Works For Me Wednesday

Here it is folks...Works For Me Wednesday!

This week I am spotlighting some of my favorite cleaning tips. Hope these help...

*My favorite cleaning supply is Clorox Disinfecting Bathroom Cleaner. This stuff rocks! It has a spray option and a foam option. I love the foam option because it clings to the sides of the tub...thus breaking down the germs etc. and requires minimal effort in scrubbing...fabulous!

*Peroxide...it removes blood stains from your sheets. When you have a little one they are bound to have scrapes that can (and more than likely will) break open during the night. Peroxide will remove them in the early stages.

*Dryer sheets are the new air freshener. Do you have a hidden vent? Place a dryer sheet under the sides (in a dome shape over the vent) so that the air flows through the dryer sheet...instant air freshener.

*When I dust I use a Swiffer Duster with my favorite furniture polish (currently the Pledge Multi-surface). I spray my cleaning spray directly on my duster and go to town. Super easy people...super easy!!!

That's about all I have right now. Sorry it took me so long guys. We enjoyed our day at the pool. It was fabulous! Check back on Friday for a pretty cool series I hope to get off and running!

Works for Me Wednesday- Coming Soon!!!

Hey Guys! This weeks WFMW will be up tonight. I am taking a break and enjoying the sunshine.

Be sure and check back later tonight for some great tips!

Also, peak in on Friday for a little special series that I am going to try and start.

Hope y'all have a sunshine-filled day!!!

Check, Check, Check, Check It Out!

Have you checked out my Recipe Blog "Cooking Up A Storm"? (It's not pretty yet...still working on a layout...) Go check it out and try my newest recipe...Steamed Broccoli!!!

Who Am I?

Well, I am Karmen, of course!

Welcome to my blog! Chickie over at I Love You To Pieces is opening everyone up to introducing themselves so everyone can get to know us even better. Hop on over to her blog and check out the others participating....

Ok, so here goes my "more about me"...

I have brownish red hair and I so badly want to do something to it...but I am afraid since I have never done anything to it.

I have a new found love for Hummus.

I am a twin. Her name is Chickie (Kristen).

I like to decorate...and redecorate...and redecorate!

I enjoy blogging and reading blogs.

I don't like to be hot. I would love to move somewhere that never really exceeds 70 degrees.

I love a tomato sandwich. Yummy! I may have to go have one...maybe for lunch.

I have recently discovered the Reuben sandwich. Very good...very good!


Well, that's about all my excessively tired brain can think of. Go on over to Chickie's blog and participate.

A Few Random Pictures For Your Viewing Pleasure

Today is just a picture post day...ENJOY!

Like Her Mommy...
It Takes A Real Man To Wear A Woman's PINK Robe To Walk The Dog (Love you Babe!)

Ava and Lexie

Talk about Recycling...

Works For Me Wednesday

It's that time again...this week's WFMW is dedicated to Ashley...my cousin (by marriage) whom I've never met but feel like I know oh so well. She has two adorable little boys and I am sure Ava would have a blast with them WHEN (notice I said "when" Ashley...not if) we meet! She requested parenting/kiddo tips...since us moms can never get enough helpful hints...what works today for us might not work tomorrow.

So here are a few random tips to give a try when you have exhausted all other efforts. This is how we have done things with Ava and they may not work for every child. This is simply what we have chosen to do.

1) Crib to Big Kid Bed Transition-Ava climbed out of her crib incredibly early even though it was at the lowest possible point...we took her crib mattress out of the crib and placed it on the floor. Once she got used to and stayed on the mattress we moved the mattress to her toddler bed. It made it so much easier and we didn't have to worry quite so much about her falling out of bed.

2) Sippy Cups-When we switched Ava from bottle to sippy cups (at about 9 or 10 months for her) we went cold turkey and she did great! We just started putting her formula in the cup and let her have at it. We also used these Nuby cups:
I honestly believe that the soft spout helped the transition...kind of mimicked her bottle but not really.

3) Teeth Brushing-We brush Ava's teeth the same time we brush our teeth. When we began brushing her teeth we let her hold the tooth brush and "brush" her teeth and then we brushed them for her. Over time she picked up how to do it with little effort.

4) Feeding-When it was time for Ava to begin eating real food we let her begin feeding herself with a spoon or fork. We would finish up feeding her to make sure she ate enough. She made huge messes but let me tell you, she can work a spoon and fork like no 2 year old I know.

