Easter weekend.

Easter weekend was pretty great I must say. Saturday, I spent the day with Kay. We got lunch and starbucks and went to her house and colored Easter eggs. Cayle played outside and we gave him a bath. It was a pretty good day. I even had a home-made egg roll. She and her fiance Josh have that down to a science. They're delicious. But Kay has always been a good cook. I made funfetti cupcakes and Daddy taught me our family recipe for dressing. And I get to make it Thanksgiving :D. With his help of course...but I think I got it down. This morning Cayle opened his Easter basket. He was pretty excited. I may have gone a little overboard but hey I'm a mom. Cut me some slack. We did an Easter egg hunt after we ate breakfast, and he did soooo well. I was surprised he even knew what to do. He mostly wanted to hold the eggs but he knew to look for them. It amazes me how smart he is. After our hunt we had a huge dinner that consisted of all sorts of vegetables, and desserts, and ham. We always cook a ham every year. Its like a mini-thanksgiving at my house on Easter. I even got to show my dad the website I get all my craft ideas/recipes. He was really interested in it. He was really impressed with how much work went into the Easter eggs this year. I did it all for Cayle, I know he wont remember, but the time spent together doing the eggs is what's important to me. And when he's older he WILL remember and maybe carry it on some day. This is one of many holidays I intend to start our own traditions with. After dinner we went to Adam's house. They were having a family get together and wanted Cayle and I to be there. I brought everyone cupcakes. They had Cayle an Easter egg hunt too. :D You may be wondering about the fish in the picture..they were a gift from kay and josh. They're for Cayle, but they're staying at Adam's for now. They're names are bill and ted. Adam named them. Haha. It was really sweet of them to do that. He loves fish. He kept pointing to the tank and saying 'fishy' 'pretty' 'pretty fishy'. It was cute. They got cayle a toy car as his Easter prize. It was cute. He loves to play with cars now since he actually knows how to play with them. He even makes the sound of the engine lol. I even got Adam to take pictures with me. Lol he never wants to. He hates pictures. I would really like to get some photo frames and put some pictures up soon. It would be nice to have for the new house whenever we get one. My car is supposed to be getting fixed this week or next and I get to pay off my wedding dress this week. Whoo-hoo.! Finally. Well..that was my Easter weekend in a nutshell.

Easter eggs.!

For those of you who wanted to see the eggs..here they are.! It was a smooth sailing project. And it took four and a half hours to do. hahaha. Hope you enjoy.!

Much better day.

I got payed for doing my housework today which is always a plus. Mom asked me to pick up her hair color from the beauty supply store..since I'm the only one who can shop there..(you have to be a licensed professional or a beauty school student to purchase things from there.) I get everything half off what is charged at a beauty salon. And you know what I found.?? I found the last o.p.i. shatter nail polish. Shatter nail polish cracks on your nails to show the color underneath. It kind of adds an edgy texture to your nails. It's really neat. And EVERYONE is looking for it. Finding it is like finding gold. I also got my mom part of her mother's day gift. I'm getting her some nail polishes and some BIG SEXY HAIR shampoo. I hope she likes it. At school tonight..the really rude lady was back and I refused to do her hair right in front of her. I will not put up with rude people whom I am providing a service to. I just won't do it. There's a difference between rude and picky. Picky I can deal with, but rude people will be shown the door when I get out of school...just sayin. And one of the girls was actually kind enough to talk to me tonight since I sit by myself most of the time..I know her..we've just never been talkative really. But it was nice to have someone to talk to for a little while..it helped the time pass. After school..I got to do my weekly trip to Walmart...it doesn't sound like much, but I love going. I like to look at everything, plan on what I want to buy for our place whenever we get one, look at things I want cayle and I to do/have together..like a mini garden..I wanna try to grow some beans or something in the little thing..I think it will teach him. He gets excited about that kind of thing anyway. But while I was at walmart..I found really great deals on craft supplies for our crafts box..I dont think I spent over 3.00 on a single item. I got googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and pom poms..we're gonna try to make easter egg animals along with our other ideas. I'll be sure to post pictures when we actually dye the eggs and decorate them. I'm glad craft stuff is cheap...I think this is the weekend I'm going to get Cayle's hair cut. I know I'll cry. I love his little curls..but in all honesty, it's getting very long and unkept looking. And I want him to look cute on Easter. Before long the easter stuff will be on sale and I can shop half off for decor and cake pans. :D Can't wait. My car is getting fixed this weekend too. I'm very excited about that. I can't wait to have MY car back. It's even lonelier when you don't have a car..and it makes things that much harder. Ughh. Ah well. I have a big test next thursday over color..and I'm really hoping I do well considering color is a very important knowledge and skill in this field...that's where alllllll the money is. No joke. Anyone can cut, but it takes an artist to color. I'm feeling pretty mellow today..and I wanna thank those who have been here for me..I know I complain a lot or I talk too much..but thank you for putting up with me. It's about time to post some pictures of the three of us again. I'll have new ones soon.

