how to sell.

i need to purge our house and garage. we've got things to sell. we have money to make. i need your advice. how do you sell? where's the best place to sell stuff?

i realize it probably depends on what it is... we have a single jogging stroller, a single britax stroller, a chicco infant carrier, a guitar pedal, vera bradley collections (they are my mom's - she said she'd give me half of what they sold for if i did the work to get them sold - sweet!), and a few name brand purses. where should i sell it all at? ebay, craigslist, consignment, garage sale?!?!

i have sold a few things on ebay before and have had decent luck with it. i've never done craigslist - although kelly sold our vehicle using it and we made $1 more than we paid for it - i guess it's a good route to take! however, the thought of connecting face to face with total strangers sounds completely scary to me. consigning our items (i.e.- the strollers) would be a quick way to get rid of them but not the most profitable. and a garage sale... well they aren't allowed in our neighborhood.

so, if i haven't already answered my own question, help me out.

a berry good snack.

put all this together and what do you get? my most favorite snack in the whole wide world. take some berries (raspberries & blackberries, too!) and drizzle them with sheer delish - fat free sweetened condensed milk. you will thank me for it.

i had this little taste of heaven while on a mission trip in brazil five years ago (fabiola, is this a brazilian favorite?). i've been obsessed with it ever since. blueberries and strawberries were on sale this week, so that meant i was going to have a blissful week of snacking. and that i've had. the best part is, it's only tuesday which means i still have days upon days of this snack still ahead of me.

is it healthy? yeah, i would say so. you don't have to use much of the sweetened condensed milk. it doesn't have any fat in it, as long as you buy fat free (obviously), but of course it has sugar. so, use it sparingly. unless, of course, you're pregnant and have a good excuse.

with this pregnancy i've been a bit snacky. lately, i get hungry quick. i need some snack ideas. i want to know your favorite snack. you get two bonus points if it's healthy.

the theme was a primary color scheme.

several dozen cupcakes, a handful of balloons, a whole bunch of fun, and now our baby boy is one! we had such a sweet celebration with our family.

take a peek at hunter's party through pictures!

daddy with his one year old.

mommy and her little handsome.

silly expression.

we had cupcakes...

and cupcakes...

and more cupcakes!

the set-up.

hunter's very own egg-free cupcake. it was huge. and lucky for mom and dad,

he didn't eat hardly any of it. : )

hunter is one!

happy birthday hunter!

party favors. since our party was made up of family, i figured all the guests wouldn't mind taking home a picture of our little boy. i got pictures printed from our smash the cake session (thanks amy prikazsky photography!), and then bought acrylic frames to frame them. on the back of each picture it said:

dear: "family member's name"

i enjoyed the cake, and gifts too, but my favorite part was seeing you! thank you!

love, hunter

here are all the frames:

the best part about these party favors is that they all cost $9.81.

so, i ended up spending $35 on this lil' bash (i thought it would be more! but i added it all up and it was way less. yippee.). want to know a few tricks i discovered to keep the costs low? i think i'll call them "cheap party tips from a newbie mom."

1. instead of choosing a specific theme, i went for a primary color scheme. this way, nothing had to be matchy matchy and i could pick up an assortment of plates, cups, etc., here and there when i caught them on clearance.

2. have the party at a time of day when people aren't hungry. that way, they won't even realize that you didn't feed them anything besides cupcakes.

3. as far as the cake/cupcakes go... make your own! you can even use betty crocker's help if you so choose. i gathered cake mixes and frostings for less than $5 to make 48 cupcakes. i cheated on hunter's cupcake and bought it.

4. make your own decor. it is so fun and then it will look exactly like you want it too. i used my computer, scrapbook papers, twine, ribbons, scissors and double stick tape.

apparently, since my baby boy is one, he is now a toddler. but, i'm still allowed to call him my baby while he's still the baby around here. and that isn't going to last long so, i'm taking full advantage of it! we are beyond thankful for such a wonderful year of fantastic memories. we love our hunter!

wish me luck and introducing you to quickliner.

so, i am sick. boo hoo. { beth, can you believe it?!! i could've watched the girls and we could've just all been sick together.} whenever i get sick while pregnant it lingers forever. i'm dreading the days to come because i know it will get worse before it gets better, not to mention the running, facet like nose, the stuffy head, watery eyes, you get the picture. it's ugly.

it is surely unfortunate that this is the day i'm supposed to be cleaning house, baking and preparing for hunter's party on saturday. yet, all i want to do is sleep. oh, sickness, why now? and where in the world did you even come from?!!

