Book in Review: The Hunger Games

Over Christmas I was able to jump on all kinds of shiny, new bandwagons!

I got a Kindle Fire (thank you, Momma)! And I bought some books (thank you, Husband)! And I managed to read one of those books (thank you, babies that nap)!

First up: I jumped on The Hunger Games bandwagon and proceeded to tear through the first book like my life depended on it. One word conclusion: awesomesauce.

Have you read The Hunger Games? How long did it take you to finish the other two books, Catching Fire and Mockingjay? I went ahead and bought the other two books so I can finish them at my leisure (which I'm hoping will be this long four-day weekend). I was tempted to start Catching Fire last night, but I knew I'd stay up way too late reading and there'd be hell to pay today.

According to Amazon, The Hunger Games is summarized as so:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

 Things I liked about The Hunger Games:
-Nonstop, back and forth, good-old-fashioned suspense
-Love triangle
-Easy to relate to the heroine, who is from the Appalachian district that represents the coal mines
-The amazing way the author describes every single meal in the book
-Futuristic
-Easy to read and comprehend

I'm planning on starting Catching Fire tonight, and I'm sure I'll have you a quick recap then as well. I'm dying to know more about the relationship between Katniss and Peeta. What happens to Haymitch? I can't wait to read about that first meeting between Katniss and Gale! There are so many unanswered questions I have and scenarios to play out, what will happen next?!

Here's the trailer for the movie that opens March 23rd, 2012:


Side note: When I first heard Liam Hemsworth had been cast in this movie, I could've cared less. Then I read the book, and my heart cried, "No!" - he'll ruin the role of Peeta (my first worry was that they cast him as Peeta) and then the movie will be a dud and I'll be devastated. Luckily, he's playing Gale - which won't be such of a big deal in this movie, but if they make the next two books into movies, I have a feeling he'll have a much bigger part. I really hope he delivers, 'cause I have zero faith in the boy after watching that ghastly movie with Miley Cyrus.


So tell me, are you a fan of The Hunger Games series? Which one was your favorite? Will I be disappointed? How will it all end?!?!

Our Christmas

Wow! Did Christmas fly by for you all the way it did for us? It was a three-day whirlwind of presents and food, family and friends, and all the good things that make life wonderful.

I think the girls are both in sensory overload after opening all their presents and seeing so many faces and sights. I can honestly say it's a hundred times better being an adult giving my children a special Christmas than it ever was being the kid receiving a special Christmas. My parents made the holidays wonderful, and I aim to keep on keeping on with my family.

Sidney was really into Santa this year; the cookies, the milk, the waking up early on Sunday morning. I know there's only a few more years left like this where she really believes. I'm savoring every sweet second of it!

All in all, it was an amazing Christmas - I couldn't have wished for a better holiday season. Next up: New Year's! 

lately

Beau accompanied me on a workday last week - he's my "other" baby! 

Sidney was all about the karaoke at our Christmas party.

She's an expert present-opener nowadays!! 

My darling girls at dinner - they both behaved so well! 

I see so much of her Daddy in her sometimes, it's scary. 

My sweet smiling baby - she's really started babbling this week! 

My little cousin Samantha and I have the same fashion sense! 

Sidney at her school Christmas dinner - she was so proud of her reindeer hat! 

My girls at Gran's house...

The many sweet faces of Rhealen Jo - that top left picture kills me with cuteness! 

Pajama day at school - Sidney's favorite! 

Two funny ladies: Dobby & Rhealen 

2011: Year in Review

January:: I joined Gilt and obsessed over new gifts for the new baby!!

February:: We found out our little Nugget was, indeed, a GIRL!!

March:: I finally upgraded to a good phone, my HTC Incredible, and thus began my love for documenting life on the go with new filters and apps to play with!

April:: We went to the beach and I got the worst sunburn on my life; I then proceeded to follow skin-removal directions from a friend on Twitter. It didn't end so well.

May:: I was big and pregnant and eagerly awaiting the birth of our little lady -- there was such excitement in the air, I was buzzing!

June:: Our sweet baby girl, Rhealen Jo, was born on 06/06 weighing in at 6 lbs 14 oz after an easy, breezy delivery - we've been living happily ever after since then!

July:: I spent the entire month blogging late in the dead of the night, trying to deal with my mess of emotions, and staring at this beauty every extra second of the day.

August:: We had a fun summer month going to the fair, having backyard barbeques and spending lots of time just hanging out enjoying the days before school started.

