What I'm Loving Wednesday...

Happy Wednesday! I'm so glad the weekend is nearing - it's supposed to be so incredibly gorgeous this weekend! Not to mention, I've got a session on Saturday with Baby Jacob. 3 months is one of the harder baby ages to do, but they are so fun. 

Yesterday I ordered my graduation announcements! So excited! When I graduated high school, I went straight to work, which was probably a good move. I don't think I knew what I was really even wanting to do then anyway. I enrolled in a local college here 4 year ago and quickly learned the stresses of trying to go to classes, go to work, and run my business on the side. I was up from 5am to midnight almost every night  during the week, and spending ridiculous amounts of money in gas.  Something had to give, and I went straight to UK & I fell in love. If they hadn't had the distance learning program for certain things allowing me to do my classes online, I truly probably would have temporarily moved to Lexington in order to finish. But they did, and voila! Now, the lovely world of 'paying back student loans'...sigh.

So now, a little What I'm Loving Wednesday..

I am loving:

This man right here. I freaking love Merle Haggard, and the bestie & I just bought tickets to see him again! I turn the big 3-0 this August, and we had thought about the beach for a girls weekend to celebrate - but instead, we'll be heading to see Loretta Lynn & Merle Haggard in the same weekend! I don't know if my heart can handle all that all in one weekend!!

This new app right here, BlogGo. Seriously, this is so much better than the regular blogger app.  I don't blog from my phone that often, BUT when I do, this has made it a lot easier. Not to mention, I can look up all of the blogs I follow and read them easier in this app.  It's only available for the iPhone, and it's worth the money.

Sigh, it's easter season. I'm loving Cadbury Eggs. I hated these as a kid - whhhhhy?! These are amazing!

This coming on TV Guide channel daily after I get home from work makes my day. I know, it doesn't take much to tickle me.

These oatmeal pancakes are INCREDIBLE. Seriously, must must must try them. Recipe is here!

Case of the Mondays....

I work from home on Mondays, so they really should be relatively stress free.  Today I sat down to work....and everything that could go wrong...did. By 11, I was ready to tear my hair out.

I love technology - but man is it a mess when it doesn't work.

Patience is not one of my best traits. I get frustrated quite easily. One day last week I tripped, spilled my drink, left my laptop at home & had to turn around, lost my ID badge & got drenched all before walking into the building for work and I swear it set the entire tone of my day...the instant I walked through the door, I was irate. I am so glad I didn't have to go in today....I totally would have walked in with the crappy attitude!

I successfully did this today! Mission accomplished! 

But the work day is over.....and this is my mantra tomorrow:

Sunday Social

I've missed out on a couple Sunday Socials, so it's time I caught up....
1. 5 songs you’ll listen to the rest of your life.
"The Grand Tour" - George Jones "Too Many Memories" -Patty Loveless "It's Only Make Believe" - Conway Twitty "Silver Wings" - Merle Haggard (I seriously just went back and forth like 10 times, this is super tied with "Mama Tried" and "Today I Started Loving You Again"...and....sigh. I cannot live without Merle Haggard!) "Till I Can Make it On My Own" - Tammy Wynette 
2. 5 things on your bucket list.
- Go to Greece  - Tour East Kentucky coal mining areas with my Bestie (Boom, happening this summer!)  - Celebrate New Years at Times Square - Shoot someone's album cover one day - Be in the crowd when my Kentucky Wildcats win the NCAA tournament 3. 5 celebs you’d love to hang out with for a day.
- PL - Meryl Streep  - Merle Haggard - Loretta Lynn - Keith Urban - swoon- (I'd totally settle for staring at him all day?)
4. 5 things you always carry on your purse
- iPhone - Camera & extra lens - Phone charger because I constantly wear my battery down!  - Hand Sanitizer - Mascara
5. 5 books on your reading list
- The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick  - Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
I can't think of anything else? I just finished my last semester & about to graduate in May --- I am totally fried on books right now. 
6. Share the last 5 pictures on your phone. 

Another new record I was getting....I have a serious LP addiction. 