oh yes, and i forgot to mention that this is the day of my long awaited haircut. have i decided what to do? no, not really. and even if i did, i would probably change my mind in the time that it takes me to get there. i have decided on one thing. i'm not going too short {yet}. i'm guessing my face will get fat at the end of this pregnancy and there's nothing worse than a swollen face with short hair to excentuate it. right? i'm sparing myself future tears and not going drastic. when sage arrives, i'm certain one of the first things to go will be my hair {right along with all the weight... hopefully!} and that gives me more time to prepare myself emotionally for short hair. yes, i probably do hold on too tighlty to my locks.

so, wish me luck. and energy. i've got a lot to get accomplished. today i am officially 6 months pregnant. i will celebrate by getting out the maternity clothes and making myself comfortable.

and for a make-up tip, so i can get back on track with show us your life - do you want to know what the best eye liner ever is??? look at this:

meet clinique's quickliner. and be introduced to all it's beauty. it runs $14 but lasts for at least 6 months. it is fantastic, goes on quickly without touchup, doesn't run if you cry, and lasts all day. speaking of eyes, if you ever need/want to freshen up your face, change your eye shadow color. it works wonders! happy makeup-ing to you!

chocolate milk is actually good for you.

that's right, i'll say it again. chocolate milk is good for you. i know, i know, this is nothing short of a miracle. yesterday i came across an article from the women's health mag website and fell in head over heels.

chocolate milk is on the list of the best fitness foods for women. as soon as i read that, i had to continue reading {obviously}. the other fitness foods included:

avocados. which we already knew about... remember they were on the list of superfoods for women for 2010. there's only one concerning thing about avocados - women's health said "a few slices of avocado a day are a great way to boost fat for women who are fat shy." umm, i am not fat shy. i honestly don't know many women who would call themselves fat shy. so, although i am in love with avocados, i don't think i will be eating too many of them.

whole grain bagels. i think i've died and gone to heaven. i am obsessed with bread. i am obsessed with bagels. and love the taste of whole grain.

bananas. they are jam packed full of energy. i semi-like bananas. sometimes i can gobble them up while other times i can't bare the smell of them. there's no rhyme or reason to it.

berries. you mean, like the fruit form of chocolate? yes, berries... the best fruit on the planet. the darker the berry, the healthier the fruit. i can handle that.

carrots. these things are not only great for your eyes, they help control your blood pressure. are you allowed to eat them with ranch dressing? i sure hope so.

whole grain cereal. the article says that you should eat it 60 mins before a workout to boost your energy potential. does keeping up with a 1 yr. old count as a workout?!

chicken thighs. don't stop reading now. - i know, i wanted to, too. i can't stand dark meat. it's full of vitamins that women need. i just might have to get those vitamins a different way.

glorious chocolate milk. yes, they really said chocolate. it's full of calcium, vitamins and minerals. the cocoa helps replenish and repair muscles.

low-fat cottage cheese. if you are thinking, no way, that stuff is the texture of boogers (at least that's what kelly always says), you should give it a try. it really is so delish. add some dark berries to it. and then double your fitness food intake all in one sitting.

i don't know about you, but my fitness level is low since i'm prego. how's your fitness level?


bottom line: chocolate milk is good for you. enough said.

mostly good stuff.

{thank you for all your super kind birthday wishes for hunter and congratulations for sage!!! you are so very sweet!}


alright, so i like to buy only good stuff. as in, i don't like buying things that stink. i get so perturbed when i buy something that claims to be magnificent but ends up being an unfortunate purchase.

take, for instance, these unlovely's...

they are atrocious. and didn't work {at all}. i felt like calling the company and demanding a full refund. however, i'm chicken, sometimes lazy, and didn't want to deal with the hassle.

and then there are good products. the kind that remind you why you actually do still buy things...


like the baby bonkie. think swaddling...minus the aggravating and difficult blanket that you have to try to wrap around your child as tightly as possible to the likes of a burrito. and if you're like me, you never cook mexican. what to do??? baby bonkie to the rescue!!! this a swaddling blanket worthy of the twenty-first century. a dear soul gave one to us as a shower gift for hunter.






if you know me, you know how much i adore slim in 6. this seriously works. yes, it is a work-out program that really works you out. and gives you results quickly. i lost all the baby weight from hunter with this. it was the best $60 i've ever spent {well, it was the best $60 of other people's money i've ever spent ... i got money from my parents and in-laws for mother's day last year! which, by the way, if you ever wonder what a good mother's day present is for any mom, it is always, hands-down money. then she can buy what she wants. make the lady happy.}



oh, and i just die when i get coupons for this fantasticness - a.k.a. john frieda's brilliant brunette. last week i struck gold when i went to an area food lion that was closing its doors. the entire store was 60% off. i got the shampoo and conditioner for $4 something. usually they are $5.99 apiece. this shamp and cond leave my hair so soft, smooth, and sweet smelling.





