Dream Travel: In an RV. Where would you go?

We took a brief virtual cross country detour last week in order to honor the greatest day of the year:

Mother's Day!

Now we are back on track and will resume of RV trek across the country with Pink Haired Momma, Hubbs-to-be and Baby DIVA. When we originally left off we had visited the totally fabulous Beer Can House in Houston, Texas, Now the RV is flowing full of green friendly gas and Pink Haired Momma is at the wheel as we virtually head out along the long stretch of Highway 290 to another wonderful place in Texas, the capital to be exact, Austin. Our RV fits in superb in this crazy town. Weird Austin as we folks here in Texas refer to it. Austin is a bustling city full of an artistic crowd. It is quite the convergence. The fantastic world of the city and the excitement associated with this lifestyle, coupled with the artistic flair of eco-friendly and happy people provides this Pink Haired Momma, her Hubbs-to-be and Baby DIVA with an outpouring of familiarity and passion for learning what serendipitous events we may encounter.

After doing some quick research This Family decides the virtual RV tour must make a stop at the junkiest place in Austin...

The Cathedral of Junk!

This place is so captivating. Taking my virtual stroll through this man's artistic castle made my heart flutter. I now know that when the junk begins to pile up (and Hubbs-to-be is adamantly shouting "You will never use that blooming onion maker you bought on TV". again) and I just can not bear to part with that silly cup with the cute Sheera doll etched on the glass, it is okay because I can just glue it to the outside of my house and call it art! Totally Fab! I love it! No more Garage sales here! All junk to be used as "art" from now on.

Really, this place is fascinating. Vince Hanneman, the designer/artist/owner or whatnot has taken is passion for art and turned this otherwise bleak home into his personal masterpiece. Go Vince! You rock!

If you happen to be in Austin, Texas and have some time to kill, go ahead and view this novelty. You will not be disappointed. Pink Haired Momma approved!

Peas ROCK

Baby DIVA had her first ever "solids" this morning. Well at least this mush formally known as PEAS used to be solid until Pink Haired Momma steamed, blended, pureed, stirred, spooned and froze then defrosted them into this liquidy mess!!!

Hubbs-to-be worked the camera and video aspect of this exciting milestone, while Pink Haired Momma initiated the first taste. Baby DIVA took the first bite like a champ. A little bit of puzzlement brushed across her brow, however in no time she assured Pink Haired Momma and Hubbs-to-be that she enjoyed this gourmet meal and could totally feed herself.

No help needed Mom! Thanks!

Except for that nice warm bath after that this DIVA will be needing at the end of this festive event.

To Chupy or not to Chupy

Lets talk chupy (aka Binky or pacifer).

I am interested to learn what other people have to say about this topic. Before the arrival of Baby DIVA, I read many books and articles on "how to raise my baby". Some of it I agreed with. Some of it I thought was stupid. And some of it I just had no idea what it meant or how to even process the information, given I had no experience with children.

One topic that was up for great debate in a lot of the literature I read was about whether or not you should allow your new baby to utilize a chupy. The Mayo Clinic released this article on the pros and cons of using a chupy. Pretty much all the literature I read before Baby DIVA's arrival on this subject can be summed up in this article.

We decided from the get go that the use of a chupy was perfectly fine. We even had chupy's packed in our hospital bag and introduced Baby DIVA to this object in the hospital the day she was born. She took to it like a champ. I read about the cons and listened to other mothers fuss about how they were not going to allow their baby to use this contraption because it may harm their teeth, or it could be too hard to break the child later, blah , blah , blah. I figured I would just cross those bridges as they came about. So Hubb-to-be and myself accepted the chupy into our life.

Well now Baby DIVA is 6 months old. We are chupy users. Baby DIVA likes her chupy a lot. However she is not dependent on it by any means. She likes to sleep with it, however does not require it to fall asleep. She hardly ever uses it during her waking hours, although I always have it nearby, just in case. She likes to pop it in and out of her mouth in some little game she invented for herself. I think it is perfect fine and normal.

Watching her not be totally addicted to this item got my mind turning. I am curious if she is a child who just doesn't need it; Or did we as parents teach or mold her response to such chupy? We have not pressed the chupy as a needed item. If she wants it we give it to her. If she doesn't we don't. No big deal either way. She in turn has the same behavior toward the object. I am curious to know what other parents have done and how their child has responded and what that child's behavior is towards the chupy. I am also curious if other parents went into parenthood adamant about not using a chupy because of current literature findings only to find themselves changing their views after baby arrived or vice versa.

So please share with me your thoughts on this topic. I am very interested to get real momma's and daddy's views as opposed to views i find in articles and books I find on parenting.

Bye Bye Junk!!

After awaking to the horrid sound of the alarm clock thrashing around my head this morning at 5am, we arose and set up for our SURPRISE garage sale. We did not have a huge outcome, but we did get rid off some items we do not need anymore. Fabulous more space available for new stuff!! All of our leftovers will be donated and/or freecycled. Woohoo!!

