***If you have made your way back to Momsie, I am so glad you found us! We had some technical issues with the domain name so make note of the new web address. Another good reason to "follow" us and "like" us on Facebook so you can stay in the know!! Pass the word to people still searching for Momsie!***

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Adrienne Patterson: 3 Minutes Inside the Head of a Mom...




Loved the post last week titled “3 Minutes Inside the Head of My 2 Year Old” so I am following it up today with my own post titled “3 Minutes Inside the Head of a Mom” enjoy….


  1. I have 10 more minutes until the alarm goes off why are you in my room?
  2. Get up, get up, get up…these 5 extra minutes of sleep are going to throw off the whole morning routine
  3. COFFEE NOW!!!
  4. How many days in a row have they eaten pop tarts??  Can’t remember so must not be too many,  breakfast done!
  5. I hate packing lunches!!!
  6. Is coffee done yet??
  7. Let cat in
  8. Feed cat
  9. Time to wake kids, let them wake up happy please
  10. They are so sweet when they are sleeping 
  11. Where are her favorite jeans?
  12. Did I bring the laundry upstairs? Ugh, it’s all still in the dryer
  13. I wish I had a maid to do laundry
  14. Please just pick out something that is clean and somewhat matches
  15. Wow, that outfit is ugly but no energy this early to argue
  16. For the love of all things good, please eat quickly and don’t spill your milk on your outfit making it not only ugly but stained
  17. Did we do homework last night?
  18. Book bags? Check. Lunchbox? Check Coats on? Check
  19. Crap, forgot to brush hair and teeth (mine and theirs) and we need to leave NOW!!!
  20. Why do I always need gas??
  21. I hope they don’t ask me to get out in carline I’m still in PJ’s and I pray my sunglasses are in my purse b/c I look awful!
  22. I am getting old…look at the bags under my eyes and the sunspots
  23. This summer it is all hats and 70+ sunscreen, got to stop this aging process.
  24. OMG, summer is going to be here, I have got to get to the gym b/c the baby is now 4 and I really can’t blame her for the muffin top anymore
  25.  Whew, kids made it on time…I hope they know I love them, I should be more patient!
  26. Please Lord don’t let them tell the teacher I am impatient and that I yell!!
  27. Need to shower, clean kitchen, fold laundry (or at least get it upstairs) think about dinner….ugh, by the time I finish that the kids will be home.
  28. Why am I checking FB when I have so much to do??
  29. I need a maid!
  30. I need to quit FB! 
  31. Why can’t my kids put stuff in the dirty clothes?
  32. Why can’t my husband put stuff in the dirty clothes?
  33. Ugh, huge pile of laundry and I haven’t even put away all the laundry I washed yesterday!
  34. What day is it?
  35. I feel like I am forgetting something?
  36. I miss my mind

The Repurposed Driven Life


 I find that I look at things differently these days. No, not just in the "I can't buy that because Nash will break it" sense. But in a way that lets me see the different ways everyday things can be repurposed. This is of particular interest to me on Pinterest because people on there have repurposed nearly everything but the toilet paper. Actually, I did see how you could use a toilet paper roll for a plant stand, but I'm not going to go there. It's more of the obvious things that people have found to repurpose that I find myself saying "Why didn't I think of that?!". Here are some of my favorite ideas that involve using a simple ingredient, tool, or object and repurposing it to fit your needs!

Cute idea using sweethearts as vase filler
Sweetheart candies as a vase filler for Valentine's Day. Cheap, easy, and colorful!

Love this idea for fruit/veggie storage!
Wall mounted wire magazine racks double as a fruit and veggie holder. If you're anything like me and forget you have certain fruits and veggies on hand, this will help you use them up before they go bad.



Freeze green grapes to keep white wine cold and to make a pretty presentation for guests
Freeze green or red grapes, depending on the wine, to use as decorative and tastey wine chillers. Love this!


Much better than throwing them all under the sink!
I mean, how simple is this?! Repurpose an over the door, clear shoe holder into a cleaning organizer. It makes everything easy to see and reach and frees up much needed cabinet space. Done!


Ikea $4 spice rack
$4 Ikea spice racks become wall mounted book shelves! You could easily paint them to really "spice" them up- pun most certainly intended.


I could easily go on and on with these. Pinterest is a gold mine of repurposing ideas. Everyone's looking for an easy, inexpensive, creative way to make their house a home and I hope some of these ideas work for you! Happy pinning!









Friday, January 27, 2012

Approximately 3 Minutes Inside the Head of My 2 Year-Old...

This is from the blog of Jason Good.  After I stopped crying from laughing so hard at this I bookmarked his blog forever...

