Real Life: Live & Unscripted

On my nightstand...

 

 The Other Woman by Eric Jerome Dickey

Happy New Year

 

Leaving the past in 2009, looking forward to a better year in 2010.

Don't just make those resolutions....LIVE THEM.

Hump Day Ramblings.....

• I'll have a little free time in Atlanta on January 16th....y'all wanna do a blogger/twitter/facebook meetup? LOL

• Kayla said the chef doesn't leave the kitchen until the commercial lol

• Beyond Reasonable Doubt was a very good movie.

• When am I going to take my Christmas tree down?

• Some folks I thought were gonna make it into 2010, aren't.

• As much as I'm in Hancock, I need a job here.

• I need to do another video soon. I've been saying I am for a minute now lol.

• I've got to get back on my workout grind. Christmas killed it for me...WELLL, all the baking I did killed it for me lol.

• I sewed for my brother and was SO happy he loved his gift lol even though they were just pj pants lol.

• Insecurity is not cute. You need to handle that.

• I am SO behind on blog reading.

• Don't take it personally.

• Arnez J. is a NUT. Like soooooooooooooo stupid! LOL

• I have the biggest crush on Liam Neeson. *swoon*

• I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone.

• I still don't know how you knew that lol.

• *sigh*

• What do they say about good intentions?

• Finished up my savings plan for the year...woohoo

• Got my major travel plans approved and added to the main calendar

• Already picked out my early spring basics wardrobe patterns....now to add fabric to the mix lol. Gonna try and sew from stash. Key word....TRY lol

• *S---e*

Alrighty y'all ramble away lol.

December pics....

Gotta get these on here before January lol

 
I made my mom a quilt for Christmas. She LOVED IT! I even used my new embroidery machine to add a very nice little tag to it lol.

I made Pj's for the menfolk in my life. ANDRE WAS SOOOOOOOOO HAPPY!! I promise it took an act of congress to find this fabric for him lol. The pants are not huge...he just has them stretched ALL the way out lol. BIG deal for me since this is like the first time I've EVER sewn ANYTHING for someone OUTSIDE my house lol.

 
Hmm why did he get dimples and I didn't?!?! <_<

 
Can you see Chico? LOL

 
 
Aj wasn't fully awake yet lol.

 
I ADORE THIS PIC OF AJ AND MY DAD. Yes I was in church with my camera. Don't judge me lol.

 
Lil bit loves my necklace...she now has one VERY similar thanks to Forever 21 lol.

 
Kayla wasn't happy...can't even remember why lol.

  

Kayla's girlscout troop had a mother daughter tea and my mom and grandma came along. We all wore gloves and flowers in our hair since we couldn't find hats lol. It was cute and fun. Kayla has on the satin glove since we couldn't find the lace ones in her size lol.

 
 
Love this one.

 
Aj getting just tickled to pieces lol.

 
The girls LOVED these tires lol. These are pics from the Christmas parade lol.

 
Can you see Kayla getting her twirl on!? LOL

And that is December lol

Toodles!

Let me introduce you all to Chico :)

If you follow me on twitter or facebook y'all have already seen my little buddy lol

 

We adopted a 6 week old kitten after Asia died and little Oreo (who a lot of you all didn't meet lol) passed away suddenly after we had only had her a couple of weeks. We were soooo sad. All over again.

We said we weren't going to get any more pets. NONE of us wanted an animal to care for. Until we heard about Chico :)

I'm a cat person at heart. This is the first time I've ever had a dog in the house and it's different but I LOVE me some Chico! The kids love him, we all love him! He is a great little dog!

 
  

He enjoys outdoors and is great about going to the bathroom!  He still has accidents but he is only 8 weeks old lol. We got him on December 6 and we are just SMITTEN!

  

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Girl Scout Cookies! lol

Hey guys! if anyone wants to buy some girl scout cookies, let me know. Kayla is selling them. If you are out of state and want them shipped to you just email me at adnixon1036@gmail.com and we will see what we can do lol.

Toodles!

