Christmas Traditions

When you think of the holidays, you instantly think of those memories and traditions that you grew up with and remind you of home. I think of laying out cookies and milk for Santa, various Christmas mornings with presents and enjoying being the only child at home! and big family gatherings. Next Christmas, we will have a little baby to share the special day with and I am excited to see how it will bring back the magic of Christmas! Once you get to the age where you don't believe in Santa and get old enough to get practical gifts, the magic is pretty much gone. It will be wonderful to have a little kid to buy for and start our own family traditions with!

I already know I want to buy a special "Cookies for Santa" plate. I'm drawn to these when I see them at stores and definitely want one! I also would really like to do the new pajamas every year. When I was a kid, I was allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve night. This could easily be new Christmas PJ's each year! Gotta look good for those Christmas morning pictures! :)

But then there are some traditions that I've heard of lately that have me thinking. One lady at work was saying that she doesn't even introduce the idea of Santa to her children. She explained it by saying that "why should I do all of that work and let him believe in someone that didn't even do anything?" I do see her point, I really do. But on the other hand, believing in Santa and the joy that comes with it are some amazing perks of childhood. Also, what's going to stop her child from going to daycare or school and ruining it for the rest of the class?

One tradition someone mentioned recently was to take your child Christmas shopping but instead of buying gifts for friends and family, you pick from the various Angel Trees and shop for kids in need. I thought this was an awesome idea. I definitely want to teach our child how important it is to give back and to give to those in need. I want him/her growing up thinking of Christmas as a time to give and be thankful, not just about how many presents you receive.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas celebrating with family and friends! And I hope you continue or start some amazing traditions!

Playing Catch-Up!

I have to be the world's worst blogger. Ever. But here are a few random thoughts and sentences from the past few weeks to sum everything up!

1. I thought I would hate it, but I love being called "mama" by my friends. Especially Brittney who will scream it out at Junior League meetings from across the room. :)

2. Speaking of which....alot of people think Junior League ladies are stuck up and snotty. That is the furthest from the truth! I have met some of the nicest, sweetest, kindest and funniest people through Junior League and I am so thankful that I decided to join!

3. Still debating on the gender reveal party next month. Most of our family and some of our closest friends live too far away to realistically be able to come, but I still have always wanted to have one. Especially when I look online at some of the amazingly adorable ideas out there!

4. I LOVE Christmas cards! Getting them, sending them, displaying them. Every day checking the mailbox is so fun now and Jared just sits back and laughs each night as I review with him the cards we received that day. It's just about the only holiday thing we did this year. We didn't put up a tree, we didn't put up any other decorations. It's the last year we have a choice in the matter and we decided to exercise our right to choose! My boss said she did the exact same thing the year before their daughter arrived, so at least one person out there understands us!

That's just about all right now for what's happening here! We go back to the doctor in 2 weeks for our monthly check-up and then 2 weeks after that, find out if we will have sugar and spice and everything nice or snips and snails and puppy dog tails!

100% Scientific Research!

Hello, long time no blog! Things have been going really well around here! Just counting down the days until the little one gets here! We went to the doctor for a check-up and the heart rate was picked up on the Doppler, sweetest sound I've ever heard! We should find out whether Baby Simpkins is a boy or a girl in just about 5 weeks and we cannot wait!

In the meantime, I've done some totally scientific research. :) You've probably heard some of the wives tales on predicting what gender your baby is before it's time to actually find out. You know-wedding ring hanging over your belly, Drano test, heart rate. Well even though Jared tried to convince me to just be patient and let the doctor do his thing in January, I was curious and thought it would be fun to see what these things said! Hey, it's a 50/50 shot, right?

Test: Heart Rate

The studies that I've read about say that anything below 140 means a boy, anything above means girl. The rate at 7 weeks was 149, and at 12 weeks was 145. Looking at the rates, you would say girl. Our doctor said the heart rate was in a boy range, but that was so inconclusive to not think one way or another!

Result: Girl/Boy depending on who you talk to!

Test: Ring Test

You get your wedding ring, tie it to some string and hang it over your stomach. If it moves in a circle motion, it's a boy or side to side is a girl. We did this about 5 times just to be sure and every time it was a circle.

Result: Boy

Test: Drano

The idea of dealing with chemicals that would "fume up when combined" not only scared me, but made me feel like some kind of weird scientist. I opted out of this one!

