Secret Sneaky Friend

My Secret Sneaky Friend this week is Whitney over at That Girl and her pug!

Whitney is undoubtedly a fashionista. She has an adorable little pug named Ida Claire. Whitney makes me laugh several times a week. She was one of my very first followers and her blog was one of my very first makeovers. I loved getting to know her better, and I'm sure you will, too! :)

Welcome, Whitney!

What do you want most from blogging? Lauren

I want to enjoy it. It is such a creative outlet for me. I love that I have 149 followers, but honestly even if I had 0 I would still blog because I love it. I get all my feelings/thoughts/opinions down and I love being able to go back and see how I felt or what I thought at a certain point and time.

You can only wear one accessory for the rest of your life...which do you choose? Whitney
Well, this is my question that I submitted but it is the hardest one for me to answer. I'm going to go with earrings. My grandma taught me at a very young age that even if you didn't wear any other accessory, you should always wear earrings because they take about 2 seconds to put on, but they make such a positive difference in your appearance.

Do you have a daily routine with your children or do you pretty much go with the flow? Alicia
Well, I don't have children, but I do have a daily routine that I pretty much like to stick to. My alarm first goes off at about 6:20. I snooze it til about 6:40. I then get up and do my morning workout. It's usually the 30 Day Shred or walking/running in my neighborhood. I start getting ready about 7:30 and leave my house at 8:15ish to commute to work. I get to work around 8:45-9ish and work til 5:30 most days. My nights are spent with dinner and running errands. I also watch several television shows that take up some evenings. I usually have a meal plan for the week because I'm naturally a planner and I like to have everything laid out the way I want it.

What is the most unexpected thing that has happened to your blog or yourself during your time spent blogging? Vicky
The most unexpected thing to happen, I think, is the fact that I have followers!!! When I first started blogging, I was under the impression that you knew everyone "in real life" that you followed and that followed you. So, it was a surprise to say the least when I started acquiring followers and I found other blogs that I loved. It is still funny to me to log onto blogger and see that I have over 1 follower, much less over 100! My mom is amazed too; she always says, "I can't believe people you don't know care about your life!"

How did you get into blogging?- Deb
I got into blogging because of my friend Tracy, who writes the blog Trace's Space. She is one of my real life BFFs and she kept nagging me to start a blog. So, in July of 2007 I did. And I kept blogging for about 3 posts and I just kind of fizzled out. I wasn't sure I was cut out for blogging because I'm such a verbally and visually expressive person that I felt my personality wasn't being adequetly translated into the blog world. But, one year later something just struck me to start a blog again, and this time it stuck! I'm celebrating my one year "blogoversary" this month and I'm so glad every day that I stumbled back into this world!

Are you named after anyone significant or unusual?- Deb
Not really, although my mom had my name picked out for a very long time - even before she was married. She always loved the name Whitney. Now my middle name is a family name. I share it with my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and if I don't use it on my daughter{if I have one} I might or might not be written out of my mother's will. Ha! When I was little I hated my first name and I would often change it to whatever I liked at the time! My 1st grade teacher even called a special conference with my parents to discuss the possibility of an identity crisis because I was writing my "new names" on my school papers. I was a difficult child.

Are you where you imagined you'd be in high school? If your high school self saw you today, what would she say? Deb
I'm nowhere near where I thought I would be at this point, and I have actually spent the better part of 2009 reconciling myself to that fact. You see, as I previously mentioned, I am a planner. I plan everything. It's in my nature, it is part of my job and I just like to have things laid out a certain way. I'm also a little bit of a control freak. I like things how I like them, when I like them. Well, God had different plans for my life. I was supposed to be married with one child and one on the way by this time. Well, I don't have a child, I'm not pregnant and I'm not married. And, that's ok. My time will come and I have well learned by the age of 25 that God's timing is the perfect timing and I just need to wait and be content in Him.

Who has had the most influence on your life?- CC
My parents. I still look to their approval for many things.