Sewing....a year in review

So I did this same thing last year and really wanted to do it again this year lol...did you miss it? LOL here it is:

2008 Sewing year in review 

This year I made 42 garments. You can see them here.

I've gotten past trying to see how much I can sew. I sew for quality..NOT quantity lol.

My most worn garment:

 
My lounge wear. I wore this OUT! It's Kwik Sew 3678 It was perfect for either wearing around the house or running out to pick up the kids.  LOVED IT.

Proudest sewing moment:

MY FIRST PAIR OF JEANS!!!

 

 
 

  

 

  

 

  

 

Jalie 2908. I can't WAIT to make these again!!! I LOVE THEM!!

And my first coat!!!

 

 
Butterick 5145

 

Favorite Garment:

I have MORE than one lol

 
Simplicity 3867. LOVE this. LOL

 
 
Simplicity 2700. Has to be my favorite pants pattern HANDS DOWN! The fit is SUPERB!!!

I think I made these like 3 or 4 times lol

WHY in the world did I make that!?!?

 
Simplicity 3536 ummm I should have left this pattern at hancock lol. It looks awful on me and its sooooooo not flattering lol.

I think I did pretty good this year with sewing what looks good on me. It's a work in progress lol. I only had this one thing that just didn't work. So I think I did pretty good!

My goals from last year:

• PURGE my patterns.

   I DID GO THROUGH AND PURGE MY PATTERNS, I ALSO ORGANIZED THEM AND ADDED MORE TO THE COLLECTION LOL. BUT I GOT RID OF THE ONES I KNEW I WASN'T GONNA SEW LOL.

• Make more basic/everyday tops.

I THINK I DID PRETTY GOOD WITH THIS ONE. CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER THOUGH.

• Use more of the fabric that I have.

UMMMM I DID OK LOL. A FEW TRIPS OUT OF TOWN MESSED ME UP WITH THAT ONE LOL.

• Be a less selfish sewer :-)

IM PROUD I DID VERY WELL WITH THIS!!! I MADE PJ PANTS FOR TONY AND AJ, AND DRESSES FOR THE GIRLS! I ALSO MADE PJ PANTS FOR FOLKS FOR CHRISTMAS! :)

• Make my duvet cover and window treatments for my home.

UMM DIDNT DO THIS AT ALL LOL. SOOO IT WILL BE ON MY LIST FOR NEXT YEAR LOL.

• S.W.A.P more often. NOT necessarily for a contest...just have a plan in mind lol.

DIDNT DO THIS EITHER LOL. WELL, I DID SEW VACATION WARDROBES...THAT COUNTS..RIGHT? LOL

• MASTER a welt pocket.  Right now they are just frustrating lol.

NOPE! LOL

• Learn AT LEAST 3 new techniques.  Something I have never done before. I have three in mind, but will talk about them at a later date.

NOPE LOL

• Make a white button down shirt. I need a new one.

NOPE LOL

• Make my quilt!!! LOL

YES! lol

My goals for 2010:

• Sew a spring wardrobe. I already have my patterns picked out. Gonna work on picking fabrics from STASH for this lol.

• Make my duvet cover and window treatments
• Make a white button down shirt.
• Master a welt pocket.
• Don't fall victim to the pattern sales. I swear they GOT ME this year lol.

That's about it! Not much at all. I'm still learning when I sew so that is a good thing and I just want to strive to just do better with my sewing as a whole. I think I'm well on my way!

Alright, that's all I got!
Toodles!

Seasame Chicken

 

Ingredients

• 3 whole boneless chicken breasts

 

Marinade

• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cooking wine or dry sherry
• 3 drops sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Sauce

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/8-1/4 cup white vinegar or rice wine vinegar (depending on how sweet you want the sauce)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup sugar (we use 1/2 cup sugar but the orginal recipe called for 1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon chili paste (or more)
• 1 garlic clove (minced)

Frying

• peanut oil (3 1/2-4 cups)

Serving

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Mix the marinade ingredients (the first 9 ingredients listed) and marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.

