Stitch Fix #3!

Have I mentioned that I'm totally loving my StitchFix? I'm loving that more of my friends are getting fixes and we can share our experiences! I was in retail for years- so I know how important it is for someone to suggest something for you to wear that is outside of the typical choices for yourself. Sometimes that out-side-the-box thinking is just what you need! 

This box... well, I know it's not a 5/5, but I'm not 100% sure yet what pieces I will be keeping. Maybe by the end of writing this post I will know? We will see. I don't want to lose my credit that I have since a friend signed up- that's $25 FREE towards a purchase. Happy birthday to ME! 

I do know for a fact that my stylist, Melinda (If you read this- HI!) is looking at my pinterest board, and that's awesome! However, I think I need to be more careful about what I pin. How do I know that? Because I have pinned two maxi skirts- but more because I liked the tops in the pictures and not the actual skirts themselves... but I'm never quite sure how I feel about Maxi dresses/skirts. 

Melinda suggested these two items to go together. I think if I was taller, this look would work- but I feel a little frumpy in this. I like the top okay.. 

Manna Tie Front Knit Top and Marilyn Mix Striped Maxi Skirt 

I love this top. It's totally my style and I love the colors. Funny because someone on a Facebook Group mentioned that they were disappointed with getting this shirt in their fix. I think the print is fun and it's so soft! 

Edmond Chevron Print Henley Shirt 

The jeans... oh these jeans. I actually really like them. But I'm NOT paying $178 for a pair of denim capri's. I just can't. They are very soft and comfortable. The fit was pretty good- I could probably go up one size and feel a little better. But $178? Nope. I can't even justify the cost... 

Kent Cuffed Carpi Jean

THIS top is probably my favorite. I'm pretty sure this is my birthday present to myself! (Seriously, it was my birthday this week!) It's a great summer color, the chevron print is fun and it's going to be great layering piece. 

Papermoon Cordelia Chevron Tank 

So... maybe a 2/5? No firm answer from me yet. I'll update and let you know! :) 

Oh yes, StitchFix!

Oh yes. This is going to be about my new LOVE AFFAIR with StitchFix. Seriously! 

A few months ago, my friend, Cluttered Mama found StitchFix. After seeing her lovely clothes and how easy the process seemed to be, I decided to jump in and sign up for my own StitchFix. Seeing that I am in the middle of nowhere and hardly call Walmart a "good" choice for clothing, I thought it was well worth the $20 sign up fee. 

My first box wasn't a total bust, however- I didn't LOVE any of the items. Here's the deal. StitchFix isn't cheap. But it's not suppose to be cheap- these clothes are good quality and classic. However, I decided I would only purchase items that I loved and I would use the items that I liked as a starting point for actual shopping trips in the future. So, here is my first box- I apologize now, for not having the names of the items. I think I actually threw away my first set of cards. 

Loved this sweater- but I already had one almost identical. Also wearing pants that I loved but decided not to keep them- since they were really expensive for a basic black pant when I have a dozen pair in my closet. Emer Brocade Print High Waisted Cropped Pant & Heubert Space Dye Open Cardigan

LOVED this top, but Navy? Meh... Colibri Sleeveless Top

Liked this scarf, but not in gray. Emily Lightweight Chevron Infinity Scarf

I kinda liked this shirt, but I wasn't crazy about the color combination. (Pomelo) Priya Graphic Chevron Print

So, all in all, it wasn't terrible. I am still thinking I should have kept the pants... but I just couldn't justify another pair of black pants for almost $100. 

Today, my second box came in and I'm SO glad that I stuck with it! I'm keeping the whole box. EVERYTHING in this fix is perfect. I just cannot wait to wear this stuff! 

Each fix comes with these cards that help you work the pieces into your wardrobe. 

Holden Scoop Neck Blouse- how CUTE is this Navy and Hot Pink shirt?! 

Ernesto Striped Fitted Dress- This dress feels so nice and comfortable. The pattern is fun and makes the basic black and white NOT basic! 

Colibri Paisley Print Sleeveless Top- AHH! I was SO excited because I loved the one from my first fix, but I wanted a brighter color. My stylist delivered! 

