Christmas Weekend Update

Happy almost new year, everyone! Guess Ill just get right to it! Christmas this year was magical, for lack of a better word. Charlotte Olivia being with us totally changed the holiday for me. I loved Christmas growing up, and while I still appreciated it and what it stands for, I think we all begin to outgrow the excitement at some point. Having a child has brought back all of the old feelings and more, though. Opening her gifts, passing her around to family, and spending time with the ones I love made this Christmas the best Ive ever had. 

My grandparents from Georgia came to town, which made the holiday weekend even more special. We all stayed in Weatherford at my sisters home. My nephews gifts were many, and they all opened plenty of new board and video games. As a family, we all played Just Dance 2 [which I HIGHLY recommend], pictionary, and guitar hero. Everyone enjoyed their gifts amongst themselves and together. It was nonstop fun. 

My grandfather smoked a turkey and a ham and my grandmother made the majority of the side dishes, along with my sister. All of the food was heavenly, but I'm very proud to say that I stayed in complete control of my eating. For someone like me, overeating is a bigger problem than for most people. The guilt I feel afterward absolutely trumps the fun I have eating the junk and while I can conquer this with my eyes closed on a day to day basis--holidays are always tough. When else is all of that fantastic food spread out together and in abundance?! I stayed away from huge plates this year, though, instead grazing throughout the day. I never felt deprived or hungry, and instead of worrying about the weight I'd gained, I spent my time running around with my nephews and enjoying my daughter. As someone living with an eating disorder, this was a huge accomplishment for me. I certainly have shown myself that my Charlie is helping to make giant leaps in my life and in my battles.

Luckily for Troy and I, Ben and Kenzie bought us a brand new digital camera, this year! We were in desperate need, and after I accidentally sent our first one flying into a fish tank and our second came brand new out of the box broken; we weren't rushing to buy another. The camera is fantastic and being that I blog, take photos of my work for my portfolio/web site, and have a newborn, we will absolutely get their moneys worth out of it! 

That said, here is our Christmas haul in pictures, and a few of Charlie :)

Camera from Ben and Kenz

Guitar Hero Gods of Rock for Wii from my Mom

The best knives Troy and I have had in five years, from his mom Marlene

AWESOME Convection Oven from my Grandparents

Stephen King's newest short stories, from Charlotte Olivia to me [Only 5 pages in, but its fantastic thus far]

Hat/Scarf/Mitten Set for Charlie from Memo

Charlie's new highchair from Memo and Papa

Charlie's Pillowpet from Greatgrandma Verbie and Greatgrandpa Vernon

The majority of the toys she got. Lots of Baby Einstein, books, and other educational toys. From her Mama Lissa and Uncle Tommy, Uncle Ben and Aunt Kenzie, and from her cousins

Awesome travel sack from her Memo! This thing is terrific! The hole at the bottom is so you can put them in their cartseats/strollers without taking them out!

Charlotte Olivia enjoying her new toys

Making faces at mommy in her walker

All day, every day, you'll hear Samantha say: "CHARLOTTE OLIVIA GET THOSE HANDS OUTTA THAT MOUTH"

 

 

And of course, my little Elf on the big day :)

Of course, she got lots of clothes, we got a few gift cards, and her dad and I both got underwear :)

This week is another short week for Troy at work, and we are looking forward to an exciting New Year's Eve. I have clients all day long, and afterward we will relax and ring in the new year surrounded by friends we love dearly. Charlotte O and I are also expecting a visit from our friend's Tracy and Courtney this week. My blog posts will likely cover these events, the makeup I do this week, a video game review of a couple Wii games and one xbox360 game, and of course, top chef. 

My family has been blessed. We wish the world all of the joy we feel and all of the love we give. 

Sam

Long time no blog, update!

Merry almost Christmas, readers, please forgive my laziness toward my blog! We've been very busy on my end, and Ive put off my daily updating until now! I wanted to do a quick recap of the past few days before Christmas hit, as I'd imagine I wont update again until Sunday, or so! Ill start with last Saturday!

