What I'm loving....

I just saw a post from a friends blog here and it got me wanting to do a WILW.... Except it's obviously not Wednesday its Thursday.  So, I'll do a What I'm Loving Thursday!!!! I haven't done one of these in such a long time so I am eager to get this one started.

Beauty:

I am loving Bare Minerals makeup! I know it's pricey but one can last me 2 months and it really lasts all day (almost).  I will say you CAN'T leave it on over night like the commercials say because it breaks you out and lawd knows I don't need that! But it really covers up those "flaws" and makes you sort of glow. 

I am really loving this Victory Secret hand and body cream.  It smells so good and feels great on my skin.  Not to forget to mention that this scent in particular makes me more and more excited about summer time and swimming pools!

It's A 10!! I love, love, love this stuff.  It too is a little pricey $18 bucks but a little goes a long way, I usually have to buy it every 3 to 4 months.  It is the best thing I never have to worry about tangles and it's got all kinds of goodies in it to make your hair stronger.  Since I have highlights it's best for me to invest in a good product that works!

Lastly, I am seriously loving Not Your Mothers volumizing hair powder!!! Once you get used to the consistency it leaves your hair feeling like (when you use it only) it's not bad and it helps it stay styled as well! I can rock a hair do all day and it never falls (I haven't tried curls or anything yet) but if you pull it up half way or whatever style of that nature it holds it.  I guess it takes the softness out of your hair (again temporarily) without taking the soft look away! I love this stuff! You can get it at Walmart.

Entertainment:

I absolutely LOVE the Adele cd.  I bought it a couple weeks ago and I've Burned it to my computer at work so I can listen to it there and in the car! HA!

As I mentioned in a previous post I'm loving The Hunger Games series!!

My Kindle has be awesome!  I love it and I highly recommend it, especially if your a reader!  Some people said they didn't want one because they love a book and stuff but it's so nice, light, and small like a book!  My only complaint would be that when you travel (airplane) you have to put it away because it is a battery powered object/item.  But after take off it's in your hands the duration of the trip! 

Electronics:

I just currently have one thing right now that I consider "electronic" that I love and that is the Kureig Coffee Maker!!!  I buy my own filter and use regular coffee to save money and boy is it a money saver! Plus I know I love the coffee so there's no waste when it comes to those little K cups!

Warm Weather Accessories/Activities:

I am addicted to, love, and adore little girl summer clothes!! I hit up stores like Kohl's who usually ALWAYS have their kids clothes on sale or clearance. 

FLOWERS!!! I think this may be my absolute favorite thing about spring!!!! We make regular trips to Lowe's even if we only look....

I also love the smell of freshly cut grass! And how carpet-like it looks once it's cut.

What are you loving?

In Need of Advice!

As we round the corner of yet another winter I can't help think of things I should be doing to get myself and my hubbs healthy.  I realize that it's never too late to start good habits and I also realize that breaking the old ones are going to seem just as difficult as starting (and maintaining) the new ones.  I will lay it out there honestly... I am NOT a cook! I actually hate cooking for the simple fact that you have to clean it ALL back up! But I won't rule out cooking because I know ultimately that is the most healthy route to take, especially for my girls. 

I believe that if I look at it as if I am doing it for the girls then it will be a somewhat easier transition.  I would love to work out and that sort of thing but I am way to busy! My busy schedule drives me crazy some days.  I get home around 5 after picking up HG & OK and I get home in time to start dinner, wash bottles, make bottles, get outfits picked out for the next day, feed OK in between, give baths (including myself), through a load of laundry in the wash, make lunches, do my last pumping session and then finally I'm in bed.  That kind of schedule doesnt leave much room for working out.  Even if I could squeeeeeeeze it in somewhere I'd feel bad because more than likely something else would need my attention instead. 

I knew I'd be a lot busier with another baby around but man! I never anticipated not having any time EVER! I do kill some time once I'm in bed reading for a bit but I can barely hold my eyes open for 30 minutes. 