Leanne Infinity Drop Earrings- Might not have bought this  on it's own, but I do love them.

I also got the Daisy Mini Skirt and I love that as well. However, it came in a Large and it's just a little snug on me right now. Hopefully, it will give me the motivation I need to start working out some so I can get into it and feel comfortable wearing it. It sits higher up on the waist and the length is still past my fingertips, so it's not too short. I think it will look GREAT with my Holden hot pink top as well. I will go ahead and tell you that after my $20 credit (the styling fee you pay to get started is credited back to you on your first purchase!) and the discount for buying all 5 items, my total was just over $150! I'd say that was a GREAT purchase for these items that I am going to be LOVING this summer! 

My tips are the same as anyone else that has done a StitchFix! Be honest in your questionnaire, build a good Pinterest Board (feel free to check mine out!) and communicate with your stylist on their website. It's so simple and I just can't tell you how fun it is to receive these clothes. Being a mom it's nearly impossible for me to really take my time to shop for myself. I love having someone else pick out the items and ship them to me. It's totally worth the investment and I'm happy to recommend this service! Please, feel free to use my referral link! When your friends use your referral link, YOU get a $25 credit towards your next fix- this is really a win-win! 

Why I love Disney... Or why I don't care if you don't want to visit Walt Disney World.

Growing up, my family life was less than ideal. Of course, everyone wants to imagine their childhood has a blissful time where life was easy and perfect, but even with a pair of rose colored glasses firmly in place, that's just not the case for myself.

Recently, I was asked to share my life history. I shared growing up without knowing my biological father, moving around a lot, emotional and physical abuse I suffered from my mother and how I have worked hard to get to where I currently am in my life. At the end of my spiel, someone asked "Wait- you love Disney and that NEVER came up. How does that fit into your history?" Great question.

As I stopped to think, it felt very easy for me to answer. The Walt Disney World Resort provides amazing experiences that I know my kids will never forget. And even if they forget, then I can remind them with the thousands of photographs that I have from our four family trips. I want happy memories for my kids. Memories that I didn't have from my immediate family. I want my girls to be happy and secure knowing that even when things are tough, that we can still stop and have fun and enjoy each other.

Selfie in front of Spaceship Earth! 

Not only do we have our family vacations to Walt Disney World, but a few years ago, I applied for the Disney Parks Mom Panel. To my surprise, I was accepted into the second round of the process- which according to my vast research (hours spent chatting online with other applicants) isn't very normal. While I did not make the panel, it actually helped inspire me to look at my life and think about other dreams that I had set aside.

I LOVE making client's wishes come true! 

At 32 years old, I decided to go back to school for MY dream. Cosmetology. My mother had never liked the idea and squashed the chance I had to attend Cosmetology school right after I graduated high school. Would I have decided to do this without the Walt Disney Company? Perhaps? But I really do believe that getting that close to working for Disney inspired me to reach out to ALL dreams that I have in my life. Now, I'm working in my field and a small business owner. Had you asked me even 3 years ago, I would NOT have believed you.

Another dream of mine has been writing. I have enjoying writing this blog- but lets face it. I've been less than committed to this small little blog. I've always enjoyed social media outlets- BabyCenter and the DisBoards were two places I was able to write and connect. About a year ago, I was asked to join the team at Magical DIStractions- combining my love for Disney and writing. I'm amazed at how our team has come together and how my passion for writing has bubbled to the surface.

I'm so grateful for the path that my life has taken as I have gotten older. It's been a lot of tough work and hard decisions. Nothing in my life has come easily- but honestly, I wouldn't want it to be easy. Perhaps I wouldn't appreciate where I am now if I didn't have to work to get where I am today.

So, don't go to Disney if you don't want to go- that just means less crowds for me. I'll be saving my pennies and looking forward to our next family trip.

Choosing to NOT be overwhelmed.

How does one become addicted to social media? I suppose that I have to be careful in this, since I am writing this on a blog, which one could argue is a form of social media. But I need to get the feelings out, and I haven't kept a diary in years. Plus, not many ever read this. So it's kind of like my own diary.

