Rose Rant: Episode 2: Muppet Mania

Episode 2 starts out with a weird, fake sounding Channel 9 news segment on the Bachelorette.

Then the preview of whats coming during this episode... I never understood this. It's like "Here's an outline of what you are about to watch as soon as we are done showing you the visual outline of what you will be watching." It's so stupid and as the season progresses, I know I will get more and more frustrated with all the dramatic previews of what's coming.

Then we see Emily and her daughter meeting with a very random looking group of friends.

Now it's back to Bachelor mansion for some awkward shots of half naked dudes and their muscles flexing and twitching. Chris Harrison comes in and explains what will happen with the dates and date cards, roses, etc. As if anyone doesn't really know how this whole sham show works. He leaves the date card and the first date goes to.......

Ryan! 

Georgia boy, ex Footballer, super cute. I like a southern guy  that can rock a v-neck and faux-hawk

He is probably so excited about jumping into a volcano, flying across the world for a picnic, jumping off a bridge, or any other crazy, life endangering dates that are the norm, but he gets the "Mom" date.

I like this idea and I hope some of the other guys that she is seriously into get at least one date like this because that is her life, and that is what these guys will be getting into when/if they get together. I think she gave Ryan this date because she is really likes him. You know that the Bachelor/Bachelorette have a pretty good idea of who will be going the farthest right from the start because a lot of times you click with someone and you just know.  I think she really felt a connection (I can't believe I am using that Bachelorette cliche) with Ryan and wanted to see how he would react to that life. I am so glad she didn't introduce him to Ricki, I don't think most moms would introduce a guy to their child unless they were pretty serious.

I was glad that Ryan got a little bit of an over-the-top date ending so that he didn't go down as having the most boring (compared to the other dates from the show) date in the history of ever.  They had dinner and a concert by Gloriana to cap the night. Mark my words, Ryan is going to go pretty far unless he stirs up some sort of drama or crazy alter ego.

Next is the Group Date. 

These are always so awkward, and this one was made much worse by the Muppets. I honestly didn't pay too much attention to this because it was so awful. One thing I do remember is Charlie (brain trauma guy). He was in a bad accident and is still recovering and working on speech. Apparently he had to re-learn speak, and he was put in the group of stand- up comedians for the night. You could literally see him shaking and sweating the whole date for fear of speaking in public. He is this giant guy that was shaking at the thought of having to talk to an audience, he just can't take it anymore and goes to talk to Emily about switching to something else like singing or dancing in a group. She agrees, problem solved! but then he gets put in a a group that goes on fake talk show with  Miss Piggy and he has to answer a question, by himself, in words, talking. So... he still had to talk by himself. When he shakily answers Miss Piggy, to the applause of everyone, Emily says that she "felt like such a proud mama" because Charlie did so well.... Charlie you have been FRIENDZONED until further notice.

At the group date cocktail, Jef gets the rose after him and Emily have a conversation that makes it seem like she is the one chasing him and he just kind of 'whatevs' about the whole thing. It was super awkward and she must really like him, because her and Chris also had a good conversation. I mean. according to Chris, no one could have had a better conversation and connection with her than he did. Obviously he was wrong.


The next date card arrives and Joe (Matthew McConaughey wanna be) gets it. They fly to West Virgina and have a day at the Greenbriar. A fancy hotel that Emily hung out at when she was little. During dinner she asks him questions, and instead of answering them he just asks her the same question back. She doesn;t give him the rose, the end.

Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Kalon aka Chopper stirs up trouble by telling Doug that he put his life/his son on hold to do the Bachelor. I am so surprised that Doug didn't drown Kalon right there he was that furious. I am going to stand up for Kalon for a second, be warned. Kalon is not a father, he doesn't have a clue about parenting and what it means to be a parent he a very 26 year old who does not think before he speaks. The fact that he doesn't understand parenting and was bold enough to make that comment, means he probably will cross the line with Emily at some point on the parenting topic. I expect him to be the center the annual  "here for the wrong reason" drama, he doesn't like your kid.

