Passion for Fashion Friday - My Favorite Dress

My favorite dress, and it wasn't even mine!

I had the opportunity to have my pictures taken a few months ago by my friend Benita at BRC Photography. She is fabulous!
She did my hair and makeup, styled the whole shoot, and even provided some of the clothes I wore. And the pictures are amazing; I've never looked hotter.

Anyway, when Benita pulled this dress out of the closet, I was a bit trepidatious. If I were to see this dress in a store, I would not have picked it up.
But I trusted Benita, and I am so glad I did! I felt like a 70s Diva from the moment I put this dress on, and man, was it sexy!
I just wish I had checked out the label!

B took this photo on her phone, can you believe it?!?

From now on, if I see a flowy floor-length leopard/zebra print dress, I'm buying it!!

Insults from a 4 year old

Last night, Portia called me a "mokey-fankle."

This morning, she called me "Jose."

I'm hurt.

Stories that make me weep...

...with laughter.

Here are a few blog posts that I go to when I need a giggle.


Hyperbole and a Half - Texas

Unexpected - Dating for Moms and it's sequel, Breaking Up is Hard To Do

and the piece de resistance:
Hahas for Hoohas - The Fart that Almost Altered my Destiny

A note on the last one, don't read it in public. I shot juice out my nose the first time I read it.

Ya'll like the new look?

Good. Cause I'm not changing it.

nap time adventures

If you're morally opposed to reading blog posts about babies and poop (mostly poop), turn away now!


We had a fun morning here at the Rawlinson house! I took the girls to the splash pad that just opened up in town. They loved it! We played for about an hour and a half, and then it was nearing nap time. I could tell the girls were ready to go home when Portia lay down on the ground and Margot ran towards the car shouting "Go! Go!"

So away we went! I put them in dry clothes, fed them lunch, and tossed them into bed!

I love nap time. It's me time. I can eat lunch without anyone sitting on me, I can do some chores while watching a show that doesn't involve talking squirrels, and I can even take a nap myself every once in a while!

Today was no exception. I folded laundry, ate some leftover pizza, took a shower, surfed the web; it was glorious! Just as nap time was coming to a close, I heard the girls' bedroom door open. Portia came out, hair standing on end and sleep lines on her face. I asked her if she slept well, and she answered "Yeah but Margot pooped."

Now, this isn't all that uncommon. Margot wears diapers and still sleeps in a crib. So if she poops during nap time, she can't come tell me, Portia does it.

So I got up to go get her and change her, when Portia continued.
"Mom, the poop is everywhere!" Come again?

I asked her to explain. "Mom, Margot pooped and then took her diaper off and the poop got everywhere!"

I ran.

Before even opening the door, I could smell it. Portia wasn't kidding. There Margot stood, naked from the waist down, covered in poop. All over her, all over the bedding, all over the crib, even on the wall! I was stunned. Then Margot gave me a huge grin, and I said "Margot! You made a huge mess huh!" and she pointed down to the floor, and said "Barbie!"

I looked, and there was a poop-crusted barbie next to my foot. I almost cried.

I scooped her up and put her right in the shower. I loaded up all the bedding and started a load of laundry. I wiped down the crib and wall, and sanitized them. And I tossed that barbie straight into the trash.


On another note, I think I'm getting wrinkles.

Chris Brown is a jerk.

Ready for some more May Blogging Challenge? I knew you would be.

Day 22: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. 

Don't mind if I do.

Tonight is the VMAs, and earlier this week, I saw a commercial for it. The commercial stated that, along with several artists, Chris Brown will be performing. 
Remember Chris Brown? He beat up his girlfriend, Rihanna, a few years ago, stormed out of a Good Morning America interview after breaking one of their windows, and got a fishy tattoo of what looks like a brutally beaten woman on his neck.

And now he's in the news again. 

