The Real Me...

Some fun things I've found on Pinterest that are totally me, and maybe I'm a little embarrassed to admit...but hey, we're all friends here right?

What about you guys? Feel like admitting to anything crazy about yourself? Come across any great Pinterest finds that totally nailed your personality and/or quirks??

And, another thing, I didn't create any of these, so evidently there are some other similar souls out there just like me!

Wordless Wednesday: Will Someone Please Play Ball With Me?

Things We Don't Talk About

                                                                                         Source: jennycookies.com via Diane on Pinterest

I had my very first mammogram last Wednesday.

I'm 36, so it was my baseline mammogram. The technician pretty much scared me to death. She said almost everyone is called back after their first mammogram because every single little speck is looked at to be sure you are clear and good. Then, if all goes well, you don't have to come back until you are 40. At that point, if anything shows up, they can go back to the baseline and see how it's changed.

Sounds corny, but I consider it a one of life's passages, something that once seemed so far away, but now it's passed.

I remember days my mother would have to go in for her mammogram, she dreaded it so. She'd talk about how uncomfortable it was and honestly, it scared me to think I'd have to endure the procedure one day.

Honestly, I'd been dreading it for so long, but knew if I didn't have it done before I went to my next annual check-up, I would be sure to hear it from my Dr. And no one likes a lecture from their doctor. I fished the referral document from the depths of my purse and called the clinic to schedule an appointment. I thought, hey, maybe they can fit me in this month, maybe not. I'm OK with whatever. When the receptionist responded, "Want to come in tomorrow?" I paused. No, I don't want to come in tomorrow, that is too soon - and totally doesn't give me enough time to mentally prepare for this.

So I said, "How about something next week?" Sure, something next week - that would give me time to e-mail my closest friends and tell them I was taking the big step. They'd e-mail me back and say "yep, I really need to do that too" or "it's not as bad as everyone says."

The thought of my breast being flattened like a pancake was certainly not something I was looking forward to. But, I did it, I survived and no one told me I wasn't supposed to wear deodarent. And I did remember to shave, so one point for me.

It wasn't as bad as I thought, and it shouldn't be something that is so dreaded.  It saves lives. It gives us a chance to fight that ugly monster we call cancer. It gives us just a little bit of control over what's happening inside, which feels good to me.

Yes, I did get the letter that they saw something a bit off, and I have another appointment this Friday. But as the technician said, it's pretty common to get called back, and I'm not nervous about it. My mom, on the other hand, e-mailed, called and texted me numerous times this morning to remind me to schedule that follow up appointment (as moms do).

So what's my point? (And I do have one)

If you're putting it off, don't.
If you're wanting to take control of your health, do.
If you've heard stories of how bad it is,
think about how bad it can be.
And that's pretty much it.

*The American Cancer Society recommends that a woman obtain her first baseline mammogram between the ages of 35 to 40. After the age of 40, she should receive a yearly mammogram.  

 

2012 Pantone Color of the Year: Tangerine Tango

Tangerine Tango 2012 by southernstuff featuring vintage evening dresses

Southern Sayings Series

Now that's a mouth-full!

I had some requests to add another piece to the southern sayings series, to make three that could be framed side-by-side. Mike and I brainstormed a good "southernism" and finally landed on "I'm Fixin To". A very common saying in the south for sure!

It's now available in the shop as a individual print, or you can buy the whole set of three southern sayings! Would look adorable framed beside each other in a hallway, bathroom, kitchen - pretty much anywhere!!

 

Visit the shop to purchase your prints now!

Whirlwind Weekend

Walker and I sped off to the beach this weekend for a quick trip to see my in-laws, niece and niece's fiance! Yes, we have a wedding to plan - and I'm so excited! They are getting married at the beach in the fall (which gives me plenty of time to get skinny, and motivation to do so). And I think it will even give me enough time to find something to wear.

It was a quick trip, but relaxing all the same. My sister-in-law's father-in-law died Saturday morning and my niece had to leave earlier than expected. But we did pick a location, which is very exciting.

