Friends, I need to tell you something less than flattering about myself. Hopefully we can all still be friends after I admit this to y'all. Ready? I have a very shiny face! Always have. Magazines kindly call it t-zone but regardless, it's shiny. I use oil free moisturizer in the morning, but to be honest, that just doesn't cut it up here in the North Pole. And as I know lack of moisture creates more oil, it is not uncommon for me to use whatever lotion I have sitting around on my noggin. But even in the summer when it is not dry up here and I can get away with only using oil free, I still have a shiny face about 10 minutes after I put on my make-up each morning. I do not use foundation (I know, I know, gasp, how am I a woman? Are you sitting down? I don't like mascara unless absolutely necessary either! Oh and I don't care much for chocolate. I swear I am all girl other than that though.) because I think it makes my face even oilier. But this is a time for making changes and I am willing to try anything (within reason of course- so if it starts with Bo and ends in tox, forgetaboutit.). Do y'all have any special tricks up your Lilly-print sleeves that you are willing to share with a desperate girl who is currently freezing her shiny head off in the North Pole? Did I mention that the high this weekend (with windchill) is supposed to be zero. As in no degrees. Complete lack of degrees. I know it has nothing to do with my skin issue but I am bitter (cold) about it all the same.

So many of us are trying to do weekly meal planning- to save time and money and keep our sanity each evening. This year I've started to do my meal plans two weeks at a time. I've found it (so far) to be even more efficient. Oh sure, there are frequently nights that I end up having a meeting and not being home for dinner. (All of my JL meetings this term seem to be planned very last minute for whatever reason....argh) And I might need to run to the store at the mid point to pick up more milk or fresh veggies. But I have a two week plan and that is just such a stress reliever for me. More than a week ago I made a turkey breast in the crockpot with sweet potatoes and onions. Ate that for a night or two and then used leftover turkey for enchiladas. Ate those for two nights (I shared- don't go thinking I ate a pan of enchiladas by myself in two little meals) and froze the rest of the meat until last night. When I made my favorite black bean soup with turkey. Half a bird cooked once in the crockpot fed me, family and friends for a week and half. It's all about the two week plan! OCD? Perhaps. But I have my sanity. And that my dear friends, is priceless!

Oh I am making the sweetest little prezzie for my Godson. Pictures to come tomorrow. Promise!

I rarely get to see my handmade items in action. I mail things as gifts to friends and orders to people I don't know and then I never see the items again. All of my best friends live in other states so I never get to see their kids wearing anything. And not that it matters as a gift and order are not for my own enjoyment. But when my friend sent me these photos the other day of her sweet baby Ava in the dress I made as her shower gift, I was so excited. The bottom of the dress is cute pink elephant Lilly fabric and of course matches the dress on the teddy bear. I think this is the first time I've ever seen anyone actually using a gift. Isn't she adorable? Ava is one of the happiest babies I've ever met - she just smiles and giggles when I hold her. I love her and her yummy cheeks!