We giggle at the stuff my nephew tells his big sister on Facebook sometimes. Sis spotted this and we died at how cute he is. 

Throwback Thursday pic, Paige & I on the beach. 

Paige on her birthday....sucking the helium out of the balloon and singing along to her iPod.

Hanger for a friend, whose getting married in April. My sister & I seem to take pictures of everything we ever do and text it to each other to see what the other thinks. Sheesh, what would I have done if I had been an only child!?!? 

A lazy Saturday..

Hooray for lazy Saturdays! Last night they were calling for snow overnight and into today...and we all know my ridiculous over the top panic over snow! So, I went grocery shopping and hightailed it home and stayed in. And of course -- woke up to barely anything on the ground.

It's been a lazy day where I haven't left my pajama's yet and took a nap an hour after I woke up. I am, however, watching my Wildcats game and screaming like a total lunatic.

And when I get lazy, I spend waaaay too much time on Pinterest. I was in so many different directions on pinterest today. First, Easter ideas for the kids. I want to do the "do your own scratch off lottery" tickets for them for Easter since they sure love when I shell out the money. But, I dont know how I want to do it. At ages 15 & 11, are they too old for Easter Baskets with "older" goodies in them? Should I really make them work for it and do a hard Easter Egg hunt since they are older and can look for them harder?

I am so undecided.

Second, I'm looking into some more decorating ideas. I know, it seems like I'm always doing this., but I really want to come up with some other ideas - mainly the living room and bedroom.

One thing I totally love is this:

I would totally love to put this in the bathroom though....I love putting up post it notes with my quote happiness....doing this would be so cute instead!

I totally love this idea for my little hallway from the living room.  I have nothing hanging there except a sisters frame in one tiny area. I DID think about getting shelves for the corner and putting frames there but I kind of like this idea instead - since I have Granny's urn in that area, it would be kinda cool to maybe have a huge variety of old family photos? Any other ideas for small walkway areas?

One thing I desperately want to change in the living room is end tables. I hate mine. I've had them since my old apartment, and Im ready for them to go. In searching, I loved this:

I feel like this could totally be easy to make or find somewhere...I guess we'll see?! 

I loved this too. I just want something simple....maybe I should get off my butt and start hitting up some furniture stores. Why can't Nashville have an IKEA?!?!

And because I am random and cannot ever seem to stick to one category when I hit up pinterest....

I spotted this and nearly died. This has to be the cutest thing I've ever seen. 

Happy Birthday to my sweet girl!

15 years ago tonight, I had my best friend from high school spend the night. We were freshman and spent the night gossiping and watching chick flicks - and naturally - staying up as late as possible.

I awoke to my mom nudging me at 5:45am…. "You should get up. Samantha is headed to the hospital." I immediately shot straight out of bed, and woke up my friend shouting, "Meredith, my sister is having the baby! You should call your mom now and go home, we have to go RIGHT NOW!!"

So I was a bit of a drama queen……so what!?

Paige Alyson made her appearance 12 long hours later. She was our first everything…my sisters first child, my first niece, the first Grandbaby, and my Granny's first Great Grandbaby - which meant she was destined to be spoiled. We didn't know the sex until she was born, but I was SO positive it was a girl, I used my allowances the entire time Sam was pregnant on dresses and everything pink.

When Samantha was in labor, she was only going to be allowed to have 2 people in the delivery room - which was my brother in law & our mom. As a 14 year old drama queen, I was heartbroken. The split second she was born, though, being the good brother in law, John burst out and shouted for me and said "Girl! Head full of black hair!" Mom wasn't so nice, who smugly came out of the delivery room and smiled…"Guess who was the first person ever to hold her????"

I say spoiled, and I meant it. Paige was downright spoiled ROTTEN. My sister worked with my father in his garage for the first years of Paige's life - which meant Paige stayed in the house with my mom & I M-F until usually after dinner. And when she was 3 days old, we implemented the "every Tuesday and Thursday Mommy & Daddy want to go out, so Aunt Nicole is baby-sitting and spending the night". I ate it up, and I wanted every single waking moment with that baby. If I spent the night, my sister never got up once, because the instant Paige cried, I was at her crib with a bottle.

