Molly Lou Gifts Giveaway!

Molly Lou Gifts Giveaway ends tomorrow. Make sure that you go & check her out - let her know I sent you!

If you haven't checked out her store yet, you should! She's got the cutest things there. One of the things I'm eyeing is a personalized serving platter. For Thanksgiving - since that's my favorite holiday!

Grateful

I stumbled across the Spohrs' blog yesterday. If you have never checked it out, you should. I sat for hours yesterday reading about their daughter Maddie - the rough pregnancy, the early birth and their sudden loss.

Reading this made me sit back and say, "huh". For you know, it's not what we didn't get done at the end of the day, it's about what we did. It made me realize all the wonderful blessings in my life. It opened my eyes to the fact that while I may be going through something difficult, there are people out there wondering how they're going to take the next step in their lives.

So, to honor that, I'd like to share with you 10 things I'm grateful for.

1. Mr. PottsThe person who gets me. Someone who will be goofy with me. Someone who loves me unconditionally.

2. My familyEven though we may have our issues - we're family and we love each other. This is one of my favorite pictures from our wedding. My niece wanted to dance with me and Mr. Potts so badly. She had been practicing for ages & thoroughly enjoyed our wedding. So much so that she didn't want to leave.
3. My friendsThose who love us. Those who laugh with us. Those who will cry with us. Those who will dance with us! To 80's hairband, most likely. Or maybe a little Journey - "Don't Stop Believin"

4. My health. Thankfully, I haven't had any major problems over the years. Sure, I'm getting old. My ankles pop as I go down the stairs. I've got some fine crow's feet at my eyes. I've had to had 2 gum surgeries (grafting - ouch!!!). I also managed to catch a bacterial stomach infection on my honeymoon. One that was tracked by the CDC. But I recovered! God has kept me healthy. I've got to step up on my part of the bargain.

5. My education. I do not have an Ivy League education, I have student loans & it took me longer than 4 years. Yet, I have my degree - which has been worth every minute. Plus, my loans are locked in at a 4% interest rate. That doesn't hurt. Plus, it's tax deductible.

6. Being Southern. I'm not putting down anyone who is not, but I celebrate the fact that I'm Southern. I love visiting other places & I love other cities (NY, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Fran, San Diego, Vegas, Seattle, etc) but I always feel a thrill when I come home. I love the charm of the South. I love the friendliness of the South. I love the weather of the South - I'm also not so far south that we don't have seasons.

7. The ability to nap. I can nap on command. 15 minutes - 3 hours. I love naps. Isn't this picture adorable? I snapped it at a wedding - one of the flower girls was worn out!

8. My job. Even though I worry about losing it, I still love what I do, who I work for & those I work with.

9. I'm thankful for my ability to see the positive. Sometimes it's hard and sometimes people may not appreciate it as much, but it is a great thing to see your glass as overflowing, versus half empty.

10. God. Last and certainly not least, I'm thankful that he has made everything possible for me.

What are you thankful for?

My little munchkins

I had promised a while back before things got hairy with my family that I would show you all my niece with my our dog Hayden (Hayd dog as they've named her). I just now pulled the pictures from my camera, so here she is!


And if you remember, my precious little nephew loves to pose with Hayden too! Who doesn't love a big, yellow dog as a picture prop?


Thank you all for continuing to pray for my family. It is so very appreciated.

All I can think about

My mind is on vacation.

How long til we're there? 5 days - counting today

How many more days of work? Too many!!! Only 4

What will I pack?

For one, my favorite bikiniDoes anyone else love ViX Swimwear? Their suits are the best! The material holds up well & I haven't had any issues with fading. Plus, they're just super sexy! They also have several bikini's that are under $100. This is the next one I'm thinking about getting - what do you think?
What will I be reading?
I've currently read the first three books in the Outlander series and started the 4th last night.These books are definitely enjoyable - a little smutty, but what good beach book isn't? I'm all set with books 4, 5, & 6.

I was thinking that just in case I finish those books, I may need to get one more. I've read everything by Dorothea Benton Frank & Mary Alice Monroe - I love Southern writers. What do you all think of Pat Conroy? Too heavy for the beach?

Not Me Monday - Holiday Weekend Edition

In case you haven't been introduced to Not Me Monday, here is the gist: This fun game originated with Mckmama, while LittleSack introduced it to me. you just list a lot of things you "didn't" (read: actually did) do this weekend/past week. All in the name of admitting that we all make mistakes and aren't perfect.

Thursday.
Not a thing here. We spent half a day at Mr. Potts' boss' pool with everyone he works with. I was still only day two into recovering from a sinus infection, so just some sunshine for me. Mr. Potts, however, could stand to write a few of these. So from his perspective - Thursday.

