your daily quote

Precious.  And kinda my motto for our marriage.

(found here)

your daily quote

Amen.  (found here)

the avengers

We went to see this last night.  I know, I know.  You're probably wondering if you even know me anymore.  Where is the girl who loves romcoms, pink, sparkles, cupcakes (and pink sparkly cupcakes), shoes, clothes, and all things completely girly?  Who is this new girl that likes medieval fantasy series, superhero action movies and all this boy stuff?!  But y'all, it was INCREDIBLE!  As in Incredible Hulk.  Come on, it was right there, waiting for me.  No, but seriously, I loved it.  And yes I was surprised too, as in surprised that I loved it.  Well, let's rewind here.  Months ago we rented Thor and honestly I only agreed to it as a favor to John.  Then surprisingly I really enjoyed it.  And Chris Hemsworth wasn't too hard on the eyes either.  Just pointing out the obvious here.  So when I saw that The Avengers was coming out and the previews looked somewhat appealing I announced to John that I would be interested in seeing it.

The movie was action packed (duh), pretty funny, well written and (spoiler) the good guys win!  Also, I discovered that I kinda love Captain America.  I mean, he's like the first superhero and was frozen in time during (after? still sketchy on the details) WWII which means he's old fashioned, which I love!!  And Chris Evans (who plays Captain America) was easy on the eyes as well.  Thor, you've got competition.  Robert Downey Jr. did not disappoint in the arrogant funny guy role.  I actually enjoyed Scarlett Johansson's kick butt character.  I decided Hawkeye is clearly Katniss's big brother (John corrected me and said he would be her great great great great great grandfather.  Touche.  *geek humor*).  And the Hulk was crazayyy y'all!

So I highly suggest you go see it.  If you're into the superhero, action, wars, kicking butt and taking names kinda thing.  Heck, even if you're not, you may enjoy it.  Who knows, you may carefully walk over on to the dark side (come join me!) and enjoy these kinds of movies.

your daily quote

If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.

Martin Luther King Jr.

mothers

Happy Mother's Day, Y'all!

Mothers are some of the most incredible people I know.  My mother, John's mother, grandmothers, cousins that are mothers and my friends that are mothers.  Y'all are AMAZING.  As some of you may know I'm a nanny, which means I get a taste, a glimpse into what motherhood looks like.  And man, mothers do not have it easy.  I commend you all for all that you do for your precious children.  My own mother somehow managed to instill in us a sense of values and responsibilities, compassion, love, awareness, kindness, grace, fierceness and spirituality all the while maintaining her own balancing act of a full time working mom, running us around, caring for us, feeding us, counseling us, loving our whole family with all that she had and keeping her sanity.  And y'all, I can tell you as a woman who is not-yet-a-mother but can still appreciate all that my mom did/continues to do for us, THAT IS AMAZING.  That is nothing short of a miracle.

Now, I am by no means an expert nor do I claim to know anything in this area but I wanted to give some words of encouragement to my mommy friends.  And words of thankfulness to the women who have mothered those of us who are grown.

Moms that have children who are not yet grown; they will thank you later for the boundaries.

They will thank you for not letting them have a TV in their bedroom as a child (my own adolescent struggle) or whatever issue you choose to put your foot down on.

They will be forever grateful for all the practices, games, dance classes and recitals you went to and the ones where you couldn't make it but were able to drop them off/pick them up.

They will be happy you fed them, whatever it is you choose to feed them.

They love the hugs and kisses (even if they complain about them in public).

They will appreciate all the manners you taught them because when they get older they'll realize not everyone was blessed with those lessons.

They will be thankful for the responsibilities you gave them, because when they enter the real world one day, they'll know they were prepared, because in reality no one is going to do everything for them.

They will be thankful that you told them they were beautiful or handsome, trust me, they'll remember those moments forever and it instills so much confidence.

They will take a lot of comfort in your continual support.

They really do listen to what you have to say and heed the advice (sometimes).

You are their role model, believe it or not.

And no matter what, you're going to mess up, you're a parent and it's been going on for generations but please know that your kids love you, imperfections and all :)

I want to say thank you to my mom who (if I do say so myself) did a fabulous job raising me and my sister.  She is a daily inspiration to me and I hope that I will be half as good a mother as she is (one day).  

And thank you, Kathy, for raising such a wonderful man.  I will be forever grateful for all that you did (please give me notes later, I know nothing about raising boys) in raising John to be a respectful, ambitious, and genuinely wonderful man.  I know you know, but he means the world to me and you were (and still are) a huge influence on the man he is today.

I know I got a little mushy there guys, but I'm feeling a little sad because we weren't able to be with our moms and celebrate them today.  You are both loved a lot!  So bear with the mushy stuff, please and thank you :)

your daily quote

Because I was born in the South, I’m a Southerner. If I had been born in the North, the West or the Central Plains, I would be just a human being.

Clyde Edgerton (North Carolina novelist)

Gotta represent the South y'all!

OMG food

So remember that time that you wanted to get really fat and just didn't know what you would eat to attain that goal?  (I know, it totally happens to me all the time)  Well, I've got a helpful link.