Each of these “emotions” lasts about 3 seconds.
  1. I wanna play with Daddy’s phone.
  2. I wanna put on Mommy’s shoes.
  3. GET MOMMY’S SHOES OFF MY FEET NOW!
  4. I wanna open and close the thermostat.
  5. I wanna turn on and off the light on the microwave.
  6. Is there anyone here with a phone I haven’t played with yet?
  7. I NEED TO PUSH SOME D*MN BUTTONS.
  8. I wanna pick up the cat by its head.
  9. I wanna throw all the toothbrushes in the sink.
  10. HOLY SH*T I’M STARVING.
  11. CHEDDAR BUNNIES.
  12. I HATE FRUIT.
  13. I want out of my chair.
  14. I wanna play with the iPad.
  15. I wanna go outside. No, I wanna turn the heat on.
  16. I wanna take my pants off.
  17. I don’t like the shirt I’m wearing.
  18. I wanna play with Mommy’s phone.
  19. I NEED TO PUSH MORE BUTTONS NOW.
  20. I’m thirsty.
  21. No, not for that.
  22. Yes, perfect, juicebox. I’m gonna squeeze this damn thing all over myself.
  23. Where’s Daddy?
  24. Where’s the cat?
  25. Where’s Mommy?
  26. SERIOUSLY WHERE’S MOMMY!?
  27. Oh my God I think Mommy left forever.
  28. Ok, there’s mommy. I want to play with her phone.
  29. Hungry again. Never mind.
  30. I just remembered not liking these pants. Get them off.
  31. STOP TAKING OFF MY PANTS!
  32. Wow, I’m starving. I want peas but I don’t know how to tell anyone.
  33. Finally, peas. I like throwing these.
  34. WHY DO I STILL HAVE THESE PANTS ON?
  35. Oh look, a new person. I wonder if they have a phone.
  36. I’m tired.
  37. I’M NOT TIRED!
  38. I wanna go for a walk but I don’t wanna go outside.
  39. No, not inside either!
  40. I need to push some buttons right now.
  41. I hate this diaper.
  42. My eyes itch.
  43. WOW! Is this my toe?
  44. STOP TRYING TO TAKE MY PANTS OFF!
  45. I hate these pants.
  46. This shirt itches.
  47. I’m tired.
  48. Stop asking me if I’m tired.
  49. Where’s that toy that goes beep?
  50. I wanna take a bath in my clothes.
  51. Put on my favorite song.
  52. Where’s the cat?
  53. What is UP with my shirt?
  54. Did I just hear a dog bark?
  55. YOU DID NOT JUST TRY TO TAKE OFF MY SHIRT AGAIN!
  56. I wanna see a dog.
  57. No, not OUTSIDE! I wanna see a dog inside.
  58. Is my penis still there? Good.
  59. I peed.
  60. I’m bored.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Adrienne Patterson: The Next Paula Deen?...


Amazingly I spent 3 hours yesterday morning in the kitchen cooking!!  If you aren’t shocked then you are one of very few people who I have not lamented to about my hate strong dislike of cooking.  As a perfectionist this inability to cook has been a real thorn in my side.  In general I have found in my life that if I truly put my mind to something I can figure it out and become somewhat proficient at it.  However cooking has eluded me for so long that in the past few years I just quit pursuing it all together. My attitude was pretty poor, I declared I hated it, couldn’t do it and it became a self fulfilling prophecy.  I chalked it up to something that just wasn’t me…but alas something, or someone wouldn’t allow me to leave it at that.  Seriously God? You are going to use cooking to teach me a lesson??  It appears that is exactly what He is going to do J

In the background of my ongoing battle with the recipes and pots and pans I have been inundated with messages of finding joy, true biblical God given joy.  It has appeared in my daily devotionals, church sermons, discussions with friends, conversations with my husband...enough so that it’s one of those times you just have to accept God HAS to be telling you something.  Biblical joy is that joy that isn’t necessarily happiness but a deep seated knowledge that if everything else in our world is wrong we have reason to celebrate because our eternity is secured and there is a place for us in heaven with Jesus!  This joy enables us to see beyond our current circumstances and keeps our eyes focused on the reward at the end of the race. 

I will be honest, I have been struggling with finding joy.  I don’t doubt where I will spend eternity nor do I doubt that it will be well worth every difficult moment spent getting there. But it is hard to stay focused on that when life gets hard and messy and you feel like you are messing up way more than you are getting it right.  I have found myself bogged down in financial stress, desperation for a home of our own, exhausted from my kids constant bickering and of course really irritated of the daily reminder that I need to cook in order to feed my family!!  Funny how cooking is the smallest thing on that list and yet it has been the one to really get me most lately??  It may have to do with the fact that as we reviewed our budget this week I was forced to face the exhorbitant amount of cash we are spending on eating out…yikes!!  Bottom line is that this mama has got to learn to cook and be better organized in the meal planning pronto! 