 

 

To prepare the sauce:.

Mix together all of the sauce ingredients.

 

Pour them into a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Turn the heat down to low and keep warm while you are deep-frying the chicken.

To deep-fry the chicken:.

 

Add the marinated chicken pieces a few at a time, and deep-fry until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels and then place chicken in warm oven (130 degrees) while you continue frying.

 

Repeat with the remainder of the chicken.

Just before you are finished deep-frying, bring the sauce back up to a boil. 

 

Place the chicken on a large platter and pour the sauce over.

 

 

Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve the Sesame Chicken with rice.

 

This has been a hit every time I've made it and is requested often lol. I followed the recipe exactly and didn't make any changes.

Toodles.

Sometimes I cry....

 

Most of the time, I smile. A lot. I'm happy more often than not and I know I have a joy in my heart that no one can take away.  But sometimes I cry.

Sometimes all the smiling and laughing in the world isn't enough to comfort a troubled heart.

Sometimes I feel God has a way of moving things/people out of your life so you can just see Him.

When you feel isolated and alone, maybe it's not meant for you to try and call up your best buddy but to kinda step away and seek God.

Why did I post this? I dunno. Maybe someone else is going through right now too. So you hang in there. I will hang in there  and we will be just fine.

I know that right now I'm in the fire, but when I come out it will be as pure gold.

Real Life: Live & Unscripted Year In Review

  Ya know....just in case you missed it ;)

Tony and Pat went to the Papa John's Bowl Game LIttle did I know that would be the LAST game they went to together.

Celebrated 12 years of marriage...

I met E. Lynn Harris   Scroll down lol

Went to New Orleans with Patrice

Jaelyn turned 13 :( lol yes, I have two other children, but they aren't teenagers yet lol

Went to Stitches South met Robin and spent some time with Fergie :) Gotta love meeting blog friends!

Patrick Died :(

Aj Was Baptized

Patrice came to visit me!! :)

I made my first pair of jeans!

We went to DISNEY WORLD!!! LOL

Went to St. Louis to visit Patrice

Our family pet Asia died :(

Went to Chicago and had a BALL! 

And that's pretty much it! LOL

Despite some of the heartache and pain, it was a pretty good year!

2010 is going to be EVEN BETTER!

Toodles!

**ahem** now maybe some folks will leave me alone about updating lol

*muah* lol

An addition to the family...

Well there are THREE new additions lol.

Two of them you will learn about today lol

My LONG awaited baby!!! LOL

 
Copied from the singer site lol

Singer CE-150 Futura Sewing & Embroidery Machine

A REAL life picture lol.

 

 

*swoon* I am going to be in HEAVEN!!! LOL

I seriously can not WAIT to play!!!!! I have wanted an embroidery machine for I KNOW the past 2 or 3 years. Lisa can tell you that lol. EVERYTIME she posted one of her gorgeous embroidery projects I was ready to buy a machine lol. We went back and forth FOREVER on the different ones out there and what was within my budget and what not lol. I finally decided on this one lol.

I have even found a yahoo group specific to this machine and there is a TON of information! I've been reading for DAYS lol.

Do you all know of any good embroidery websites!? ESPECIALLY ones that offer free downloads lol. WIth all the software I got AND the fact that I can use ANY image/font to create a design...I shouldn't EVER have to buy one any lol.

Sooooooo ready to play!!!!! LOL

Next addition???

Singer HD110

 
Copied from the singer website lol

And a real life picture lol

 

Don't know why I did that lol. Just fun lol

THIS will be the workhorse. To keep all the wear and tear off of my "main" machine lol. I plan on doing some home dec stuff, FINALLY, and I will use this machine to get it all done!

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!!!!! YAYAYAYAAYYAYAAYAYAYAYA

Ok, that's IT for me! I'm about to go PLAY!

Toodles!

Change...

 

Change defined: to become different

The first antonym of change in the dictionary : remain

The leaves are starting to turn here. From vibrant green to the colors of fall. Orange, red, yellow. It's still early November so nothing major yet...

