Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Sugar High

We have gotten so many emails from clients asking for help with favors that we knew we had to find a solution.  The Grove is a big fan of food favors and since I am not a fan of cake (it's a texture thing!) cookies are my go to.

As of this weekend you will be able to not just order your favor tags and stickers from the Grove, but also your cookie favors too!  We have contracted with out favorite baker and will now be selling cookie favors, made to order, on our site by the dozen.

I love the idea of these Lemon Cookies for a summer bbq!

And how perfect are these Shirt Cookies for Father's Day?

Monday, May 28, 2012

Drop Off Day




Mini K has literally been counting down the days until she was old enough to go to sleep away camp for two years.  Well today is the day.  We dropped her off this morning with a big smile on her face and she told me not to cry...which made me laugh!  Baby C told her no fair sissy and pointed to the pool.

The time has flown by and I am so proud of how she literally embraces situations without fear.  She met her pen pal Charlotte and it was like they had been friends forever.

So Mini K, her duffle full of monograms and her clip on fan with neon lights are all checked in to camp until Friday morning and Baby C is wondering what is going on!

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Saturday Steals

Well clearly I missed the Friday Five this week, so I am creating my own Saturday Steals.  I firmly believe that two things can make a working woman or working mom's life easier:  self gifting and stowaway gifts.  Let's be honest, we all have days where a little something for ourselves can lift us up, right?  Now some of you may wonder what a stowaway gift is.  This is a phrase my grandmother used.  It is NOT re-gifting.  A stowaway is purchasing multiples of a couple of items and keeping them on hand for when you need a last minute housewarming or hostess gift and do not have time to order something personalized.  NOTE:  I blame my grandmother for my monogram obsession as she taught me, but I digress.

Let me just say that for all of the finds below, you can use code MEMORIAL20 to save an extra 20% off the already discounted prices, I say apply the savings to your self gifting budget.

Candles
I love to give a candle, BUT  I never give a candle in a box.  I always put the box in a cello bag and tie it with a big bow.  There is something about cello, tissue and grosgrain ribbon that changes an item into a present.  My mother recently introduced me to Snooty Roots candles and I am HOOKED!  They market themselves as a kitchen candle because they eliminate all odors, but ladies if you have a boyfriend, husband or son that plays hockey, light one of these around a hockey equipment bag and in 20 minutes you will be shocked...for the better!  The candles retail for $40, but you can buy a voucher worth $80 (2 candles) for $36 and it's even cheaper when you use one of the 2 discount codes above.  You can find the deal HERE.

Jewelry & Handbags
Hello, what's not to love?  A friend gave me a Gorjana neon pouch for my birthday to hold my change and I LOVE it.  The bright color means I don't lose it in the bottom of my bag.  I hadn't heard of this line before, but they have some great jewelry and their leather is top quality.

I purchased this cross bracelet for my niece who just made her first communion in sterling silver and am going to take advantage of the deal I am about to share to order some pouches to have on hand for gifts.

You can purchase an $80 gift certificate to Gorjana for $40 and again if you use one of the codes above, you will save an extra 20 or 30%.  You can purchase the deal HERE.

No surprise to any of you, but I LOVE a polo shirt, with a popped collar of course!  I also confess that when Mini K or Baby C has on a polo shirt, I always make sure their collars are up.  Now that I have discovered the Chirp Shop I feel like I am justified.  I mean how stinkin cute are these minnie-polo shirt onesies with the fabric on the collar?
 
You can get a gift certificate worth $25 for $12 before you use one of the discounts above.  So think ahead to Christmas or upcoming baby showers or birthday parties!  You can find the deal HERE.

I hope you can take advantage of these, but I need to finish getting Mini K ready for camp!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Side Tracked and Sparkles

Today was the day everything would get done and I would actually watch Thursday night tv on Thursday night.  Oh those smug mommy thoughts always have a way of hitting me in the face, with a chair!

Mini K got sick at school and has asked us no less than 200 times if she can still go to camp on Monday.  The answer is yes considering I think the bug is already out of her system.  But my day ended up consisting of conference calls and emails in between saltine cracker and ginger ale buffets.

