8 days.

That's 192 hours I have to get ready for the baby shower. SCARY!

I've been busy trying to get everything together and planned properly so that my BFF has the best baby shower in the whole world! I've been to a few really good ones - my friend Carla's was the best by far - so the bar is pretty high. I've got food and decorations, a preggo BFF, cute clothes for both of us to wear, a pretty handy and helpful little sis that's also bringing a cake and some pretty rad favors. What more does a baby shower need?

Oh yeah - delicious baby shower punch. My favorite part of all. I think I'm going to try a new recipe this time instead of just winging it. Fruity Sherbet Punch sounds just about right.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Inspirational Thoughts on a Sunday Morning

“Paths clear for those who know where they’re going and are determined to get there.”
― Anonymous

I want happiness and health. And have resolved to do it.

Where are you going?

New Year = New Penny...Not really

The obligatory new year blog post - although it's 8 days late. Funny, one of my "things" (as I prefer not to call them resolutions, but instead "things I need to work on") is to blog more. I love writing my little blog - sharing my life with the world. I just don't get to it very often. I'm a busy gal, what can I say?!?!?

Here are the things I'm going to work on in 2012:

• Take Time
• Normally, I rush through my day - from home to work, to lunch breaks, to errands, to home, to laundry, to couponing, to packing lunch, to bed.  I'm always rushing. This year, I'm going to try to enjoy life more by taking the time to smell the roses. 
• This includes making time for: blogging, crafting, painting my nails, visiting my friends, playing with babies, and snuggling with my honey on the couch. You know, the things I do that make me smile and leave me with that warm and fuzzy feeling for days!
• Finish 
• My number one fault is that I have no follow-through. This year, I plan on finishing what I start. Pray for me. I need divine intervention to get on top of this one. I've spent a lifetime saying "I'll work on that later", "I don't feel like doing that anymore" or "I'm done with that".  Being a fickle Gemini, this is just my nature. It's hard to change an innate personality trait, I know, but I'm going to try.

And that's it. I don't get all crazy with the "eat better, exercise more" because it's unrealistic when you rush through your day and don't cook your own meals or get home before dark. That's not a resolution or a "thing to work on" it's an everyday struggle. I've come to terms with the fact that getting a new calendar isn't going to make me skinny or change me into a new person. A new outlook - that will help. 

Cheers to 2012! Wish me luck!

Closing out 2011 with my family

I always say I'm going to be able to blog more, and fully believe it when I think "I'll have lots of time to blog about my trip," but that's far from the case. Right now I have the time because I'm finally uploading my pics from the trip thus far and we have to be quiet and calm because my baby nephew is awake and needed him some pb sammich.

It's been a crazy beautiful week of chillaxin' with my family - got in on Wednesday night, breakfast date with almost the whole NC Kota crew Thursday, Wake Forest v. Yale basketball game, helping my moxie little nieces start their cupcake business, wario playing until the wee hours, grocery shopping, and tonight - the all out best part - a New Year's Eve party with sparkling grape juice, pizza rolls, cheese slices, new nail polish and 6 of the best people I could ever hope to be with to ring in the new year. The only thing missing is my awesome husband. Love you Steve!!

Here's a quick photo montage of the trip -

Go Deacs!

Jordan was cracking Paulie up like crazy!

Yummy, Aunt Penny! Thanks for the orange!

The birth of KD's Cupcakes of Lewisville, NC

This is what the boys did while we 'cupcaked'

By far some of the best frosting I ever ate - Raspberry Buttercream

Decorating!

Hershey's Chocolate cupcake with Raspberry Buttercream, KD's Cupcakes

My moxie gals - Payton and Lydia

Big brother Jordan loves the cupcake business!

The girls made me this. So. stinkin. cute.

dark purple with gold OPI crackle. Perfect nails to bring in the new year!

The littlest bartender with the biggest smile. LOL! (It's juice)

Silly girl Lydia

Jordan getting sick of waiting for the motorcycle guy to jump

They grow up so fast...

I hope you're having as much fun as I am! Happy 2012 to you and yours!
-p.

Sweettarts are too small for the blender.

Sometimes you just have to slow down and think things through. That's just something I can't grasp...especially while creating the latest and greatest concoction in the kitchen.

I've been packing, organizing and getting everything ready for the big move to our new place next weekend.  Steve has done most of the work so far, but I have a feeling that this weekend I'm going to be buried in my "treasures".  While going through my things, I've come across so many recipes in the totes full of paper.  Yes, I did say FULL TOTES  - of recipes, old bank statements, address books, birthday cards, vet bills, you name it. Definitely time to purge.

One of the most interesting recipes I came across was for a Sweettart milkshake. Yummm! So today on my way home from work I had some time to kill before I could pick up the pizza. Friday is always pizza day in the Kerr house, but today we celebrated 11-11-11 by ordering out instead of making our own. But I digress... I stopped at the store and got the ingredients to make the milkshake.

Hours after dinner and one tote of papers more shredded and thrown out, I decide we need a treat break. Steve, he doesn't really need a break, he's been playing video games for hours. The new Skyrim came out yesterday and apparently this game is like football is for the "football widows". Three hundred hours of play. Yep, I'm a widow.

So I go in the kitchen and get everything in the blender and viola! A delicious Friday night treat. Really, you must try it if you have the chance. It is just delightful.

A few words of wisdom - if you take the time to smoosh the sweettarts with your meat tenderizer or rolling pin before you put them in the blender, you'll have a much better outcome. Believe me...or Steve. His words were "Wow! I just got a really in-your-face sip," as his eyes opened wide and he looked like he was about to choke. Yeah...chunks of sweettarts ... eeeks!

I guess the lesson learned is that I should learn to enjoy the creating process as much as relishing the end result. Then maybe I wouldn't have to worry about my husband choking while drinking a milkshake. Geesh!

Lovin' in the oven this Sunday Funday!

So today we've spent the day packing and just milling around the house...and EATING. My goodness - too much. But at least it's been good stuff. Now, I said "good stuff", I did not say "good for me" stuff, which goes against the pact I made with my pal Cris on Tuesday. Yep - the "healthy lifestyle" lasted until Sunday.  


Well, Steve made us some heavenly stromboli for tonight's dinner, idea courtesy of Guy Fieri. Woohoo! I don't have any pics of that, but I saw these delish treats - Candy Overload Cookies - on Crazy for Crust and we're anxiously awaiting the first ones out of the oven!  Thanks for sharing!

www.crazyforcrust.com

Hope y'all have a great week!

blogger barbie.

I can be Barbie ... I never even heard of such a thing until one of my co-workers was making the costume for her daughter.

I want to be a blogger, but I never make the time to write. I always think it has to be more substantial. It doesn't. It isn't going to be big news. I'm not writing for the NY Times. I'm writing for you. I'm going to tell you about what I'm thinking and doing and hopefully you'll follow along on my journeys.

Today I wanted to write. Once I got home, cooked a disgusting box dinner (that I threw out it was so bad) and handed out some candy I'm ready for jammies and my book. I don't feel like writing anymore.

I love Halloween. Seriously LOVE. At my apartment I got 4 trick-or-treaters today. Aunt Joyce said that once she got over 350. That's a lot of candy and WAY more exciting than just 4. But minnie, the monkey, a bee, and some superhero in yellow (now that I think of it, maybe he was the transformer) made my night. Thanks to the little toddlers for coming to get some teddy grahams.

Well, off to read my book and hope that some more kids stop by so I can get rid of these damn blow pops.

ps - just checked the site and there's no blogger barbie. figures.