It's November!

Wow! I can't believe it's November, this year has flown by!

Picture via here

November is jammed packed this year!

Big things are in store for this month in our house...
to start it off baby is due on the 4th!

We are so excited and can't wait to meet our little boy! :)

Many other people we know in person (including my cousin) and in the blog world are also expecting this month too! Yay for babies!

The cooler weather finally reaches Florida about this time and I can't wait to wear winter clothes. I bought 3 new pairs of boots on winter clearance last year that I'm dying to finally put on!

 Thanksgiving

I just love watching the Macy's Parade each year!

And the food, ohh the food! I love Thanksgiving-Christmas time because of all the delicious foods that are served. 

The last four football games of the regular season. 
Including the Florida State / Florida Game

 GO NOLES

What are you looking forward to this November?

It's been exactly a week...

....since I've blogged and I feel terrible. Things have been crazy here, this is my last week of work before maternity leave so I've been tying up all the loose ends and trying to get everything done before I leave so it will be easier on everyone while I'm gone. Over the weekend I will be catching up on your blogs/lives and promise to post some pictures of the baby's room since it's finally finished! Thanks for sticking around!

Be back soon,

PS be sure to watch my NOLES tonight, we're playing NC State at 7:30pm :)

I have a confession

My name is Sammy and I've been a bad blogger.


I haven't posted in over a week!! Eek! I'm sorry guys but I promise I will get back into the swing of things soon. I have lots to blog about but just don't feel up to it at the moment or really up to doing anything, ahh the joys of the last few weeks of pregnancy.


But here's a quick update on what's been going on..


Baby news:
-I had my baby shower last weekend with friends and family, it was at the Church parlor and just lovely. Great food and great fellowship with friends. We've almost received everything for the baby. I'll post pictures as soon as my mom sends them my way, since I forgot my camera :)

-I have a small shower/dinner with work friends tomorrow night. We're going to an Italian restaurant, hopefully I won't go into labor... I've known many people who swear Italian is the thing to eat if your past your due date and want to go into labor, my mother was one of them and that's probably why I have a love of Italian food lol

-36 weeks pregnant today

Total weight gain: getting close to 30lbs
Stretch marks: None! :)
Sleep: In 2 hours intervals, I think he's training me for when he's here
Movement: Yep, gotta love the kicks and jabs!
Food cravings: Sweet Tea and sweets like chocolate, which is weird for me since I'm a vanilla kinda gal
What I miss: The ability to jump in and out of my car, and my BRAIN! i swear I'm losing my mind lol
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: random cramping throughout the day, backache
Belly Button in or out: Innie
Happy or Moody: Happy, I'm excited!
Maternity Leave?:  Still working, it's uncomfortable to sit at my desk all day but it's not unbearable yet
Milestones: Weekly appointments start next week and our last childbirth class is on Monday and we get a tour of labor and delivery :)



 In non-baby related news:
-It's finally chilly out, it's been in the 50s in the morning/night but gets to the low 80s during the day. So, it's not quite time to dig out the winter clothes from the back of the closet. But I hope it happens soon... come on Fall weather!


That's all for now! I promise to not disappear again, but my post may be more sporadic then normal lol. Thanks for sticking around! :)

Sort of a Bucket List

I borrowed this from Jennifer over at 3 men and a 'lil lady.
Feel free to borrow it from me!

Here is the deal:
Bold the ones you’ve done.
Italicize the ones you plan on doing.
(And my comments are in parentheses.)

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins (it was in a lagoon in the keys, so cool)
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula (my old roommate, Jess had one as a pet)
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn't care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theatre (there still is one in my hometown, it's so cool)
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an "expert"
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage (do cheerleading competitions count?)
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music (my cousin had a music studio in his house, however I can't sing lol)
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking with the windows open
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show (I want to be on the Wheel so badly)
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse (I'm from Horse Country)
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi (it's my favorite)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach (one crawled on me the other night, gross)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language (Adam's grandma)
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life by not hitting them with my car

Let me see your answers!

Great Scott!

So I found out something pretty cool this morning!

 Remember these shoes?

(image via here)

Well, Nike just patented Marty McFly's Self-Lacing Sneaker! That's right folks in 2015 you could be wearing some pretty high-tech shoes. I'm sure they will be a little more fancier than those in Back to the Future II but how awesome is that! You can read more about it here and here.