Kalon is definitely this season's Courtney. He is bold and rude and is making enemies fast. I think he even re-used a Courtney line a la: "The other guys are making friends, not focusing on the prize" type comment. He is a wordsmith with Emily and you can tell that he uses big words to try and impress, as well as using his money to try and do the same. (Kalon, have you seen Emily's gorgeous house and car and her paychecks from this Bachelorette gig and the previous Bachelor snafu? Your money will not impress her.)


Onto the Cocktail Party!

Not too much happens. Tony goes in to interrupt Ryan and Emily's chat, and he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ryan hands Emily a miniature novel that she proceeds to read while poor Tony is standing there forever. When Ryan leaves and Tony finally gets Emily time, he doesn't even show if it bothers him and comes back with a cute and witty "Wasn't that great, I told him just what to say" remark and they move on. That could have been super awkward, but Tony (who I think is absolutely adorable and I kind of have a crush on) is smooth and gets a good convo going. He brings up the fact that he has a son and they chat. Kalon and Stevie, the Jersey shore reject who I hate for no real reason (I think its the hair, and face, and voice and clothes) get into a little argument about stealing Emily and time with Emily, Kalon ends the argument with a matter-of-fact "who wouldn't want to be me?" comment.

On to the Rose Ceremony!

Aaron, the super cutie with the hipster glasses gets eliminated (boo hoo) and so does Kyle. Fun Fact: They were both from Long Beach, CA.

Here is who is left:


Alejandro
Alessandro
Arie
Charlie
Chris
Doug
Jef (safe from the group date)
John
Kalon
Michael
Nate
Ryan (safe from the one-on-one)
Sean
Stevie (uggh)
Tony
Travis

Chris Harrison sitting next to what he will look like if he ever ages and stops smiling.

The show ends with the preview for next week, which I didn't really watch, because it will be almost the same preview next week at the beginning of the episode.




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May Madness

Things are getting a little crazy in the Presley house now that summer has pretty much arrived and I was hoping to be picking up the pace with some of my bigger projects and blogging more, but my toddler is preventing that by siphoning all my energy and draining my patience.

Anyways, let me jump off my crazy mom-of-a-toddler train. I have been trying to work on some projects this month and try out some new stuff I found on Pinterest. But I only really got two things done. But I did get some new ideas for projects I want to work on (see more on that at the very bottom of this post!)

 French braid up the back with a sock bun topknot

This is actually pretty easy if you know how to french braid. I like it better than regular french braids because my arms don't get as tired when I am braiding with my head upside down. I think this may be a go-to this summer for my 2nd-day unwashed hair. The sock bun was super easy too. There are a million tutorials online for this. 

Leopard Dresser

I am in the process of transitioning baby A's room from cutesy baby room to a room more fit for the chic, diva almost-preschooler that she is. I finished this painting part, now I am just waiting on the awesome drawer pulls. I am working on a post about the room re-do, which should be up soon!

.............................................................................

I haven't done much else in the project department, but I have decided that I might change around the log side table I did a few weeks back. We had originally decided to leave it natural and plain, just coating it with a protective water proof sealant, but we don't really like the raw nature as much as we thought. I saw this stump stool idea on pinterest and I would really like to make that (or a set, I have more logs!) I also saw this idea too which would give it a colorful update, but still keep it natural without feeling like we have a tree in our room. I have also considered making both of these since we have several log pieces I could work with.

via Pinterest

via Martha Stewart

So I decided to take a poll! 

Stool or Side Table?
	Stump stool all the way!
	Stick with the side table!
	Make both of them!
pollcode.com free polls

Spring Projects

I have been terribly busy with spring softball (dear husband plays Monday thru Thursday) and bad attempts at potty training.  But I am back, and I have been doing a little bit of crafting and such.

Here are some projects/ideas I have been working on or done since I've been on hiatus.

Hot Dog!

I made Addilyn octopus hot dogs..which turned out to be an epic failure. There must be some trick that I am missing, because the octopi did not have cute little legs that stuck out, they either broke off or stuck straight down. I won't even put a picture of what mine looked like, in order to hide some of my shame at failing at a seemingly simple task.

