Howdy y'all!

We're back from a Christmas up north! We had fun but I'm happy to be back home with my cuddly babies. :)

In these parts, we're getting some real life snow, so I figured I'd just pop in to say hi while I was cozy in bed.

Did everyone have a nice holiday? What did y'all get? Southern Hubby got me an awesome lens for my camera! I was tres excited, especially since I have a class at SMU that I'm taking in February. Can't wait! It's fun to be acutally building up a small arsenal of lenses-- photography is so hard but the results are worth it.

Here are just a few of the pictures from our trip...

Baby Rex, our sweet and utterly adorable cousin.

This was Matty's first Christmas, so of course we had to spoil the heck out of him. Southern Hubby got him some goodies to make up for the past lousy Christmases he spent in the puppy mill.

Southern Hubby and his brother. We were walking to the bar where we ran into this guy...

Guess Santa needs a rum and diet around the holidays like the rest of us...

Southern Hubby's cousin and his wife are due in February. They asked me to take a couple of pictures for them.

We woke up to this type of meal every single morning....yummy sugary goodness. Sadly, I gained almost 5lbs during the holidays. Boo. Guess it's back to my gym after the new year. I'm giving myself a couple more gluttonous days. :)

 

With some cousins-- on our way to see my brother in law play at a bar. He's in an awesome band.

I hope everyone had a fabulous and safe time with friends and family. I have other Christmas goodies I want to share with you in the new year. So, I'll be back soon. Hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year's Eve. Bring on 2010, baby!!

xoxo

College Care Packages 101

If you've been a reader for a while, you'll probably remember me sending college care packages to my sister in college last spring. Well, as of this fall, I have two Southern Sisters in college, so I had to double the goodies.

This year, I decided to send my usual cookie coupons. They were a hit last year, so I included them again. I also went to Starbucks and bought the 'design your own' tumblers. (I couldn't find them online for some reason though.) I decorated them with cute scrapbook paper and put their monogram it. I didn't take a picture of it, but also went ahead and designed super cute Halloween inserts for this season, too. Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday, so I was making them get into the mood with me! ;)

For other ideas, I also put a cute little frame I got from Hobby Lobby, some popcorn bags, Caramel Apple Pops, Blow Pops, a little coin purse I sewed, some hand sanitizer for swine flu protection, some stamps, and rolls of quarters for laundry.

They got them the other day and loved them! I had so much fun putting them all together and hope to make more soon. Now I'm waiting to get those cookie coupons in the mail...

Happy October 1st!!! Love this month!

xoxo Y

Yay! My handwriting is famous!

Did I ever mention how much I love love love Amanda, from Kevin and Amanda? Not only is this gal uber talented in photography but we have mirror lives! She's a stay at home wife who dabbles in photography, has two fur babies, loves all this about handwriting and decorating and traveling and even sewing. My only wish would be that we lived closer to each other. I think I'd be attached to her hip.

Well, Miss Amanda just posted some super cute doodles and fonts on her website and there are some from yours truly! :) Jacks and Matty even got in on the fun! So, if you

want to see what I write like and doodle like, head on over there. :) Oh, and she's hosting a giveaway for me, too. So if you've had your eye on one of my Aniston Littles necklaces, then today is your lucky day! It's a win/win situation, y'all!

Oh, and just to warn you, don't visit her site unless you have a few good uninterrupted hours for pure eye candy. I could read her blog for hours. There's so much to learn, see and get there. Photography, cooking recipes, blog tips and tutorials. She's pretty much a blog genius and I'm so happy to call her a friend. :) Oh, and she a Southerner to boot. Can't beat that!

Sororities & Dress Ideas

Preppy Button Love

Have you noticed my new button on the sidebar? I finally got around to designing one and that inspired me to start a new feature on my blog. I'll be joined in hosting with one of my favorite preps, Hopsy!

Each week, we'll both feature a fab preppy blogger. It will sort of be like we're introducing you to a friend that you might not have known about otherwise. :) Social networking for the preppy blog crowd, lol. And we'll give that girl her very own button to show she was featured. That's about all we've figured out so far. We still need to decide on a name. Any suggestions? We'll be starting in late August (busy summer schedules, you know?)

I'm really excited about this, y'all! Don't forget to snag a member button. By doing so, you'll put yourself in group to get chosen from. It's our way of seeing who we can choose from and your way of giving us permission to feature your blog and use your pictures and/or quotes.