Paige was 4 when I took her on her first road trip to Ashland, KY to see Patty in concert. She was always my little sidekick, and had me wrapped around her fingers since day 1.

I don't know where the time has gone….but she's grown into a beautiful young lady, and I'm so proud of her. Happy Birthday to my beautiful, favorite girl.

Granny was so excited to become Great Granny -- she couldn't get enough of visiting this sweet baby girl after she was born! 

with my beach baby!! 

Becoming a big sister! 

Sunday Recap

I can't believe this, but my sweet Paige is going to be 15 years old on Thursday. I don't know where the time has gone, it feels like it was just yesterday I would RUN to get off the school bus, so I could walk in the house and scoop her up.  But more on that on Thursday.... ;)

We had a luncheon at Sam's today to celebrate with family - which means we had a late lunch and then a ton of junk food because my sister cooked so many freaking goodies. And when I say goodies - I mean goodies. Paige loves Red Velvet, so last year we downed  Red Velvet cupcakes. This year, Samantha changed it up. What is it about Birthdays that give us an excuse to have nothing but junk?

As noted below....I ate horrible today....and I have no shame, these were incredible!

And made these yummy Red Velvet "Whoopie Pies" - um delish!? 

And then she made these brownies -- which had a piece of oreo in the bottom & a chunk of peanut butter in the middle. Heavenly. They are super tiny, since you know - they are chock full of fat :) 

The birthday princess was tickled with these. 

It was a pretty good day with the fam, and a good time with my girl. We ran to the store after a little while, and I've said it a million times: I have the best talks with the kids in the car. Paige has really brought her grades up & I'm so proud of her. Her English grade on her progress report in December was a 47 - today she brought me her report card and her grade was 88. Just about every grade has come up.

Aunt Nicole will be broke if she keeps it up, as an incentive when she started HS, I told her for every A she got - I'd give her $20. This time I told her I was so proud of the English grade coming up, I'd give her half for that too. She's worked really hard on getting them up. Kadin is such a whiz in school -- I'm sure glad I won't have them in High School at the same freaking time, I'd be working just to pay off their great grades! 

One of the English tests she brought home....

With my beautiful -- almost grown up --- girl. 

Saturday Ramblings...

I wanted to sleep in so late today, but....it's College Game Day!!! So, I was a lazy bum this morning and set my alarm so I could watch ESPN live in Kentucky to see my Cats - while laying in bed, and went back to sleep for a bit after. (Let's go Kentucky! I hope my Cats win tonight!!!)

When I rolled out of bed, Mom & I went to the Country Music Hall of Fame - she wanted to purchase a membership & today was Ford Day, so it was a fabulous special on the membership fees! Unfortunately, that also meant the museum was free admission today -- and the place was INSANE busy. Line all the way down the road, through the lobby. Crazy. Fortunately - I'm already a member, so once mom bought her membership, they gave us card holder tickets and we got to skip the line. They've got a special Dottie West exhibit that I've been dying to see - oh how I loved her, and think it's such a travesty that she isn't IN the Hall of Fame.

Everyone tells me I was born in the wrong generation...I know, I know. Don't get me wrong, I loved Country Music of the 90's - obviously, since PL is my fave. But the old school stuff - that's where it's at. I cannot stand the crap I hear on today's radio - and some of them are SO talented, but the songs are SUCH CRAP. (And others are just plain crap :P)

We were able to run into Phonoluxe afterwards, where I scored some new records (thanks Mom!), and had a light dinner. Pretty nice day with mom -- and tomorrow we're headed to Samantha's for the day to celebrate Miss Paige's 15th birthday! Ouch, where did the time go???

Anyway, some of the new Dottie exhibit highlights for us:

I love this....I love seeing all the stuff artists wrote. 

I LOVE this pic! 

Dottie is sooo under-rated, so seeing her accolades in the exhibit warmed my heart. 

And to end with two of my favorite guys in music....