Patience and balance! Is it possible?

It’s been a while since my last post…sorry about that!

Operation wall paper paint AND chalkboard wall have been completed successfully!  Here are some pictures to show the progression.  WOW it was definitely a process.  I love the way it turned out….like LOVE it but if you were to ask me how many hours (yes hours) it took me, I would have to say somewhere between 15 and 20 and that is not exaggerating either.  Clearly you can understand why it took me a few weeks to get this done.  Although I would love this pattern on my 3 other walls but I have realized that I just don’t have the patience to stick with one project for THAT long…..so….here is what it looks like right now:

Just getting started......

On a Saturday morning Kennedy wanted to 'help'

I thought about stopping here and just doing a picture rail across the top......but HAD to keep going!

DONE...FINALLY!  Notice the gap on the right hand side?  The pattern ended up not matching so I will be putting a small picture rail to cover up the gap.  Thanks Shelley for the idea =)

And here is the completed chalkboard wall.  This will be the wall directly in front of my desk and will be decorated so it wont be so blah once it's completed.....but here is what it look likes now:

For some reason the color looks a little light in the middle of the wall but in real life it looks even =)  And so weird how this picture makes my office look like the size of a cracker jack box.  It's not....thank God!!

In addition to working on this project I started doing a few mini projects……because apparently I can’t handle having any downtime right now (more on that a little later).  I need to add some color to my office and what better color then PINK??  So I want to make this flower ball things but wanted them in more of a cone shape…..so here is what it looks like so far:



This was my inspiration but I didn't want the balls hanging from my ceiling so I went with a little different approach.



I went with a cone shape.  I'm thinking like 3 different sizes on the shelf that I will be adding above my desk.

Aren’t they adorbs? These are SO easy to make…just streamers, some super glue and either a styrofoam ball or cone or wreath.  To get the tutorial, visit http://www.houseofsmiths.blogspot.com/ and go to ‘tutorials’ and then scroll down (quite a ways) and you will see it listed.

Here is another lil sumpin sumpin I want to make with the cricut I just HAD to have a few months ago! Finally a productive project with that bad boy!!





But instead of it saying ‘coffee’ I will make it say ‘Chai’ because I hate coffee and love chai.  And Hi...turns out I LOVE blogs.....so this is basically the perfect picture!!  Finished product to come shortly =)

And now on to why I’m so obsessed with projects……..

While I was going through the last few weeks working on these projects I just figured I was finally motivated to get decorating and I was just enjoying my hobby. I also noticed that I’ve been pretty  calm cool and collected when asked about Chris’ deployment and how dramatically our life will be without Chris.  I just thought I was finally onboard and ready for the deployment but sitting back and looking back at my actions and laid back attitude…..it’s so very clear to me that I’m disconnecting from the situation.  Not good people…NOT GOOD!

I mean it’s not like I have been neglecting my normal responsibilities. We still have food in the house, dinner is still made (well, most nights anyway), we all still spend a lot of time together as a family, the dogs are fed, the laundry is done (thanks to Chris), the bills are paid, the house is cleaned (thanks to Cheryl), I still carry a full time job, get Kennedy to and from school, arrange play dates, make it to the gym (not everyday mind you)…….and somehow I have still made time to loss myself in projects.  Not only do I enjoy doing projects, but it’s not just a hobby….it’s also a way for me to escape from reality and gives me time to sort through my thoughts and get my game face on for the next day. But I’m starting to wonder if I’m diving in too deep to projects during the last several weeks that Chris is here?!?!?  I mean, why do I always have to have my game face on?  My fear is that I'm pushing away my feelings and one day it will all come crashing down on me!  I'm just so focused on doing everything 'right' that I think I'm disconnecting in order to maintain functionality in all aspects of my life.  Ugh....life can be so draining sometimes.

So folks….I’ve gotta find some balance.  And let me ask you something – why is balance so hard to obtain?  It’s like we are normally all into something are all out of something but being right in the middle where everything is balanced almost seems impossible to accomplish. 

And with that……I’m off to spend some much needed quality time with the hubs =)  Night night friends.

Countdown begins.....again

The countdown for Chris to leave has begun in my head…..for the second time.  Originally he was suppose to leave a few weeks ago but his orders were moved around and he is here for a while longer, which I’m more than thrilled about.  The only downfall to that is I have to go through the countdown all over again and judging on how I was doing last time…..um, I see tears and feeling overwhelmed just around the corner but I’m trying to be logical about everything and just take one day at a time.  