Our church has just finished a series titled Overwhelmed. I work in the children's church twice a month, so I feel like I have been missing out on some important messages. One thing that I have been feeling lately is overwhelmed with working and social media.

Taking on the responsibility of starting my own business by booth renting has added a new stress that I was unprepared for after graduating. I had PLANNED to work at a corporate salon. I had PLANNED that I wouldn't need to bother with booth renting for a while. However, God always seems to laugh at my plans... After all, I never planned on living in the Cornfields of Illinois. I had happily decided I would live in the south all of my life. I have lived in SEVERAL Southern States. In fact, it's easier to tell you the Southern States I have not lived in (VA, SC, LA, TX and AR, rather than list the ones I have.

I'm a very social person. I enjoy being around people and I love having lots of friends. I often say being a best friend is a tier not a position. I have lots of "best friends" because I have moved a lot and had new starts. So you can see that "social" media would be something that I would be totally into, right?

Social media sucks you in and gives you a false sense of community. Not saying that there isn't a community there to have, but at the same time, an online community isn't the same as flesh and bone. It's hard to read and understand the typed word, so intent and meaning is often missed. It's easy to find people you can connect with, yet do you really know them? Do they know your heart? Do they see how much you care and do they return that same level of love for you?

Every time I move, I find myself falling deeper into a social media trap. Funny thing, I haven't moved recently. I just fell into the trap of being overwhelmed by social media. I need to take a break and breathe. And so I am. I even deleted the FB and Twitter apps from my phone. It's very hard- it is SO easy to tap and click. I have about 800 statuses or tweets floating around in my head. But I need to take the break. I need to remember what is important is my family.

Another year, another trip!

I'm so lucky to have a family that enjoys traveling to Disney Parks as much as I do. I never intended for our family to end up at Walt Disney World so often. I thought when we took our first trip in 2010 that we'd go every few years. However, that quickly changed and we have gone again in 2012 and 2014- not to mention a "girls trip" with my best friend this past summer. Now, we are just weeks away from another trip for our family and I'm getting so excited and antsy!

We decided to make this trip a surprise for our daughters and it's been quite an adventure keeping quiet. I'm hoping that we can make it. We've told them that we were going to the "big city" and that we'll be watching the new Cinderella movie at a fancy theater that has a restaurant. Both of those are truthful statements. LOL We will be spending the night at a hotel in the big city... near the airport! LOL  And then we will be heading to the AMC Fork and Screen at Downtown Disney to watch the Cinderella movie one night.

But the hardest part has been keeping quiet. The girls have been on a kick watching as many Disney Park videos as possible. Thank you YouTube for providing literally hours of entertainment! It's going to be amazing to see their smiling faces when we wake them up early to head to the airport!

My #DisneySide Box is HERE!

I have received free products in order to host a Disney Side @ Home Celebration! The opinions expressed here are my own.

The day has FINALLY arrived! My box containing the items Disney is providing for my #DisneySide Party has arrived!  For information about the party check out the DisneySide Celebrations Website! I could not be more pleased with the items in my kit and I cannot wait to host the party TOMORROW! Yes! You read that correctly! I received my box this morning and I'm hosting a party tomorrow morning! Do you think I'm crazy? Because, quite possibly... I am! 

Of course, I know MANY bloggers and party hostess waited to open their boxes with their children. Ha! Like I could wait all day for them to come home to open this box... not likely! LOL 

So, everyone wants to know... WHAT'S IN THE BOX!? Without any further ado! Here it is! 

My box! I was so happy to hear that big Brown truck! 

AHH!!! Look at all that stuff!  

I just couldn't believe how much was in the box! 

I can't wait! I don't even have to do many dishes, thanks to those awesome Sofia snack holders! Table  cloth, luggage tags for my friends!

Table decorations, plates, napkins!  

Some great small gifts for door prizes as well as a fun activity for the girls- A barrett maker!  

Princess Nail Polishes, Sofia crowns, Pin-The-Smile-On-Mickey game and a chore chart! 