So.... With ALL of that being said if you have any links, recipes, suggestions and how to's please feel free to drop them in the comment box.  I will need step by step instructions or directions!

Hunger Games

I've recently started reading the Hunger Games series and WOW! It's a great series.  I have to admit I was taken by surprise that it was actually as good as it was.  I mean I figured it was a pretty good read because they made it into a movie and all, but I had my doubts.  I read the first book the week I was in TX.  I started the second book on Sunday night and I'm already half way though it!  I only have a few times out of the day I can read; one is when I'm pumping, at least 3x during the work day and that's only about 15 to 20 minutes. The other is right before I clock in for work and then at bed time.  I am addicted to it!! The second book is starting to get really good and I now have a difficult time putting it down as well.  I bought it on my Kindle and it's wonderful thing; light weight, I hit a button to turn a page instead of actually turning it and holding pages back.  The only down fall is I can't share the book (yes, I refuse to share my kindle). 

If you need a good fictional book to read and you like drama, action, with a touch of romance then I recommend the Hunger Games series. 

It's been months if not at least a year since I've been able to pick up a book to read my Kindle and read.  But I've seriously forgotten how much I loved reading.  If the book is a great book and the writer is on key then I can seriously lose myself in a book.  It's like my imagination runs wild and I feel like I am right there with the main character(s)! I hope the movie doesn't disappoint because I am really looking forward to seeing it too! And it's finally a movie from a book I've read that Kyle will actually enjoy with me instead of a gooey love story! haha

Oh and the cast isn't half bad either!!!

New is Good!

The transition of going back to work this week has been much better than I'd ever imagined it would be.  I was so worried about Monday that I had gotten myself all stressed out and only got about 4 hours of sleep that night.  But Monday came and went and was over before I even realized it!

Monday wasn't just any typical Monday though.... On top of it being my first week back to work it was also daylights savings time and on top of it being daylights savings time, I get to work to find my computer (which may I point out hasnt been used in 3 months) CRASHED!!!! No I was not the individual who saves every piece of information on a flash drive so I lost E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G!!! I'm pretty sure there were things on there that I'd forgotten about that were lost.  So when I finally got a computer late Tuesday morning I had to try to pick up where I left of 3 months ago with a new computer.  NOT FUN! But as I said earlier Monday came and went and so did my stress. 

When I got home Monday to my surprise my sweet husband had dinner READY! Wow.... I was speechless! I mean I have an amazing husband but come on y'all, he is a man.  And that man had dinner ready not one night but both Monday and Tuesday night!

With our routine in full swing the transition has been a lot easier.  When supper is finished we bathe the girls and say our night, night prayers and try to have them both tucked in and asleep by 7:30 - 8:00.  Since they get up so early we want them to get as much sleep as possible to make the mornings a tiny bit less dramatic (Hannah is NOT a morning person).  We then get lunches packed, bottles made and get our own showers as well as maybe a load of laundry here and there.  So far we are doing great, but it leaves no room for anything extra.  It's just easiest to be home in the evenings where as before we would have dinner with his/my parents one or two nights a week.

Now on to the "new" part besides the new routine....
Yesterday I received an offer I couldn't say no to.  My boss offered me a seat at a Trade Show (FTA) in San Antonio, Texas!!! This trip lasts a week because our company's sales meeting is taking place that same week as well, so I'll be attending that.  I feel this is the necessary step for me to take and I am so excited I could scream!!! I am super nervous because I have to leave my family behind but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and the seat became avaliable just yesterday. I've never attended anything like this and so I hope that after it's all said and done It'll be worth the week away from home.  We will be flying out Saturday morning, yes you read it correctly THIS SATURDAY morning.... and won't be back until the following Friday.  I'll be with my brother and B-I-L and there will be a few ladies that I work with going as well so I know I'll be in good hands. 

With that being said the Big Question, that everyone seems to ask is, Where will the babies stay? Well folks, they will be staying with their daddy!!! He will play Mr. Mom and Dad next week while I'm gone.  Although, I know him and I know his momma, so I know for sure that he will be well fed and the girls will be spoiled!

