I moved!

Please check out my new place at www.livingpowell.com

New Things Ahead

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend...we spent ours relaxing at home. 

I'm writing this post to let you all know that I'm taking a hiatus from this blog for a month. Those of you who read my last post know that I'm working on re-designing my blog.  Not only that, but I'm switching blog platforms as well.  I'm still a total amateur in CSS coding, so re-designing has been a bit of a process. 

With that, this blog, the kids, school, keeping house...it's a bit too much. I don't want to half-ass the new blog, or half-ass my content on this blog, so I'm going to take a month off from writing until the new one is up and running. I'm aiming for being done by Halloween, but hopefully I'll be done sooner than that.

As soon as it's done, I'll post my redirect on here, and all you lovely readers can check out my new online home!

Thank you all so much for your patience while I work on this!

So I have this addiction...

...to reality T.V. shows.

I'm in deep, guys.

Trashy (and some not so trashy, but ya know, not classy either) reality shows are 100% my guiltiest of pleasures.  My husband and my mom both think that what I watch is absolute garbage.  They're right, but I don't care.  I can get lost in these people's crazy, drama-filled (real or fake) lives for one hour, then I get to go back to my drama-free life.  Win-win.  In celebration of my addiction, here is my Top Five Embarrassing, Guilty Pleasure Reality Shows.  Warning:  I have a serious Bravo problem.

The Real Housewives

I like them all except New Jersey and the new Real Housewives of Melbourne...and I'm so-so on Atlanta.  The Real Housewives of New Jersey are just too...Jersey.  And I'm pretty sure the ladies of Melbourne are all drag queens.  The O.C., Beverly Hills, and New York are my jam.  Rich woman, first-world problems galore here.  And thank you, Brandi Glanville, for being that messy drunk girl.  Those days are far behind me, but I can continue to live that life vicariously through you...just in better bars and better shoes.

Below Deck

Obsessed.  I was in the service industry for a long time, and I wasn't aware that I could have served on a luxury super yacht in paradise.  So, again, living vicariously through these people.

Teen Mom 2

This is by far the most embarrassing for me to admit.  Hi my name is Caitlin, and I religiously watch Teen Mom 2.  Side Note--there is someone close to me who watches this show religiously too, but that person (you know who you are) is a little too...old...mature?...no, old...to be watching this.  But then again, so am I.  This show reminds me once a week that my life does not suck, and is actually quite amazing.  Jenelle, you are like a car wreck that I can't stop watching.

#Richkids of Beverly Hills

Again, rich girl, first-world problems galore.  I love to hate these guys, but not because their show is particularly drama-filled or they're total douchebags (although that's debatable), but because they're my age and rich.  Am I jealous of their Hermes, Birkins, and world travels?  Damn right I am.

Jersey Belle

If you haven't seen this, I suggest you get off my blog and go watch it rightthissecond.  Jamie is hilarious, loud, and obnoxious.  I don't find this one to be that trashy or drama-filled.  It's new this year, and she just happens to be Wayne Brady's publicist, which mean she's totally legit in my book.  Best line so far this season was delivered by her Grandma:

Jamie: "Grandma, have you been watching Wayne on TV?"

Grandma: "Yes, he's very good.  Once people know who he is, he'll make lots of money."

So there you have it.  My embarrassing reality TV addiction.

Do any of you suffer from this too?

Our {boring) Week

Happy Friday, friends!

This post is going to be short and sweet.  The week went by in a total haze of being sick and general ickiness.  The kids are all better now, however this cold is sticking with me, and has made me the most unproductive person ever.  Hopefully the weekend will be just what my body needs to kick this damn cold finally!

I knew Bryce was feeling better when he was up to his crazy antics again.  I ran to the bathroom quick, and when I came out I found him sitting inside (yes, inside) our mini fridge, eating my carrots and hummus.  He would dip a carrot, lick the hummus off, then leave the whole carrot in the hummus container...repeat.

At least he's cute, right??

Emma was officially the only one to not get sick in the house (knock on wood).  I've never had a sick newborn, but I'm assuming it's probably the worst thing ever...

I would also like to share with you all that I am currently in the process of doing a total blog-overhaul.  I just sort of threw this one together, but now that I know how much I enjoy blogging, I feel that it's time I get serious about my blog design as well.  It would be so easy to just buy a template and be done with it, but seeing as I'm a graphic design student with an interest in web design, I decided my best bet would be to do it myself.

You will all be the first to know when it's all set to jet and ready to reveal!

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend...if you're in the northern midwest, make the absolute MOST out of the 80 degree days we are supposed to have!

Our Weekend

Hello ladies (and maybe some gents??)!!  I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.  Our weekend was pretty laid back, due to Mr. Bryce having a cold.  His energy levels were low, which means he behaved like a normal toddler.  We have been super lucky, and this was his first time being sick.  He took it like a champ, then promptly gave it to the rest of the family :(

On Friday, Brian was done super early with work, which meant we were able to go out to one of our favorite restaurants (Keys in White Bear) for some lunch.