Let's just say I want a pair... and who knows maybe someone will start making those hoverboards that he had in the movie.... haha :)

It's the Little Things

My house is getting it's finishing touches on it's paint job right now! The other night, I was amazed to come home to a freshly pressure washed house and patios and couldn't believe that the week of painting was finally here! I like to call our little house the ugly duckling, she has potential to be beautiful and we are making that happen! Today the outside will be complete and by Sunday the interior will all be freshly painted, including the nursery! So, when I come back from staying with my parents (since can't be around the fumes) all I have to do is come back and decorate!

I couldn't be more excited!

Here's a little background on our house....
Our poor little house wasn't beautiful when we moved in but we knew it had potential. But right before we were to move in one of our giant oak trees fall on the right side of the house and injured her, as well as the whole right side of our yard. (You can see our roof patch where the shingles need to go). Well not only did the tree dent the house but it took out the landscaping on the whole right side of the yard... see the mark on the right of the house from where my raised beds were, now it's just clay and in front of that are trenches where the giant root system of the tree was. I can't wait for them to finish all the outside repairs and painting so I can start on my landscaping to get my yard back into shape. But that might have to wait until after baby. Anyways...


Here's the outside after the tree debris was gone:

And as of this morning:

and as of tonight:

Don't yall think that paint really makes a difference?

Now just the roof is left, then landscaping time, for a finished look!
It's funny how something like new paint has put a smile on my face all day :)

Maternity Fashion Controversy

I recently saw on the news that Forever 21 has launched a maternity line that's available online and in a few states...which don't happen to include any near me- [insert sad face here], and it's actually really cute.

But it's started some controversy saying that it's target audience is pregnant teens...

See CBS News article here.

Many parents have been quoted stating that it's not something they want to see in stores. However, my favorite quote though has to be this: "Based on the research I know, I don't think girls get pregnant so they can wear cute clothes," said Steven Kirn, executive director of the David F. Miller Retailing Education and Research Center at the University of Florida. (quote from here) And I have to agree!

So, what do you think? Personally I welcome any affordable maternity line that is actually cute and fits me right! I'm not a teen, I'm a married pregnant woman in my mid-20s and in my opinion this line is targeting my demographics :) And on that note, I'm going to order me this:

however I won't be wearing heels with it, kinda unrealistic for this pregnant gal! :)

25 Things About Moi

I've seen this going around and decided to join in the fun! Feel free to copy and repost with your answers :)

Here's 25 Things About Me
1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
closed for two reasons... one it bothers me, two Gracie likes to go hide in there.

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels?
if it's at a resort or swanky hotel, of course... W Hotels have Bliss products, which are amazing!
3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?
tucked in

4. Would you rather be attacked by a bear or a swarm of bees?
a bear! I saw on 1001 Ways to Die that a swarm of bees can kill you, at least with a bear you could survive.

5. Do you have freckles?
yep, they are randomly everywhere... I even have one on the palm of my hand and one on my lip.

6. What is your biggest pet peeve?
people who don't clean up after themselves (young children are exempt of course)
7. Have you ever peed in the woods?
Yep. I'm from the south, we used to go drinking in the woods and when you gotta go, you gotta go haha.  

8. Do you ever dance if there’s no music playing?
umm not that I can think of

9. Do you chew your pens and pencils?
 nope.. gross

10. Is it okay for guys to wear pink?
sure, why not

11. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
well if it's from Chickfila, Polynesian and Chickfila Sauce. but if it's anywhere else, ranch and BBQ mixed together.

12. What is your favorite food?
This is tough, I guess Seafood. But I love Japanese and Italian cuisine.
13. What movies could you watch over and over and still love?
Gone In 60 Seconds, The Notebook, Sweet Home Alabama...

14. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
I was a Brownie for one year.

15. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?
NOPE

16. Can you change the oil on a car?
Yep, I'm a car junkie, I can pretty much do anything that doesn't require heavy machinery
17. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
Four

18. Ever ran out of gas?
Once, and the sad thing is I had left my apartment which was in front of a gas station, to run out of gas one street over.

19. Are you lazy?
I can be, but I never want to be
20. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?
I've seen pictures of me as a pumpkin, a kitty cat, a cheerleader, and some star wars character.

21. How many languages can you speak?
English, fluently. I can read most Spanish. I understand some French and Moroccan thanks to Adam

22. Who is better…Leno or Letterman?
Leno
23. Do you sing in the car?
All the time.

24. Ever eat a pierogi?
Yep, their pretty good if they are made with tasty fillings.

25. First concert?
Sixpence None The Richer... Kiss me out of the bearded barley , Nightly, beside the green, green grass, Swing, swing, swing the spinning step...