5) Potty Training-We started potty training when she showed interest. And when she was ready I took a hint from this fabulous Mama and let her run around bare bottomed. We went to the potty every 30 or so minutes and she drank TONS of water. Slowly we increased the time between potty breaks and now she will go when she feels the urge. Pooping was a little harder for her which I have gathered is for most kids. Once she over came the apprehension she was good.

6) Teething-We weren't big on Orajel or Teething Tablets. They were solely last resort items. We would wet wash cloths and put them in baggies and freeze them. Ava would gnaw on them and soothe her gums. We also would put her Sassy (her pacifier) in the freezer for just a few minutes to give her a little burst of coolness on her gums.

7) Patience (the most important)-This one is hard sometimes. So grin and enjoy these times!

Well, that's about all I have right now...I have a few other parenting tricks up my sleeve...maybe I will share them soon.

What are some of your parenting tips? Comments are open to any one. If you don't have a blogger account simply click to post as Anonymous and be sure to type your name in the box with your text. (Amanda? Ashely? Brandi? (by the way thanks for following along with our crazy life).)

Karmen's ABC's

I saw this over at Stafford Stories and thought it was pretty neat...

A - Age: 23...soon to be 24
B - Bed size: King
C - Chore you hate: dishes...my Hubby has graciosly taken over this one...Thanks babe!
D - Dog's name: Lexie
E - Essential start your day item: A shower...but having a 2-year old kind of doesn't let that happen sometimes...it's ok though, I would rather be shower-less than not get to spend this time with my wee one.
F - Favorite color: I used to love pink...but I think I am a grass green or a bright blue kind of girl.
G - Gold or Silver: Silver
H - Height: 5'6"
I - Instruments you play: I used to take piano lessons...but I wouldn't qualify myself as "able to play the piano"
J - Job title: Stay-At-Home-Mommy, Wife, Sister, Daughter...
K - Kid(s): Ava-2
L - Living arrangements: In Alabama in a house that even UPS can't find...oh but we love it!
M - Mom's name: Marie
N - Nicknames: Karmie, Mommy...
O - Overnight hospital stay: When I had Ava was my only over-night stay
P - Pet Peeve: People not listening...
Q - Quote from a movie: Oh gosh, those that actually know me know that I can't stay awake during movies...Hubby! Help me out here!
R - Right or left handed: Right
S - Siblings: 1 Sister-Chickie, we're twins...1 BIL-Jason
T - Time you wake up: random times...usually whenever Ava wakes up
U- Underwear: Always wear them...
V - Vegetable you dislike: Raw Broccoli
W - Ways/Reasons you run late: Hubby or Ava
X - X-rays you've had: teeth wrist...ultrasounds when I was pregnant with Ava
Y - Yummy food you make: oh there's too many...I really like my chicken parmesan...
Z - Zoo animals you like: Elephant's

I'm Calling Him Out

Hey sweetheart! I know you're reading this! I love you and I hope you are having a great day!

Grace us with your presence and leave a comment. Go on, click on and write your wifey a little note!

I love you!

Shabby Blogs...AGAIN!!!

Y'all remember how much I LOVE Shabby Blogs right? Well...Megan is doing a giveaway in honor of her now 500 followers! Hop on over and register to win some really cute custom designed pieces for your blog!

Where is Daddy?

Each day when Matt calls to say he's on his way home, Ava and I lounge in our red chair right by our front window. We gaze out and watch to see his truck come down the hill. We made up a song to sing while we wait. It's to the tune of Are You Sleeping? Here are the words:

Where is daddy?
Where is daddy?

Not home yet.
Not home yet.

He will be soon, though.
He will be soon, though.

To play with Ava.
To play with Ava.

TAG...I'm It!

Kristen and Maggie Elizabeth both tagged me to do this... Go Check them out...


First off... the rules:

1) List Six Unimportant Things That Make You Happy.

2) Mention and link to the person who tagged you .

3) Tag six of your favorite bloggers to play along, and comment on their blog to let them know they've been tagged.


Okay..6 unimportant things that make me happy...


1) Lounging by my parents pool

2) Cute shoes!

3) Random Junk!!!

4) Chips and Salsa and Cheese Dip

5) The smell of Baby Shampoo

6) Writing for my blog



So...I now tag...



1) Kristi

2) Shana

3) Jennifer

4) Whitney

5) Jen

6) Amy

They're So Kind...

Just wanted to give another shout out to Shabby Blogs...she's so kind!