And thanks to those who entered the Vineyard Vines giveaway yesterday. If you haven't, head on over there and enter. It ends on the 29th.

Happy "My very first Kindle arrives today!" Day to me!
xoxo Y

UPDATE: Click here to get simple instructions on how to add a button to your blog.

Q & A Part 2: Tassels, Moms and Paint Colors

Thanks for coming back! Here are the last few questions. I left out those that had already been answered previously, so check back in the archives if your question wasn't answered. :)

Did you relationship with your mom change after you got married?

The majority of my relationship changes occurred when I went off to college. Before I did, my mother and I butted heads all the time. Our relationship was very tumultuous. We were the same, her and I- stubborn, spoiled, opinionated, did I mention stubborn?

Since I left the house, I think we've both mellowed out. Meeting Southern Hubby has had such an amazing impact on my personality. Marrying him made me put someone else first for once. When I became a wife, I got involved in my Catholic church and once again became interested in my faith and strengthening my relationship with God. My mother has used this time to age wisely- realizing that the little things that tended mess up her day weren't that big of a deal. We both used to be pretty high strung (okay, I still struggle with this) but my mother has really become a more calm and relaxed person.

That being said, we don't fight as much anymore. I see all the stuff she did for me and see that it was for my own good, not because she wanted to ruin my life. I guess you could say I grew up a bit. I definitely wish she we were closer, wish she cried when she saw me in my wedding dress for the first time, wish she came over more often, wish she wanted to go shopping, or to lunch. But I don't think that's the type of relationship we have, for whatever reason. All I can do is pray about it- leave it in God's hands. It is this way for a reason and I don't know what that reason is yet.

I could go into it further, but I'd have to make an emergency appointment with my shrink for Monday. ;)

You poor dear, another household management question! ;) I was wondering what program you used to create your daily schedule- Excel, Word, or something else?

Oh, Lulu! I used Microsoft Word to create my schedule. You can find a picture of it here. But for some reason I wasn't able to get it onto Adobe so that other people can download it. Does anyone have an idea on how to do this? I'd send you a thousand air kisses! I probably should put out another one, as I've changed it up a bit here and there.

I want the sweater you have in the picture with your friends! It's absolutely darling! And your headband matches so well! Where did you get it?

Thanks so much! I love that sweater, too. Both are actually from J.Crew. But they were purchased a couple of years ago. :( I love fashion, but don't like to buy things that are trendy. My style is more preppy classic so that I am able to wear them season after season. And I don't mind spending a little bit more if it's made well because I know it will last a lot longer.

I don't have a blog account but I wanted to know where you get your tassels from. Did you ever get that one you showed us a couple months ago? I really like the way they look.

I make no attempt at hiding my tassel obsession. To date, I have one on every lamp on my downstairs floor. Yes, this is a bit much but I did use the word obsession, didn't I?

My latest tassel gems came from this wonderful Etsy shop! Her name is Megan and her shop is Megitys. I love love love her tassels. You can tell they are made with the best materials and her talent is plainly obvious in the craftsmanship. We did a little trade, some necklaces for some tassels and it was the best decision. And I just headed over there the other day for little looksie and she's having a sale! :) Shop away!

Happy Saturday, y'all! Go pick some flowers and put them in your hair. :)

xoxo Y

My Questions to Your Answers

So, I wasn't expecting questions that required so much soul searching and thought! Y'all know this Southern girl likes to save her brain cells for crunching the budget numbers so she can figure out how to get a Kindle 2! ;) I'm just teasing, but I was really impressed with the questions via comments and email.

Well, let's get started answering them, shall we?

If you could change one thing about your hubby, what would it be?

Hmmm...that is a tough one. I love the man. Love the man, I really do. But sometimes I wish he drove a little faster. He's used to Midwestern driving. Down here in Texas, it's move or get out of the way! In all seriousness I do wish he was born south of the Mason Dixon line. I don't think Yankees really get the passion for traditions that us Southerners have. He doesn't really understand it, so I have to explain things to him that come normal to me. For example, when he first moved here from up north, he was a little weirded out by the amount of "Texas" stores that were in the malls. Yes, we Texans love our state so much that we create stores that have nothing but Texas stuff in them- flags, frames with flags on them, framed Texas flags, flag magnets, flag t-shirts, Texas shaped ice cube trays, flag wrapping paper, well, you get the idea. :)

taken on the shores of Mexico

If you could establish a residence anywhere in the world, where would you go?