Hump Day & Giveaway

Check out my review and giveaway on Surviving the Kitchen, everyone gets a free coupon! :)

I'm super busy this week but should be back to my regularly scheduled post by Friday depending on how much I can get accomplished today! Speaking of things to get accomplished, I have 709 unread blog post in my Google Reader. Will I be a bad blog friend if I skip some?  I hope you don't take it the wrong way but part of me just wants to mark all as read and start over with tomorrows post... ahh well see. Please don't hate me.

Happy Hump Day!

(Hump Day is brought to you by the camels of SATC)

TGIF!

Time for some fun Friday Memes to kick-off the weekend!---------------------------------------

Here's the rules, copy the questions and answer them on your blog then link back up over at Mama M's place and check out everyone elses answers!

1. Do you have an iPhone and, if so, how do you get apps and what are your favorites?

No iPhone for me, Adam has one but I'm still on my parents plan which isn't AT&T. I do have an iTouch and my favorite app is Pandora! I love it!
2. What is your fondest memory of K-3rd grade?

I had the BEST kindergarden teacher! We hatched butterflies in our classroom, it was a lot of fun and on of the best memories. In 2nd & 3rd grade we moved cities and I went to a private school, I loved having field day with water balloons and slip-n-slide each year, and the fact we had the best lunch days (arbys, mcdonalds, pizza hut, etc).

3. What makes you cringe at the thought of touching?

I'm pretty daring and nothing really phases me as long as I have gloves on!
4. If you could have any celebrity show up on your doorstep who would it be and why?

I would love to hangout with Nicole Richie, she seems so much more normal now that she's had her kids. I think it would be fun to have lunch with her and chat!

And a reality celeb I would to have over would be Bethanny from RHNY :)

5. What would you say is your best physical feature?

I've been told I have really nice calves but random strangers, haha. But I love my eyes, they change colors between shades of grey, green, and blue.

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It's time for Jen's Favorite Friday's

This Friday's "Favorite Fridays" Topic is:

Favorite Sex & the City Character

I love Samantha, not only do we have the same name but she's funny, unjudgemental, and a loyal friend!

Top 2 Tuesday... Before You Die

Top 2 things you want to do before you die

(1) Open a home decor boutique

I fell in love with this little boutique store in Apalachicola that sold unique home furnishings and accessories, sadly last time I was there I noticed it had closed... but I would love to have my own store like that.

(2) Travel to all the continents
(well except Antarctica, too cold and I think you have to be a scientist or something to go there)

Head on over to Taylor's to link up!

Friday Fun

TGIF YALL! Here's the rules, copy the questions and answer them on your blog then link back up over at Mama M's place and check out everyone elses answers!
Questions for Friday, May 14th:

1. Take your pick...date night, girls night out, or night out alone?
Can I have one of each... no? Umm okay girls night out, it's been awhile since we were all reunited!
2. Can you touch your nose with your tongue?
Ummm let me check... just the bottom of it. (don't even tell me you didn't just try it)
3. What is your favorite flower and why?
Orchids, they are just so pretty and delicate, plus they smell good!
4. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself?
Don't put up with stuff you don't have to, remember you can walk away from any bad relationship. Oh and put your girls first, they are the ones that will be there in the end.
5. If you won the lottery, what is the very first thing you would do?
Take my entire family on a fun trip to somewhere tropical to celebrate! Then pay off everyone's debts and by myself a new house by the beach.

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This weeks Favorite Fridays Topic is Favorite R&B Singer!
Mine is this lady, the one and only Mary J Blige

I mean look at her belt it out! I love all her songs, very powerful.

Is It Really Monday...

...why is the weekend so short. I had a wonderful time on Saturday with my Dad here... TPC Sawgrass

It was a little hot, but so much fun! Thankfully we got to sit in The Turn (a skybox thingy with a/c) and watch a lot of it. You can't take pictures at PGA events (no cameras, no phones) so this is from a news website. Sunday was Mother's Day and my Brother's 21st Birthday. While my dad took him and his friends to TPC, I spent some quality time with my mom enjoying their backyard and pool area. It was very relaxing.  Gracie enjoyed floating around the pool in her new bathing suit, compliments of my mom.

I know she looks cute, she really liked her outfit. I'm sure my parent's Aussie, Chance thought she looked funny. He was just enjoying being out in the sun with his new bone.

Later that evening we had a mother/daughter dinner date at our favorite sushi place. I love my family and am so glad they are only two and a half hours away.But the weekend was too short and I do not want to be sitting here at work, I would much rather be hanging out at my parent's by the pool with my magazines and a cold drink.  How was your weekend?