For the third time in four days, I went to the vet. So Tuesday was her regularly scheduled monthly visit. No biggie. Well, a pain in the patootie as it requires an immediate bubble bath but nothing I can't handle. As I was bathing her though, I noticed that her perfect little nose was red. Hmmm. But I didn't think much of it until the next morning when we woke up to a very red and blistery nose. It didn't seem to bother her so I let it go for a day thinking it would clear up as quickly as it appeared. Notsomuch! I spent much of Wednesday night/Thursday morning wide away with the puppy. I googled (from bed- oh how I pink puffy heart my blackberry!) to see if there was something that I could do at home in the middle of the night to help her and it turns out dogs can use some human medicines. At 4:45AM I threw on sneakers and a fleece over my pajamas (I am not vein at 5AM!) and drove my tired booty to the grocery store (for there record, you are waited on hand and foot at that hour) to buy baby Tylenol and Benadryl. I gave her a fraction of what it said to online out of complete fear that I was going to kill my dog. But it really helped her to stop itching and relax and we both got a few (too few!) hours of sleep. So in the morning I called the vet and got an appointment that afternoon. You should have heard that phone conversation.... "it's like a sore or blister....do dogs get fever blisters?" "So she has a bump? Did something bite her?" "I don't know what caused it, that's what y'all are for." So we get there and it is of course the mystery problem of the day. Sadie and I have had several mystery issues over the years. Special, I know! So everyone gathers around oohing and aahing and poking. Annoying to a dog who starts trembling when we she sees the vet office from the car. So they can't figure out what caused it but think it must be some sort of skin allergy. Like mother, like daughter. We came home with an antibiotic pill to be given twice daily and the proper (very large if you ask me) dosage of kiddie Benadryl. They had a dog version but seeing as how I went out to specifically buy it at 5AM and it is way cheaper than the vet version, they said it was perfectly fine to use. So I am pumping her full of drugs but from 2AM-4AM on Friday morning, we were both awake as she was again in pain and scratching at her little nose, causing it to bleed and other gross stuff. She finally fell asleep but I called up the vet...again....and that brings us to our third visit. This time we came home with an additional creme med and a cone. The poor, miserable baby! I feel just terrible for her but it's for her own good. And I only put it on when I see her itching. But she keeps getting stuck (they gave me a size large for a 23 lb dog) on walls and corner cabinets. It's so pathetic. And yet funny. So that's my week. I'm flippin' exhausted. But loving the Hope For Haiti Now concert on TV. I hope it helps. I also selfishly really hope to get at least 6 hours of sleep tonight. This is what it must be like to have a human child. Up all night taking care of someone else. And it's likely why so many people decide an only child is a grand idea!

I stink so far this year. I'm here. And have been healthy for a while now. But I'm just busy and then by the time I finish everything, I'm too lazy to get on and blog. So that's the truth of the matter, I'm lazy. I figure honesty is my best policy, especially between dear friends. But I need to get back on here this weekend to show you photos of the best loafer ever that I got for Christmas and new sewing projects and Lilly prezzies from my Godson. Coming soon....I swear!

In the mean time, have y'all seen (and if you say "no" I will assume you just never watch TV because it is on all the bloody time) the commercial with the characters from (I think) Shrek (spl?) trying to encourage kids to exercise? Every time I see it, I see it twice. It runs back to back. So not only is it incredibly annoying once, but twice. For whatever reason, this commercial annoys me more than anything else currently on television. Argh. The voices, the music, the whole thing makes my skin crawl. And on top of that, I don't for one minute believe it (or commercials like it) will actually encourage kids to exercise.

So other than that, I'm busy with Junior League and sorority stuff. My kids come back to school this weekend and we have our biggest meeting of the year on Sunday. I'm so excited! I love a new year and a fresh agenda and the chance to set new goals. The kids are probably dreading this all day meeting. Because you know, they're teenagers and sitting in a circle hashing out documents and agendas is not their idea of a good time. But I'm the big boss lady and I said they have to come. Ha!

So, I'll be back very soon with less complaining, funny plane stories and most importantly, photographs!

I'm a terrible friend. Here I asked y'all to send me positive vibes and prayers and then I never followed up. I sincerely apologize! So here it is....

It was wonderful! They were a no-show. Thank you Lord!! I was literally sick to my stomach just thinking about it. But they were not there. I loved my outfit and will take a photo later to show y'all. It was nothing special but I felt good in it, which is the key to any outfit in my opinion. My babe is no longer a little bitty baby. He's a full on chunky monkey with ham hocks for legs. I love a good chunker! Man is he adorable. He has half the city wrapped around his little pinkie finger. I love that I am officially an Auntie Fairy Godmother. I feel like I need pink and green sparkly wings or something.

I did nothing but talk and smile and laugh the entire weekend. I always panic but I always have the most amazing time. I find myself at my happiest down there. And I can say with some amount of certainty that if "they" did not get a sick joy out of stalking me, I would move back to FL in a heartbeat. I never in a million zillion years thought I could feel that way about that state. But it is so true that home is where the heart is, and my heart is surprisingly still in my hometown. Who knew?!

Thank you a million times over for your prayers and comments and emails!! And to those who have emailed, I promise to email back this weekend. But when I came home, I picked up a sinus infection on the plane too. An added bonus or something. So I have been doing the minimum to stay afloat this week. But I am now feeling much better and even made dinner tonight. So my season of sickness is hopefully coming to an end. I told my sickies they are not allowed to be in my body after this weekend. I'm sure my stern talking will do the trick!

