Funny Friday

A wife got her mother-in-law a cemetery plot for Christmas. It came with a coffin, tomb stone, the works. Next Christmas comes by and the wife gets her nothing. When the mother-in-law asks, "Why didn't you get me a gift?" the wife says, "You haven't used the one I got you last year!"

An elderly couple was attending church services. About halfway through she leans over and says to her husband. "I just let out a silent fart. What do you think I should do?" He replies, "Put a new battery in your hearing aid."

A little girl is serving her father tea while her mother is out shopping. The mother comes home and the father says, "Watch this!" The little girl goes and serves the mother tea. The mother responds, "Did it ever occur to you that the only place she can reach to get water is the toilet?"

Little Susie, a six-year-old, complained, "Mother, I've got a stomach ache." "That's because your stomach is empty," the mother replied. "You would feel better if you had something in it." That afternoon, her father came complaining that he had a severe headache all day. Susie perked up, "That's because it's empty," she said. "You'd feel better if you had something in it."

There is a senior citizen driving on the highway. His wife calls him on his cell phone and in a worried voice says, ''Herman, be careful! I just heard on the radio that there is a madman driving the wrong way on Route 280!'' Herman says, ''I know, but there isn't just one, there are hundreds!''

How To: Chevron Crocheted Blanket

QUICK TIP before starting: Counting is VERY important when crocheting! One number off could offset the whole blanket.

STEP 1: Chain in increments of 50 until desired length. I did 150 chains.
(This prevents having an uneven chevron at the end of your blanket.)

STEP 2: SKIP the stitch closest to your hook.

STEP 3: Single crochet into the next 11 stitches

STEP 4: Next, single crochet 3 times into your 12th stitch.
(This will create the upward point of your chevron.)

STEP 5: Continue a single crochet in the next 11 stitches.
(This will bring you to the end of your first chevron.)

STEP 6: SKIP the next 2 stitches and single crochet into the next 11 stitches.
(This will begin the downward point of your next chevron.)

STEP 7: Next, single crochet 3 times into your 12th stitch.
(This will create the upward point of your chevron.)

STEP 8: Continue a single crochet in the next 11 stitches.
(This will bring you to the end of your second chevron.)

Repeat steps 6-8 until you reach the last two stitches in your chain.

STEP 9: SKIP one and single crochet into the last stitch.

STEP 10: Move to your next row by making one chain and turning your work around.

COLOR CHANGE (I suggest 4-5 rows of each color before switching.)

Before finishing your last single crochet, hook your next color. You will now have 3 loops on your hook.

Finish the single crochet into your last chain and then chain one with new color.



FINISHING

To finish off blanket, knot each color and weave in all the yarn ends to blanket.

Thankful Thursday

I am very thankful for a dear friend of mine. This friend has been there for me alot lately in my good times and bad. It never seems to matter how bad of a day he has, he is always right there to check up on me.

He seems to always know just what to say to make my day go from bad to good. So thank you Chase, for being right there at all hours of the night and day! I couldn't be any happier than to have gotten to know you more these last few months!

Beef Stew: Crock Pot Style

Ingredients:

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped

Place meat in slow cooker.

In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper

Pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture.

Stir in the garlic, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.

Cover and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

Wordless Wednesday

Movies, movies, movies

I have recently started watching A LOT of movies. I never used to sit and watch movies but it is one thing my toddler enjoys.

I recently asked her what a few of her favorites were and I thought I would share her list!

1. Lion King
2. Ogre (Shrek)
3. Apple Witch (Snow White)
4. A Bugs Life
5. Shark Tale
6. Lorax

I would have to agree that these are her most asked for movies to watch at home.

Top Ten Tuesday: Date Night!

Ever have a hard time thinking of what to do for date night? Here are a few things I suggest that I think would be fun.

1. Go to the drive ins.
2. Attend a sports event or concert.
3. Take a walk on a nature trail.
4. Visit an old town.
5. Go out to dinner.
6. Stay in for a candle lit dinner.
7. Visit a museum.
8. Go make a craft together.
9. Go skydiving.
10. Have a picnic.

