Hi New Followers!

Hi new followers! I know most of you are here b/c of the FitBit giveaway, but now its over and you're all still here! I'm amazed at how many of you chose to follow and then stay! Thank you! I love to "meet" fellow bloggers, and I'm humbled and honored that you chose my little piece of the web to visit!

So I just wanna do a quick "get to know me" post for all the newbies around here :) I'm Amber, and I'm the person behind the blog. I blog about my absolutely fabulous baby going on toddler, Charlotte, and my stud muffin hubby, Joe. I sometimes talk about our crazy dog Keech too. This blog is what you would call a lifestyle blog. I write about our lives basically. I occasionally participate in a giveaway, or do a guest blog post. I try to blog regularly, but the life happens and Ill go quiet for a bit. So here's some things about me that all my real life people know.
1. I'm the oldest of 5 kids. It's really shaped how I parent my own daughter, and it keeps me young ;)
2. I'm an Air Force brat. My dad retired when I was in high school, and I'm lucky enough to have lived in some pretty cools places.
3. I'm a borderline hoarder. Definitely packrat. I'm working on it! Haha
4. I monogram EVERYTHING I can! It's a southern thing. I just can't help myself.
5. There, they're, and their. Your and you're. Learn them, live them, love them.
5. I 80% hate Facebook. All people do is bitch, or brag, and it makes me crazy. I'm not one of those people who puts all my business on Facebook, so it bugs me when other people do. To each their own.
6. I am a conservative republican who believes in gay marriage.
7. I went to a private all women's college and loved every minute.
8. I say stupid things out loud all the time, and then realize it immediately afterwards and feel like a dumbass. I'm really smart in real life, but you wouldn't always know it by the things I say sometimes.
9. My sister and I loathed each other until I left for college, and now she's my BFF.
10. I'm a preschool teacher.

And those are some random things about me! If you stick around, you'll get to know me better!

Please introduce yourself in the comments if you'd like! I always respond to comments, and I love hearing from you!

Lunch with Dada

Sometimes we're lucky, and Joe will have a slow work day and we can swing by Battalion and do lunch with him. We had the perfect opportunity the other day. I had a million errands to run on Post that morning, and then I was going running with Erin later that afternoon, and lunch time was right in the middle. Usually it doesn't work out and he'll be in a meeting or something, but this time he was free. I love going to see him at work too! I have friends up there, and everybody finds Charlotte absolutely fabulous, and it's always nice to do something different and see the hubs in the middle of the day. We ate lunch in the Battalion classroom since it was empty, and Charlotte and Joe proceeded to have one of the sweetest moments I have ever seen. She wanted to run around and explore, which was totally fine. At one point she walked up to Joe, took his hand, and pulled for him to get up, and just wanted to walk around with him and talk to him. My heart nearly melted on my chest. We have such a sweet baby girl! Hopefully she'll stay this sweet towards us :)

Fit Bit Giveaway!

Was one of your new years resolutions to lose some weight or just be healthier?  Could you use a little help making sure you actually stick to this resolution?

Well then we have a giveaway for you!

If you want to turn fitness into a lifestyle, the One™ is for you. For starters, it never rests. During the day, it tracks your steps, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed. Come nightfall, it measures your sleep cycle, helps you learn how to sleep better, and wakes you in the morning. The One™ motivates you to reach your goals by bringing greater fitness into your life – seamlessly, socially, 24 hours a day.

This little guy will sync wirelessly to your phone, computer or tablet.  It tracks the steps you've taken, the stairs you've climbed, the calories burned, the distance traveled, the amount of sleep you've gotten and the quality of the sleep you've gotten!  

I'm teaming up with these wonderful ladies to give one of these to one lucky winner!

1//Kristyn
2//Amber
3//Lauren
4//Halie
5//Melissa
6//Natalie

This will definitely be my next purchase.  But you can win one now!  

You'll get:

The One™ tracker 

Silicone and metal clip

Wireless USB dongle

Charging cord

Sleep wrist band

Free Fitbit.com membership – includes ability to log and track activity, food, sleep, water, body mass, weight, and more

The giveaway will run from Tuesday, January 15, 2013 until Monday, January 21, 2013 at midnight.  We will announce the winner on Tuesday, January 22, 2013.

The winner's entry requirements will be VERIFIED and I will choose another winner if the person choosen did not do everything they say they did.

So what are you waiting for?  Enter below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Liebster Award!

Thank you for nominating me Christina! I'm super excited, and humbled! People other than my mom read my blog! Yay!

The Rules

1. List 11 facts about yourself.

2. Answer the 11 questions given to you.

3. Create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award.

4. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or less followers to nominate.

5. Go to each bloggers page and let them know about the award.

6. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.

ELEVEN FACTS

1. I am the oldest of 5 kids. Two girls and three boys. 

2. I had 5 majors in college before deciding on Mass Communication.

3. I HATE painting my fingernails. I'm a nail biter, so it's tricky anyway :)

4. I am addicted to designer purses. I got a Louis for Christmas, and he's my new bff.

5. My daughter got her first name while I was high on morphine. I was passing a kidney stone 20 weeks pregnant, and my husband decided then was a good time to name her. 