Glitter Key
I made a sparkle key! Which turned out infinitely better than the octopus challenge, so I will show you a picture of that! It was a key that had  Pepé Le Pew, one of my favorite cartoon characters as a child and he probably sparked my Francophilia, but he was scratched and chipped so I just painted over him with purple nail polish, sprinkled some multi-glitter while the polish was wet and sprayed it with some acrylic sealant I had from another project. I love this key and I am thinking about doing all my keys like this so that my key chain looks like a giant glitter bomb.

 

Glitter Key!

Painting Spring!
I have been inspired by all the adorable spring Lilly prints I see popping up on facebook and pinterest and I decided to pull out paint brush and do some spring canvases just for fun. I did 5 mini canvases inspired by flowers and largely inspired by Lilly and then on a 16 x 20 I did a sweet chevron pattern in colors that match the nautical theme that is my master bedroom. The chevron has a big blank box in the center because I have not decided the best way to add beach sand to the monogram letters that will be painted in the center. I am going to do some test runs on some small canvases before I try and sand texture my chevron print canvas.

It's shiny because the paint is a little wet and the center white box is uneven, but it dried with a nice matte finish and I evened out the center box lines.

Log Side Table!

I have completed the log side table! Dustin wanted to keep it natural so I just softened up some the rough spots and coated it a clear, waterproof protective varnish. It looks awesome, (actually it just looks like a clean, shiny part of a tree trunk) and Dustin loves it, but I think it needs some legs, so I am gonna figure something out, and maybe add some thin, random paint stripes in the style of antler art to make it mesh a little better with our nautically natural room.

Potty Training: Epic FAIL

Last week I was reading some articles and tips about potty training your toddler in a day/weekend. I got extremely excited and very motivated. I was sure I could do this, and I knew Addy could too, she is so smart and she is two and half.  I was so excited and went out to target and stocked up for our big potty weekend. We had neon posterboard for a potty sticker chart and the stickers were oversized sticky rhinestones at the request of Princess Addilyn, the best treats and sweets, salty snacks, a new special cup, ballons, everything.

We made the chart and decorated it with curly gift ribbons and glitter markers. We set up the potty and I explained to Addy what the plan was.  SN: We have had the toddler toilet since last July and so she knows what it is, she has even successfully used it once or twice when we catch her making the potty face, so she is up to date and informed on to what it is and what it is used for. 

I followed the tips and made Barbie have an "accident" with a water filled medicine dropper and rushed her to potty in an excited, and positive way. Then I had Barbie use the potty and praised Barbie with stickers and a special Barbie crown. (I will admit to looking like a complete fool talking to Barbie, but I am so desperate to have Addilyn out of diapers, I don't even care).

We used a timer set for 15 minutes and every 15 minutes we sat on the potty. We did this for two hours, and cam up empty. I had been feeding her salty snacks and loading her up with water, hoping for more potty opportunities, but so far it was not panning out. I thought Addy might need some encouragement, so we called Grandpa in NC, she wasn't interested in the phone call and I chatted with my dad for a minute, venting about my unsuccessful attempt so far, and I was distracted for maybe 2 minutes and in that time, dear Addilyn squats and pees on the floor. Addy and I cleaned up the accident, and I took the blame because I was distracted and not watching for the signs. Then I vowed no more distractions and reset the timer.

We played  and sat on the potty when the time went off and it was getting close to Addy's bed time so I slowed down with the water and snacks.We decided to play with her big ball and were rolling it back and forth. When Addy is standing behind the ball it comes up to about the middle of her chest, meaning I cannot see her waist and down. I rolled the ball to Addy and she held it in front of her, she was smiling and rolled it back, just in time for me to notice the puddle. Accident again. Addy laughed and ran, taking off her big girl underwear and running around yelling and laughing.

