The HIs and LOWs of ME

Did you catch my "low for the week" sidebar? yeah--7#up again in one month!!!! This is my third time through this and I still am amazed at How does my body do this--i already did a 10#up/1mo. this pregnancy? Do you know how depressing this is? (or my other low--walking down a mirrored hallway at the mall--whew--could my butt really be THAT big!) This stage can really start to get me down...I sighed to my sister the other day whilst talking on my cell-phone in the never-ending pick-up line at school,"I just wish I were ME again"...what i mean is pregnancy is another one of those "out of body" experiences for me, like when i go to the GYN doc and pretend I am somewhere else---this is how i cope! I am really tired of this pregnancy weight-gain and I swear I can't stop eating to save my life--i think the more i think about it, the more i eat---aaaaaaaahhh! I wish I could just disappear until it's all over--I still have two more months of this! She laughingly suggested I need to just blow it off and should hostess a raffle for whoever can guess what my final wt. will be? Anyone in? Wait, I am remembering how my friends "raffled" me on my wedding day--haha--really no hard feelings :0)
My loving sister topped this conversation off with "i think your voice has changed"--you know, the fat voice/laugh--GREAT! i swear if there is one thing our men need to thank us for it's this whole baby-makin' thing.
On a happy note,(my "HIGH" for the week) we (mom and sisters)did go the the PGA Spa (you must go here if you ever visit) yesterday and got there at 930am and stayed til 330pm just doing treatments and lounging at the pool and eating (well I was--they were detoxing--whatever)My sister Keryn and I were pigging out on roast beef pinwheels w/ herb cheese and strawberry relish--mmm--they were so yummy! while Kris and my mom were eating only fruit and water for the day and remembering when "they used to eat"...i say again,whatever!(I swear,combined they weigh less than me right now) I did the pregnancy neck/shoulder/low back massage--it was sooooo great to lay on my stomach on that pregnancy horseshoe pillow--ahhhhhhh! that alone was worth it all. My sisters were crazily doing like 3 treatments each and having a great time til we left and the bill was WAHOO! Girls just wanna have fun, right! and we did! Then we went to CityPlace (DT west PalmBeach) and watched "Because I said So" with my mom (about a mom and her 3 girls,how appropo)---very cute movie! I love Diane Keaton.

A Little bit of Hangin'

A Little Bit of Hangin'
by Max Lucado
from God Came Near

"Lord…let me know how fleeting my life is!" Ps.39:4

Abraham Lincoln once listened to the pleas of the mother of a soldier who'd been sentenced to hang for treason. She begged the president to grant a pardon. Lincoln agreed. Yet, he's reported to have left the lady with the following words: "Still, I wish we could teach him a lesson. I wish we could give him just a little bit of hangin'"

I think I know what the old rail-splitter had in mind. Yesterday, I got a little bit of hangin'.

We were having Sunday lunch at home of a fellow missionary family. It was after the meal, and I was in the kitchen while Denalyn and our friends, Paul and Debbie, were talking in the living room. Their three-year-old daughter Beth Ann was playing with our two-year-old Jenna in the front yard. All of a sudden Beth Ann rushed in with a look of panic on her face. "Jenna is in the pool!"

Paul was the first to arrive at the poolside. He went straight into the water. Denalyn was next to arrive. By the time I arrived, Paul had lifted her up out of the water to the extended hands of her mother. Jenna was simultaneously choking, crying and coughing. She vomited a bellyful of water. I held her as she cried. Denalyn began to weep. I began to sweat.

For the rest of the day I couldn't hold her enough, nor could we thank little Beth Ann enough (we took her out for ice cream). I still can't thank God enough.

It was only a matter of minutes, maybe seconds. We almost lost her. The thought was numbing and convicting.

It was a little bit of hangin'.

The stool was kicked out from under my feet and the rope jerked around my neck just long enough to remind me of what really matters. It was a divine slap, a gracious knock on the head, a severe mercy. Because of it I came face to face with one of the underground's slyest agents - the agent of familiarity.
His commission from the black throne room is clear, and fatal: "Take nothing from your victim; cause him only to take everything for granted."