I don't know..

My stress level is extremely high. I don't know where to being really..and It's not getting any easier..and here lately..fighting back tears is getting harder and harder. I dont know what to say really..

622 hours down..

878 to go. I'm further along than I thought. I need 1500 hours. But it's not enough for me. I need to be further along than that. I think what's hurting more than anything is when I don't exceed my own expectations. I set MY standards for myself extremely high because I wanna do really well..and it drives me to push myself even harder..probably more so than what's required of me. But school..it's becoming a very lonely and routine place. I'm on a completely different wave length than everyone there my age. I'm grown up (mentally). I'm getting married. I'm more concerned about getting myself established..more so than they are..So I can't really relate..soo..I'm alone..alot. Nobody says much at school. Buisness at school is usually slow. And I'm home alone with Cayle all day everyday. So I clean. And take care of Cayle and make special time to be with him. He's my number one priority right now. When Adam doesn't come see during the day..it's pretty lonely. That's another reason I'm ready to be out of school..I'm tired of being alone constantly..At least once I'm out of school..I'll come home to my family. When I come home now..everyone is in bed. Including Cayle. So it's easy to get lonely. And now that my car has quit on me...it's even harder to see people and get what I need to get DONE. So it's frustrating. I don't know what to do to be honest. I'm seriously at a loss for words..like I said before...I just need a friend right now..

I feel sometimes like..

I'm never getting closer to my goals.. It's so irritating. Today, Cayle and I were coloring and I went to hang up his pictures..and I thought to myself...I wish this was MY refrigerator and not my parents. I wish I was further along in school so I could say that it's close to moving day. I wish I could say I knew all the details of my wedding..i.e. the reception, guests, etc. I'm busting my butt everyday..but somehow it feels like I'm NOT any closer. I don't know what else I can do. Any ideas.?
On the way to get my car looked at...wouldn't you know it breaks down again. In the turning lane on the highway. I seriously wasn't even 5 minutes down the road. So I couldn't help Kay with her wedding stuff..and that really sucks.
I guess I just really need a good pep talk. I need a friend right now. I feel a little lonely lately. Eh.

What a day...