I have meetings tomorrow morning, but the afternoon is reserved for CAMP PACKING.  I still cannot believe she is going to sleep away camp, but am so proud of how she tackles each experience with pure joy.

I did finalize the final logo for my new firm tonight along with all of my tax forms and filing papers.  July 1st will be here before I know it and I cannot believe a dream will soon become a reality.  I somehow ended up on you tube tonight and watched one of my favorites, Steve Jobs's 2005 commencement address at Stanford.  That speech gets me every time!

My big must do tast for next week will make all of you laugh as it involves Christmas...yes you read correctly.  See above for my mention of how fast time flies!  Memorial Day weekend for me is when I start thinking of Christmas cards, and gifts to buy and cookies we must bake!  Now that 2 of our nieces are tweens and have pierced ears, I already know what to get them!  BLING.

What's better than BLING?  How about BLING that is on sale?  The annual bling sale at JoJo's starts tomorrow and I will be crossing of 2 people on our gift list.  I am thinking BIG blings for the oldest and the mini blings for the youngest.  I put all three pairs in their little tins in a paper ice cream container from Garnish and fill it with their favorite candy and tie it with a big GIANT bow.
I also need to sneak off to the framer's to get Mr. G's father's day gift framed!  I am in serious denial it is almost June...well other than June means I can finally stop wearing this walking cast!!!!!!!!!

It's ginger ale refill time again so I am off to snuggle with my peanut before she realizes that she is too cool to watch tv with her momma!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Recap

I am back from NYC and finally catching up on emails, my stack of catalogs and my to do list!  Baby C's thank you notes will be done tomorrow...beyond late for me, but oh well.

His party was so much fun.  Mr. G gave me a hard time about making a beer punch instead of just buying a ton of beer, but the beer punch was a BIG hit!  In case you want to try it:

For every 6 pack of Corona Light, add a half cup of Vodka and a can of frozen pink lemonade and some sliced limes.  I do not like beer and trust me, this punch tastes dangerously good!

Everyone has something that they MUST have at a party...for me it's a theme and a cake.  I tried a new baker this year and she was AMAZING.  The cake tasted great and was perfect for our crab shack theme!

With the party and NYC behind me, it is all about getting Mini K ready for camp!  It will be her first time at sleep away camp and she is counting down the days until she is a big girl on her own for 4 nights!  I confess that when the parents handbook came and said we needed to label everything, I immediately thought I had to find a loophole.  I mean this is Washington, D.C., there is a loophole for everything and I despise those iron on clothing labels.  So I channeled my inner Southern Belle and monogrammed...EVERYTHING but her socks and underwear and I am NOT joking:

Washcloths...all 4 of them are monogrammed
Swimsuits, check!
Her flashlight, yep it's monogrammed
Sunglasses...PLEASE!
Her shorts, EVERY LAST PAIR
The duffel to put it all in...DUH

I don't think Mr. G is thrilled that I have pretty much turned our formal living room into a packing staging area, but I don't plan on any formal entertaining until we survive camp!

I have less than 2 weeks left in this surgical boot and I am counting down the days.  I have developed a HATE HATE relationship with the stationary bike...I hate it, yet I go back to it for an hour a day.  Let's face it, it's not like I have a lot of options and not exercising would make need to go into hiding.

That is pretty much the Grove in a nutshell and my guess is that I have bored you to tears!  I am off to finish our end of the year teacher gifts for Mini K and farewell gifts for the teacher's in Baby C's toddler room as he is moving up to the junior room in June!  It seems surreal that we will be touring D.C. preschools for him this fall!  We are almost to 500 fans on Facebook and I can't wait to giveaway one of our monogrammed carryalls!  If you haven't liked our page, would you, pretty please, give us a wink HERE.

Night!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Empire State of Mind

I am off tomorrow to NYC for what will be a whirlwind of events and a weekend of walking in this lovely cast.  I keep looking at my suitcase and laughing, because I only had to pack right shoes!  It's amazing how much space you save with only one shoe.

