Simply Femme's Fall Giveaway Ends Tomorrow!

Don't miss this! It's so easy to get entries, and the prizes are FABULOUS. Seriously... make-up from Sephora? Vera Bradley products? Jewelry from Tiffany's? How could you pass that up?! Click here to visit Simple Femme with details on how to enter. You only have until tomorrow at midnight! Good luck!

An Evening in October

Yesterday was the first day around here that felt like fall. Temperatures were in the high 60's during the day, and low 60's at night, which I think is just right for this time of year. I love jeans and hoodie weather!!! After dinner I took the girls outside to play for little while. They had fun riding their little car and bike around the patio and running around in the fresh air.

We ended our day with the very first fire in our fireplace. This thing takes up the entire living room, so we are going to make sure it is put to use! I for-see many more evenings spent sitting right here.

Introducing....

Good morning :)

I can finally reveal to you all what I, and the other ladies over at Chic Chat, have been busy working on the last few days.

It is my pleasure to introduce you to....

http://www.simplyfemme.com

We felt like we needed to change things up, and I think we were successful. The layout turned out better than I imagined, and I had tons of help from Bernadette with all the signatures and graphics, most of which you will see as we do all of our fun weekly and monthly segments. I couldn't have gotten it all done without her help. Thanks so much, Bernie!

Dirt and Lace is where I share my life, my kids, and my thoughts with you all, but Simply Femme is where I get to let my hair down and say things that just don't belong here, or that I don't want associated with my children! I love all of you and thank you for reading this blog, and I hope you will visit Simply Femme and enjoy it as much as I enjoy being a part of it.

Excuses, Excuses... and some pictures

I have two good reasons for not blogging this whole week. The first one is that as soon as Summer and Camryn got better, I got sick. I have felt horrible this week, sore throat, achy, and exhausted. I woke up feeling a lot better today, though, so hopefully the germs have left us. Lock your doors and windows, they find new victims really quickly.

The second reason is that over at Chic Chat we have been working on some big changes. We are almost ready to reveal it all, so make sure you head over there tomorrow morning!!!

Here are a few pictures from Friday evening, during bath time. Don't mind the dirty wall... they had been playing with bath crayons.

After their bath, Summer asked me if I would dry her hair like I do mine, with the blow dryer. They needed to get to bed anyway, so I did. I was amazed at how long her hair has gotten!



I prefer her curls, but it was neat to see her look so different!

Short Answers by Short People

To join in, just ask the following 5 questions to the kid(s) in your life. Post their answers on your blog, then visit Rear Window to link up so we can read the brilliance of the child's mind!

Summer, age 3, and Camryn, age 2

What’s your favorite thing about where you live?

S: Points to books shelf. That.
Me: Anything else?
S: No.

C: Daddy.


What do trains carry?

S: They have wheels.
Me: But what's in them?
S: Hmmm. Can you tell me?
Me: Well, I want you to guess first.
S: Ummm... I'm thinking, Mommy.

C: Me! Points to Summer. Maybe you.


What does a Sherriff Police Officer do?

S: They fix things. Like, not trains.

C: Pick me up. (They better not, young lady!)


Where does the gas station get the gas?

S: Ummmm, you tell me.

C: In the mailbox.


If you could do whatever you wanted for a whole day, what would you do?

S: I have hair in my nose!
Me: Laughing
S: Mommy... NO, that was not funny!

C: In the grass.
Me: What would you do in the grass?
C: I don't know!

Germs, I'm over you.

It has been a loooooong weekend, full of fevers, whining, and a bit of vomit. This last batch was chicken and apples. Very chunky.

We did make it to the festival on Friday evening and had a nice time. Summer felt fine at that point, and Camryn, hung out in the stroller. Summer's fever started on Saturday, so we decided to stay at home, but we had company over Saturday night and had a lot of fun. Today was a lazy day, spent sitting around taking care of the kids and watching movies. The girls dozed off and on on the floor. They never, ever fall asleep anywhere other than their beds or their car seats, so they must be feeling pretty awful.

I baby-sit Monday-Wedneday normally, but Bella's great-grandfather passed away over the weekend so she won't be here tomorrow. I probably wouldn't have had her here anyway, I'm sure my house is infested with germs right now. The girls will be disappointed that she's not coming, they love playing together. I'm not feeling that great at the moment either, I'm really hoping it's just because I'm tired. I'm kind of afraid to go to sleep because I have a feeling I will feel worse when I wake up.

Looking for something to make for dinner? I shared a great chicken casserole recipe yesterday on Chic Chat, go check it out. It is the BEST. We ate it for dinner last week, and then I had it for lunch three days in a row after that, and I still wasn't sick of it!

**I keep forgetting to mention, I made a new blog button. Feel free to grab it if you enjoy reading here, or if you have one of my old buttons posted. Let me know if you do, so I can add yours to my sidebar!**

"Thank God it's Friday, Friday, Friday, Friday..."

Camryn isn't feeling well. She got a fever yesterday, and it has gone up and down since then. Medicine helps, and there hasn't been any vomiting or diarrhea, so we aren't calling the doc yet. I'm hoping it's just a 24 hour bug.