Charlotte Olivia met Santa! Our complex invited a photographer to come into our community building to take photos with Santa by the fire. I had originally planned on taking Charlie to the mall earlier in the month, getting a quick photo taken, and then using that picture for our Christmas cards. Unfortunately, I never found the time. She kicked her first cold the week of Thanksgiving, and after that ordeal, I was hesitant to take her to the germy mall. Our community center is large and comfortable, though, and we know the staff very well. I was so excited when they sent out the newsletter saying they were bringing a photographer in! We wont get the professional pictures back until the 3rd of January, though, so the Christmas Cards this year had no photo inside! Next year, we plan on sending out a family picture. We dressed CO in a beautiful green dress with striped socks and black shoes. I contemplated a bow, but my girl just isn't the type. She didn't look like herself with the bow on! The babies before her all cried with Santa, so I was prepared for her to get scared, but to my surprise she didn't! She did fantastically, and Troy and I glowed while people complemented her behavior!

Charlotte Olivia 4 months

That night, Troy and I dropped Charlie off with her Memo and Papa, while he and I went to his company's Christmas party. It was a success! I always get along famously with the wives of his coworkers, and I love seeing all the children! They fed us yummy BBQ, gave away prizes, and showed everyone a great time! I put my LBD [little black dress] to use that night, paired with a dark smokey eye, winged out liner, and a red lip. The look was classic and festive. I still love dressing up! 

A quick pic before I did my hair!

This week the house has been busy! Charlotte Olivia had a friend over! Our friends Sean and Heather came by with Heather's 3 year old, Sapphire. Charlie had gotten Sapphire a gift for Christmas and she wanted to give it to her before they left for Kansas. The girls were the cutest playing together! Aside from visiting Kerri and David's baby Kimber Jane right after she was born, Charlotte O hasn't had any play dates! Seeing her with Sapphire got me so excited for her to be a bit more social! Shes tiny now, but once shes a year old, I imagine she will be having friends over a lot more often! 

Charlotte Olivia and Sapphire 12/21

My nephews James, Thomas, and Christopher also spent a few days here. They are on Christmas break, and Troy and I wanted to show them a good time! Charlie just loved having them here! The boys were angels. They helped me clean, run errands, wrap gifts, and played with Charlie! We let them play a lot of xbox, since they normally play their Wii at home. We also baked cupcakes and a cake, ate home made fried foods, watched Ghost Adventures, and played scene it! They exhausted me! 

Charlie doing the marketing with her big cousin James 12/21

James with his tree cake

Troy decorating a cupcake

Over the course of the last few days, Charlie has also discovered her Johnny Jumper! I am absolutely in LOVE with this toy, and I'm so happy that we let her open it up before Christmas! The contraption connects to a door frame, and the little one is able to jump, walk, and stand on their own! She just adores it! She will jump and play in it for long periods of time, and once shes done, she comes out and falls immediately to sleep! I think the exercise is great for her, and we notice an improvement in her leg control almost every time shes in it! Thank you Johnny Jumper, for allowing me to clean my house again. A video, if you're interested:

Please ignore any silliness on my part. Haha. 

Last night, our fantastic friends Justin and Nicole came by to drop off a Christmas gift for CO before they left for Houston. Nicole and I went to highschool together, and I met Justin last year. The two of them are just amazing! They are super laid back, gamers to boot, and very much in love. Troy and I really enjoy spending time with them, and they've loved Charlie since the day she was born! Shes very lucky to have so many people who care for her! 

Charlies Xmas from Justin and Nicole. Animals! Do they know her or what?

In other news, my grandparents on my dads side are in town from Georgia. I haven't seen them in nearly three years, and Troy hasn't seen them in closer to five. He and I were only roommates when they met. This is also their first opportunity to meet and spend time with Charlie. Tonight, she is spending the night with her Memo and Papa so that she can visit with great grandma Verbie and great grandpa Vernon all day tomorrow. Troy and I plan to spend the night out on the town, being that we wont have our cubbie! We plan to spend the holiday weekend in weatherford visiting with family, eating, giving gifts, and watching our Charlotte O enjoy her very first Christmas. 