I was able to handle being outside until about 10am. Upon reaching that hour the sun crept up over the top of my shade tree and blared down on my skin. That didn't make me too excited. So, I closed up shop and headed inside. I then watched out the window while Baby DIVA napped, as Hubbs-to-be mowed the yard!!

Lovely Saturday morning!

Crazy as an Ant

The Ants seem to have retreated!!!

Woohoo!

Hubbs-to-be spotted a few ants this morning scouting the area near our front door where the eliminator now resides. I have yet to see these small crawling beasts scurrying about my dwelling floor. I believe the few ants that the Hubbs-to-be encountered this morning were "suicide" ants and have proven to the colony this is a hostile area.

My insanity level has been lowered.

Well that was until I received an email from the Hubbs-to-be this morning revealing our weekend plans.

INSANITY LEVEL RISING!!!!

You see we have been "planning" a garage sale now since before the first of the year. I am sure you can all agree this is not an easy undertaking on a good day. Much less a day where you have an infant in your world. So Yes Pink Haired Momma and Hubbs-to-be have procrastinated like MAD in regards to this garage sale.

Well now that summer is arriving with the quickness and Baby DIVA is getting around more and enjoying playing with other humans, Hubbs-to-be really wants to get his MAN CAVE, the garage, in order.

So SURPRISE!!! Garage Sale at Pink Haired Momma's and Hubb-to-be's Garage tomorrow 8am posted on Craigslist!!

WOWSERS!!!!!!

I have been scooting around like a crazy drugged up ant (lol) this morning! Trying to get everything in order for the sale in tomorrow's early part of the day. I will most likey be pulling an all-nighter tonight to prepare all the goodies for everyone to filter though. Our ad on craigslist and all the garage sale signs (luckily I had a sale a few years back and the signs say my address followed by "Garage Sale Saturday 8am" on them already; Score that task is complete) say 8am, but I know those bargain hunters out there will be stalking the driveway from behind their steering wheels between the hours of 6am and 730am!! Stay back the doors will rise and reveal your prizes at 8am sharp!!!! I know about these bargain hunting stalkers because I secretly stalk other people and their garage sale offerings!!

I must now go continue with my preparations!I am kind of excited!! I am looking forward to watching all my beloved oldies find new homes!!!

Ants Ants Ants

One of the many joys about Spring and early Summer time here in the South is that, as the warm air begins to embrace our magnificent area, the ants begin to hunt for cooler ground. This results in sugar ants packing up and moving their colonies indoors. And by indoors I mean they are moving inside MY doors, and I am NOT happy about it!!! I have battled these sugar ant issues for many years in many homes. I have even fought the battle with these crawling creatures when I resided on the 9th floor of a high rise condominium many years back (the younger days…oh the stories to share…wait! Wait! getting off track here). These pesky little critters drive me insane!! I am constantly wiping my entire dwelling with my Homemade Cleaning Wipes in hopes of repelling these tiny demons.


Now that I am the mother of an almost 6 month old Baby DIVA, who I might add, is on the verge of taking off in a full force speedy crawl around the floor of my home any minute now; I totally think the ants are aware of this impending scenario and are using it against me. They seem to have multiplied into the most gigantic colony on the face of the planet here inside my home. They are coming out of the WALLS!!!

I am going CRAZY! Crazy like when you step on the ant hill and all the buggies scatter in all different directions. Well I am feeling a bit like my ant hill has been mashed and I am running every which way to get it back in order.

In between my advanced scrub with my wipey techniques to abolish these beasts, I cannot help but ponder the following question. Are the ants really in a retaliatory mode against me this year, or have I just become a Pink Haired Momma who stalks every area her Baby DIVA has access to like a crazy over involved parent? Upon these ponderings I have officially decided the ants are waging war against me and I must accept the battle and conquer my Land aka my indoors!

Now I know you are probably thinking, “Okay Pink Haired Momma get some buggy ant spray and call it a day”, right? Well my friends not only am I suffering from the nothing that kills anything around my new baby syndrome, that almost all new mother have, I also have an incredibly severe allergy to any kind of bug killing product. Seriously, I do. It makes me devastatingly ill. I cannot be anywhere near any form of chemical used to eliminate creatures of this kind. We truly only use organic and non-harmful methods of elimination for these insect creatures in the Pink Haired Momma’s world.

After some extensive research by Hubbs-to-be, my Mom and myself we have come up with a solution to eradicate these pests in a non-threatening fashion. Hubbs-to-be decorated our yard and every nook and cranny around our house tonight with this wonderful and safe for me and Baby DIVA crawling creature eliminator Diatomaceous Earth. Our yard and all the nooks and crannies are now covered with a film of white powder that I am hoping in the next day or so dissolve away all my buggy problems.