He'd been on my trail for years and I never knew it. But I know it now. I've come to recognize his tactics and detect his presence. And I'm doing my best to keep him out. His aim is deadly. His goal is nothing less than to take what is most precious to us and make it appear most common.

To say that this agent of familiarity breeds contempt is to let him off easy. Contempt is just one of his offspring. He also sires broken hearts, wasted hours, and an insatiable desire for more. He's an expert in robbing the sparkle and replacing it with the drab. He invented the yawn and put the hum in humdrum. And his strategy is deceptive.

He won't steal your salvation; he'll just make you forget what it was like to be lost. You'll grow accustomed to prayer and thereby not pray. Worship will become commonplace and study optional. With the passing of time he'll infiltrate your heart with boredom and cover the cross with dust so you'll be "safely" out of reach of change. Score one for the agent of familiarity.

Nor will he steal your home from you; he'll do something far worse. He'll paint it with a familiar coat of drabness.

He'll replace evening gowns with bathrobes, nights on the town with evenings in the recliner, and romance with routine. He'll scatter the dust of yesterday over the wedding pictures in the hallway until they become a memory of another couple in another time.

He won't take your children, he'll just make you too busy to notice them. His whispers to procrastinate are seductive. There is always next summer to coach the team, next month to go to the lake, and next week to teach Johnny how to pray. He'll make you forget that the faces around your table will soon be at tables of their own. Hence, books will go unread, games will go unplayed, hearts will go unnurtured, and opportunities will go ignored. All because the poison of the ordinary has deadened your senses to the magic of the moment.
Before you know it, the little face that brought tears to your eyes in the delivery room has become- perish the thought- common. A common kid sitting in the back seat of your van as you whiz down the fast lane of life. Unless something changes, unless someone wakes you up, that common will become a common stranger.

A little bit of hangin' might do us all some good.

On a shelf above my desk is a picture of two little girls. They're holding hands and standing in front of a swimming pool, the same pool from which the younger of the two had been pulled only minutes before. I put the picture where I can see it daily so I would remember what God doesn’t want my to forget.
And you can bet this time I'm going to remember. I don't want any more hangin'. Not even a little bit

The end. It's me again, I posted this b/c it has come to my mind often lately, it seems that we have all had "a lil'bit o hangin'" lately. I love Max Lucado's delivery...his website posted on my sidebar. My dad started reading this piece every year for Thanksgiving and we all still cry every time he does b/c we all know how easy it is to take those you love for granted. Hang in there!

Happy 40th Birthday, KRIS!!!!

My Big Sister (although she is very little) is the BIG 4-0 today! I feel like I should burst out in song,"Through the years..." from babysitting me as a child to babysistering me as an adult. I can't believe it either, I guess we will all get there someday (if we aren't already). I am so lucky to have her--she is amazing--I actually have had people tell me they wish she was their big sister...mostly b/c she goes out of her way to think of things she can do to help me out all the time...like she'll just show up and take my kids for a drive so I can do grocery shopping or take a nap...she remembers being in the "little kids stage" and thank God for me. I know I am spoiled. She does the big sister job very well! :0) She has always been a role model for me and has had a very successful life to show for it--3 amazing boys and a wonderful husband--a true "life of love". She has laughed w/me, cried w/me, made so many dinners for me, and most of all spent numerous hours just being THERE for me. We have shared kidney stones,stomach flues,family vacations,an unforgettable trip to Saudi Arabia,haircuts (remember the infamous "Friends" cut--we thought we'd look like Jen Aniston--we didn't!),heartbreaks,and moments of laughter til it hurt. She actually took a 12hour road trip at 8 months pregnant to see me graduate from college!! That's huge (and she was too,then)I can only now appreciate the effort =0) She is a heartfelt listener,wise counselor, loyal friend,and I am so lucky to have her! I am sure she will have much more advice to give me when I turn 40 and frankly I can't wait to hear it. Some people don't like their sisters; I can't imagine my life w/o them.
We had a big (all the family) party for her yesterday. My mom made her cake and along w/ it came a very funny story...when Kris turned 1, my mom had made her a white birthday cake w/ white 7-minute frosting and wanted it to be perfect (we can relate,can't we?) anyway, it was too flat and my mom wanted it higher so she (in her words) being "21,young&dumb", and pregnant w/ my middle sister, and not the best cook, decided to just stuff the middle of the cake w/ jelly beans and thus "Kristine's jelly bean cake" which my Grandmother (mom's MIL) thought was a mess. But what a memory years later! I love stories like that. We never heard the story and in her one year pics you couldn't even tell--we cracked up over this, picturing my mom! So we had a "jelly bean cake" for Kris'40th which i am sure she will never forget--she even got 40 little blue candles on it, just like the one she had on her first birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KRISTINE ADAIRE! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH! p.s.for all this my little girl is named after her, Kayden Adaire =0)
*See her 5 Rules to a Happy Life posted on my sidebar*
(she really does try to live by these)
oh yeah p.s.s.this is your card...Hugs!Love, forever your little sister :) See you at the Spa!