Apparently, Chris rear ended a woman in his Range Rover in LA. When she took a photo to document the incident, he "went ballistic," screaming at her and grabbing her camera. He has been given 1,000 hours of community service, and his probation has been reinstated.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/16/showbiz/california-chris-brown-court


Am I the only one who thinks Chris Brown is a grade-A d-bag? 
Actually, I might be. Check out these tweets from women who claim they would be ok if Chris Brown beat them.

Really? Is this real?

What is wrong with us? Why on earth is Chris Brown's career not only surviving, but flourishing after all of this? 

I understand that people deserve a second chance, and that everyone makes mistakes. But at what point do we stop rewarding someone for those mistakes?


Here's the other beef I have with Chris Brown. He's terrible at music. 



Really. "I don't hear nothing but ladies calling." That's a real lyric.
Terrible.

things I'm lovin today - babies edition

1. When Margot fell down, and Portia made silly faces at her to cheer her up.

2. The funny game the girls played outside with their Barbies. 

3. Portia and Margot ate every bite of their lunch. I know it doesn't seem like a huge deal, but it is!

4. They also took a good long nap, so I got to watch a What Not To Wear marathon, and catch up on some laundry.

5. The sweet snuggles they gave me while we watched tv together. 

Oh Kelly.

I love this song.

I just love weddings!

These are my Confessions

Why yes, I did listen to Usher while writing this!

~In the seventh grade, I owned a pair of those huge, wide-legged jeans. Remember? Jnco jeans? Like these:

Except I didn't look nearly as cool as this girl does. 

I also may have walked a certain way when wearing them to make the legs flap. Like a giant, dorky flag.

(PS I found this picture on a vintage clothing website. Since when were awful 90s jeans vintage?)

~Ok. So whenever I'm in the car, listening the radio, the volume has to be a certain way. It has to be either on an even number, or a multiple of 5. 

Here's an example: If I'm listening to my fave Beyonce song, and I want to turn it up to rock out, I have to turn it up to 20. If 20 is too loud, I can turn it down to 18, but 19 is off limits. 

I'm not even going to talk about if the volume goes by something other than numbers. There are rules there too.

~For about 2 years, I forgot how old I was. I actually had to add up the years in my head. And those of you who understand my math skills know that that took a long time, and I was still wrong half the time.

~I had Dr. Pepper for breakfast today. And I have no regrets.

~I've never really been a catty girl. 

But there was a group of girls who were really mean to me in high school. Really mean. And the Regina George of their little posse happened to have a big crush on Brandon back then. 

I married him, and have 2 beautiful babies, and look super hot these days. She has a beer gut and is still living in high school. 

I would never say these things to her face, but I am real snotty to her in my head.

~I still read primarily young adult fiction. Yes, teenager books. I've found that fiction directed towards adults is either boring or inappropriate.

I just finished this last night: 

"Daughters of the Sea tells the story of 3 mermaid sisters who are separated at birth by a storm and go on to lead three very different lives. Book 1 is about Hannah, who spent her early days in an orphanage and is now a scullery maid in the house of a rich, powerful family. She is irresistibly drawn to the sea and through a series of accidents and encounters, discovers her true identity. Hannah realizes that she must keep the truth a secret but she also knows that soon she will have to make the choice - to be a creature of the land or the sea."

And I liked it! It was an easy read, and fun to imagine becoming a mermaid. 

~There. I said it. I still like the thought of being a mermaid.

Are you drunk, Hootie?

So Darius Rucker is a country artist now.
You know, he's Hootie from "Hootie and the Blowfish".
He's actually pretty good. But he has a new song out right now called Wagon Wheel, and I just don't get it. It doesn't make any sense.

Here's the chorus:

So Rock me mama, like a wagon wheel

Rock me mama, any way you feel

Hey mama rock me

Rock me mama, like the wind and the rain

Rock me mama, like a southbound train

Hey mama rock me

What? Rock me like a wagon wheel? Wagon wheels roll, Darius. And, come to mention it, so do trains.
Am I the only one who's confused?


PS I know, I know, Bob Dylan wrote the song 40 years ago, but that doesn't make it any less confusing.