Saturday I made this pumping bread from A Kitchen Addiction and it was AMAZING.  I highly suggest you make this.  It is fall in your mouth, and beats the hell out of pumpkin pie, in my opinion.

He insisted that his sister be with him in his highchair while he ate his slice of pumpkin bread...

Also on Saturday we had a little date night to celebrate my birthday (which was yesterday...another damn year older).  We went downtown and ate at McCormick & Schmick, which was delicious.  After that, we stopped in at a bar I used to work at (The Hole) to see my sister's new bartending skills in action.  I was having so much fun that I totally forgot to snap any pictures.  My bad.  I seriously have no photos of myself, because I'm always the one taking them.  I hope to get better about that soon.

Sunday was the day that Bryce officially passed his cold onto me, so I was down for the count most of the day.  I popped enough Dayquil to make myself useful, and made this Bruschetta Chicken for dinner.  This meal is on repeat for us in the Powell home. It is delicious, and-gasp!-HEALTHY too.  Another recipe that I highly suggest you try righthissecond.

Hopefully I will be able to post more than twice this week.  If not, then I hope everyone has a great first week of fall!!

Madewell Raves & {random} Rants of the Week

Hello everyone!  I know, I know...I haven't posted since Monday.  The week totally got away from me.  School has been ridiculously hectic.  I should note, that because homework is such a time-suck, I'm going to try to aim to post at least twice a week.  I really wish it could be more than twice a week, but I just can't seem to find enough free time right now for that to happen.  Someday.

First I'm going to start off with this amazing jacket that I got from Madewell.  As you guys know, I was in the market for a new fall jacket.  This one is amazing.  It's light weight without being too thin, and it's not so bulky that you couldn't wear a hoodie with it...two prime fall jacket musts, in my book.  I also love that you can cinch the waist if you'd like, or wear it straight-waisted.  The details and color are awesome too.

{here}

I also got an adjustable diamond-shaped knuckle ring from Madewell.  Love that it's adjustable and I can wear it on any finger I like.  Though I love the ring, this also brings me to my first rant for the week:  packaging and shipping costs.

ring sold out, similar {here}

See that itty-bitty, tiny ass ring, sitting on that big ass box?  Wish I could say that was the box my jacket came in but no.  That is, indeed, the box the ring came in.  Thanks for charging me an extra $7 or so for shipping that.  I, and I'm sure the environment, really appreciate it.

Now I should say that, as a pessimist by nature, I aim to keep this blog on the optimistic/positive side.  Why?  Because no one wants to read Debbie Downer's blog, and it helps me to be more aware of seeing the positive side of things.  But, sometimes that takes work, and today I'm not in the mood to do that work.

Next rant:

Has technology completely ruined this year's crop of freshly graduated high school students?  I am currently in community college, which not only has freshly graduated high schoolers, but actual high schoolers attending.  This particular story has to do with one of the graduated kids.  We had a big calligraphy project due in Typography on Monday morning, and one student didn't have his.   The teacher asked him what happened, and why he didn't notify him that he wouldn't have his project done in time.  The student's response?

"I did notify you.  I texted your office number."

You TEXTED his office number...a LANDLINE...and thought "hey, totally legit.  He'll get the message."

Our teacher had to explain to him that a landline does not receive text messages.  I was completely dumbfounded.  So my question to everyone is:  is technology really that entrenched in these high schoolers and new college freshmen that they just assume any phone number is a cell phone and receives text messages?

My poor, poor generation.  My husband has been complaining about this for a while now, and I thought he was just prematurely becoming an ornery old man (he's a bit older than me...we'll just say that we don't share the same generation).  He's been convinced that technology has made us younger people lazy.  I think he might be right, and that makes me said.  Again--my poor, poor generation.

Moving on.

This weekend is supposed to be absolutely beautiful here in the northern midwest, so we are hoping that we can do some grilling and get out of the house for a little adventure.  There is an apple orchard within walking distance, so I'm hoping we will get out for a little family walk and grab some apples and {homemade} pie.  

These two cuties hope you have a great weekend!!

Go Pack go.

WARNING--Mushy post ahead...

This is the first picture of these two really interacting, other than Bryce petting her.  They're looking at each other with these huge smiles, and it absolutely makes my heart melt.  It's a picture that captures the beginning of their relationship, and I'm so happy that the moment is now frozen in time.  As young as they are, they have no idea that why will be each other's first--and hopefully best--friends, and just how special having a sibling is.

I can't wait to watch their relationship grow.  Having a sister myself, I know how fun it is to have a built-in playmate growing up.  We still to this day remember the games we made up together (how about those R.V. trips Court?).  It also means I know all about sibling rivalry, fighting and bickering.  Now, as the years go by, I'll be experiencing this all over again as my own children go through the ebb and flow of their relationship with each other.  They'll go through all of the emotions that every relationship has, but, no matter what, they will love each other--and I will always have this photo to show the very beginning of that love.

Disclaimer: I was never sentimental, mushy, heart-meltable, or otherwise "lovey-dovey" prior to having children.

What being a mom can do to you, huh?