This one was a little confusing. I didn't know if she meant to live there permanently or to just have a residence there, like a vacation house.

For a permanent residence and inside the U.S, I'd love to live somewhere up in New England. Love the fall weather there (fall is my fave season!), love the cool temps, love the accents, love the scenery, love the ocean, love it all! :) Of course, I'd have to keep a residence here in Texas. And since we're dreaming, it would be a ranch with a couple of golf holes and putting greens for SH and a tennis court for me. Oh, and a full time baseboard cleaner and mac n' cheese maker.

For a permanent residence outside of the U.S, I think it would have to Turks and Caicos. SH and I had a blast there when we went to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary. We dream of owning a few villas and renting them out to tourists. A year round tan...ahh, that would be the life.

I was wondering if you experience much criticism from relatives, acquaintances or from the blog world for the way you lead your life? I too am similar to you in the ways that I am a housewife with fur children and a baby on the way and I was curious if you did get this kind of criticism, is it often and why do you think you get that kind of treatment, if you do at all? I read some of your past posts and noticed a little bit of an attack coming from some readers who seemed to be bothered by your personal choices.

Well, in a nutshell, yes I did. I have a degree in Education my parents think I'm wasting my degree. A lot of my friends are stay at home mommies themselves, so criticism from friends is not a problem. Outside of my parents, no one really says much. My grandmother loves it, but then again, she literally was a 50's housewife.

Now, the blog world is a whole different beast. I put my own opinions out here cause the majority of the girls/women I reach are housewives/stay at home moms themselves, or they plan on being one after they get married or after they have children. Every so often, I do get a super outspoken gal who wants me to know I'm setting women back to the dark ages and ruining what feminists fought so hard for and yada yada. Unless it is a vicious or mean spirited personal attack, I don't even respond. It doesn't faze me. But when they start getting nasty, that's when I just can't keep my big mouth shut. I tend to let me anger get the best of me. But I'm really working on this and working on a spirit of meekness.

I don't know why all people feel so strongly one way or another. Personally, for me, it's a religious thing. I feel this is where God wants me to be at this point in my life. Do I feel all women should be homemakers? Yes and no. I think God wants us to be a part of a realize the joys of homemaking but there are some women in the world that are meant to have certain careers, just as there are some women for who aren't meant to have/need children. Let's take a nurse in war. Wounded and often spiritually beaten soldiers need the comfort at gentle care that only women can bring to bring them to health. Our soft qualities and traits are often a blessing to the careers women tend to seek- teacher, nurse, hospitality, beauty, etc. (And I'm not saying that men cannot be teachers, nurses, whatever. It's just that we *can* be better at some trades. I know I couldn't be a construction worker!) Does this sound a bit sexist. Yeah, probably. But I'm working hard on not pushing my ideals on others because I don't appreciate when they do it to me. Oh, I can feel the fans of flames coming on! ;)

The Southern Housewife with two of her mama friends

What's the best advice for keeping up with friends who are in different stages of life?

Whew, this one is a toughie. I'm actually going through this issue right now with my friends. At the age we're getting, the majority of SH and my friends are starting to have babies. Like I said prior, we're not quite sure if this whole baby thing is for us. So what does this mean? It means, we don't get invited to kid's birthday parties, which is totally fine with us! lol It means not being in on play dates, park dates, etc. And it doesn't hurt our feelings at all. We understand and those type of events are just not for us. But it does hurt because I miss my pals when I don't see them a lot.

So, we try to make more of an effort to plan adult only events with them. This requires:

• more heads up that what we used to give back when there were no kids. Back then, we could just call each other up and be ready to hang out in 30 mins flat. Now, they need a lot more time to plan because of babysitters and such.


• more of an effort on our part (or those without the kids) to make the actual plans. My friends with kids have a lot going on in their lives with the children. This is not to say we have no lives, but it's a lot easier for us to squeeze in a 30 minute calling/email session setting things up and getting the plans rolling. Is this fair? Nah, not really. But it's what you have to do when you want to see you besties. :)

That's all I have in me right now for answers. I'll get to the others this weekend or Monday. Stay tuned, cause the next ones have a couple of decor info in them. How fun!