What is your favorite way to relax? septembermom
In a float in the pool with the radio on. There is nothing better.

What kind of humor/comedian makes you laugh?- septembermom
I love, what I call, "sitcom humor" or "conversational humor." Shows like FRIENDS, Will & Grace, How I Met Your Mother....they all have a mix of subtle and outright humor and I love love love it.

Are you a talker in the real world?- Miti
Absolutely.

What sound do you love? What sound do you hate?- Heidi
I love the sound of stilettos on hard surfaces, babies laughing, gravel under tires, my mother's singing voice and the sound of typing on a computer keyboard. I hate the sound of nails on a chalkboard, Fantasia Barrino's singing voice, pens clicking and belching.

If you could have free plastic surgery - one procedure - which one and why? Heidi
I would invent a procedure that would make my feet smaller. I have large feet and it is hard to find cute shoes that come in my size, 10 or 11. I always say I'm going to design and make my own.

You're on death row (naughty, naughty!) and you are getting ready to eat your LAST MEAL. What is it?- Heidi
Chick Fil A #1 with a Diet Lemonade.

Chocolate Lava Cake for dessert.

How often do you get a pedicure? - Mama Sewell
About once a month. Sometimes every 2 months. I wish I had the funds to do it weekly because I sooo would.

If you could go back in time and erase one super embarrassing moment what would it be?- Mama Sewell

Throwing up in Mrs. Dixon's 3rd grade class. It was terrible.

If you made the laws in our country what changes would you make to our justice system regarding crimes against children?-Mama Sewell
I have absolutely zero tolerance for crimes against children, however I believe that we don't do enough to attempt to rehabilitate the criminals who commit these crimes. I would institute a program that specialized in pedophiles and other crimes of a pediatric nature and make sure that these felons are given enough training and counseling to go back into the real world{if that is what their sentence allows.} However, any crimes of a sexual nature should carry a minimum of 25 year without the possibility of parole.

Thanks for being a guest on my blog, Whitney! Any parting thoughts?
Thank you so much Jill, for having me!

You can find Whitney over at That Girl and her pug! Click here to check her out and leave her a little comment love!
Secret Sneaky Friend is a weekly feature on my blog, which came to be after I realized that many of my blogging friends did not know each other. I decided to remedy that situation by showcasing a different blogging friend every week. It is my hope that my readers will get to know each other better, and in turn, form new friendships! :)

My guest bloggers are asked to pick and choose which questions they would like to answer from a list that was generated by my readers. If you have a question you'd like to add to the list, leave it in my comment section or shoot me an email. The more the merrier!

I've had several people ask how they can become a Secret Sneaky Friend. I wrote a post this past spring asking readers to contact me if they would like to be a guest on my blog. Several people responded and now we're booked through November! If you would like to sign up, email me and let me know. :)

To view all past Secret Sneaky Friend guest posts, click here!

Someone's Been Very Sneaky

This weekend we headed to the Hill Country to visit Lane's family. Life slows way down out there, as we are quite literally in the middle of nowhere. No cell phone reception and up until recently, no high speed internet connection. No Target for miles. What's a girl to do?

On Sunday, we spent the day lounging around the house and exploring the ranch. The girls were absolutely worn out by mid afternoon and needed a nap. They do not sleep well away from home, so we knew it would be a challenge. Lauren went down easily, but Landry was a different story. Lane went in to check on her and discovered that she had gotten into our suitcase and found her 'toothy messin'.

Nothing remained in the bottle. We raced around the room looking for signs that she had hopefully poured it out rather than consumed it. No such luck. Half a bottle of Children's Motrin had gone down the hatch.

We got on the phone with poison control. Of all the stuff she has gotten into, we knew that this was the one that would land us in the ER. The poison control person was friendly (as she always is) and told us that the amount of Children's Motrin she had ingested was not toxic. That she would probably have a tummy ache for the next few hours, but would be fine.

