Early Christmas Present

I have been asking for a new vacuum cleaner for at least six months and my husband has been insistent that we didn't need one. The vacuum cleaner that we had was on its last leg and pretty much sucked as far as I was concerned. I wold vacuum and still see things on the floor. Anyone who has and infant or a toddler knows how important it is to have clean floors. My daughter is a firm believer in the 5-second rule; no matter how much I get on her for that.





After months of begging, pleading and a few sexual favors; I finally broke the hubby down and off to Walmart we went.

Introducing my new Vacuum Cleaner: The Hoover Windtunne1 Purely Clean $119.00 at Walmart

 There are so many great features that I love about this vacuum. It has a rinsable HEPA filter which I was very excited about.

It has a foldable handle that my daughter is enjoying playing with. I love anything that helps to save space because we seem to never have enough space.



There is also a indicator to let you know when its time to change the bag, rinse the filter, or if there is a clog.

No more wrapping up the cord it had a 27-foot cord that retracts with a push of the pedal.

I think one of my favorite accessories is the upholstery cleaner. This comes in so handy especially since I have a dog. It really helps to get the hair of the furniture.

I was like a kid at Christmas. I couldn't wait to get home and try it out. I was excited and disgusted at the results. w just vacuumed two days ago and this is what the vacuum picked up. To imagine I was just on the ground working out that morning....ewww.






I am in love with my new toy. I can workout on the floor with out fear of getting the cooties. Life is good!

Raspberry Beret

The worse haircut is not one that I paid for..I would pay to forget it happened. I was in first grade and had just got home from school. I can't recall where my mother was that day but my brother and I were home alone; which is never a good combination. I could tell you some stories of the stuff we would get it to.

Well, this particular afternoon; I decided that I was going to go find some stuff to get into in my daddy's bath room (big no-no).  I was playing around with my dad's hair clippers acting like I was cutting my hair...I wasn't of course.  My brother came down and decided to play with me. So we were pretending to give each other hair cuts but what I did not know it that he was really giving me one. I had no idea what was going on because I was too short to see in the mirror.

I knew something was wrong when my brother started laughing and ran out of the room. I immediately climbed on the sink to find that the front third of my my hair had been shaved off.... How evil could my brother be?!?

My first thought was not about my hair but what my daddy was going to do when he found out. I went to bed EXTRA early that night to avoid seeing my dad. Of course with me being his baby girl he came into my room to give me a hug and kiss good night.

My dad was fuming and even though he was upset with me he was pissed at my brother. He stormed out of my room and had some words with my brother. I had my ear to the wall laughing because I didn't want to miss any of it.

The next morning it hit me that I was actually going to have to leave the house looking like 60-year old balding man. My parent found me a hat to wear to school that day. Well, my EVIL first grade teacher (who gave me nightmares until I graduated college) pulled me into the hallway and told me I couldn't wear my my hat. I slowly removed my hat to show her my hair and she laughed....she frickin laughed at me. She told me I couldn't wear that kind of hat but gave be a red beret to wear. I will never forget my first haircut.

Fast forward 15 years later when I had my car accident. They had to shave part of my head for the stitches...did I mention that I had just got my hair done that week. I was horrified and refused to leave the house. My brother came over to see me and I wouldn't come out of the room.

He slipped a picture under the door and said "it can't be as bad as this"

It was a picture from that first grade incident. I couldn't help but laugh and come out of the room. I wish I had that picture to share with you or maybe I'm glad I don't.

Wordless Wednesday: Sleeping Beauty

This is how I found baby girl sleeping when I came home from work. She was knocked out and snoring too...

Halloween 2010

I know that I am late putting up my Halloween post but I am just getting over the fact that my camera was lost at the Candyfest event that my church holds every year.  I tried to take some pictures with my phone but it was dark and I couldn't get a good picture. So I have no pictures from Halloween night :-(

We had a great time at Candyfest this year. I was a huge event this year. Kyla had a good time playing the games and riding the hay ride. We also did some face painting and sand art.

Here are the only pictures I had loaded on my computer. It is pics from our first family pumpkin carving.

We bought a carving kit that had a lot of cute designs for us beginner pumpkin carvers.

Yum Yum!

My hubby wanted to do a simple pumpkin with the triangles, but anyone who knows me know I rarely do simple. I let Kyla pick out the design for the pumpkin.

I think DH did a really good job on the pumpkin (with our help of course)

Think about your 'Dash'

I just got back home from a business conference in Atlanta. I had a really great time even though I missed my family terribly.

I just wanted to share with you a message that one of out speaker gave us. The speaker was actually our Senior Vice President of Human Resources. He is one of the best speakers that I have ever heard. After hearing any of his presentations; you feel like you can go out and change the world.  His message this time was "It starts with me"

Everyone has heard that if you want to make a change you have to look at yourself first. This is very true in both personal and business. He talked about if you want to change the way you act you have to first change the way that you think. You can't expect to keep speaking negative self-talk to yourself and improved. He also talked about ways to help to implement the change.

He then read a poem called "The Dash" by Linda Ellis. I had never heard this poem before but there are a few things that really stood out for me:

The Dash Poem, by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth

And spoke the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth.

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;

The cars, the house, the cash,

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.

Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left,

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what’s true and real

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,

And more often wear a smile

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read

With your life’s actions to rehash

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent your dash?

I really wish that you all could have heard his whole presentation. Even though it was 45 minutes; he had me completely engaged. I also stopped to look at myself and see what I needed to change within myself in order to live the best "dash" that I can.

How will you spend your dash and what will it say about you?

Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee

This year we decided to start the tradition of going to go pick out our pumpkin for Halloween together. We had a really good time and baby girl actually behaved herself when we went to the pumpkin patch. I just wanted to share some of the pictures. Hope you enjoy!

How is my 2 year old already more than 3-feet (not standing up straight)?

I really like the last picture because baby girl and I have been working on learning the bumble bee song and she was excited to actually see a bee. Of course we had to sing the song too... I love moments like that.

Wordless Wednesday: For the Love of Oreos

I'm from Atlanta and there are just some things when your are from the city that you would never think you would see. Well last week I had one of those moments. We went to the state fair and I saw my first pig race.  I was actually excited to get to experience this. I just had to share it with you:





Can you believe that the prize was an Oreo cookie?