I have provided here a link for you to examine this product at Amazon.com. We had a hard time locating a store here in our area of Texas that could provide us with what we wanted. Hubbs-to-be finally located a small package at a Lowes by his job and we are giving it its trial run before purchasing any more.

I sure hope to provide a fabulous report on this product in the next few days. I imagine myself saying, “Not only is organic, safe, and non-harmful for people, pets, and Baby DIVA; it also KILLED MY ANTS!!!!!”

Spring Clean

I felt the need to "clean up" my life today. I have cleaned and re-organized my home over the last few weeks; so now I am cleaning up my blog.

I chose a new background that is not so busy and bright on the eyes. I still need lots of color and excitement to make me feel happy, however I think more former background, although incredibly appealing to me, did not quite spark excitement in my readers. I now have a new background that enables you my lovely readers and friends to read my ramblings a lot better and it still provides me with the color and excitement I desire.

What are your thoughts?

WOW WOW Baby DIVA

Yes the Noggin is my life now...

The last 24 hours have been jam packed with all kinds of new developments...

First and foremost Baby DIVA learned to eat from a spoon. The first 3 bites were a bit strange; however by bite 4 she learned how to open the Hanger and was ready for more. DIVA, however, was not excited about the taste of this so called cereal and has formally requested a more enriched meal that meets the standards of her palette for the next feeding.

Second, I am officially Baby DIVA's personal chef! I made the DIVA's first "solid foods" or rather her first gourmet meal. We will be starting her this weekend on "solid food". Now why is it referred to a "solid food"? Because I am sorry but no seasoning mashed up veggies is really yuck and too me is not SOLID! Ha! No wonder Baby DIVA made her request this morning after the initial cereal feeding, for some foods better equipped for her matured palette. Anyway tangent there. Chef Pink Haired Momma proudly whipped up some peas and carrots and I have frozen and vacuumed sealed them in preparation of baby DIVA's first "solid" meal. We will begin this extravagant fiesta this weekend in the presence of Hubbs-to-be, so we may have the entire episode filmed, of course. The below slideshow documents this Chef’s first gourmet meal preparation for Baby DIVA. Yes new mom documents and shares EVERYTHING with the world!

And last but not least, in true Pink Haired Momma style the Baby Diva was introduced to Aqua Net!!! A little hairspray (from the 80's) never hurt anyone, Right?

**And in case you are wondering, I was in fact playing with slideshows in photobucket in the middle of the night while the Baby DIVA decided NOT to sleep!**

Tuesday Tidbit

Well Tuesday has come back around again, and it is time for a little "tidbit" of information to brighten your world. This week the Pink Haired Momma is providing you with an exceptional recipe any momma can appreciate. This recipe is from one of my favorite Food Network Stars, Guy Fieri.

The recipe is quite well placed now as we venture into the hot summer months. This meal can provide happiness to everyone. It is vegetarian friendly and provides a fabulous punch of protein. It is a cold serve salad and is so refreshing with each bite, that you find yourself shivering with anticipation for the next bite.

I have now served this to several guests and to my family several times and they have quickly placed it at the top of the "please make" for me list. I also recently provided a dear friend of mine with this recipe as an impromptu addition to a surprise dinner guest arrival. She served it with fresh grilled fish and said it was a superb combination.

**Oh and the best part...there is no cooking at all. It is an easy open and mix chill and serve dish that will bring about all kinds of OOOO's and AHHHH's.**

It can be served alone or coupled with another dish.

Here are the ingredients and directions:

4 Bean Relish

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
3/4 cup red onions, finely diced
1/4 cup peppadew peppers (sweet red peppers) or roasted red bell peppers, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons honey
1 (12-ounce) can white beans, drained
1 (12-ounce) can chick peas, garbanzo beans, drained
1 (12-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (12-ounce) can black beans, drained

Directions
Mix all ingredients together and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour for the flavors to blend. Mix thoroughly before service.

Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy

and please let Pink Haired Momma know your thoughts on this delicious dish!!

Happy Birthday

I would just like to take a moment here to recognize this day as a special day in my Pink Haired Momma's world.

I have a young brother who passed away many moons ago. Today, May 12th, is his birthday. He would be 28 years old today.

Michael, my younger brother, had an illness known as Larsen's Syndrome. He was quite the fighter and beat the odds by surviving 5 1/2 years when the doctor's told my parents he would most likely not survive his first 24 hours.

We were all blessed to have had this wonderful soul grace our lives. I just want him to know I think about him and miss him and look forward to seeing him again someday!!

Happy Birthday!!

Pink Haired Momma celebrated First Mother's Day!!!!

I sure hope that all the mommies out there had a totally fabulous Mother's Day Yesterday!!

This Pink Haired Momma sure did enjoy her first ever Mother's Day. Beautiful Baby DIVA and daddy had my favorite picture of me and Baby DIVA blown up and framed.

Also...the greatest ever..

TWO PACKAGES OF ANDES MINTS ALREADY CHILLED, JUST FOR ME!!!!

