Updates
·
If I remember correctly, I crowned Heather as Miss Maple City when I was Miss Ohio. I was MMC when I won and I believe MMC was her first local title. So that's our history...and now she has joined me in the Miss Ohio Sisterhood! Heather and her mom, Andrea, are two of the sweetest ladies and I'm super excited they get to experience all of this!
You can keep up with Heather in a plethora of ways:
I was only able to watch one night of Miss Ohio this year, the first night of prelims. Here are some of my photos:
In other news...
The Ohio Idol Top 50 has been chosen! I had the honor to to narrow down the field of hopefuls for Ohio Idol's second season. There were 137 auditions this past weekend. It was NOT easy but I had a lot of fun listening/seeing all the talent!
The Top 55 perform TODAY at Red, White & Boom in Columbus! If you're in the area, stop by the Nationwide Arena to see their performances. At the end, they will announce who moves on to the Top 10. Those Top 10 will go on tour the rest of the year and hold their finale at the Ohio State Fair at the end of the month. There, they will "CROWN" [Ha ;)] a new Ohio Idol! That person wins $10,000 and a recording contract! Why didn't I audition again? Just kidding...it's nice being on the other side for a change.
Here are some photos from my time with Ohio Idol...
It may be a while until you hear from me. School is out, summer has started, the ocean is calling my name! It's family vacation time! We're headed to Florida soon...and I can not wait to put my baby's toes in the sand again! Be blessed...
Ohio Idol
·
Hopefully you answered "yes" but, if you didn't...it's called OHIO IDOL!
I knew about it last year, in it's inaugural year, because my little sister auditioned and made it to the second round (Top 100)! This is the second year for the talent competition and I participated not as a contestant but a judge!
About two weeks ago, I spent the day at GrooveU, a music school here in Columbus. That day, I listened to about 100 people sing their hearts out for a shot in the Ohio Idol Top 100. We let about 50 or so individuals through and it was NOT an easy job. I am however looking forward to doing it again in another two weeks.
I was asked back to judge the second round! The Top 100 people from the Lakewood, Columbus and Kettering auditions will convene on June 29 and vie for a spot in the Top 50! The Top 50 will then perform at Columbus' Red, White & Boom celebration where a Top 10 will be chosen.
The Top 10 will sing at the Ohio State Fair later this summer...and the overall winner will be announced! That person wins $10,000 cash and a recording contract! That individual and the remaining Top 10, will have the opportunity to travel the state on "tour" at various events!
It's a pretty cool thing we have here in Ohio and I see it just getting bigger each year. It's all ready grown in the turn out compared to last year. Here are a few photos from the Columbus Ohio Idol auditions...
'Tis The Season
·
Can't believe another Miss Ohio week is coming up! In just two weeks, 24 young women from all over the state will compete to become Miss Ohio 2013! Wohoo!
The program is trying something new this year with a people's choice contest!
For a $1 donation, you can cast your vote for one of these ladies to have a spot in the Top 11 and maybe become the next Miss Ohio!
Be sure to check out the following links to stay updated on different Miss Ohio happenings!
Miss Ohio Facebook Page
Graham Automall People's Choice Voting
Elissa McCracken Facebook Page
Miss Ohio 2012 Twitter
I plan to attend at least one night of Miss Ohio again this year...such is the life with a one year old!
Blessings to you.
Eco-Friendly
·
I've been fixated over the past week or so with these two websites:
SkinDeep (via the Environmental Working Group)
Body Unburdened
Being a mom, I'm obsessive compulsive about what things my child touches, eats, breaths, etc. Up until a week or so ago, it never dawned on me what other things she's exposed to.
The diaper cream we use to help soothe her, the baby soap we use to bathe her with, the candles I light to make our home smell good...and so on.
Also, a couple of years ago, I watched this documentary: Tapped
After watching, I was opposed to buying or using water bottles. However, I've neglected my vigilance on being anti-water bottles in the past month. With the move and using well water at our new home, the hubs purchased cases and cases of individual water bottles. Needless to say, once they're gone, they will not be allowed in our house again.
The baby only takes two to three bottles per-day now, so I'm going to invest in glass bottles. That's what today's Body Unburdened blog was about: End Your Relationship With Plastic.
Glass it is!
I made a couple of other smaller changes in our routine for now...