more pics of Kris
1st-4th of July,2nd-Saudi Sisters
3rd-the"jelly bean cake" :0),4th-trip to KSA

Intracardiac Echogenic Focus (ICEF)???what?

This is a Ultrasound(US)Picture taken of our little boy due in a couple months. YOu can see his face and arm if you know what to look for? :0)
Anyway,we had opted to test out of all the xtra testings for Down Syndrome etc.b/c I have known too many people who have ended up carrying unnecessary worry through a completely healthy pregnancy and I have no intentions of abortion even w/ a DS child--I can think of 4 people in just my circle off hand who had scares that turned out to be nothing (xcept that they stressed throughout the rest of their pregnancies).
So now I guess it's my turn to walk down this dreadful road...I have had 3 Ultrasounds that were perfect xcept for the baby not turning on his side to allow better pics of his heart, so I then was referred to a perinatologist that specializes in problems (i guess) and they have the technology to take more detailed pics....so yesterday we drove an hour to them to try again for some good pics of this little "guyontheways" heart--i had been assured many times not to worry b/c it was just a matter of positioning--so i didn't worry at all.
After a detailed one hour (not kidding) US and the techs not saying a word--i started obviously worrying. Then they send me in to speak w/ the neonatologist who simply states,"there is a bright spot on your babies heart called and intracardiac echogenic focus (ICEF)..." WhaT?????? (suddenly he was Charlie Brown's teacher and i never understood anything else he had to say) so i asked,"what does this mean?" and he tells me (just what i had avoided all this time), "this is a Down's marker and doubles your age-factor risks of this baby being DS,so I will pass this on to your OB and they will speak w/you re:genetic counseling etc--blah-blah--have a nice day!"
OK, so what the heck just happened? Thank God my husband made it to the appt w/me or i wouldn't have made it home....i have been crying ever since...and I don't really care what they have to say now that the worry is there,I am stressed and will be until my little guy is here.
We spent last night researching this ICEF and I found an essay that a OB doc had written in an OB Journal after coming across a DS"marker" in an otherwise healthy pregnancy...this rang true with me....i will attach some of it here...