You know that phrase that goes..."do something every day that scares you?"  Well today I did just that, but instead of scaring me I feel like I have lost 50lbs and gone to a spa for a month long massage.  I QUIT MY JOB!!!!!!!!!!

This post is NOT meant to start the mommy wars so if you are looking for a fight please look elsewhere.  I am not going to be a stay at home mom.  Instead, I can cross something BIG off of my bucket list.  I left a big firm with fancy marble floors and mountains of meeting requests for "office socials" to start my own firm.  The BEST part, ALL of my clients are not only going with me, but they have been my biggest supporters.  I feel truly blessed to be able to work for such amazing clients!  I have told maybe 10 people and have had no less than 5 people call me about doing work them.  I have spent the last year wondering why I felt so alone at work and wondering if I had made the wrong decision somewhere along the way.  I have always LOVED my clients, even on their crankiest days, so I knew it wasn't them.

I handed in my letter today and was asked if I had given it thought or if I was just mad.  That question, I know, would never have been uttered to a man, but I had an answer...I had been thinking about it for months!  If I had any doubts, which I didn't, they were erased as soon as I was asked that question.

This post for me is my therapy today.  Today I learned:

crossing a big item off your bucket list feels amazing

that sometimes you have more support if you walk away from what brings you down

that following through on a goal you set for yourself feels better than I thought it would

But most of all, today I did something that my children can be proud of...I don't ever want Mini K to be asked if she is capable of making a decision at 37 or having a tantrum.  I want her to know her own worth and it starts with her seeing her mother model that behavior.

My last official day is June 30th and while my clients will still be my clients on July 1st, I can't wait for that day to come!

So for all of you that have known I have been stressed, or not myself or just not plain happy, now you know!  I cannot thank you enough for your kind comments and emails!!!!  If you see a girl with a cast on her left leg and a smile as big as Texas on her face this weekend in NYC, please come say HI!

I won't be back on here until Monday, but I promise to keep you up to date on twitter!

Monday, May 14, 2012

Rainy Day Money Savings!

We celebrated Baby's c's second birthday this weekend and I promise a full recap tomorrow!  It is a dreary, rainy Monday and not at all what I needed to kick off this busy week.  I have a fresh to do list, a cup of coffee and the light of a girls weekend in NYC to get me through the week!

I have deleted no less than 1200 emails this morning and planned a couple of Christmas in July events...it will be here before you know it!  While I was sorting through emails, I found a couple of happies that will help me tackle my list and save me some money for said NYC girls weekend in the process so I thought of would share:

Today is the LAST DAY to purchase your celebrity favorite $100 Naomi Gray jewelry gift certificate for $40!  Remember to enter in code MOMSDAY20 to save 20% off of the $50 purchase price.  You can use your electronic gift certificate immediately and the $100 can get you the sterling silver or gold plated birthstone ring necklace with two charms!  You can purchase your certificate HERE!


You have all heard me rave about ebates, well here I go AGAIN!  Ebates is 13 today and I could kick myself for not joining sooner, and they are celebrating with 13% cash back from a lot of stores, and in some cases 39% cash back!

If you aren't a member you can join HERE.

Nordstrom
Mr G and I don't want to part with our Rainbows, but they have most certainly seen better days.  They rarely, if ever, go on sale, but I ordered us new pairs from Nordstroms today, because I could use my Nordstrom notes and get 13% cash back so combined they cost me less than $20 for 2 pairs!  So check out your Nordstrom's list and click on over, because 13% cash back is $13 for every $100 you spend, throw in their everyday free shipping and you come out great!

Last Call
Even though Neiman Marcus isn't on Ebates, Last Call is and they have a 30% off sale on all women's jewelry, shoes and handbags.  I am loving this mint green Lauren Merkin clutch.  It's already marked down on Last Call, plus an extra 30%, plus 13% cash back via Ebates and it is almost 80% off!



