We had a pretty eventful, fun-filled weekend. TC was really productive around the house, Hudson did lots of playing and talking, and we had a little bit of fun.

• Our “pet” spider that has been living in our kitchen window is now being fondly referred to as “Peter Parker.” TC started calling the spider Peter Parker on Friday night. Peter Parker was very busy on Friday night and was moving all over the place. When we woke up on Saturday morning, it was confirmed that Peter Parker is, in fact, female. And she was also pregnant! I knew it! And I told y’all there was a baby boom going on. Check out Peter Parker’s little egg sack. I know it’s icky, but we have really been fascinated by this spider’s activities.

• I helped organize a Christmas music kick-off for our choir. We had a Christmas-themed party on Friday night and it was a lot of fun. I’m not ready to rush the season, but it was fun to forget that it’s really hot outside for just a little while! We started rehearsing some of the music this weekend and I just love it.
• I built Hudson’s first “fort” out of a big quilt (my Alpha Chi Omega tee shirt quilt) and four chairs on Saturday morning. He absolutely loved it and really liked running out from under it and running back in. Pay no attention to the mix and match pajamas. Sometimes we just don’t have a clean set!

• I have a dental appointment tomorrow and I’ve been nervous about it for a week. Not because I think anything will be wrong, but because I just can’t stand to sit there for an hour with the hygienist’s hand in my mouth.
• I got sucked in to the Emmy Awards and the pre-show red carpet tonight. I absolutely love award shows and the Emmy Awards are probably my favorite. Why? Because I love TV, obviously. You all should be watching Glee, Modern Family, Mad Men, and Damages! And all of the terrible reality television shows, too!
• We splurged after church this morning and actually went out to eat. We always go home because Hudson is so tired after being in the nursery that we are afraid to risk eating at a restaurant. But we took the risk this morning and went to DiPratos. It’s a great deli right down the street from our house and they have the best brunch. And Hudson did great!
• Go on over to Book Beginnings and Bookends today to get the discussion questions and link up your blog for The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes in the morning!

It’s amazing. It’s one of my favorite issues of my favorite magazine. I think the Idea House issues are always favorites of mine because there are lots of things I can tear out and save for later, but this September 2010 issue was full of great things including a list of  Details with Southern Style.

My favorite thing about the issue, though, was a fabulous article by the one and only Amy Bickers. I have a writing crush on Amy because she always writes things that I’ve thought before and I read her stuff and feel like she took exactly what I’ve been thinking but made it sound funny and smart!

Amy also wrote the article that I posted a few weeks ago that drummed up lots of conflicting comments.

If you haven’t picked up this issue of Southern Living, you should! And if this picture doesn’t make you just want to move right in to the house on the cover, then… I don’t know. But it makes me want to move in and sip sweet tea on the front porch. But not in September. It’s too hot in September.

• How do we get ourselves to the point where we pray and pray for something i.e. fulfilling responsibilities and good friends with common interests, and then once those prayers are answered and those wonderful things land in our laps, we find ourselves struggling to balance it all? (That may be the longest sentence ever.) It’s hard to maintain close relationships with all the people you’d like. Relationships take communication and communication takes time. It’s hard to find time to take care of all of the fun things you’ve volunteered to do and things you’re getting paid to do.
• The above bullet point is not supposed to sound ungrateful. I am completely grateful for all of these blessings, but I’m trying to figure out how to balance all the phone calls, emails, hanging out, and trips to visit loved ones.
• I wonder if hormones can affect your singing voice. For some reason my face looks like a big 15-year-old-girl-mess and my singing voice is much lower. What is going on?
• Home ownership is overrated. Do you hear me, Sandra Rinomato?
• Budgeting is fun! It’s like a game to me where I enter the numbers every night and feel like I “win” if they’re under budget! Hip hip, hooray!
• All marriages have ups and downs. But the ups are so much fun!
• I absolutely love the book club. I haven’t been able to comment on each post, but I’ve read them all and I’ve so enjoyed discussing the book with everyone. I’m already looking forward to choosing the next book with everyone’s help.
• A very exciting small business venture will be launched soon on this little blog and I’ll be available to help you with your kids’ birthday parties. Or your birthday parties if you’d like! I hope at least one of you is excited!
• As much as I’m looking forward to football season, I’m also dreading it a little bit. Once it starts, it’s here until January. That means we’ll be watching every. single. game until January. Or TC will be watching every single game and I’ll be sleeping on the couch.
• Is it just me or is there a baby boom going on? Between my cousins, my best friend, another good friend, and lots of great blog friends, there are babies growing every where. I love it!
• Our spider is still hanging out in my kitchen window. And she looks fat. Maybe she’s pregnant, too? Do spiders get pregnant?
• I think Bachelor Pad is a smutty smutty show, but I can’t look away.
• I think “smutty” is a gross word. My list of gross words also includes “moist,” “creamy,” and “plump.”
• My husband has a problem with made up, compound words like “webinar,” “chocoholic,” and “simulcast.” Oddly enough, he loves the word, “docu-drama.”
• I think he is cuckoo!
• This is no doubt going to be TMI, but I think Hudson is in the beginning stages of potty training. Right before he goes number two, he looks at me and says “boo boo” (because he can’t say “poo poo”) and then does his business. As soon as he’s done he heads down the hall to his room to have his diaper changed.
• I told you that was going to be TMI. I’m a proud mother. What can I say?

What do you think? Care to dump anything into the comments section? No judgment, just a little brain dump!

Yesterday was a good day. Just as we start every day, Tuesday began with lots of coffee for me and oatmeal for Hudson. We had a fun morning of playing with puzzles and a new toy that I picked up for him. His dexterity is always improving and I’m just amazed by how much he’s learning about shapes, colors, numbers, and letters.

Hudson has really taken to his little monogrammed chair and his little rocking chair that was made especially for him. He loves to climb in his chair, stand up, and then say, “dit down!” (That’s “Hudson speak” for “sit down.”)

He has also started getting out this little baby-sized comforter. He’ll throw it on the floor and sit on it and then he’ll lie down on the floor and cover up with it. He drags it around the house with him and I just think it’s so funny. Pretty soon we’ll be building forts out of blankets and dining chairs.

Hudson’s little vocabulary grows every day. He loves the books that have the picture and the word labeling what the picture is. We have a few of them around here and he at least tries to say every word that I point to.

I’ve also noticed lately that Hudson has taken a strong liking to Boudreaux. They’ve always been pals, but Hudson just loves to cuddle up to Boudreaux. And poor Boudreaux just can’t help himself. Of course he has to lick Hudson.

After Hudson’s morning nap, we met a sweet reader and her two adorable kids at Chick-fil-A for lunch. It was a lot of fun getting to know her and when we found out we had mutual friends we knew we had to get together again soon! Hudson got in the toddler-sized part of the playground at Chick-fil-A. It was his first time and he wasn’t really sure what to think, but once he was in that little airplane he was pretty happy!

I had a fun little treat tonight and had dinner with a good friend of mine and then we went to see The Switch. I just love hanging out with her and am so thankful for good friendships in my life. The movie was adorable and I may have cried just a little bit. I love Jason Bateman (probably because TC loves him) and really appreciate his style of humor. I highly recommend seeing the movie if you want some light-hearted, heart-warming fun.