I've decided that I'm not going to do another post on meekness. After reviewing my last ones, I think I sort of said it all. Anything else would be a bit redundant.

Happy fun and sun filled Friday! Blessings to you all :)

xoxo Y

UPDATE: I just read the last comment on my previous post from anonymous. That post is really making me think! And don't worry anonymous, in no way did I take it as rude or critical. It really is eye opening and is making me think positive things! Before I answer, I'm going to pray and think some more about it cause I can see how it will be self-improving to do so. Thank you very much for your thoughtfully laid out comments. :) They are very much appreciated!! And please know that those messy rooms did get cleaned up- I should have showed the after pictures. But the gym..yeah, I didn't make it to the gym. ;p -SH

Yay for..

Yay for beautiful flowers, just because.

And yay for a husband so wonderful, I wish I could bottle him up and save him for forever.

Happy to stop and smell the roses.

xoxo Y

Morning update: Since we've been on the Dave Ramsey envelope system, my shopping has plummeted. :( Seeing the cash literally leave your hand really does make it 'hurt' so trust me gals, this works. Anyway, I was looking for a swap to join so I could do some 'guilt free' shopping and found one! It's for Christmas in July and it's hosted by Molly Lou Gifts. Head on over there and sign up- maybe we'll get paired together?! xo- Jennifer

Aniston's Cafe and a Cute Craft

I hope everyone had an awesome Father's Day!

My family, grandparents and godparents came over last night for a big ol' BBQ cookout- steaks, burgers, grilled corn on the cob, potatoes, the works! It was fab and yummy. :) And I was so happy to see my kitchen bustling with the women and aprons in my life.

Each father was served a big, juicy steak which is the tradition around here. Other than eat and gab, we didn't really do much of anything and daddy seemed to have a great time just relaxing and enjoyed being around loved ones. That is what Father's Day is about, after all.

I also wanted to share the little project I have going for today. As most of you know, I don't have children. My dogs are my babies. But the only real baby I have in my life is my niece, Aniston. Okay, so she's not a baby anymore. I don't think 8 years constitutes a baby, but a sentimental aunt can pretend, can't she?

Anyway, a while back, I tried to carve out a little play area for her. With a decidedly child- unfriendly house, I figured she'd appreciate this little area just for her when she comes over. So as of now, we both share my craft room. :)

I set up a little wooden table in there for her and got her a darling tea set. Somehow that made it's way into a restaurant which required some quick thinking on the aunt's part. I typed up printed a cute little menu with easy to add and subtract number totals (once a teacher, always a teacher I guess) and laminated them for her to use over and over. She loves getting out her pad and pen and playing "Aniston's Cafe" whenever she comes for a visit. Somehow each one of us gets suckered into becoming a customer at this little eatery. Which is fine. Cause the food is delicious and the service is great. ;)

But after looking at her playing last night, I realized she was missing a couple things that might make it a bit more fun. I figured I could fashion up some little place mats, napkins and maybe even a waitress apron. We'll see what this ol' aunt can get done on this busy Monday morning.

Happy Monday, ya'll!

xoxo Y

Making Your Home a Haven: Showing Thankfulness

Oooh ya'll! Today, Tammy has a good one for us!

Our challenge for today is to encourage a sense of thankfulness in our home- thankfulness to God for all He's done for us; thankfulness to our sweet husbands who toil daily to take care of their families; thankfulness to friends and family, who support us and pick us up when we need it the most.

Here are some of the ideas she has given us for today:

• Do something for a family member that shows how thankful you are for them!
  Spend time with your family, talking about and praising God for His many blessings!
• Brainstorm something special you and/or your children can do for someone else in need.
• Sit down (include your children if possible!) and write or make a thank-you card for someone who has blessed you recently.

Ya'll know I'm a fan of thank you notes, so I'm looking forward to doing this one! I'm curious to see what I can get done today. :)

And before I leave, can I ask for a couple of prayers for strength? After putting it off for many months, Southern Hubby and I sat down this weekend and actually prepared a household budget. (How adult of us! lol) We are now following Dave Ramsey's envelope system. I bought the starters kit back in February. (Now can you see how long we've been putting this off?)