September:: Sidney settled into life as a Pre-K student, somehow managed to turn FOUR years old, Justin and I celebrated two years of marriage (and eight years of being together), and I ended the month turning 23!! It's always a jam-packed month for us :)

October:: The girls celebrated their first Halloween together (Sidney was a witch, Rhealen was a fuzzy baby) and I went with Sidney on her first official school "field trip" to the punkin' patch.

November:: My Papaw had a health scare but came through an amazing quadruple-bypass surgery, our favorite little man Quincy was born, I found the right words to express my emotions for Rhealen, Breaking Dawn: Part One finally made its way into theaters, and we had near perfect weather all month long.

December:: We brought home a new addition to our family, I created gift guides for Cassie and Dobby, and now we're just counting down the days 'til Christmas!!

It's been an amazing year, for sure!! I can only dream of what 2012 has in store for our little family!!

Now, I challenge you -- what does your 2011 year in review look like??

my best advice involves poop, sorry about that.

It's that time of year for parties and get-togethers, meeting new people and old friends. And if you're anything like me, you can pretend to be the biggest extrovert of them all - but inside you're peeing your pants trying to keep up this brave facade.

I've discovered a new little trick for meeting new people, esepcially those I admire or find intimidating (which is everyone I've never met before). It's kind of a weird little trick and especially gross, but it helps me normalize the world and see other people down on my level.

I imagine them sitting on the toilet taking the biggest, messiest dump of their lives. 

Nasty, I know. Too personal, I know. But if you imagine these people you fear or admire having a bad case of the runs, it somehow helps you to empathize with them and find some common ground. We've all been there, attached to the toilet seat, praying for mercy from the poop g-ds.

It's kind of like the age-old "imagine them in their underwear" trick, except sometimes that can back fire, I've found. When I'm meeting this gorgeous person and I imagine them in their underwear, I start to feel infinitely worse about myself. I start to imagine myself in my underwear standing beside them, tears rolling down their faces as they mock my lumps and rolls and four-year-old granny panties next to their rock-hard abs and VS lacy bits. Not exactly a confidence booster.

But if I imagine them crapping their guts out, it somehow levels the playing field...in my mind, at least.

So there you have it - the best holiday advice I can give you when meeting new faces in new places. Just imagine everyone sitting on the toilet taking giant dumps. It'll make the entire process so much more enjoyable!! 

wherein I embarrass, confuse and amaze my daughter daily.

Recent snippets of conversations with Sidney...

Sidney: Hey, Mom! Take my picture!

-----

Me: I do believe in fairies! I do! I do! (watching Peter Pan, of course...)
Sidney: I wish you would stop singing! I do! I do!
-----

Me: Do you like this shirt?
Sidney: It's for boys.
Me: What? It's a jersey, everyone can wear them.
Sidney: People will think I'm a boy!
Me: Here, put it on.
Sidney: No! I don't want to be a boy!
(I basically force it over her head....)
Me: Now, are you a boy?
Sidney: No. I'm a girl.
Me: Alright, then you're wearing the jersey.
Sidney: But it's blue!
(And so the gender fights continue...)
-----

Sidney: Mom, remember that time when you died? (referring to when I passed out last year)
Me: Yeah, I remember.
Sidney: Yeah, me too.
-----

(at the Christmas family party this weekend, which is always held at our church....)
Sidney: I want to sing karaoke.
Me: Okay, what do you want to sing?
Sidney: Forget You (be Cee-Lo)
Me: No, I don't think they have that one. Pick again.
Sidney: Hell on Heels (by The Pistol Annies)
Me: No, that's not really an appropriate song.
Sidney: What's appropriate mean?
Me: You shouldn't sing a song that has the word "hell" in it when you're at church. It's not nice.
Sidney: Oh. What can I sing?

-----

Sidney: Mom, can we have two more babies?
Me: No, I'm done having babies.
Sidney: But I want a boy!
Me: Then you'll have to have your own baby someday.
Sidney: Will I bleed?
Me: Umm....yes, maybe, I don't know?
Sidney: You still bleeding?
Me: Let's talk about something else....
-----

And so you can get a glimpse into the wild, imaginative brain that is my daughter:

for those of us with curves, lumps, rolls and muffin tops.

(All links open in a new tab, for your viewing pleasure.)

