Day 24- Where You Live? Tell us or show us about where you live

I live in an adorable apartment in Newnan, GA. It's very cozy, small, 2 bedroom, 1 bath, a fireplace and a large front porch. We are right off the road but sort of hidden by all the woods around us. It's very nice.

Newnan is a nice place to live and has very friendly people. It is a very busy place, at least compared to where I grew up. Still I enjoy living here and although I get homesick for Satauma, AL, I am happy here for now.

Day 23- Something you love to watch on youtube (or better yet a youtube video of yourself)

I have yet to upload my own youtube videos but here are some random favorites of mine...

Day 22- Some of Your Favorite Websites

Not much to this one:

Facebook (how I stay connected to all my family and friends... etc)
Twitter (tweet tweet!)
Blogger (still learning my new favorite!)
Tumblr (barely know how to work it!)
LiveJournal (only Darkwing Duck fandom friends left on there for me now)
Failbook (funny!)
Memebase (funny!)
PostSecret (very interesting!)
YouTube (watch ALL the videos!)
LadyGaga (changing the world one sequin at a time!)
SouthernSavers (coupons, contests & free samples)
MommySavesBig (coupns, contests & free samples)
AllYou (coupons, contests & free samples)

And there you have my favorite websites...

Day 21 - A recipe you love

Ha! I don't know how to cook much but out of what I do know, I actually do have a favorite recipe!

Creamy Italian Chicken & Orzo Skillet

What you need:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 tub (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 cups hot cooked orzo pasta


Make it:

COOK chicken and zucchini in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 6 to 7 min. or until chicken is done.
ADD cooking creme and tomatoes; cook and stir 2 min.
SERVE over pasta.
SUBSTITUTE 2 cups frozen cut green beans for the zucchini.

It's super yummy! My whole family loves it!

Day 20- Something you wished you could forget

I wish I could forget all of the sadness when I think of people I have lost. My parents mainly, but also my aunt and my real mom. When I think about them, even if it starts off as a happy memory, I always think of the awful moments when they left me and I end up so emotional. I become so sad that I have to distract myself and I hate that part. I want to remember them! I love them so much! I just wish I could forget the pain of loosing them!

Can't talk about this one anymore now...

Day 19- A talent/hobby of yours

Still playing catch up!

A talent of mine would be writing although I don't do it that much anymore.

A hobby of mine is entering contests online. I do it everyday now. And I have won some nice things! I started off  winning small things and they have only gotten bigger! To date, I have won 2 pig erasers from the Tyson Chicken back to school prize wheel, a bag of dark chocolate from Ghiradelli's, 2 movie tickets from Sunmaid raisins, a target gift card, gift cards to 2 websites, and wine jelly from the 3 Moms In 1 Blog, a $50 iTunes gift card from 11 Alive News and my big win! An iPad2 that I won from MommySavesBig.com's facebook page!

Yay for me!

Day 18- Wedding Talk (share stories, photos, both, anything having to do with your wedding, the one you had or the one you dream of)

I married my first husband in the church I grew up in. It was a beautiful wedding complete with purple flowers and all of my friends and family. It's a shame he was an abusive jerk.

My awesome husband, Nick, and I were married on October 31, 2009. We didn't plan to get married on Halloween. We were at his mother's house with the whole family. We ate dinner, took all the kids trick-or-treating and then had a belated birthday party for Nick. When it was over, we were like "What else can we do tonight?" and since Nick's stepfather is a minister, we decided to go on and get married right then. We all headed out to the back yard and got married in front of the pond in the rain. I wore the dress his mother wore when she got married. It was better than the beautiful wedding in the church with the purple flowers... because Nick was looking in my eyes. I knew he truly loved me and would never hurt me. And I was happy.

Day 17- Your Biggest Insecurity & Something About Yourself You Are Proud Of

So I have been slacking with the updates again. Sorry. So let's get on with this because I have to catch up!

My biggest insecurity is my looks. I know that's what most women say but it doesn't make it any less true for me. I have always wished I was more attractive but I don't concentrate on it so I think I do alright.

Something I am proud of myself about... well there are plenty of things. I am proud of my accomplishments in writing, my collections I worked so hard to build, my mother and wife skills and plenty of small things too. I am proud of myself everytime I master a new recipe, finish reading another book, win a contest I took the time to enter, save money by clipping coupons and learn something new and cool my phone can do!