From Sam, Troy, and Charlotte Olivia-- we wish you and your family a blessed holiday, filled with all of the joy and love in the world.

Quickly, a couple new examples of my work

Both have already been added to my facebook and my website, but in case you missed it! Two of my very favorite brides!

Chad and Katy Slayton. Check Katy out at the Vanity Room Waxing Boutique in Fort Worth TX

Jacqline Keith of Aledo TX

 See more of my work at my website

Sam

A couple things Im irked about

  The new version of Facebook:

• I am not one bit concerned about how silly that sounds, to anyone. The new version of facebook is ruining my online experience. I'm a huge Mark Zuckerberg fan. Yesterday when they announced his being TIME's person of the year, a lot of people scoffed at the outcome; going into rants about all of the other/better options. I say, oh brother, calm down. I consider things from a very realistic, but optimistic point of view. Realistically, more people in this country use, discuss, hate, love, or are addicted to, their facebook. I can honestly say, the majority of people I know, from all walks of life, have a facebook. We put him there. Don't hate the player, hate the game. So I say, congratulations Zuck, enjoy! No, really, i actually SAID something along those lines both offline and on twitter yesterday. So, why then, do I wake up to this today? I use my facebook a lot, but more for work than people realize. I do have a website, but as stated about: EVERYONE IS ON FACEBOOK! Ive gotten more work from my facebook than from my website, for sure. Its the holidays. I'm getting messages there left and right from clients, friends who want to be clients, and clients who want to be friends. Either way, I want people to know I appreciate their business and their interest in my work. I really hate making my clients wait, for anything. ESPECIALLY, a response. The new version is so buggy, it isn't even running so i can answer messages! I can count many things about it that bother me. For example, you cant even begin a new paragraph in a comment. They've removed the comment button. So, you see, if you press enter, it posts your comment. While easier (I guess, is it really that much easier than pressing "comment??"), it forces you to write HUGE paragraphs when participating in a thread discussion! Geez, do you guys want me to start writing this blog without any paragraph breaks? Yah, cool. Good idea. 

• Id tell you more things I don't like. However, since it freezes my perfectly capable computer anytime I pull it up in a browser, and wont work on my IPhone 4; neither as an app, or in the browser, I guess I don't even know everything I don't like about it yet. Ill get back to you if it ever loads again. 

Its a wrap! I'm done with facebook. at least until it stops making my computer act like its still got Oregon Trail on it.


Graphic Documentaries, specifically those discussing the abuse of children:

• I can safely say Ive always had a pretty strong stomach. I really enjoy documentaries, in particular, about crime. The court system, law, reason, human mind and capability--it all interests me very much. I have seen countless docs on crimes against children. I hadn't seen any since the birth of Charlotte Olivia, though. This morning I watched, or rather, tried to watch one called, "Deliver us from Evil." It was a compiling of information about a priest who had hurt both little boys and little girls. I was cleaning and just listening in the background, as Charlie was sleeping, and I literally couldn't stand to hear any of it described, even in the most vague fashion. I had to turn it off. Quickly. The language used was so atomically correct, and PC, I'm sure to make people feel more comfortable. The euphemisms weren't enough. Ive never felt so strongly disgusted, scared, and angry at something that didn't have anything to do with me. I'm incredibly surprised with myself, because this is very out of character for me. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the small bit I heard, since I heard it hours ago. Has this happened to any readers? I mean, has anyone experienced such a significant change in what you can handle, after the birth of your child? The thought of her ever being hurt, in anyway, is almost paralyzing to me. Id be interested in knowing if other moms and dads have experienced something similar. 

Well, i guess that's it for now, but more hopefully this evening about our day.

Sam

Top Chef All Stars 12/15

SPOILER ALERT! 