fuze is my new fave. it is low cal, low sugar - it virtually has none - and yet still tastes good. i mean really good. they are an advantage buy deal at publix right now, so you can buy 5 of them for $4. i try not to drink soda, i never drink juice, i do get tired of water every now and then, so fuze is a superb solution.



i know there are products you love ...tell me about them so i can love them too. i know there are products you hate ...tell me about them so i can steer clear. let's help each other out. thanks much.

one year ago...

i became a mother, my husband and i became parents, our little boy was born healthy. it was a miracle. although i had to have an emergency c-section due to the cord being wrapped around his neck twice and head once, i wouldn't change it for one second. i'd rather have 1,000 c-sections than not have my baby boy. we rejoiced over our son's birth and are now rejoicing over his first year of life.

our lives have been filled with joy, we have loved every day and milestone of this past year...

right after hunter was born.

enjoying my baby.

proud daddy ready to take his boy home.

3 months

6 months

9 months

i will take a 12 month picture today!

kelly reminds me that we only have 17 more of these years until our little boy becomes an adult. i told him he better quit saying that. i am pregnant, my hormones are wacko and i cry at the drop of a dime. i don't want to think about only having 17 more of these years.

last night, my mom brought over a bunch of birthday balloons. she wanted hunter to wake up to balloons on his 1st birthday morn. what a sweet grandma!

today we will celebrate by turning his car seat forward. i'm so thrilled for him to be able to finally stretch out his legs. i will love being able to turn around and see his adorably chubby face.

saturday is his family birthday party. i adore celebrating this little boy!

"for you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb."

- psalm 139:13

"i praise you, for i am fearfully and wonderfully made. wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." - psalm 139:14

miscellaneous.

1. the new miss america's name is "caressa." how cool is that? don't let me fool you into thinking that i actually watched the pageant. no thank you.

2. whenever it is a special season (i.e.- christmas, valentines, especially easter) and there is candy to go along with it, i always want it. it is not a good thing. i think i probably gain 5 lbs during easter season.

3. i wore green eye shadow today after i found it in my make-up bag. i had forgotten about it's beauty and have fallen in love with it all over again. if you ever want to freshen up your face, change your shadow.

4. my best friend, julie, deserves full credit for thinking of the name, "sage." she thought of it last spring as we were walking around downtown one day. i told her she couldn't have it and that i wanted it. i got it.

5. my husband used to have long long long hair. don't believe me? see for yourself:

circa 2005. we both liked it at the time. now we are glad he actually gets haircuts. the funny thing is, we went to brazil that summer for a mission trip and all the kids thought he was "shaggy" from scooby doo and wanted his autograph.

6. speaking of look-a-likes, apparently there is a trend circulating facebook and people are replacing their profile pic of their celebrity look-a-like. i refuse to. but, i have always been told that i look like jennifer love hewitt. and i'm not going to pretend that i don't like that. whenever you're told that you look like a famous person, it makes you feel pretty. you know it does. don't lie.

(disclaimer: this picture of me is a complete joke.)

who do you look like?

7. i know i am a few weeks (or days) away from breaking out the maternity clothes. goodbye fashion and hello comfortable.

8. i haven't gained much weight yet, which makes me want to eat junk. lately i have no desire to eat veggies or fruits. it's not good. all i want are those darn valentine's chocolates.

9. i need to read a good book. and don't say twilight. i'd rather it not be fiction. any recommendations?

shades of green.

i love green. the color. almost every single room in our house is painted some shade of it. so, as a green lover, it struck me by surprise to realize that...

i am married to this:

my son is this:

my daughter will be this:

and a complete stranger is the one who pointed all this out. that's right, i am married to kelly. my son is hunter. my daughter will be sage. all shades of green.

so yes, our little miss has a name now. after a day of calling her "she," we couldn't take it anymore. she needed to be someone. she will be sage christiana graham. sage, because we love the name. it also means prophet. christiana, because it means follower of Christ, and because it means Christ is gracious. hunter's first and middle names are john hunter (kelly is really john kelly and we wanted to pass down john - it's a family name on kelly's side) and john means God is gracious. so both hunter's and sage's names have similar meanings. which is sweet to me.

i also wanted my daughter to have part of my middle name because my middle name comes from my mom and it is also on kelly's side of the family. such a nice way to kill two birds with one stone. my middle name is lee ann. so, this way sage's middle name has a form of ann in it.

besides, the names hunter and sage just sound so darn good together. or maybe i'm just biased?!

the room that is reserved for sage is already painted a shade of sage. coincidence? i think not.

we love our sage to pieces! i hope you like her name.

bring on the...

...pink, posies and polka-dots!

we will be welcoming a little...

i am beside myself.

and in love with my baby girl already.

we have to get another ultrasound to check her heart and brain once more, so be praying that our little miss is completely healthy!

every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the
Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

- james 1:17