I've been taking pictures of trees and leaves for about two weeks, waiting on JUST the right one. I was a out and about when I saw this tree and immediately said, "wow" look at how it's changing.

Change really doesn't happen over night, but when a true change occurs it can be seen during the process.

This tree hasn't changed completely but you can certainly see that the change is indeed taking place.

So often in our lives, we look at ourselves and see areas that need improvement. At that point, we do one or two things. We change, or we don't.

I don't know how many times I've said I'm going to do this or that, or I will do this or that better or stop doing this, yet I remained the same.

I've heard it said that change is hard. Is it really? Maybe it is for some, and not so much for others.

I had a LONG conversation with three people, one lady around my age, my mom and my grandma.

It was so interesting to me how each person looked at change. 

The lady that was close to my age kept saying change was hard for her. It's not that easy.

My mom and my grandma were on the same page with change, saying it's up to the person. If they want to change for the better, they will. If they want to remain the same, they will. You can't make anyone do anything they don't want to do.

My grandma used the example of the smoker. No matter how much you preach to them, they ain't gonna stop unless they want to. They have to want it. You can't want it for them.

Everyone is different in what they think, how they feel. So in this situation, there isn't a right or a wrong answer, just how each individual handles it.

I can remember a time when someone made promises to me. The promise to change.  They made it sound so good. Made me feel like it was all gonna be fine.  I held on the their promises, waiting on the change. It didn't happen.  Sure a few things here and there were done differently but only enough so that it could be said..hey I did change. This happened a few times, each time, I held on just hoping that this will really be it.

NOT SO MUCH.

There is only so much an individual can handle before they finally give up. 

One of the hardest things to do, is step outside yourself and look at you. You might not like what you see. Have you been there? **RAISES HAND** I have. Still am sometimes.

I know I have become so comfortable in who I am, and doing things the way I want to do it, that when it's brought to my attention that I'm doing something wrong, I look at them with disgust. Because I KNOW I'm on it.*pops collar*

WRONG.

Once I get over myself and really look, I see that they actually had a valid point. I try to stop whatever it is right then. It does NOT always happen like that though.

One thing that is a "big" thing at my house, is my phone in my hand ALL THE TIME. That was THE hardest thing for me to change about myself. THE HARDEST.

LOL, now umm while I'm working on it still (because I DO have a crackberry lol) it's not nearly as bad as it was lol. I now know when its ok to have it and when its not lol. So it's not constantly in my hand lol.

All I had to do was stand in the other person's shoes and see what they saw. It wasn't pretty lol.

How do you handle change? When a loved one or close friend tells you they see something in you that isn't a good trait...how do you handle it?

Feel free to discuss :)

Silent Sunday

 

Ooooooooooo Christmas treeeeeeeeeeeeee lol

I put my tree up maybe two weeks ago? LOL yeah I was worse than the kids. I could NOT wait.

Y'all know every year the colors on my tree change every year lol. I LOVE a good after Christmas sale lol.

ANYWAY, last year Kayla picked our colors...blue, silver and SPLASHES of pink...here is the outcome lol

  

Want even lights/!?!? USE NETS! LOL. The kids put the ornaments on...It's my job to "pass" them, and put the high ones up lol.

 
Oops! I forgot to turn a section of lights on lol.

 
This is the most special ornament ever. It's for Uncle Pat :) I was bawling in the store when I saw it lol. The kids wanted it REALLYYY close to the top. Because he is looking down over us :)

 
**BE STILL MY HEART** Y'all know I'm obsessed with snowflakes right??? RIGHT!!?!? LOL

 I only got 5 of these...for each of the Nixon's :)

 
These are Kayla's FAVORITES!

 
Gotta have one like this lol. If you look closely, you can see Kayla lol

  

This year instead of our traditional angel (that I couldn't find) We got a star, yep..for Uncle Pat, because he is looking down over us :)

He will SO never be forgotten!

Alright y'all that's it for me!

Have a great weekend!!

Toodles!