Whew! A bullet dodged, now time for the guilt to set in. Obviously the lid wasn't screwed on tight enough. What on earth were we thinking leaving her alone in the room with our things?

Landry, however, was a little sticky, but fine. She was so cute, hiding her face behind her hands and being unusually quiet. She knew she had done something she wasn't supposed to do.

We never saw any signs of a tummy ache. My father-in-law, who is a pharmacist, said that she would probably get pretty sleepy. She didn't. The only thing we noticed that was out of the ordinary was that she practically ate her weight in food the rest of the day. Our little girl had the munchies. :)

We wonder what our next adventure with her will be!

I have been incredibly busy lately. I did a few makeovers for Tiffany over at The Boren Life last week. Tiffany and her husband have two small boys. Jason is currently serving our country in Iraq. If you haven't met them yet, head over there and check 'em out! This week I have a HUGE makeover to do and another one lined up after that. Should be fun! I soooooo love the design process.

Hope you all have a wonderful week! :)

Our Girl Likes To Party All The Time!

Landry had a great time at her birthday party!

All of her friends and cousins came to celebrate with us.

The kids loved playing outside in the big backyard.

We had Landry's favorite dinner: pizza and raw veggies.

She hit her very first softball.

The bakery did an amazing job making her Bolt birthday cake girly!

Landry beamed and clapped as we sang Happy Birthday to her.

She opened up lots of awesome presents. Thank goodness one of them was a toybox!

All too soon it was time for everyone to go home. What a wonderful day!

I'm participating in a yearlong mommy photo challenge. Head on over to Carin's blog to join us! :)

Secret Sneaky Friend

My Secret Sneaky Friend for this week is: Sheryl from We Are Never Alone!

Sheryl has been married to her wonderful husband for over 18 years. She is the mother of two teenage girls, one of which just graduated from high school. Sheryl is a devoted Christian who loves sharing her faith with others.

Welcome, Sheryl!!!

What do you want most from blogging? Lauren
I started my blog in the hopes to spread the word and love of Jesus Christ, and to let people see that being a Christian doesn't mean that you can't have fun. I have tried to share my ups, downs, and just plain stupid moments in life but I know God is with me and will get me through it all.

You can only wear one accessory for the rest of your life...which do you choose? Whitney
I would wear my wedding ring. Actually, as I reflect, that's pretty much all I wear now.

Do you have a daily routine with your children or do you pretty much go with the flow? Alicia
I have two daughters one of which graduated from high school this year and the other will be a junior this fall. So, because of pure age we don't have a daily routine together except for dinner (we try to have dinner together each night, but that doesn't always work due to work schedules).

What is the most unexpected thing that has happened to your blog or yourself during your time spent blogging? Vicky
I'm an just an ordinary person living an ordinary life. I am amazed at all of the new friends I have made through blogging and the repeat visits that my blog gets. Not only have those friends lifted my spirits but I have learned so much from them and their posts. I wouldn't trade my blogging friends for anything.

How did you get into blogging?- Deb
My friend Dee over at Jumping Tadium started her blog and I really liked it. I hadn't really given blogging a thought actually I didn't know what blogging really was until then. I thought to myself, if I were to blog who would want to read what I have to say, I'm just me. I thought about it for quiet awhile and decided to use my blog to share my life and faith in Jesus Christ.

Are you named after anyone significant or unusual?- Deb
Nope, not named after anyone special that I know of.

Are you where you imagined you'd be in high school? If your high school self saw you today, what would she say? Deb
That is an interesting question, while we're in high school we think we already know it all. We have our lives all planned out. But in reality we don't know a thing. College wasn't in my high school life plans because my parents just couldn't afford it. During the summer after my senior year God blessed me with a way to go to a business school so I went into accounting. After graduation of college I managed fast food, supervised customer service for a utility company, taught for Head Start which I absolutely loved and am now working as a bookkeeper (accounting). With the limited knowledge my high school self would have had I am sure I would be disappointed in myself, then we have such a different definition of success.