I am totally in heaven.

I got to take a bath and soak for as long as I wanted, I worked in the yard without interruption, cooked a lovely meal that I thoroughly enjoyed doing without interruption or the burden of "I have to get dinner on the table" weighing over me.

We went and visited my my Great Grandmother. And Yes, that is Baby DIVA's GREAT GREAT Grandmother.

All in all it was a fabulous Mother's Day!!!

The memory I have banked to share with Baby DIVA when she is all grown up about my first ever Mother's Day as her mom is:

The gigantic smile and giggle she gave me as Hubbs-to-be brought her to me in the bed on Mother's Day morning! I will never forget how bright her eyes were as she looked into my eyes, How big her smile was as she smiled just for me, or how much love and happiness I felt in my heart and radiating through my body and soul at that very moment. I bask in the glory of being the greatest mom ever to Baby DIVA Amelia Grace!!! There is no other feeling that even comes close to the feeling of love I have for this wonderful little being!! Happy Mother's Day my little angel! You make me the happiest Pink Haired Momma in the Universe!!!

What will be the memory from this Mother's Day that you will share with your child many years from now??

Double Wammy Wedding Weekend

As you know we had a double wammy wedding weekend. You should recall this fact because Baby DIVA Amelia was having a hard time picking outfits last week before the weddings occurred this weekend. Well she finally decided on her Friday outfit and off we went to the wedding. It was great. K-teach looked absolutely beautiful as she married the one she loves in a gorgeous ceremony and Baby DIVA slept through the entire thing!! Then we went to the reception where the BUD LIGHT grooms cake was housed, and the DJ started playing music at a decibel level that was just not working for the Baby DIVA's high maintenance sensitive ears. It was not happening for the Baby DIVA! She let us know right then and there she needed to be escorted back to her DIVA throne AKA her own home. I, the Pink Haired Momma made my first ever "I have to leave because the baby ain't happy" move. It was sad.

Hubbs-to-be and I discussed this new development in our lives on the way home and realized how different our world has become over the last year. Upon arrival to the DIVA's throne, The Baby DIVA awoke and began to fuss for the next 12 hours!!! So needless to say all that drama about picking outfits was put to rest because this worn out Pink Haired Momma, Hubbs-to-be, and Baby DIVA did not make the Saturday morning wedding!! Lucky for the bride we will send a totally fabulous gift to compensate for our absence due to Baby DIVA Drama!!!

Baby DIVA in the flesh

**Note** A baby (especially a BABY DIVA) rules the world!!!!

Laughing at Life

Here is a true story for you to giggle at...

As you know I work from home in the customer service industry for a cable provider. Well just the other night I received a call from a gentleman that was very upset about some movie purchases he had on his bill this month. It appears the young lad and his leading lady purchased some very Innocent entertainment and watched about $50 worth of movies. Well by the time the bill came the leading lady was no longer the young mans leading lady. He now feels he should not have to pay for these films because "she" chose them and she is not his girl anymore.

Seriously!?!

And for your further customer service laughing pleasure on this fine Monday morning here is a great website

http://www.thespoof.com/

Dream Travel: In an RV!!! Where would you go?

Dream Travel in an RV Team is off, rolling into the virtual sunset of America, riding along in our giant home on wheels. Pink Haired Momma is sitting passenger to the Hubbs-to-be and Baby DIVA chillaxin in her mobile crib. We virtually arrive in Oakland, California and make our way to 81st Street.

In the spirit of Mother's Day, I thought it would be a real yummy treat for my virtual Dream Travel in an RV team to embark on a journey that lands us amidst the wonderful world of white and pink frosted circus cookies. I am a new mommy and my life feels like a Circus a good majority of the time, so this certainly is fitting for this glorious day!!

I know you are imagining the delightful image of these fantastic cookies right now as you embrace the lush taste of remembrance in your thoughts and it begins to make your mouth water. But after all that illustrious imagery, can you recall the brand name of such a delicious novelty treat...


MOTHER's BAKERY
Of course!!


Here is a little background on Mother's Bakery:
Mother's was founded by a newspaper vendor in 1914 known as N.M Wheatley. Everyday Wheatley smelled the sweet aroma of homemade cookies waft by from the hands of an elderly couple as they passed his newspaper stand on their journey to sell their prized cookies. Finally one day he inquired about the cookies. Upon tasting these beloved sweets, N.M. Wheatley purchased the rights to the recipe.

The purchase of this wonderful recipe brought to the world of Mr. Wheatley nothing but sweetness. The development of his cookie company brought to him his future bride which in turn grew into his future son who would eventually grow up and take over this ingenious business. Totally fabulous outcome Mr. Wheatley. Smart move dude!!

You can imagine my shock and surprise as I researched the directions and history of our virtual visit, that I learned that Mother's has closed its doors for GOOD!!!! Gone, are those yummy little cookies and there is no more bakery for us to visit. I was utterly devastated. Some much so that I found this wonderful Memorial that I think everyone needs to purchase in order to honor the loss of such a phenomenon as the Pink and White frosted circus cookies. I even began writing a little letter to the President stating that we may need to have a day of remembrance for this beloved cookie.