Magazines
Despite my ipad, I still love to turn the actual pages of a magazine.  Magazines.com is offering 39% cash back on all purchases to celebrate Ebates 13th birthday.  My goddaughter is turning 13 this year!  I have no idea where the time has gone!  I just ordered her 20 issues of Teen Vogue for $10, plus I get 39% cash back on that!  It will cost me $6.10!

If you are an Instyle junkie like me, you can get 26 issues for $26, plus your 39% cash back!  That is 26 issues for $15.86!


Friday, May 11, 2012

Friday Five

I am off to a Mother's Day luncheon at Mini K's school for what will be the start of a busy and fun weekend, but wanted to post my Friday Five.

1.  Advice from Mom
C.Wonder asked for wisdom from your mom on twitter and I had to share what my mother has always taught me!  Thank you notes matter!

2.  Traditions
I still remember my mom dropping me off at college and giving me my baby birthstone ring on a bracelet. I still have it!  Mr. G gave me a necklace from Naomi Gray last year with birthstone rings for Mini K and Baby C and I will eventually put Mini K's ring on a bracelet and give to her when we take her to college!
You can purchase one for half price HERE and use code:
DMVKV7DK77 to save an extra $10!
3.  Fresh Cut Grass
It has been rainy here this week and I love looking out the window and seeing bright green grass and the sun shining!

4.  Family Pictures
We are packing up half of the house so construction can begin and I have decided to organize as I go!  I have started a file of pictures I want to frame including whether I need to purchase and engrave frames and what size.  I am a firm believer that your home should reflect you, not a picture in a magazine!  I snapped this photo of the kids on spring break and cannot wait to put it up in my new office!

5.  Peonies!
I wait all year to be able to hear Mini K say on May 1st, "Peonies bloom in May!"  There is something about a vase full of peonies that makes me smile!



Wednesday, May 9, 2012

A Class Act




I had hoped to get this post up this morning, but Baby C decided I needed to have a crack of dawn wake up call instead!  So much for thinking I could write a post, catch up on email and drink a cup of coffee at 5am in PEACE and QUIET!

I have always said I wanted to keep this blog real.  It is not always pretty or fun to be a working mom with a side business, but it is my life and my decisions and I need to own them as an example to my children.  My post today is about someone that I think also keeps it real.  To many we seem like odd friends:  she is almost 10 years younger than I am (that alone was scary to type!), we probably don't see eye to eye on a lot of issues, she lives in another country and she like Bojangles chicken and coconut, but she is a dear friend and I have so much respect for her!

Today is a special day.  My former friend in blogland, now friend in real life Melissa turned 29!  That seems like forever ago to me, but that is a post for another day.  As a mom you sometimes think, if my child can grow up to be like that person I will be so proud.  Well if Mini K is anything like Melissa when she grows up, I will be bursting with pride and able to relax about my parenting skills.

Melissa has done something in 29 years that many people cannot say they have accomplished in a LIFETIME....she has lost 100 pounds!  For me though, it is not how much weight she lost, but how she lost it:

1.  The hard way, without tv shows, pills, surgery, but calories in and a lot of exercise to burn those calories off.

2.  Honestly, she shared her journey through her blog and was HONEST.

3.  With SELF ESTEEM.  This, my friends, is the part that makes me so proud.  She believed in herself and knew she was much much more than a number on a scale or a reflection in a mirror.  If we as mothers can teach our daughters one thing, it is this and I pray Mini K can have this same mental toughness in the face of all of society's pressures.

4.  Gracefully.  I know she will read this and think I have lost my marbles, but M you are graceful.  You handle setbacks with a smile and a positive attitude, you always remember that there is a tomorrow and you never forgot that there is a world out there beyond the scale.

Melissa, I hope you had a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY, full of coconut cake, pink bicycles and most of all surrounded (virtually and in person) by people who love you!

If Mini K grows up to be anything like Melissa, the world will be in good hands!

I wish I could say that I had planned things properly and her present arrived to her in London on her birthday.  I cannot.  I promise it is on its way now!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Phone Home

We have been getting a TON of emails requesting a hard iphone case that is under $50!  You asked for it and we find it!

