Category Archives: Musical Monday

Music Monday: Happy Birthday, Soul Sister

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Over the past nine years, I’ve watched my baby become a bright, beautiful little adult although it feels like overnight.

 

You’re growing up right before my eyes in a blink of an eye.

 

You’re kind.  You’re thoughtful and you bring such sunshine into the world with your lovely smile.

 

You may have your Daddy’s nose, but you’ve got you Mama’s boisterous belly laugh.

 

When you’re holding your baby brother, I love how you make him smile and giggle and how you tear up from all the joy your baby brother fills you with one tiny smile.

 

 

Every time I hear Soul Sister on the radio, I think of you belting out the notes and singing along as it blasts out from the car speakers.

 

With your kind, generous, caring nurturing way, you are truly our little soul sister.

 

Happy 9th Birthday, Allana.

 

I love you.

 

xox

 

 

 

Visit Amanda, Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

 

Music Monday: Halloweenies

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As to be expected, our Adult Halloween party was quite the freak fest.  Much like the mood of the entire evening, the costumes and the company were a lot of fun.

 

 

Dressed as Katy Perry and Russell Brand, Erika and John had the best costume once again.

 

 

Tiffany and her husband, Greg, had the cutest costume dressed as Will Schuester and Quinn from Glee.

 

 

As Top Gun, Jackie and Bob were definitely the coolest.

 

But Julie and Jason had the funniest and most creative couples costume.  Can you guess what it was?

 

 

 

This Saturday, the Halloween hoopla continues with our Moms on the Go Family Halloween party.  Not quite as risqué as our adult party, but still a lot of fun.  Every year, I lead the kids’ costume parade with the Monster Mash, followed by our Witch Doctor freeze dance and we wrap the fun with Thriller limbo.

 

 

As you can imagine, I always need a stiff drink and a dead sleep after the kids’ party.  I hope this Halloween is a real treat for you and yours.

 

Happy Halloween!

 

 

 

Visit Amanda, Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

 

Music Monday: Get Ur Freak On

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On Saturday, Allan and I will be hosting our annual adult Halloween party and I am so ready to get my freak on.

 

 

Since I’ve still got a saggy, baggy belly from where my baby bump once was, I am going for comfy and cute for this year’s look.  In case you’re curious about my costume, I’ll give you a hint.

 

 

As we draw closer Halloween, each week I will be sharing my favorite Halloween tunes for Music Monday. Share your favorite spine tingling tunes too… if you dare. Muhahahahahaha!

 

 

Visit Amanda, Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

 

Music Monday: My Candy Girls

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Next to the costumes, Halloween is all about the candy in this house. It’s amazing how a small morsel of sweetness will motivate my daughters to walk miles.

 

 

Yesterday, we visited Sea World’s Spooktacular Halloween. For this spooktacular event, Sea World sets up candy stations for the kids to trick-or-treat along on a path leading to Shamu’s Happy Harbor. I don’t know if it was the excitement of being at Sea World or a sugar rush from all the candy that kept my girls moving all day long. Either way, my candy girls had a great time.

 

Stay tuned for a complete review of our day at Sea World’s Spooktacular Halloween.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we draw closer Halloween, each week I will be sharing my favorite Halloween tunes for Music Monday. Share your favorite spine tingling tunes too… if you dare. Muhahahahahaha!

 

 

Visit Amanda, Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

 

Music Monday: It’s Almost Halloween

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10

I love Halloween.

 

As soon as I spot the pumpkins and the costumes lined up on the shelves in the stores, I am ready to get my freak on.  I’m hosting our adult Halloween party this year and you know a killer time will be had by all.  I can’t wait!

 

Although the stores have been full of the sinful sights and scents of the season for weeks, the weather finally cooled over the past few days and it truly feels almost like Halloween.

 

 

As we draw closer Halloween, each week I will be sharing my favorite Halloween tunes for Music Monday. Share your favorite spine tingling tunes too… if you dare. Muhahahahahaha!

 

Visit Amanda, Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

 

Music Monday: HOBnobbing with Sweet Caroline

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First off, I think it’s only fair to tell you that I am NOT a Neil Diamond fan at all.  Not in the least!  BUT, every time I hear this song, it grows on me, especially when it conjures memories of good times and great friends.

 

Saturday night, we celebrated my hubby’s birthday with friends at one of our favorite watering hole, the House of Brews, which we’ve nicknamed “The HOB”.  On Saturday nights, there’s a decent guitarist and he always includes Sweet Caroline in his set.  Of course, the crowd (mostly made up of us) can’t resist belting out “BA BA BA” in the chorus.  It’s “SO GOOD! SO GOOD SO GOOD” and so much fun to be loud and obnoxious with your friends!

 

 

 

 

 

On another note, I want to thank everyone for linking up and participating in Music Monday with Run DMT for the past month.  Next week, October rolls in and I am ready to sink my teeth into Halloween.  So for the next four weeks, I will be sharing my favorite Halloween tunes. Share your favorite spine tingling tunes too, if you dare.  Muhahahahahaha!