However, as I continued to research more and more about this tragic loss, I found out that Kellogg's has purchased the trademarks of Mother's and is planning to reintroduce many of the favorite cookies from Mother's we all know and love. So although this week we do not have a specific destination to visit per say; we can most definitely visit the former location and origins of this masterpiece of sweet snack; and we can in the future visit the new production facility of this grand cookie.

I decided that despite not being able to virtually visit this location right now, that Mother's has a great place in our stomachs rather our hearts and deserves to be honored with a virtual visit from the Pink Haired Momma, Hubbs-to-be and Baby DIVA in the Dream Travel in an RV.

Rolling! Rolling! Rolling!

Busy Busy Busy

Wowsers!

Weddings. Screaming fussy baby! Mother's Day Weekend!!

My goodness I am super swamped.

Here are some pictures from this weekend so far...more to come.

And of course I will give a recap soon!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mommies reading this right now!!!!

K-Teach's Wedding Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well today has been quite hectic preparing for K-Teach's wedding.

Hair appointments, naps, lunches, playtime...the usual.

Amelia finally decided what to wear. The winner being the white sundress with Flair, (B) option for Friday. As I write this, she is utterly exhausted from the primping and pampering of the day and has yet to fully dress due to an unplanned event known as a much needed NAP. As soon as she is done napping pictures will commence and I will upload her beauty!!

Hope YOU have a wonderful evening! We will update on the marriage of K-Teach later!!!

Happy Friday!!

Baby Shower cake

My friend Brooke sent this to me via email and I laughed so hard I peed myself (memories of pregnancy...fitting).

Still laughing...

or is your jaw still on the floor?

Plato's Closet door is shut!!

MAN! AM I MAD! AND YES THIS IS IN CAPS TO EXPRESS MY ANGER!!!!!!

UGH!!!!!!

So you remember just yesterday I realized how horrible at cleaning this Pink Haired mom is. I went through and cleaned out the closet and came out holding 6 bags of clothes that I need to get rid of. Well I did some research and found a cool consignment store nearby (or so the website conned me into believing) and thought I would take my bags over there and let them have a look see and whatever they did not want I would donate or freecycle!!

So I load up Baby DIVA, (which you parents out there know this is not an easy task: prepare child for car trip, pack diaper bag and fill with all essential gear in case Armageddon hits while you are out, put babe in car seat, put car seat in car, triple check to make sure car seat is secure, close door, re-open door and check one more time to make sure car seat is in place Etc etc). So anyway Baby DIVA was loaded, the 6 bags of clothes were loaded and Pink Hair here was loaded. So off we go to this consignment store!

Upon entering the following occurred:

Sales chick walks up to me and looks at me with Baby DIVA and says the following,
"I don't think we have your size. We only take Juniors and small sizes."

Ummmm hello what the HELL!!! I don't even get to say Hello before you start judging what I might be doing in your store. How do you know that I am coming to your store for selling? I might be coming into buy. I could be walking in to tell you the store just won the lottery!! I was infuriated!!! I just looked at the woman and said "BYE" and with that Baby DIVA and I turned away and left. Little did that sales chick know that my 6 bags of clothes are filled with name brand almost new clothing that "juniors" would love to have and they are of a small size because before getting pregnant I WAS a small size!!! I am just so perturbed!!!

So in revenge I will not only NEVER EVER EVER shop or sell there, I am going to spread the word about how much I despise them!


They are actually a chain. The name is Plato's Closet.

The sales chick with "small size only" attitude is at the Mason Road store in Katy, Texas!

Thanks Plato's closet I will take my clothes and donate them to those who need them regardless of their small or large stature!!! And I will gladly share my experience from your store with everyone I know!

Dressing Dilemma

Baby DIVA is facing a terrible dilemma. She can not figure out which outfit to wear to the TWO weddings we are attending this weekend. Pink Haired mom found some great deals at the thrift store this last week and this has left baby DIVA pondering what to wear. Here are her options:

Options

Friday Possibles:

A. Hot pink island theme

B. White sundress with Flair

Saturday Possibles

A. Yellow Sunflower Romper

B. Pink Strawberries Sundress

Your input is greatly appreciated!!!

All outfits have been modeled and each one makes her look her most fabulous, so that is not an issue!

View Pink Haired Momma's Outfits

(If inspiration is needed to help in decision)

Friday Dress
Saturday Dress

Pink Hair Fails Housewife Test

I made a really sad discovery this morning...

My SUITCASE from Amelia's birth was still packed and in the closet...

HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She was born in November 2008!! Thanksgiving time people! It is now May 2009. Almost Memorial Day! Wow! I have serious issues!!!