I promise to tell y'all more later but for now, here's my Cliff Notes version...

I'm in my hometown. Where Satan and his wife (please refer to "Monster Monday" posts) live. Tomorrow ia truly one of my most exciting life moments. My Godson will be baptized and I will become a Godmother. I am happy beyond words. BUT...there is a good chance I will see (and have to publically face as I am publically confronted by) Satan and his wife. I am a ball of nerves and my tummy is in knots. Its a big dark cloud. (In addition to the big dark rain clouds and record cold temps! What the heck, SoFla?). If you have a moment, please do me a favor and either think a positive thought or say a prayer that they are just flat out not there tomorrow. I don't ask this often but it is so important to me to avoid any contact and especially and public confrontations (they love a good ambush!).

Oh and I had a crazy flight down here. Seriously, so odd and just wild! But I am typing this on the b'berry so that too has to wait until next week.

Happy Weekend, sweet friends!

This arrived in the mail the other day. A belated Christmas gift or early Birthday gift (I think he ordered super late and figured he would give it to me for one of the two occasions.) from my Super Dad. I have been drooling over this Prissy Plate cake stand/chip and dip dish for a while now and am so excited to call her all mine! Isn't that just the most fabulous use of a material to make it have a double purpose?! I know I will love it for years to come. Thanks Whitney Caroline!!

So I've decided to give eH a try for a few months but didn't want to pay that much for something I might tire of in a day or two. I googled to find coupon codes but they seemed to only work for returning customers. But then I saw that another person called 1-800-951-2023 and got 3 months for $59.95. So I called and sat on hold for 20 minutes but got myself the same deal. So for my single pals who are thinking of doing a little on-line love hunt....call the above number and get yourself a deal! It's an "in house" special offer that they are not advertising anywhere.

Sorry this image is so small but I don't know how to make it larger. It was taken on my cell phone (I felt like Tickled Pink and Green!) tonight as I was waiting to take home sushi for dinner. It's what every good Japanese restaurant should have this time of year....a large Santa Claus drinking a can of beer. The can is in his hands and moves up and down to his mouth. Turns out the big guy doesn't like milk, after all. It's a long sleigh ride and he likes himself a frosty one! Klassy and fabulous! Cheers to a lovely evening, my peaches!

My very favorite word in the English language is "palindrome." When I was in Kindergarten, there was a kids show that sang a song about palindromes. 252. Dad. 12321. All palindromes. The same meaning (number or word) forwards and backwards. I love it. It's tidy and speaks to my personality, I'm sure. Today's date is 01.02.2010. I have no idea why but I just love the concept and word itself!

So I've already broken all of my resolutions. Great start, I know. But starting mid-week just doesn't feel right. Things should begin on a Sunday or Monday, right? So this weekend is sort of my (in my head...totally justifying my laaaaazy behavior) freebie and I plan (read: hope I find the motivation) to get down to business by Monday morning! I'll be sure to confess my resolutions next week. Instead of working out and being productive today, Sadie and I did a big bunch of nothing for the majority of the day. We watched the History Channel and answered questions online. What sort of questions, you ask? Well this was a free communication weekend with EH so I signed up. I'm not terribly into it though so I am not sure if I will continue with it after this weekend. I do, however, think it is a whole lot better and safer than meeting someone at a bar or in the grocery store. It takes a ridiculous amount of time to answer all of those questions on EH. I (perhaps foolishly but whatever) assume that someone is genuinely interested in meeting people if they spend that much time and money answer the same questions over and over and over again. The guy who spelled his own name wrong met the chopping back immediately though. I mean, it's a very common four letter name that I assume he has had for his entire 30+ years of life. If you can't get that right, I can't imagine him being able to remember birthdays and the spelling of my not-at-all-common-and-hard-to-pronounce name.

Oh and I am still coughing! I am soooo much better but this lingering cough and lack of energy is completely annoying. I go down south to love on my Godbaby next weekend so I really need to find my energy by then, please!!

Back to watching Pride and Prejudice. Not nearly as incredible as the PBS version but still pretty fabulous. Oh Mr. Darcy...