It was the BEST DAY EVER

At least according to my nephew. My sweet nephew. The munchkins were over on Thanksgiving & had such a great time. They hunted for Pepe Cat (because that cat is like *poof* when they come over!), they played with Hayden & they spent precious time with us.

We ate good food, not a thing bad was to be had. And then we hung out.

Simple things like this make days like those the BEST DAY EVER!! And I LOVE it. I love that the actions we take with them, the things we do, the things we teach them, the love we shower them in, that these things, these times we spend focusing on them are how we make the BEST DAY EVER!!

The next best day ever was this past Saturday when we made our Christmas cookies & decorated them. And I mean DECORATED them. Icing & sprinkles & sugar dusting and shimmery icing & cream cheese icing.

It was perfect.

They're not mine, but they are. Or should be. I wish they could be. That those two little ones who look up to us could be ours.

They'd never want for anything and they'd never fear not being loved or wanted.

When an ornament broke (I broke one & munchkin broke one) I had to soothe his tears because he wanted me to be more careful & he was sorry about his ornament. I rocked that little guy until he was calmed and then we finished the tree. And decorated a few more cookies.

In my last post I mentioned that my world is not perfect. It is far from it, but even though it is not perfect, it is perfect for me.

I have perfect children who are in my life and whom I love with everything I have. And while none of us will ever find pure perfection, I want to keep giving them as many "BEST DAY EVER", as many PERFECT DAYS as I can.

Because if I could, truly could, I'd bring those children into the Potts family & make them my own. But since that is not going to happen, I do the best I can and strive for perfection for them.

What do you do to change the lives of others? Insignificant? Small, big - it all counts!
Share with me so I can combine & share with others.

Happy Monday y'all! I'm in Bangor Maine.
Do you say (spelled for pronunciation) Bain-gor or Bain-ger?
Or have you ever thought of it?

Imperfect in a Perfect World

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There are a number of reasons for this, but part of it for me is that people don't have the unrealistic expectations that come with other holidays.

Unrealistic expectations tend to hover around the holiday that rhymes with "listless".

You know, put up the perfect tree, perfectly decorate the perfect tree, pick the perfect present(s), find the perfect outfit, plan the perfect meal, have the perfect party, celebrate the last holiday of the year perfectly, etc.

I tend to appreciate the un-perfect in our perfection seeking world.

Which is why Thanksgiving is my favorite.

The whole idea behind Thanksgiving is to celebrate the things you're thankful for. Even if those things aren't perfect.

Because really, no one (and no thing) is truly perfect. I'm certainly not. Nor is anyone I know.

My friends aren't perfect, my pets aren't perfect (especially not Pepe Cat who woke us up before 5am crying for his breakfast - think you've got it bad with daylight savings??), my husband isn't perfect...you get the picture.

But I'm thankful for them, one and all. Probably more thankful for them because of their imperfections.

And really, if your stuffing is a little dry, is it anything that some gravy can't fix? If the pumpkin pie droops in the middle, will anyone care when it's covered with whipped cream?

But one thing that IS perfect, that is perfect for Thanksgiving, is the Corn Syrup Free Pecan Pie I'm about to rock your world with.

I make it every year and LOVE it.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup light brown sugar – used the Splenda brown sugar blend which made it 1/2 cup (measurement conversion on the bag)
• 1/4 cup white sugar – used the Splenda sugar blend - made it 1/8th of a cup + 2 teaspoons (measurement conversion on the bag)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and the flour; mix well. Last add the milk, vanilla and nuts.
3. Pour into an unbaked 9-in pie shell. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until done.

Those Pesky Tears at 2:30am - or - Thankful for Mr. Potts

It seems this time of year there is a plethora of posts around what people are thankful for. I have many, many things that I am thankful for, but I wanted to share with you the person that I'm most thankful for.

Mr. Potts, yep, you guessed it. He's the person I'm most thankful for.

When I'm thirsty and we're lounging on the couch, he'll get me a glass of water. One of our great, big 32 ounce cups because I drink a LOT of water.

When I finish reading at night, he'll get out of bed and turn the light off so I don't have to.

While I'm gone, he keeps me updated with tales of Pepe Cat and his morning chatter and Hayden with her sweet calmness.