Test: Intelligender

I got this test at Walgreens and the checkout guy said that it worked when he and his fiance did it, so I at least had one testimonial to justify my purchase! On their website, it seemed about as reliable as any method, and I figured it would be fun, so I went ahead and bought it! All you do is pee into the cup and if it changes to orange, it's a girl and green is a boy. After 5 minutes, I checked and it was green!

Result: Boy

Test: Chinese Gender Chart

You simply chart the month you conceived with the age you were at conception. This is one of the most talked about methods and there are some people who swear up and down by this one!

Result: Boy

Test: Random statements via internet

If you're feet are colder than before you were pregnant, it's a boy. Check! If you add up the number of the month you conceived (September) with your age at conception (27), and it's even then it's a boy. Check! If you dont' have early pregnancy morning sickness, it's a boy. Check! I had some sickness around week 11, but that was it.

Result: Boy

Test: A mother's instinct

I have felt this entire time, from the moment we found out I was pregnant, that we are having a boy. I even had a dream last week that we bought blue bottles!

Result: Boy

So it looks like all in all, the tests say boy. But as most things in life go, that probably just means it's a girl. :) Either way, all we really want is a healthy baby! As with most wives tales and things you find on the internet, you have to take everything with a grain of salt and pretty much just use for entertainment purposes. So it's not like I'm painting the nursery blue this weekend based on this! Although, I wouldn't put it past me.....

A Shift in Focus!

Hello again! I was thinking today about the blog and how I may do weekly posts now just to not feel overwhelmed with work, CPA studying, friends, family, etc. Life gets overwhelming enough without trying to fill my blog with humor and witty banter!

And then I was thinking about how I could do weekly posts while pregnant! I want a little journal to keep for the baby to see someday, hopefully and know how much he/she was loved from the very start and document the whole process. And also just to look back on and remember. Because I know that this time will go by fast and so will his/her childhood and I want memories! Plus, all of our family lives a few hours away and I want them to feel connected too!

So as of today I am 8 weeks and 2 days! Still feeling pretty good, no sickness, just really sensitive to smells and tired ALL of the time. Also super irritable at times because of these crazy hormones! But all is well and we have amazing friends and family who understand that I'm grumpy and still treat me right! :)

Speaking of amazing friends....we have gotten three sweet cards from wonderful friends in the past couple of weeks. All of which are going in the baby book, when it's purchased! And our wonderful friends, Ina and Yann, even bought us a Chick-Fil-A gift card because I crave their chicken noodle soup!

I've been buying diapers and wipes everytime I go to the store, to hopefully have a little stockpile soon. I've even bought some receiving blankets, sleepers and onesies and pacifiers. All gender neutral of course! I don't see how people go their whole pregnancy and not find out the sex, it's killing me already to not know whether I should go pink or go blue!

We bought a big chair and a half a few months back that will go in the nursery once we start decorating. We are currently arguing over color schemes. Someone out there, please tell me yellow and gray is both gender neutral and freaking adorable??? Jared's not buying it for some reason.

It's been awhile......

So I haven't posted in about a month or so. Sorry, I've been busy......growing a baby!!!! The hubby and I are excited, we are just over 7 weeks and due June 12, 2012!

We had really stopped thinking about trying to have a baby and were just focusing on enjoying each other. Then on October 7th, I decided I should take a test. 9 more tests later, they were all positive!

I've been lucky, not sick or nauseous at all! Just really exhausted, completely irritable and rude at times and just ready to meet this baby! I am craving chocolate milk and Chick-Fil-A chicken noodle soup like nobody's business. I ask for either or both of them on a daily basis!

Today was our first official doctor's visit. We got an ultrasound, and got to see that sweet baby in my belly! The heart rate was 148, so good and strong! I know there are wives' tales about heart rates predicting the sex. I plan on doing a blog post just on the various tools out there to help you "predict" what you're having! It should be fun!

Just wanted to share our good news and explain my absolute disregard for the blog lately!

52 Weeks of Mail

Picture it with me....



You go to the mailbox after a long day at work. You open it, only expecting sales flyers and bills. But instead you are greeted by a wonderful card or letter from a friend or family member. How good does that make you feel when that happens? Well, it doesn't happen enough and should happen more!



