The Braid Encyclopedia.

All sorts of braids, According to me! :) Some may not be the best. Buuut I'm working on it.

Rope Braid. Two Strands.

Basic Three Strand Braid.

Four Strand Braid.

Five Strand Braid.

Fishtail Braid.

Figure Eight Braid.

Waterfall Braid. I'm still getting the hang of this one.

French Braid. + Mom in the background. Ha ha. I'm terrible at French Braids.

Dutch Braid.

Ta-Da!

xoCortney

My! Look at You Grow. . .

This is going to be a very tiny little blog. . . Considering its nearly one a.m and I am a tired mama. Ha ha.

Heres Corbin, Only a few days old

And here he is 10 months old! Looks like a completely different baby. Ha ha.

When he was born he weighed exactly 7 pounds, had a head full of dark brown hair, and a tan that'd make you think he just got back from a week long vacation in the Bahamas (and no he wasn't jaundiced either) ha ha. Now, he's 17 pounds, has light brown hair thats just shy of blonde, no more golden brown tan but he's nothing short of perfect. He claps his hands, waves hello and goodbye, says mama, dada, ball, dog, duck, spongebob, bye bye, he can show you where his belly is and hides his face when you ask "Wheres Corbiiinnn?" He is such an intelligent little boy! I love him with all my heart, to the moon and back, and much much, more.  He's such a little ham. His personality is seriously bigger then him, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm so blessed to have him in my life. :)

Corbin and I a few hours after he was born.

His new favorite face. . Ha ha ha. 

Short blogs and funny faces,
xoCortney

Wednesday, The day of rest?

I feel like Bruno Mars' "The Lazy Song" perfectly fit the day I had today. My mom and I went to Walmart, accompanied by her boyfriend's daughter Emily. There, I grabbed only a few things.  After Walmart, my mom offered to watch Corbin while I went to the tanning bed. Yes, I know tanning is bad for you but so is smoking but people still do it. Among with tons of other things that are far worse for your body then tanning. While I was tanning, Mom ran by Earthfare to pick up some of Corbin and I's favorite snack. Our last stop of the day was by Wendy's to pick up dinner. Somewhere in the midst of all this excitement, I managed to lose my lip ring. Annnd it was my only one. So sad.

Our purchases from today!
Graduates Arrowroot Cookies (Corbin's favorite cookie), Snapea Crisps, Cool Mint Oreos (My weakness)
A new nail polish I'm obsessed with by Revlon in the color Gray Suede
A blush, Fox in the box by Hard Candy in the shade Spicy&Sweet
A heavy duty concealer, Glamoflauge in the shade medium by Hard Candy
And a soft kohl eyeliner pencil by Rimmel London in the shade Pure White

I am just so in love with this nail polish right now!

Belly Washers came out with a toddler friendly version of their juice. . They're called Tummy Ticklers!
So cute, I had to get Corbin one!!

Oreos, Nail Polish, and Boring Blogs,

xoCortney

The Golden Rule.