"Tomorrow when I return to work the odds are I will have to speak to a mother-to-be about an “abnormality” that I see on her sonogram and I won’t know what to tell her. I am talking about “abnormal” findings on her sonogram which loosely fit under the general heading of “Down syndrome markers” (some are actually better as markers of other trisomy syndromes). I am not referring to atrio-ventricular canal or duodenal atresia. These are strong indicators that the Down syndrome may be present. But Down syndrome or not, the fetus still has a serious anomaly and the detection of that anomaly is a benefit. What I am afraid to encounter tomorrow is an “abnormality” which is not really abnormal: choroid plexus cysts (3-31), echogenic intracardiac foci (32-36), mild pyelectasis (37-41), and echogenic bowel (42-45) . If her fetus has one of these “abnormalities” but doesn’t have the Down syndrome, then her fetus is normal. ...But then investigators (with the best of intentions, I am certain) appear to have taken a misstep. These findings when seen in a woman with a low risk of having a Down syndrome fetus were used to upgrade her risk (40, 77). The consumers of this information, the physicians in the trenches, read these scientific papers and then identify these “abnormalities” during a routine sonogram. What are they to tell the patient? This woman hasn’t already been counseled. She is having a sonogram for “reassurance” (forget that now). Her husband, children and parents are with her. There is a party atmosphere. The videotape is rolling. Soon the giggling and finger pointing at the screen will cease. The questions will change abruptly from “is that the heartbeat?” or “is that the penis there?” to “are you saying that my child is going to be mentally retarded?”

Without doubt you have now added cost to the management of that pregnancy. The patient may choose to undergo amniocentesis. She may be referred to a prenatal diagnostic center for a detailed fetal sonogram and genetic counseling. The innumerable hours of counseling by primary care givers and general sonologists to explain the “meaning” of this finding are not counted in these additional costs (78). Nor are the heartaches of the parents-to-be counted in this cost analysis. If they forego the amniocentesis (clearly the correct choice, in my opinion) then they must live with residual doubt for the remainder of the pregnancy. Does my fetus have the Down syndrome? Maybe I should have had the amniocentesis. The enjoyment of the anticipation of the birth of their son or daughter is now replaced with anxiety.

Well you say, look at all the good these findings have accomplished. Some bad must go along with all that good. Possibly I am the exception (I doubt it), but I don’t see “all the good”. I am a simple-minded physician. I like it when a sonographic finding passes the “Thank God Test”. The Thank God Test is passed when I say to myself “thank God” for that finding. If I hadn’t seen it I would have completely missed this devastating abnormality. I have no instance in my recollection where one or the other of these abnormalities was the sole reason I was able to recognize a fetus with the Down syndrome in a low risk patient. (This presumes, of course, that a reasonably careful sonogram following the AIUM guidelines has been performed.) Obviously someone has had such an experience: just not me. From my vantage point the identification of these “abnormalities” in low risk women has crossed the line of “more harm than good”.For the tiny residual number of Down syndrome fetuses that may potentially come to light by chasing down every last “marker” we intend to put at least 10% of all pregnant women with perfectly normal fetuses through a great deal of worry.

So then, what should I do tomorrow? Should I have the courage of my convictions and simply ignore these features? I wish I had that courage, but I don’t. Even with my considerable “clout” in the world of obstetrical sonography, I cannot unilaterally ignore the sonographic medical literature. That is not how American medicine works.

I am confident that I am not alone in my concerns regarding this issue. I further believe that the authors who did this excellent research in the “high risk” population are becoming aware that these features are not proving as beneficial in the “low risk” population as they had hoped. It is time for the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine or the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology to convene a panel of experts to analyze the data on this issue and publish a position paper on the practicality of employing Down syndrome “markers” in low risk women at the soonest possible date."

So, here is where I ask you to first please keep us in your prayers as I am now the worried mother, and second that if anyone reading this has had a similar experience or word of encouragement I would love a comment. Thanks. Hangin'in there....Ps 139:16

AWANA campout

So husband left with my little girl this morning on her first campout. It is a good man/father who will volunteer to go hang out with 80-100 kids at a park for a campout--yikes! (another on my list of thankfuls,Beth) He is a great man! I love to watch their father/daughter relationship grow b/c he tries so hard and does it so well. He loves his little girl. I advise his younger sister (not married yet) to marry for character (what one does when no one's watching) and s/o who adores you--the move mountains for you kind... Anyway, Kayden was so excited--I can't wait to hear how much fun she had.