That said, really judges? REALLY? Can anyone I'm rooting for make it to finals? Last night, the Chefs were sent to various restaurants, with the challenge of creating a dish the executive chef of their location wouldn't mind putting on their menu. Of course, some of the chefs were out of their element. Carla, for example, was working at wd-50, forward thinking chef Wylie Dufresne's place. His style of cooking is very modern and experimental. The dish created had to fit in with the house style, regardless. Everyone did relatively well. Sent home was Dale L. and Steven. Dale was second place on his season, so I honestly felt like he would last longer. His dish was cooked well, it was just too sweet for an evening dish. Steven also was just off a tad. Neither were terrible. I think its going to come down to these individual challenges this season, for sure. I'm used to watching top chef, and being able to predict who is going when. A surprise elimination is just that, a SURPRISE. This season, though, Tom Colicchio had it right, the judges are going to be wrong, "seventeen times this season." All of these Chefs are great, and its anyones game! I was really rooting for Steven to make it farther, but he made a great point after elimination. The Steven we saw in season one could have won the game! Steven, seven years later, doesn't cook daily! Hes made his way up into the world. I understand, because while I make more money as a freelance artist than I did as a retail 40 hour artist, I lose that daily practice. I always warm up with a different looks before big jobs, because I'm no longer in the practice of doing makeup 8 hours a day. I don't have as many surprise challenges falling into my lap. Steven explained his issue the same way. He was incredibly classy, and dressed like he dresses, hes GOTTA be classy. He was happy to say, he lost because his game wasn't on par with his competitors. Its nice to see the blame placed someone other than on EVERYONE ELSE.  So bye bye boys, its been fun! 

Dale L.

Steven, aka "The Fancy Man"

Haven't yet caught up on Hell's Kitchen, because I'm too afraid that Russell may have won. Don't tell me! 

Sam

Carrot Dinner

Last night, Charlotte Olivia got down on some carrots. Shes really learning how to use the spoon quickly! For your quick viewing pleasure:

Sam

Confessions of a normal mom: My weekly tv schedule

Ok, I admit it: I watch a lot of TV. Id like to say I'm so busy being active and healthy, I just cant find the TIME for television, but that's a big fat lie. Even if I just let the television run in the background while I clean house, I'm still trying to catch a chuckle from "The Office" reruns while I'm vacuuming. I figure Ill give you guys a glimpse of my media addictions, because I rant about the outcomes of my weekly shows the morning after each airs. Always. :) Granted, I used to think I could go the rest of my life without TV! When I was hospitalized for two months during my pregnancy with Charlotte, though, I wised up! Being stuck in that hospital bed, every day, all the time; left me without much choice! I imagine once shes at a more mobile age, she and I will be on the move more on weekdays, but while we still live in the land of "supported sitting," Ill enjoy my weekly trash! Now, of course, these shows switch up by season, but here's whats airing now!

Wednesday Night

Hells Kitchen- The finale of this season airs tonight, and what a season its been! While I'm at least smart enough to know a lot of Gordon Ramsey's ranting and raving is to bring in the ratings, it doesn't make this show any less entertaining! These chefs are competing for an executive position, paying a quarter of a million dollars yearly, but sometimes it seems like they re as clumsy in the kitchen as I am! The garnish is bland, the chicken is aways raw, and I'm convinced scallops are the most difficult food item to cook, ever. The mistakes are so mundane, Id be screaming like a loon, too. The drama runs high,  which I could honestly do without. By the end, though, I normally love a finalist and loathe the other. This season,  HK lost me at Jillian. The two finalist are both less passionate and generally way more irritating. MAY THE BEST MAN WIN! ;)