     Today I had an orientation at my new job, Bath and Body Works. It was me, 3 other girls, a 97 page booklet, and a 3 and a half hour long video. The booklet had us answer school work type questions. There was a question in there that asked us about our values and for us to name one we hold close to our heart. My answer? Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
     All our lives people preach this to us and pound this into our heads. Mainly teachers and parents. But really, how many of us abide by this? I'm a very strong believer in the "Golden Rule". But I admit sometimes I may slip up and mistreat others. If you're one of those people and you're reading this, I'm sorry. I assure you I've realized if I've mistreated you and I instantly regret it. It takes a lot of work, but it really is very simple to treat others how you would want to be treated. Stop and think before you cuss the person in front of you driving slow or before you ride their bumper. What if they are having a terrible day? Or what if they have a baby in the backseat? You never really know. So you always have to take a second and regroup yourself before you act upon your negative feelings. I'm not a headstrong believer in "karma" but what goes around definitely comes back around. You exuberate positivity, it will rain back onto you.
     I don't know about you guys, but when someone acts negative towards me it really hits hard.  I might just be an emotional wus, but seriously. Sometimes I wish people would take other's feelings into consideration before they acted upon their first instinct. Its simple acts, such as letting someone turn in front of you. . or holding a door open for someone that has their hands full. Its the little things that make a huge difference. It makes me feel amazing to know I might have done something to make a difference in someone's life. And don't even get me started on how it makes me feel when someone does good acts for me. . Ha ha ha.
     We all have bad days, we all have good days. Just know to somebody out there, you mean the world. You're amazing in every single way. You're more beautiful then you know. Just remember, tomorrow is always a new day. Never let the hardships of yesterday burden your tomorrow. Wake up in the morning with the "its going to be a good day" perspective. If you spill your coffee, burn your finger, and trip over a toy dump truck don't decide that instant. . "UGH, this say SUUUUCKS!". Always keep your head up and at the end of the day thats when you can reflect back on the events that occurred in your day and decide if they are really worth throwing the past 24 hours in the "bad day" category. Wether you think so or not, you have so much to be thankful for. I know I could name 42 things I'm thankful for as soon as I open my eyes every morning. Ha ha.

Happy days and New tomorrows,
xoCortney

Spring Cleaning. . . Mid September?!

     I may be a mom, but I'm still a teenager.  I still live with my mom, meaning I still have to abide by her house rules. . . Meaning I still have to clean my room.  And just like most teenagers, thats one of my least favorite things to do.  My mom and I will argue for weeks on end before I even attempt to clean it.  And even then I only put a tiny dent in what really needs to be done.  But on my defense, my son and I share a room. A small room. And we both have a lot of stuff. So when it comes to cleaning I really have anywhere to put anything. Now don't get me wrong. . I don't live in a pig-sty and I really am a sucker for organization (when it comes to anything but my room). I have even self diagnosed myself with a slight case of OCD. Ha ha. For some reason this morning, during Corbin's nap a really bizarre cleaning bug hit me. Just all of a sudden. I just really wanted to clean and organize my bedroom for some strange reason. Even when I was pregnant, I never had this happen. In case you didn't know, most pregnant ladies go through a stage called "nesting" where they clean everything to ready themselves for their baby's arrival. My mom said when she was pregnant with me she scrubbed the bath tub with a tooth brush once. . Ha ha ha. Unfortunately, I was one of the pregnant ladies that didn't get the opportunity to experience the 'joy' of nesting.

     One of the main reasons I wanted to clean and OCD-ify my room today (prepare yourself for lameness) was because I wanted to clear the top of my dressers off so I could burn candles. . Thats right, burn candles.  Bath and Body Works comes out with really awesome scented candles for fall. . . And guess who gets an employee discount now?! Thats right, This girl!! I also really enjoy burning lavender scented candles at night, it helps Corbin and I both sleep a lot better.  There's nothing more awesome then a well rested baby/mama combo in the morning. 

     So when Corbin woke up from his morning nap, I put him in his play-pin, rolled up my sleeves and dived right into a room in dire need of dusting, rearranging, and refreshening. About 2 hours later. . . My room looked next to nearly completely different. And guess what? I lit 3 candles! Laffy taffy, Cotton Candy, and Pink Lemonade. All summer scents, but hey. . Summer never goes out of style. 

     I wanted to surprise my mom with my newly cleaned room when she got off work, so when she called and asked if I had put my laundry up I replied "No, I don't feel like doing anything today. . ." Then on our late night trip to Earthfare, I ruined the surprise. . I told her "Man mom my room is a mess." But I couldn't help but crack a smile and she instantly figured out I had spent a portion of my day cleaning my room. I'm a terrible liar. Ha ha. 

Corbin in his walker. . Notice the messy dressers and tubs full of toys in the background. Ha ha.

Yummy candles and dust free dressers,

xoCortney

Avec Fall, Comes Changes.