Kevin and Amanda

As I'm scrolling through their recipes all I can think is, "Is there a day where I can just eat whatever the heck I want and feel no regrets or shame?".  If there is such a day, then I'm going to this blog first thing in the morning and making a list of all the items I'll need to buy for my Day of Fat.  Here are just a few of the recipes I'd like to make: 

Peanut Butter Cookies with Homemade Honey Roasted Peanut Butter

Baby Cinnamon Buns

Gooey S'mores Cookies

and last but most definitely not least...

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE 'N OREO FUDGE BROWNIE BAR

I'm pretty sure that if Heaven had a taste it would be that last recipe.  Now I'm off to cook my stupid, no good, freaking, healthy, stinky, I hate it dinner.  Hmph!

(all recipes and photo cred go to: kevin and amanda)

skinny chicken recipes

I've made these two recipes in the past week and they are delicious!  And healthy to boot!

Baked Chicken Parmesan

This one is really easy and a great, healthy spin on the ol' classic.

Skinny Chicken Enchiladas

This one requires a bit more work and they have a nice, smokey taste. (maybe a little spicy for kids)

(recipes and photo credit: skinnytaste)

crazy

Amen to that.  Found this gem over at Saved by Southern Charm.

thankful

So, I came down with double pink eye (pink eye in both eyes, duh, when I told my dad I think he thought I was being extra dramatic saying that it was doubly bad, so I figured I'd explain it to y'all).  And let me tell you something; (1) I haven't had pink eye since I was a kid (I mean really, do adults really get it? Yes.) and (2) that stuff is no joke, like you look nasty, your eyes itch and they're super goopy.  So I started showing symptoms Thursday afternoon and just figured that my eye was irritated or something because surelyIcouldnthavepinkeye.  Idiot.  I asked my nurse friend at Bible study that night what the heck was happening to me and she confirmed that I probably had pink eye.  I returned home that night and John wouldn't look me in the eye out of fear that he might catch it (he also gave me the name Contagion) and reminded me that I could sleep in the bed in our basement.  Hmph!  I ended up sleeping in our bed (darn it if that stupid goopey eye was going to keep me outta my own bed!) and resolved to go to urgent care the next day (with two toddlers in tow, mind you). 

ANYWAY, long story short (kind of) is that I am SUPER THANKFUL for modern medicine!! Like, thank you Lord, for whoever created the eye drops that have now cured me.  They started working almost immediately!  Like within the hour of the first drops goop started drying up, I started to not look like a crackhead (bloodshot eyes, crackheads totally have bloodshot eyes, right?) and I could see clearly again!!  I would post before and after pictures but (1) I'd rather not make appearances in your nightmares and (2) I didn't take any (surprise).

Thankful 2: I am so thankful for chats with my Momma!  We talked for 2 hours this morning!  2 hours!!  And yes we talked on both Thursday and Friday.  This morning we got into deeper discussions like healthy foods to eat, what we're wearing to upcoming events, gas prices and whatnot.  Seriously, does it get much better than chatting with your mom on a Saturday morning/early afternoon?  I sure do love that woman and the plethora of stuff we have to talk about.

And the last thing I'm thankful for is WARM WEATHER Y'ALL!!  Thank you Lord it is finally warm here!  You just can't put words to walking outside at night in this far away land (yes, Pittsburgh, PA qualifies as far away) and feeling like you're at home because it's actually warm and you're not wearing a parka to make it that way.  I love that warm, humid (it's only kinda humid here, I mean come on) air.  Pure bliss.

your daily quote

You can never learn that Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have.

Corrie Ten Boom

the ramblings of a 3 year old

So three year olds say some pretty funny things and I've decided that y'all may want to join in the fun.  Monday was apparently "invasion of personal space" day.  Here's how the morning started; B (the 3 year old boy I watch) has been interested in taste buds lately.  He thinks they're the most amazing things in the world this past week.  So I was holding him looking out the window Monday morning and here we go:

B: Jessi, show me those bump things on your tongue.
Me: Taste buds?  (Sticks out tongue)
B: Yeah! (Also sticks out tongue so I can investigate his taste buds)
B: Let's fight with our tongues!
Me: UMMM NO!  (quickly lowers child to the floor, like immediately!) Let's go watch a TV show!
B: (completely confused look but also really excited to watch TV)

(later that afternoon)

B: Jessi, do you have a baby?
Me: What do you mean B?  You know I don't have a baby.
B: No, like in your tummy, do you have a baby?
Me: No, sorry B.
B: Hmmm I really wish you had a baby in your tummy.

Bless his little heart.  I wish I could think of more things that he says because he really catches me off guard sometimes.  Oh and he sneezed the other day and said he had allergies just like me.  Uh huh.

your daily quote

So I've been reading The Grits (Girls Raised In The South) Guide to Life lately and I came across a quote the other night that was spot on.  It was in the Grits Guide to Weddings section:

A wedding is just about the most natural thing to a Grits.  It combines all our special skills: dressing up, planning, entertaining, and being the center of attention.  From childhood, a Grits is trained for her wedding.  It's our moment, after all...

Deborah Ford, The Grits Guide to Life

Maybe it's not spot on for every Grits but man, can I list those special skills on my resume, please?