Friday Fun

Happy Mother's Day Weekend to All the Mother's Out There!I'm going to be spending the weekend down at my parents, and even going to TPC Sawgrass to watch some golf. It's also my little brother's 21st Birthday on Sunday so we are celebrating that when he gets back from his Costa Rica vacation. And yes, you read that right, my brother's birthday is on Mother's Day, and my birthday is on Father's Day, how lucky are my parents, I always think it's so cool that it happend that way! :)-----------------------------------------Now for some Friday Fun! Here's the rules, copy the questions and answer them on your blog then link back up over at Mama M's place and check out everyone elses answers!  Questions for Friday, May 7th:

1. What is your worst memory of your siblings?

Umm.. I don't really have a bad memory with my brother, exept when we would fight with each other. My mom bought us boxing gloves so we could duke it out haha.

2. What was YOUR naughtiest childhood memory? (Must be something YOU did, no pawning it off on someone else!)

Why is that you normally can recall things but once it's on the spot you just can't remember.... if I can remember something I'll come back and fill it in.
3. Where do you like to go to relax?

the beach, or the bath (nothing like a bubble bath, a good book, and a glass of wine)

4. What was the last thing you won?

I won a giveaway on a blog for some yogurt! yum!

5. If you could be on a game show, which would you choose?

Wipeout! Do they still have that? I think it would be so fun! :)

If not that I would go with the classic, the Wheel of course

--------------------------------

This weeks Favorite Fridays Topic is Favorite Animated Movie!
My favorite animated movie is an oldie but goodie...

Lady & the Tramp
This classic is my favorite, and I'm pretty sure I still no all the words and the lyrics to all the sing-a-longs, haha.

What's yours?

Head on over to A Girl with Pearls & A Boy with Toys to link up with your answer! :)

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You can win a $50 Gift Certificate to CSNstores.com, enter here!

Have a great Friday!!

Top 3 Thursday... Vacations

 This week's topic: Top 3 places you'd most like to visit?

1) Tahiti - I have no idea why this started but for as long as I can remember I have wanted to go to stay in one of these bungalows that are over the lagoon. How cool would it be to just wake up in paradise and jump into clear waters and snorkle, that's my kinda vaca!

2) Yellowstone - I love nature and animals, plus this is in the United States. My Aunt Sharon who passed away last year loved Yellowstone, they would go very often and the pictures were always breathtaking.

 3) Japan- it seems like a fun place with lots of historic & modern places. Plus I'm a sushi-holic and how awesome would it be to have authentic un-Americanized Japanese cuisine. (Photo credit Destination360 Nagoya Japan)
 Where would you like to visit?

Wishful Wednesday

'I wish' .... I was fluent in another language in addition to English, and it would be Moroccan Arabic!

This was really easy for me since Adam's Moroccan and speaks Moroccan. I hate that my conversations with his family are very limited and I wish I could speak Moroccan and talk to his mom. We both try really hard to talk with each other over the phone (she's in Casablanca) but sometimes we just can't understand each other and it would be nice to actually have a conversation when she comes to visit. It also would help just to know another language that I hear everyday. I mean I know some words and sentances but most of the time I have no idea, especially when he talks to friends or family that is here, their conversations are a mix of French, Moroccan, English, and Arabic, I have no idea how they do it. Maybe one day I will finally know enough Moroccan to speak more than, "hey, how are you?" and "the weather is nice today" -haha.

What language would you like to speak?

Head on over to The Seattle Smith's to link up and find out what everyone else picked.

PS: I'm having a giveaway on Surviving the Kitchen for a $50 Gift Certificate to CSNstores.com, be sure to check it out, just click here!

Random Updates

It's the first Monday in May and my life has finally slowed down. Session is over, at least for this year. Our bills have passed, our clients are happy (well the majority of them) and I will no longer be working 12-hr days, Yay! 

Oh, I've finally had time to post a Menu Plan for the week posted at Surviving the Kitchen, I took a two-week hiatus, and hopefully I can stick to it. This weekend I did some deep cleaning around the house and boy does it look 100 times better. You never know how dirty things really are, it's amazing how a little deep cleaning can make things look brand new.Plus, it feels so good to come home to a clean house.

Life is good!

In other news, I looked at houses over the weekend and nothing quite compares to "my house" that was taken from me...(Someone put a bid in about an hour prior to mine, taking my poor little house right out from under me). House hunting is stressful and now that that $8k tax credit is gone, I'm taking it a lot slower. But seriously, all those years of watching House Hunters and all those other home buying shows on HGTV have helped me in the process. And I do know that somewhere out there is a house in my price range with my name on it. :)

Well, now to get caught up on emails and all my blogs waiting for me in Google Reader.

Happy Monday!