Blog Award!!!

I just received my very first Blog Award!!!! How AWESOME is that???!!

I always see others with awards and wonder if how they get them and Michelle over at FlyingGigglesandLOllipops gave my very first award!!! So excited someone other than friends and family are reading the blog!! :)

Thanks so much Michelle!!!

Not only for reading my blog but for giving me the award!!

For the One Lovely Blog Award:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to up to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Here are the picks for my 15 (in no particular order) newly discovered blogs. Hope you all enjoy them as much as I do!!

1. Mama-Jenn
   
2. SwishandSwanky
   
3. SoulAperture
   
4. PoshMommi
   
5. Ka-Lu
   
6. CherryTreeLane
   
7. ADayintheLife
8. StepfordDReams
   
9. BrocanteHomes
   
10. Momentsofperfectclarity
11. TheLensFlare
12. Takealookintomylife
13. InkonmyFingers
14. WordsfromtheheartandSoul
15. BLAHBLAHBLAHG

FAT

Most women in today's world struggle with their weight in some kind of way. It seems we are always trying to "lose 10 pounds" or tone & tighten the thighs and buns.

I am no exception.

Now, I know that I am not "fat" by any means - not even by a long shot.

But I openly admit I'm severely body conscious and have some"weight issues" and have for several years.

In high school I had a few friends who had eating disorders and

(thanks to Lifetime Movie Network)

I know the dangers/perils of falling into that trap, so I could never go to those lengths to keep myself "thin".

I was always an athlete - basketball, volleyball, track & field, cheerleading etc... so it's very hard for me to be sedentary.

And I have found over the years - working out really does make me feel good!

Now that I have had my daughter, I work even harder to maintain my body so that if /when we decide to have more children I can bounce back more easily, but I work my tush off six months out of the year, deny myself over indulgences in french fries and sweets (my FAVES), and try to eat well balanced meals.

And the other day it hit me - what am I REALLY doing this for????

My fiance loves me the way I am - yes I want to maintian a healthy weight, but he's not going to leave me if I gain 10 pounds or can't fit into my size 26 jeans!

My daughter will not love me any less if I don't have Carmen Electra's body.

I only mention this because as of late I have been feeling the "pudge" creep up on me.

Eating a lot of junk, not working out, lots of wine, and extra time on my hands.

And then there's the subject of my 30th birthday which is fast approaching.

I want to look and feel better at 3o than ever before and it is taking A LOT to get me motivated lately.

Does anyone else find themselves working out, dieting etc.....and are unsure of the REAL reason?

Bathing suit season is upon us and as I see more status updates on FB and MySpace about hitting the gym, I'm curious as to people's motivations.

So tell me friends : what's your motivation? and how do you stay motivated?

Ladybug Ladybug

Two weeks ago we received a note in Sweet Pea's homework folder stating that she would be doing a "research project" on an insect and we needed to create a 3-dimensional version of said insect.

Miss C chose a ladybug because before she was born, in the room we chose as her "nursery", there were always ladybugs in the window sill. And not just on or around the window - but somehow they managed to get through the screen and into the room.

NOTHING else came in this window - only lady bugs. And only in this one room!

Because she has heard that "tale" so often she associates herself with Ladybugs and thusly chose them for her project.

Since I had NO idea how to make a Ladybug - but was vaguely thinking I could use an empty egg carton- I Googled it!

I found a great template here and it was super easy!!!!

Here is our finished bug!

We followed the templates directions for the top of the body but since it has to hang we painted a black egg carton for the legs!
I was thinking we could even try a frog or a turtle next time!

Tell me what you think!

Weekend Wrap up

Lets just start in order shall we?

Friday:

Kicked off the weekend with a delivery from the UPS man!!!
Back in September I dropped my camera at the bowling alley and it never recovered! So I have been using my old, not-so-clear, digital camera.
Last month my wonderful fiance took pity on me and sent it to the manufacturer for repair and it came Friday afternoon!!!

Whoo hoo!!

So of course I ran right out to document the beautiful rose I discovered on my Wednesday morning walk.

Then one of my all-time favorite friends from college came over to hang, cook dinner and drink margaritas!

So much fun to catch up with my girl ( I love u Monkey!)

Saturday:

My dad came over for dinner which was fabulous as we only see him about twice a month and usually only when I come down to the O.C.
I love, love ,love that he came to dinner in a sports coat and slacks and we all have on our "Saturday clothes"!!!

We had a lovely dinner and enjoyed some quality Lakers basketball with him

Sunday:

Our friend's daughter turned 10 so we went bowling to celebrate!!!

Can't belive Miss A is 10 already and about as tall as I am!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

We also had the daunting task of creating a 3 dimensional Ladybug for Cam's 1st grade project - I"ll post pics later about how well that went ....

All in all it was a somewhat relaxing weekend but very enjoyable!

How was yours?

Now we are refreshed and ready to begin the week!