Some wonderful people started a program called 52 Weeks of Mail. You don't have to sign up or register, just simply send one card or letter a week to someone. It begins October 9 and wraps up October 7, 2012. Please participate and brighten someone's day!



I love snail mail. Whenever it is a friend's birthday or wedding anniversary or their child's birthday, I love to send a physical card through the mail and just let them know that I'm thinking about them on their special day.



Jared's grandma and I write letters and cards back and forth frequently and it always makes me smile to get a letter from her or to be able to write her and fill her in on our life since we don't get to see his grandparents much. She is the whole reason I buy cute stationary! :) So she will most likely be the recipient of the majority of my weekly mailings!



And if you're looking for some cute notecards or stationary to use for this project, you should check out The Social Butterfly (thesocialbutterflyar.blogspot.com and on Facebook)!

Or you can also check out The Paper Clouds, an adorable Etsy shop I've used for notecards too! (etsy.com/shop/ThePaperClouds)

I hope you will join me in particpating in this project!

Appropriate Shoes

Can someone please tell me why you would wear these shoes if a man asked you to go hiking with him?

He soooooo deserves better.

Christmas Cards!

So who else is pumped up about Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve already? This crazy girl is! I've already started planning my menu for Thanksgiving, thinking of gifts to buy for friends and family and even set the date for my annual cookie swap! Our Christmas card photo shoot is set up and outfits are being picked out for said memorable photo!

I know it's early, but we all know how that time of year sneaks up on us and then we are left wondering where the time went! With my dad's huge 60th birthday bash in November and some parties and events I'm helping friends plan, I say I can't start soon enough!

At least I have this trusty erincondren.com life planner at my side to document all of my thoughts and ideas! :) (Dear Erin Condren, feel free to send me free gifts as a thank you for that shout-out and as a motivational tool for more shout-outs. We all have a price. And mine is pretty much on Ebay, it's so low.)

I initially wanted to do something unique with our Christmas cards last year and to start a tradition. I don't watch much TV, but when I do, I become addicted to certain shows. So last year I wanted to do a "Jersey Shore" theme and have Jared be Pauly D and I be Snookie. Needless to say, that idea got shot down quicker than that little boy in the homemade aluminum bubble.

This year, I wanted to go with that theme again and dress up like characters from Swamp People since we were addicted to that in the summer. But again, no bueno.

Maybe instead, we can do a Toddlers and Tiaras themed card. With me all dolled up and Jared in the crowd mimicking me the dance moves I should be doing and the "heart face" motion where I make a heart on my face with my two index fingers and then do spirit fingers all in one motion.

Or....wait for it....a card with The Notebook theme! (We all knew Ryan Gosling was going to come up sometime today, didn't we?) Jared and I could just stand out in the middle of a lake on a boat with a bunch of water fowl around us while it rains. And we can send it out late, after Christmas and write "You thought the holidays were over? They weren't over. They STILL aren't over!"

A girl can dream, can't she?

One of life's greatest questions....what to blog about today?

So I'm taking a much needed study break, or hiatus since it's been about an hour. I've had quite a bit of traffic on my blog-which I love!! There have even been some international visitors and everyone seems to be reading the same post....Dear Ryan Gosling's Abs! Welcome and I hope you share my love of his abs, and him in general. He has about 134 movies coming out in the next year or so, which is exciting!

Okay, back to my original post. So every day, I think about blogging and wish I blogged more. (You don't get book deals with just weekly posts!) I get so excited when I visit a blog that I follow and there's a new post, and I hope that people have that same excitement with mine. But the main question is: what to blog about?

I try to keep my blog light and simple. There is enough stress, worry and bad news in this world and my blog should not be one of those items. I tend to write about celebrity stories. My good friend Katie and I read People like it's a yearbook of friends we actually know. She even frantically called me on the phone one weekday morning just to tell me that Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes had been spotted on a date. Yes, it's that important to us. (FYI, I instantly called her a liar. Then immediately googled the topic and it was everywhere. Insert sad face.)

But I'm not trying to be Perez Hilton (love him!) and I don't have his inside sources, so it's not like I could even compare. I guess I could make this blog "The National Enquirer" of blogs and just make up random stories. But that might stir up trouble and make it where I couldn't sleep at night. Besides, some of the real stories in Hollywood ya just can't make up!