He laughs at my goofy jokes. And trust me, they're GOOFY. I'm goofy. And he loves this about me.

He'll rub my feet after a long day and then will cuddle with me at night. This is BIG because he is not a cuddler.

Perhaps the thing I'm most thankful for about Mr. Potts is that he knows me. He knows how I'll react to things. He knows where my thought process is going to take me.

He'll let me cry when he knows I need to at 2:30 in the morning and he'll smooth my hair and talk me through my tears.

He knows what sets me off, what worries me and what can bring me to my knees in fear.

He knows my heart.

Mr. Potts...I thank God every day for bringing him into my life.

In this time of reflection, what (or who) are you thankful for?

Another One Bites the Dust - Or What to Wear to a Formal Wedding

Mr. Potts has the good fortune of having several close friends. Over the years, most have gotten married and he's been in a number of the weddings.

This Spring (2011) one of the last will bite the dust, so to speak. He's the last in Mr. Potts' long line of friends to make that monumental decision to spend the rest of his life with a truly wonderful woman.

Good thing we approve!

Mr. Potts will be a groomsman in a formal wedding.

Now, wedding parties are easy for men. Probably the most difficult decision is what style of tux to wear. But Mr. Potts won't have to decide what to wear.

I will.

So, I come to you all for help.

Formal weddings

I know long is the standard, but do those standards still apply?

What kind of long? Any recommendations?

And most importantly, what do I do with my hair?

Kidding - only kind of.

PS: In about 2 weeks I plan on a change with my hair. Thinking 2-3 inches off & going a bit darker.

Thoughts?

I've misplaced my inner Giada!!

The title to this is exactly what came out of my mouth one night this week.

I was in the middle of the grocery store whining to a friend of mine about how I hadn't made many meals from scratch this week.

I was stopped at the end of the aisle, phone to my ear, head cocked to the left to keep a signal, standing on one foot with the other on the metal of my cart.

What? It kept me from dropping the call.

After I whined into my phone, "I'VE LOST MY INNER GIADA!!" I realized how ridiculous I sounded (and probably looked). I mean, Mr. Potts enjoys that I go the extra mile to make special meals when I'm home, but really, truly, he'd be happy with pork chops, mashed potatoes & green beans.

Knowing this, I was still whiny, because those special meals, well, they're my thing.

It's what I do It's something special I can do for Mr. Potts since I'm not home as often as most people.

My friend suggested an "easy" meal of kielbasa with potatoes, onions & sauerkraut. He even said I could probably find some turkey or chicken kielbasa.

You know, to keep it healthy.

As I stood there, foot cramping, I knew without a doubt that Mr. Potts would no way go for sauerkraut.

But I thought about it for a split second.

Just for a second, because even though I would probably eat it, no way would Mr. Potts.

We had the Green Bean, Ginger & Beef stir fry instead. Which was a traumatic trial in and of itself, as I was missing 3 of the ingredients.

Mr. Potts to the rescue - he called a neighbor & dinner was saved.

And while it wasn't a new recipe, it was good.

Because I made it with Mr. Potts in the kitchen making me laugh.

Pretty good for a weeknight dinner, no?

Two years

Isn't it interesting how anniversaries cause people to look back over the time that has passed? Do most people think back to the positive or the negative? I try to remember both, because how else can you appreciate where you're at if you don't look at the whole journey?

Two years ago Mr. Potts and I made promises to share each others happiness & pain. We vowed to love each other in sickness and health. The two years we've spent married have not been the easiest for a myriad of reasons.

We've laughed together, we've cried together and sure, we've gotten angry together.

The key word to this is together.

I couldn't imagine my life without him in it. Actually, I don't want to think about my life without him.

So when these flowers arrived for me at work on Monday, they made me smile. I remembered the laughter and the fun.


This picture sits on our buffet - seriously, good times.

Thinking about all this made me wonder. What do you remember when an anniversary comes around?

Nesting Season

This weekend is nesting weekend for the Potts' family.

I'm home, y'all. Not only am I home this weekend, but next week too (BIG, happy smiley face).

With being home, comes a desire to nest. I guess you could say my domestic side came out and the urge to cook, bake, do a little cleaning hit.

Last nights I filled that desire.

We had homemade chicken & dumplings for dinner. Except this time, I simply boiled the chicken breasts instead of cooking with the oil.