Earth Day

Yesterday was Earth Day and as my loving child informed me

we should " do all we can to help the earth!"

They have been learning all about the planet during this Earth Week and she has been working hard to "go green" around the house. We already recycle all our plastic,glass and aluminum (thats how she earns money too!),

So last night she wanted to take it a step further and when I came upstairs to tuck her in I found her sitting in the pitch dark (which is rare as she sleeps w/ a nightlight) - she was "powering down" for 60 seconds as requested to do by the good folks at Nickelodeon!

So cute! And I was such a proud Mommy! So we laid on the bed and looked up at the solar system on her ceiling as she counted for 60 seconds and we "powered down".

As I "gazed upon the stars" I started to think about "powering down" not only on an electric level but on a mental level as well. It was really nice to just lay with my Sweet Pea and be in the moment with her......(sigh).

Shortly thereafter I hopped up, plugged in the night-light, kissed her face and went back to doing five meeeelion things at once.

wednesday wisdom....

Just got this in an email and wanted to share:

Be thankful for what you have.

Be creative. Be innovative.

Think differently and positively.

Invite others towards good with wisdom.

Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets.

When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.

Keep the faith and drop the fear.

Great men say, 'Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness…. In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience.'

The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling…And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!

Dramz

Being a part of a rather LARGE family is always interesting to say the least.

In my family it's just my brother & me.

I have godsisters and another set of "brothers" (aka my bro's best buds)

But it was just me and J in the house while Damon has 5 sisters and 1 brother.

4 of his sisters live in So Cal.

As you can imagine,there is always something going on with at least two of them.

This month is no different except this time I'm in the middle!

Now two sisters and a cousin aren't speaking and one sister isn't speaking to me!!!

Good grief!!

Hopefully everyone will come to their senses, admit their wrongs and move on in time for a fun summer!

lol....yeah right!

Faithful Friday

A girlfriend of mine posted the following this morning and I thought it was kind of profound so I wanted to share:

"Today, I will be keeping the FAITH! Faith is one of the things that I struggle with the most. I am a believer, BUT, I am striving to become a FAITHFUL believer. I will submit and allow myself to be guided, not without fear, but by embracing my fear, I will Persevere!"

Her dog ran away and was killed earlier this week and she has been feeling down but thigs statement resonated with me as I think of the struggles I have been facing internally within the last few weeks and I just thought well then there you have it.

The message of perserverance is one of importance in these uncertain times.

I'm sure many of you are facing struggles in your own life and I just want to encourage you all to take these words into consider the following when you are discouraged:

You say: " it's impossible" God says: All things are possible ( Luke 18:27)

You say: " I can't figure things out" God says: I will direct your steps ( Prov. 3:5-6)

You say: " I'm always worried and frustrated" God says: Cast all your cares on ME ( 1 Peter 5:7)

If HE brings you to it HE will bring you through it!!

There is always a rainbow at the end of your journey

Happy Friday everyone!

GIVEAWAY!!!

hey everyone!

My friend Mama Jenn is hosting a giveaway on her blog for Curls hair products!

Check it out here: http://mama-jenn.blogspot.com/2009/04/curls-giveaway.html#comment-form

Or check out her blog : http://mama-jenn.blogspot.com/

Be sure to become a follower or subscriber to entire the giveaway!!

Thanks Jenn for the giveaway!!!

i like to write

I have been writing in journals for as long as I can remember.

It started out as "dear diary" but soon evolved into just me jotting down feelings and thoughts.

Then I expanded to writing poetry and short stories and now its really just a good way for me to get things out of my head.

I love going back and reading old entries and laughing (or cringing) about where I was at that point in my life and seeing how far I have come!

So yesterday I went digging in the garage to see how many journals I have completed (if I still had any of them) and lo and behold - I have journals dating back to 7th grade!!!

It was great to take a mental trip "back down memory lane"!

I covered almost 2 decades of my life in about 3.5hours of reading!

My poetry journals are actually my most prized of notebooks - they are so full of intensity and life and I wonder: where did i ever find the time to be this creative mentally?

Currently I have two seperate journals :

1) to write down any frustrations, issues,dramas, concerns and just about life

2) a gratitude journal - here i document the blessings in my life whether big or small and I have found that this is most helpful in putting things into perspective for me.

But with the advent of blogging, status updates and twitter it seems like I just don't have as much time for it as I used to.

I'm too busy thinking about my next blog post!

So, I want to know: does anyone still write in a journal anymore?

Let me know if you do and how often and what do you write about?

start fresh

I'm kind of bummed because I dont have any Easter pics to post.

Sweet Pea went to Long Beach for the weekend to get in quality time with her Nana while me and future hubby lazed about.

I must say it was rather fabulous.

We slept late, stayed in our pj's , watched specials on the crucifiction on the History channel, took naps and generally carried on the way we did before we had a child.

Those days seem like a distant memory now.