That's about it... :)

Day 16- Who Do You Do the Most Crazy Things With OR What is the Most Crazy Thing You’ve Done?

The craziest things seem to happen to me when my family is involved. But I can seriously think of a lot of crazy things happening with a wide variety of my friends as well. I think I just attract "crazy" and I'm ok with that. It certainly makes life more interesting.

Some random crazy facts for you :

~ My bedroom window was at one time the main method of entry into my house for all my friends.

~ There was an incident involving myself, an ax, my grandmother and her bedroom door.

~ When my son was 2, he was involved in his first car accident. (With his babysitter.) The car flipped over and he was the first one out. I am told he yelled at everyone still in the car, "Y'all better get outta there too!"

~ A friend and I managed to burn a perfectly shaped circle into brand new carpet the night after it was put it. Our solution was to get left over carpet, cut a matching circle and super glue it into the hole. To our knowledge, we have gotten away with it and it's been over 10 years since it happened!

That is all for now...

Day 15- Describe Your Dream Home or show us a picture

I don't know that I really have a dream home... but I know some things I would like to have in a home. Mainly I just want a home. I just want for my family to live somewhere that we can be happy. For now it's a cozy 2 bedroom apartment with a cute little fireplace and a big front porch!

If I could just pick things I would like to have in a house, I would choose to have 2 bathrooms and lots of cabinets to put stuff in! I know that Nick would want ceiling fans and I would still like to have a fireplace and a large porch. I would also like a carport or a garage. But like I said these thing would be nice but we are happy in our lovely little apartment!

Thanks for reading!

Day 14- Somewhere You’d Love to Travel

I missed a day again so I will be doing two today! This first one is easy. I'd love to travel to Japan. I am very interested in their language and culture. I have been for quite some time. It started with Sailor Moon and getting to the see the uncut versions then I got some of the cds and books to help me with the language. I have since moved on to podcasts. And now that Dakota is taking karate, I get to hear more words and phrases. I would love to learn more about Japan and travel there one day! Maybe I will win a trip there!! Good luck to me! :)

Day 13- Something or Someone that has had a huge impact on your life.

I'll go with the someone here and say it's my husband, Nick. He has made such a huge impact on my life. Part of me wanted to talk about my grandaddy ( who raised me ) since he was a major influence on me. It's true that who I am is certainly a result of how he raised me and the things I learned from him but I wanted to point out how Nick has affected me also.

I always dreamed about having a wonderful husband and family and after what I went through in my first marriage, I wondered if my dream was even possible. I wondered what God had planned for my life. And I wondered how could a man love me and my son after what we'd endured. And then God sent me Nick. Dakota was a year old already and the first time he said "dada" he said it to Nick. I took that as a sign from God. We had only ever tried to teach Dakota to say "Nick".

Nick has changed both of our lives for the better. He loves us both and treats us so good. He works hard to provide for us and we never go without. That's a far cry from my first husband. Nick has never hit me. The most important thing to me, however, is that Dakota loves him. I wanted a daddy for Dakota that would love him and would treat him as his own son and Nick has done that. I hope that Nick will be able to do more with him and teach him things that sons learn from their fathers. They are a lot alike too. I tell Dakota when he reminds me of Nick, "Y'all are 2 peas in a pod." And he says "We aren't peas, mama!" Ha!

Anyway, it also certainly helps that I really love Nick and I feel real love from him. We have been together for  nearly 6 years and married for 2 years this month. Even after being together so long, I still get butterflies in my tummy when I think about him and when I get to see him. He works at night and has to sleep during the day. His schedule is so crazy that we don't get to spend as much time together as we would like. It sure makes me miss him but it does make me savor the time we do have together. Dakota misses him too. He whines after Nick goes to work or if he is asleep when we get home in the evening. It' bittersweet to have to see that.

But at the end of the day, I am happy and I love my family and I believe they are happy too. Dakota and Nick mean the world to me. I am so grateful that God gave them both to me. Nick was able to give Dakota and I a better life and the love we both needed! Yay for my Nick!

And ain't he cute?!

