Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Long Technology-Filled Weekend

My brain is completely fried after this weekend, y’all.  It was a good one, but man, was it filled with major technology changes! 

Let’s start from the beginning.  Friday evening was great!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we just couldn’t let it go to waste, so we headed downtown to scout out a place to eat outside.  It just so happens that we have a new upscale barbecue restaurant that just opened, and they are on a corner downtown, so they have these large garage-like doors that open on the side of the building, basically making the whole restaurant open-air.  We decided to give it a whirl, and boy was I glad that we did! 

Like I mentioned before, the food is barbecue, but it’s not yo momma’s barbecue… it’s more like frou-frou upscale barbecue as the chef is really into the whole unique culinary experience thing.  We were seated right away thankfully, and B and I kicked our meals off with some drinks – a Blue Moon for me and a local craft beer for him.  We had heard amazing things about one of the appetizers there so we knew we had to try it, and sure enough, it did not disappoint.  Picture this – Pimento Cheese Wontons with Jalapeno and Bacon Dipping Sauce.  They were ridiculous!!!!  Definitely one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth.

B and I ordered the same thing for the main course because they just sounded so darn good – Brisket over Sweet Potato Waffles and Mac N Cheese.  Everything was amazing, but so very rich that after eating about a quarter of it, I couldn’t possibly eat another bite. 


We finished the evening with a stroll downtown – the kids, of course, had to see the fountain – and then we stopped by our favorite frozen yogurt place for dessert. 



Saturday was spent fighting ants (again), doing mounds of laundry, and fighting with technology.  B and I finally got new iPhones.  We went from the 6 to the 7, and changing over from phone to phone is always a major hassle.  I won’t bore you with too many details as you probably already know the trials, but it involved a ton of syncing, updating operating systems, more syncing, and then getting all of my settings back the way I like them on the new phone.  It was a total success, but it took several (frustrating) hours to get there.  By the time it was time to go to church, I was very thankful because I needed a little bit of Jesus by then.  #TheStruggleIsReal

The kiddos were angels in church, and then we headed to one of our favorite local pubs with my parents for dinner.  A camel rider and some southern potato salad hit the spot!  That evening we put the kids to bed, and then B and I made some Moscow Mules and curled up on the couch with our beloved Netflix.  We started a new show called The OA (it’s a Netflix original) and it was very intriguing, but also very strange.  Jury’s still out on whether or not I’m going to like it… I have a feeling that it might make me feel a little uneasy because I don’t like weird things.  Haha.  Have any of you watched it?



Sunday morning we had breakfast at home, did some laundry, and lazed around.  My little diva got into my closet and walked around in my four-inch heels while I got ready.  We went on a quick Walmart run, and then we headed to B’s moms and step-dad’s for lunch.  It was another gorgeous day so we soaked up the sunshine all afternoon until it was time to go home for naps.






Naptime on Sunday was my time to finally get my blog domain switched over and it was a success, but not without some bumps along the way.  I had studied a tutorial long before I decided to go through with this, and it looked pretty simple, but unfortunately once the time came to implement I realized that the tutorial was slightly out of date, so I ended up having to navigate my way through a lot of the process on my own.  Therefore, it was a bit time consuming, but about five minutes after I finished, I checked direct links, back links, Pinterest links, mobile links and everything had appeared to have gone off without a hitch.

Aaaand then five minutes later, I tried a direct link again and got some crazy error message and the blog wouldn’t load.  Sigh.

I ended up having to call the domain company, but the wait to speak with a representative was going to be 35 minutes, so I had to wait for them to call me back.  The guy who helped me seemed to kind of know what he was doing, but a little part of him seemed unsure, and of course, that scared me.  He ended up having me delete one of the default A-names that was associated with my new domain when it was created, and ever since then, my blog has been up and running.  Let’s hope it stays that way.  Ha!

Sunday evening we had dinner at my parents’ house, and Elsa joined us. ;o)  And it was so wonderful being over there and knowing that we didn’t have to rush home to get ready for school and work the next day.  I heart three-day weekends.



Monday morning we had someone come out to give us an estimate for pest control as well as lawn care, and we went ahead and signed up for both!  Bye bye, ants and weeds!!!!

We followed that up with lunch at one of our favorite pizza spots, and then we took the kiddos to the playground to soak up some more of this crazily warm weather… we’re talking 78 degrees, people!  78 degrees!!  It’s been crazy!






We spent the rest of the day grocery shopping, baking cookies (new blog post coming soon!), and enjoying each other’s company before having to all go our separate ways on Tuesday.  I made Emily's Chicken Poliverde for dinner and it was de-lish!!




And before I go, an update on Olivia’s sleep situation.  As you may remember Olivia was throwing massive tantrums at bedtime and she was running out of her bed the second that we tried to leave her room every night ever since we moved her into a big girl bed last weekend.  We tried many, many things to make her comfortable with the new situation – loads of stuffed animals, new pillows, more blankets, books, music, keeping her door open, putting up a baby gate (she kicked it down, y’all, I kid you not), etc. and nothing worked. 