        This time last year I was nearly 8 months pregnant. Wearing close to size 8 pants and large shirts. Corbin was born in November, meaning his whole wardrobe consisted of warm clothes. Sizes newborn and 0-3 months. You're probably thinking. . .  "What's the difference?".  But trust me, I think they grab the nearest circus monkey and tell it "Okay, now your job is to effectively size this group of baby clothes.." Baby clothes are sized so out of this world. . Lets just say, sometimes I'll come across a 3 month sized top that will fit my healthy 10 month old.  

My September 2010 baby belly.

Corbin Riley last Fall.

          Cold weather came out of nowhere. It was almost like there was no summer to fall transition, just bam! fall. . . Leaving Corbin and I up the creek without a paddle when it comes to clothes. All of Corbin's entirely too small, All of mine a couple of sizes too big. So, I guess it was about time the decent saying 'Out with the old, In with the new' came into play.

         As I gathered all of Corbin's clothes from his first few months of life so many memories hit me all at once. . Its so unbelievable that I almost have a one year old.  It's amazing to see something I created growing up and becoming an amazing little toddler. My Mom and I made an early morning, drawn out trip to the flea market this morning to sell some of his old clothes. This boy has enough clothes for 3 children. There were items in those boxes I'd never seen him wear before and wondered where on earth it came from. We managed to rid ourselves (or our basement for that matter) of 3 boxes and a trash bag full of clothes. Success?! Not so much. We still have a huge tub and another small box full we had to bring home. Ha ha ha.

He was such a trooper this morning on our 5 hour flea market excursion.

                         

       Fall doesn't only come baring wardrobe changes. I had been working at a nursing home for 2 years ( 2 years and 2 months to be exact). It was my very first job. I started working my junior year of high school to help my mom with car payments on my new Honda Civic.  At the beginning of this month they made a drastic change to my hours, leaving me off of the schedule until October.  No work=No money. No money= No new fall clothes(which are in dire need, seeing as Corb has no pants or no jackets that fit him) or diapers for my sweet baby boy.  For my own personal situation, not working for that long just wasn't an option. So I mustered up every ounce of confidence I had and ended my long term relationship with the nursing home. I started putting in job applications everywhere and not even a week went by and I had already had an interview at Bath and Body Works. I received a call this past Friday from their store manager and. . . I got the job! :)

       Needless to say, the month of September comes baring all sorts of gifts.  I mean what else is better then spending a whole month rebuilding yours and your son's entire wardrobe? Maybe getting homecoming queen? Corbin's auntie Katie won homecoming queen last Friday night.  I was so happy for her. I also had the pleasure of dolling her up! Other new things fall has blessed me with? Corbin is getting more teeth! 3. . I think. He's talking and saying all sorts of words; ball, dog, duck, Mama, Dada, spongebob (I know, right?) and a couple of other things. He's almost standing on his own. . . .Oh my goodness. He's just blossoming into a perfect little boy. 

Corbin's aunt Katie the night of Homecoming!

                                        

       Fall is my absolutely favorite season. I love everything about it and I'm so excited to see what else this amazing season has to offer me. 

Nothing says "Fall" like a good fair! :)

Newborn pants and Circus monkies,

xoCortney.

Jumping on the "Blog-Wagon".

Here recently, quite a few of my friends on Facebook have started blogging.  My first thought was "Where are they coming up with this stuff?".  Then I realized. . . Thats their life.

My friends and I always joke about having our own reality show.  The hopes of that joke ever possibly coming true. . Yeah slim to none. Ha ha. And when I was 17 I got pregnant. Instantly, I had everyone telling me "OH! I know, you should go on 16 and Pregnant Cortney!!!" The idea of that just sort of disturbed me. Why on earth would I want to document my pregnancy and countless amounts of drama on national television for everyone to see?! Then get blamed for "glamorizing teen pregnancy". Anyway, if I were to be on a T.V show. . . I would not want to be the size of 2 baby whales. . Trust me, there is nothing glamorous about that. Ha ha. So I decided, because I will never lead the life of Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe or those eight infamous Guidos and Guidettes from Jersey, I decided I would start a blog, my own personal reality show. . . So to speak :)

See this huge belly?! This was only 10 days before my little Corbin Riley was born.
Fake tans and T-shirt time,xoCortney