Day 12- Something you are OCD about

I am OCD ... in that I have a very addictive personality. I get a favorite anything and I have all/a lot of it! Some of my favorite things include the color purple, cows, Lady Gaga, Darkwing Duck, and most recently... entering and WINNING contests! I am the same way about things I eat and drink. My favorite drink is cherry coke and I tend to like to eat the same things and not try a lot of new.

Also, and I don't know if this counts, but hoarding tendencies run in my family and I am no exception. I am not bad... nothing like you see on tv. But I just like to keep things. I always wonder "Am I going to need this? I better not throw it out... just in case!" But my husband tries to keep me in check.... lol

Day 11- Favorite Band/Artist

Ok well this one is so easy! LADY GAGA!

That's one of my favorite pictures of her! Yes, it's because she is wearing purple! Anyway, I have a huge collection of Gaga stuff... all her music, lots of books, magazines, t-shirts, a purse, jewelry and my husband got me her Heartbeats headphones for Christmas 2 years ago. I love my collection! I will take a pic of all my stuff one day and post it for everyone to see. 

Want more Gaga in your life? 

http://www.ladygaga.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ladygaga

http://twitter.com/#!/ladygaga

There you go! :)

Day 10- A Photo Taken Over 10 Years Ago of You & A Current One

I had to work all day yesterday so I wasn't able to post anything. To make up for that and stay on track, I will be doing two posts today. Yay for everyone who reads them!

Ok This is my Senior Portrait from 2001...

And this is the most recent picture of me...

I really don't think I look that different. But what do you think?

Day 9- Something That Makes Your Life Easier

There are plenty of modern marvels that make my life easier each day. My car, my computer, dishwasher, microwave and our washer and dryer of course. But those things make everyone's lives easier. Something else that makes everyone's lives easier is the telephone. And they sure have come a long way since they first showed up. I can't think of anyone who doesn't own a cell phone except some very young kids.

My phone in particular makes my life easier and it is by far my favorite electronic gadget! I upgraded my phone for my birthday (July 28) over the summer. I got myself a Google Nexus S. IT IS FABULOUS!

We have T-Mobile and are on a family plan. Nick got his phone upgraded last year and ever since, I had had my eye on that phone. I watched videos on youtube, shopped around the stores for the best price and saved up my money to get it.

It's the very first smart phone I have ever had. And now, I don't know how I ever lived without one. It's a basic phone, does really fast texting, surfs the internet and can get an app for just about anything from the Android Market. It just does so much! I have had it for over 2 months now and I still don't know how to do everything on it! It is very fun learning tho!

So what kind of phone do you have?

Day 8- Something You Hate

Well now, let me see. What do I hate? To be honest, I really "hate" hate. I try really hard not to do it. I am a very forgiving person and I believe good and love always win over evil and hate.

There are plenty of things I dislike. I strongly dislike being lied to. I dislike being late (and yet somehow I always am.) I also dislike cigarettes and drugs. I don't judge anyone ... I just don't like those things.

That's really it.

Day 7- A Photo That Makes You Happy

ALL of my photos make me happy but just one out of the bunch would be this one...

My little family in front of Cinderella's castle in Walt Disney World. We went this past January and spent the week. On the 4th day of our trip we visited the Magic Kingdom and my father-in-law snapped this pic of us. It's the first big family vacation we have ever taken. It was so wonderful and Dakota got to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse which was such a big deal for him. And that brings to me to another pic...

And since I have already posted more than one picture, I might as well post one more that makes me happy...

Everyone knows that my favorite color is purple so it should be no surprise that this is one of my favorite pics from our trip. 

Ok ok. One more! And then I will stop. I promise!

I took this picture myself while I was at her concert on April 18, 2011. I am very proud of this pic! And of course, I was thrilled to see that she opened her show wearing purple! 

Alright, now you have seen some pictures that make me very happy! Have a nice day!

Day 6- Most Treasured Item

Ha! This one is funny because everyone knows there is a little hoarder inside of me! I want and try to keep everything ... but i don't. To me, the treasured part of the item is the memory attached to it and my memories are very precious to me. My pictures are quite important to me since they are actually moments on paper (or pixels) and it makes my efforts to remember everything a little bit easier.

But if I had to choose one item, I would have to say Lamby. He is simple stuffed animal and has been with me in life since I was born. He was given to me by my Aunt Judy, who has since passed away. He has been my "friend" for as long as I can remember. He always listens and has never had anything negative to say to me. He knows everything about me. He's been with me though all my hardest times and there are more memories attached to him than to anything else I have ever owned.