Well, our OK to Wake clock arrived Saturday so we put it to use promptly that afternoon for naptime.  Y’all, she doesn’t even pay attention to the thing.  It’s like it’s not even in the room.  #MajorFail and I think I’m going to send it back.  However, I seem to have found something else that has worked for the last three nights and two naptimes… I simply tuck her in with her babies, turn on her music, leave her door wide open, and then I tell her every single thing that I’m about to do followed by telling her that I’m going to check on her after all of that is done.  For example, “Ok, Olivia, I’m going to leave your door open, then I’m going to go in my bedroom and get your monitor so I can listen out for you, then I’m going to go tuck Jacob in, then I’m going to go back to my room to put on my pajamas, then I’m going to go downstairs for a few minutes, and then I’m going to come check on you.”  And then I do all those things in the order in which I tell her, and then I simply wait for her to fall asleep before checking on her and then I close her door. 

While she has still been coming in our room in the middle of the night each night (the least of my worries), at least she’s not going crazy at bedtime and requiring us to sit with her for an hour while she falls asleep.  I think the fact that she knows exactly where I’m going to be and the fact that she knows I’m going to come back and check on her is enough for her to feel safe to stay in the bed.  However, I have a feeling that before long, she’s going to be onto us and she’s going to start wondering why I never come back to check on her while she’s still awake.  The process is working for now, though, so that’s what we’re going to stick with. 

Even though it does make me feel a little bit guilty.

Happy Tuesday! 

*Linking up with B Loved Boston for Weekending and Our Pretty Little Girls for Tuesday Talk.


32 comments:

  1. We heart 3 day weekends too! Looks like y'll had a great weekend! So excited that you got the blog switched over and fingers crossed it stays working with no more problems!! Happy Tuesday!

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  2. 3 Day weekends should be mandatory for every weekend!!!
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  3. 3 day weekends are the best!! You guys had a pretty full one though it was full of family time. Glad to hear Olivia is making progress. I hope the system continues to work with her. Fingers crossed.

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  4. Whoop whoop on 3 day weekends!!! My Mr. got me the 7 for Christmas and I am still getting used to it. Took forever to do all the changing, syncing, yadda yadda, lol. Love your weekend snaps!!!

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    1. Thanks, Andrea! Yes, it is a big job getting everything moved over, but it's so worth it just to have the better battery!! Have a great week!

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  5. So glad to hear that the recipe was a success for you! Now I have a craving for it! Aren't 3 day weekends the best? Especially when you have not so fun things, like dealing with all the tech stuff, you have extra time to play to make up for it!

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  6. WAHH I am sorry Olivia has denied pretty much all of your sleep efforts. I am glad you found something that seems to be working! Fingers crossed she gets comfortable falling asleep on her own and just doesn't need the reassurance.
    That BBQ place sounds DELISH-I would give just about anything for some al fresco dining right now ;-) I hope you are enjoying the warm weather! And yay for your new domain working-I hope you have a tutorial planned, I would love to hear!

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  7. You in those aviators, so stinking cute. I ALMOST bought a pair a couple of weeks ago but they weren't on sale lololol! I will be getting some soon though. Doesn't your heart just hit the floor when you crash your blog. I did that once and I had a small heart attack. Looks like an amazing weekend. I hope you Tuesday doesn't feel too much like a Monday.

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  8. I can't believe your weather! Total 180 from us :) OMG that clock didn't work and she kicked the gate down!? Ahhh I know Avery will do the same! I hope your new idea works for a while and then she will just be use to this new routine!

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  9. First off, I feel your pain about the blog! I had a few issues when I first switched mine over, but thankfully it all seems to be going smoothly now. Second, don't give up quite yet on the clock! It took Annabelle a week or so to really get it. Now, she comes downstairs dressed and ready to go at like 7:32 (her clock turns green at 7:30, pretty sure she is up around 6:45). She also totally didn't want the clock in her room for like a month after we got it....

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    1. I'm so glad to hear this! We will hang on to it and keep trying!

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  10. Are you loving the depth effect in portrait mode on the new iphone - i'm addicted to it LOL! That's why we haven't started OA - I'm not really into weird things either lol! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  11. Yay for 3 day weekends! My brain would also be fried with all the technology. I love technology because it does make life so much easier when all is working properly, but the second it doesn't work properly I just want to scream. My default fix is shutting it off and turning it back on. You are also making me think about getting my own domain and making a switch sooner as opposed to later. I hope the sleeping issues get better as well. Fingers crossed!

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    1. If you do decide to get your own domain then good luck! I'm sure everything will go smoothly!

      And thank you!