I also received a Mickey Head cake pan. I have a good friend who has a home bakery who agreed to take my cake pan as well as the Duff Cake mix to create a cake for our party TOMORROW! Watch for my post later this weekend on Magical DIStractions about my party! I can't wait to share with you all about my party with my sweet kids and friends!

So excited... over a label?

It's the nature of the beast. Something exciting happens and you aren't sure if anyone else will understand how excited you are... so you worry about even saying it out loud.

But I can't keep it inside! My shipping label for the #DisneySide @ Home Celebration party has been created!!! YAY!

HOW can I be so excited over a label that has been printed?? I don't know, but the excitement is certainly there and I cannot wait! I'm really wanting to have the party soon and if this ships quickly, then I will have my box in my pretty little hands next week! Of course, I'm also mentally preparing myself for the fact that this could simply be printing today and not shipped until Monday. If that is the case, then I may be in for a longer wait. 

I'm planning on hosting the party in the morning and serving brunch style snacks for the kids. I have been pinning away all of my ideas. I can't wait to get my kit so I can get this party started! 

It's official!

It's official! I have passed my Illinois State Cosmetology boards! Now, all I have to do is file to get a license and find a job. I passed with a 92, and you have to make at least a 75. The test was hard in a lot of ways, because it was NOTHING like the tests that I took as a student. In school our tests were very vocabulary driven and you had to know all these technical terms. The test hardly had any technical terms and I felt like the test was pretty much common sense. The questions read more like something that comes up everyday rather than a hard vocabulary test. But luckily, since I knew my vocabulary, the test came somewhat easily to me.

Sadly, I thought I had a job lined up with a national salon company, but I found out yesterday that the salon would be closing in February. The salon manager was very nice and sad that she had recruited me only to end up unable to hire me because of something out of her control. However, I know that one door closing, just means that God clearly has something else in mind for me. I will figure out my employment status soon enough.

Good news though, I can still do hair on my own anytime I want! And now that I'm licensed, I can charge! LOL I'll still probably just ask for my friends to give what they can. Over the holiday break, I was able to do a few hair cuts as well as create the perfect ombre for my niece! It's so much fun creating a new look for someone.

Of course, if I could just move to Orlando and work at one of the Spas or even the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutiques, that would be wonderful. A friend suggested that I do princess makeover parties for kids- and you know, I could do that! LOL If I was in a more urban area, I might look into it, but I'm afraid this rural life wouldn't make that a good long term goal. We shall see though! I might look into it just to do for friends.

I'm hosting a #DisneySide @Home Celebration!

I'm so excited! 

I have been chosen to host a Princess themed preschool party! My two princesses will be so excited to host a practically perfectly princess party! Thanks to my friends online, I learned about the #DisneySide @ Home Celebration  and decided to join. Since I have this blog and I barely use it, I figured I better start using it a little bit. This party is really the perfect fit for my family's #DisneySide, since my two girls think they belong in princess dresses 100% of the time! I bet the hardest part of the day will be picking out the dress they plan on wearing! I can't wait to start planning.

I promise to start sharing more of my personal life, our life with the band, my #DisneySide and my professional Cosmetology stuff!

I have just finished my cosmetology program at Lake Land College and will be starting my new career very soon! My favorite

For more about my #DisneySide make sure you check out Magical DIStractions

All that is pinned is NOT real

I started back to school in January and I've learned SO much about haircare. I'm thrilled that I decided to go back to school and follow my dreams! 

I'd like to take a moment- not that it will be widely read or seen, but I think it's important none the less. Whenever you see a beautiful vibrant color that is clearly not natural, there is a chance that what you are looking at isn't real. There are some AMAZING companies out there that can be used to create some great looks (I have personally used Pravana Vivids and Pastels and Scruples Urban Shock- both are great). But sometimes, people create these looks with a few clicks of the mouse. So, make sure when you are researching your next look that your expectations and desires are obtainable!   

So, not saying these looks couldn't be achieved... but... 