6. I'm the traitor in my family. I come from a long line of Air Force, and married the Army. Oops...

7. I should've been an adult in the '50's. I'm a bake from scratch, wear my pearls while vacuuming kinda girl.

8. I'm a Libra so I'm kinda vain. I love pictures of myself, and when I was little I'd stare at myself in the mirror. Motherhood had humbled me.

9. I'm a borderline hoarder. I keep all kinds of crap. I don't keep trash or anything, but things like birthday or Christmas cards don't usually end up in the trash like they should. My husband LOVES that about me. Haha

10. I'm secretly 4 years old. I find Laffy Taffy jokes hilarious, love to color with my daughter, and Disney and I are tight. 

11. I'm a preschool teacher. Oh yeah, the Mass Comm. degree? I'm totally using it while singing Itsy Bitsy Spider for the bazillionth time to 3 year olds. I do truly have the best job ever.  

  

MY ELEVEN QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

{1} What is your most embarrassing moment?

    This happened recently actually! We were out on date night with my sister and Scooter, and I had had 3 sips of a margarita. Nothing serious, and I barely drink anyway, so seriously, I was fine. But I got up out of my seat to whisper something to my sister across the table, and my seat fell back behind me. I didn't know this, and when I went to go sit back down, I busted my ass in front of the entire bar. Needless to say, I was watched like a hawk when we left. I would never drink and drive btw. 

{2} Look to your right. What are five things that you see?

      Baby toys, baby toys, baby toys, baby toys, and the fireplace. Seriously, my house is a freaking baby toy disaster. I'll get specific though: Sit-N-Spin, buggy (shopping cart to you non-southerners), soccer ball, and eleventy million books.

{3} What was the last thing you ate?

     Grilled chicken, lemon pepper broccoli, and sauteed potatoes with onions and Parmesan cheese.  And a funfetti sugar cookie.

{4} What is your best childhood memory?

      When I was a kid, we had a paper route that we did with my mom after school. It was a driving one, not a bike one, that took about 3 hours. It was how my mom was able to be a SAHM and still help support our family. It was awesome. We had the best subscribers who left us candy in their paper boxes, and I could throw a paper hundreds of feet and get it on the front porch, or get it in the paper box without my mom having to stop the car. I should've played softball haha

{5} What is your favorite season and why?

    Fall! For one, my birthday is in the fall. And two, the weather. It's warmish during the day, but chilly at night. It's jeans and tshirt kind of weather. And its the most beautiful then too. Everything is turning colors. Love it.

{6} What was the last book that you read? Did you like it?

      Haha. Mr. Brown Can Moo. Can You? By. Dr. Seuss. And yeah, I liked it ok. The bebe loves it.

{7} When did you start blogging and why?

      I started blogging in August 2011 b/c I was pregnant. We're down her in GA/AL and our families are in NC, so it was a way for them to be a part of the pregnancy while being so far away.

{8} How many siblings do you have?

     4. 1 sister and 3 brothers.

{9} What is your favorite piece of technology?

      Eh. I could live without technology really, but probably my cell phone. I can talk to the people I love, and still Google things that need to be Googled.

{10} Do you have a favorite family recipe?

        Oh Lord this is a tough one! I'm from the south, so pretty much everything is a deliciously cherished family recipe! But probably my mom's sauteed mushrooms and onions. The secret is a stick of butter. Yes, an entire stick. It's amazing.

{11} What type of car do you drive?

       A grey Kia Sportage. It's not a mini-van, but one day :)

 

 

MY ELEVEN QUESTIONS FOR YOU 

1. Where did you grow up?

2. When and why did you start blogging?

3. If you could be any Disney princess, which one would you be and why?

4. Biggest pet peeve(s)?

5. What is one of your favorite childhood memories?

6. Are you a greens or blues person?

7. Pretend you're 5 again. What do you want to be when you grow up?

8. How many siblings do you have? 

9. Are you hot natured or cold natured? Elaborate.

10.  Do you work? If so, doing what? If not, Lucky :)

11. What is one of your favorite blogs to follow? Big or small.

 

MY NOMINATIONS

Mari at Mitchell & Mari 

Brook at the Kincaids 

Heather at The Fox Family 

Tammy at Boston Mom 

Carmela at Blissfully Loved 

Diana at Our Little Moments 

Julia at Home Is Where the Army Sends Us 

 

And that's all I have! I know it isn't eleven, but these are my favorite girls to read that have less than 200 followers. I'm kinda picky about who I read.... But I hope they have as much fun with this as I did, and maybe they have some fabulous ladies to recommend as well! And I want to thank Christina again for nominating me! I was beyond thrilled and excited to get her email. Be sure to check her blog out as well!

 

Religion. And the role it plays in my life.

So I try to stay away from hot button issues on this blog for two reasons. 1. I don't feel like its my place to push my beliefs or opinions on others. I don't appreciate when it's done to me (side-eye Tim Tebow...), so I don't wanna be THAT person. And 2. I don't want any backlash that may occur.