We went to a local parade yesterday evening. It goes past the end of my parents' street, so as usual we went to their house and walked up and got a spot. The girls were entertained the whole time and got lots of candy. Camryn was pretty out of it and spent the whole time on my lap but she still seemed to enjoy it.

This weekend is our local festival. Tons of booths, fair food, and music are going to be just a mile from our house, today-Sunday. We're going to go this evening as a family if Camryn is up to it, and then tomorrow night the girls are going to spend some time at my parents house and Joe and I are going to go alone with some friends. It should be a fun weekend, but I'm a bit worried about Camryn so we're playing everything by ear at this point.

And now for some comic relief, brough to you by PeopleOfWalmart.com....

Please visit that website if you want a good laugh. There are many more pictures where those came from, and they have the most hilarious captions underneath them.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Facebook Confessions

Sometimes I feel like I'm cheating on my blog when I update my Facebook status. Because of the convenience, I share way more details about my life there than I do on here, as I'm sure many of you end up doing. I also noticed that I am way more open and honest on Facebook than I am on my blog, and I think that needs to change, because the whole point of having a blog is to be open and honest! I thought I would pick some of my recent updates to share with you, for those that don't have a Facebook or are not my "friend" there. (Feel free to add me, the link to my profile is on my sidebar.)


9/10 at 1:58pm - So... my girls' check-up today went really well. Besides the finger pricks and shots. Summer kept yelling, "THAT LADY HURT ME!" after the nurse left. Doctor said they are both healthy as can be and perfect developmentally. (I meant to post about their check-ups, but there wasn't much to share... I am blessed to have two very healthy, smart, happy girls!)

9/11 at 10:46am - 8 years ago today, I was sitting in health class when my teacher turned on the TV. Taking a moment to remember. (Talking about September 11. I'll never forget.)

9/11 at 2:30pm - Summer played Marco Polo with some guy in Target. (She randomly called out, "Marco!" when I was looking around in the book section. Some guy somewhere in the store answered, "Polo!" This went on for 15 minutes.)

9/11 at 7:41pm - Why do I have the urge to get stuff done around the house that I need Joe's help with the one weekend he is away? (Always happens that way, doesn't it? Joe went bow hunting on his dad's land this past weekend. Didn't get anything.)

9/11 at 11:21pm - It's ok... I'll just spend my night watching Katt Williams. (Love him! Hilarious.)

9/12 at 2:05pm - My to-do list: Shower, clean and vacuum the car out, clean up the huge mess of scrapbook paper and ribbons all over the office that my lovely kids made, fold clothes, force myself to put folded clothes away, clean up spilled cheerios in the basement.... I'm sure I'll come up with more. (I got to the shower, the car, and the Cheerios that day.)

9/12 at 3:44pm -So... my cell phone just broke in half. (Yes, my cell phone was decapitated. And no, one of the kids didn't do it, it was just old. I think I might finally be getting a new one today.)

9/12 at 5:59pm - Gotta love it when you are working hard outside and your new neighbor brings you a beer.................. and then your daughter sprays your white t-shirt with the hose while you are talking to them. (At least I was wearing a bra.)

9/13 at 2:00pm - Summer just pointed to a picture of Megan Fox and asked if it was me. LOL. Yea right, but thanks, kid! (Maybe if I got a boob job and a nose job...)

9/13 at 9:28pm - what kanye west just did to taylor swift makes me want to throw up. (I don't think I was alone on that one.)

9/13 at 11:23pm - 1. Kanye was kicked out. SCORE. Good riddance, douchebag. 2. Pink is amazing. 3. Beyonce made me feel better, I love her now. 4. Lady GaGa: You are weird, and scare me a bit. I don't appreciate your ridiculous costumes at all. Stop encouraging her, people. (Self-Explanatory.)

9/14 at 11:52pm - Loving how our house is worth $41,000 more than what we bought it for. (According to zillow.com.)

9/15 at 12:24am - Re-reading "A Child Called It". (And finished it that same night. I love that book.)

9/15 at 2:15pm - I don't believe in fake flowers. (Don't hate me, fake flower lovers. I just prefer real ones.)

9/15 at 8:24pm - Just spent the last hour walking up and down the street, because Summer learned how to ride her tricycle!!! (YAYYYYYY!!!!! I am so proud of her!!!)

Wordless Wednesday

Short Answer Time

To join in, just ask the following 5 questions to the kid(s) in your life. Post their answers on your blog, then visit Abigail at Rear Window and link up so we can read the brilliance of the child's mind!

Summer, age 3, and Camryn, age 2


Where does electricity come from?

S: The store.

C: Ummm. Target.


Where does salt come from?

S: Salt comes from the store, too!

C: Ummmmm. Target.


How many years have you been alive?

S: Umm. NO. Another question!

C: Two!


How much money does Daddy make?

S: Holds up one finger. This many.

C: Quack quack


What is your favorite kind of car?

S: It's kinda black. And we can drive it.

C: Cars. Driven it.