Top Chef: All Stars- Ok, I'm a top chef fangirl! I love the shows format, Padma, and Tom gets a little better looking to me every time I see him. We own a few seasons, and Troy and I agree, Vegas has been the best to date. This season just began, and episode 3 airs tonight. While I'm totally excited to see the level of competition and the caliber of food made [these are the past contestants who ALMOST made it], I have to say I lost some excitement for the season when my horse, Jenn from Vegas, was sent home SECOND! Poor girl made a huge scene upon being sent home, and while I normally frown upon that sort of thing, I felt she was absolutely justified! Jenn is one of the most talented Chef's of any Top Chef season, and her worth ethic is really on a whole other level. I think they made an example of her. The entire cast, and clearly the judges, expected Jenn to make it to the finals. Her dish last week was lacking, though, and I think they wanted to hammer home the "No one is safe from "packing up your knives and go-ing" message. I promised you rants, though, and here's mine: Jenn's partner left before they even began their dish because she had a MINOR cut on her finger. Unlike every other chef, Jenn tackled a two part dish ALONE and without complaint. Other members of her team brought up bad, undercooked, or over seasoned dishes, but they did it between two chefs! Not to mention, Tom's words to Tre were, "Your sauce was over reduced, salty, and RUINED the entire dish." If he was the sole problem of his dish, why wasn't he sent home? He only had one component to make, and he apparently, "ruined" it. Bottom line: Tre should have hit the road, and Jenn should be making her way to finals. Do you know, with Jenn gone, SPIKE could win! Or, God forbid...Dale! So, since my original horse has hit the hay, I now place my money on Richard. But, he COULD cut that hair some...

Hey, we are law and order SVU and we like to superimpose

Law and Order: SVU-  This comes on on Wednesday nights, too. We have been huge fans since season 1 of SVU, before Ice-T even and his TERRIFIC acting even GOT there. Har Har. Hes still on the show ten seasons later, so clearly the rest of the show must be fantastic for us to still be watching, right? Well, that may not ring true anymore. SVU has always had the same format, since figuring out what worked around season 2. Unfortunately, they've decided to fix what wasn't broken. Now, instead of focusing on one case per episode, leaving you with either a verdict or some sort of comparable closure, they are doing this weird soap opera, thing. They've been going on and on for years about Benson wanting a husband and family, but for dramatic reasons, every time poor Mariska has a date, Dan Florek catches her and the rest of the "gang" at the elevator to tell them some case they didn't have before, is now their responsibility and it'll take the next 48 hours to complete it. So, she always cancels her date and then catches a half hour of sleep in the crib. Poor Benson. Shes never ever gone home, apparently. I guess this season they realized they didn't plan on having the sexual tension between she and Stabler explode all over the station, so they wrote her this other bogus story line. Something about Desmond from LOST, a victim who just up and leaves her son with Benson, and bing, bang, boom- instant kid! Or something. Clearly, these episodes are piling up unwatched on our DVR. Maybe the next time I mention this show, the blog titled will be, "Confessions of an irritated mom: How Dick Wolf ruined Wednesday night TV."

Friday Night

Ghost Adventures- I live for Friday Night. Ghost Adventures is, however silly the fellas are, the best ghost show on television, hands down. Ghost Hunters has a team of at least 36 investigators, and a production team of probably 78. With all those people romping around the location, they attribute EVERYTHING to "people noise." Here's an idea: LOSE ALL THE UNNECESSARY PEOPLE TO AVOID PEOPLE NOISE. They refuse to offend these ghosts in anyway, so I'm convinced the ghosts just ignore them. They never, ever, catch anything notable. When they do, Ive fallen asleep by then. Paranormal State is CLEARLY a staged mess, and all the others focus entirely too much on mediums, and them explaining all of this crazy activity only THEY are able to see. Lucky you. The GA crew, though, consists of three! They are a laughable bunch, for sure, but it almost makes them lovable. The production isn't Avatar style, but we are talking a show filmed by three handheld cameras. Id rather keep all the human interference to a minimum, anyway. They go completely lights out and they taunt these things to the point of getting them on film or audiotape, and probably, to the point of getting one of these guys possessed. Ha. Its all in good fun, but the show genuinely scares us! We turn out all the lights and by the time the episode ends, we have to watch rugrats, or something equally inoffensive to calm us down. Season 3 is airing now, and is by far the best!