Today started out great..Cayle and I had a good breakfast and a very easy going morning. Then we went to walmart to find him some shoes. I found a couple little odds and ends for his basket including Crayola's colors bubbles and Reece's pieces carrot candy. I also found a pair of black tennis shoes that have Velcro straps. They fit him perfectly and were 11 dollars. I also found a summer outfit for only a dollar on the clearance rack. After the Walmart trip we went to the dollar tree to get some Easter cards. I didn't get all the cards I needed because I keep saying to myself..moderation moderation moderation. I feel as if moderation will help me budget my money better..and so far it has. We went to see my mom at her office for a few minutes before our last stop at target to find sandals. And on the way there..wouldn't you know...my car breaks down in the turning lane...I had to restart my car and pull it into the closest parking lot I could get to..I was less than 3 minutes from target..that sucks.!! My car keeps shaking while in reverse and idling. The fluid levels are all fine. I don't understand what could cause it to shake. But it really bummed me out. I dunno how soon I can get it fixed..but seriously..It stresses me out to the max when this kind of thing goes wrong..and it always goes wrong at the worst time..like how next friday my dress MUST be out of layaway..Easter..and school tuition payment at the end of the month.??!! Ugh. Thank you car for being a piece of crap. Adam came to get me today and we went to Krystal's and sat in the park and ate them with Cayle. This kid can eat.!! Then we got a cake mix so I could make the cupcakes you see in the pictures. And we watched tv for a little bit. Tomorrow he wants to dye Easter eggs with Cayle as a way for us to all bond. I had two boxes of egg dye so why not use one ahead of time.? Also, I've decided to start shopping for holidays after the holidays are over..for example Easter is almost here..after it's over they try to get rid of everything to make room for the new seasonal items so they mark everything down to at least 50% off. I can buy cards, decor, cakes pans, egg dye, etc. And not have to worry about it next year. It's a way to save money. I plan on doing it for all of the holidays if I can. I wish I would've done it for Christmas so I could spend more money on presents for everyone.
Today I had a ,what I would assume to be, pretty cool idea. Since I want to be able to do crafts with Cayle (or just do crafts in general) for the holidays and stuff..I figured why not make a craft box.? Like a big tackle box but filled with all sorts of things needed for crafts..like pieces of colored foam, paint, googly eyes, craft sticks, pom poms, a glue gun, and more.! That way we will always have it when we need it. I found pieces of colored foam at the dollar tree today. 32 pieces for a dollar. And they're all in bright colors.! I'm thinking about maybe putting them on our eggs this year somehow. I found stickers we plan on using as stencils for our eggs. They're stars.! And we are going to make polka dot eggs using regular round stickers. I'm very excited to start this craft box. Things we need for it are very inexpensive and I know where to get a lot of it for cheap...so there's another goal to add to the list, but I'm very happy to say I can mark a couple off my list. I found my camera charger, got cayle several new pairs of shoes, a couple new outfits, made some more decorative cupcakes (I'm getting better..please bear with me.) And I'm working hard to lose weight. So when I can cross more goals off my list I will. Opinions of my cupcakes would be greatly appreciated..along with everything else posted here. :D

Just felt the need to post.

I'm soooo happy it's the weekend. Long awaited. Hahah. I got the rude lady again tonight as a client. She's rude enough to make a nun swear.!! Everyone is about had it with her...including my instructor. I told my instructor I refuse to do her hair again. And she seemed to understand. I got Cayle's Easter basket all ready. I'm pretty excited about that. Mom came home with two pairs of shoes for him today..however..he still needs a black pair of sandals so I can get those this weekend..and maybe an outfit or two. I'm thinking moderation is key to all of this. Do a little each week and he should have enough to make do all summer. For some reason..I can't stop thinking about holidays. I wish it was Fall again soooo bad. This hot weather is killing me.!!! I don't have any short pants except for a pair of black leggings. I would like to have a denim pair of capris. That way they go with everything and I'll be set :D If I can find a cheap pair..that would be great. I'm going to target tomorrow..soo maybe I'll have some luck there. I need to find some scrapbook ideas so I can redo the books. I'm up all hours of the night..so I might as well do something I love right.?? I need new pictures though..but I think I know where my camera charger is so I can plot my attack with the camera. Hahah. Also, Christina I set my gas on the lowest setting today when I was pumping...and I think your trick worked.!! Thanks girl.!

I know I'm posting again but...

I felt the need to share..Cayle is going to the beach with my parents this summer..while I stay behind and go to school..missing a week..I can't afford..and honestly..I hate the beach with a passion..but it's sad I won't have Cayle for a week..I think I'll cry from missing him so much..I won't know what to do with myself..I'll have to go to school..but other than that...what am I going to do.?! Clean probably...Adam said he wanted us to have some couple time since it's rare we get to..he said we should cook dinner and watch movies..it would be nice...am I a bad mom for not going and being with my son.?? Or am I responsible for staying behind to go to school.?? Eh i don't know..I just don't know how I'm gonna be without my baby for a week..it'll drive me crazy.!!