On another note, the video has the Duck Dynasty guys in it:



You know I love me some Uncle Si!

purple is the new black

My niece, Jeannine Blair, is going into the 6th grade in a few days, so she came over to my house to have a personal hair class. I taught her how to blow-dry, curl, and straighten correctly, and how to do a few styles to herself for school. 

I also gave her a totally awesome bright purple peekaboo streak.

The before:

 Isn't she beautiful?

After:

Who's going to be the coolest girl in school?

Bookworm

I love to read, I'm a huge bookworm.

When I was young, my mom used to take my sister and I to the library in the summer, and let us get as many books as we wanted. We'd then take them home and have a "late-night-read," where we got to stay up as late as we wanted and read. We loved it!
My mom actually used to have to hide our books as punishment.

Huge bookworm.

Here's my top 5 favorite books, in no particular order.

1. The Harry Potter books - J.K. Rowling

Duh, like you thought Harry wouldn't make the list. You know how much I love Harry Potter. I read the first book when it came out, and have been a fan ever since. I stood in line at midnight when each book came out, and yes I dressed up. I've read each book upwards of 7 times. I'm obsessed. 

2. On Fortune's Wheel - Cynthia Voigt

My Jeannine-sister first read this book to Carrie and I as kids, and we loved it! Here's the summary:

"Birle has agreed to be wed to the huntsman Muir as an escape from the drudgery of life at her father's inn -- but the moment she looks into the bellflower blue eyes of the man she comes upon stealing one of her father's boats, Birle knows she cannot marry Muir. Even after she discovers the mysterious stranger is Orien, a Lord and as unreachable to an innkeeper's daughter as a star, Birle is determined to travel with him as far as he will allow.

Their travels take Birle to a world far from home, a world where Lords may become slaves, where Princes rule by fear, and where Fortune's Wheel turns more swiftly and dangerously than Birle could have imagined."

It's fabulous! You know I love a book when my copy is falling apart.

3. The Abhorsen Trilogy - Garth Nix

If you like fantasy, sci-fi, LOTRish books, you would love this trilogy. The first book, Sabriel, is my favorite. Here's the summary:

"Since childhood, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who refuse to stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorson, is missing, and Sabriel must cross into that world to find him. "

The first time I read this book, I think I stayed up until 4 am to finish it.

4. A Midsummer Night's Dream - Shakespeare

This is by far my favorite Shakespeare play. It's short and sweet, and hilarious! Laughter, fairies, magic and love! It doesn't get much better!

5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

I first read this book because it was required for my english class in the 8th grade. It's one of those stories that you never forget. It's about courage, acceptance, and doing the right thing. It won a Pulitzer Prize, folks!

Here's what amazon says:

"Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. " 

I couldn't have said it better myself!

What are your favorites?

Bedtime is a crisis!

This is what I saw when I came upstairs to go to bed tonight, at 11:

Sitting on the floor outside her bedroom door. 

Ignore my messy house.

So I put her back to bed and found this:

Margot, sleeping in the buff.

You know you're talented when you can diaper a baby without waking her up.

For your viewing pleasure:

Ew.

What's with all these restaurants coming out with pretzel food?

Sonic has a hot dog on a pretzel bun with bacon.

Wendy's has a pretzel burger. 

A pretzel burger.

Am I the only one that thinks that this is super gross?

Passion for Fashion Friday- Boden love

I love Boden. Their clothes are beautiful, modest, and well-made. 

When I got their catalog in the mail recently, and turned to this page, I think I gasped out loud. I love everything about this look, from the top of her pretty hair, to the tip of those fabulous leopard shoes.  

Shop this look here, here, here, and here

Gorgeous!

Check out ma bling!

Today I went to Kohl's because I had a $10 off coupon that expired in a few days. I'm nothing if not thrifty.

I was originally going to get some shoes for Margot, because she's growing too fast and I can't really keep up. But all their kid's clothes were pretty marked up, back to school and all that. 

So I started browsing for myself. I ended up finding a really pretty necklace, originally $60. 

With the coupon, I got it for $2.

Booyah!