 When I was little I would tell myself that he watched out for monsters in my room at night while I slept. I always assumed if there had been any trouble, he had handled it for me.

 He was there when my dad died. My grandfather, who actually raised me, passed away from cancer right before Christmas in 2002. I had placed Lamby in the bed with him for comfort. He was under his arm when he died.

 Then when I married the wrong man and endured an abusive marriage for a year, he was right there with me.

Now my son, Dakota, plays with him. But Dakota knows he is mine and even though I've never told him, somehow he seems to know just how important Lamby is to me. He is very careful when he plays with him.

He is old now, 28 like me, and you can really tell. But he is still here.

Thank the Lord for my Lamby.

Day 5- Favorite Quote

Ok this one should be quick and painless... although I do have more than one.



"The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap." - No clue who said this

That just seems to fit my life very well!



"Stagger Onward Rejoicing." - Kelsey Grammar

He quoted this in his book Kelsey Grammar ...So Far. I read it back when I was in middle school and that quote has stuck with me ever since. It means keep pushing forward in your life no matter what struggles you face, all the while being thankful for what you have. That has become a sort of motto for me in my life.



and finally...
“Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn't love you anymore.” - Lady Gaga

I had to include a quote from my favorite icon! Whether you like her or not, you must admit this one is true. While I am a hopeless romantic and believe that love conquers all, I agree with this. I know the sting of heartbreak and while a person can cause that, doing what you love in life won't. Given you may experience failures, I am talking about the actual happiness you get from just from doing what it is you love.




See you tomorrow...

Day 4- Favorite Book

Ok It's also hard for me to choose a favorite book. I can say some books  I will always love are The Toll Bridge, Wicked, The Giver, Mary Reilly, and A child called "It". But I have read 3 books fairly recently that I consider to be my current favorites. They are...

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
It's by Amy Chua, who I follow on Twitter and she actually followed me back and has tweeted me on a couple of occasions. It's a controversial book but I quite enjoyed it. I loved how honest it was and it really opened my eyes to some changes I needed to make with raising my own son. I learned I needed to stop make excuses for him and start expecting more. I think it has really helped me!

A Stolen Life

This is Jacee Dugard's story of her kidnapping and captivity for 18 years. It's a heartbreaking story. I cried and cried and yet I just couldn't put it down. It reminded me what a blessing Dakota is for me and made me worry what I would do if something like that ever happened to him. I really just can't imagine how I could survive without him.

The Help

A novel by Kathryn Stockett about black maids working for white families in the south. I just finished this book about 2 weeks ago. It was so good, I just can't even do it justice. I think everyone should read the book and then go and see the movie. To sum it up, it made me laugh, cry and think about how far we have come as people in treating each other equally. Just fabulous.

And those are my favorite books. If you haven't read them, well, you should! 

Day 3- Favorite Television Show

Alright I do have one all-time favorite show but there are other shows I consider to be favorites too so I'm just going to talk about all of them! It's not that many, don't worry!

My absolute all-time favorite show is... Darkwing Duck!
I have loved it since the show premiered in 1992. I know exactly what drew me into the show too... His outfit is purple! It's actually an excellent show if you give it a chance... and I don't mean just for a Disney cartoon. It has an incredible cast of voices and the stories were always entertaining. I have introduced Dakota to the show and he is quite fond of it also. Not to mention, he loves playing with my collection of Darkwing toys I have attained through the years! I'll have to show that off later!

Another show I call a favorite is Sailor Moon.
I was a huge fan of this show while I was in high school but I started watching it when I was younger.  remember it used to come on very early on Saturday mornings. The older I got the more I learned about it and the more interesting it became to me. I was able to watch all 5 seasons and see some of the original japanese versions which were much less "watered down." It's another great story line to follow, almost like a soap opera with super girl powers!

Another cartoon, but a far more mature one... Mtv's Aeon Flux

I probably should not have been watching this show while I was in middle school but I did. I loved this show. I watch it now and things stand out. I understand things that I didn't get when I watched the show years ago. But even being younger, I got Peter Chung's message. The world is a strange place, stranger than you realize. The world he created in that show was amazing to me. Give it a chance, but don't worry if it's confusing the first 10 times you watch it. 