Cayle :)

This was Cayle at 5 months old on Easter morning. He's growing up on me. I think we need a day together. Just the two of us. I get so busy with school and everything else..we hardly ever get to do anything for fun..unless you count our weekly trip to walmart to get diapers and food.? I want us to go to the park one day together..or the zoo..or something like that. I think it would be fun for us..the only problem..its hot..and crowded which makes it even hotter. He loves to ride in the wagon and walk around outside..but I need to get him some new shoes before I can let him walk outside..I don't want him to step on something..call me over protective. Im going to try to get him new shoes this weekend..also I really wanna try to re-do his scrapbook..everything is out of order and I want to add stickers and stuff. I feel like Cayle would enjoy looking back on it more so.if I re-did it and made it more interesting to look at...so i have my scrapbooks..cupcakes..hair..and wedding..and cleaning projects..and pictures..and planning a budget..etc. I need to stay busy..it's what keeps me from going insane..I'm by myself a lot..and it gets old..I see Adam maybe two or three times a week..and I'm ok with that..but when I'm not with him..I'm usually at home..and I think Cayle and I need more stuff to do to fill out our days together. So why not fill it with crafts and playtime (between all the cleaning and studying).? Anyone know any good sites for scrapbooking ideas/items.? Places to go that aren't crowded or hot.?

Coupons..budgeting..and cleaning..etc.

I would feel better if I knew how to budget my money better and the best places to use coupons. I've been cleaning non stop for the past two days and I get paid 75 dollars a week. Gas usually eats up half of my money. I hate it but there really isn't much I can do about it. It costs 50+ dollars to completely fill up my gas tank. And usually..I never fill it up completely because it costs way too much. I usually take what's left and use it for food or things for Cayle and me. If I started using coupons maybe it could help save a dollar here and there. I really need to get organized and clear minded (is that even the correct term.?) I want to clean out my car this week..and really get in there and clean it. Maybe one day this week I can. I just wanna have one less thing to worry about. Anything that isn't clean stresses me out lately.!! I've been cleaning like a mad woman lately. Today..I vacuumed, swept, mopped, dusted, picked up toys, folded clothes, cleaned the kitchen, did the dishes. Then I went to school and sanatized my entire station, and did a client's color, cut, and style. It took all night..that lady's hair was ridiculously tangled, long, and crusty from some product she had in her hair. We fixed it though :D On a side note..Cayle is eating again.!! I guess he got tired of his graduate meals so I guess I need to venture out and find some different stuff he likes. Mom said he ate 3 plates of chicken tenders and fries tonight while I was at school.!! They were toddler plates but still.!!! I'm so happy he's eating..its been such a fight to get him to eat since he got that tummy virus. I wanna try to take some updated pictures of him this weekend..but one thing is for sure...he's getting new shoes this weekend. I dont care where I have to go or how far..my baby needs some summer clothes like no other.!!! Thanks to my nanny..she found some clothes for a dollar a piece at walmart and picked up some little shirts for him. I'm truly blessed to have her. She is so good to everyone and never forgets about her grandbabies..and never lets them go without. I want to be able to get Cayle some summer clothes myself though. I guess moderation is key. Money saving tips are welcome.!!

:)

