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Friday, September 11

Grandparent's Day!

Yesterday afternoon was quite a special day for Mr. Ethan!! His preschool, 2nd Baptist, held their annual "Cookies with Grandparents" in honor of Grandparent's Day on September 13th! Since Noni is usually off work by 2pm, we asked if she would like to join Ethan for his special day.. and of course, she immediately agreed! :) When I got to school, Noni was already there enjoying her cookie with her little buddy! Ethan was SO excited! (about the cookie AND noni!) :)


E showing Noni his family tree!


Well, we are off to enjoy another jam-packed, fun-filled weekend in the Stickles house! Tommorow is Lilly Kate's first soccer game of the season! We are SOOO excited! Hopefully we will start the season off right with a win (which i'm totally betting on b/c we have some amazing little 5yr olds on our teams.. WOO HOO!). After the game, we are heading into Germantown for their annual festival! (yes, credit card will be handy!) It's a Stickles Family Tradition and everyone LOVES it! The best part of the weekend comes Sunday though.. we are heading out of town bright and early to go up to Nashville for the day! Ethan will be riding Thomas the Train! I'm so excited to see his cute little face when he sees Thomas! We are greatly anticipating it! So, I hope everyone has just as much fun as we're planning on having this weekend! :)
And dont forget your favorite grandparent's on Sunday!!

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Thursday, September 10

Gentleman and the Tramp

Fettuccine night at our house definitely bonds two best friends! Nothing like the love between a boy and his dog!! :)




Wednesday, September 9

boys will be boys!

Again... the dirt! I swear.. I can't take this child anywhere! Last Tuesday we arrived to soccer practice and Ethan immediately began stripping his clothes off.. b/c he was "just sooo hot!" And what came next... sliding into the dirt as if he was practicing for home plate! Oh goodness.... BOYS!!




See that mop of hair on his head?! Well, it's no more! This past weekend Noni came over and gave Ethan a little trim!


Ok.. well, maybe a whole-lotta trim! ;) He LOVES it!! Ethan had SO MUCH hair!! I have to say that I'm still getting used to it. He looks completely different! Dont get me wrong... i absolutely adore his long locks so they will be back! But this is definitely a nice change of pace for a little while! :) I think we unleashed some inner hyperness from underneath all that hair though.. he's been bouncing off the walls since his new cut! OH BOY!


Monday, September 7

BBQ. . bourbon. . and OLE MISS football!!

Well... the day i've been waiting for all summer finally came! SEC Football Season Kick-off! Sunday morning, Chris and I dropped the kids off with Grams and headed out to the Ole Miss vs. Memphis game!! We have been anticipating this game for weeks! First stop.... Corky's for some OH SO YUMMY bbq pork nachos! Then it was off to the Liberty Bowl to meet up with friends to tailgate! Now, let me just tell you.. tailgating in Memphis is NOT FUN! It was about 90 degrees outside, no shade, direct sunlight and NOT surrounded by stately oaks.. oh no, i had lovely blacktop! Oh... how I miss the Grove!! Never the less, we greatly enjoyed ourselves and got to catch up with some wonderful friends! The best part... OLE MISS won!! 45-14! HOTTY TODDY!! We are definitely looking forward to driving down to Oxford for the Homecoming game again UAB.. the kid's will be joining us for that one! I can't wait to introduce them to the Grove! Here's a few pictures from Sunday's game! Just warning you.. i look TERRIBLE and Chris looks like he just stepped out of the shower! Goodness.. I just can't even describe how hot it was! :)







**EDIT**
I had to come back later and add to this post! I found this online.... THIS is why I love Southern Football!!

Football Season in the South


Planning for the fall football season in the South is radically different than up North. For those who are planning a football trip South, here aresome helpful hints.

Women’s Accessories:
NORTH: Chap Stick in back pocket and a $20 bill in the front pocket.
SOUTH: Louis Vuitton duffel with two lipsticks, waterproof mascara, and afifth of bourbon. Money not necessary – that’s what dates are for.

Stadium Size:
NORTH: College football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
SOUTH: High school football stadiums hold 20,000 people.