So after the realization that this Pink Haired momma has failed entirely at being a clean housewife and mother, I knew it was time to conquer the beast and get organized. So, Amelia and I spent the entire morning cleaning out the closet. I embarked on this quest knowing that if I have gone the last 5 months without the goodies in my suitcase, then I know there are many things in that closet that can GO! I went through everything: the closet, the drawers, the cabinets, the full works. If it didn’t fit (and yes I tried everything on…somewhat of a scary adventure however also very enlightening to my new Hot Mom Bod!), if I hadn’t worn it in over a year (pregnancy not included), or it was just plain ugly (my taste and choices in ensembles shocks the crap outta me on occasion), then it went in the BYE BYE pile.

6 packed bags and several hours later, Amelia and I are exhausted but we have vanquished the beast and this is a view of our accomplishment...

And in case you are wondering, I did unpack the suitcase!!

Crawling into May

Cinco de Mayo roared in with a bang this morning, at the bright and early time of 5:30am for Baby DIVA and Pink Haired mom. Not the way I intended to awake but Diva was all smiles, So be it!! I had no idea at this early morning moment what the Baby Diva had in store for me today.

I guess she has decided that today is the day she is officially going to be a "crawl'n" DIVA. I placed her in her usual position with her "friends" on her play mat. After a brief tickle and giggle session I allowed her to entertain her imagination and I ventured off into the kitchen to make some dinner and start a load of laundry (I am a mom I can totally do 5 things at once now). 2 minutes later I look back at the play mat and

no Baby DIVA!!!

Brief heart attack followed by baby giggles on the other side of the living room.

She made it all the way across the room. I swear she must have been plotting this adventure before I stepped away. The only time my Pink Haired multi tasking self was not looking at her was the 12 steps from the living room to the kitchen! Wow! Go DIVA babe! Crawling at 5 months!

My life is now over.

*of course on attempts to get this new talent on video the DIVA needed a break and was not available for filming.

Change of A Dress

I might be a little crazy when it comes to knowing exactly what I want all the time. I change my mind a lot and if the perfect thing pops into my life I go for it. I thought I found the perfect wedding gown. I was all set and had the flowers and the masks all planned out and I was happy with my choice.

Then it happened! I was surfing the net with mom and the unexpected occurred. My knees went weak and my stomach turned a little happy somersault!! MY DRESS! I have seen the dress of all dresses that I MUST have for my wedding!! I absolutely am in love with this dress. Take a moment to click on my dress and take in its beauty...

Ok are you back? So soon? Go ahead take in it's beauty a little longer. Now I am sure a good majority of you just fainted because Yes in fact my dress is Black and has feathers hidden in the gathers. Totally me! I am just blown away. It is so simple and so elegant and has that quality of ME!! I have never wanted a white wedding gown. I loved the red but man this black is so elegant and will just look too fab with my hot pink hair!! It is made to order so we have to get busy and get it ordered but the designer is right here in Houston. Lucky for me! When it is perfect everything just falls into place.

So everything about the wedding stays the same even with the Change of Dress. The only thing I might change is, the ladies masks may sport some pink instead of red only!! LOL

Tuesday Tidbits

When Amelia was born my parents bought us an upright deep freeze as a baby gift. This has got to be one of the best gifts I have ever received...well besides the gift or motherhood of course!!

I am a coupon mom and watch sales like crazy. I dabbled in the grocery game and learned the skills to get the best deals on items we use everyday. Now when something goes on sale and I have coupons, this crazy pink haired mom high tails it to the store and STOCKPILES!!! Then i store it in my handy deep freeze and the cabinets I have hanging out in the Man Cave aka the Garage!!!

Woohoo!!

I recently tried out an interesting idea that I found on the internet in regards to freezing grocery items you would not normally think about freezing when you happen across them in fabulous sales!!!

Gallons of Milk and eggs.

Weird right?

Not so much, it really works.

Gallons of milk were on sale here at my local grocery and I had a coupon. I got 3 gallons and brought them home. I opened each gallon and poured out just a small amount (about 1/2 cup or so) and put the lid back on. Then I took my Trusty Pink Sharpie and wrote the date of entry into the freezer on the top of the plastic jug. 2 weeks later I needed new milk so I went to the garage and retrieved one of my frozen milk experiments and placed it in the fridge in the house. 24 hours later we were drinking thawed out frozen milk and couldn't even tell the difference. The thawed milk lasted just over a week in my fridge without spoiling after the Thaw. This is just too cool. Instead of paying almost $4 a gallon I can stockpile Milk when I can get it on sale for a buck or two!! Fab find for me!!

Now on the eggs...