This is Cayle's easter basket. If I could fit anything else in there I would. You know how it is..you wanna give them everything but you can't..but you can try..which brings me to my point today. It's summer time and I'm determined to buy Cayle new clothes. I wanna earn the money myself. And I wanna be sure to get him a hair cut and new shoes.! I know I set alot of goals..but about 95% of the time I meet them or I'm in the process of doing so. I got Cayle's easter basket finished. I decided to wait for another time to get him a dvd. I always try to do too much at once. Like his first birthday I bought almost 20 gifts and I ran out of ideas for Christmas because they're so close haha. I've decided to buy him summer clothes in moderation so I don't go broke every week. I get 75.00 a week for keeping house. I use it for gas mostly. But I wanna try to spend as little as possible on gas this week and buy cayle some clothes and shoes. Adam says as soon as Cayle gets his hair cut we can go have our family portrait updated..considering its been almost a year since we've had one made. I think it's about time for a cut. I love his curls, but his hair is getting a little..unmanageable. I'm looking forward to the Easter holiday. Last year was fun, but Cayle can walk this year and I'm very excited to do our egg hunts this year. The only downside to holidays is trying to make sure we get to everyone. My family wants time with Cayle, his family wants time with the both of us, but we also have to make sure we're doing things as a family too. The more I think about it..the more excited I am to get moved in so we can have our own family traditions and do our own holiday things..like Christmas morning..and easter. And nobody will judge us on how different it is from our own family's traditions..this sounds a little confusing..an example being..easter at my house consists of easter baskets of candy in the morning and a dinner..maybe when the three of us have our own place it'll be easter basket in the morning and going out to dinner. i dunno..not the best example but you get it. sooo here is a list of my goals so far..

decorative cupcakes.
cayle's 1st hair cut.
cayle's new summer clothes.
graduation from beauty school.
re-do the scrapbooks.
get pictures for the scrapbooks.
our family portrait.
plan the wedding.
lose weight for both my and kay's wedding.
a trip to coolidge park for the three of us.
a mother and son's day out downtown.
get my car fixed.
eventually get a new car.
buy for our first house.
find my camera charger and take updated photos of us.
show of my skills in the hair industry.
find a good hair stylist job.
buy for the wedding.
eventually build a demand for both my hair services and cupcakes.
help adam start his new store/cyber cafe.
clean up my car and keep it that way.

I'm sure there's more..but it's all a work in progress..I'm a busy person.

What a fabulous day.!

Cayle and I slept in today and after we ate and I cleaned house a little bit..my nanny came over and asked if Cayle and I would like to go to the mall with her to find an easter outfit for cayle. I found tons of good buys on baby clothes and I found the perfect outfit for him. Its in the pictures to the side. He can wear it again and again and it was on sale.! We found me some flip flops. I've really been needing some new ones. I got four pairs for ten dollars.!! Afterwards we went to wendy's and got lunch. Then I came home and played outside with cayle and showed off my blonde hair. You can't really tell much in the picture but I LOVE IT.!! I feel like a rockstar with my blonde. I really do. After a little while I went to Walmart to get cupcake decorating stuff and the rest of Cayle's Easter basket fillers. All I need now is a little einsteins dvd and I'm DONE. Haha. I just ordered it on amazon.com. I'm looking forward to making my easter cupcakes and Christina's baby shower cake.! The only problem with tonight's firs attempt is that the icing was way to thin no matter how much powdered sugar I used..I would've sent someone into a sugar coma if I used anymore. So needless to say..no more attempts to make my own icing. Other than that they turned out good. Tomorrow Kay and I are spending some time together and then I'll go see Adam.

100th post.!

I think I want my blonde chunks in my hair back..but more edgy. Very similiar to this picture. Opinions please.? My cut is also very similar to this. Also ladies..if your husbands/fiances/boyfriends are really into gaming, my fiance Adam is thinking about getting his business license and opening up an xbox tournament place in the chattanooga area please have them spread the word.! We're trying to think of ways to make extra money..and NOT have to pick up and move. Who's ready for easter.? I know I'm nowhere near ready. I still have some basket stuffers to buy and stuff for my cupcakes. I wanna post pictures soon. I talked to one of the girls about my ideas and she really thinks I can do it. Its so cool to have alot of people believe in my idea. We'll see what happens.! Also does anyone know where I can buy BIG pieces of fondant.?

Just random things I suppose..