Starting today you can purchase these personalized iphone 4/4s cases on our site for $44.95!  You can even add your favorite photo to them.

This design is perfect for those wanting a personalized case that is simple.

The stripes on this case make me think of beach towel!

But I think my favorite design might be this turquoise and orange number!  I just cannot resist a bright orange!

Monday, May 7, 2012

Soft Landing

I spent last night listing a bunch of furniture that we either don't want or won't work in the house after the construction and less than a day later, EVERY SINGLE ITEM has been sold.  THANK YOU Criag's List!  Now I just have to get everything organized on paper so I can plan what I need the packers to do before the movers arrive.  I am probably the only dork that actually gets excited for construction to begin. It's like a living breathing to do list and you can physically watch the items being crossed off:  walls, roof, and then the details can begin!

I have started the binder divided room by room and am hoping we will be completely finished by Thanksgiving.  All of this organizing has me looking for a soft place to land this evening.

The best part is soon, the Grove will be full of soft places to land.  Monogrammed shams and throw pillows in basic white and prints and pattern galore will soon be here and on the site!  I LOVE a big monogram, and I am a Texan so I mean BIG on a pillow.  It can transform a plain sofa or white bed into a statement.  The best part is that you can change a room by the season without breaking the bank.  Now if only the furniture I have picked out for the addition was the same price as these pillows....

So what do you think?





Sunday, May 6, 2012

Favorite Finds

I PROMISE this week I will be better about posting...after all I have all of these planned posts and I just keep forgetting to actually post them!  I am now sporting a new walking boot and while I can get around faster, by the end of the day my foot and leg are just plain tired from, well walking.  Tomorrow I can start back on the stationary bike and Crossfit body weight workouts like push ups, sit ups and ring rows.  I must admit, my body and brain are in major NEED of endorphins.

All this time off of my feet and on restricted movement though as been good for my product finding/testing fun!  I have a few new finds to share with you and ALL of them are things that never in a million years did I think would actually work or be something I would try out.

1.  Quick Dry Paddle Brush
I was totally skeptical that this would work.  I have super thick hair...if I let it air dry it takes 20-24 hours and close to an hour to blow dry with my super high-charged dryer.  I have an over 2000 watt hair dryer, like they have at the salons and a special outlet in my bathroom because of said dryer, but this brush WORKS!  I can now dry my hair in less than 30 minutes with the dryer if I brush it through with this.  The best part about this find is that is only costs $11.99!

2.  Fresh Produce
I was approached by Fresh Produce, another mom owned business, and asked to review an item from their spring line.  I will admit I wasn't familiar with their clothes and after I saw their website realized I have seen their stores in certain beach towns, but never realized they had a complete women's resort wear line.  This spring I have become a huge fan of the shirt tail hemmed t-shirts.  They are perfect with cropped skinny jeans, a maxi skirt or shorts and don't require a belt.

I received the retreat top in black and LOVE it!  While many of post your OOTD's, I won't claim my outfit is anywhere close, but I love the look, weight and feel of this shirt!  The best part is that Fresh Produce ships to over 200 countries and not many companies can say that!  The top is also a lot less expensive than the other shirt tail hemmed t-shirts and tunics around this season!


The other MUST HAVE item from Fresh Produce I think everyone needs and I am ordering for myself for Mother's Day and a few extras for friend's birthdays is the Triangle and Poms scarf!  What's not to love about tassles and pom poms on the SAME scarf!  The best part: it's only $34!  The hardest part for me will be deciding between the white and the turquoise!

3.  Yellow!
I snapped up this Brider Baubles necklace in yellow, because everyone is claiming that yellow is the new "it" color.  I doubted I could pull it off, but at less than $40, it was a bargain compared to other jewelry stores!  I LOVE it!  I wore it with my Fresh Produce tunic today to run errands, take Mini K to a birthday party and a casual dinner out and no less than 10 women stopped to ask about my necklace or my tunic.



The other good thing about Bridier Baubles:  FREE SHIPPING and if you hurry and place an order tonight with code: NINA, you can take an extra 10% off!  I now think I need the $23 Fleur cuff bracelet in....YELLOW!