What do you prefer doing for date nights?

Mommy Monday

One thing my toddler did to make me proud in the last week was help make our announcement video. She so badly had her heart set on getting a little sister. She is indeed going to have a little brother to love on just as much instead!

After getting her assistance with our video, I began working on her with her brothers name. Needless to say, it took her less than a week. 

She enjoys talking to her brother, rubbing my belly, kissing my belly, and being excited for her little brothers arrival in July. 

If you missed our announcement video, you can find it here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAj0-AoA28Q

She now calls him her brother or my Kaiden. 

Something About Advice...

Over the course of my 23 years of life, I have received SO much advice. Some wanted, some unwanted. Some necessary, some unnecessary. Some good and some bad...

Some advice that I have been given that I still carry with me today is that: "Only you can let someone kill your happiness." I had multiple people tell me this.

There are days where that doesn't seem true...like no matter how hard I try, there is one person who does everything possible to take that happiness away. Then there are other days where I take full charge of my happiness and do with it what I need.

Have you ever received advice that you needed to hear, that you still to this day, carry with you? What advice was it and when were you given that piece of advice? Do you remember who gave it to you?

The Glimpse Of Happiness

After a very long but stressful weekend, I finally dragged myself to the hospital.

Friday evening I passed out and may or may not of had a seizure. I felt fine afterwards so I thought nothing of it and continued about my night onto dinner with family at Red Lobster. Went home, got sleep, once again woke up feeling fine.

So again, I went about my day and went to our routine starbucks night with friends and family. When we got home, it dawned on me that while I was still feeling fine myself, I hadn't felt any movement whatsoever out of my son, Kaiden. After attempting one last time to get him active, I was taken into labor and delivery for monitoring.

The smiles came as soon as the nurse found my son's heart beat. Such a precious sound. They monitored to make sure I wasn't contracting and discharged me with comfort knowing I felt fine myself and that baby was alive. 

I am definitely investing in a heart doppler for home to ease my mind in scary times.

Work, work, work...

I have to start by saying I love my job! I love being able to stay home and make money. I love being able to go have a night or day with a group of people and share the great things we have to share!

I work for a company known as Jewelry In Candles. We sell candles and wax tarts and the best part of all, each candle or tart has a ring, a necklace, or a pair of earrings! You get to pick which you would like or even go for a complete surprise! All products are 100% soy wax!

Feel free to browse our products! If you have any questions about ordering or even signing up tobegin making money of your own, message me and I would love to help!

https://www.jewelryincandles.com/store/brittanycollins

Funny Friday

Everyone needs humor every now and then! Here are the things are saw that I felt were funny this week!

She Means the World To Me

There are multiple people who have been there for me through my best but also through my worst. I am thankful for each and everyone on of you who continue to stay by my side and walk this life with me.

One person who I hold closest to my heart is my mom. I wouldn't be here with out her. She raised me up to be the woman I am today.

When I needed her most, she always made herself available for me. She would sit with me and talk for hours.

I was fortunate enough to be able to turn around and help her in her time of need. It felt great to help someone who was always there for me.

They say there is no greater bond than one between a mother and daughter and I believe that. I see it with my mother as well as my own daughter. They are two of my greatest blessings and I am proud to walk these paths with them!

Thank you mom, for being there. Yesterday, today, and always!

My Schooling

About 8 months ago, I decided I needed to do something for myself. Something to better my life for myself and my family. That decision brought me back to college. 

I started college again back in September 2013 for medical office administration. Less than a month after my family got relocated to San Diego, I met a gal who helped get me in touch with the right people to get everything ready for schooling. 

I am over half way done with the course now and couldnt be more proud of myself. My goal is to finish before my son is born in July. I never would of imagined myself in the medical field but so far, I love everything this course has taught me. I hope to get some intern time in when the time is right!