I crack open the eggs and mix 2 together just like if I was going to cook scrambled eggs. Then I place 2 mixed eggs into the little hole on an ice tray. Each hole can house 2 mixed eggs. Now using this method of freezing eggs will enable you to use the eggs primarily for baking and scrambled eggs projects (I say projects because this Pink Haired mom is still learning how to cook. Every adventure in the kitchen is a total Project) in the future. In case you are wondering making sunny side up for breakfast from these eggs is probably out of the question. Ha! So then cover the egg trays really good to prevent freezer burn. I wrap in foil then place the whole tray in my food saver bag and food save it. Then I label the date of entry into the freezer with my Trusty Pink Sharpie and TADA!!! eggs that are ready to use for an extended time period past expiration!! Totally Love it!!!

So how cool is that. A fun and exciting way to stockpile and freeze milk and eggs when they are on sale. I totally love it!!!

Wedding shower and Corset Bag

My best friend is getting married this coming Friday May 8th. I am her maid of honor. Feeling more like maid of dishonor these days because Baby DIVA takes up all my time and I have not done anything to help with her wedding. Some of this guilt I must say has started to melt away as I went way above and beyond pre baby DIVA at her first wedding and her other Bridesmaid rocks as a planner. LOL ha okay okay I know!!

Yesterday I went to her wedding shower without the baby DIVA!! It was quite wonderful, I must admit. I took the Hubbs-to-be's 'Stang and semi-dressed up mommy went galloping down the freeway, pink hair blowing in the wind...

We did not plan the coordinating dress and present wrapping...but funny nonetheless!!!!

My Best friend "K-Teach" is a fab drill/cheer coach at OUR high school alum no less. She is getting married to a wonderful man that we all adore! He is the A list in my mind and for a MAN to hit the A list in my mind for my A list Friends you gotta be dang good and have some special FLAIR of your own! Way to go my BFF your man has FLAIR!!!

So I was faced with the wedding gift purchase dilemma yesterday before attending the shower. What do I buy my BFF for her wedding? Do I stick with the plan and carefully assess her wedding registry and pick out a delightful gift from the " I am newly married section" and have it wrapped up cute with matching paper and a bow? Well lets see for starters since it is actually her second and she already owns a home and everything inside and she lived with me for over a year after her divorce...and not to mention that that would be the NORMAL thing to do not the Pink Haired thing to do; I made my decision. I know exactly what she needs...

My pink hair craziness kicked in and off I went to purchase the Following necessities

Straws: for those mean margarita newlywed nights
Toothpicks: for getting rid of the leftovers after the hubbs cooks

A Battery buffet: in case the hubbs is busy

Tube squeezers: PLEASE! everyone needs these

And the most important: TYLENOL!!!! no explanation needed

I wrapped it all up in a beautiful wedding bag adorned with the proverbial declaring of love embellished with champagne flutes and stuffed it with fabulous lime green tissue paper and of course a musical card playing the cherished sounds of the "Chicken Dance"!!!!

I was a hit! She loved it!!And I laughed and laughed!!

By the way the sun was hiding behind clouds but we both sported sunglasses inside during the shower!!

Oh My goodness I totally almost forgot this wonderful addition to my day yesterday. Since I was without Diaper bag I needed a purse...Wowsers!! Haven't carried one of those in ages...So I raced into the closet of clothes that do not fit and climbed up to the top shelf trying to recall if there were purses there. What do you know!! There was a some purses up there and I found an Oldie but Goodie hiding in the back. It just Made my day that much better.

Laughing at Life

Parenting is one of the hardest careers on this planet. Sometimes parents just need a little "light" moment. What better way to start out on Monday than to take 5 minutes and laugh. It really helps set the tone for the week that follows.

My Hubbs-to-be and myself always try to find humor in our daily lives. This really provides us with a sound relationship to approach even the darkest of days with. After many years of practice we can find humor in just about anything. However when we first started "laughing at life" we needed help. I have provided a website that my Hubbs-to-be found and we really find it funny. Click below and go play on this site, it that can help YOU laugh and give you a moment to remember that life is wonderful and hilarious!!!

http://www.fmylife.com/

This is a general pessimistic outlook on life but is incredibly funny...and a lot of it true.

This should help you take your every day life and find a great new hysterical approach to it!!

A cute little example here from my life is:

Because the baby DIVA has a mind of her own and sleeps when SHE wants not when I want, I hardly ever sleep. Not a big deal. I am learning all kinds of new skills. Like how to operate heavy machinery such as cars and lawnmowers without any sleep....

Watch out for the Crazy pink haired mom on the loose!!

Dream Travel: In an RV!!! Where would you go?

You dont have to tell me I know I am crazy!!!

The last few months I have had this wild and crazy idea that we should/NEED to rent out our house and buy and RV and take our life on the road!! I would love to have a nomadic lifestyle the next few years all the while learning about our great continent of North America and teaching Amelia that she can pursue whatever she dreams, just so long as she does it responsibly.

Hubbs-to-be is not as excited about this endeavor as me. However being the greatest man ever he lets me ramble on about the possibilities of living in an RV and crossing the country many time over.