Netflix 

We stream netflix live on our xbox, and there are just entirely too many gems there not to list a few of my favorites. If you don't pay the 7.99 a month to stream netflix on your xbox or wii, I cant encourage you enough to make the investment! Its 9.99 to add DVD mail delivery, but we honestly don't feel its necessary with the huge amount already available. Most movies are available, so just assume those are implied. All TV shows have entire seasons available, most have all released seasons of said show. Some of our favs:

• Lockdown
• Dexter
• The Office
• Rugrats
• Rockos Modern Life
• Say Yes to the Dress
• Ghost Adventures
• Man Vs Food
• LOST
• Penn and Teller BS!
• Dog the Bounty Hunter
• Lock n Load with R. Lee Ermey

Zune 

We also steam Zune live from xbox live. The shows and movies here are purchased with Microsoft Xboxlive Points. These can be added to your xbox live account by credit card or by "gift cards" that can be purchased at target, wal-mart, gamestop, etc. I mention Zune for two reasons:

• Salute Your Shorts [really? REALLY? you know you want to]
• The Boondocks [Regina King is Emmy worthy as both Riley and Huey Freeman. The show approaches racial topics comically. But, If you aren't laughing WITH the masterminds behind this tv show based on a comic, please just don't watch.]

And So, ends my current TV obsessions. America's Next Top Model, and Project Runway only JUST missed this blog post...maybe next season!

Charlotte O had a great night, sleeping all the way through. She takes her bath between 6:45 and 7:20, depending on her mood, and I sleep her immediately afterward. Even on her latest nights, shes normally out by 8:00. Last night was an early one, and she was down before 7:30. I changed her diaper twice overnight, but shes to the point of sleeping through it now. She snacked on a bottled around 4am, but not long enough to finish. She was ready to get up and get moving this morning, and her mood has been fantastic! I plan to spend the rest of the day with her playing, and forcing myself to FINISH THE CHRISTMAS CARDS, before they become New Year cards! Maybe more blogging later, as I don't know how comfortable I am dedicating an entire day's post to my television habits. 

I don't pretend to be perfect ;)

Sam

"Adult Day"

Taking "Adult Day"s is such a chore for me! I know interaction with my friends and clients is essential in my life, but being away from Charlotte Olivia for almost any length of time just feels strange! Luckily, she [and we] is blessed to have grandparents who adore her as much as her dad and I do. When She goes to spend the night with her Memo and Papa, I miss her, but I don't worry.

CharlieO and Papa 11/20

CharlieO and Memo 12/13

Today, I was able to not only knock out our remaining Christmas shopping, but I was able to have a moms day out. I spent time with my friend Rebecca. Becca and I spent time together almost daily during my pregnancy, and now Charlotte Olivia get over to visit when we can. We did the shopping had some lunch, some wine, and visited with friends until Troy met with me after work. It was nice to catch up with my friend. In the words of Stockard Channing to Patrick Swayze in To Wong Foo, " I think its important for a woman, to have lady friends."

Rebecca and Charlotte Olivia 12/10

Ive spent my night relaxing with Troy. We watched some corny SNL on netflix, trying to decide if it did or didn't jump the shark. I'm starting to believe SNL got so bad, it went past bad and back to good again. I digress. Ive reorganized my makeup kit, wrapped gifts, planned some new blog ideas, blogged, and indulged in sweet tea. Tomorrow, Ill wake up early and clean our place to perfect for my girl, to be dropped off around two. Its less than 24 hours away, and I know this is supposed to be my "break", but how could you resist this face? 

Charlotte O 12/13, sent from Memo before bed

Sam

Christmas Shopping!

I know it gets a little crazy out there : \ 

But Really? Christmas gifting is one of the best things about Christmas! Besides remembering the birth of my Lord, giving to others really makes the season for me. Christmas' in my family have never felt materialistic, thanks to two fantastic parents. I never remember feeling disappointed over what I did or didn't "get", and that's certainly something I want to pass on to CharlieO. There are plenty to ways to show others you care, without breaking your budget or stressing yourself into a catatonic state over the credit card bills come January! Without further babbling...

Sam's Yearly gift ideas $25 and under for.....