I think what I'll write about are the charities and causes that are near and dear to my heart, funny moments in my life (which happen each day, so that alone could be a blog!) and celebrity news I think you need to know! :)

I will leave you now with a quote from one of my new favorite shows, Dance Moms.

Mom to dance teacher: "I know you've said before you don't like me."

Dance teacher: "No, I never said that. I said I can't stand you."

Well, at least we got that cleared up....

Discussion Time!

Okay, so a co-worker and I were talking today and we were debating the issue of when you stop referring to your child's age in months. You know, like when you ask someone how old their child is and they said "21 months" instead of just saying 2.

Personally, I think after they reach the 1 year mark, it shouldn't be about months anymore. She seemed to think it was the 18 month point. And then we began wondering why people do this? I think maybe parents (moms, especially) feel that their babies grow up way too fast. So I think they refer to them in months to subconsciously keep them babies!

What do you think, when should the "month-age" stop?

And FYI, in case my mom reads this and someone asks, I'm 332 months old. :)

Happy "You best not wear white after Monday or I will call you out" Day weekend!

Whether you are having a BBQ with family, heading to the lake with friends or simply rooting on your favorite college football team (Go Hogs! Woo Pig Sooiee!), I hope everyone has an enjoyable and relaxing Labor Day weekend.

But for real....don't let me catch you in white pants Tuesday. I will put you on Front Street!

Broccoli cheese? Yes, please!

So as many of you know, I recently became a provisional member of the Junior League of Little Rock. I've already met some great girls and am looking forward to a wonderful year of getting to know them more and doing great things for the community! So last weekend at our retreat, we had the opportunity to buy one of JLLR's cookbooks. They have published four and I highly recommend them! You can never have too many sources of Southern comfort food.


So I decided to buy each of the four cookbooks and really dig into them. What better way to learn a group of ladies than to cook their recipes, right?? Plus, I'm trying to cook more at home since it's healthier for the wallet and the waistline!

Tonight, I decided to try the Creamy Broccoli Soup from the book, Apron Strings. Below is the recipe and the end result!



Ingredients:
4 cubes chicken bouillon
4 cups water
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
2 (10 oz) packages frozen chopped broccoli
2 1/2 cups chopped peeled potatoes
2 (10 oz) cans cream of chicken soup
1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce




This is all of the ingredients, minus the cream of chicken soup, forgot to get a picture of that!

Combine the chicken bouillon, water, celery, onion and carrot in a large heavy saucepan. Cook for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli and potatoes. Cook until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in the cream of chicken soup and cubed Velveeta cheese. Cook until the cheese melts, stirring to mix well.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and serve immediately!

I think this recipe would be delicious on a hot day or a cold day and we had ours with grilled cheese sandwiches! It also makes a ton, so you can have leftovers and also prep your veggies before hand to cut down on time. I did most of my cutting while chatting it up with my good friend Katie, so I didn't even really notice the time passing! :) Hope you enjoy this recipe and make it soon!

If you would like to order a Junior League of Little Rock cookbook, you can go to http://www.jllr.org/ and go to the cookbook link! (Shameless plug for a wonderful group of women!)

Life Begins Now!

You know how some people say a woman's life doesn't really begin until she has a child? Well I don't think it begins until she has an Erin Condren planner! (I don't believe that first statement is entirely accurate either, but you get my drift!)

I'm a planner. It's just a part of who I am, part of my DNA. I spend a good portion of my day writing lists, remembering dates and trying to keep it all together on my iPhone. I keep track of lunch dates, dinner dates, birthdays, anniversaries, meetings, errands, meds for the dog and even changing the air filter at our house, all on that little black device! But I needed something more, something that could contain ALL of my stuff but still be cute and functional too. That's when I met Erin Condren...

I saw an Erin Condren Life Planner on a blog a month or so back and fell in love! I went to the website, was all set to order and then something stopped me. I just couldn't go through with it, for whatever reason. I think it was divine intervention! :) Because the next day, my good friend Katie emailed me a Plum District deal, similar to Groupon, and it was half off! Then the fun began...

You can go online and select your planner from tons of designs! You can even get something written on the front at no extra cost. I went simple and just had my name put on it. It has dividers for each month, calendars, daily section for morning, afternoon and evening plans, a special dates section by month, a little folder in the back to keep loose items and a little zip pouch. You MUST get one of these! Just go to erincondren.com and check it out!

