Thursday, January 5, 2012

Tears of Joy and Sadness

This past weekend I enjoyed a wonderful trip to Orlando to watch our Gamecocks tear up Nebraska! This was the first time the Hubs and I have been away together since our Honeymoon over 2 years ago! As much as we missed Cooper terribly, and talked about him the entire time....We ventured into Downtown Disney, Boardwalk and made a few other stops to try and enjoy ourselves. This was the first bowl game for both of us and we had a BLAST!!


*Brandon tested his fast ball skills....We are waiting by the phones for the MLB to call...( Notice his name 4th down, and that is "217" next to his name!)

Goooo Cocks!!!




ON ANOTHER NOTE.....(Warning:Emotional Content to Follow)

For those of you that are close to me, you know that I followed the Casey Anthony trial like a hawk. My DVR was slam full whenever I had to be away from home, and I even reactivated my Sirius Radio in my car to listen to the trial while away.
My heart continues to ache for the loss of such a precious little girl, and I cringe every time I see or think of Casey Anthony. I simply cannot comprehend how sick one must be to act the way she did throughout the entire saga of her missing daughter, the trial and all other aspects of her life.
This matter hit my heart very heavy and I am constantly thinking of what a tragic situation it was.

Some of you may not agree with the venture that I made, as my Hubs did not want to partake either. However, I asked him on our way down if we could travel to the site where Caylee's body was found and drive past the Anthony home so that I may say a prayer and pay my respects.
I have to admit, my first thought at doing this, did indeed give me slight excitement (not necessarily "happy" excitement), adrenaline.
However, as we left our hotel Tuesday morning and made the 20 minute drive the Hope Springs Dr and Suburban Drive my stomach began to turn into knots. The closer we got, the worse it became. Even just seeing the street signs of places I had heard so much about made me uneasy.

When we made the right turn onto Suburban drive, it took merely seconds before you began to see the memorial created for little Caylee and the site where she was found. I immediately teared up.
The Hubs pulled over so that I could get out. I walked very slowly the edge of the street where the memorial began. My heart felt as though it was about to jump out of my chest. My eyes were swelling with tears.
I stood there just thinking, praying,and crying for a good 10 minutes. I was shocked at how (NOT) far back she was found from the street. This was unbelievable to me, and truly was even more devastating than I had previously thought.

I gained my composure, took a breath and soaked it all in. I said a prayer for Caylee and turned back to our car.

When traveled *MAYBE* 20 yards from the site to turn left onto Hope Springs Dr. The street where the Anthonys live. When we passed their home, I was in utter disbelief of home unbelievably close their house was the site where Caylee was found. I know that we all have seen the maps they showed on the News describing the proximity, but nothing could have prepared me for this trip in seeing for myself how close together they were. I could have thrown a baseball that distance I believe. Football players could have thrown a pass that distance, EASILY!!!!

I know that some of you may feel that me making a trip there and taking photos was disrespectful. Please believe me when I tell you that I in no way was attempting to disrespect Caylee, the Family or anyone else for that matter.
Although I never knew Caylee and have never met anyone involved, the journey that I spent following her disappearance from the beginning followed by the court trial gave me a sense of compassion and connection. I felt the need, want or necessity (whichever you prefer) to pay my respect.


View from the edge of the street...


You can see in the far distance, where the white sign is placed...Is where they found "something suspicious"

If you look closely, you can still see the marks from the lightening that struck this tree directly at the memorial on the day that Casey learned she would be getting out of Jail...Most definitely a sign from God!

The Anthony Home..

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

So, I suck at this...

Alright, So I officially stink at the blogging world.
I am an expert reader and follower but I just fail in the art of keeping up with my own. As I have recently been told my a sweet friend, I should just Stop! *Thanks Judy :)
I believe the reason I am not persistent is possibly I feel that no one is interested in what I have to say, or wants to see a gazillion photos of my child. Whatever my internal reasoning may be, I am attempting to get over it.
Do I really care that I dont get comments? Does it really matter that no one "subscribes" to my (half existent) blog?