Know what you are looking at could be fake! :) 

Breakfast Casserole

Once again, I'm using my blog to save recipes that I come up with so I can recreate them later and not forget how I did it! LOL

½ a bag of Turkey Sausage crumbles
4 large eggs
a few heaping tablespoons of Italian seasoned Diced Tomatoes
1ts of Rancher Seasoning from Wildtree
1c of shredded cheddar
1 can of Grand's biscuits
1 TB of butter

First, I preheated the oven to 350 and used my butter to grease my pan. I cut the biscuits into quarters and laid them in the casserole dish. I mixed all the other ingredients together and poured it on top of the biscuits. It was very tasty, but I think next time I will add more cheese.

Patchwork Sweet Potato Casserole

So, Tomorrow is Turkey Day! I decided that since I'm kinda throwing a couple of recipes together, I'd write up a blogpost about the sweet potato casserole that I'm working on. That way, I'll be able to reference back to it later. 

3 Large Sweet Potatoes (I didn't peel them, but I'm kinda lazy like that.)
1/4 cup of melted butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
dash of Pumpkin Pie seasoning (Don't judge me… I didn't have cinnamon. It works!) 
Marshmallows

Boil the sweet potatoes until tender and drain.  I used my handy-dandy-NOT-Kitchenaid Mixer to mix all these ingredients together. This is what it looked like in my 9 inch Pyrex Pie plate. 

So, I prepped this the night before, and so on Thanksgiving morning, I had my girls cover the top with marshmallows and cooked it until it was brown and bubbly on top! :) 

It was yummy! :) I liked how creamy it was! I didn't want anything dense, so that's why I skipped the eggs that so many recipes had. 

This post that decided to write itself…

Yeah, I got lost in the last few years… I started this blog with the intentions of writing about my boring little life for my family and friends while I was away from my beloved home state. Except, then my family stopped being what I expected it to be, and I made the healthy choice and removed them from my life. Things after that were GREAT, but I stopped blogging, because I didn't want them to have access to my boring little life anymore. Somethings have changed over the past year, so while I still do not want some of my family to be in my life, I'm going to blog. For me. And if you read this, well, then great.

If you are reading this (which, um… yeah….), I want you to know that just because you are related to someone by blood, that doesn't give them the right to mistreat you or undermine you. Sometimes people change and sometimes they don't. You have my permission (because clearly, you were waiting on it) to stop inviting people you don't want around into your life. Congratulations.

I also want you to know that if someone trusts you with something BIG then respect that arrangement and guard it with your life. They selected YOU to hand information and decisions to about a part of their lives. Honor that.

I am honored to be married to a band director… and my girls (yes, two- in case you didn't know) love being in the band environment on a regular basis. The littlest one may not be able to sit through a concert yet, but she already has an appreciation for the music.

And my girls… they are the LIGHT of my life. But sometimes, I just want to make it until bedtime so I can crash. Except I often end up being WIDE awake and unable to fall asleep… like right now! Oh well. It will be fine and I'll sleep when I'm old.

Where did the time go

Yikes! Someone is gonna take away my blogging rights if I don't get on here soon, huh? I never intended to get so behind!!

Well, first things first!!! In case you missed it... Our little family is expanding! Yup! Looks like the "Cortlyn Adventures" will be getting a new name here soon. We were caught by surprise, but are very excited about our April addition to the family! So, for now, we'll call the baby The Bean and just pray that everything goes smoothly! Cortlyn wants a baby sister- and she doesn't fall for any tricks! She knows she wants a girl. I'm sure she will be a super big sister!

Football is in full swing at USM! Cortlyn and I enjoyed a WONDERFUL game last week. Even going to the top of the stadium to watch the band at halftime. It was great! This past game was on TV and on a friday night. That didn't work for the Prego and Tired Christen, so Cortlyn and I stayed home. :( BUT in two weeks, one of my best friends Stephanie will be here and we'll leave the girls with a sitter and enjoy the game together! Cannot wait! Cortlyn is looking forward to "Sepony and Anyah" coming to the house!

Hopefully, I'll be able to get on here more often. I've been a little preoccupied planning our family trip to Disney World in December and now with the new Bean, I've just not gotten on here as much! I promise to try to get on and post more often!!!

Ready for some Football!