Men 

• Guys love food and booze. Period. They also love gifts they can dig into right away! Grab an old bucket, pail, lunchbox, or a kitchy Chinese takeout box from the container store, or someplace similar. Fill it up with a small assortment of snacks. Think hickory farms! A summer sausage, peanuts, crackers, cheese, or sunflower seeds are all great guy food! Go by your local central market, world market, or whole foods and grab two beers from around the world! If you don't know much about beers, pick a neat looking label! Finish your "boy basket" off with something fun like a scratch off lotto ticket or a five dollar xbox live "points" card. Not only does your gift seem thoughtful, but he will have probably dug in and enjoyed before the season even ends! 

 Ladies

• You girls should be a breeze! From Starbucks gift cards to coffee baskets stuffed with a mug, a blend, and a holiday themed creamer--I'd say it really comes down to the time and effort you want to put in. For your office secret Santa, the former would suffice, but for one of your former bridesmaids? Maybe you could do enough digging to find out her fav latte flavor, and get her the means and mixes to make her own at home! Accessory baggies are always fun, too! Scarves, earrings, anklets, armbands, headpieces, necklaces, and rings all help bring an outfit together. You can gift an entire accessory "look", without busting a $20! Real trendsetters and fashionistas will appreciate anything unique. Hit up local thrift, second hand, and antique stores to find gems for less! Driving through neighborhoods Thurs-Sundays to rummage through garage and estate sales is worth the fashion thinking girls time! 

Just a few thoughts on the subject! Now onto my own Christmas' shopping experiences so far this year:

  Troy- Xbox 360 RAPALA PRO BASS FISHING ROD BUNDLE! My very favorite Wheatheart, Troy, is quite the fisherman. About four years ago, we got into the sport while celebrating the fourth of July at his Uncle and Aunts home, near Lake Whitney. I fished for the first time there, and my "beginners luck" incited a war between us as to who come become the better fisherman. Over time, hes brought in the most catches, but I'm certainly the most patient out there! Since Charlotte O was born, Troy skips his weekend fishing trips, to spend quality "father /daughter" time with her. I pull the night duty alone, because I genuinely want him to get all the rest he needs for work each day. So, on Saturdays and Sundays, he takes over around 6 or 7am, and lets me sleep until a sinful hour! This game will bring the bait cast reel back to him! The reel controller is wireless, and puts on a real fight, like a carp would! I picked this out alone, and I'm hoping its a gland slam!

Charlotte Olivia- At four months old, its time for the tried and true, Johnny Jumper! A lot of moms seem to agree, babies have a ball in this old school toy! Mommy bought her the masculine of the toy fabric choices. My Charlie girl seems to be the type to choose blue with green frogs before hot pink with purple flowers! Daddy bought her a neat toy called a "Bat and Waddle Penguin." The toy is a play on the old blow up buddy that's weighted down at the center, so that no matter how hard you hit, he always pops back up! Its height is about that of a 6 month baby sitting unsupported. That said, it should also be mentioned that this is a 6 month toy. Using a few C batteries, the penguin giggles and laughs every time your baby bats or pushing him over, or actually, even just nudges him! I can see a few parents thinking the noise comes out too easily, but I like the idea of encouraging Charlotte O to keep trying, even if he little arms aren't yet fully in control of where they end up! Lastly, the penguin friend's belly is fully of a few little "ball pit" type balls that roll around inside, visible to baby! We plan on stuffing her stocking with teethers, a few small toys, and maybe a pair of shoes!

• Melissa- My sister is notoriously hard to shop for. She never tries anything on, returns anything, likes anything, hates anything, is indifferent to anything--in short, i can never tell if she likes my gift at all, and I never seem to ever hear anything about it again. Haha. So this year, I got her something I WOULD want. An outfit. A cute tank, that will be a staple piece year round, and a dressy black shrug with gold beading to finish it off! The shrug is comfortable enough for her job, but certainly funky enough to wear on the town. I felt it was a fun purchase. One moms dont make for themselves, often. She deserved something just for HER.