Being a stay at home mom, I do not get the "adult interaction" I was always used to. I do not get to converse about things that I find interesting or just plain need to get off my chest. Of course, I have conversations with my husband, but normally I feel I am talking to a brick wall when I get excited about something I found on Pinterest, or my latest coupon extravaganza, or how I feel like a beached whale being pregnant again!
Lots of things are constantly running through my mind, and I need an outlet.

As troublesome and wishy washy as my blog may be, I have full intentions to continue. I may not blog everyday, and I can promise that a good portion of my post will probably not be interesting to most of you...( If there even is anyone out there) but I need an outlet, and this seems to be my only option.


I seem to be getting this face more often, apparently Cooper does not appreciate good, female bonding and conversation....

Thursday, November 10, 2011

I gained 40 lbs...Of Chicken!

I wanted to share with everyone my recent discovery!

Most of you that know me, know that I can coupon the crud out of whatever it is I am looking for. Whether it be a food product, or just some random neat item I found online...I make sure that I do NOT ever pay full price for anything.

My most recent treasure...Chicken Breast, and a whole lot of them! Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures when I picked up my box :( I know, how un-smart of me!
However, I did snap some shots of the the size of these babies, and a few of my freezer once I had cleaned, cut, and froze them.

Before I share the pictures, I will let you in on this new found obsession of mine.




It is difficult for me to explain this company to you, except for the fact that it is SUCH a great deal and VERY good quality foods!
The welcome statement on their page sums everything up better than I could....


"Welcome to Zaycon Foods.

Our goal is simple. We help families like yours to save money on high-quality food products.

Along the way, we are transforming the traditional food purchasing experience.

With our Savings Events Across America , we invite you to come see for yourself what we are all about."



They have "events" at different times and different locations. They will do specials on beef, bacon, fruits, etc. This particular event was for their Chicken Breast. Wowzers, was it a deal that I just could not turn down-- **$1.49/lb**

Currently Publix is selling their Perdue Chicken Breast for $ 2.99/lb and Food Lion does have theirs (an "off" brand") for $1.89 per pound this week. Just as a means for comparison.

There is a catch or 2 with purchasing these products is that there is a minimum order you must place. For example, the chicken breasts came in cases of 40 lbs. This was the minimum. ( My total was $59.60)
These are not like the chicken breasts you can purchase in the store, take home and throw in the freezer.

The box comes with 4 unsealed "smaller" bags FULL of FULL Chicken Breast, this means that the 2 breast are still connected in the butterfly formation. All 4 of these "smaller" bags are then placed in a larger Sealed bag, inside the box.

Here are the stock images from Zaycon Foods...Showing the packing...








I personally washed each breast thoroughly as I was unpacking them and preparing them. You must cut, de-fat, portion,package and freeze them yourself.
I know this seems exhausting to think about doing all of those things to 40 lbs of chicken...Which, I cannot lie, it does get a little exhausting standing on your feet in the kitchen for that long period of time (* Cue one of my favorite gadgets....The NATCO Kitchen Chef Mat...Which Kohls will have on sale for Black Friday..I HIGHLY recommend one!)


Here are some shots of the chicken that I snapped while I was working...I was SOO shocked at the size of these, they were significantly larger than ANY I had ever bought from a grocery store! I apologize for the terrible quality, I snapped these with my iphone with intentions only to message them to someone, not use here.









I did go ahead and cook 4 of the breasts for dinner the other night, these suckers are "real thick and juicy" (Name that Song!). I chose the smallest of the batch I cooked and I could not even finish it!
Absolutely Delish!!

Check out Zaycon Foods HERE...Register..and Keep your eyes open for their next event! I will post an announcement here whenever there is one available so that all 2 of you that read this, will be aware!!

:)


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

You Say It's Your Birthday!?!

This past Sunday we celebrated our little man turning 1 year old!! Although his actually birthday is tomorrow, we enjoyed a beautiful Sunday afternoon with lots of friends and family!

We threw together a Little Red Wagon themed party, as that was Mommy and Daddy's gift for Cooper. However, when I say "we" I have to acknowledge the fact that truly if it had not been for my younger sister and her other half, and my best friend Lauren....This party would NEVER have come together!! I am so thankful for all of the endless hours and effort that they helped contribute and also for the patience they had with me while I continuously changed the invitation design countless times and they put up with my "mom-zilla" moments trying to have the perfect party for my little prince!!