Oh and the movie Aeon Flux is very different from the animated series. In a far better way, that is.

Now for something more recent... Family Guy

I'm sure everyone knows about this show. Some people love it. Some people hate it. I am one of those people who loves it. I think it is absolutely hilarious! And I must say, this is a show that I seem to never grow tired of watching. 

My favorite late night show is ... The late late show with Craig Ferguson

I think he is really funny and my husband and I love his show. We watch whenever we get the chance but the unfortunate situation is that the late late show is on... well, late! So we can't watch as often as we'd like. We got his book American on Purpose, too and love it!

Another favorite of mine... What Would You Do?

Not the old Nickelodeon game show... although I did enjoy watching that one as well. But no. This one is a hidden camera show that puts people in less than pleasant situations to see who will respond and whether they do the "right" thing or not. But they never judge anyone for their actions. That's the best part to me. They just ask "Why did you react that way?" It always keeps me fascinated but in my opinion, it doesn't come on enough.

OK! Last one! My current favorite is ... The Big Bang Theory

Very rarely do I love shows that are a big deal to the world while they are a big deal. So it's a treat for me that this show is going strong. I love being able to look forward to new episodes along with tons of other fans. I'm trying to get my husband hooked on the show with me so that we can be excited together when we see it on tv. It's soooooooo funny!

And that's that. Thanks for reading! Please return to your regularly scheduled life, already in progress...

Day 2- Favorite Movie

My favorite movie at the moment is The Help starring Emma Stone. I finally got to see it a week ago right after I finished reading the book. The book was awesome and the movie did a very good job in my opinion portraying the characters and setting. If you haven't seen it yet, you should!

Day 1: Favorite Song

So the first day is probably going to be the hardest for me. It is impossible for me to choose a favorite song. I love Lady Gaga and every song she does. I love songs by other artists as well of course. That just makes it even harder for me to choose.

There is no all-time favorite song for me but I can narrow it down for you...
Favorite single from The Fame: Just Dance
Favorite non-single from The Fame: Starstruck
Favorite single from The Fame Monster: Bad Romance
Favorite non-single from The Fame Monster: Dance in the Dark
Favorite single from Born This Way: You & I (until Marry the Night is a single!)
Favorite non-single from Born This Way: Government Hooker or Bloody Mary
Favorite Gaga collaboration: Hello Hello (with Elton John)
Favorite unreleased Gaga song: Future Love
Favorite Non-Gaga song at the moment: Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People and Madder Red by Yeasayer

And that's about it...

30 Day Challenge

So I have decided to help me get off to a good start on my blog I am going to do a 30 Day Challenge. It's pretty straight forward and I figured it was appropriate to start off the new month.

Here is the list of days if anyone else would like to do it...

Day 1- Favorite Song
Day 2- Favorite Movie
Day 3- Favorite Television Show
Day 4- Favorite Book
Day 5- Favorite Quote
Day 6- Most Treasured Item
Day 7- A Photo That Makes You Happy
Day 8- Something You Hate
Day 9- Something That Makes Your Life Easier
Day 10- A Photo Taken Over 10 Years Ago of You & A Current One
Day 11-  Favorite Band/Artist
Day 12- Something you are OCD about
Day 13- Something or Someone that has had a huge impact on your life.
Day 14- Somewhere You’d Love to Travel
Day 15- Describe Your Dream Home or show us a picture
Day 16- Who Do You Do the Most Crazy Things With OR What is the Most Crazy Thing You’ve Done?
Day 17- Your Biggest Insecurity & Something About Yourself You Are Proud Of
Day 18- Wedding Talk (share stories, photos, both, anything having to do with your wedding, the one you had or the one you dream of)
Day 19-  A talent/hobby of yours
Day 20- Something you wished you could forget
Day 21- A recipe you love
Day 22- Some of Your Favorite Websites
Day 23- Something you love to watch on youtube (or better yet a youtube video of yourself)
Day 24-  Where You Live?  Tell us or show us about where you live
Day 25- Who is/are your best friends?
Day 26- Favorite clothing store.
Day 27- Worst Habit
Day 28- What’s in Your purse, backpack or computer bag?
Day 29- Who Has gotten you through the most?
Day 30- A dream for the future beyond the next year…think long term