Something you should know about me…..I worry about the ‘what ifs’ and the ‘how do I’s’.  For example: What if Kennedy is sick and I have to take several days off work? What if I’m not able to manage everything on my own? What if I fall apart? Or…..How will I fit all of my daily activities into each day without help? How will I fit going to the gym in? How will I make sure that I’m giving Kennedy the amount of love and attention she needs? How do I stay balanced enough to juggle our lives for more than a year? 

And after I read what I just wrote I automatically start to feel overwhelmed and wonder ‘How can I do this?’  But because I’m feeling logical today <wink> I can tell myself to not worry about all of that and that everything will fall into place.  I can tell myself that I will get through this year fine and that Kennedy and I will adjust.  I can tell myself that there is nothing to worry about and that I will fit everything in…it may not be grace but I will make it all happen.  HOWEVER, catch me on a day where I’m feeling emotional and all bets are off!!!  So friends, you will never know which Mel you are going to get on any given day…..logical or emotional.  I will strive to be logical but I can’t make any promises.  I’m human and I wear my emotions on my sleeve….I have since I was a kid and I’ve tried to change it and it just doesn’t work =)

So………when Chris’ original date was set for January I decided to send out an email to just a handful of people explaining where I was and how they could help me through this transition since most of my friends were asking ‘How can I help?’.  My thought was that I didn’t want to send it out to the masses because I just wasn’t ready to say all those words and make the deployment a reality.  It’s funny how you can force yourself to believe something isn’t going to happen if you filter who you share the information with.  I thought ‘If I tell too many people then it will truly be real!’  But DUH it is real and it is happening so why filter my thoughts?!?

I have since decided to post that email in my blog because you are all part of my life.  We may not talk every day, we may only share comments on Facebook, we may have not have seen each other in years OR I may see you all the time and you are wondering how I’m dealing with everything……so here goes nothing kids.

As you all know Chris and I have been preparing for his upcoming deployment and many of you have asked how you can support our family through this transition so I thought it would be helpful to send an email about where my head is at and how you can all support me.  

Great idea, right? 

Well as I thought more and more about it I figured out that I have no clue how you can best support me because this is the first time he is deploying since we have been married and it’s the first time a child has been involved.   I have gone over this 100 times in my head and I keep asking myself ‘How do I prepare for this? How do I allow everyone around me to help me but not feel like a huge burden? How do I show up every day with a good attitude? How do I show Kennedy that Mom is ok? How do I make sure she remembers her Daddy? How do I keep them connected? How do we stay connected? How, how, how?!?!’  And I’m at a loss……

Super helpful, right?

One thing that I do know is that I have the greatest friends a girl could ask for and because of that I already feel supported.  It’s important for me that life goes on just as it would if Chris was here.  Chris would want it that way and Kennedy and I will need it that way.  It’s ok for you to ask me questions…I’m an open book….really, I am. You are more than welcome to talk to Kennedy about her Daddy….please feel free to bring him into any conversation, as she needs to hear about him.  Be prepared for me to cry at random times and to not cry at the moments you think I will cry…..I’m nutty like that.  If I do cry….it’s ok for you to cry too.  I like hugs….so give them whenever you want.  I also like Starbucks….scratch that….I love Starbucks.  Sometimes I like the silence so if we are visiting and I’m quiet, please know it’s not because I’m mad or don’t want to be with you…..it’s because I want to be with you but just don’t feel like speaking……sometimes just having someone in the room is all I will need. Sometimes I will down play Chris being gone and pretend like it’s no biggie…..just go with it….it’s me trying to be strong =) At times I may not be able to see past my world…..gently and lovingly bring me back to reality. Sometimes I will ask if you want to hang out and you won’t be able to….that is OK….remember, life as usual…..treat me the same as you would if Chris was home! Do not feel like you can’t tell me about your life and what is going on in it….I want to hear about everything…..my life is not worse or better than yours….it’s the same just different =) If you need me to watch your kids….just call….I enjoy all of your kids and would be honored to have them over for some play time with Kennedy.  If you get upset with me for something…..respectfully call me out on it….we are friends right? 

Do you see the pattern???  Life and friendships as usual.