Ben and Kenzie- My brother and sister in law suffer from the same hard-to-shop-for-syndrome that affects my sister and father each year. Really, it runs in the family. I'm always trying to buy them some weird, kitchy appliance. I almost bought them the cupcake maker, today at Target. Six cupcakes baked in a cute purple contraption on your counter, in only ten minutes! Somehow, though, I never see these appliances on the counter, and I eat over there regularly enough to know. So, I finally used some common sense. I decided to get them something they would actually USE. For whatever reason, the street my brother and sister in law's family resides on, isn't serviced for cable or satellite. Its a sad day when there are NO television or Internet options for these people! So this is a family that watches a lot of movies. Lots and lots of movies. It seems like every other day they are buying new movies, or rummaging through the old ones trying to find something new. Merry Christmas!! Family Guy, Seasons 5 and 6. (Hey, this is the real world. Parents like Family Guy too. Real ones.)

• Mike (Our Oldest Nephew, too old for toys)- Hes 16 and too school for cool! 1600 Microsoft Xbox live points. I cannot stress this enough: You can hardly ever go wrong with this gift. Kids, teens, and adults alike NEED xbox live points. Not only do we need these points to buy games and upgrades, but zune is chock full of things like Salute Your Shorts, and the above mentioned, Family Guy! All of this media costs points, and before you know it, you've bought an entire season of a 90s teen comedy/drama set in a fictional summer camp you wish you went to. Microsoft Xbox live points are always a good choice. And if you aren't sure they are on xboxlive? When in doubt, get an itunes gift card instead :)
 

 

Sam and Charlotte Olivia by the tree 12/08

 

And So ends my quick gift overview, of my more notable gifts. Maybe something along these lines could work for a family or friend of yours. I survived Christmas shopping happy this year, because I got gifts my loved ones will use, without breaking the bank. My best advice, friends, is to STAY ON BUDGET! Don't kid yourself into believing you ll figure in new expenses where a budget cant budge. YOU WONT. Christmas will come and go with the worry about bills and making ends meet. Don't put yourself of your family in that position. The holidays are about giving, but more importantly, about love and reflection. I want CharlieO to remember the smell of pine and of my burnt sugar cookies at Christmas, before she remembers how many toys she got that year. I want her to remember how many episodes of Seinfeld her mommy and daddy watched on one of his Holiday vacation days, just to lounge around and have a lazy family day. In short, I want her to remember what Christmas was like in her house. Not what she GOT for Christmas. We are blessed to be able to afford to give to others, and so we do. I just try to remember that after the season, comes January and then February and then March. Time marches on, and our family is saving for a cubbie's college one day! 

 

Sam

 

Welcome to ArtistrybySam: MOMMY EDITION!

 Being that this is my first post, I thought Id tell anyone reading a bit more about myself, my life, and those around me. The products, recipes, places to go, things to see, and activities to try--or not to, are applied to my every day lifestyle. Maybe yours is different or maybe its the same, but in my short time as a mom and as a student of life, Ive figured out we can learn MUCH from one another :)

Sam

Here I am, in all my dragged out glory, for Halloween 2010. I'm a makeup artist! Over the years Ive gone from look to look, line to line, trend to trend, and client to client to compile my many makeup/fashion lists of must haves, timeless do's, and forever dont's! I never get tired of trading tools and tricks and sharing my opinions on everything Ive tried! 

Charlotte Olivia, 4 months

Charlotte O will be another huge blog contributor! Besides taking you guy's along while she grows, learns, and plays, I'll be letting you know what does and doesn't work for my cub! Toys, tv, parks, and playtime, only name a few of the topics Charlie will tackle!

Troy, 27

 

Troy is my boyfriend of five years and best friend of six. Through ups and downs, sickness and health, heaven and even hell, my mate has stood by my side. Hes now one half of Charlotte Olivia's parents, a selfless provider, a good ol' boy, and one heck of a Call of Duty: Black Ops player. Troy gives me the whats what on games, gadgets, fish breeds, and loads more! Around the blog, he will certainly show up from time to time!

So follow along if you're interested in my continuing adventures in cooking, my fav beauty products of the moment, the music that's keeping me moving through errands and other chores, the baby babble I'm jugging, and anything else that lands on my plate!