Someone is 30 Today!

It's here! This kid is 30 years old today! 

Another slideshow by Smilebox

I can't get that thing in the middle to save my life. Anyway...

I'm not gonna lie, y'all. I teared up making this little slideshow. Not because I miss the days of the lovelies being little even though I do. Not because I want to do it all over again because I know I can't. No, it's because of how proud I am of this girl. It's because of how much I love her. It's because I'm so old now. Haha! I kid, I kid. I mean, it IS April Fool's Day. And yes, she LOVES that her birthday falls on this particular day. 

There's no doubt that this girl will go far in life. She knows how to be positive and happy. She puts her best foot forward every single day no matter what. She's a go-getter. She's smart, talented, creative, and gives more than her all in every situation. She lives and loves with her whole heart. She rises above hate and adversity and stands up strong and firm for what's right and fair and just. She gives with an open heart, without expectation of return. She is always up for traveling and new adventures. She is honest, loyal, trustworthy. I am truly blessed to be called her mom. 

I love you, my Deanie girl and I hope you're having the best time celebrating your birthday even though you're in Malibu instead of here with us (nothing like a little mom guilt trip on your birthday, eh? LOL)

How Do You Define the Mom Role?

I'm giving Five Minute Friday another go this week. Y'all, 5 minutes is either too short or too long. There doesn't seem to be a happy medium here. Regardless, it's a fun practice and there are some fabulous writers participating who make for some good reading.

If you'd like to check it out, just click the button and head over.

This week's prompt is: DEFINE

GO!

Defining myself as 'mom' is one of the easiest things I've ever done. Not only easy but in all likelihood one of the things I've done better than anything else. I never minded putting in the time and effort nor did I mind putting my four daughters needs/wants above my own. I've never really done that for anyone else but never gave it a second thought with my girls.

Redefining myself has never been difficult.

Fast forward a couple decades and, while still defined as 'mom' the meaning changed. I had no trouble with this either. After all, one of the main goals of raising children is to prepare them to go out in the world and make their mark. Make a difference. Be world changers. Be happy, loving, kind...so changing the definition of 'mom' was not difficult. But then, two moved back in and defining the 'mom' role became quite interesting. Surprisingly, it was not me who had the problem.

Redefining the mom role is not easy for some adult children.

It seems when your grown up daughters move back in the house, they tend to think you are still functioning within the parameters of the first 'mom' definition. In other words, you are still going to pay for everything, cook and clean up, etc. That's not the way I defined my role as mom to adult children. 

STOP.

And that's it. Sooooo, I may have to revisit this next week. Seems I've many things to say about this topic.

Please visit my Etsy shop, CoasterDoodles !

Sweet Stinker Baby and the Winners!

The end of another has arrived, y'all. It's been a doozy but we made it! Here's a peek into mine:

Just looking at the princess in the mirror. 

According to her other grandparents, her daddy used to walk on the tops of his toes. Baby M does this all the time. While it doesn't seem to phase her, it certainly makes me cringe. 

Y'all, I. Can't. Even.

No matter what or where it is, she will find it. 

When you need two hands to explore, you learn to balance with your knees. 

She always has a buddy by her side. 

This next picture illustrates how Baby M proves Grandma is never as smart as she thinks she is. I put some of those shelf pin thingys on the tops of the shelves so Baby M wouldn't flip the shelf when she pulls up on them. The very first thing she showed me was how she could pull those little things right out of the hole yet it's difficult for me. The second thing she showed me was how she would slide the shelf straight out instead of flipping it so it would come flying out right on her head. And I know y'all notice that little baby smirk on her face. It's like she's thinking, "Challenge accepted, Grandma."

The shelf and shelf holder thingys have been removed. On to the next thing she can outwit me on. 

Those little tip-toes tho! 

And now, the winners of the NuNaturals stevia giveaway!

1. April at Straight From The Heart
2. Terri, Our Friend From Florida
3. Cathy at Tales of the TCKK Family
4. Debby at Just Breathe

Congratulations, ladies! 

All I need are your mailing addresses which I will give to Ron at NuNaturals and he will get your prizes out to you right away! 

Time's Almost Up!

This is it! The last day to enter to be one of FOUR lucky souls to get FOUR NuNaturals stevia products for FREE!

Here's the important part from the original post:

Yes indeed! FOUR of y'all will receive these goodies if your number comes up in the random generator!