I chose medical office administration because in my eyes, there is more job availability around the world than some of the other options I had available and being married to a sailor, the more availability there is when we get relocated time and time again, the better.

Do you go to school or have you already finished school? If so, What do you/did you go for and do you enjoy it still?

Are you wanting to take the leap to get back into school? If so, message me! I would love to help you point your head in the right direction!

Thankful Thursday

I was thankful for the opportunity to go out and get my hair done this week. Being a mom, I'm horrible at going out and spoiling myself. I even lucky and my 3 year old did awesome at keeping busy for the 3 hour salon visit.

Wordless Wednesday

My Dream Vacation

Some days, I wish I could escape reality...go somewhere I could be stress free and away from all negativity. That place for me would he the Bahamas.

I would spend my time boating, diving, relaxing on the beach and pampering myself with massages. I would also spend time sight seeing and collecting souvenirs.

If money were no object, where would you go?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books

Here are the top 10 books I want to read within the next month! Maybe some will catch your attention.

1. Caught Up In Us by Lauren Blakely
Five years ago, Kat Harper fell into a dizzying summer romance with her brother's best friend Bryan. It was a mad, crazy love full of kisses all through the night -- but he broke her heart and she had to move on. Five years later, Kat is finishing her graduate degree and building her business as a jewelry designer, when Bryan, head of his own successful company, walks back into her life. Bryan has been assigned to Kat as her new business mentor and the rules are clear. No hanky panky permitted. Kat can handle that because she's totally over him... right? Except, he still makes her laugh, and he remembers all the things she likes. Not to mention that he's even more handsome now than he was then. Can they resist each other the second time around or will first love trump all?

2. Honeymoon For One by Chris Keniston
To escape local gossip, jilted bride Michelle Bradford embarks on her honeymoon cruise —alone. Coaxed by a thrill seeking hunk she never expects to see again, she slowly sheds her good girl persona to have some well deserved fun. But unlike Vegas, what happens on the high seas doesn't always stay there.

3. Waking Up Married by Mira Lyn Kelly
It's the morning after her cousin's bachelorette party in Vegas and Megan Scott wakes up with the mother of all hangovers. Even worse, she's in a stranger's penthouse having woken up with something else as well—a funny, arrogant, sexy…husband! Up until now, finding even a boyfriend had seemed impossible—been there, got the broken heart, sworn off men for good. Then a few martinis with Carter…no, Connor Reed and she's gone from first meet to marriage in one night! Megan wants a lawyer. But Connor's shocking bombshell? "I don't want a divorce."

4. The Drs Secret Bride by Ana E Ross
Michelle Carter has been down on her luck since the day she was born. So it comes as no surprise when through a series of unfortunate events, she finds herself jobless, penniless, and practically homeless. In a desperate attempt to get back on her feet, Michelle accepts a job as a nanny, and finds it absolutely impossible to resist the sexual magnetism of her handsome, sexy billionaire boss--but resist she must for as long as she could, especially since she's keeping secrets from him. Believing that his late wife betrayed him with another man, falling in love again is the last thing Dr. Erik LaCrosse wants to do. But fall, he does, and so hard, he secretly marries the alluring nanny from the wrong side of the tracks. However, when he unearths a disturbing secret from Michelle's past, Erik must choose between his loyalty to a dead woman and the love burning in his heart for one who is very much alive.

5. Ever Since Eve by Pamela Browning
Eve Triopolous is unemployed with a disabled father to support. When she spots an ad for a surrogate mother, she impulsively responds. But it's the longing on the faces of Derek and Kelly Lang that puts her signature on the bottom line. Then tragedy strikes, leaving Derek a widower and Eve with a task she didn't expect: prove that she is the best mommy for the precious life growing beneath her heart, and convince Derek that he's the love of her life.