Apparently I do know a few things that would help us =)

Something that most of you know is that I’m not a very religious person, but I do believe in God (this may not make sense to you and that is ok).  I do believe in the power of prayer to whoever or whatever you like to call your God.  I ask that you send as many prayers, words of intent, positive energies or simple statements on behalf of Chris while he is away.  I don’t care what he does while he is gone, I don’t care where he goes, I don’t care if this experience changes him for the rest of his life……what I do care about is that he makes it home on the same two feet that got him out there. I pray his soul is not forever changed and I pray he will come home unharmed and outwardly the same wonderful guy that I married.

The only thing I will ask that you not do is call me to tell me about some explosion or disaster that has happened in Iraq.  I do not watch the news for a reason and trust me, if something happens to Chris I will be notified within 4 hours.  More than likely I will know before the news…….so…..let’s all agree to not discuss what we see on the news with this girl =)

Just by posting this email I feel better about where I am in this process.  I truly feel that this blog is going to be my outlet and I’m thrilled to have it and thrilled that you are all so supportive.  Seriously, how did I end up this blessed?

Oh and here some pictures so you can all match a face with the name of the hubs!!  Also, I think it's nice to see us together as a family.  Mind you we dont have many pictures because Chris works A LOT so most of the pictures I have are of me and Kennedy...but here are a few =)

Engagement picture.  Small doggie is Mugsy. Big doggie is Daisy.

Picture taken at a BBQ right after we bought our 2nd house.  He had just gotten off work.....clearly.

New Years Eve 07......not sober.

Visit to Chicago to hang with our friends Larry and Tamara, who we met on our honeymoon and are still friends with to this day!

Not such a great pic of kennedy...but hey we are all together =)

I think this was taken on our 4th wedding anniversary....just last November.

Chris and Kennedy at a bday party

Layla Grace Foundation

This posting is hard for me to write because I don’t know where to start first.  So I’m just going to start…….bare will me if I’m all over the place =)

Last year on March 9^th when I logged into my Facebook page I was just looking for random friend updates, maybe a few wall posts and a friend request or two.  However, as I was scrolling through my updates I came across a link that one of my friends had posted.  I can’t remember the exact words from the link but something about it made me click on it to see what it was all about.  At that moment I had no idea that a little girl named Layla Grace would change the way I thought and would help me put life into perspective almost on a daily basis.

This is what I learned that day……

A little girl named Layla Grace who was 17 months old had passed away from Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, which is a rare form of cancer typically found in infants and toddlers.  At the time I read this my daughter was 15 months old so I was immediately drawn to the story simply because I had a little girl nearly the same age as Layla and all in one second I thought ‘that could have easily been us!’  I guess you just don’t think about that stuff when you have a child.  I mean you want them to be happy and healthy but you really never think of cancer in children, at least I never did.  To me cancer happens to older people since that is how I have been exposed to the horrible illness.

Anyway at some point during Layla’s journey her parents, Ryan and Shanna created a blog and a twitter account in an effort to document everything and to keep friends and family updated.  Slowly the story was everywhere and they had  over 40,000 followers and both Ryan and Shanna were featured on news shows and various radio shows to talk about Layla. Although I didn’t know about Layla until the day she passed away I quickly fell in love with this family and sat down one night and read their entire blog.  Needless to say I sobbed through most of it.  At one point I put down the computer, went into Kennedys room, pulled her out of her crib and just held her and thanked God that I had her and that she was healthy. And honestly I still do this every now and again because at certain moments I just need her in my arms and I need to smell her and feel her breath on my neck and kiss those sweet lips and simply cry because I am so blessed.  I swear it’s when they are sleeping that you realize how lucky you are to have them in your lives.  However, when they are screaming at you ‘NO MOMMY’ in the middle of top foods because you won’t let them old the EGGS I’m not really feeling ‘blessed’ if ya know what I mean. 

After Layla passed Ryan and Shanna decided to turn this horrible journey and heartbreaking ending into a positive by creating the Layla Grace Foundation.  Their website is fabulous….besides the fact that it’s about childhood cancer.  They have amazing articles, stories of different types of treatments, things to expect, various fundraising opportunities and so much more.  I still find myself looking at their website several times a week just to see what they are up to.  And although I’m not able to contribute to their fundraising and I’m not able to help out at different events since they aren’t local, I can still try to spread awareness of what they are accomplishing.  Please feel free to visit their site at http://www.laylagrace.org/ or click on their logo on the right hand side of my blog and you will be directed to the official site…..it’s simply amazing and inspiring!!