So I prayed about it.  Yep, I prayed that God would help me want to cook, want to learn and to have a better attitude in the kitchen and God, via Facebook, answered big time!!  I got all kinds of recipes and suggestions and fellow comrades who are struggling with the same thing (love how God included that b/c it’s always nice to know you aren’t the only one struggling—God is so good).  One of the offers I immediately took advantage of was a friend’s offer to come and learn how to prepare 3 meals she likes to make.  I was really a bit anxious because as I read her list of ingredients I wasn’t even sure what several of the things were and I had to ask her what exactly a sauce pan was and then tell her I didn’t even have one!!  Upon arriving at her house I realized I had forgotten several ingredients and my insecurity continued.  As I said earlier, I am a perfectionist and this doesn’t always make me the best student.  I like to be the one who knows how to do it all, I like to be the teacher and I like to think that my way is best.  Here I was a student, totally clueless and lost…not an easy place for this Type A’er to be!!  But thankfully this was a dear friend who lovingly showed me a sauce pan (pretty nice and handy) and only smiled a little when I admitted I had never used a meat thermometer.  As I bumbled through measuring, dicing and timing everything just right I found myself relaxing and trusting in my cooking coach and suddenly I was enjoying myself!  All I could think about was the fact that I was going to serve a decent meal to my family AND I would have two other meals ready to go for the rest of the week!!!  Best of all was that I had a fresh dose of confidence. I could do this and if I trusted my friend and listened carefully to her instructions I could even do it well and learn to enjoy it! 

Much of my joy seeking has been a result of what I found in the kitchen. I have been feeling a bit inadequate, scared that I just can’t do it, nervous that I will make a mess of it again and just plain irritated at having to do it at all.  What I learned in my cooking lesson translated so perfectly into my life! I don’t know the answer to our financial situation, I don’t know when or how we will get our own house, I don’t have the cure for bickering kids and I really don’t cook well.  But if I will admit all that in humility instead of becoming angry and just quitting a loving teacher named Jesus will come alongside me and slowly teach me one step at a time.  As I allowed myself to be taught and accepted my shortcomings I opened myself up to learn and to get excited about the outcome! 

I am doing a bible study on the book of James and the chapter we studied this week had some verses that summed this all up perfectly for me….”Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything…. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. “ James 1:2-3, 12

My joy is staying focused on that crown of life and now I might even be crowned queen of the kitchen, LOL!!  

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Pinning on a budget


Who doesn't love a bargain right?! I've always been a fan of finding the best deal out there without sacrificing style or my budget. And I'd like to think that by now I've pretty much mastered the art of stealing an idea or specific look and making it my own without having to lie to my husband about what it took to get there (well, almost never having to lie). In fact, I get a bigger kick out of the deal I've found than the actual item sometimes! My favorite places to bargain shop are sometime obvious- Forever 21, Marshalls, and Payless- but more times than not my biggest finds are discovered elsewhere- the farmers market, antique marts, and online. I like to start at the top, where the most unobtainable objects and ideas are, such as Women's Wear Daily (both a daily paper and online), and then find my way to the closest match which may very well be at a local boutique or even Craigslist. A perfect example of shopping the best without paying the most is the newer partnerships that are popping up between designer and retailer. Recent mega-successes have been between Versace for H&M and Missoni for Target. It's like they're reading my mind! I want it, I can't afford it, I shop at Target, and now it's at Target. It's the perfect chain of events! The only catch is that you have to be on top of this stuff! Missoni for Target was sold out in hours, crashed their websites, and crushed the hearts of millions who missed out on the signature zigzag pattern adorning everything from notebooks to bicycles. But don't despair. I am here to help. Ripped from the boards of Pinterest, here are the upcoming designers and styles to hit your local retailers just in time for a little Spring sprucing up.
          Womens Lela Rose for PaylessWomen's Mapleton T-Strap Wedge
Womens Lela Rose for PaylessWomen's Mapleton Printed T-Strap Wedge
Double T-Strap wedges from Lela Rose are a breath of fresh air after all of our heavy winter boots.

spring

spring
Jason Wu for Target is going to be the next Missoni madness. His fun and girly styles, not to mention the under $60 prices, will tempt everyone into the store. Check out the whole collection here
http://www.teenvogue.com/style/2012/01/jason-wu-target-collaboration#slide=1

 /
$99
 

Photo: WWD
Target isn't the only retailer in on the designer collaboration for less concept. On the heels of Giambattista Valli's recent collection (red dress above), Macy's is launching a line from Doo Ri Chung (sketch above) who has dressed the First Lady on occasion.
http://fashionista.com/2011/10/doo-ri-chung-is-the-next-guest-designer-at-macys/

That is just a little taste of what is headed our way this Spring. Thank goodness retailers and designers are finally catching onto the fact that even though you don't have deep pockets, you still appreciate good style at an affordable price. Other collaborations that are in the works are between Marni and H&M (March 2012, no pictures yet) and Target is revamping their whole shopping experience with the introduction of "The Shops at Target" which borrow from various designer collections and boutiques. Check out the link here


If you're following me on Pinterest, be sure to keep an eye out for my pins on these upcoming collaborations and more that are sure to be announced soon. Happy Pinning!








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