U
Unrealistic excpectations - okay, so I didn't finish the alphabet of me by the end of the week. So, I shall try again to finish it this week. I only have 5 letters to go!!

V
Very thankful - When my parents were choosing a name for me, their top name other than Allison was Claudette. I am very thankful they chose Allison.
Vacation - 4 weeks from today hubby and I will be packing up and heading to Asheville for a little R&R and I can't wait. We haven't had a true "getaway" since the kids were born, so we are thrilled to have some extended time with no agenda.

T
Two years ago - Two years ago today our family packed up and moved to Nashville. Can you believe it's been 2 years? It seems like a lifetime ago that we were living in Birmingham. It really has been a long 2 years, but good in the fact that we have learned so much about ourselves and our Lord. We have definitely had our share of trials, but also our share of grace and gaining wisdom. This is not the path we would have chosen for ourselves, but God has been with us through the tears and the joys. We do hope to return to Birmingham sooner than later, but until then we are grateful to be where the Lord has us - Nashville in the fall is so delightful!

R
Revenge - We've all done something on our lifetime to get revenge, right? When I was little I often sought revenge on my sister. Once I peed on her brand new bike because she wouldn't let me ride it. I definitely had an evil streak in me back then! What about you? Anyone have any proud moments of revenge to share?

S
Shenanigan's - The name of the dance club in Rome, Ga that we went to every Monday night during the summer when I was in high school. It is also the location of my first (and last) "girl fight." Yep, that's right. Along with a few other friends, we got in a brawl with some of the big haired girls from across the tracks. Hair pulling, scratching, hitting and, my personal favorite, the pulling up or down of skirts. That night I had on a cute little dress. Hiding underneath, though, was a lovely pair of granny panties. "Who's going to see these anyway?," I thought to myself as I put them on. Only a few hours later, there I stood in the parking lot with my cute little dress pulled up over my head. The white granny panties were quite the site for all who were looking on. Not my finest moment. The entire night was so out of character for me. When I got home and told my family they all laughed and called me Rocky.

P

Priceless -

A new Tennessee License - $12.50
A new Tennesee Tag - $49.50
2 kids at the DMV for 2 hours - Priceless

O
Over - I confess that I am ready for the alphabet of me to be over. I never dreamed it would take me this long!! I am making a vow to myself to finish by the end of the week so that I can move on.
Oh the joys of raising a 2 year old - we have had some sleep issues this past week with little miss neily. she has started crying at bedtime for up to an hour before going to sleep. For the first few nights we would go in and spank. That only made things worse. Then we started going in every 10 minutes or so to reassure (just like we did when she was a little baby). That helped some. Lastly, we have tried motivation by the way of food. She is like her mommy and can often be swayed by a tasty little treat. After minimal crying for her nap yesterday she got a cookie and 2 stickers on her Happy Sleep Chart. Last night there was no crying for the first time in over a week!! Now she has her eyes set on an ice cream cone which she will get tomorrow if she does well tonight. This has definitely been a learning experience for us and has tested our patience with our little girl. Funny how a week of something like this can feel like a month!

N

Neily -

My sweet little girl whom we affectionately call "Peepie" and "Pickle." You love to talk and you love to sing. You love to snuggle and an hour doesn't pass when you aren't asking, "Mommy, what you doin'?" You have the most fun when we are playing outside or when you are playing chase with Jakey. You could swing for hours and never pass up going on a walk. Cookies are your favorite treat. You are growing up fast and what a privilege it is to love you through it all. I love you to the moon and back.

M

Melancholy - this is my personality type, or so the book says.

Magazines - I love taking a hot bath and looking through a new magazine. My favorites? Southern Living, Cottage Living, Martha Stewart and, when I want to know what's up with Brittney (just kiddn), People.

Munchies - I am usually attacked by the munchies when the kids go down for a nap. I am tired from the morning and am so thrilled to sit down and eat something without tiny vultures, I mean children, eyeing my every bite.

Montana - I have not had the pleasure of travelling to may places, but I have been to Montana and it is beautiful. I hope to go back with hubby sometime to fly-fish and enjoy the scenery.

L

Laughing -

K

Kiss - I got my first one when I was seventeen.

Krystal - It was always such a treat to go here when I was a little girl. Krystal burgers (if you can even call them that!) were my favorite. Can't say I recall going anytime in the past 10 years.