I got my super cute background and header ABSOLUTELY FREE from her website. She also posts very helpful how-to's. Notice my button...I made it with free graphics from Shabby Princess...and Megan from Shabby Blogs taught me how to do it with one of her how-to posts. How nice is she?

Notice my "signature" at the bottom of this post? I made it again with items from Shabby Princess and again Megan posted a how-to and VOILA! I have a signature!

Thank you Shabby Princess and Shabby Blogs! You have helped me create a cute blog! And the best part...it was FREE!!! So I figured the least I could do was give you another shout out! You both rock! Thanks a Million!

PS I would like to see a post about how to add my own background image!...

Kind of Jumped the Gun

We've renamed the dog...yes...we jumped the gun!

Her new name is Lexie...and she is still as cute and sweet and well-mannered as yesterday.

She just seems like a Lexie...

Still Oh So Cute!!!

So....Now We've Officially Lost Our Minds

Remember this post?

Yeah...The fish have already gone on to be with Jesus. Apparently you are supposed to put some kind of water neutralizer hoopla in the water to make tap water safe for fish. Yeah, Momma didn't know that! So needless to say they lasted about a week. Oh well!

WEEELLLLLL....

My sister's dog had puppies back around Easter. Go on and say it....GASP..."you didn't?" OH WE DID!!!

Here she is in all her puppy glory...

She's part Pomeranian and part Dachshund.

Her name is Macie Lexie and she is the best doggie! She is so well-mannered and loving. Ava is in hog-heaven (or should I say dog-heaven)!

Weighing On Me

I have alot weighing on me. Not my actual weight...which could use a good decreasing...but random thoughts, commitments, and life in general...


Is there such thing as a "brain diet"...you know where you can decrease the amount of thoughts and worries floating around in your brain to in turn decrease your "weight"?


There actually is such a thing. It's called prayer.


When we pray we are supposed to give everything...every care, every worry, every praise...EVERYTHING to Him. We need to tell Him our fears and praises. He is a loving God and He already knows the outcome of any situation. And you know...He won't put more on you than you can handle. Every up and down we face God knows you can handle because He knows you inside and out.


I remember once talking about Matt's Nana...I never got to meet her so I enjoy hearing stories about her...Anyway, I think I was actually talking with Sharon (my MIL) and she said that Nana was the kind to lay all her burdens at His feet, say "Amen" and pick it all back up and put it back on her shoulders and go about her daily tasks. I feel that way sometimes. Don't we all? I'm not gonna lie to y'all...it's hard for me. I am a worrier by nature...it's in my bones. I worry about things that are small and big and I worry about things that probably shouldn't be worried about...Some things I can't just let go of, and I know I need to. I am working on it though. Imagine with me, if you will...a life without having to worry...how nice does that feel?


And as for the situations, worries, etc...they aren't really anything major...just things that a natural born worrier would worry about (or a SAHM or a Wife, for that matter). But I am trusting in God and trying hard to be carefree, and trying to lay it all at His feet (and not pick it right back up!).

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." -1 Peter 5:7

Look What I Got...

My sister, Chickie gave me this awesome award. Thanks! I would like to thank the academy...what?...

To accept this award, I need to pass it on to a few of my new bloggy friends that I think are SuperStars!

1. Jennifer at The White's- They are expecting another little girl soon!

2. Kristi at Bringing Lucy Home-The very soon to be Johnson 7! YEA!

3. Maggie Elizabeth at Maggie Elizabeth-Her little one is too cute!

You gals rock!

Works For Me Wednesday

So....it's 8:15 PM and I am just now sitting here trying to think of a WFMW post. Ah...nothing like a little procrastination.

As a Stay-At-Home-Mom, one of my jobs is to try and save us as much money while grocery shopping as possible. I have played The Grocery Game (although I no longer do) and I clip coupons. We only grocery shop majorly once a month so that is generally when I buy my meat and the sides that will go with them. I will go throughout the month to buy produce and other items needed. Anyway...Here is what has worked for me while preparing to go shopping.

1.) Buy the paper every Sunday. Once you have your coupons in hand, clip the only the ones you know you will use. I don't clip coupons for things we don't buy...it wastes my time and my coupon space.

2.) Our local grocery store does Buy 1 Get 1 Free on meat. I don't put meat on my list until I see what meats are on sale. You can't beat B1G1 Chicken Breasts.

3.) I make my "Menu Options" list based off the meat on sale. I then pair my meats with side items and then throw on the toiletries/staples needed and VIOLA!!! An instant Shopping list.