They got back late and she was so dirty and wasted tired! (which means fun been had)
She was falling asleep telling me all about her scavenger hunt,campfire songs, smores,showing me her "marshmallow shooter" made out of PVC pipe (cool toy),and the speaker that told an Indian story while the bushes were rustling and how scared she was! It was so sweet to watch her face light up about how much fun they had. There is great reward I believe for people who invest in children. Thanks to all the adults that made this happen this weekend! The kids will never forget it! Ed had fun too as the weather was a PERFECT 73 high and sunny! He was in charge of some games and played double dutch with some little girls that he says "were amazing"--just picture Ed--LOL!
Me and MinMan had a fun little date day too just hangin' out here at the house! Truth is I missed them--one of those long days, you know :0)
Alright, Goodnight!

Easter Centerpiece

Yes,Easter--can you believe it already?
Thought this was such a cute centerpiece for Easter/Spring or just seperate nests around the house--I love the blue glass eggs...I just might have to get these

Taco Lasagna

I gotta share this with someone! I kinda made this up the other day since I have been craving mexican food...i know there are mexican lasagnas out there etc. but i like really EZ to make food so i did this on my own and it came out sooooo yummy!

*Brown just over 1# lean ground beef and mix in pkt.taco seasoning as per directions
*Layer the bottom of a 9x13 pan (sprayed) with small soft tacos (pie-sliced 6x with a pizza cutter-making triangle pieces--i did get this tip somewhere) Just cover the bottom of pan with the soft taco pieces.
*Layer next your meat then soft taco pieces
*Layer one can of refried beans--just spread all over
*Cover the bean layer with a bag of Mexican Cheese
*Then layer soft taco pieces and leftover cheese and some drizzled picante sauce
*Now cover tight with tin-foil and bake 350x20minutes
--Serve with salad and margaritas! (unless you're pregnant like me ;)

My husband and kids LOVED this! and it was just too easy
p.s. please send me any really Easy Recipes you may have (i will try anything if it's easy)...and if you happen to try this--let me know what you think?
Have a great weekend!

p.s. thankyou shelli for that smoothie recipe a while back--i am now a smoothie machine! and my kids love em too!

Here SHE is, the USS New York...

Pretty neat!! I thought you guys would be encouraged by this event. Talk
about something good rising from the ashes of disaster.

Thought this was too fantastic to not share. pretty amazing...


USS New York

It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center

It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that
include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360
sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters
and assault craft.

Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite , LA
to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept.
9, 2003, "those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence,"
recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. "It was a spiritual moment
for everybody there."

Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center
steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the "hair on my neck
stood up." "It had a big meaning to it for all of us," he said. "They
knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back."

The ship's motto? "Never Forget"
Please keep this going so everyone can see what we are made of in this
country!

$100 Giveaway! Just Comment!

A long-time friend, college roommate of mine over at Seersucker Stories, www.ichooseseersucker.blogspot.com is trying to get 100 comments in honor of her daughter's 100th day of school tomorrow! She is also going to randomly pull 2 names from those who comment for a $100 give away toward her new spring 2007 line at PreppyPotato.com (belts,totes,headbands,etc). Go comment!!! Good Luck 'NifFer! =0)

"Snuggle,Ma-mom"

This is Benjamin waiting on me
to snuggle this morning...


So it has been overcast and drizzly for the past 3days--sigh--cold, but not like you northerners, but cold for us here in Florida. I kinda like it b/c we don't get cool often enough. Anyway,this morning starts like any other...we race around getting Kayden off to school and Ed off to work and then my little Benjamin (aka "my Min Man")starts following me around carrying his *taggie (aka 'tag'as i don't do baby words ever),his pacifier (aka 'pass') upside down as always,his lion tag, and his big blue blanket---he waddles around with all of this wherever i go saying quietly,"snuggle,ma-mom" and he waits---until i do---he melts me every time. To be loved like this--what a gift. I remember (before he was born) anyone i knew who had little boys telling me "they love there moms" and they do! My little girl was always kind of a touch-me-not from birth...she seemed to say with every cry "put me in my crib and leave me alone" and nod off to sleep while Benjamin has been complete opposite. Every night he tries at least once or twice to pitter-patter fast as lightning down the hall from his room to his sister's to snuggle with her and she always yells out "Mooooom! Benjamin won't let me go to sleep" and we carry him off. I just love him to death. Have a great day! I'm gonna go snuggle before he gets too big and he doesn't want to anymore =0)