Who has had the most influence on your life?- CC
I feel my wonderful life mate, husband and father to my children has had the most influence on my life. He was raised in a christian home going to church each Sunday. He was never interested in going out and drinking and raising a ruckus. I on the other hand enjoyed going out each night and began to drink quite a bit. At that point in my life I believed in Jesus Christ and went to church but did it more out of 'that's what you're supposed to do'. Through his example I began to go to church with a new understanding and looking for a relationship with God.

How did you meet your hubby? Elaine
My husband and I actually graduated from the same class. We dated a little bit in our junior year but other then that we were just friends. About 7 years after graduation my mom passed away and he had gone to the funeral home and left a card for me. I called him to say thanks, we started to see each other on the weekends up until I had to move to IL in October. We communicated while I was gone and he even came out for a weekend but we decided that if we had the opportunity we would date other people. A year later I moved back to my home town, we started dating regularly again and the rest is history.

What is your favorite way to relax? septembermom
First and foremost I love to nap, however, that is not my only form of relaxation. I love to read, write, and watch movies. I love being outside and enjoying the nature that is around me. As I reflect on this answer it is no wonder I am over weight. I really need to find a more active way to relax.

What kind of humor/comedian makes you laugh?- septembermom
The humor that makes me laugh most is "life". If we didn't life about it we would just go crazy.

What was the most embarrassing shopping trip with your kids? Tiffany
My girls really were pretty good when we would go shopping. Yeah they did the I want this and that all of the time but they never threw any fits and usually always stayed right beside me, however, there was one time when we went to Subway for lunch. It was bad enough that I just dropped my large pop all over the floor in front on the pop dispenser but 1/2 through our meal I notice that then dd6 was not eating. I asked her where her sandwich was and she said, crying, "it's on the flooooooor." Sure enough I look under the table and there was her sandwich-all over. I swear there must have been an entire head of shredded lettuce on the sandwich (ok on the floor now). I'm sure the employees could not wait until we left and would have asked us not to return if they could.

What sound do you love? What sound do you hate?- Heidi
I love the sound of silence. I also love to just listen to nature whether it be a babbling brook, a singing bird, or playing children. I do not like loud harsh sounds.

If you could have free plastic surgery - one procedure - which one and why? Heidi
If I could have only one free plastic surgery procedure it would have to be a tummy tuck. I feel that my tummy is my worse physical feature.

You're on death row (naughty, naughty!) and you are getting ready to eat your LAST MEAL. What is it?- Heidi
Steak, baked potato w/ all the toppings and a salad.

How often do you get a pedicure? - Mama Sewell
I had my one and only pedicure about 8 years ago. Let me tell you the feet tell no lies, it's time for another one.

If you could go back in time and erase one super embarrassing moment what would it be?- Mama Sewell
At the time I was a supervisor for a long distance operating center. We had a full floor off about 200 operators working at the time. I had just finished my rounds on the floor walking around and through all of those operators answering any questions. I then proceeded to the back to make some copies when a male supervisor came up to me - stood right beside me (not looking at me) and said "your skirt is tucked up in your pants." What I didn't tell you was I had gone to the bathroom right before I made those rounds. Apparently I had tucked my full skirt into my panty hose when I was finishing business in the bathroom and proceeded to walked around the floor showing off my back half. I am not sure I have every been so embarrassed. Not being able to find my manager to let her know what happened I just left for the day. There was no way I could go back out in front of all those people.

Thanks for being a guest on my blog, Sheryl! Any parting thoughts?
I hope I didn't bore or scare off any of your readers. I am really honored to be one of your guest bloggers. Your questions have brought back so many wonderful memories. We really need to take time more often to reflect on the past.

You can find Sheryl over at We Are Never Alone. Make a new friend today!Hop on over there and give her a little comment love!