 

 

Visit Amanda, Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

Music Monday: B Girls

Posted on by Run DMT
15

Every busy mom understands and treasures “Me Time”.  Some moms feel guilty about carving a little time in their day to dedicate to themselves.  I am NOT one of those moms.  I crave my Me Time and typically running is my ultimate Me Time, however these days, my Me Time is pretty scarce with an infant.  Although I’ve been able to squeeze in some aerobics when the baby falls asleep, I still haven’t been able to fit in any runs.  All in due time, I suppose.

 

Another favorite “Me Time” pastime is a pedicure.  Having my piggies pampered is like a Calgon experience.  It takes me away.

 

A couple of Fridays ago, I had just that moment.  I snuck off to the salon to give my gnarly mommy toenails a makeover.  As soon as I walked into the salon, the person behind the desk ordered me to pick a color and I walked over to the wall of colors to make my selection.

 

The names of the colors always make me giggle, like “Hot in Havana” or “Beachy Green”.  Depending on my color mood, I will pick a color based on its name.  That particular day, I was in a hot pink kind of mood and as I read the labels on the bottom of the bottles, only one would due: B-Girlz.

 

A huge smile stretched across my face.  Once my feet were soaking in the sudsy warm water, I texted my sister to share the news.  I knew she would get the old school reference and only my sister would truly appreciate it. I pictured her breaking out in laughter about the name of nail polish as memories of spring break road trips from our drunken Daisy Dukes college days sprung to mind. Good times.

 

Isn’t it funny how a simple phrase, a shared joke or song can take you back?

 

And if you don’t know B means, let us explain.

 

 

Music Monday: Seasons of Love

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First off, I want to thank everyone who linked up and played along for Music Monday last week.  It was great to see some old friends and some new ones join in the fun.  As promised, one lucky participant will win a $15 iTunes card and that winner is…

 

 

Congratulations Thom! :-)

 

Now moving along to this week’s Music Monday selection and link-up…

 

Friday evening, my aunt passed away.  Since she deserves more than simply a footnote in a blog post, I will give her a proper memorial in another post, however I wanted recognize her passing in song with one of my favorite songs.  She slipped away surrounded by loved ones and only one song seems fitting to celebrate her life.

 

 

Restore, Rebuild, ReNew Orleans

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I struggled with the title of this post as well as the words for this piece.  So many emotions flood my mind as I revisit the devastation of Hurricane Katrina with images from five years ago resurfacing.  I considered naming this piece When the Levees Broke, based on the Spike Lee Documentary.

 

 

However, New Orleans’ creed, Restore, Rebuild, ReNew Orleans seemed more fitting to me as it captures the spirit its people and city.

 

 

Two years ago, Allan and I were fortunate enough to win a trip to New Orleans.  Three years after Katrina, the French Quarter showed little evidence that category five hurricane had ever been through there, but the memory of Katrina’s attack on the city still resonated with its residents.

 

As Allan and I did our own damage soaking up every delicious morsel of Cajun cuisine, the shopkeepers and restaurant owners thanked us for visiting, a small reminder that this great city still struggled to revive itself years later after the storm.

 

As a condition of this trip, Allan was required to build picnic benches for some local schools.  The project coordinator led them through the Lower 9th District so the participants could see the damage left behind by Katrina and in turn, understand the significance of their contribution.  Building a few picnic tables seemed hardly enough, like a drop in the bucket to a neighborhood that still was drowning in rubble.

 

Once Allan completed hammering out the picnic tables, we pounded down some Po’ Boys and played like true tourists in this romantic, historical city.  With each step on the cobblestone, NOLA charmed us and stole our hearts as she had done to so many others before us.

 

 

Five years later as NOLA still recovers from Katrina and now even more damage from the Gulf oil spill, it saddens me to see such any amazing city suffer again.   But the people of New Orleans have seen devastation and hard times before.  They will use music to lift their spirits and tell their story and to remind all of us to preserve our precious NOLA, her resources and her people.

 

 

Restore

Rebuild

ReNew Orleans

Musical Monday: Loverboy

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15

One month ago I fell in love the moment I laid my eyes on little Liam for the first time.

 

 

Liam’s sisters had a similar reaction…

 

 

and constantly smothered their little brother with kisses. (They still do.)

 

 

Allana often says, “Liam is made of sugar, because he is so sweet.”

 

 

I may be bias, but I tend to agree with her.

 

 

But then I am so in love with this little man of mine that I call him Loverboy and I affectionately sing this melody from Love is Strange to Liam.

Baby,
Oohh baby
My sweet baby
You’re the one.

 

A mother’s (and sisters’) love is pretty strange special, just like our little Loverboy.

 

 

 

***Note: These newborn photos were taken by my fabulous photographer friend, Kelly Noel.***