The holidays always bring fancy parties and family get-togethers that require a certain amount of style. I have zero sense of style, but I like to put my best foot forward at least one day a year and do the whole girl thing and dress up...properly.

But being a big girl as I am, it can be hard to find options for shopping online or in stores. Luckily, more and more brands are expanding their lines to fit those of us with expanding waistlines F21 is one of my favorite stores for clothes and accessories on the cheap, especially now that almost every store has their plus-sized section included.

I've also been a huge (ha!) fan of Torrid for years now; I find a lot of their clothes are geared more towards teenagers, but they always have an amazing section of dresses, swimwear and shoes (especially boots with wider calf sizes than most retailers).

City Chic is another great site for dresses that are drool-worthy, but they also carry an amazing collection of clothes, lingerie and accessories.

Virtu is a great Australian shop that has flat-rate international shipping and "hassle free" returns; they have a huge (ha!) sale going on right now, and just looking at their breezy clothing makes me long for summer.

Asos is a one-stop shop for all of us out there doing our best to stay "on trend" without breaking the bank. Just make sure you are shopping on their US site and not the UK site! (And when I say "us", I mean "you" - this girl right here is never on trend)

Jessica Simpson has a collection that isn't specifically geared for those of us that are plus-sized, but a lot of her pieces mix and fit well for us curvy ladies. Also, the girl has damn good taste in shoes.

Domino Dollhouse is a great site with a little something for everyone; and extra bonus points for being budget friendly!

H&M houses a variety of styles and budget-points for all of us. I could spend hours just browsing through their site, drooling of course.

I'm sure there are a lot more sites and resources out there, these are just a few of the online stores I swear by. Being a big girl in a skinny world isn't always the easiest thing; but that doesn't mean we should settle for less-than-stellar clothes and shoes. I may not dress to the nines every day, but when I do feel like dolling up, it's nice to know there are retailers out there for girls like me.

Do you have any awesome sites you'd add to my list? I'm always looking for new sites to browse!



PS: Be sure to check out my favorite plus-sized fashion lady, Nicolette Mason. She's so sweet and I'd kill for her shoe and sunglasses collection!

the late shopper

There's how many days 'til Christmas, and I just bought the first few presents today...online?

Procrastination by any other name would be Mary Ruth. Because that's just how I am. I keep thinking that'll change with time. I'll get older and my life will stop being one late assignment after another. I'll grow into doing things on time and not being so rushed for the rest of my days. But, no. It's not meant to be. I'm going to be late for my own funeral at this rate.

I like the hustle and the bustle this time of year, and I'm so proud of those of you that can get your shopping DONE by Dec. 1st. That just ain't my style, apparently.

I'm the one on Amazon praying they have last minute delivery and then watching for the UPS man like a maniac, hoping to have just a few minutes left to wrap up the gifts (or throw them in gift bags) before Christmas Eve. It's not that I don't love to shop for those I love. It's just that I love procrastinating even more.

Sorry, folks. I may have put a lot of though into what gift(s) I get you this year - but I definitely didn't put a lot of time in them. Doesn't make them any less awesome, though, right?

What about you? Are you a "get it all done on Black Friday so I can sit back and watch you lazy bones go crazy" kind of shopper - or are you a "wait on the delivery truck at midnight on Christmas Eve at WalMart to get the camcorder I want" kind of shopper?

Three Christmases ago, the latter was my dear husband. True story. I guess that's why I married him.  

Christmas Gifts: For My Friend Who Can Sing in the Car With Me for Hours and Who Never Mixes Brown and Black in One Outfit

Pretty Cupcake Kit - because she loves all things pretty and this might inspire her to bake for me! 

Jumbo Cocktail Rings - because she loves all things gaudy just like me! 

Red Peep-toe Heels - because she rocked the shit out of that Betty Boop Halloween costume way back when. And she likes that Kellie Pickler song, too. 

Key to My Heart necklace - because she's getting married next year and is stuck on all that sweet stuff.

Carrie sunglasses - because we share a love of over-sized shades. And making fun of other girls in over-sized shades. 

Mini Robot Vacuum - because she's OCD about cleaning and will never let you forget how her side of the dorm room was always spotless when your side looked like a tornado was living there. 

I Like You by Amy Sedaris - because even though she'd never admit it, she's nervous about having her own home and entertaining new friends in KY. This'll make her the talk of the town. 

Kate Spade 2012 calendar - because she needs to go ahead and make plans to come back home to VA to see me every weekend. 

LOVE YOU, butch. 