Today, almost 1 year later I still have a picture of Layla in my office. 

Her sweet face reminds me not to take moments with Kennedy for granted because other parents, like the Marsh’s don’t have that option anymore. The Marsh’s don’t get to trip over Layla’s toys as they are walking through their house.  They don’t get to fold her tiny little laundry anymore. They don’t find her favorite books in the middle of the hallway anymore.  So last week when I was annoyed about prying off Kenney’s play doh from the bathroom wall that left a pink stain I remembered ‘this is a memory….ENJOY IT because some parents don’t get these memories anymore!’ 

Layla has touched my life very deeply and I can honestly say I have been changed since being introduced to her and her family.  I keep tossing the idea around of another tattoo and I keep going back to the word ‘Grace’.  Not just because it would remind me to try to live my life gracefully (because let me tell you I need some serious reminding in this department) but it would also remind me to stay in the moment and be thankful for the beautiful and healthy daughter I have (which on some days I REALLY need the reminder).

Note: I have tried to tell this story exactly the way it has been explained on their blog so I do apologize if I got anything turned around or out of order.

Paint and Flowers!!

First of all – THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading my blog.  You have no idea how much it means to me that I have a few followers and even some comments. Keep them coming because I absolutely love hearing what people have to say.  Even if I don’t know you very well or we have just met I still love getting comments =)

As you know, I have been diligently painting one of the walls in my office with the most awesomest (yup, a word) pattern.  Mind you it has taken me hours and hours to do this and I’m barely half way done with ONE wall.  And here’s the kicker…..the wall isn’t even a full wall since it has a huge window in the middle.  Um, turns out I don’t think I will be painting this pattern on any other wall EVER so now I’m left with ‘what in the hell do I do with the other 2 walls?’ (Remember,  the 4^th wall will be a chalk board). As you can see I have very hard decision to make <wink>.  Here is what I have accomplished so far:

Seeeeeee…..I got lots more to finish.  AND I need to organize.  Since I took everything out and tossed most of the crap I had I need to figure out where to put shelves and how to organize all the randomness that makes up this room.  I also think I need a cool rug and definitely a new chair!  My husband came in here a few days ago and sat down in it and said ‘Um we need to get you a new chair…..this thing is like sitting on steel!’  At that moment I realized I have had this thing for 5 years so yeah, I’d say I need a new one.  Any suggestions on good ones?  Oh and it has to be ‘pretty’! 

Oh, and the other day I was at my second home (A.K.A. Target) and I found this super cute cotton/sweatshirt jacket thingy for Kennedy but I refused to buy it in pink because her wardrobe looks like the Pepto factory puked all over it and if I pull one more pair of pink pants or a shirt out of the dryer I’m going to die.  So I grabbed the blue and figured I could make it a bit more girlie……and I did!!

See….totally boring with nothing cute on it:

And here are 3 different flowers I made for it.  Um, my camera sucks for up close since it’s just a point and shoot so I added an extra picture so you could see the flowers up a little closer than what I could capture in the jacket pictures.  Bare with me…..I’m currently dropping hints all of the place that I want/need a new camera.  For example, Chris: Hey honey, how was your day?  Me: Awesome but I need a new camera!  Chris: Can you grab me some milk for Kennedy? Me: Can you grab me a new camera?  Chris: I need to get up at 6:20am.  Me: I need a new camera.  I wonder if these hints will help?!?!

Mind you I have no idea how long these flowers will stay on the jacket before Kennedy says ‘No Mommy’ and tries to pull it off and subsequently rips the jacket and all my hopes and dreams are shattered for making her a cute jacket.

Note: To see where I got these great ideas, just visit www.jonesdesigncompany.com

A Bunch of Random Stuff......get use to it!

Today from 5 - 7:30pm our daughter whined and cried for no reason....it was super fun. She told me to 'go away', 'stop it', 'no', 'I leave', 'don't push me' (I never pushed her) and a bunch of other random things but I think the idea was that she wanted me to leave her alone.  No problem kid....but turns out I can't leave you alone while I lock myself in my room and have a glass of wine.....even though some days I wish I could.  Now she is finally calmed down and wants to cuddle and love on me.....Cheese and Rice.....love me or hate me but I really dont feel like packing my bags for an emotional rollercoaster.  Crap, I should have thought about that before I had kids, huh?  Good news....tomorrow is a new day and she will be back to the lovable kid I want to eat for dinner!!