Walker missed his daddy, couldn't wait to get back home to watch football with him, but he did get in some target practice with the BB gun Pappa gave him. We start 'em young down here in the south.

We got home around 4:00 this afternoon. Mike and I unpacked the car and I headed to the mall. The boys were good to go with NFL on the tube, and I needed some retail therapy - specifically, shoes. I think just about everything at the mall was on sale, except the pair of shoes I purchased. I could seriously spend hours in Nordstrom. They kicked me out when the doors closed at 6:00. And I still smell good from all the perfume samples I tried. Givenchy Dahlia Noir was my fave, in case you cared. Good Valentine's day present, yes? Someone tell Mike.

Tomorrow I'm meeting my gorgeous, fabulous, athletic neighbor to go walking at 5:00 am. Shoot me. We did it last Thursday, and I was glad I got it out of the way, but the thought of it right now at 11:00 pm on a Sunday night doesn't excite me too much. But if I'm gonna get skinny by fall (and participate in that little triathlon thingy I signed up for), it's gotta start somewhere. Preferably, not at 5:00 am in the morning, but there you are.

And off we go...have a great week!

Spiffing Things Up A Bit

With the new year typically comes new motivation for me to get moving on home projects. Our house is 26 years old and we've now been here almost 6 years. We waver back and forth between moving in a year or two, or sticking around and adding all the bells and whistles we want.

Since we only have one child, we don't need  a huge house, but the one thing I'd love to have is a screened-in porch - so I wouldn't be eaten alive every time I walk outside between the months of April and October...

But in the meantime, I continue to make tweaks and changes around here. Mostly because it's fun for me, mostly because I'm OCD and when I get an idea in my head I must follow through with it...

So, thanks to some moola from my dad and the hubby for Christmas, I accomplished a couple of projects over the holidays. Two major rooms I'm focusing on this year are the master bedroom and the downstairs bath.

First up, downstairs bath:

When we moved in, the downstairs bath had awful blue and green wallpaper, green fake marble sink top and ugly floors. I immediately bought a new, white sink top, put down peel and stick tile for the floors and laboriously scrapped wallpaper off the walls.I ripped that huge glass square mirror down and hung a cute round one, and added a couple of pics of Walkie to cheer it up a bit.

So here's where we stand now.

I know, pretty boring. And I could have at least closed the toilet lid for the pic...oh well...

So since that was basically just lipstick for the pig, I'm doing it up a little nicer this time around. New wallpaper (because the walls are in horrible shape). New tiles for the floor and some fun accents via accessories and a fun shower curtain. As you can see, it's not a big space - basically the guest bathroom/powder room for downstairs, but it has a shower, so considered a full bath. Pretty much all I've nailed down for now is the wallpaper..but that was long process in itself...

I looked and looked and looked for wallpaper that wasn't going to kill my budget. The first wallpaper I picked was about $450.00 for two rolls, so I had to come back down to earth and choose something else. This pretty silver-backed grasscloth gives a little bling and some texture at the same time, so I'm excited to see it go up - and two rolls run you about $70.00. That, I can handle.

It's ordered, so now I've just got to find someone to get it up on the walls - I do not do wallpaper and don't think I will ever attempt it myself. Can't wait to show you the after pics once it's up!

Until then I'm still on the search for ways to spruce up the rest of the room. I'm definitely putting down white or off-white ceramic tile, but haven't pulled that trigger yet. I find bathrooms so hard to pull together, so I'm eager for any fun shower curtains or bathroom decor ideas you've seen. Anyone else bathroom-challenged like me?

Begin Again

                   Source: google.com via Holly on Pinterest

Yep, it's that time again when we start anew. A chance to begin again I suppose, with new goals and new perspectives on things. As in most years, I've got a couple of goals for myself. Some I've already started working on, some I really need to get going on and some that are going to kick my butt this year!

I received this quote in my e-mail earlier this week and I think it's going to be my mantra for 2012:

At any moment, you have the ability to dramatically change any area of your life, or follow your heart's deepest desires. It's yours to create, any way you want it. Craig Townsend

I really like the idea that I can have an effect on my own destiny (outside of what God has planned of course) at any point and time and it's really up to me to make things happen. All it takes is a change in my mindset - which sounds so very easy, but often I find that changing myself is always the hardest task to achieve.