So, we are gearing up for another GREAT year of Southern Miss Golden Eagles Football! Woohoo! This year, Cortlyn and I are officially members of the PRIDE of Mississippi Marching Band. Doesn't she look professional? Well, defiantly look cute, right?

I really do enjoy the football season! And I'm sure that this season will be just as great as last year. Corey is having a great year with the GA's so far and things are running so smoothly. We are on the downhill slide of this DMA thing. Hopefully, we will be settling in back in the Atlanta area in a year??? Who knows. The fact is, we are open to going where God opens the door. We're hearing good things about openings across the country, so as always, we will be praying and keeping a good eye on the ATL.

My work is going really well, and in fact, I'm starting to work in a different department with more responsibility this week. I'm very excited after talking to the director of my dept. I am grateful for a job and training in the medical field. I really have enjoyed working in Nephrology, but I'm looking forward to a more challenging department.

Joining "Wear a Dress Tuesday"

So, I like to read what my friends read out here on the Internet. I mean, some of the BEST blogs I read are gems that I stumbled on! So, every once in a while I check out the people who follow this blog and see what they (YOU) are reading!

My SIL/friend has been blogging and reading blogs for a long time and I joined her in this Internet world several years ago. When I was active on Xanga, many of her blogging friends became MY blogging friends. She has really good taste in what to read! So, when I saw she was following a blog called The Strength of Faith, I knew it had to be good.

I read through some of the blogs about a young woman who is working as a Chaplain Intern at a trauma center in Atlanta. Wow. What an amazing job. Then I noticed this button on the side of her page, and I clicked it and it took me here to explain her movement to encourage women to wear a dress on Tuesdays. What an idea! Really? Yup. I am ALL over this. I immediately passed the link to one of my best friends who has really been struggling over the last year and I said we HAD to do this. You know what? It didn't change the world... it didn't bring me more money... it didn't make me popular. But it did ONE thing. It lifted MY spirits and I knew that there were other women who needed encouragement and strength that were all joining together for Wear a Dress Tuesdays. My best friend here at my new job in Southern Mississippi just HAPPENED to wear a dress last Tuesday, and when I shared the idea with her, she jumped in- she has an all or nothing attitude that I LOVE. Our daughters are in dresses, we are in dresses and we are telling all the women that we work with- ITS WEAR A DRESS TUESDAY! (Yes... later I will post a picture....)

I think its a wonderful thing! And if you can't wear a dress due to your work requirements, then wear one AFTER work. You will be glad you did!

Proper Mommy attire.

This post is going to take away from the usually blogs about our wonderful Superstar Cortlyn, and be a little more personal. I'm hoping to sprinkle the musing about our family life with some other stories from my day to day life.

Today, we will again return to the water and to the swim lessons. As I said before, Cortlyn has been taking Mommy and Me swim lessons and there were two other Mommy and Me Couples. T & K's mommies were nice women and our daughters were close to the same age.

Now, you have to understand. I'm living in a little Deniallandtopia. I have gained a few pounds since moving to Southern Mississippi. I credit that to Cortlyn weaning and from being slightly depressed about leaving all of my friends behind in Georgia- but mostly, I think that my clothes all shrunk in this Mississippi water. Therefore, I'd like to think that the fact that my pants no longer fit is because they have shrank and not that I have actually eaten too many burgers... or nachos... or ice cream. I know I'm out of shape, but I like to pretend that I'm still the same girl I was a year ago. And I'd like to be able to BE that girl without having to diet or exercise. Thankyouverymuch!

Back to our story. The first two days of the class, all three of the mommies wore tankini's. I felt confident standing next to these women, because, well, in Deniallandtopia, we all looked the same. Until day three. On day three, K's mommy wore a two piece that while not a bikini, was showing more of her mid drift than I was. So, I might have been a teeny tiny bit jealous. I mean, she had no noticeable stretch marks. And *I* had no stretch marks until my daughter decided to be stubborn and late. She didn't have a 6 pack, but her ab muscles were definitely there. I'm not sure if I have ab muscles anymore. I do have a nice cushion to hide them though- I see it as protection if nothing else. Pretty much, I wanted to poke her in the eye. And you know what's worse?? She's a really really nice young mom that I would love to hang out with.