Secret Sneaky Friend is a weekly feature on my blog, which came to be after I realized that many of my blogging friends did not know each other. I decided to remedy that situation by showcasing a different blogging friend every week. It is my hope that my readers will get to know each other better, and in turn, form new friendships! :)

My guest bloggers are asked to pick and choose which questions they would like to answer from a list that was generated by my readers. If you have a question you'd like to add to the list, leave it in my comment section or shoot me an email. The more the merrier!

I've had several people ask how they can become a Secret Sneaky Friend. I wrote a post this past spring asking readers to contact me if they would like to be a guest on my blog. Several people responded and now we're booked through November! If you would like to sign up, email me and let me know. :)

To view all past Secret Sneaky Friend guest posts, click here!

Fireworks and 10/52

Lauren has a fascination with fireworks.

Every morning when she wakes up, she tells us about how she dreamed about fireworks the night before. The story is different every single time, always a tale involving her beloved kitty and froggy friend. What does she think her sister dreams about? Thunder!

Anyways, when we were given the opportunity to see a huge fireworks show up close and personal, we jumped at it. We headed over to the big open field just east of town for what promised to be a dazzling display. It seemed as if every person in the county showed up to see the show. We were somewhat concerned about the huge crowd, but turns out, when you're gathering in a ten acre field, there's plenty of room for everyone and then some.

We trudged our way through the grass and laid down our beach towels (Hello Kitty and Dora, if you must know!). Lauren was barely able to contain her excitement. Landry was ready to get the heck out of Dodge, ready to get back to her beloved Agos (Diego) video in the car, ready to get home and hop in bed. So, we had a fun time trying to entertain her. We weren't exactly sure how she would react to the fireworks. Turns out, she prefers the view from behind her fingers the best. :)

Lauren loved watching the show and listening to the patriotic music in the background. Every burst of light that filled the sky was accompanied by an excited little girl shouting out the name of a color. "Red!" "Yellow!" "Purple and Green!"

As I sat there with my family, I couldn't help but remember the time I helped put on a dangerous fireworks show like that one. Truly one of the top ten best experiences of my life...

Overall, we had a really good time. We can't wait until next year's show. Hopefully by then I'll have a camera that takes a decent picture without a flash. Ha! A girl can dream...

What we CAN wait for, though, are the tons of tiny side fireworks shows that went off all over the town throughout the night last night. Somehow the POP! of fireworks just isn't as cool without the sparks that accompany it.

Especially when you're three and a half and having a hard time getting to sleep. :)

Happy 4th of July!

We had a wonderful evening, a major change of what we were planning to do, but a wonderful evening nonetheless.

We began our festivities with a cookout at my mom and dad's house with my sister and her family. The kids splashed around in the pool and had a great time hanging out with their Mop and Pop.

Around 8:00, we left and headed out to watch the big fireworks show in our town. It was amazing! Our oldest has an absolute fascination with fireworks. Perhaps a post for Wednesday??? :)

Our original plans called for us to be on the highway with all the inebriated people as we headed home in the middle of the night. Feels good to be home early and for my family to be safe under our roof.

I've missed you guys. The beach was FABULOUS! Can't wait to tell you all about it, as well as catch up on what you are up to!

I hope that you are all home safe and sound and had a GREAT time tonight as you celebrated our country's independence. For those of you who do not live in the US, I'm curious. Did you do anything to celebrate our holiday? Like fireworks? :)

Secret Sneaky Friend

My Secret Sneaky Friend this week is Kerri from Messes and Mudpies!

Kerri is a stay at home mom. She makes and sells the most adorable (and yummy looking!) handmade soaps. She is a such a sweet blogging friend. I hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as I did! :)

Please welcome......Kerri!

What do you want most from blogging? Lauren
To express myself. That's the reason I started blogging. For awhile I got pretty obsessed with how many comments I got. But I soon learned that this has to be about expressing myself, not getting a bunch of readers. Now, i could care less about how many "followers I have". In fact, I've considered just turning my comments off, but I do like building relationships with people through my blog. Mostly, I'd love to have my blog put into book form so that when I'm gone my children can read my words. Although sometimes my writing isn't worthy of putting into a book! I need to write more from the heart and about my life.