Day at the Museum

Joe was off work on Labor Day, so we took advantage of the time and went to the Science Museum. We recently got a membership there but hadn't been yet, and were so excited to explore it. I hadn't been since I was a kid.

It did not disappoint. There are 4 or 5 floors, all filled with exhibits, most of them interactive. It was as fun as I remember, but has been re-done recently with all new stuff. I was so happy that my kids got to enjoy a place that I have very fond memories of from my own childhood. They had so much fun!




The last thing we did there was saw an IMAX film. It was called "Sea Monsters", about pre-historic sea creatures. It was a great film, and it kept the girls' interest the whole time. It was the first time they have ever sat in a theater, and I was really impressed with how well they did. We may be able to take them to see a real movie really soon!

The Science Museum is right next to the Louisville Slugger factory and museum, so we walked over and let the girls see the giant bat.



This is a building that is across the street. I thought the silhouettes in the window were really neat. One of these days I'm just going to drive around Louisville taking pictures of old buildings. People sure did take the time to make things beautiful back then.


After the museum we were starving and headed to O'Charley's. The girls had to play on the horse outside the restaurant before they'd go inside.


Then, after dinner, we went to Meijer to grab a few things. We had to stop in their Halloween section, of course. Joe scared the girls (and me) and bit...

Handsome Beautiful, isn't he?

It was a loooong, fun day. Summer fell asleep reading.


And I had to include this one... Harley shared her bed with a kitten.


I've got a lot to catch up on so expect a few posts from me today!

Sorry I couldn't help you out with your wart...

My favorite part of the analytics program I use is reading the keywords people typed into their search engine to get here. Some are pretty interesting...

"diaper humor"

I've heard of potty humor, but diaper humor? I guess if you can find diapers and all that comes with them humorous, more power to you. I'm kind of over them, myself.

"jon gosselin bought new car"
He sure did. And did you hear that another one was delivered to his home over the weekend? Must be nice using your kids' hard-earned money to buy things that a few years ago were only in your dreams.

"sugar 8 hours before bed"
8 hours? I don't think I'd worry too much...

"things that start with p"
I'm pretty sure the only things that start with P you'll find here are Poop, Potty, and Party.

"age kids can unscrew lids"
My experience has been that they can unscrew them before you are ready for them to unscrew them and when you least expect it. And to them, the more mess it will make, the better. Like... fingernail polish. Or peanut butter.

"allinurl: cellulite, blogspot.com"
Just remember, everybody has it and there's nothing you can do about it, so embrace it.

"bags plants"
I can't make sense of this one. Were you looking for a bag to put a plant in? Looking to impress your boss with your plant-bagging skills as a cashier at Lowe's?

"breastfeeding story excruciating pain"
Horrible, wasn't it? And what makes it worse is that the breastfeeding nazi's pretend it doesn't exist, kind of like overly-religious crazies deny the existence of dinosaurs.

"does jon gosselin actually take care of all his kids"
From my observation, yes.... with the help of several nannies, one of whom stays the night occasionally in his garage apartment.

"dug in dirt and developed a wart"
I'm going to guess that it was really that frog that peed on you, and it's just a coincidence.

"furry creatures on keyboard"
I can't decide if this is a problem or not. Generally, furry creatures are cute. As long as they don't bite, I wouldn't worry about it.

"giveaway -book -bsd -bible -mcp -epic -lens-tank -monogrammer -cal.vini.st"

From what I gather, you were looking for a giveaway for either an epic monogrammed Bible, or a book about an epic monogrammed Bible that is read with a magnifying glass by a soldier. Don't think you found that here, but good luck.

This one speaks for itself.

"lace floors"
I'm tempted to Google this myself.

"something strange happened to me"

Did you see a person with long blonde hair, a beard, and big muscles, wearing a tight pink tank top and blue jean skirt, listening to a Walk-Man, on a bike with a flower basket attached to the front, ride down the side of a busy street? 'Cause I did. Beat that.

"toddler fingernail polish in eye"
Sounds bad. Maybe a trip to the ER would be better than Googling that one.

"how to get kids to cooperate and get stitches removed"
Bribe. With. Candy. It's your only option.

Thank YOU

I love each and every one of you. Every single one of my followers gets 100 love points from me. I may write this blog for myself, my family, my kids... but without you all following along, I know I would not have the motivation to keep it up. So, thanks for having an interest in my little world.

Those of you that visit my blog on a regular basis get 50 points extra credit. Even those who lurk and have never commented (I'm talking about you, Russian Federation!), I still love having you here.

My readers that comment often... you get 100 points extra credit. I'm sure all other bloggers feel the same way... there is nothing like a comment on a post you wrote to let you know that your effort was worth it. I always really enjoy hearing from you, whether it's just to say you enjoyed what you read, or to share your own experiences or opinions. I love it and I appreciate it.

I used to think it would be wonderful to have hundreds of followers and 100 comments on my posts... but not anymore. Not that it would be a bad thing, but at this point, my focus in blogging lies in the connections I make with other bloggers, and the appreciation and support I feel when I share my life. I have met some wonderful people through blogging, a lot of whom I truly consider friends.




Yes, I wrote that and scanned it just for y'all. :-)