Sometimes I find myself feeling sorry because I don't have that promotion I really want, don't have the perfect house, the perfect dog/son/husband - but quite frankly - who does? And if we had perfection in those areas, we'd certainly probably complain about something else. 

So my goals for this year are:

1. Spend less time with my phone.
   I've gotten an awful habit of picking up my phone to check e-mail, play a little game, check Facebook or send a text just because I can. When I'm at home with Walker and Mike, I want to be fully present, which I can't be when the phone is always there. So, yesterday I actually deleted Facebook and all my games from my phone. I made a effort to put it on the shelf when I walked in the door and not pick it up until after Walker had gone to bed. And I survived.
2. Exercise more.
   Yeah, yeah. I know what you're going to say - she says this every year. And I do. So this year, I'm totally going to bring it because I've actually signed up for the Ramblin' Rose Triathlon in Chapel Hill in October this year. And I told all my friends on Facebook. And now I'm telling you. Cause if I tell everyone, I have to do it and can't chicken out. This race is just for women and everyone says it's a great way to start getting into shape. The triathlon includes a 250 yard swim - 9 mile bike - 2 mile run. Yep, it's on.
3. Read more parenting books. Remember previously, Walker was having some issues at school as far as behavior. We've really been working with him on keeping his hands to himself and teaching him personal space and he's getting there. I've been reading the book "Raising Your Spirited Child" and there are so many great ideas in there for how to be a better parent to a child that is a bit more outgoing, energetic and strong-willed - stuff I would never have thought of on my own - and let's face it, most moms I've tried to talk to about it just deny their children have any issues instead of conversing with me on the subject. So, I've learned that the way my parents raised me may not work with my son, and that the world is a lot different now and we have to adjust. Next up on my list is "How to Talks so Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk". To be continued...
4. Focus. Yes mom, as you've said, I'm probably ADD. And I have OCD issues and constantly thinking of things in my head. I've found that it's sometimes hard to sit at a desk all day when you're like this and sometimes I'm not as focused on things as I need to be. So I'm making a conscious effort to call myself out when I'm not focused on what's at hand, and redirect myself to one thing at a time (most of time).  
5. Read more scripture. I always thought life was supposed to get easier as you get older, more established and more financially secure, but I'm starting to get this whole "more money, more problems" thing. And to not drive myself into a worrisome, anxiety-ridden fit, I must lean on the Lord more...and I just realized this contradicts #1, but I installed an app on my phone that has a devotion and scripture for each day of the year. Since my phone is the first thing I grab when I wake, I'm going to make a habit of clicking on this app first thing. Getting some religion, it's good for me.
   
   
   And I think that's about all I can handle for now..stay tuned...

Happy New Year!

Happy new year from the Woodall family!
I guess it's still considered the new year...still the first week of the new year at least!

I know, I've not been around lately...but you all know how crazy the holidays can get. What with all this cuteness happening, it's no wonder I couldn't manage to sit down in front of a computer and blog...

I had a little over a week off from work and it was great. Spent some great time with the family, my little man, and actually got some house projects completed! Can't wait to share!

December was also crazy because of the success of the shop - I had more than 200 orders in December! Wow! Thanks for all of your support and interest - I'm adding some new prints soon and will share when they are available!

I also went to a fabulous Pinterest Party (pics to come), was awful sick for 4 days, made some yummy food (recipes to come) and lost 5 lbs over the holidays!  How does one do that??? (see awful sick for 4 days)

So, here's to 2012. I've got some fun things happening and some big goals for this year...so stay tuned!

Christmas Decor from the Dollar Store

One of my favorite Christmas decorations is my small collection of nativity scenes. They are cute little limoges boxes with sweet details and scenes of the birth of Christ.

What I love most about them? They are from the Dollar Store! They sell a new one each year and I always run by there and pick one up. I think they are so sweet and for a dollar - you can't beat it!

These little boxes also make great gifts for Sunday School teachers, neighbors and friends!