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  12. I have no clue how to help you with the sleep struggles. Maybe we can just stick O with C and they can keep each other company while you and I slumber away.

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  13. I love 3 day weekends too, wish we had one over here...man I'm so glad I have a hubby that doesn't mind doing the techy stuff around our house, I'm totally useless, when I switched to my own domain, I had him do it for me, he literarlly did it in less than 5 minutes and I had already tried and failed. I hope your ants are gone, knock on wood they haven't been a problem for us this year...Happy Tuesday!

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  14. OH and we just started watching The OA night before last and loved it! But we like weird things like that. We also just finished 3% also good, but it's all subtitles, so that took a few episodes to get used to this slow reader, haha.

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  15. Sounds like you had a busy and fun weekend! Jealous of your weather, but enjoy it girl! I have to ask...what is a camel rider?! I'm glad you were able to eventually get everything worked out and now your new domain is set! I hope the sleeping situation gets better for you! Beautifully Candid

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  16. Looks like a great 3 day weekend!



    xx
    Lauren Elizabeth
    Petite in Pearls

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  17. We need to sign some sort of petition that makes 3 day weekends mandatory! LOL! I hate having to mess with technology...yes it makes things easier but when you have to do things yourself it's so frustrating! That's one of the main reasons I haven't made the BIG blogger to WP switch -- I've heard nightmares and really don't want to deal with that now.
    xo, Lily
    Beauty With Lily

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  18. Oh, man! I want a 7! I bet it is nice, but I am sure it was a headache getting it switched over... I usually let my husband handle all of that. It looks like you enjoyed a lot of delicious food over the 3 day weekend, too!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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  19. Pretty eventful weekend! Do you like the 7 now that you've got everything switched over? My two favorite things about the 7 plus is the battery life and the camera! Major differences from the 6. I need to change my domain. Last time I looked it was too confusing for me.

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  20. Can I just say how insanely jealous that I am about 78 degrees? We're having a heat wave here at mid 30- low 40's!

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  21. What a wonderful weekend! That restaurant you went to on Friday night sounded amazing! I’m jealous that you found something that worked for Olivia and her bedtime struggles. I recently read somewhere to try leaving an article of clothing of yours or a family photo. I haven’t tried an article of clothing but I taped 3 family photos to Mila’s bed and that’s not helping. The other night, I even tried doing what worked for you - I explained I was going to get Maci, feed her, pump a little, put her to bed, then I’d be back. That was a no go. One day, we will have a bit of normalcy at bedtime again, haha. Enjoy your week, Lindsay!

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  22. She reminds me so much of Emerson when we were working on getting him into his new "big boy" bed. We tried everything. I don't even know how many times I sat outside of his door only to wait seconds for him to come running out and me to swoop him up and put him back in bed. Over and over and over. . . all while I was seven months pregnant. So that was a fun time. And he would run out in the middle of the night into our room. We got a busy clock and it did nothing [although, now? It works wonders! I think he was a little young at the time], baby gate? no. door open? not happening. Nothing worked. Eventually, after I was completely exhausted and worn out and couldn't do it any longer [because at that point none of us were getting any rest or sleep], we turned his door knob around and just locked him in his room during nap and bedtime. We knew he was safe in his room and of course we could check on him if we needed to and we had a video monitor which helped know that he was fine. It's the only thing that worked for us, he may have screamed when he couldn't get out for a while at first, but he got used to it, and well, it's still our arrangement. Mama's can't judge. I hope this new method works for you - but it sounds a little exhausting!- so I hope she settles in soon. And if you decide to flip her doorknob around? She'll be good ;) hahah.

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  23. Amazing weekend filled with so much yumminess! I'm totally craving those pimento cheese wontons right now! Glad Olivia is doing better with her new big girl bed, sending lots of *hugs* and good sleeping vibes that she gets comfortable in it soon <3
    Green Fashionista

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  24. Oh man I fear when my girls get a bit older for a big girl bed. Keep us updated on Olivia's sleep. I love three day weekends. I want to make Emily's chicken too. Looks so good. And I can't wait to see the cookie recipe. We had bbq yesterday as well. But not the 70 degree weather. We are stuck here in the 30s with only one day of sunshine in over a week. Send the sun!!!

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  25. LOVED the OA!!!!!! It is super strange but I really enjoyed it. can't wait for another season!
    Have you watched Stranger Things? Also weird but great. (a little scary/creepy).

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  26. What a weekend! Can I just say I am so jealous of your open air restaurant experience and park day? It's freezing cold here and we literally haven't seen sun or a blue sky in weeks. I am so ready for spring, or a vacation to a warm place!!!

    I'm glad Olivia is going to bed easier! That's probably so much easier for all of you. The domain change thing scares me! I've thought about doing it but I'm afraid I'll accidentally delete everything. Speaking of that, do you back up your blog in any way? I've thought about it but haven't done it, but I feel like I should.

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