We're really excited about starting, but also very nervous. We are very used to whipping out the Amex whenever we need to pay for something. And like Dave mentions, it's very easy to spend, spend, spend when you don't see your bank account dwindling. He correctly ties emotions to money. When you are actually seeing the money leave your hand, it's hurts a heck of a lot more than just handing over your credit card and seeing nothing. We'd really like to pay off some debt (college student loans, my truck, put more towards our mortgage, and start a gift/Christmas fund) and not have the majority of income going to paying off our credit card expenses each month.

And it's already worked! Yesterday as we headed out, I thought to myself, "I really need some coffee. I'll ask SH to swing by Starbucks for a skinny vanilla latte." My mouth started watering until I remembered that that money would have to come out of my 'fun money' envelope. Yikes! Suddenly, I didn't feel like handing over my $5 for a coffee. I'm becoming very stingy, err, frugal with my money now! :) If anyone has succeed on this system, I'd love to read some stories about your experiences and maybe some tips if you have them!

And lastly, I'd really appreciate if I could get a couple more prayers for my sissy, S. Today she finds out if she has been accepted into a teaching program at her college. She's pretty nervous, as we all are. Please pray that it is in God's plan for her to be accepted. She would make a fabulous teacher! In fact, I considered actually going back to teaching if we could get into the same school! How fun would that be?!

Happy prayers in Him,

xoxo Y

Southern Haven Mondays!

Over at Tammy's, she encouraged us to tackle the little things on our list. We'll it's Monday, and after a super busy weekend, I've got quite the list of things to tackle. Here they are in no random order.

A living room that needs to be decluttered and vacuumed. No judgements ya'll. This is how it really looks.

I'm president of my HOA's social committee. Each year in October, we host our subdivision's National Night Out event. We're meeting at my place on Tuesday to get started on our planning. I've got to look through all this info and work out the details that need to be covered.

I'll be needing to return these movies that Southern Hubby borrowed from our library this weekend. Yay for saving money and actually using our tax dollars!

I need to actually plan out my day and get these slots filled in. That should have been first, huh? Frazzled lady on the loose!

This past weekend, my littlest sissy, L, graduated from high school. I've got about 500 pictures that I took yesterday that need to be sorted through, worked on, and/or deleted. Whew.

Are you still following me, here? Ok, good.

Next up is coupons. They're thrown on my kitchen counter and need to be cut out, recycled and filed. Oh, and a grocery list should probably be made, too.

And speaking of groceries, I think I'm officially starting my yearly Weight Watchers diet attempt today. (Cause, ya'll, it's pretty much a yearly summer ritual for me.) I bought 3 months of meetings, and I'm due to be there in about 35 mins. Oh, and I haven't showered yet.

Can you see the Wile E. Coyote running lines of this Southern girl on the move?

Happy Mondays!

xoxo Y

May Showers

This weekend, I attended the gorgeous shower of my cousin, Lorena. From the flowers to the sangria, everything was beautiful and delicious.

It was great to see all my cousins and aunts and get to spend a few hours gabbing. I volunteered to take some pictures of the shower so she'd have them to scrapbook. Here are the shots I took.


I made her one of my necklaces and she loved it! I hung a lobster charm on it because she calls him her lobster and he calls her shrimp. How cute is that? :)

The happy couple!

The Smallest Blessings Thursday

This week, my smallest blessing is my newest cousin -n-law, Sabiha. She married Southern Hubby's cousin, Julius, who is also his best friend. Living in a small town in Michigan, they spent their childhood and teen years joined at the hip.

It was quite the dilemma when sweet Sabiha, a Muslim, wanted to marry into our huge Catholic family. Thankfully, God opened up our family's hearts and everyone welcomed her with open arms.

She came into our lives at a tumultuous time in our country. I'm thankful and blessed that Sabiha has taught me not to judge someone by their religion or background. I'm thankful that I don't look at every Muslim and see 'terrorist.' This adorable Indian girl is as American as apple pie. Born and raised in Michigan, she's got the cutest northern accent. And she says, 'pop' instead of 'coke' like us Southerners do! lol.

Her and Julius are amazing and gentle dentists (she made my teeth whitening molds!) They work in a very nice office in MI and actually have a couple celebs as clients and one of those celebs asked them to be in his next movie! I don't know what the movie is called or when it's due to release, but all I know is they got to spend a whole day shooting with Minnie Driver! How cool is that?!

I love, love my sweet Sabiha. She is my blessing for the week. :)

What's yours?

Happy Smallest Blessings Thursday!
xoxo Y