6. Cross My Heart by Abigail Storm
The last thing Jenna Landry wants is to fall in love. The former rock musician is getting ready to start a new job and a new life in L.A., and she's only back in her hometown for the summer. Nothing could tempt her to stay any longer than that...not even the sexy doctor next door. Michael Stone has a reputation for being as cold as ice. So what is it about his free-spirited neighbor that sets him on fire? The strait-laced M.D. has his hands full with his career and his teenage daughter, and even if he were looking for a relationship, he knows Jenna is all wrong for him. So why does being with her feel so right?

7. The Long Ride Home by Danielle Lee Zwissler
Holton Dade was eight years old when Elena Rose was born, and he has watched out for her ever since. The girl with the wild, curly red hair has been on his mind on and off for years, but he has a few hang-ups--age being one of them, and death being the other. With the help of friends, Holton and Elena survive through many breakups and insecurities, but in the end there is only one place to go--home, and it is one hell of a long ride to get there.

8. Father Found by Judith Arnold
Jamie McCoy is the ultimate guy: thirty years old, carefree and professionally successful as the writer of a nationally syndicated humor column called “Guy Stuff.” Nine and a half months ago, he spent a week basking on the beach in Eluthera and indulging in a fling with a woman at the resort. Never did he expect to find the unplanned result of that fling—a healthy, wailing baby named Samantha—strapped into a car seat on his back porch, along with a suitcase full of diapers and infant apparel and a note informing Jamie that he’s her father. Maybe he is and maybe he isn’t. But first things first. He’s never fed a baby or changed a diaper in his life. He doesn’t own a crib or a stroller. In a panic, he phones the nearest hospital, where neonatal nurse Allison Winslow takes his call and tells him about a class she teaches called the Daddy School. Classes on how to be a dad are exactly what Jamie needs. But when he attends his first class and sees the tall, earnest, amazingly beautiful and even more amazingly competent Allison, he realizes that he might just need more from her than her lectures on how to hold a baby. Jamie’s efforts to be a father to this precious baby touch Allison. His sense of humor amuses her. His striking good looks turn her on. But how can she trust the sort of guy who’d sleep with a stranger on vacation, without giving a thought to the consequences? How can she give her heart to such a reckless man?

9. Jennas Cowboy by Sharon Gillenwater
Jenna Callahan has a young son and rewarding work on her father's ranch. She's content. But she never expected to see Nate Langley back in town--the first guy she noticed, the one her father sent away all those years ago. And she never thought the attraction they felt would be as strong as ever. Jenna's cowboy has some healing of his own to do, though, after two tours of duty in the armed forces. With the help of good friends, strong faith, and a loving family, he hopes to put the horrors of the past behind him--and become the man Jenna deserves.

10. Three Girls And A Baby by Rachel Schurig
Ginny McKensie's life is spiraling out of control. Finished with college, she should have been planning her wedding. After all, Ginny and Josh were made for each other—everyone said so. Except the love of her life didn't agree. Now Ginny is back in her hometown, unwillingly single, and stuck in a dead-end job. When she discovers she's pregnant, Ginny is convinced her life is ending. Instead of planning a future with Josh, she's learning the truth about morning sickness, juggling bills, and seeing just how far designer jeans can stretch. Her life-plan never included dating again (not even with her too-hot new boss), or being a single mother at 23. Now, with the help of her best friends, Annie and Jen, Ginny must try to re-imagine—and rebuild—a life she never wanted.

What is on your to read list? What have you read in the past that you would recommend to others?

I wish I knew...

There is a lot I wish I knew how to do. The biggest thing I wish I knew how to do the most right now is how to sew. I have found a lot of cute stuff in would make if only I knew how. From pillow cases to blankets and clothes.

One thing that inspired me to wish I knew how to sew was a crib bed set.

What are some things you wish you knew how to do and do you see yourself ever learning how to do it?

If I could stay one age...

Have you ever liked an age you were so much you would stay that age forever and be perfectly content with life?

For me, that age was 19. 4 years ago...I was fresh out of highschool. I was working. I had a great support system. For the most part, I had myself on a great path to success.