Keeps me going - 63 degrees, beautiful blue sky, a gentle breeze. Days like today keep me going. I absolutely love fall and when the kids and I went on a walk this morning, I noticed an extra spring in my step. Something about this weather makes me feel renewed. Goodbye 104 degree days!!

J

Jake -

My sweet little boy who will warm a heart with his smile. With dimples that you can't help but kiss and a laugh that is contagious. You love the broom and the mop and to wear anyone's shoes but your own. You would rather eat a pickle than a pop-tart and you want to be wherever the action is. Your favorite word is bye bye and you will say it to anyone, coming or going. Your blue eyes are striking and are noticed by all who meet you. Affectionately know as "Jakey" by your sister, you bring so much joy to our family. Thank you for the morning snuggles and the spontaneous kisses. You are one of a kind.

H

Hiatus - Sorry for the lack of blogging lately! We had sick kids, then friends in town, and we headed out of town for Labor Day. So, we are back home and all is back to normal.

Honeymoon - Hubby and I can't help but laugh when we think of ours. Being that we were broke, we went to Mentone, AL where one of my dad's acquaintances let us stay at their house for free. The house was repossessed from a drug dealer and was decked out in 70's decor. Our favorite? A water bed with pink satin sheets, light bulbs across the top of the headboard, and heart cut outs up the side. We ended up sleeping in the bunk house which was a large room with 14 twin/bunk beds. All of the restaurants in Mentone were closed due to a big festival they had the weekend before, so we ate most of our honeymoon meals at the McDonald's in Fort Payne. I got stung by a bee on my ring finger, had to go to THE doctor twice during that week, and it was so warm while we were there that Mitch literally almost passed out after attempting to "relax" in the hot tub. We had so much fun that we decided to come home a day early. Maybe one day Oprah will give us a honeymoon redo!

Having fun in the tub - Here are N and J pretending to have a snack in the tub.

I

"In the Ghetto" - the name of the song playing on the radio when Mitch proposed. Romantic.

Indigo Girls - The tape I listened to most in high school.

"Ickle me, pickle me, tickle me, too" - When I was a kid, this was one of my favorite poems by Shel Silverstein. Did anyone else read "Where the Sidewalk Ends" as a kid?

E

Even Cooler - Today I went to Publix. No Carrie Underwood. BUT, I did see Steven Curtis Chapman. I'm on a roll!

Everything But The... - My favorite ice cream from Ben and Jerry's. Chocolate, Vanilla, and all sorts of chunky stuff.

Elizabeth - My middle name.

"Either the situation needs to change, or your heart needs to change" - this has been echoing in my heart the past 2 years. Obviously our situation isn't changing, so I have had to work through a lot of heart changing!

etsy.com - a great place to shop!

F

Free Spirit - Sometimes I wish I could me more like this.

Family - The more I am away from them, the more I realize how much I need them.

Friends - A show that I can watch and always laugh out loud.

Fashion - I need some help here. Any takers?

G

Grimace - In second grade I wore a purple jogging suit to school. All the kids called me Grimace. I never wore it again...

Green - Our family is definitely sold out to going green. We can only do so much to our home because we are renting. We have adjusted our thermostat, changed out all of our light bulbs, are making adjustments to how much we drive, and hope one day to be able to drive a hyrbid. It has become a big deal for us. So much so that hubby is trying to figure out how to incorporate it into his career. If you and your family have not made any steps towards helping our environment, I strongly encourage you to do so. Here are some sites that will tell you how.
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/3915
http://www.lowimpactliving.com/?gclid=CO6Wxoanj44CFRIygQodcEy5Og

D

Down Right Cool - At least I think so. I met this girl at the mall today. Well, sort of. She was mainly intrigued by my little ones who were being quite friendly. After she walked away I was racking my brain as to where I had seen her before. Turns out, I had seen her on TV on a live acoustic show. She is in a band called Paramore. They are labled as a funk band, so not quite my cup of tea. She's got a great voice, though. I'm still waiting to run into Carrie Underwood at Publix. We'll see!
Dr. Pepper - Other than water, it's my drink of choice.

B

Bailey - The name of one of our cats. She is the one who loves to snuggle and greets me every morning with a purr.

Berita - This is the name my roommate in college and I would use when we prank called. We were quite mature for our age!
Big Hair Bands - Dare I say that I loved them all in high school - Cinderella, Mr. Big, Motley Crue, Skid Row, White Lion, Great White...