Anyway...enough about that.

So last night I sat in my office for several hours painting on this wallpaper stuff and I've come to realize one thing......THIS IS GOING TO TAKE FOREVER! Right now I'm still only one the first wall so let's see how I feel once I finish this wall to see if I will continue on the other 3 walls.  However, I think I figured out what to do with my 4th wall....drum roll please.....A CHALK BOARD WALL!  Here is my inspiration:

One thing you should know about me (besides the 25 lil known facts about me listed below) is that I don't have an original thought in my head.  I steal ideas.  I mean why reinvinte the wheel, right?  Be prepared....I will steal your idea BUT I will always give you credit.  I'm nice like that.  Oh and if you wear cute clothes I will go out and buy the exact same outfit...why?  Cause now I know how cute it is...duh!

Ok...off to my next thought.  I thought it would be fun to give you a list of things that not many people know about me....well my close friends do but if you are knew to meeting me or we aren't very close then this will give you an idea of who this Mel chick is.  So, in an effort to get to know a little about you.....comment back to me and tell me one thing I do not know about you =)  It will be fun...promise!!

      1.       I think catsup can be spicy…yes, catsup

2.       I sleep with my baby blanket every night and never leave home for an overnight stay without it

3.       Every single one of my family members on my Moms side call me Mindy and if I ever moved away to a far far away land I would change my name to that

4.       I’ve had 1 zit in 2 years….don’t hate

5.       Rap is one of my favorite types of music but I will never play it loud when I’m sitting at a stop light or in traffic

6.       I can’t dance.  It’s more like a full body dry heave.

7.       I’ve lived on my own since I was 18 and I’ve had a job since I was 15

8.       Confidence is not one of my stronger attributes but I’m working on it

9.       My Boston Terrier smells like Fritos when he wakes up from naps and it’s my favorite

10.   I have 2 half sisters that I have never met

11.   I carry a paper calendar with me wherever I go – I can’t stand using electronic calendars

12.   I am an ARMY wife – something I have never been comfortable saying, which is weird since we have been together for 11 years and he has been in the ARMY for 19….but it still sounds so odd coming out of my mouth

13.   I am nothing without my friends and family

14.   I have watched someone die – don’t believe the hype….it’s not always peaceful

15.   I have had 2 serious relationships.  The first was someone I dated for 4 years and the other is my husband.

16.   I don’t believe blood always makes you family – you have to have the mindset of family or the relationship is useless

17.   I can’t lie.  And if I do then I have to fix it PRONTO or it will eat me alive

18.   If I hurt someone’s feelings that I care about it will devastate me for DAYS

19.   The phrase ‘it’s all good’ makes my skin crawl

20.   I hate washing my hands….CALM DOWN….I still do it even though it makes my hands feel dry and yucky

21.   Washing your hair is overrated

22.   I’ve worn glasses since I was 18 months old….here’s the proof

23.   I wear the same white gold hoop earrings everyday – no matter what the outfit is

24.   I assume that once I get a really nice camera that I will be able to take great pictures – but judging what I do on my point and shoot I think I’m lacking several skills

25.   I have mowed a lawn exactly ONE time.  It will never happen again.

Project Re-Do Office….GO!

In case you don’t know, I work from home so having a nice place to sit my butt for 8 hours a day is pretty important to me.  Not only do I work in there but I also do some of my crafting, all bill paying, mail opening and present hiding. In addition, if my husband finds random things around the house that he doesn’t know where they go he graciously places them ON MY DESK which makes me go Hurricane Mel but that is a different posting all together.  Anyway,  as you can see….I’m in there  A LOT so you would think that over the last 2 and a half years we have lived in this house I would have this place super organized and beautiful.  Um, not so much.

A few weeks ago I decided that I couldn’t take it anymore.  I needed gut my office – take everything off the walls, pull all the crap out of the closet, clear off my desk, pull down all the pictures and start from scratch.  I’m pretty sure after you see the pictures you will agree that I have done the right thing.

I mean seriously….how did I go into that room every day and continue to be productive?  Yeah, I have no clue either ecause looking at the pictures makes me itch.