4.) Once you have your list made...compare shop. Look at ads from your different local stores. I have no problem going to more than one store to save money. Look for the best deal on items from your list and buy them at the cheapest location. (Here's another little hint related to this...I am not big on Brands so we buy what's on sale...and I will put side items with my meats that are on sale...ie...sometimes our local store will do 20 for $10 canned veggies or B1G1 frozen veggies). It's all about getting the most for your money.

5.) Once I have made my list and scoped out the ads I go to my coupons. I pull out all the coupons I will need for that trip and put them in a snack size baggy and toss it in my wallet with my list. That way you won't be thumbing for coupons in line. All you have to do is open your baggy and hand the cashier all of the coupons.

6.) Sign up for your stores program. Some offers are only available to those who participate in the programs. I know our local grocery store does. CVS does the "Extra-Care Bucks" (free money) on items purchased that can be used on a future purchase with their card. Programs pay!

That's about it. Sorry for the choppy randomness. Going on vacation this past weekend has really thrown a loop in our routine.

Now...It's time for some night night lovin with Ava!

Memorial Day Weekend 2009

Memorial Day Weekend 2009 leaves me needing a vacation from my vacation. I am not gonna lie to y'all...Ava gave me a run for my money behavior wise this weekend. She was in rare form and I honestly thought that I had left my sweet angelic child at home by mistake and brought with me the devil's child. (I am just being honest here...because honestly, no one has a perfect kid...so I am writing about this just for those of you looking for that "Ah, I'm not alone" moment. You're welcome!) Anyway...we did have a good time.

Ava and I left out Friday morning with Nonna and Granny (Matt's Mom and Grandmother). (The boys and Miss Meredith came up after they got off work.) We got there and got settled in and waited for the others.

Saturday we got up bright and early to blueberry pancakes. The men folk headed out on the motorcycles to Deal's Gap (better known as the Dragon's Tail). While the boys were getting their ride on us girls where shopping...we had a blast!!! Thank you Lord Jesus that the boys made it back in one piece and with NO SPEEDING TICKETS and us girls didn't spend too much money!!!

Sunday was a kind of lazy day for most of us. Matt and Granny headed back home for church so we just relaxed and waited for them to get back before we really did anything...we also didn't have a vehicle so we were kind of stuck...Once they got back we headed to the Art District and walked around. We ate an early dinner and then headed to the little "river" outside of the aquarium for Ava to play. She had a blast!

After we left downtown we headed to the Covenant College area where we saw where crazy people jump off the mountain and call it "Hang Gliding". I am serious y'all...I had some heart palpitations going on. I took my few pictures and headed back to the truck. No playing around the edge for me. Nope...I have things to live for...

Monday we headed home which is always sad but we knew we would get to see Unkie Zach. He got to come home Saturday from Fort Gordon (he is in the Reserves and is currently stationed there for AIT.)

Here are some pictures in no particular order because blogger doesn't like me today and is giving me a hard time with pictures.

Ava, Unkie Jason, and Unkie Jason's Dog "Zoe"
We swam a little waiting for the guys Saturday

The Guys Getting Ready to Head Out Saturday Morning

The View From the Hang Gliding Place...SCARY

This is the Concrete Pad in Which Said "Crazy People" jump off of...I had to walk away...

Random Art in the Art District

Ava Playing Outside of the Aquarium

Playing Around...AT THE SPLASH PAD!!!

Ok...so I decided to play catch up while my many few pictures from the weekend upload...

The Splash Pad is officially our new favorite place...well almost as much as we love Mia and Pop's pool!

Our friends from Huntsville came down to visit today! Ava loves them! We played at the house for a little bit and then headed to the drive-thru at Chik-Fil-A to pick up an instant picnic.

We had a blast today with you guys and we hope we can do it again soon!

What Do You Think?

I LOVE my new design. With free downloads from a couple of sites (Shabby Blogs and Shabby Princess) I was able to create this super cute layout! Grab my button and leave me a comment letting me know what you think! If you have a button I will be happy to add it to my site...just let me know that you took mine!

Wait for it...

An update is coming soon...I need a vacation from my vacation...I will try and have a post up tonight. We are exhausted!

ALSO...be on the lookout for some a new blog design...you have noticed this boring white background haven't you? I am in the process of redesigning...wish me luck!

Carefree Like Her

I want to be carefree like her...I walked into the kitchen the other day and found Ava laying naked in front of the back door looking up at the sky. She asked me to lay down with her...so I did...

Here we are laying in the floor...and no, Ava isn't that skinny (she actually has a nice budha-belly)...I was tickling her to make her smile therefore she was sucking in...gotta love a stubborn two year old!