I can barely remember my life before Sweet Pea came into our world and turned it upside down. The days when I used to sleep until 1pm , get up to eat and go back to bed. The days where we would just lay in bed ALL day doing nothing but watch bad movies, eat junk and maybe read.

Was that really my life?

Hardly seems like it.

But today is Monday and time to start fresh.

Christ died for our sins to be resurrected 3 days later so that we have the opportunity to start fresh.

There is NO greater sacrifice.

We are eternally endebted to Him.

I woke up yesterday to the sun shining, birds chirping and with a renewed sense of purpose and energy.

I feel been feeling very down lately about the whole jobless/lack of money situation but yesterday I felt peace.

A voice telling me to let go of my uncertainty and skepticism and to hold tightly to my faith now more than ever.

I know that it was the Lord speaking to me.

In times of stress we often question our purpose and begin to doubt wether or not we can really do it.

but I challenge everyone to remember Philippians 4:13

"I can do ALL things through Christ who strenghtens me"

i have a problem

its friday.

I don't have to pick up Sweet Pea until it's time for cheer practice.

So how do I spend it?

Puttering around, looking through some bridal magazines, getting a little bit a done but not really accomplishing a whole lot.

Normally I am a whirling dervish around this joint but today..... slow motion Sally

ohh and here's a pic of my "lunch"...... I LOVE LOVE LOVE crackers and Nabisco had a buy 1 get 1 FREE deal for WheatThins & Triscuts. Thus leading me to discover the new Triscut Thin Crisps in the Quattro Formaggio flavor.....YUMMMM.

I think I will take a nap now.

quality time

Thoughtful Thursday

This morning I decided that I was going to do something for myself.

As a semi-crazed, OCD mother and super fiance I have a tendency to do everything for everyone else and around the house before I even think of me.

Case in point, last night I was putting groceries away, heating up a pizza and making cookies all while I had to seriously go potty.

But I put my potty issues aside, to ensure my family was taken care of.

Then when I thought about I realized a few things:

1) that was really stupid of me- i can get a UTI from waiting so long!

2) i have got to stop doing SO many things at once

3) does anyone else have this issue?

I realize that as women, we are taught to be people pleaser's, and as wives and mothers we are taught that our families come first and we are to be SUPERWOMAN all the time. One of the ways we show our love is by doing all the "little things" that we do to make everyone else's lives run smoother.

Well, I don't know how you feel but can be EXHAUSTING !

So today, this morning, I am going to take some "quiet" time for me.

I will not run the wash, the dishwasher or the vacuum, I will sit and read my book or write for at least a solid hour and do my absolute BEST to not think of something else that HAS to be done that instant! Life will NOT stop if I do not cross things off my to-do list.

My friend Rachel from high school posted a video on her blog(http://number17cherrytreelane.wordpress.com/) attesting to this very thing!

She was trying to have it "all together and planned out" and get her daughter to stick to her napping schedule so she could get some things done and discovered that God and her adorable 1yr. old had other plans!

I thought it was so fabulous that she posted that and then I had this epiphany myself!

So ladies, just a quick note of positivity - we all LOVE our families.

We are all GREAT moms.....but there are days when the milk spills, the laundry doesn't get done dinner is leftovers and the house is not "picture perfect.....

let it go, laugh out loud and let GOD plan your day.

wedding daze

I'm 11 days into my engagement and already the questions are flying!

Have you set a date? What are the colors? When and where are you getting married?

Who's going to be in the wedding?

Can I come?

Oh my goodness! I have been in several weddings myself over the years and as a makeup artist, specializing in weddings I have had the pleasure to see many brides dreams come true. I am also the kind of person who has been mentally planning my own wedding since I was about 19. I know what I want and how I want it to happen I just have to put it all together.

What I didn't know was that there are so many little things that creep up on a bride and stress them out. Thank God, I have a slew of "sister-friends" at my disposal who have already been through this.

Because how do you determine if your long distance cousin should be invited over your newer co-worker/school friend?

So cyberspace friends, do you have any tips or suggestions?

Love is in the air

It has been a busy couple of weeks for the Dorsey family!

On Friday April 3rd, my future sister in law and the middle sister to my fiance got engaged as well!!

Holy cow!! Clearly 2010 is going to be a year of weddings for us all!

Congrats to Tomi and Movell!!

hey cheerleaders!

Many of you know that my 7 year old is an aspiring cheerleader ( she takes after her mom in her love of performing)! While she doesn't cheer for a club team or in competitions the group that she's in performs about every 10 weeks in the spring & summer.

Last year they did Knott's Berry Farm and Dodgers Stadium.

So this spring they performed at Boomers! fun center in Upland,CA.

She did such a good job on her routine and her cheer!
Way to go Sweet Pea!
Mommy & Daddy are so proud of you!



On another note- Thursday night we surprised her with tickets to Disney on Ice: The Adventures in Disneyland starring The Incredible's!

Fun times!