Day 26: An Old Photo of Myself

This is the oldest picture I have of myself on my computer. I'm the one in the cool purple pants!


See some others here.

Day 25: Blogs I Love

Today's post is supposed to be 5 blogs I love. I don't really have 5 that I frequent, guess I'm still new to the blogging scene. The blogs I follow are:

1. tabi happy: My sister's blog. 
2. iheart organizing: She gives me so many great ideas! She's my idol.
3. A Little Tipsy: Lots of cool ideas, recipes, and fun things to do.
4. Modern Parents/Messy Kids: Another great blog for fun kiddo things.

That's it. Guess I'm one short. 

What are your favorites? Find some new ones here!

Day 24: My Favorite Childhood Book(s)

BSC Little Sister!

It's hard for me to pick just one book, so I'll pick a series. I loved the Babysitter's Club Little Sister books by Ann M. Martin. I had every single one of them and read them all at least 5 times each. I liked the regular Babysitter's Club books, too, but these were easier for me to get into, I think because I was about the same age as the characters, while the BSC books were of older girls. 


I wish I had time to read like I used to.


What was your favorite childhood book? I'd love to hear! Wanna see what others had to say? Go see!

Day 23: My Dream Job

I love my job right now, even though I work part-time. I love being able to stay home with my kiddos and also get some adult interaction 2 (sometimes 3) days a week. 


But it's not my dream job.


I'm going back to school in the fall to finish out some prerequisites to get into nursing school! I'm attempting becoming an RN, but I don't want to stop there. I want to get my BSN, then my MSN (Masters of Science in Nursing) to become a nurse practitioner. It's a step-by-step process, so it'll take some time, but I'm hopeful! 


What do others want to do? Check it out!

Day 22: Best Thing to Happen This Year

My (hopefully) soon-to-be new home!

Well, it hasn't happened yet, but I'm fairly certain it will happen this year. The husband and I will be buying our very first house! If you go back and read my "I'm back!" post, it tells the story of the house we want to purchase. It's been a long and trying 5 months, but we're still hopeful on our June 29 closing. 


So, since that technically hasn't happened yet, I'll say the best thing that has happened so far this year was hearing back that our offer has been accepted by the first of two banks that hold the current mortgage. We should be hearing back in the next 2 weeks or so from the second bank...

Day 21: My 10 Favorite Foods

This is an easy-peasy post! I love food. I love watching Food Network (it really does give me ideas!), and I love cooking. Now, the cleaning after cooking part sucks, but that's what I have my husband for ;)

Most of my faves are in that pic!

1. Anything mexican - Okay, I know this includes a lot, but I decided to include it because this list is only supposed to be 10 items! I love enchiladas, chimichangas, fajitas, black beans, cilantro, mexican rice, cumin, lime, salsa... I could go on and on.
2. Avocado. You can do so much with it or just eat it plain with a squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of salt.
3. Key lime pie. 'Nuff said.
4. Maryland Blue Crabs. I'm a Maryland girl, so it's kind of in my blood. 
5. Shrimp. Seasoned with Old Bay seasoning... yum!
6. Mashed Potatoes. I can't get enough of them!
7. A good salad with crisp lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, chickpeas, eggs. Mmmm.
8. Almost anything from Sakura Japanese Steakhouse. I said almost anything because they serve chicken livers. Blech.
9. Strawberries. 
10. Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It reminds me of childhood and I could probably eat a box of it in a day or two (if milk didn't give me so much heartburn). I found this and I definitely need to try it!

There you have it! See what others like here, and who knows? You may find a delicious new food to try!

Day 20: A Difficult Time

I've had a few difficult times in my life, but thankfully I haven't cracked from them! I'm very sorry but I just don't feel comfortable sharing the most difficult time, so I'll share some others that are tied for #2. 


The loss of my grandparents. 


My family has always been tight-knit. I love that. I grew up with many aunts, uncles, and cousins. My mom came from a family of 7 kids, then you add their spouses and children to the mix, and you get a whole lotta love! My mom's parents (Nanny & Pappy) were very loving people. Nanny got sick when I was 13 years old, and I remember going with my mom to meet some of her sisters to go help her around the house, wash her hair, and just spend time with her fairly often. We knew her time was running short, but it was still a shock when I was told she had passed away. Imagine my surprise when, just a few short weeks later, I received a call from my mom's best friend, Linda, telling me that Pappy had died. It was very sudden. I still remember that moment very vividly in my mind. I had just gotten home from school and was listening to the messages on our answering machine. One was from Linda asking me to call her back, and I heard my mom weeping in the background. I remember the sinking feeling I felt in the pit of my stomach. I knew something was wrong. I didn't want to call her back but I knew I had to. I did, and I remember just standing there with tears streaming down my face when she told me what had happened. 


My dad's mom (who I called Me-Mom as a young child, then just Grandmom as I got older) lived with us as long as I can remember. Her husband, Pop-Pop, had passed away when I was an infant and, sadly, I don't remember him. She had some health issues, including minor heart attacks and strokes, but she always seemed to bounce back from them. One year, on the day after Christmas when I was 18, she had a major stroke. She was in the hospital for a bit, then was transferred to a nursing home just a few miles away from our house. We visited her very often (every night!) and she improved a little, but she was never herself ever again. One day, my mom went to visit her while I was at school and noticed something was just not right with her. After pleading with the staff at the nursing home, she was transferred to the hospital. A few days later, she was having congestive heart failure, and nothing was helping anymore. I remember them having to suction the mucous out of her throat and lungs and how much she hated it. Her time became shorter and shorter, and one day I remember thinking that I needed to prepare myself for her passing. I was at my boyfriend's (now husband) house one night, and my mom called to tell me that Grandmom had died. I remember going into his bedroom and collapsing on his bed, unable to shake the awful feeling of guilt I had for not being there. 


I think about my grandparents often, although I have been grandparent-less for over 10 years now. I wish they were here to meet my children, but I know that they're watching over us.