady. I have my Blackberry, which is linked to my work Outlook calendar, and I schedule pretty much everything in my life (and everything for the Hubs and my son, "the Boy") on that Outlook calendar.

The way I operate--making plans for everything--has taken some getting used to for certain folks in my life. The Hubs is mostly understanding by this point. He typically just goes with the flow and assumes that I've got everything taken care of. My sister-in-law now knows that she needs to make plans with us ahead of time, and she's not at all taken aback that the first availability to get-together might be two weeks away. My father-in-law is learning...after an incident of peeking in our bedroom window at us because "the house seemed dark" during a (pre-baby) Sunday afternoon "nap" during which we were NOT fully clothed, he normally calls before dropping by. And my mom has always gotten it because she's the same way. I've already got her next TWO trips to Nashville (she lives in North Carolina) scheduled on my trusty Outlook calendar, and I've started planning the fun things we'll do when she's here.

While all of my planning and talking may initially be overwhelming to many folks, it does have some perks. I'm never out of the house without enough diapers/snacks/clothes/etc. for the Boy. I'm pretty much always on time. I don't bail on things I've said I'll do, and I don't double book myself. I make big, yummy dinners. Oh, and I'm great at planning parties (including being the best jello shot maker that you'll find)!

One of my past party "spreads"

And the almost-famous jello shots!

So, welcome to my blog. I hope you'll enjoy being a part of my BUSY (but well-planned) life. And by the way, with upcoming Thanksgiving celebrations, Vanderbilt football games, friends and family coming to town for visits, the Boy's first birthday party, Christmas shopping and celebrations, a Michigan trip, friends' New Year's Day wedding, our fifth wedding anniversary, both my sisters' and my dad's birthdays, MY birthday, Valentine's Day and everything else I've got planned, I am now making plans for MARCH 2011. So get in your requests!  :)