Fathers:
NORTH: Expect their daughters to understand Sylvia Plath.
SOUTH: Expect their daughters to understand pass interference.

Campus Decor:
NORTH: Statues of founding fathers.
SOUTH: Statues of Heisman trophy winners.

Homecoming Queen:
NORTH: Also a physics major.
SOUTH: Also Miss America.

Heroes:
NORTH: Rudy Giuliani.
SOUTH: Herschel Walker & Peyton Manning.

Getting Tickets:
NORTH: 5 days before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus.
SOUTH: 5 months before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus,make a large financial contribution, and put name on a waiting list fortickets.

Friday Classes After a Thursday Night Game:
NORTH: Students and teachers not sure they’re going to the game, becausethey have classes on Friday.
SOUTH: Teachers cancel Friday classes because they don’t want to see the fewhung over students that might actually make it to class.

Parking:
NORTH: An hour before game time, the University opens the campus for gameparking.
SOUTH: RVs sporting their school flags begin arriving on Wednesday for theweekend festivities. The really faithful arrive on Tuesday.

Game Day:
NORTH: A few students party in the dorm and watch ESPN on TV.
SOUTH: Every student wakes up, has a beer for breakfast, and rushes over towhere ESPN is broadcasting “Game Day Live” to get on camera and wave to theidiots up north who wonder why “Game Day Live” is never broadcast from theircampus.

Tailgating:
NORTH: Raw meat on a grill, beer with lime in it, listening to local radiostation with truck tailgate down.
SOUTH: 30-foot custom pig-shaped smoker fires up at dawn. Cookingaccompanied by live performance from the Dave Matthews Band, who come overduring breaks and ask for a hit off bottle of bourbon.

Getting to the Stadium:
NORTH: You ask “Where’s the stadium?” When you find it, you walk right in.
SOUTH: When you’re near it, you’ll hear it. On game day it is the state’sthird largest city.

Concessions:
NORTH: Drinks served in a paper cup, filled to the top with soda.
SOUTH: Drinks served in a plastic cup, with the home team’s mascot on it,filled less than half way with soda, to ensure enough room for bourbon.

When National Anthem is Played:
NORTH: Stands are less than half full, and less than half of them stand up.
SOUTH: 100,000 fans, all standing, sing along in perfect four-part harmony.

The Smell in the Air After the First Score:
NORTH: Nothing changes.
SOUTH: Fireworks, with a touch of bourbon.

Commentary (Male):
NORTH: “Nice play.”
SOUTH: “Dammit, you slow sumbitch – tackle him and break his legs.”

Commentary (Female):
NORTH: “My, this certainly is a violent sport.”
SOUTH: “Dammit, you slow sumbitch – tackle him and break his legs.”

Announcers:
NORTH: Neutral and paid.
SOUTH: Announcer harmonizes with the crowd in the fight song, with a tear inhis eye because he is so proud of his team.

After the Game:
NORTH: The stadium is empty way before the game ends.
SOUTH: Another rack of ribs goes on the smoker, while somebody goes to thenearest package store for more bourbon, and planning begins for next week’s game.

Friday, September 4

. . and the winner is . . .

It's that time!!!



Winner #1 of the "Tweet Tweet" notecards is ......



Comment #3 - Jennifer ( from Marsh Family [to be] )- Jennifer found me through a friend's blog and I have had so much fun reading all about her in the past few days!! I'm so excited that one of my prizes goes to a "new friend"!! :)





And WINNER #2 of the "It's a Hoot!" notecards is...



Comment #6 - Lindsey - ok, Lindsey, who?! :) I asked my husband what "Lindsey's" he knew and his face got really red and he answered with a nervous "ha! i dont know!!" SOOOO... Miss Lindsey.. tell me who you are!! I am MORE than curious now!:) - and to answer your question.. NO! It's not terrible.. secretly, I do the SAME thing! And I promise I didn't rig this so you could win and have to tell me who you were... you were just THAT lucky! lol ;)



Alright Ladies... send me an email (nataliestickles@gmail.com) and let me know how to get these notecards to you!! I am SOO excited that you have won! :)



And thank you to everyone who left me a comment. I have to suspect though that there are more than 9 of you who read my blog!! ;) It's ok though.. you dont have to admit your blog stalking!! Although, if i had to pick a vice this is definitely the one I'd pick!! :) I've really enjoyed seeing who reads about us and it's comforting to know that I am actually talking to someone other than myself!