Cooper had a blast visiting with all of his friends ( and ours) and spent the entire day and night (Until he FINALLY went to sleep around 10:30,Ugh!!) laughing and playing! It was such a great feeling seeing him to excited even though at any time I knew he could pass out and sleep for days!!

I must admit, that I had begun mentally planning this party months in advance. I found myself uber excited to finally throw a party "for him"! However, as I sit and scroll through the photo's I took and actually think about the fact that at this time one year ago, I had spent a full day in the hospital, only to return around midnight and then be surprised at 6 am by the words " They didn't tell you?, Well, We are going to have a baby today" (Yikes!!!)- It is an extremely bittersweet moment.
I have watched this precious premature little boy grow into a laughing, squealing, crawling,personality-filled ham! You never believe everyone when they tell just how fast the time will go, until it does.

Tomorrow, in honor of Cooper's birthday I hope to post a little about his journey and my experience through his first year, but for now I will leave you with a few snapshots of his Little Red Wagon Party!!

Enjoy!!





Thursday, October 20, 2011

Back on Board..

Alright, I have to admit..I have been down this road before. Blogging..and stop..Returning...Only to stop again. Just call me the little girl who cried Blog! (Little boy who cried wolf...get it? Ok, bad comparison)

I am giving this another shot. We as a family have had lots of eventful happenings lately, and I have embarked on a "purging" process of all things in my home that I just feel are not necessary. I have begun to reinvent the decor in many rooms, move furniture, plan the conversion of our garage into a playroom/multi-purpose space ( Or as my Hubs refers to it, his "Man Cave"...Not so sure how manly it will get with Mickey Mouse, an exersaucer, and multi-colored foam flooring!!)
Needless to say, I have been trying to take advantage of the time I get to be a stay at home mom before I am unwillingly forced back into the 9-5 work force!

All of this being said, I extend (yet another) apology for all of the 1 person(s) that actually make an attempt to follow this lack of blog I have created. I am making it my goal to update you on a regular basis of the many happenings here in the Heydt Household...Believe me when I tell you this however...Pretty soon...Things will only be getting slightly more interesting!!! ;)

Since I have left the blogosphere for most of the summer...Here a few of my favorite shots this summer to sum it up...



Cooper made his first trip to the Beach..and what better place than Disney's Hilton Head Resort--
(Compliments of my wonderful Aunt Linda....Thanks Aunt Ninny!!)





He LOVED walking strolling the boardwalk listening to music and seeing all of the Yachts!!




*Yes, my mother DID get him within 5 feet of an alligator...Apparently grandparents believe they really can do whatever they want...Hmmm....




Cooper's first sand adventure...






Alright, maybe you are sensing a theme hear...But, we did spend a good bit of time in Hilton Head this summer. During our second trip, we visited Harbor Town and also made a stop at Hunting Island on our way home....


This little man just LOVED everything about the beach!!!


Harbor Town...I love you...( One day, I will have yacht able enough to park there...and possibly a condo to go along with it..and...Ok, I digress..Excuse my dream moment


Hunting Island State Park....A Must See!!


Alright, had to throw this in just for the shear awesomeness that it is...Anyone else see what I see?!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

B1G1 Free Arbys Jamocha Oreo Shake!!


Ummm, Delicious!!!
Take this coupon to Arby’s for a FREE Jamocha Oreo Shake when you purchase another Jamocha Oreo Shake.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Funny...I think so...

SO, back on track with my 30 day photo challenge...That is obviously not going to be completed in 30 consecutive days...Imagine That :)

A Photo That Makes You Laugh...

*A little background information*
While celebrating my bachelorette party in Helen,GA (with some of the greatest girls ever btw) Shelley and I decided to be sneaky and snatch Kelley's camera while we were all out...
So of course, what do we do...take stupid pictures...Duh!

About 24-48 after we returned from our fabulous weekend...This is what Kelley so graciously posted on facebook....






Whenever I see this, I cant help but giggle...sometimes laugh out loud! Thanks to some of the greatest girls I have ever known, that weekend was spectacular!

For some more hilarious excerts from the weekend..Check out my facebook page and watch the *awesome* dancing videos from the weekend! Yikes!!!