http://luchalee.wordpress.com

...so I got Sarah's "go-to" email on this titled blog...and cried my eyes out of course w/ lots of upset over the cut-up baby. It has lingered with me for the past couple of days (especially being pregnant and all). I can't make sense of it same way many other lives I have known have left me asking the big "WHY?"
I read 'most every entry and was very sad and empty feeling at the end,
but mostly b/c I didn't see any reference to this family's faith? (not at all to take away from the obvious sadness there) This is when whether you have any faith or not should become very evident,right? It's sad that so many out there don't believe in anything. WhY? Do you really think this is it? You live, suffer, die and then what? All for what? That is really depressing.
I don't push my opinions and often would prefer to keep my deeper self off of blogger.com, but in my attempt to make sense of this sad story, here goes...

I desperately HAVE TO believe my God has so much for us and carries us through anything He allows to pass through his fingers over us. I believe He is always in control through good and bad in our lives. There must be a promise and truth to "a peace that passes all understanding" or you would never survive these circumstances. Have you ever felt that and know that there is a truth to "yea,tho i walk thru the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me..." ? (Let that sink in a minute) This verse came to life for me when my bro-n-law was killed in a car accident 3 yrs. ago(even tho i had heard it many times before--i never really 'got it' until that day). I remember thinking for the first time that the verse made sense--can't explain it but it did. It was shocking--Our family had just spent the week at a cabin on vacation and he was killed on the drive home--we hadn't even developed all our pictures of him yet--that's hard to wrap your brain around...I clutched onto my husband that night like i never had before and mourned for my sister's loss. I believe life is precious and fragile.
We all have heartbreaking stories that have brushed by us or happened to us. God does give His grace specifically to those in need I have heard and I have felt...so your testimony should make others say "wow". Tell somebody about the mini miracles and blessings we tend to often overlook. I have heard testimonies of people who have suffered great tragedies and they have described it as their greatest gift. That it changed the way they live their life. They are often people who live, i mean really live in the present and make every minute count for something. Their perspective seems to completely change on to what really matters here.
I read these such stories and start wondering (as many do) "what/when is it gonna be for me?"..."when am i gonna suffer through cancer? when's my dad/mom gonna die? when's my child gonna get some freak disease?" You could go crazy with all the uncertainty here. Your mind can be your worst enemy. I believe you have the power to choose what you think about;even in the worst of circumstances.
When you are pressed, whatever you have chosen to base your life upon, will come out. When my sister Keryn lost her husband Wes in that car accident that i would never wish anyone to go through--we felt a peace--there were (come to find out)people in the trauma center praying through that night as we all sat wondering if she would live and we felt it--"peace that passes understanding". I believe in prayer.
Watching her tell little Wesley (only 5yrs.old) that his daddy was gone...you felt as if you were watching s/o else's life, like this couldn't be really happening to us. I am not trying to make light and easy of any of it, but it wasn't like you thought it would be. It is her story now to share and comfort others through similar situations (maybe that's why--i don't know?)
We can't prepare for what lies in store for any of us, but i pray that my foundation is one with HOPE where I know we will have answers some day--maybe not this side of heaven, but He promises that "we will know as we are fully known". I believe WEs is in heaven and he now knows why....
My cousin whose little girl is 4yrs. old (with Down's Syndrome) going through chemo w/ all it's horrible side effects sickens me--to think if it were my child is unbearable---I personally HAVE TO BELIEVE in Christ's undying love for me and the gift of being able to grieve with hope or I would worry my life away--seriously...I could get lost thinking,"what then is the point of all this here?" The older I get the more tragedy I see and the greater I must believe...He promises me "plans of good and not evil, to give me hope and a future" (Jer.29:11) If you believe that, then really believe it. I do.
Sorry I went on and on about this but this blog was very upsetting and I just wish all people knew that they would see each other again one day in heaven and that there is a home that He prepares for us. I wish this family could grieve with hope b/c it is a different kind of grief. I know not everyone believes this but it is what sustains me. He "knows my name and knit me together in my mother's womb and counted every hair on my head". I believe He loves ME.
Sorry for sounding preachy here and I have gone on too long obviously...if you read this (titled) blog you will see why it provokes deep thought...... What do you really believe? If your world came crashing down tomorrow (and it could to any of us), How do you cope? Who/What is your "go to" power? What do you think would sustain you?