 

So, here's the deal:

• There will be FOUR winners
• Each winner will receive one bottle of Vanilla NuStevia Liquid, one bottle of New Sugarfree cocoa syrup, a package of new cocoa powder, and a 50 packet box of the NuStevia no-carbs Stevia Packets, PLUS a FREE BONUS item. 
• Winner's will receive package directly from NuNaturals.
• Giveaway is open worldwide.
•  They cannot ship to PO BOXES.
• If you want to purchase from NuNaturals you can get a 15% discount by entering BLG0617 through June 30, 2017. Also, shipping is free when orders exceeding $35 (this is just to CONTINENTAL US)

 All y'all have to do is leave a comment here, on my FB page, Instagram, or Twitter that you would like to be entered to win! IF I see a comment on my social media, I'll give you 5 extra entries per comment. AND you can comment every single day if you'd like!

Now, if you'd like TEN extra entries, go and 'LIKE' NuNatruals FB page. Please let me know if you do this so I can give the 10 extra entries! FYI: They have tons of recipes over there.

I'll announce the winners tomorrow! Good Luck, Y'all!

Please visit my Etsy Shop!

All items are HANDMADE with love! 

Beauty and the Hodgepodge

Sometimes, when I lack the motivation to write, I read. I was looking for a particular blog that I failed to bookmark over the weekend (luckily I found it because the post I read over there was so inspirational) because I've been wanting to blog about it. Once I bookmarked it, I was on a roll with reading blogs and wanted to check in with those I frequent. I can't tell y'all how shocked I was to come to the realization that it was Tuesday and Joyce had the Hodgepodge questions up. With all milestone excitement around here, I guess I lost track of the days. 

It's nice to face today with the prospect of reading everyone's answers to the Hodgepodge questions. Often, the Hodgepodge is my zen.  

1. 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'  What's something you've seen recently that you thought was beautiful? No words, just these...

2. Our culture and beauty...your thoughts? Haven't people written dissertations on this topic? Goodness. Does our culture influence our opinions on beauty? Sure or at the very least, it tries really hard. Culture does decide what we should consider visually appealing whether we like it or not. After all, if it didn't, how would we know that we have to want it and to get it we have to buy all the things to get it or try all the fad whatever's? This question made me think of one of my favorite Bible verses:

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

3. Age before beauty, beauty queen, beauty mark, beauty sleep...which beauty-ful phrase resonates with you today? Beauty queen. Why? Because this beauty will turn 30 on Saturday:

She would kill me for relating her to a beauty queen. But y'all know what I mean, right?

4. I read here a list of the top ten beasts animals that scare us the most-

alligators, coyotes, black bears, birds (but pigeons in particular), sharks, bats, bed bugs, rats, rattlesnakes, and the black widow spider. 

Which 'beast' on the list scares you the most? The snakes. Any kind of snake. Any. Kind.What is the liklihood of you having an actual encounter with that particular beast? Let's just hope I do not because I would, in all likelihood, die. Did a movie contribute to your fear of this creature? Nope. Have you ever had a real life encounter with any of the animals listed? Yes. There was a black bear rooting through the garbage cans outside a mountain cabin we stayed in when I was about 8 years old; birds visit the deck every single day because I feed them and they are so much fun; I see bats and hear them sometimes if Tucker and I walk in the wee, still dark hours and they freak me out when they fly; our neighborhood gets coyotes and rats when the idiot, greedy developers rape and destroy the surrounding woods and the wildlife has nowhere else to go because their habitats are completely destroyed without the least bit of consideration and YES, I have some stuff to say about this issue in a BIG way. 

5. Where were you when you last heard a bell ring? It was probably over the holidays when that Hershey's Kisses commercial came on. Was it alarming or musical? It was musical.

6. What's your favorite carb? I don't think this can be narrowed down as I've never met a carb I didn't like. How's that for random? Pretty darn good. 

7. Let's wrap up another month of Hodgepodging and life with an acrostic. Recap your month using the word MARCH. Acrostics drive me NUTS. Now I know why my students groaned when it was time for the acrostic project in the computer lab. Sorry, little people. They did a great job, though. Every time. 

Milestones 
Abounding 
Refurbishing
Changes
Hilarity in the midst

8.  Insert your own random thought here. LOADS going on around this place. If you missed any of it, just click HERE, HERE, and HERE. 

Remember, y'all, there's a giveaway of NuNaturals stevia and tomorrow is the last day to enter!