Surprisingly, he was the one who pushed me to go on this trip.... He thought it would be a fantastic opportunity and that I'd be crazy to pass it up.  After all, it is only a week.  I'm just going to miss them so dang much.  I have faith in Kyle and I know he will do a wonderful job with the girls because quite frankly he adores them.  So look out San Antonio here I come!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Thinking/Writng/Typing Randoms....

I've been away for a few days so I'm going to catch up by typing a completely random post....

First things first, this week was officially my last week off with the girls!!!! WAIT! WHAT? I know it's flown by (at least to me).  My boss says that its definitely felt like 3 months to her since I've left, but I feel like its been 3 weeks instead of 12! Trust me I know how lucky I was to be able to have stayed out with OK and Hannah for that amount of time but it is absolutely heartbreaking to leave my babies.  It's a great feeling to know you're missed by your boss but I hate the thought of putting Hannah and Olivia in daycare full time.  I'm definitely looking forward to getting back to my job and bringing home a paycheck again.  I'm not sure when I'll be able to blog again because things are DEFINITELY going to be a lot busier come Monday.  My routine I have now will be thrown for a whirl and we will all struggle with getting it right! 

Second random thought of the day is that I've actually made it to 3 months breast feeding Olivia!!!! For someone who thought I'd never make it, I've successfully breastfed and pumped milk to store for 3 whole months! WHOOO! HOOOO! This is a huge thing for me because I wasn't interested in breastfeeding, period.  I think that I didn't put the obligation on myself to do it and I said if it works out then I'll do it until it doesn't.  Now look, 12 weeks and 4 days later I'm still going strong!!! I've calculated that I've roughly stored over 1,300 ounces since day one (OMGGGGG!).  My goal is to give her breast milk until she is 6 months and then when we make it to that point we'll shoot for 9 months.  I am so happy that she will be fed breast milk while in daycare to hopefully help her fight off some of those nasty bugs going around. In turn I won't miss work and we won't have a 35 dollar copay to her doctor's office! Sounds great to me!

Third random thought of the day is the reason I've been gone for most of the week is because I had the worst possible stomach virus on Wednesday! I thought I was dying at about 1 p.m. because my stomach was cramping up due to all the heaving! I also had diarrhea and I continued down that road until yesterday! I was suffering from dehydration that I was having migraines, and my milk supply had decreased over 6 ounces a day! I was literally drying up!  I apologize if this is much to graphic for some of you, but I pray that this bug doesn't get you!!!!  I woke up about 5 a.m. to feed Olivia and that's when the diarrhea started, the vomiting started about 30 minutes later.  I called my wonderful MIL to come over and take care of Olivia because I so didn't want to be around her with this mess.  This bug comes with vomiting, diarrhea, sweats, chills, extreme stomach cramping and loss of appetite.  I dropped 4 pounds in 4 days.  Finally on day five I feel almost 100%, some foods still make me nauseous to eat but I am finally on the mend, FINALLY! And NO... I am not pregnant! My mother asked me the other day when I was talking to her about it.  lol

Fourth random thought of the day.... I am loving some crock pot cooking!!! I am not a great cook actually I don't cook enough to become a great cook, so recently Kyle and I took up crock pot cooking!  I tell ya, crock pots are really one of the greatest inventions! We've made lasagna, stew beef, roast with veggies, chili, pintos.  Our list is continuing to grow and will get even bigger since I'm starting back to work.  It's SO EASY! 

Fifth random thought of the day, I'm starting Hannah in horse back riding lessons! I took her to get her feel the other day and I would be saying it lightly if I said she had a blast!!!  I thought she may like dance or gymnastics (and she still could after all she is only 2) but she is an outdoorsy kind of girl.  She loves to have bows in her hair and I love to dress her up but she wants to be outside with all the critters.  She reminds me of myself so much when I was a little girl, meaning nothing scared me (besides roller coasters) I was such a tom boy, fearless.  Watching her ride around (with me and without me) on the horse with a huge smile on her face was priceless!! When it was time to go I said come on Hannah time to go bye, bye... She said noooo, stay here! She would have let me leave her. 

