Killer or Just a Nerd

http://www.malevole.com/mv/misc/killerquiz/

Ok so I got this site from my cafe mom website. It is really funny to see if you can choose which guy is a computer programmer or a killer. You would think this would be easy. Oh not so. I scored a 6/10. Good luck and tell me what you get.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Ace of Cakes Here I Come....Maybe

Ok so I had a little bit of a wild hare this week. For Halloween, Reiggin, Virginia, and I are heading to Donnie and Meredith's house for a BBQ/Halloween party. So I decided that I would bake a cake to take to the party. 

But as always, I can't do things simple. So I decided to bake a pumpkin cake. First, it started out that I was going to try to make a full size pumpkin shaped cake. But I quickly realized that the pan I got was not the size I desired. And when I picked the cake up to look at the bottom, it broke into pieces. 

So I altered my plans and decided to make a half shaped pumpkin cake. It was a lot of fun and I did manage to shape the stem out of the broken up cake. So I was quite proud of that.  The cake turned out pretty good. I still have a long way to go before I out-do Duff from Ace of Cakes, but I am going to keep trying. 

Also attached are pictures of the hot air balloons that floated over our house last Saturday. They were coming from the Balloon Rally in Statesville. It was so cool and pretty. It was amazing how low they were flying. The whole town came out following the balloons or at least it seemed like it.

Well that is all. Hope everyone has a great Halloween!

Weekend of Fun!

So it has been another busy week for the Hilderbrands. I had a doctors appointment Tuesday. I am all a-okay, so no worries there. I am starting to get better at bringing Virginia along with me. She is great in the car and sleeps the whole time. 

We also had a visit from Sarah and Noman. It was great catching up with them. They were super nice and brought us dinner. So we spent the night eating and chit-chatting. 

Then on Friday, Reiggin and I went to Tweetsie with his friends Steven and Laura. It was the first time we left Virginia. Grandma Hilderbrand was kind enough to babysit so we could have some time to ourselves. It was a lot of fun even in the rain and freezing cold. 

Then, on Saturday, we went to Bridget's house for a BBQ to celebrate her birthday. It was fun to get out of the house and see everyone. It is definetely a little different going to a party with a baby.  But I managed nicely and still had a blast.

Sunday turned out to be a recovery day. Both Reiggin and I were exhausted. So we spent the day at the house relaxing. So, again, it was a busy week. And this week is going to be no different. I will keep you posted. But, for now, enjoy the pictures.

Okay, so this past week has been a busy one. But it's been lots of fun. Wednesday we went to our first play date and met some great moms from the Statesville area. And their kids were just adorable. Virginia is the youngest. The other kids are 5 months, 6 months, and two one year olds. We went to the Bella Cafe in Troutman. It was pretty good but it didn't live up to my expectations. It could have been the fact I still can't eat dairy. So that eliminated me from enjoying ice cream. But the company made up for it.

Next, on Friday, we drove all the way to Gastonia and visited everyone at the Gaston Gazette. It was great seeing everyone. They all loved Virginia and agreed she was just too cute. I also went by my parent's house and visited for a while. Grandma can't get enough of Virginia. That night we went to Longhorn with Susan and Joe. It was so great. The food was good and it was nice to show off Virginia to everyone at Longhorn. After dinner, Susan and Joe took us to try Italian ice cream for the first time. Sorry Reiggin, I know, bad ice cream. But it was so good. So it was a fun-filled Friday.

Saturday, Donnie, Meredith, and Donnie's mom stopped by to visit with Virginia.

Sunday was a day of rest. It was just nice to be able to take a long nap and be lazy. Virginia was nice and also slept. It was amazing. Then, on Monday, we decided to give Virginia her first big girl bath in the tub. That was an adventure but oh so much fun. She was just too cute laying in the tub. Well, that is all for now. I should have some more cute pictures soon. Tonight, Sarah and Noman are coming for a visit. So I will keep you posted on how that goes.

So this entry is going to be a mixed bag of a lot of different events. Virginia, Reiggin, and I have had a busy couple of days. 

Saturday we went out on our first restaurant outing with Virginia. We went and had dinner at Chilli's. Luckily, it was a little late and not that many people in the restaurant. Virginia stayed asleep and behaved great.

Sunday was unofficially grandparents day. We made the long trip down to Gastonia for a good Sunday dinner. Man, can my mom cook. It was so yummy. And it was nice to see Virginia took the hour long drive well and never woke up. We had a blast at Grandma and Grandpa Ford's house. We also got to visit with Aunt Susan and see her oh-so-cute baby bump. I just can't wait til Sam gets here. Virginia is ready for some company. Also, Uncle Joe was there and got to see Virginia for the first time. And it was his 30th birthday. After lunch, Great Grandma and Grandpa Brown came over. It is always so great to see Grandma Brown with Virginia. She just lights up when she has Virginia in her arms. 

After we filled our bellies and watched the Panthers get their butts kicked, we headed back to Troutman. We had a few minutes of rest and grabbed some Subway for dinner. Then it was time for round two. Grandma Hilderbrand and her friend Linda stopped in and visited. Linda gave Virginia a really cute outfit, blanket, socks, and photo album. There was a bunch of whoos and ooohs and then they were on their way. 

Monday brought a doctor's appointment and a visit to my job at GA Comm. The doctors appointment went well. Virginia is now 8lbs and 21 1/4 inches long. The doctor said she looked great. Afterwards we headed to GA Comm. to show her off to all my coworkers. They all loved her and took turns holding her. It was to funny when she only cried when my manager Dale hold her. Oh well, what are you going to do. 