Cayle is so crazy lately. It's so interesting to see him react to everything..I guess I'm trying to express how cool it is to watch him act like a little boy. Since the weather has been so nice we've been outside some and all he wants to do is run and throw the ball and ride in his wagon. He always hates to go inside. Today I had a repeat client. She likes the way I roll her hair. Today we cut it too. She was bragging on me to my instructor and that made me feel good after a bad couple of days. I said in my last post that I wanted to get into cake decorating..well, I think I just got my first chance. Christina asked if I would make her baby shower cake for Brentley. And I feel so privileged to do so. Because she could've gone to anyone else for one and she asked me. And the picture to the right is my basic idea. If I can instead of icing, I would like to use fondant if I could find a package big enough. I wanna do at least one trial run of the cake to see what looks good and what I can do to make it perfect. I also would like to put fondant letters on the side saying "Welcome Baby Brentley.!" I want this cake to be perfect, and I know I can make it happen. I am also planning an Easter cupcake. I wanna put a baby chick make out of yellow iced donut holes on a cupcake surrounded but coconut thats been dyed green. I would use black decorators frosting for eyes and a triangular piece of orange gumdrop for a beak, and lemon candies for wings. I dunno..I'm still playing with it. I will post pictures as soon as I start completing projects.

I never realized it, but....

I'm really into baking. And I think it would be neat if I got really good at decorating cakes and cupcakes. If I had the tools I needed I KNOW I could do it. And here lately I've been planning on making my first attempt at fancy cupcakes. And I think I'll make them for Easter. What better time to try.? Christina's gender party cupcakes got me motivated. By the way, I'm excited to announce I will have a baby nephew.! Hehehe. If I get good enough at decorating..maybe other people will ask for them for parties and stuff. That would make me feel so proud.! Being able to cut hair and make cupcakes.? What a combo.! But a very good one if I say so myself.I I also watch a lot of cake shows so that gives me some ideas and motivation. I would love to hear some feedback and your opinions of my new goal.!

On a side note, Adam and I had a great night last night. We went to Longhorn to eat. The service was terrible, but the food was good and that's all we really cared about. After that we killed some time in Walmart and decided on our center pieces. We are going to use a 5 inch square mirror tile with a white dish that has the damask pattern, fill it with purple and black pebbles, a candle, and tiny calla lillies. And around the tile I would like to scatter those fake diamond pieces. I know this description isn't all that helpful so when I have all the materials, I will be sure to post pictures.

Kay's wedding is 6 months away. I'm helping her as much as I can with her wedding preparation. Next weekend, we are planning a day to finish her center pieces and anything else I can help her with. We are also doing trial and error runs on her hair. Trying to decide on what would look best on her for her big day.!

Adam's home.!!

It's amazing how you feel when you get to be in someone's arms again. When Adam came home..it was like a weight off my shoulders. He noticed how much weight I've lost.! Whooohooo.! Cayle was happy to see him too. He just smiled and played with him. Cayle was pretty fussy tonight so any time he was smiling..we were happy. We decided to catch up over dinner at amigos. It was delicious. We went to the mall afterwards and he found a poster for his room and a hat for Cayle..We still have no idea what to do tomorrow night. We may end up at a movie. Blahh..I hate living in a town that I feel has nothing left to offer me. He got cayle a hat. Honestly..I think it's about time for his first hair cut :(. I'm dreading it. Hahah. Tomorrow we are going to find out the gender of Christina's new baby. I'm hoping for a boy.!! They know how to steal their momma's hearts. Adam and I are talking about getting our family portrait updated. I think it's a great idea. Adam loved his cookie cake surprise.! Thank goodness. He got me a really nice flat iron for my birthday. I'm pretty stoked about it. I'm just so happy he's home. Now we can plan our future a little more. And the wedding. He gave me part of the wedding money tonight and hopefully Kay and I can go get some stuff or I can talk Adam into going. Poor Kay is having problems with her gall bladder (sp.?) And has to get it taken out soon. I found my Ipod too..after frantically looking for it. My stomach still isn't right though. :/ I'm still hurting alot. The only way it'll go away is if I lower my stress levels. And with Adam being home and things hopefully getting back to normal..maybe it'll stop hurting in a few days. Anyone who knows of a good portrait studio let me know.!! I'd like the info on prices and how soon you get your photos etc..