FOUR lucky winners will each get THESE:

Have a great rest of the week, y'all!

Guess What's Going on in Nashville?

That's Lovely 2 on the left.

Most of you know that Lovely #2 is living and loving life in Nashville. When the family went to visit in June last year (remember when DrummerBoy's band played at the Ryman???) I easily understood why she loves Nashville so much. The food. Was. Awesome. Well, that and the people. I don't think I've ever been in a town or city with nicer more welcoming folks in my life. Apparently, this hospitality and support trickles down from the top.

Nashville has an amazing mayor. Yes, their mayor is amazing (we have a female mayor too. She's nothing like the one in Nashville. Just don't get me started.) My favorite thing about her right now is her support of local women owned start-up businesses. And not just because Lovely #2 fits right into this category but also because I believe in causes such as this--I mean, I am a woman, I have 4 daughters and 1 granddaughter so...

Through iFundWomen Nashville Marketplace and the office of Mayor Megan Barry, the enterprising women of Nashville will receive recognition and, hopefully, the funding they need to further their businesses many of whom support local charities as well.

Lovely 2 and her sweet partner not only have a little business of their own but they also made the cut for the project! Their super cute video would be right here had Blogger allowed me to upload it. Since Blogger is being a stinker, please CLICK HERE or on any of the pictures below to see the video.

So, how does Lovely 2 fit into the iFundWomen Nashville?

She and partner Haylee both work full-time jobs so Twigs + Roots is their passion project/side hustle. They are truly passionate about the products they make, but it costs a lot in time and personal funds to keep it going. They have BIG plans for Twigs + Roots (re-branding, new website, product expansion, wholesale expansion), but, with baby Young on the way (!!!), and DrummerBoy and Lovely 2 buying their first home (!!!), they don't have the means to continue financing everything themselves. No donation is too small, every dollar helps!!!

Why should you consider donating?

These two young women are passionate about educating the public on the negative effects of harmful chemicals and toxins in commercial body care products as well as being a part of the solution. This campaign will serve as a platform for them to do just that – educate and present the public with healthy, natural alternatives to commercial body products.  It will also allow them to continue offering products at prices that are easily accessible to all and assist them in making their products more conveniently available by expanding the wholesale business to local Nashville shops. AND they will finally be able to revamp their packaging, website, and overall brand to reflect the quality of their products!

What if I don't want to donate right now?

Share, share, share! Take a moment to share this post and/or share the link to their iFundWomen page on your personal social media accounts, tell your friends about it! 

From Haylee and Claudia:

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you in advance for your love and support of us and our little business. We can't wait to see where this adventure takes us!

There are only 14 days left to donate. If you can't, please share this with everyone you know! Thanks, y'all!

Milestones, Y'all

We've got them going on in this family right now. How so?

Baby M's parents bought their very first house! No more flushing money down the rental toilet! WooHoo!

This is their cute little house but NOT THEIR FURNISHINGS. I would post it but they just moved in Saturday and all y'all would be able to see are boxes and stuff everywhere. We all know how that goes, right? I'll post some more after they are settled in.

One of the best things about this house? It's a mere 14 miles from my house. 😁

But wait! Deanie and DrummerBoy also bought their first house so they also say good-bye to flushing money down the rental toilet! What?!

This is their cute little house! I only have one issue with it. It's in Nashville instead of Charleston. 😢 It's still cute, though. And so are they. 😍

There's just one more thing. This kid has a milestone birthday on Saturday. She's going to turn 30. THIRTY. FREAKING. YEARS. OLD. We shall not be discussing how old this makes me. 😲

I'll post the birthday post later but because she's my kid and I love her to pieces...

Happy Birthday Week, Deanie! Enjoy the last week of your 20s! 

Happy and proud don't begin to cover all the feels I have about these milestones!

Shoot, I'm happy and proud just to have the honor of being their mom.



Not a milestone but I did update the Etsy shop this weekend. I'd love it if y'all hopped over there to check it out and let me know what you think. This is such a learning process and I seem to be a slow learner on this particular issue. Ha! I've joined an Etsy sellers FB group and have learned several things, one of which I'll be sharing with y'all later.

CoasterDoodles has had a bit of a facelift!

Last thing! 

The NuNaturals stevia giveaway is on until Thursday! 

Click HERE to enter to win FOUR FREE PRODUCTS 

or just leave a comment on this post that you'd like to enter.