We headed home after that for a long night of staying up. I will have to confess; the doctor and Reiggin are right. Milk and cheese do not agree with Virginia. They make her upset and full of gas. So Monday night I did not get any sleep and was up all night with her. But now I know I have to bite the bullet and cut out milk and cheese from my diet. That is not so easy. Just think how much cheese you eat daily. But I love my baby so I am going to make a better effort to stay away from milk and cheese. That and I need sleep.

Now for Wednesday. I am super excited. Virginia and I have our first play date. I signed up on this website called Cafe Mom. It is a social site for moms to talk and meet other local moms. So I thought I would give it a try. I felt a little crazy and posted asking if any Troutman and Statesville mom's would like to get together for ice cream wednesday. I didn't think I would get any response. But, surprise! I got about 7 or so women who wrote back and said they would love to meet up. So I am super thrilled and can't wait. I just hope that maybe I will make some good new friends out of this adventure. And gain some good parenting advice from the mom's with older kids. Now that I am writing this I just realized that ice cream has milk. It will just be my one milk product for the week. Not counting what I ate Monday. [edit by Reiggin: She's not going to have any ice cream.  They serve other deserts aside from just ice cream... lucky her.  ;o)]

So has you can see we have had a busy couple of days. But it has been a blast. And here are a few pictures from over the weekend. I know it is more than a few but I just can't help myself with the camera. Enjoy and I hope everyone is having a great week.

Isn't She Cute!

Here are a couple of pictures I took today.

Good or Bad Hygiene

So I know your mind has to be going in all different directions trying to figure out what the title means. Well I will clarify. I believe once you become a mother of a newborn your sense of hygiene goes out the window. Or at least mine has.  There have been days where I have not had a shower. Also days where it has been late in the afternoon when I have gotten a chance to brush my teeth. I know Reiggin will get onto me. He always tells me that when she sleeps I need to take a shower or a nap. I have gotten better, but I am still paranoid about leaving her and taking a shower where I can't hear her well. And I am sure Reiggin is sick of seeing me in my red gym shorts and some random t-shirt. But that is my outfit for most of the week. I try to dress up a bit, but it just never happens. Now I know Lisa and Susan you are laughing saying I had the same bad hygiene before I had a child. Funny and some what true. I just can't wait to hear your stories Susan. Oh the joys that wait for you and Joe. And this picture of Virginia sleeping is one of few peaceful moments this week.

Cloth Diapers. OH NO!

Ok so today I used my last disposable diaper. Yep you know what that means. The start of the cloth diapers. I will be honest I have not been super excited about the start of the cloth diapers. It just seems like a lot of work. And the past couple of days Virginia has been a handful. She has been full of gas and cranky. So we have had a lot of late nights. So my mood has not been the best. But today I was determined to start the cloth diapers. And I was trying to think positive thoughts. 

First I was a little unclear of how to fold the diaper. Second wasn't sure how to insert the cloth diaper into the cover. But I read the trusty directions and I was good to go. Now for Virginia she looks like a pear. Thin on top and big on bottom. She definetely has some junk in the trunk now. But she is still as cute as can be. I will keep you updated on how I feel about the cloth diapers. But for now they are not that bad. But then again I have not had a explosive diaper yet. And I have not had to clean a load of them. So check back later. Ok to add on to this you know your a  mom when you don't think twice about sticking your hand in a toilet to swirl around a dirty diaper. Oh yeah I am there.

Ranch or no Ranch? What!

Ok, so I know this seems silly. Ranch or no Ranch? But one night as Reiggin was doing his usual surfing of the web. He came across a article on Ranch dressing that was just funny. In this article two cousins have banned the use of Ranch dressing on their pizza. Crazy is what I say. As many of you know I am in love with Ranch. I use Ranch on my pizza, chicken, pretty much anything.  My sister Susan even had us using Ranch on our spaghetti. So there is no way I could say no to Ranch on pizza. You have to go read the article it is pretty good. It gives the history or Ranch and the debate on how America has made Ranch the new ketchup. Go read the article and leave a comment telling me your opinion on the debate. Should Ranch be restricted? Where do you stand on the topic?

Ok so this face is super cute. But not that cute at 2:07 am when you really want to sleep. Lately my little cutie has been full of gas. And this keeps her from falling asleep. She sleeps all during the day which I guess makes up for the late nights. I try my best to take naps during the day when she does fall asleep.  But the late nights are getting old. But it does allow me to play pet society on facebook and surf the web. Ok well that is all I am just killing time until Virginia decides to fall asleep. Just wait Susan your time is coming.

The Next Stage

So, yes, I have finally decided to update my graphic design website. It has been a long time coming. I had started one about a year ago, trying to do it on my own doing all the html and everything. Yeah, that was taking awhile since I was learning html as I did the site. So the old site was not that great. But now I am using iWeb on the Mac, which I love. It is so easy and does such a great job. It also allows me to do so much design with little effort. 

My ultimate goal is to be able to use this site to start my freelance work. It has always been a goal of mine to be able to work from home and do graphic design freelance work. So the goal is in progress. I am working on finishing the website and then I am going to start promoting my talents.  So feel free to check out my website and let me know what you like and what you dislike. Now, do remember this site is a work in progress and things will be changing. Two big changes will include adding more logo and business stationery designs. Ok, well that is it.  Go check it out and I hope you like what you see.