4.  Heart Rate Monitors!
A year ago I had my metabolic rate tested so I knew what my target heart rate was for burning fat.  As it turned out, it was a much slower running/workout pace than I thought.  What I haven't loved about it is the annoying chest strap on my heart rate monitor watch.  I was so excited to find this watch, without a chest strap for an amazing price of $29!  The best part, you can save an extra 20% with code FF20!  The watch ends up being something like 78% off!

5.  Naomi Gray Birthstone Ring Necklaces!
I have several friends that will be celebrating their first mother's day this year!  Last year, Mini K saw a picture in a magazine of a Naomi Gray necklace with birthstone rings on it and showed it Mr. G.  Even though he had already purchased something for me, he couldn't say no to Mini K so I had an extra special Mother's Day!  I love my birthstone ring necklace and someday will put the ring with Mini K's birthstone on her gold charm bracelet!  It is the perfect necklace to wear when I travel as it keeps them with me and I always get compliments when I wear it!  I know Mr. G wishes he would have gotten the deal I am about to share with you!  You can get $100 worth of Naomi Gray jewelry for $50 HERE.  This next part will be out little secret:  if you use code DMVKV7DK77 you can save an additional $10 so you can get your $100 gift certificate for $40!
I am now off to ice my foot and get ready for this week, but if you have a favorite thing or a fab new find please share it!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Hump Day Happies

Tomorrow is my big post surgery appointment and one footed pedicure (I knew I could find one!) so my mood was instantly lifted by 10am.  Throw in a haircut scheduled for Saturday morning and a new pair of earrings on hold at The Shoe Hive and I am one happy working mom!

My Julep box arrived today and since I have a pedicure tomorrow morning, I can't wait to use one of my Julep polish.  I have posted about Julep before, but I am still impressed with the company.  A friend from Seattle says the nail parlors are great and known in the city for hosting fab events, but my only exposure has been the monthly box.  For $19 you get $40 worth of product and I can tell you I have NOT been disappointed.  So many of these monthly box companies send you sample sized products and you cannot select what you actually want to receive....Julep is different.  Each month you can select your two nail polish colors, or you can let them select for you based on your profile.  This month's box contained 2 polishes, one arrived with a magnet and a notice that it was magnetic polish and you could make stripes...the new crackle, a full sized pedicure foot cream and a callous file that I can say works better than my uber expensive one from Bliss.

You can join Julep HERE.  I was on the fence about trying Julep and a coupon code made me bite the bullet and order and I haven't looked back.  In case you are in the same boat, I wanted to share a discount with you.  If you enter COLOR2012 at checkout you can get your first box for 1 cent.  I mean how can you not try something for a PENNY?  I just ordered a couple of subscriptions as gifts today.

For those of you that actually didn't fall asleep reading yesterday's post, I realized it might have sounded that I dread throwing parties and it is just the opposite.  I love them, from thinking of the theme, to the favor to the menu, parties for me are the chance to spend time with family and family by choice.

Sometimes the hardest part can be picking a theme and finding an invite.  So starting tomorrow through May 15th take 25% off ALL party invitations with code:  PTIME25.

Our clients always give us the best ideas so I thought I would share some them.  Movie parties seem to be the new thing for the 8-12 age group.  We had a client order these movie party invites today.  Here is the best part, the movie is being shown on an inflatable screen in her backyard.  After a few emails back and forth we helped her decide to serve the snacks in the beach pails that are in the $1 section at Target and monogram beach towels for each of the guests to serve as their "seat" and their favor.


Another client has a great farm about two hours outside of Washington, D.C.  Every spring she orders direction cards to the farm.  Clean and simple cards that she personalizes with directions to their farm.  She simply includes them in notes inviting guests.  I think this is a GREAT idea for beach houses as well. Another client prints these same cards and leaves them at their beach house with information on the area:  where to eat, a spa, where to shop.


Mini K spends half the year trying to figure out why our club pool isn't open for a pool party...in DECEMBER.  So I am thinking of letting her have a pool party this summer.  I confess, it might just be to  use this invite!