You can only wear one accessory for the rest of your life...which do you choose? Whitney
I would say my wedding ring, but I haven't worn it for a while now since the prongs are wearing and it's so expensive to fix! So, I will say earrings. I never used to wear them until a year ago. Now I wear them almost everyday. I just look a lot better with earrings!

Do you have a daily routine with your children or do you pretty much go with the flow? Alicia
We somewhat have a daily routine like chores and stuff, but we always seem to be so busy, so we just take one day at a time and do what' s on the calender. My life is pretty crazy and I am really craving more sit down time with my kids.

If you were stranded on an island with your Mother in law what would you do? Robyn
I'm sure we would come up with crafts to do using things from the island. We both love crafting. I'd definitely find animal fat and make ashes to use for soap making!

What is the most unexpected thing that has happened to your blog or yourself during your time spent blogging? Vicky
I was able to start my own business making and selling homemade soaps. Many of the things I learned from blogging and reading other blogs gave me the knowledge to be able to do this.

Are you where you imagined you'd be in high school? If your high school self saw you today, what would she say? Deb
I can honestly say I am living my dream. Mostly I wanted to get married to a great guy, have kids and raise them to know that they are children of God and to follow Him, which I am doing. So, I think my teenage self would be happy and proud with what I have become and how I'm living my life.. Of course there are still things that I have always wanted, but haven't reached yet. Those things will all come in time.

Who has had the most influence on your life?- CC
My mother. She has always been such a great example to me of doing the right thing. She is nearly perfect. I love my mom.

How did you meet your hubby? Elaine
We worked together cleaning offices. Actually we just trained together. I thought he was about 24 or so, but found out he was only 16. I was 19. It was very much an emotional attraction for me. We married very young. I can look back now and say that I would've done things differently, but we have made things good for our relationship and our family, and I know it was part of God's plan for us to meet and be together.

What is your favorite way to relax? septembermom
I love to watch TV while I eat comfort food.

What kind of humor/comedian makes you laugh?- septembermom
I love Adam Sandler. He's way funny. Jim Carey on the other hand, is just obnoxious

Are you a talker in the real world?- Miti
Yes I am. Sometimes I wonder if people wish I'd give them more of a chance to talk. I talk about myself and my own life a lot. I need to listen and ask questions more.

What sound do you love? What sound do you hate?- Heidi
I love waking up in the morning during spring and summer with the window open and hearing the sound of the birds chirping outside. Also waterfalls. I love nature sounds. I hate the sound of really loud exhausts on trucks. And sometimes other peoples kids' cries really bug me!

If you could have free plastic surgery - one procedure - which one and why? Heidi
Oh, man. I don't know if I really would do it, but I could think of many areas. Liposuction (to remove my saddlebags). A nose job. And definitely breast enhancement after having and nursing 4 kids!

You're on death row (naughty, naughty!) and you are getting ready to eat your LAST MEAL. What is it?- Heidi
Mexican food. Like chicken enchiladas with sour cream and guacamole and refried beans.

How often do you get a pedicure? - Mama Sewell
I've never had a professional pedicure. I just do all the foot stuff myself. My 11 year old daughter painted my toenails for me last week though. It was a new copper color and it looks awesome with my gold studded brown sandals.

What is the most surprising part of blogging? amanda
How nice people are. I have been on other message boards where people are really mean to each other. But bloggers are mostly nice.

Thanks for being a guest on my blog, Kerri! Any parting thoughts? Thanks for having me on your blog! I know usually when we read someones blog, we don't get a sense of what they are like in real life, so hopefully this will show a little more of myself! Thanks Jill!

You can find Kerri over at Messes and Mudpies!Say hello and make a new friend! :)



Click on the above button to check out her handmade soap shop. Her cupcake bath bombs look amazing!