All gifts from HERE. 

Christmas Gifts: For My Friend Who Has the Most Random Collection of Mixed CDs and Cries at Forehead Kisses

Wacky Bandages - because you need more "mac n cheese" talks in your life! 

Tinkerbell necklace - because she's twenty-four going on twelve forever. 

Pet's Eye View Camera - because she loves her dogs like babies and would love to see the world through their eyes. 

What's Your Poo Telling You? - because she's the only person out there that finds this shit interesting. 

Cardboard Buck - because she lives to make her daddy proud but she'd never kill one in real life. 

Desktop Pink Pong Kit - because it will remind her of "Forrest Gump" every day. 

Condiment gun - because she'll have way too much fun squirting ketchup on everything with something like this! 

Pasta Boobies - because even though she's a total hetero, girl can still appreciate a nice set of boobies. 

LOVE YOU, best friend. 

All gifts from HERE. 

movers and shakers and those who aren't

Weekends always seem to zoom by, don't they? No matter how much I tell myself, "this weekend I'm going to focus on the girls and do nothing else" - it always seems a million other things come up. Little things, big things. Things silly and things serious. We live in a permanent state of managed chaos. I've accepted this fact; Justin, not so much. Sidney thrives on the hustle and bustle; Rhealen, not so much.

It's amazing to see ourselves, side by side, and how we all react differently to the bumps in the road. Sidney is very much like me - she just goes with the flow, has no problems if plans get changed ten seconds after they were made. Justin and Rhealen very much like to be home, to be in familiar places with familiar faces. They don't like the boat to be rocked and they don't like their routine to be interrupted.

I foresee lots of "us vs. them" conversations down the road. I don't want it to be that way, but just like I couldn't change myself, I wouldn't dream of changing them. Justin and Rhealen can be the comfy little hermits at home. Sidney and I can be the explorers, the do-ers, the ones who like to be on the go.

I think that'll work just fine for us.

meet beau.

Today we brought home a new addition to the family -- miniature Schnazuer, Beau. He's 12 weeks old and absolutely too adorable for words!

He's an early Christmas surprise for Sidney, who'll meet him this evening for the first time. I'm hoping to get it all on video so I can share it with you later. I hope she loves him; Rhealen already thinks he's the funniest thing to watch. Every time he whimpers or barks, she just collapses into a fit of giggles.

Part of me thinks we're absolutely crazy for bringing home a puppy right now. I've already panicked about sleepless nights and interrupted naps. But I know, in the long run, the girls will adore him. And he'll be out of the puppy stage as quickly as the rest of our babies grow. For now, we'll enjoy his little puppy naps and milk teeth and sweet puppy breath!

Welcome to the family, Beau!

{6 months}

Yesterday our little Rhealen Jo hit her six month mark. Half of a year. Before we know it, it'll be June and her first birthday will be upon us.

Ever since Sidney was born, time has seemed to zoom by at the speed of sound. Now that Rhealen is here, too, it's going by at the speed of light. I can't seem to hold onto the moments long enough. There aren't enough days in the week or weeks in the month to hold my girls - to play with them, laugh with them, cuddle with them, love them. I can't believe it's been six months since we were sitting in the hospital room staring at this blonde-haired beauty. It's been six whole months since the day she was born. Wow.

How do I get a grip on the clock? How do I slow it all down? I don't want to miss these moments. I don't want these days to slip by me unnoticed. I'm so grateful for my little ladies. To steal a cheesy line from an even cheesier song, they fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness, ease my troubles that's what they do.

And they do.

sunny days

What I wouldn't give to be on the beach right now, warm and sunny. It's still unseasonably warm here, thank goodness. But I know the cold is just around the corner - the wet and snow and ice and freezing cold will hit us all too soon. I love the changing seasons, and I'm grateful to live in a climate that has four distinct seasons, but winter is by far the worst for me. It's too depressing to think about. 

So, for today, I'm going to remember the beach and the sun and all the light those summer days bring. We're barely into winter and I'm already dying for spring. It's going to be a long one, isn't it? 

lately

My girl helped me graduate!!! It was all for her :) 

Night out with Poppa

RJ and I took a good nap on T-Day

Coolest baby EVER, right? 

The many faces of Rhealen Jo

She gets girly-er and pretty-er by the second...

The sweetest smile

Just Married! :D

I tried to talk Sidney in eating RJ for T-Day; they were both against it. 

That's what friends are for.