Sixth random thought of the day.... Warm weather!!! I'm so loving the beautiful days and warmer weather! I am a spring, summer, fall kind of girl!!! But if I have to deal with 3 or 4 months of wintery cold days then I'm okay with that.  It makes me love the warm sunny days that much more.  I can't wait to get Hannah to a pool this summer she's going to love it (me too)!  We're planning a week long beach trip in August and I'm about to pop with excitement.  Our heart is also in the winding roads in the mountains so we plan on making tons of weekend trips up there as well. 

Warm weather also means... School, seventh random thought of the day.  I still have that dream of getting my bachelors degree in business administration.  So I'll slowly make my way to it one or two classes at a time and I know I will eventually walk across the stage at GWU and be handed the one thing I've worked years towards!!! What a rewarding feeling that will be!!

Finally, eighth and last random thought of the day, dieting.  I hate, despise, detest, dislike, loathe, you name it that is how I feel about dieting!! Pretty bad huh? Well, I don't mind changing up my diet a tad bit here and there.  But I can't go hard core and cut out this or that.  I want to still enjoy what I eat when I eat it.  If I want to eat less of something then that's what I do, if I want to splurge every now and then, then I do. I do want to be healthier but I'll go about doing it by eating less not cutting out!

Well thanks for visiting :)) Wish me luck on my first day back to work and say a small prayer for me that I'll not only hear the alarm clock but that I'll get up! Bye for now.

My day...

My days have been pretty great these past few weeks.  I've really been enjoying my time with Hannah and Olivia.  And as time gets closer to me going back to work, which is actually only a week away, I have really been taking advantage of my time with them.  I want to soak up every second with the girls that I can get.  Since I kept both of them by myself several times I've become quite the pro, if you will, at handling a 2 1/2 month old and a 2 year old.  I honestly can't stand sending Hannah to daycare since I'm home, half the time I'm driving Hannah to school and I find myself back in my driveway.  My chores end up being laundry and washing dishes and that's about it, especially when Hannah's home.  I can't seem to get anything else done.
So during our days I have tried to take a few pictures to help me remember exactly how wonderful they were and once I return back to my regular work schedule I can look back at them and reminisce about my days with those beautiful little girls of mine!  I know I will miss the lazy days we had together and how I could just sit and watch them laugh, smile, play, and nap.  Our random trips to Walmart or to Gastonia/Hickory.  Listening to Hannah sing the Veggie Dance song on her Sesame Street DVD and the ask a thousand times to hear it again. I know that I'll still experience most of these things but it makes me sad that I won't be there to experience them on an ALL day, everyday basis.  That I won't be the one fixing their meals or letting them sleep in. It's just another adjustment to our constantly changing lives, and of course I think no one can do it like momma can. Take a look at the following pictures and you'll get a little taste of what my days have been like during the past 11 weeks and you'll be able to understand why I'm having such a emotionally hard time with this upcoming change.

Hannah's 1st taste of Tony's ice cream!

Hannah playing around with Reece

Oatmeal and cartoons

After a bath

Hannah loves her sissy

Riding horses wore this little one out!

All Night...

Yes, you read it right.... All night... Olivia Kate Ledbetter has finally reached the point where she sleeps all night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I mean it has been happening for about a week now but I didn't want to jinx myself, so I was waiting to see how long it lasted.  So far we are on day 6!  But in a weird kind of way I miss those sweet little night time feedings.  I figured it would take much longer for her to sleep all night since I'm nursing her, but no ma'am, I got my first 6 1/2 hours of sleep since she was born last Saturday night. 


I honestly couldn't believe it.  She's such an angel anyway it's not like the night time feedings were terrible because at least when I'd feed her she would go right back to sleep afterwards.  But the point is now my sleep is not interrupted anymore. 

This pic was taken actually right after we took our sheets out of 

the dryer... She fell asleep instantly!