So, I have decided that Mommy and Me classes should have a dress code of a MuMu. MuMus should be worn to protect the fragile self mirror image in another mommy's head. You think about this, while I sit here and eat my lunch and contemplate my dinner and dessert for the evening.

Water Fun

This week was Cortlyn's first swim lessons! The child loves the water, so we thought we better stay ahead of the game and get her in some lessons!

We are in a Mommy and me class and there are two other mommy and daughters. Cortlyn has done great this week. We have worked on floating, kicking and jumping in the water. Cortlyn was ahead of the game as far as jumping in and going under water. The other little girls don't like to get their face wet- but not Cortlyn! If you have ever been with us when we are near water, then you know how much fun Cortlyn has going under the water! She jumps in without hesitation... but more on that in a minute.

Cortlyn's weakness in the lessons this week had been floating on her back. She did NOT like that at all. Which I understand. I remember when I was little and trying to learn to float on my back. Its hard to believe that keeping your head back will make you float better- I mean you can't SEE anything that way! Cortlyn did finally get the hang of it, and I barely had to hold her booty or head... yay! Kicking has been pretty decent, sometimes she's really into it and sometimes she's not so much.

On Thursday, we were waiting for the instructor to tell us to get in the water so we could start the lessons. Cortlyn was standing RIGHT next to me and kept asking to get in the water. Then, all of a sudden, I heard a splash- yup. Cortlyn had jumped into the water by herself. I was so scared, but calmly jumped in and grabbed her. She came to the surface smiling and I had to get on to her. I had a hard time with that. It was really the first time that I was happy she was okay, yet knew I had to discipline her for her action. We got out of the water and I told her how sad (an emotion I know that she understands) and scared (one that I don't think we've quite gotten down yet) Mommy was when Cortlyn jumped into the water by herself. I told her that she is NEVER allowed to jump into the water unless Mommy is there to catch her. I also made her sit in time out, against the wall near the pool while the instructor started the lesson. I only did this for a minute- I AM paying for these lessons after all! Anyway, she told me and the instructor that she was sorry and she was very good for the rest of the lesson. Hopefully this will teach her to be more cautious around the water now!

Crazy Summer

Wow. Its been a year! We have survived our first year here in Hattiesburg! We are excited for the future and are on the downhill slope. The chances for Corey getting a great job next year seem pretty good, we already know of several openings in different states for the 2011 school year and we are sure that more will open up. We have a lot to consider as we gear up for finding a job! Of course, our first choice would be to end up back in the North Georgia area, but we are NOT being closed minded! If God opens doors in Texas, Florida or Arizona, that's where we will go!

On Father's day we ended up going to a local lake park. Nothing like Lake Lanier, but it was a blast. Cortlyn enjoyed swimming and playing in the sand and the adults got to go out on some jet ski's! Cortlyn got to go out in a tube for the first time. which was scary and fun at the same time. Of course, Mommy rode with her, but she seemed to have a good time!

We've been so busy lately! For the Fourth, we traveled to Birmingham to see our friends Stephanie, Scotlon & Alaina. It was a perfect time to rest and hang out! I would post pictures, but because I aim low, I left my camera! Stephanie is suppose to be mailing it to me... at some point!

Cortlyn is officially big enough to be turned around to forward facing. While the "law" says they can be turned at one year and 20 pounds, research shows that staying rear-facing to the limits of the car-seat is the safest! Cortlyn actually was sort of shocked when we turned her in our car. She is a tall little girl, with short legs (like her momma!) and we have her in the tallest carseat shell we can afford. She's growing up so fast!
Football/Marching season is quickly approaching. Just thinking about the football games and the excitement of the pre-game festivities makes me want to wear my Gold and black!

Happy Father's Day!

What a cute photo shoot! Cortlyn was happy to show off the letters over at USM for her daddy! She was such a ham! Our friend Julie came and took the pictures with her nice camera and as soon as my little model saw the camera she was posing! Of course, keeping it a secret from Daddy required some skills- luckily I can pull off a pleasant surprise!