On a side note.. I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Labor Day weekend!! I am more than ready to sport my red and blue on Sunday for the Ole Miss/Memphis game!!

HOTTY TODDY REBELS!!




Thursday, September 3

10 things I couldn't live without . . .

Ok, so.. with the weather changing this time of year, I tend to find myself wearing the same things over and over. It's almost like I get "closet favorites" and certain things are always my go-to items to put on. (i'm sure everyone does this!) Don't get me wrong.. my closet is literally busting at the seams with too much stuff. And honestly, not even half of it gets worn!! I'm terrible at that! But especially this time of year, you know, when it's chilly in the mornings and evenings but blazing hot in the middle of the afternoon, I need stuff that I can layer and can adjust with the temperature. So.. I guess when I find something that works well.. I just stick with it!

I noticed on Kelly's Korner the other day, that she was talking about her obsession with ruffles this season. I have to admit.. I'm loving the ruffles too!! I've recently bought several pieces with ruffles on them! (i think it's just in our "girly" nature to love a good ruffle from time to time!) So, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite, go-to items in my closet right now! You'll start to notice that I'm definitely going for comfort and easy these days!! Luckily, this "mommy" style (as I call it) has been the "IT" style recently! Oh, thank goodness I can still be stylish even though I have spaghetti sauce running down me! ;)

So.. here are my Top Ten Faves right now!! I'm sure you could see me in any one of these outfits on a given day!

{10}

Ok.. this is more of an outfit.. a sweater with shorts! Love it!

My favorite sweater right now is the cotton/silk Banana Republic v-neck. It's lightweight and perfect for the chilly mornings. I typically wear a light t-shirt underneath for when the afternoons warm up. I pair this up with a cute pair of shorts and it's perfect!!
I have to admit that until this summer, I didn't wear shorts! I just was never a "shorts" type of person. But I love the clean lines of this style. The pair I typically wear is from Express, but look identical to the ones below. I also love a pair of Bermuda shorts from Gap that I have. So.. I'm learning to embrace shorts and with the cute sweaters above.. how can you not love them?!


{9}



Cotton skirts!

I bought several of these from Old Navy one day in the late spring and FELL IN LOVE!! They're just easy going cotton skirts! You can't go wrong with them! They're great with everything! The best part is that I paid $10 for them!! Love it!

{8}

Flip Flops

Gosh, do I love flip flops! Don't be surprised to see me in the middle of January wearing flip flops! I, of course, own way too many! Here's a pic of one of my faves...


{7}

Gap Favorite T-Shirt

I think I probably own close to 20 of these.. different neck styles and colors. You can never go wrong with one of these greats!

{6}

Target Kimono Dress

I bought this dress a few months ago and absolutely love it!! I just happen to see it while shopping in Target and snagged it up. I think it was around $20.. great deal! It is super comfy and easy to wear anywhere! I have a soft purple color.

{5}

Gray shirt from Banana

I don't know what the name of this shirt is and it's no longer on their website.. but I LOVE IT! It's just a gray soft cotton, loose fitting t-shirt! I tried to find a good picture, but couldn't. This picture is as close as I could get. I might just have to take of picture of mine one day! ;)


{4}

J.Crew Twist Dress

I found this dress at the J.Crew store for $20.. can you believe it.. $20!! It's been one of my absolute favorite items of the summer. You can wear it ANYWHERE! I've dressed it down, I've worn it to the pool and I even dressed it up and wore it in our family pictures! Seriously.. best item I bought this summer.. hands down!

{3}

Orange leather sandals

I bought a pair of leather sandals from Banana earlier in the summer. I have fallen in love with them and wear them almost every day! I couldn't find a picture of the ones I bought, but they look similar to the ones below. The straps on mine are a burnt orange color and the sole is a harder brown leather, but the style is the same! They are super comfy and look great with anything!!