GUIDED IMAGERY: Take a moment and just visualize Crazy Pink haired mom at the giant wheel of the portable house on wheels with Handsome Hubbs-to-be beside her and Baby Diva chillaxin in her On the go Crib!!!! LOL Totally Love it!!!

Financing such a lifestyle may be quite tricky. I have secured a work from home job and could possibly parlay this is to a traveling work from RV gig. I have learned that in the customer service field I am in almost all the at-home positions require a modem attached Internet connection, not wireless. After research on the subject I have located many RV sites across the country that enable just this connection to occur. So problem solved...not exactly.

The Hubbs-to-be will need to have an On The Go gig too. He is not a customer service potential employee. That type of work is just not in his blood, so sweet as he may be to me, just not the field for him. He would need a full time paying gig in the form of a remote computer, photography or graphics field. We are still searching; rather I am searching and HOPING!!

After some preliminary research into the traveling dream lifestyle, we have come to the conclusion that it just might not be in our cards right now. Maybe that will change in the future. We both strongly believe that if the time is right then the process will come with ease and we will just fall right into our nomadic life.

Until then, I am going to post once a week, an incredibly fun, unique and off the beaten path place we would love to visit when the time comes that we will be able to live the nomadic lifestyle of our dreams.

When we take off on our dream journey some day in the future we will be starting out right here in Houston, Texas. It is only appropriate to begin this collection with a unique spot right here at home!!!!

Totally awesome and amazing here it is:
The first location listed on our magical dream journey:

BEER CAN HOUSE
http://www.texastwisted.com/attr/beercanhouse/info.shtml

New Hat and What is in that Cup???

Derby Day!!!

What a race it was!! Amelia watched her First Derby run today. In honor of the yearly event She sported a new hat, over sized and dramatic of course, and a sippy cup...filled with non alcoholic milk!!!

An unlikely win Mind that Bird takes the Title!!!

Beautiful horse and superb win!!!

http://msn.foxsports.com/horseracing/story/9528422/?GT1=39002

Swine Flu hits close to home...maybe

SCARY!!!!

It is bright and early here in Texas. I just received a text message from my daily sitter...

She is SICK and is missing school today despite TAKS testing...

Oh NO! The PIG may have her in its flu grasp!!!

Time will tell. My Blood pressure will be on the rise over the next few days as I fret and hope that my baby girl, hubbs-to-be and myself do not get this lovely flu festering within our bods.

Positive thoughts. Will update as more information develops!!!

Tea Tree Oil

I love Tea Tree oil.

I always have. This passion dates back 10 years ago to when I was first introduced to this remarkable oil as a brand new massage therapist (Yep just another hidden talent I have. I am a real life massage therapist I just don't choose to do this as my career anymore ).

I use tea tree oil for everything from brushing my teeth to cleaning the house. It is a great antibacterial, anti fungal anti anything bad and is not too bad of a smell.

I am so dazzled by this oil that I wanted to share my newest trick with you!

About 2 months ago I decided to make homemade baby wipes for Amelia. I took a roll of bounty paper towels and mixed in some water, baby oil, baby soap, and tea tree oil. The wipes came out just fine ( i did use them on her briefly)However I quickly found myself using them in a totally different manner. Don't you just love it when you embark on something and it takes you in a completely unexpected direction.

I begin to clean the counters and window sills and just about any other surface i came in to contact within my house with these wipes. I quickly begin to notice that my house smelled lovely, there seemed to be no bugs entering the house (natural repellent) and I felt germ free.

These wipes live happily under the kitchen sink in an air tight Tupperware container and they are brought out whenever I feel the need to call them to duty. The tea tree not only sterilizes but is a natural bug repellent as well, and the smell is quite pleasant. So now not only is my house super clean and disinfected, but it also is pest free. This is double great because I have a fantastic allergy to all bug repellents and chemicals and can not use them at all.

So in light of the Swine Flu and all its glory I thought that after 2 months and the success I have encountered I would share this great oil with you and you too can be disinfected and bug repelled in a cheap and easy way.

If you have never been exposed to Tea Tree oil her are some links for you to study up on:

my favorite brand of essential oils
http://www.auracacia.com/

Wikipedia says

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_tree_oil

Cool and informative site

http://www.teatreewonders.com/natural-healing.html

And if you would like to make your own baby/cleaning wipes here is the recipe i used:

2 TBSP Baby liquid soap
2 TBSP baby oil

5 Drops Tea Tree Oil
2 Cups Water
1 roll of bounty paper towels (seem to work the best)

Cut the roll of paper towels in half and remove the cardboard liner (recycle using in crafts or compost)
You may want to unroll further to allow ease when retrieving wipes with ease later on

Place paper towels in a air tight container

Mix the above ingredients together until well blended and then pour over paper towels

Make sure paper towels are fully saturated

Then place the air tight lid on container and use wipes whenever needed.

Origins of Swinne Flu

I am a firm believer in laughter is the best medicine...

it is my understanding this is the origins of the "pandemic" sweeping our world right now!!!!

LOL!!!