the Pink Room

OK--so I finally found exactly what I wanted for my little girl,Kayden's, room!!! The Worth Quilt by Lilly Pulitzer--Yeah! It only took me a year--seriously--nothing was really grabbing me. Since I found out we are having another boy,I knew there would be nothing needed as far as their room goes as I already did all the matching crib/twin accessories, and i am over blue so it was fun to pink out. I was a little bummed that my little girl wouldn't have a sister (and so was she) so we have had fun redoing her room! Now I am just waiting on the valance to arrive and we will be complete with bedskirt/valance/sham/twin and some throw pillows with lots of palm tree accents---I just love her room now---you really do relive your childhood especially with the girls! I love the story behind Lilly Pulitzer and remember as kids I just thought everyone wore bright colors and Jack Roger sandals until i went away to college and felt very out of place--yikes! But down here it is year round style in Palm Beach. I especially love the Worth Avenue prints as it has always been a fairytale dream world to walk over there.
I love this history behind Lilly Pulitzer...

Lilly, a young, sassy New York socialite had eloped with Peter Pulitzer, grandson of the Pulitzer Prize's Joseph Pulitzer and settled in Palm Beach. Peter owned several Florida citrus groves, but Lilly needed a project of her own. So in 1960, with Peter's produce, she opened a juice stand in Palm Beach. Lilly Pulitzer's business was a hit, but making juice made a mess of her clothes. Lilly needed a juice stand uniform, and asked her dressmaker to design a dress that would camouflage the stains. The result? A comfortable sleeveless shift made of bright, colorful printed cotton - pink, green, yellow and orange. It was perfect for the job and became Lilly's first Classic Shift. Today, Lilly Pulitzer has evolved into a clothing and luxury linen designer.

What I Crave...

I don't know what it is about these doughnuts, they are so yum with a cold glass of milk, and i have a serious thing for them. They are timeless and i don't remember my life w/o them. Entenmanns--mm--I love them! I have to laugh at myself b/c i went to the mall with my sister last night and then had her drop me at the grocery store for a quick milk pick-up....5 minutes later (pregnant and always hungry me) I come out with a box of these donuts,oatmeal creme pies,kit-kats,2 boxes of the Little Debbie heart cakes--mmmm--,granola bars,Fat Boy Jr.ice-cream sandwich minis,and blueberry waffles, oh, and of course the milk =0)
My sister (who is a work-out,South-Beach diet queen)was bug-eyed! LOL! She says,"how did you get all that so fast?" and i simply reply,"I walked in the candy/chip aisle (grabbing all the way down) and out the ice-cream aisle"
I do hate feeding this little beast inside me b/c i have no food self-discipline when i am pregnant. In my defense, I have healthy fat babies and I do lose all my weight gain, besides this is the only fun I currently get to have =0)!
I have started watching food-network nonstop and i get a craving in my head and must make it and have it. Yesterday i saw him (Chiarelli?-ithink) make a watermelon icee with a full blender of cut-up watermelon (pulsed twice) and some lime juice then some sugar---and now i want it--i will tell you how good it was when i am done!
Moral of this story--don't shop hungry!