Here's our view....

Works For Me Wednesday

Welcome back for another installment of "Works For Me Wednesday"! This week I am going to share some vacation tips...since we are going on vacation this weekend...what? A vacation? WOOHOO!!!

Moving right along...

When we travel with Matt's Mom and Dad in their RV we exclusively live out of our suitcase. LITERALLY! All three of us. Here are some of the helpful hints I have figured out...

• When packing, roll your pants and other things that might not get wrinkled so easily. For us rolling rather than folding gives us a little extra room.


• Plastic baggies are a travelers best friend. We put all of our toiletries in a plastic baggy to prevent them from accidentally leaking onto our clothes.


• Our suitcase has a top zippered pocket and we put all of our dirty clothes in that pocket so that they don't get mixed in with clean clothes...that way there is no deciphering of whether a pair of underwear are clean or dirty.


• Two words...WRINKLE RELEASER!!! This stuff really works. Unroll your pants, spritz them with some WR and viola! Unwrinkled pants! (Works on just about everything.) I hate to iron in general so I even use wrinkle releaser at home.

• We pack shoes on top and we pack them soles up. That way dirty shoe bottoms don't dirty your clothes. We try to pack as few shoes as possible. Generally we carry shoes that can be warn with just about every outfit instead of a pair for each outfit.


• We don't over pack. If we are going on vacation for 3 days we might carry 4 or 5 outfits each so that if something happens to an outfit we have a backup.

Well, there you have it folks...K-Mommy's Vacation Version of WFMW!!!

And yes, we will be gone from Friday until Monday. Posting is not guarnteed. I plan to relax as much as I can. Expect a full update when we return. :o)

Kristen will be here (you knew she currently lives with us, right?) to feed the fish and hold down the fort. Thanks Chickie! Enjoy getting to spend time with your Hubby while he visits home!

**Ironically...we leave Friday morning and we have NOT even started packing...better get on that huh?...There's always tomorrow...

What Did You Say?

This post is completely dedicated to the funny things Ava says. She talks very plain but interprets words and pronounces them so cute! I can't believe some of the things she comes up with and how growny (is that a word, growny...) she talks. She is a hoot!


If Ava asks you something and you say "Not right now" she will almost always say "In just a few little bits?"


Pretty much any word that ends in -ing she prounounces with an extra "n" sounds...paintnin (painting), colorlin (coloring), eatnin (eating)...it's too cute!


She never ceases to amaze me with her vocabulary and knowing exactly how to use a pharse or word in proper context...like the other day...she was with her Nonna and Granddaddy and Nonna was blowing bubbles for her. Nonna blew a pretty nice sized bubble and Ava responded with a "WHOA! That's amazin!"

I will continue to post about the funny things she says...she cracks us up so, of course, we must share!

Oh How Good It Feels To Be Caught Up

I will be the first to admit it...I loathe cleaning! I will find every logical excuse not to do it as long as possible...like blogging...no I'm just kidding...but seriously! Cleaning is not my forte! I even tried to strike a deal with Matt that if I could solely rear our children and teach them all they need to know before school...could I be exempt from cleaning...he didn't fall for it.

So anyway...we are officially caught up on cleaning. Laundry is done (big thanks to Matt for helping me get it caught up), the floors are vacuumed, the bathroom is cleaned...the beds aren't made but hey, we are just gonna climb right back in them tonight...and I have never been one for making the bed unless we have company coming over.

Ah...now to find something to do while Ava is entertained in the play room. Maybe I should fold the clothes that are washed...seeing as there is a nice pile of them...maybe two... Ta ta!!!

Weekend Recap

I have tried and tried to get these pictures to the bottom of my post but Blogger isn't cooperating with me. Hope you enjoyed them...

This weekend has been wonderful!

It started off with my hubby taking off on Friday (our anniversary)! We relaxed around the house, went to the park and played, ate Mexican food, went to the splash pad and played...I could go on and on. We had such a good time and Ava and I really enjoyed our time with Daddy.

Saturday we had a family reunion (Matt's Dad's family). We had a good time. I forgot my camera so no pictures...sorry! There was lots of good food and fun had by all.

And that's about it...Hope you all have a great week!

PS Comment with some ideas about what "Works for Me Wednesdays" should be about. My posts are open to all commenters (anyone at all...Matt? Amanda? Brenda? Nonna? Granddaddy? Mia? Pop?) Anyone and everyone can comment. Let me know what you think.