Ten Ways I Know I'm a Southern Woman

1. I'm a sucker for a monogrammed towel.
2. I love sweet tea on hot summer days.
3. I say y'all and good gravy!
4. I'm not afraid of butter or Crisco.
5. I've been muddin', night fishin' and frog huntin'.
6. I love SEC football, especially the Arkansas Razorbacks! Wooo Pig Sooiee!
7. I appreciate seersucker.
8. I carry my wit and charm with me everywhere I go, along with my pearls.
9. I'm sweet as pie until you mess with my mama or my best friend.
10. My glass of choice is a Mason jar.

So what Southern ways or traditions are you most proud of?

VicTORIously creepy!

I just saw a picture on People.com (I religiously visit this and Perez Hilton's website, don't you judge me!) I saw a picture of Tori Spelling's little BOY with a....feather extension. What a little creeper!

Check this out!

My friend Emily has a wonderful blog and Facebook page for her store, The Social Butterfly. Very cute stationary, gifts and Razorback tailgating items to choose from! Check out her blog now! And "like" her page on Facebook! Tell her Trashy sent ya! :)

http://thesocialbutterflyar.blogspot.com

Dear Ryan Gosling's Abs.....

You are my favorite.

Granted, I am probably way too old for a celebrity crush. Or obsession, whatever you want to call it. How could I have missed out on this little hottie all these years? I haven't even seen The Notebook. And that's a big deal, seeing as how I watch Lifetime movies and cry my eyes out. Pretty sure The Notebook would push me over the edge and make me time time off work!

The fuel behind this new-found fire? Crazy Stupid Love. If you haven't seen it, you should definitely go watch it! It made me cry, surprise surprise! The main characters have been together since they were 15 and when they were reminiscing it reminded me of Jared and I, since we've been together since I was 17. (Yes, in all of my Gosling-mania today, I did not forget that I have a husband!)

I will now leave you with the conversation I had with my friend Jill today after I saw the movie and met her for coffee.

Jill: "So what did you go see?"

Me: "Crazy Stupid Love. Ryan Gosling took his shirt off."

Jill: "Oh, who else is in that?"

Me" "Steve Carrell, Julianne Moore. Ryan Gosling took his shirt off."

Jill: "So did you like it, was it good?"

Me: "Ryan Gosling took his shirt off."

Bartering Pays Off!

Check out my new blog header! Isn't it fabulous, and completely convey Trashy Tastebuds?? Thank you to my wonderful friend Madaline for creating this for me, I love it! I still need to adjust the rest of the design of the page, the little birds do not match the mullet! :) But that can wait until later.

Madaline does graphic design as a day job and also loves being crafty on the weekends, so she offered to trade cupcakes (my weekend craft!) for graphic design. I'm pretty sure I am now hooked on trading and bartering talents!

Does anyone else out there want to trade me for cupcakes? :)

Pioneer Woman, I am not!

You know how you look at some blogs and they have this beautiful picture of what they had for dinner and you instantly want the recipe? Umm, not here! We had pigs in a blanket and mac n cheese for dinner! Sometimes being a working woman interferes with my Southern Living dream!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I've had some peer pressure in the past to start a blog, but never felt like I could contribute much to the blogging community. But I have come to realize that my life is filled with random events -sometimes they are funny when happening, other times only funny months later and over a stiff drink! And these events need to be shared, if only to add a smile to someone's day!

There are alot of food blogs out there, but this isn't one of them. Well, unless you want me to write a review of what I think is included in the contents of a Taco Bell chalupa! I love food, especially dairy products. (My husband calls me the Dairy Queen.) I do bake cupcakes and cakes, and do some cake decorating, but that's about as close to the kitchen as I get on a regular basis.

So let me tell you how the blog came about: Tonight I was at a cooking class with my good friend Katie and we were discussing the food we were eating. It was all different variations of duck-duck pate, duck confit, etc. Everyone was cleaning their plates and mine was pretty much untouched. While it was good food, I'm not a food snob and don't care for anything other than steak and potatoes! When Katie asked me why I wasn't eating, I told her I was guessing I must have trashy tastebuds! And hence, the blog is born! :) Enjoy!