Chocolate Handprint

There is a little chocolate handprint on my bathroom wall. Just below where the bath towels hang down, beside the bathtub. Every time I use the restroom, I can see the little brown fingers waving at me. I know I need to clean it. It's chocolate. On my wall. But I just don't have the heart to clean it up yet. Every time I look at that brown little handprint, I can't help but smile. It makes me think back to last night. Kalianna's big grin as she pushed the kitchen chair over by my side and climbed up on it. She helped me stir, and dump ingredients into the pan, as we watched the brownies come together. Then, as I poured the batter into the pan, her little fingers reached out, ever so cautiously, under the waterfall of chocolate and came back covered in warm, gooey batter. One lick and she got the biggest smile on her face I've ever seen! She reached both hands into the pan and began scooping handfuls of batter into her very happy mouth. Once the brownies were finally safely in the oven, I carefully scooped up my little chocolate baby and brought her in the bathroom. There I tried, without success, to keep her little hands from touching things as I readied the tub. Toys, towels, and the side of the tub were soon layered in a thin coat of brownie batter. Once in the tub, and brownie free, I scrubbed the side of the tub and carefully cleaned each bath toy that had been touched. It wasn't until she was tucked in bed that night that I went back into the bathroom and noticed the missed little handprint. Just barely peeking out from under the towels. So I know I need to just take a clorox wipe and clean the silly thing off. But I just don't have the heart to do it. Not yet. It's her own little mark left on my wall, just like the images from last night that she left in my heart. Smiling at me as if to say "Kalianna was here".

Big Helper

Kalianna helped me make brownies tonight:

It's a Girl!!

Yup. We found out today that we are having another little girl. We are SO EXCITED!!! Matt and I obviously would have been happy with a boy, but we were both really hoping for another girl. We think it will be so fun for Kalianna to have a little sister. And since she will also be born in April, we already have all the right size clothing for the right season. It's perfect!

One of the best parts about being pregnant is my sister is due the same week I am. It's been so fun! We are going through much of the same things at the same time, so it's really awesome! Since our kids are going to be so close, we thought it would be fun to have the same thing. But she is having a boy. Her third boy. And we are having our second girl. Funny how things work out! It will still be super fun to watch the two of them grow up together though. Who knows? Maybe they will even have the same birthday!

And the winner is...

Theresa Howell!! Thank you everyone for participating in my book contest! I know I was supposed to make the announcement yesterday, but we were out of town. So tonight, I put all the names of the participants in a bowl and let Kalianna draw out the winner. Congratulations Theresa! And thanks for helping to spread the word about my book!

My Book! ~Contest~

So it is nearly 2:00am and I can't sleep. You know why? Cause I am way too jazzed about my book! It's here! I know I said three weeks, but it got done early and is now available for purchase! Woo-hoo!!! When I got the package today in the mail, I nearly passed out. I felt so happy, I wanted to cry! And barf a little. Just so many emotions swirling through my body, I could hardly take it! Anyway, I decided in honor of my book's release, I would hold a little contest here on my blog to win a free copy. Interested? Here's what you have to do: in the next two weeks (the contest will go until Nov. 27th), you have to mention my book on your blog. Simple, right? Then just let me know that you did, so I can enter your name in a drawing and voila! You could win a free copy of my book! You can either just copy and paste the information I have below, put a direct link to this post, or say something similar. So...Ready...Set...Blog!

What happens when you mix five modern teenagers with five fairy tale princesses? Belle, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, and Snow White Princess are cousins (and best friends) stuck with names they're not too fond of...and now together they must face the challenge of getting ready for high school--a world where fitting in is definitely a must. But how will they ever fit in when they're destined to stand out? Or, perhaps more importantly, how will their friendship ever survive when the five Princesses all set their minds on one prince?

The Princess Sisters is a fun, young adult fiction novel about friendship, finding yourself, and learning how to tell apart a prince from a frog. It's geared toward tween and teenage girls, but the pop culture references and themes of boys and friendship can be enjoyed by women of all ages! The Princess Sisters can be purchased from Barnes and Noble:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Princess-Sisters/Stacy-Lynn-Carroll/e/9781427650368/?itm=7&USRI=The+Princess+Sisters

Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Sisters-Stacy-Lynn-Carroll/dp/1427650365/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289604399&sr=8-1

Ecko Books:

http://www.eckobooks.com/product/1002006/The-Princess-Sisters/

Or you can purchase a copy directly from me for $10. First come, first serve, until I run out. Thanks to everyone for all your love and support!

My New Favorite Question

"What's that?"
This question can be heard throughout our house at least a hundred times a day.
"What's that?"
"That's your teddy bear."
"What's that?"
"That's your cereal."
"What's that?"
"That's your tummy."
I love how inquisitive she has become! Sometimes, if she already knows, she will answer her own questions.
"What's that?" pointing to a horse. "Then she looks at me and replies, "Neigh!"
She makes me laugh! First thing I wake up to in the morning is a little voice coming from her room. "What's that?"
She is at such a fun age! And I love how fast she learns new things. She is also in the repeating stage, so she is constantly learning new words. One of her new favorite words is "Baby". She loves pointing out babies! I even got that documentary "Babies" in the redbox. She loved it! I was actually disappointed, and found it rather boring. But Kalianna Loved it! Throughout the whole movie she kept saying, "What's that?" "Baby!"

3 Weeks

They say patience is a virtue. It's a virtue I have always felt I was blessed with. I can be patient with people and children and animals. More so than many others I have seen. But when it comes to waiting for something, I feel like I am jumping out of my skin! My thoughts constantly go to the thing I am waiting for, I find myself distracted with anticipation. And this time I am waiting on two things! Three weeks. My book went to the printers yesterday. They told me the turn around is about three weeks. Finally! After all the work and frustrations my book will be available for purchase in three weeks!

In three weeks I am having my ultrasound to find out what we're having next! I am so excited! Everyone seems to think we are having a boy. With Kalianna, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was a girl since day one. With this one, I honestly have absolutely no idea! I keep going back and forth. So in three weeks we will get an awesome surprise! Three weeks. That's like nothing, right? A blink and here it is. Then why is waiting three weeks seem like forever?!