I loved every aspect of my life at the age of 19. What age would you choose, knowing you would never age again?

Mommy Monday

The biggest thing that popped out and made me feel super proud as a mommy this week was when my 3 year old came to me and said "your a mommy." My response was "yes baby, I am a mommy. You made me a mommy." As she walked back into the living room, we both had a big smile on our faces and I was left with a few tears in my eyes.

What were some of your proud mommy moments in the past week?

My Favorite IPhone Apps

I am an iPhone owner and have found a few apps that I have grown to enjoy a lot over the last 3 years. I figured I would share them with you! Maybe you have them or maybe you never knew they existed! These are my favorite 8 apps from the apple store.

Baby Bump - I have tried multiple pregnancy tracking apps and I have found Baby Bump to be the most accurate and informative with both day to day and weekly updates on the baby's size and weight, along with what may be going on with the mom or dad to be.

Blogger - I enjoy the blogger app because it makes it simple for me to blog on the go and have access to edit posts or even add photos to my posts all in one area! 

Doing Time - I love the Doing Time app! It makes a pie chart of how much time has been completed as well as how much time is left in the countdown. You can edit the title to whatever the countdown may be for, enter a start date and an end date, and you can also change the colors! (Standard is red and green pie chart with white background while mine is pink and blue pie chart with a green background.) 

iLoader 2 - I take ALOT of photos when it comes to my phone. This is the best app I have found that allows me to upload multiple videos as well as multiple photos to Facebook quickly and easily. The app allows you to add captions and tag your friends or even update your status all without opening Facebook! 

Pinterest - I spend a great amount of time on Pinterest between the humor boards, quite boards, craft boards, recipe boards, and as of late, the baby shower/birthday boards. I enjoy the app over their website as it allows me to comfortably pin or browse items I pinned previously both at home and on the go! 

Skype - Skype has been great at keeping me in touch with my friends and family both near and far. Being a military spouse, seeing family can be difficult, and skype has been there to help keep us closer.

Status Shuffle - Status shuffle is enjoyable to me when I need entertainment. I can sit and browse status' for random topics for hours when I can't sleep or I have some down time to myself.

Stumble Upon - With this app, I can catch up on crafts, couponing, books, movies, fitness, and many other topics. I love that there is always something new to read or look at and you can edit it to get posts about what your interested in! 

I will be getting a new phone in a few days (converting to the Galaxy S4), so

I would love to hear from the android customers as well! 

What are some of your favorite apps and what type of phone do you own? 

Mixed Emotions

I keep trying to tell myself..."It's just another day.", "This day isn't any different than yesterday."

November 30th, 2012...I was 15 weeks and 5 days pregnant with our baby girl. A day that would make another life changing event for my life, my husbands life, our daughters life, and the rest of my family's life. We gained another precious angel that day. We miss you greatly baby girl! 

And here I sit, 15 weeks and 5 days pregnant today, with our precious peanut. I am mixed with way too many different, conflicting emotions. 

Scared....scared that I will be right where I was on November 30th, met with the stages of grief starting all over again.

Sad....sad that I never got to count 10 little fingers and 10 little toes or smell that newborn smell and cuddle my baby girl for hours on end.

Tired....tired of trying to always be so strong just to be knocked down by the smallest of things. 

Angry....angry that something I may or may not have done could be why we gained another angel.

Guilty....guilty that I moved forward so soon and became pregnant again.

Hopeful....hopeful that I will get to bring my peanut home healthy and alive this pregnancy.

Confused....confused as to why my baby girl had to be taken away so soon after my family was blessed by the news of her arrival.

Nervous....nervous that when I am not feeling my peanut move around or kick that something just isn't right.

Stressed....stressed over anything and everything that has been going on in the last month in a half and will be going on for the next few months.

Blessed....blessed because I was given another chance at creating a new life regardless of my past. 

Happy....happy that I get to share all these special moments with my toddler who enjoys hugging, kissing, singing to, and rubbing our little peanut.