I was not laughing, I was near tears. All the blog posts and boards and tips and articles were so positive and encouraging and made it seem so easy. It was getting late so I cleaned Addy up, read some books to her to calm her down a little and put her to bed. I cleaned up all our messes and set everything up for Saturday morning, I was determined to try again. I had lost a little hope since Addy showed no real interest and the night had ended with Floor- 2 and Potty - 0.  I was trying not to force something on her she wasn't ready for, but I wanted to try. She will be 3 in the fall and I was really hoping to be done with diapers. She is so smart and we have been reading potty books and making using the toilet a regular part of her life. We talk about potty-ing all the time, but try to do it in a way that doesn't overwhelm her or leave her feeling guilty. I was holding out a little hope for Saturday, although I was a little bruised by Friday night.

Saturday morning came and I took off Addy's diaper and put on some new big girl undies. She looked at me, right in the eye and said, " Please don't make me potty, I won't do it. I don't want to." 

And that was it.

 The end of the potty training weekend. Saturday morning was over before it started. 

Everything I have read and heard says don't push them, they will regress and it will be harder. So I stopped my efforts right then. Part of me was a little let down; I was so excited Friday morning to start potty training and have a mostly trained child by Sunday; but part of me was relieved because I was tired and upset from my Friday night failure. Our day went on as any regular Saturday would, we ended up going to the store and buying some gardening supplies and gardening that afternoon. It started raining mid-afternoon so we came inside and played until bed time. Dustin and I watched a movie (Warhorse, which was surprisingly fantastic) and ate dinner and went to bed.

The potty training weekend intensive was a total bust, but I learned straight from the source that my child wasn't ready and it wasn't going to work. I am glad I have an outstandingly verbal child, because otherwise the whole day could have been a bitter battle of will and we probably would have ended two steps back rather than advancing.

Every time I have to change a diaper or purchase a box of diapers, I just have to remind myself that she will not graduate high school in diapers and that we will get there one day, today is just not that day. 

Homemade Yogurt Drops

So the Hubs and I are trying to be a little healthier and our biggest hurdle in that adventure is snacks. 

We are the snackin'-est people you will ever meet. 

We always have popcorn, dips, chips, salsa, candy, cookies, crackers, and Little Debbies on hand.  We are trying to adjust our eating habits so baby A learns healthy eating habits and doesn't become one of America's junk food babies. We have noticed how much she emulates our choices and actions, and we decided we had to make a swift change.

In our search for healthier snack alternatives, I remembered that I saw something about make at home yogurt drops by putting yogurt in the freezer. (Of course I cannot find it now, I guess I didn't actually pin it, I just thought I did)

They turned out pretty awesome and tasty. They are great healthier snack option over grabbing a handful of candy or some ice cream. And with all the flavors of yogurt out there, you really have so many choices for flavoring, thank you Yoplait! These are a really delicious snack that will be perfect on these warm Spring days here in South Georgia. I tried plain vanilla this time, but I am really excited about trying some Key Lime Pie and Strawberry ones too!

  

The only downside is that you have to eat them when you take them out of freezer like you would ice cream, a popsicle or any other frozen snack. They will start to melt back into regular, unfrozen yogurt that you have to eat with a spoon and you lose the ease of eating them like a pop-able snack. So, they don't travel well.

THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED: 

•  Yogurt- Any size, any flavor, it all depends on how many you want to make and your personal taste preferences
• Ziploc bag
• Wax paper

THIS IS HOW WE DO IT:

 (You probably  just sang that in Montell Jordan's voice! If you did, you totally just aged yourself, that song came out in 1995, haha!)

Lay wax paper over a plate or cookie sheet. But please make sure that your cookie sheet will fit in your freezer before you finish all this hard work. 

Scoop out your yogurt into the Ziploc bag, between 1/3 and 1/2 full

Snip the tip of the bag and make little drops on the wax paper covered plate/cookie sheet. 

Freeze overnight, and ENJOY! 

Glow Stick Bath

Last night I thought we would shake our bath time ritual up a bit and use Glow Sticks! 

bath time fun!

I bought a 15 pack of glow sticks from target for a dollar, and made baby A's night!

She had so much fun cracking them to make them glow, and playing with them in the dark and in the bath that after the bath we ended up playing with them all night and had a mini-rave in her room until bed time!

It was so much fun and I can't wait to do it again.. maybe we will have a glow stick night after her next big potty training victory!