I have since pulled everything out and reorganized the massive desk I just had to have – now I think it’s just way too big but I’m pretty sure I’d end up in divorce court if I told Chris I was selling it on Craigslist.  So it stays and I just deal with how to best utilize the space.  I’ve also started what is called ‘painted wallpaper’ on one of the walls and plan to continue it on all 4 walls.  Here is a tiny sample and the picture was taken with my phone so not the best quality….just use your visualization skills.

Stay tuned everyone!!  I plan to have most of this done within the next 2 weeks.  Apparently sleep is not in my future.

Welcome to My Blog

Who would have thunk it, huh??  Mel blogging?  I figured it’s 2011 so I should do something creative, fun and totally out of my comfort zone and then a girlfriend mentioned blogging and after thinking about it for a few weeks I was more than onboard……thank you Shelley!

The idea behind Life by Mel B. is that it will be an entertaining way to document and share our life. Pretty simple, huh?!?!  Yeah, right!  This next year will be many things for our family, but simple is probably not the best way to describe it.  Chris has been placed on active orders by the ARMY and will be deploying to Iraq for a little over a year.  This will be his second tour since 9/11 so we are incredibly lucky but that doesn’t mean that it will be any less different or heart wrenching to say good-bye.  I mean really, how do you look a 2 year old girl in the face with her big blue eyes and say ‘Daddy won’t be home for a while’ without breaking into a million pieces and at the same time making sure she understands what I’m are saying?  <Insert perfect answer HERE>.

Wait…one sec…I can’t see the screen….I gotta dry my eyes….

So……..during this next year I have decided to throw myself into a few things. Obviously being Kennedy’s mom is top on my priority list, as she will always come first before me (which reminds me, no one can really prepare you for truly putting someone before yourself like a child does, but more on that in an upcoming post).  The other things I have decided to take on includes ANYTHING that has to do with organizing and decorating our house.  We bought this house 2.5 years ago and most rooms are hodge podged together and I really, really, really, want to turn it into our home where ALL rooms are nice and cozy not just the bonus room. Lots of before and after pictures to come!!

I will also be asking for advice, sharing random thoughts, showing different products and things I love, sharing funny stories that have happen to us along this journey, and really anything under the sun that needs to be shared.   I plan to laugh, cry, smile, grow and so much more over this next year, so please join me as our family navigates through this wonderfully imperfect thing I like to call LIFE.

Favorite Things - Part One

 I said I would be posting some of my favorite things….so here are a few items from my repertoire that  I simply can’t live without…no joke…I would physically DIE on the spot if I didn’t have these. Ok, fine….a bit dramatic but you get the picture.

I am convinced that after a rough day that a bath with good bubbles and yummy lotion can wipe the slate clean and can give you strength to face the next day.  However, if you have a husband that saunters into your bath tub and gently places his feet in the tub WITH HIS SOCKS ON then you may not agree with my ‘a nice hot bath can wipe the slate clean’.  And yes, that is a true story…..you can’t make that stuff up.  And no, it’s not my husband but a friends husband.  Anyway, here are my favorites in the bathroom:

Tru Blue Spa Body Cream $12

Tru Blue Spa Lay In On Thick $15

Oh and good god, L’Occitane is my favorite hand lotion. Jamie (the BFF that you will hear plenty about) turned me on to this a few years ago.  Sadly, I’m currently out of this stuff and my cheap mentality won’t let me splurge on the $26 it would cost for me to be in Heaven every time I applied it.  FYI: Valentine’s Day and my birthday are around the corner.

Another thing that makes my world go round is Burts Bees Chapstick.  I’m pretty sure that at this particular moment I have no less than 5 sticks around the house and in my purse. I’m not sure who turned me on to this product but I can’t get enough.  I’m sure it’s an unhealthy addiction but I’m thinking it doesn’t require an intervention so we are safe. However, it Burts Bees went tits up you would see me at every local grocery store buying the entire supply out.  I NEED IT AND HAVE TO HAVE IT!  And sadly I think I’ve created a monster because when Kennedy sees the yellow tube of goodness she puckers her lips and says ‘chacstick mama!’  Uh oh!!

Lip Balm $3

And of course, Starbucks definitely blows my skirt back….or my sweats.  I mean, let’s be honest…when was the last time you saw me in a skirt?  Oh and the tutu for NYE 10 doesn’t count…I had pants on underneath. Anyway, back to my point…..I love Starbucks and more specifically Tazo Chai. Every morning I look forward to my Chai and if I don’t get it I’m a hot mess….literally.

Gotta go….its bath time and I need to find my chapstick.