Becoming - I find great hope in this word. There is hope for me, as I am becoming more like Him every day.
Banjo - an instrument I would love to learn to play one day.

C

Coffee - I have my cup every morning. Not sure if I could ever give that up.

Cable TV - We finally got Cable TV after 6 years of marraige. Most days we wish we didn't have it. For us, it brings too much distraction.

Cats - If anything were to happen to Mitch, I would be that weird old lady with 20 cats. I love animals.

Carpet Head - this is what my sister called me when I was in elementary school. I fell victim to WAY too many perms. I'll show you a picture some time. Not pretty.

Country Music - I have grown to love this more and more as we have been in Nashville.

Chocolate - I couldn't have an encyclopedia of me and not mention chocolate. Yum! It's my favorite treat.

So, I have had a bit of writers block lately and have not posted in over a week. I thought I could maybe do "Menu Plan Monday," but since we are having eggs TWICE this week I figured that may be a bit boring. I was also hoping to post this great video of Jake laughing at Neily. He has the best laugh I've ever heard. But, my computer wouldn't let me download for some reason, so there went that idea! Finally, I came across a blog and got the idea for this post...

The Encyclopedia of Me.

A -

Autumn - By far my favorite season

Apples - Along with peanut butter or some really sharp cheese, they are my favorite snack

Audrey - The name of my imaginary friend when I was little

Asheville - Where hubby and I are headed for our anniversary in October. I can't wait!

Agitated - Some days I am so quick to be this way towards my kids. I need to work on that.

We had a fun weekend with my parents. They bought N this cute little tent in honor of her successful potty training. Hmmm. I'm still waiting for my present for successful potty training...

One of J's favorite past times is smashing his face against the sliding glass door. It's not the best picture, but I thought I would still share this photo capturing him in all his lovliness.

Granddaddy and Gigi are coming in town this weekend and we are excited to see them. For this round of company, I am making Crumb Top Apple Pie. It is my favorite apple pie of all time and you must try it before summer is over. It is definitely a crowd pleaser.

2 c. all purpose flour
2/3 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup uncooked regular oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c chopped pecans
3/4 c butter, melted
4 cups peeled, thinly sliced apples (approx. 3) I use golden delicious
1/3 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 c water
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine first 5 ingredients; add butter and stir until blended. Measure 1 cup firmly packed mixture; set aside for pie topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom and up sides of a well-greased 9 inch pie plate. Arrange apple sliced in pie plate; set aside.

Combine 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small saucepan; stir in water. Bring to a boil over medium heat; stir in vanilla. Pour hot mixture over apples; Crumble reserved topping over pie.

Bake at 350 for 42 minutes, covering with aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent excessive browning (if necessary). Serve with ice cream. Yield: 8 servings.

We had a great visit with some good friends this weekend. Our friends Kenneth and Kathleen, along with their little boy Jay, came to Franklin to hang out with us. We had some good laughs, great conversation, and watched our little ones enjoy each others company. I made this yummy dessert by Paula Deen. It's a bit rich, but good and quite easy to make. Here is a pic of Jake enjoying his. And here's a pic of Kenneth hanging out with the kiddos.

Well, we have survived the hardest part of potty training and all is still well with the Stephens. N has done well overall and now it's time to put that training into practice as we go about our normal routine. I figure it's best just to expect accidents and plan for them rather than be fearful of them. Thanks to all for your encouragement and prayers during those days where I had to search the depths of my soul to find a little more patience. No longer having 2 kids in diapers is pretty great, especially for the wallet.

Another change we are going through is J is dropping his morning nap. This is a pretty big deal for me since I have not had a "free" morning since N was born. She didn't drop her morning nap until J was 3 months old and by that time he was set in his 9am nap schedule. So we are embarking on new territory yet again. What's a girl to do?

Here are a couple of pictures from last week when my sister Jen and her little girl Elizabeth came to visit. The girls had a great time and spent most of the time giggling. It was fun to see them interact and actually play together (not just beside each other). We went to a place called Jump Zone and had a blast with Daddy/Uncle Mitch.

ARG!!!

After 2 1/2 days of potty training and countless hours spent watching the Little Einstein's Pirate Adventure, that's about all I can think of to say. Arg. The "pee pee" part is going fine. The "poo poo" part, not so much. I know that part usually takes longer, so I am finding some solace in that. I will update more tomorrow as each day seems to get a little better. I welcome any suggestions or cheerful comments!