As if homemade chicken & dumplings wouldn't be enough, I decided to tackle d.a.r.'s pumpkin bread.

So yum.

So comforting.

So home.

Enjoy your weekends!

Dry Hair + Moroccan Oil

I recently had to reschedule a hair appointment recently because I was going to be out of town & not able to make it.

Wah wah - I know. Can I be ANY more pathetic? Poor, poor Mrs. Potts. Always gone, never home.

Well, besides missing my husband and pets, my beauty routine is starting to show cracks.

Seriously. My nails are all splitting. Cold, dry air + OCD handwashing = a manicurist's worst nightmare.

My face looks like I haven't seen the sun in years. I mean, I'm not trying to rock Jersey Shore skin, but I'd like to look a little less Bill Compton.

My eyebrows are OUT OF CONTROL. I called to reschedule a hair appointment and caught my aesthitician on the phone. Such a sweet girl. She proceeded to tell me I'd missed another appointment.

And I was wondering why I kept thinking my eyebrows were going to cocoon soon & burst forth as butterflies...

But y'all. My hair. My hair is just a mess.

Or a hot mess, depending on where you're located.

So back to the rescheduling.

I've had to cancel/reschedule my last appointment because I was out of town. So I got worked in to see another person. But I didn't want her to cut my hair.

To be honest, I've done that before & it hasn't worked out so great. That is why when I find a fabulous hair stylist, I don't cheat. No trims somewhere else, usually no ones hands in my hair but hers.

But this time I was desperate. My roots were out of control. My color was drained & sad.

I loved what the "Save the Day" girl did. Some new lowlights, a few brights around my face.

Voila! Fresh feeling hair. But without the nightmare of having someone new come to my hair with scissors. But you see, I had planned to take off a good 2-3 inches this last time.

So, no trim (no split ends, but still) and here I am in New England with dry heat inside & dry, cold air outside.

And my hair is feeling that lack of love. It is a little dry, no matter what great shampoo/conditioner/leave in treatment I use.

So, in true, DIY fix it style, I decided to treat my hair like a rock star.

Actually, like Fergie treats her hair. Because I read recently in one of my magazines about how Fergie keeps her hair looking incredible. Because, let's be honest, when you rough up your hair like she does: heat styling, color, braids, etc., it just takes a beating.

via & via
Each night she takes her extensions out (not that I have those, but my hair is pretty long), soaks her hair in Moroccan Oil and twists it up in a bun.

So last night, I skipped that first step, but soaked my hair (the bottom 5 inches or so) in Moroccan Oil & tossed it up in a bun.

My Verdict?

Seems to have helped & I may have to try it again.

The problem? My paycheck does not exactly match Fergie's & Moroccan Oil can be a bit expensive.

Is it worth it to keep my hair from looking & feeling like horse hair?

Definitely!

This one time, I walked into a bathroom...

Do you ever have those moments where you just wonder what kind of alternate reality you've walked in to?

I did that recently.

I was tired - which seriously, I'm so tired of hearing come out of my mouth, but I am. I'm exhausted and I feel like I never catch up on sleep.

So, I was tired. So very very tired and looking it.

Like death warmed over. Or a bag of poo. Your choice - they're both fairly accurate lately.

I was driving in New England and stopped at one of those nice roadside gas/food/snack places. Had a Starbucks & everything.

Got my gas, was going to grab some water and realized that I needed to go to the bathroom.

Finding the signs I headed towards the bathrooms. Found the door with the "Women" sign on it and pushed open the door.

As I walked into the bathroom I noticed the stalls. At the bottom of the stalls' doors I saw legs.

Which would have been all fine and normal, in most circumstances.

However, these legs were encased in workboots and faded out jeans.

Slowing to a stop I did that little half bend. You know, where you're looking to see if someone is in a stall. But I wasn't looking to see if there was an empty one (which there was), but to get a closer look at the boots.

I turned right back around, opened the door & looked at the sign on the outside.

Yep, said "Women".

I turned back & went to that empty stall.

But I laughed about it on my way back to the hotel.

Because in most circumstances, I doubt I would have even thought twice about the workboots.

Except I was in New England and I was tired. And at that point it made all the sense in the world to me.

Happy Wednesday!