Purchased Tom's of Maine for myself and the hubs!
Most deodorants are "antiperspirants" and an active ingredient in them is aluminum (often in the compound form “aluminum chlorohdrate” or “aluminum zirconium”). There is a direct correlation to the use of antiperspirant and Alzheimer's disease...the more antiperspirant that was used, the more likely the person would develop the disease. Research is being done to find out if breast cancer is also linked to the use of aluminum. Body Unburdened gives good examples of other deodorants that are available. I got the lavender and he got the clean confidence! Ha!
One thing I LOVE about the SkinDeep site is that you can key in any product in the search field to find out information regarding your personal care items. They have over 62,000 items cataloged! It lets you be more informed on what you're bringing into your home and what ingredients are used. Common sense, the fewer number of ingredients, the better.
So we opted for California Baby which has a rating of 1 with 'limited' data...this is good. :)
I hope you choose to look into what things you're using in your home...what cleaning products you use, shampoo, etc. There's still so much research I feel like I need to do until I have a better handle on this. Don't get me started on what we're eating and the 2013 "dirty dozen" and "clean fifteen" list I just read about regarding produce in our grocery stores! I'll save that for another post!
Until next time...
The Big One
·
I've been reliving this time last year over and over in my head. "Ok, so this was about the time I started having contractions." ... "Around now was when I was admitted." ... "Remember the nurse told us 'Doc said we can have a baby today.'" ?!?!
Time really does fly. I remember the day she arrived like it was yesterday though. I never want to forget it. When we went to the hospital a year ago, we thought for sure we'd be sent home...it was 8 days before my due date. But sure enough, little C-Bear wanted to join the world!
What a year it has been! Filled with laughter, tears, smiles, sleepless nights, hugs, snuggles, struggles, kisses...an awesome year! I am beyond blessed to call this little girl my daughter. Beyond blessed to share her with her amazing daddy. Beyond blessed to raise her up to love Jesus.
C-Bear's big hoopla party first birthday extravaganza is this weekend. Praying for no rain but the forecast calls for it. This is Ohio though, so we'll see. The three of us are celebrating today with a picnic in the park!
Happy first birthday, Cookie! Mommy loves you!
Gah! Check out Crystal Jo Foto's blog today! Thanks for the birthday post, Miss Crystal Jo!
I'm obsessed with the above photo from her one year photo shoot with Crystal Jo Foto! Ahh!
Life is Too Short
·
“Life is too short for half-hearted connections and meaningless run-throughs.”
-Karen Kingsbury
"Life is too short to be anything but real with the cast of characters God has placed in the story of your life. Love well, laugh often, and find your life in Christ. Don't hide away or be a follower. Be the wonderful unique person God made you to be, and know that your purpose will always be best when defined by your faith in Him."
-Karen Kingsbury
Our House
·
A lot of sweat, tears, money, creativity, etc.; went into this little place. We purchased it from an 80+ year old lady who was living on her own & couldn't manage it. As you could imagine, certain things hadn't been touched in a couple years.
It was built in the 50's. The location is perfect, just down the street from a church. Great neighbors. We remodeled the bathroom, re-did the hardwood floors, laid white base boards throughout the house, renovated the kitchen, put in new windows, painted the exterior of the house...the list goes on.
All of that, included with the fact that my baby is eleven months young today...is making me a mess today.
Here is our little gem:
Here is what we get to put our own stamp on in just a week & a half:
More space so we can (Lord willing), have a bigger family.
From the outside, our new house looks great, right?! It is in need of a lot of TLC. The windows are original & will need replaced. The electrical is bad (BAD). The carpet in the entire house is being replaced...they have two cats, two dogs & are smokers. Siding & a window needs fixed from a sketchy DIY reno they tried...the window is shattered. Let's leave it at that. We're having duct work done next week...again, animals & cigarette smoke are not the greatest combo. BUT because this home was in such poor condition, is what made it feasible for us to purchase.
I will most definitely take photos of before & after shots. I'm excited about getting my hands on this place but nervous because it is a lot of house! It's more than twice the size of where we are now. And when we remodeled our current home...we didn't have a baby!
Wish us luck! I hope to write more later but know that I'll be doing fun house stuff...cleaning, packing, moving, painting...wohoo!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