Mr. Potts - I did not become a little inebriated on Thursday and smear cupcake frosting on my friend - a la a wedding cake smear. Not me!

Mr. Potts - I was not so schnockered that when Mrs. Potts got us home I stood in our courtyard and talked to one of our neighbors about getting drinks. I was not so schnockered that I looked aghast at her when she shot that idea down! Not me!

Mr. Potts - I did not fall asleep (read: pass out) Thursday night with the alarm clock cuddled up tight to me, wrapped in both arms like a baby. Uh uh. Not me!

Mr. Potts was on quite a roll Thursday night. Which made Friday an easy fix. We hung out with my niece & nephew & my mom and took them to a rec park with a really big pool. He made up for his showing the night before by riding down the water slide with my niece over and over.
The rest of the weekend was not really "Not Me" worthy, but to recap, we had about 20 people over on Saturday night and barbecued. We live just off of a bridge which provides us a great view of the fireworks. Great times had by all & we were able to see some people we hadn't seen in a while.
Last night, two of our neighbors invited us over for dinner. It was really good, even though I'm not a fan of mushrooms. They were part of the chicken, so I gamely tried to eat some. Ick.

How was your holiday weekend?

And curiously, any of you have food that you just can't eat? Whether it is a texture thing, you're allergic, etc.

***ADDED***
The countdown is ON!!! In 5 days Mr. Potts and I will be leaving for the Outer Banks! Vacation - I can seeeeeeee you!!!

Goodbye June!

I am SO glad that June is finally over and that July is here. June has been the most trying month for me thus far this year. It definitely ranks right up there!

To recap:

I had to work with DPH for a week and it was miserable!!

Mr. Potts' sister was dealing with a divorce - he moved out this past Saturday.

Mr. Potts' aunt is facing cancer again.

My Aunt Cill passed. For her, this was most likely a good thing and while I know that we should rejoice in the life of the people we have loved, we still miss them when they're gone.

My brother. I've asked for prayers concerning my brother and my family. I've so appreciated the outpouring that all of you wonderful, wonderful women have provided. I still don't feel that I can share what he did. There are a range of emotions I'm going through right now and I have my first appointment with a psychologist today to begin working on them.

My big bright spot this month was our weekend in the mountains with Mr. Potts' dad and step-mom.

Bye Bye June!!! Good riddance!!!

Here's what I'm looking forward to this month.

Continuing to lose weight. I am now down 8lbs - pretty impressive considering that food is my main coping mechanism. Even with all that went on last month, I've still managed not to just maintain, but to lose 2lbs. YEA!!!
Good Riddance to DPH - my nasty co-worker. She is being transferred to another department & position. I won't have to work with her EVER again!!!!! SQUEEEEAAAALLLLL!!!!!

The 4th is just around the corner. I love July 4th - fireworks are so much fun. We're having some people over on the 4th to grill out & then watch fireworks. From our home we have the perfect view of the fireworks display that our city puts on. Included in the 4th celebrations we have a pool party tomorrow afternoon, Friday we're taking my niece, nephew & my mom to a pool to go swimming, Sunday we'll spend all day on the lake. Ahhhh......

On the 11th Mr. Potts and I leave for a week of vacation at the Outer Banks. We'll be staying here:Mr. Potts and my wonderful niece have their birthdays in July. They're a day apart! Mr. Potts will be 34 & my beautiful niece will be 5. We're going to have a fun birthday party!! She wants cupcakes & whatever my princess wants, she'll be getting!

A time for mourning

Today, while most people were talking about Michael, Farrah & Ed, I was mourning my great Aunt Cill. My Aunt Cill was my grandmother's sister - they were thick as thieves. Lucille was born in 1923 to a family with a penchant for picking unusual names. Perhaps in those times they weren't all that unusual. My grandmother was named Gertrude, there was Lucille, my other aunt Ruth and my uncle Horace.

Aunt Cill was married to my favorite uncle for 42 years. He passed away years ago when I was little. She and my uncle Henry and my grandparents used to hang out together. My grandparents passed away a few years ago and Aunt Cill was my link to them. Over the last few years we've seen her suffer from age related dementia - some may have even called it Alzheimers.

Her funeral was today and Mr. Potts and myself took my mother. It was a beautiful service and she was laid to rest beside her husband in the shade of a great oak tree. There was a breeze blowing in the 90+ degrees and the bells were ringing for her. I know she was looking down on us and gracing us once again with her love.

I love you Aunt Cill. Give my grandmother and grandfather a huge hug and kiss for me when you see them.