But this is something that's been on my mind more frequently lately. Especially now that I have a daughter. I want her to have a relationship with God, and I want to help nurture that relationship. Everybody who knows me in "real life" knows that I was brought up in the Mormon church, but I don't think it's something I've ever shared on the blog. When I was 4, my parents converted to the LDS church, and that was how I was raised until 17. We did all the things good Mormons do. No caffeine, no smoking, no drinking, modest clothing, church every Sunday, primary and young men and women on Tuesdays. I even received a calling to be the BeeHive President, and then Mia Maid Vice President when I was in young women. And then we moved to Utah.

My dad got orders to Hill AFB when I was 12. We were excited b/c we had been in SC for almost 9 years. That's an incredibly long time to be at any duty station, especially in the Air Force. We were also excited b/c we knew our church relationship would grow exponentially and we were looking forward to that. Unfortunately things didn't work out quite the way we thought. Living in Utah and practicing in Utah showed us a side of the church that we didn't like. We discovered some doctrine that we didn't particularly agree with, or believe in. About a year before we moved to NC, we stopped going to church as often.  I still participated in young women, but my other siblings quit cold turkey. I had a harder time letting go. All of my friends were practicing Mormons, and it was the only religion that I really knew. When we got orders to NC we were thrilled. We're from NC, that's where all of our family is, and we had been away for so long that we were more than excited to be going home. When we got there, we didn't go to church at all. The church pursued us, but my parents made it very clear that we were to not be contacted by them again. 

My parents never pressured me into leaving the church. I was 17, and more than capable of making this decision on my own. I struggled with it for a long time. I prayed, read my Bible, read the Book of Mormon, spoke to friends, and talked in length and depth about it with my mom. She really helped me understand some things that I was confused about, and encouraged me to do what I felt was best for me. After months of crying, and talking, I had finally made my decision. I was no longer a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And I was totally ok with it. I realized that the church didn't line up with my beliefs, and I couldn't be part of something that I didn't wholeheartedly believe in. 

I am a member of the Methodist church now. My parents grew up Methodist, and when they left the LDS church, they went back. I love what they stand for, and how they believe. There are still parts of the Mormon church that I hold near and dear to my heart. I do truly believe that families are forever, but I don't believe you have to go to a temple or be sealed in order to stay a family. I do believe in a chaste and modest lifestyle, and try to practice that in my life, and will encourage my children to do so as well. But I also believe that gay men and women have the right to marry and have families of their own. I also believe that an occasional glass of wine or cocktail is ok. And I don't think a cup of coffee or maybe one day getting a tattoo will destroy my temple of a body. These may sound like petty things, but I didn't want to get into the heavier stuff :)

So our children will be raised in the Methodist church, with maybe a tad of LDS teachings thrown in there. I want my kids to come to their own conclusions about God and religion, and create their own relationship with their Heavenly Father. Charlotte and I have started reading the bible every night before bed. Its the last story we read. We're almost done with Genesis, and she really seems to be enjoying it. 

I may not quote scripture in a Facebook status, end an email with a scripture, or forward on emails that try to guilt me into it by claiming that I'm a non-believer by ignoring it, but I am a christian and I do have a relationship with my Heavenly Father. It's not something that should be put on display by what I say, but by how I conduct and live my life. I think I'm doing an ok job so far. He hasn't informed me otherwise ;)

This hangs in our living room, and can be seen from anywhere in the house. Its probably my favorite piece of decor, other than our family or wedding photos.

I have no hard feelings towards the LDS church, and speak nothing but good things about it. There are many misconceptions about it, so if you have any questions or info you want clarified, please ask! Knowledge is the key to acceptance.

December Cara Box Reveal

So I realize that it is January, but with the holidays, and being out of town for most of the month, things have been crazy in my world, and this is the first chance I've had to get this post done. I've also had drama on my end of the exchange. So anyways, I participated in Kaitlyn from Wifessionals link up that she invented and hosts every month called the CaraBox Exchange. The idea behind it is that everyone loves getting things in the mail. Everyone loves gifts. So why not find a way to connect women bloggers every month, and get to know one another while sending a thoughtful gift? I personally think it's genius. This was my first time participating, and I had a great time with it! I was paired with 2 different women, Tammy and Sarah. I sent to Tammy, and Sarah sent to me. This month's theme was "Holiday Sparkle". Wanna see what I got?!

I got a gold glittery ornament, which matches my tree perfectly, a sparkly gemstone picture frame, pink cupcake sprinkles, 2 glittery notepads, and some vanilla chai scone mix. The baby and I made the scones today, and oh man are they good! I'm not usually crazy about chai things, but I knew Sarah wouldn't send me anything that wasn't amazing!

So about my drama! I mailed Tammy's box to her while we were home in NC for Christmas. For reasons unknown to me or the post office, it was returned. I don't know what the heck happened, and when I talked to somebody at the post office, they couldn't find an explanation in their computers either. This happened with a few Christmas cards we sent out too, so I don't know if its them or if I just have bad luck. But hopefully we've got it squared away, and Tammy should be receiving her gifts soon.

I had a good time with this swap. And I love the fact that it's a monthly thing, and not just at Christmastime. I'll definitely participate again in the future, and I encourage you to do so too :)