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The Countdown Is On


Pull up a chair, because I have done what we as women do so well. I have awarded myself with a to-do list that might be taller than an NBA player. It didn't happen at once, in fact, each thing on its own seemed doable and like the right choice. Then I listed them out realized than when work, mommyland and spouse activity city meet, it can look like anything but couture, or refined. Let's face it, it can look like the aftermath of Goyard sample sale, if there was such a thing. I need to force myself out of that daydream and back to reality. I told myself, and well all of you, that I started this blog to be real, and real is not always pretty or preppy or neat, but it is my life. So before I start getting the comments and emails, let me just say, this is one of those moments that I am merely laughing at myself, not complaining, because when do you hear a man look at his to do list and say: " Tomorrow I need to confirm 6 client meetings, order Chick Fil A nuggets, confirm a one foot pedicure, get Mini K's pearl earrings fixed, order engraved crab mallets and get Baby C to his ISR class by 5pm." Let's be honest, we are the only sex crazy enough to write all of this down and wonder, how many trips to Starbucks will it take to get this done.

It has officially been one week since my surgery. The boot I am wearing keeps my calf muscle flexed at all times and I am praying they give me another one at my follow up appointment on Thursday. My foot is now also itching, probably TMI, but these stitches better dissolve, because I slept with gloves on last night to keep from scratching my foot in my sleep.

Mr. G's big event is this week, actually the events leading up to the event start tomorrow. I am so proud of him and his committee! They have exceeded ALL of their fundraising goals and it is for such a great cause that EVERYONE can enjoy: The National Mall. Most women wear long dresses to this event, but my surgeon said no as I am still at risk for a re-break if I trip, so I am donning a, GASP, short dress. You will find me at The Shoe Hive as soon as I leave my doctor's appointment on Thursday to find a shoe for my right foot!

The good news: I found a salon to give me a one footed pedicure. Let the jokes begin!

Baby C's crab themed birthday party is a week from this Saturday! Food has been ordered. Cake has been designed, but tomorrow I MUST get the favors ordered and I pray there is still enough time to get them engraved before the party. This year we opted for a Crab Shack theme and we are borrowing his big day. He is TWO, there will be cake, there will be a pinata and then then he can go to bed, the big kids can play with the bubble machine and the grown ups can enjoy some crabs, some beer and it wouldn't be a Grove party without a Chick-Fil-A table. In the Grove, Chick Fil A goes with EVERYTHING.

Because I couldn't have an empty schedule, May will also be filled with a girls weekend in NYC and our departure to take Mini K to camp over Memorial Day weekend. I said this post wasn't exciting, but it is real and I need this blog to be real. I juggle, sometimes, like this month, more than I probably should, but that's me. My mother used to always repeat the phrase, "if you want something done, give it to a busy person."

My life is driving me a little crazy this month, but it was my doing and my choice. One thing we have been working on with Keating this year is choices. Once you make one, you need to own it. It is very easy to say that to a child, or ourselves, and then forget those words and look to blame or complain.

I am determined to keep myself accountable this year. I am blessed that my surgery is behind me, that both the Grove and my day job are booming, the kids are healthy and happy and I have a list to keep me from sitting still and sipping a cocktail.

SO SO many of you are great about blogging, mid-craziness, about how you handle it. I have to get into the craziness, come up with a plan, tackle it and then I can talk about it. This probably explains why I am a paper planner person and do not use the calendar on my ipad or iphone or whatever this imaginary CLOUD thing is that is far smarter than me.

If you are still reading here, I owe you a champagne cocktail, or TWO! So I am off to cross finding a second storage pod off my list. Did I mention, we are breaking ground on our renovation project in exactly one month!

Crazy! I just keep saying the phrase that makes my friends cringe the most: It is what it is.

Just remember, somewhere a little girl is watching you, she may not be your daughter, but we owe all of them the lesson of seeing women tackle long lists, difficult projects and carry on....so I will put on one fabulous right shoe, grab a Starbucks soy latte and tackle tomorrow!