{2}

Seven For All Mankind jeans

You can never go wrong with a good pair of Sevens!! I have a pair that I've literally had for YEARS.. and they show it! But it's my favorite pair! They're soft and worn now.. perfect!! Always the jeans I'm looking for in my closet!! This time of year, they're perfect with a tank top!

{1}

It's a tie...

The first thing is my pink scarf.. I love cute lightweight scarves this time of year.. the perfect accessory for a great pair of jeans and a tank top!



The second item is a cotton cardigan from Banana! Again, couldn't find a pic.. but this one is close! My cardigan is just a cotton jersy material.. not so much "wooly" like this one. But the style is similar. I LOVE IT!! Great for those cool mornings and easy to remove for the afternoon!

Actually though.. cardigans in general are probably my favorite clothing item going into fall! I absolutely adore cardigans! I think they're going to be a big hit this fall, so I'll probably start stocking up on some more!!

Well.. those are my Top Ten Favorite items right now!! What are yours?? What can you not live without right now?! What are you wearing over and over and over and..... you get the idea! ha!

Wednesday, September 2

Happy 100!

Can you believe that I have reached 100 posts for 2009!!!! WOW! I remember when I first signed up for blogger, I thought that there was no way that i'd have enough to talk about to even write a full post. Well, I guess my family is just a little more interesting than I thought! (i'm assuming that's a good thing! ha!) So.. in honor of my constant chatter and reaching 100 posts.. I am having a giveaway! WOO HOO! I know you all love a good giveaway! ;)

I've giving away 2 sets of notecards from Sweet Lemons Gifts!! One to each winner.. so yes, you got it.. TWO winners!! One winner will receive the "Tweet Tweet" notecards and the other will receive the "It's A Hoot!" notecards! I'm so excited about this giveaway!! I hope you all are too! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post! I'd love to know who exactly is reading all about us.. b/c honestly, i just have no idea! (it's ok.. i'm an admitted "blog stalker".. you can be too!) I do know that I get on average about 50 visitors a day... So, let me know.. leave a comment, say HELLO! Let me know I'm not just talking to myself here! haha! The giveaway ends Friday at 5! (maybe with a little "Friday 5"!) I'll use random.org and pick TWO winners!! Anyone can comment... just click where you see "Your Thoughts (#)". Just choose the "Anonymous" option, but please be sure to leave your name in the comment!!

Hurry... GET TO COMMENTING!!!! :)

Tuesday, September 1

perfect weather weekend!

This past weekend, the weather in Memphis was GORGEOUS!!! It was in the mid-80's with not a drop of humidity in the air. Definitely NOT typical for the middle of August! We definitely took advantage of the great weather. Saturday morning we all headed to Lilly Kate's soccer practice and then enjoyed a great late lunch at Swanky's! We LOVE Swanky's!! :) Saturday night, we had a mini-camp out in the living room. (yes, we put the tent up!) and the kid's enjoyed a movie and popcorn. Sunday afternoon, we all headed to the Memphis Zoo! I have to admit, it was the first time we've been to the zoo this summer! It's just been way too hot and steamy! Sunday was a perfect zoo day though! Apparently, we weren't the only ones who thought it was a great day for the zoo... we ran into to at least 4 different people we knew and hadn't seen in a while! It's always great catching up with old friends! The kids had a blast!! (and their parents did too!) Not to mention that it was the last weekend for the "Birds and Bees" exhibit! I, of course, took over 250 photos at the zoo... so I narrowed it down for you! ha! Enjoy!!

LK LOVES alligators! Gotta love a girl in pink who loves some gators! :)




Such a good daddy!








LK also loves flamingos... I bet you can't guess why?! Maybe b/c they're PINK!! haha!

Yes... I do love them... ALOT! Even if they are the crazy characters dancing in the "Bee Disco"!












We are definitely looking forward to the weekend ahead of us!!! We have a jam packed weekend planned. The best part of the weekend comes Sunday though, as my beloved OLE MISS REBELS take on the Memphis Tigers at the Liberty Bowl here in Memphis!! Chris and I are truly a "house divided" on this day!! It could get very interesting! We are looking forward to a great day full of friends and football... tailgates, here we come! :) Oh.. and let's not forget that 5K i'm running on Monday! Let's all say a little prayer now... ;)