Guess who's back? Back again...Susan's back, tell a friend...

Oh heeeey, girl, HEY.

What's new?! How's life?!

Just me over here after a million year break. Whoops. Not sure how that happened, but I'm back...back again...and hopefully more regularly.

Invisible.

The New York City Rescue Mission asks this question, "Have the homeless become so invisible we wouldn't notice our own family members on the street?"

Watch what they did to find out...

I sure do love a hidden camera experiment. So, tell me, would you notice??

83 and Sunny.

Have I mentioned how much I love living in North Carolina?? Well, I do. Since the end of April we have had multiple days of gorgeous weather...83 and sunny (which would NEVER happen in Chicago in April). So to celebrate said weather, I pulled out Grier's old baby pool. Don't get it twisted, baby pools are for toddlers too. She loved every minute of it.  I can tell this pool will be a big hit all summer.

Oh, and we had ice cream. And also, Chloe is ridiculous. 

True Tori.

Has anyone else been following this Tori Spelling story?? OMG. Heartbreaking. And kind of juicy. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here is a quick recap...

In 2005 Tori met her now husband, Dean McDermott, while filming a movie. They were both married to other people at the time, decided they were soul mates, divorced their spouses, and got married in 2006 (like a month after her divorce was final). They have four small children and have appeared on many reality shows together documenting their relationship.

Fast forward to Christmas 2013. Rumors surfaced that Dean cheated on Tori and the supposed "other women" was talking to anyone who would listen. No comment from Tori. No comment from Dean. Radio silence. And then this...

OMGGGGGGGGGGG.

True Tori premieres tonight on Lifetime at 10/9 central. The six episode reality show has been filming during this period of silence and will show Tori dealing with Dean's infidelity. Holy cow. It's about to go down, I'm sure. I kind of can't believe she's letting it all out there, but I get it. She gets to tell her side of the story in her own words.

I've got the wine ready and I cannot wait to see what happens.

Happy Easter.

Outfit: Mud Pie

Happy Easter!

 Love, 

GCB

Random Tuesday.

Masters. 

I could really care less about golf, but I love this win for Bubba Watson. (Side note: his real name is Gerry Lester Watson, Junior. I think I'd go by "Bubba" too. Just saying.) Anyway, the tears, the waddling toddler, it doesn't get any better. Good for him and his young family.

Chicagoland.


OH. MY. GOD. How did I just find this gem? We lived in Chicago for many years yet I never really knew much about Rahm Emanuel, but gosh, I have kind of fallen in love with him. This show has literally brought me to tears. And mostly because of the wonderful people fighting to make life better for the kids of Chicago's South Side. It is truly gripping and definitely worth watching.


Sick toddler.


Grier has a never ending cold so we took a trip to the doctor yesterday...and she loved it.

Snow.


My cousin Whitney, who still lives in Chicago, sent me this today:

Snow in April?! Gross.



Happy Tuesday! xo

Lindsay.

I have a confession.

I'm rooting for Lindsay Lohan.

I know, I know. She is a hot mess. I know. Seriously. I. KNOW. 

But really, there is something about her that just seems so sad. And real. And genuine. And I feel like she really wants to be great and good and wonderful and she just somehow, somewhere lost her way.

Her new show on Oprah's network, OWN, premiered a few weeks ago and I am hooked. Within the first ten minutes I was reminded that her career started in 1997, with The Parent Trap. (Ohmygosh, how cute was she in this movie??!!) Flash forward 10 years to 2007...she had 2 DUI convictions, 36 months probation, and 3 stays in rehab. Whoa. But wait...there's more. From 2010 to 2012, she had a theft charge, violation of probation, and stays 4 and 5 in rehab.

Yowza. That's a lot, right? Like a crazy amount of no good. And a crazy amount of rehab. 5 stays in rehab?? I don't understand how that happens. I really don't. In one episode Oprah said, "You need to cut the bullshit. You really do. Just cut the bullshit." YES, Lindz. Yes. Cut it. And also, GOD, I love Oprah.

So yeah, I'm rooting for Lindsay. My wish for her is to just get it together and prove everyone wrong. I hope this opportunity with Oprah and her network is the wake up call she so desperately needs and desperately wants.

You can do it, Lilo! I'm cheering for you!

Swim Class.

Today is a big day.

Really big.

Huge, even.

Grier was promoted to the next level of swim class!

She started taking swim classes last July at Aqua Tots and started in level 2. Level 2 swimmers must always have a parent in the water with them during the class...totally "Mommy and Me" swim class.

Yay.

Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with GCB and swim class is no exception. However, getting in a pool when it is below 50 degrees outside is no bueno. My hair always gets wet, I'm cold, it's miserable. Furthermore, for the first six months of classes, she cried. Hard. Every. Single. Class. That's 30 minutes of non-stop, I'm losing my mind, nothing is okay and it never will be, screaming. Yowza. I'm sure you can picture how much fun I had during those classes. Not to mention how not fun it was for all the poor mommas and kiddos that were in the class with us. (So sorry, friends!) So yeah, swim class + Susan = not cool.

But today is big. Huge. Grier was promoted to level 3, which means she does not need to have a parent in the water with her. Holla. Her new class is just the instructor and a few other children. Double holla. 

So now, instead of getting in the pool every Friday morning, I will be drinking coffee and reading fashion blogs watching Grier in her new "big girl" swim class from the lobby. Swim class + Susan = best thing ever.

Spring.

Happy Spring! I hope it is warm (ish) and sunny where you are today! A few things I'm loving...

I die. This made me laugh so hard. Can you even imagine?! What would you do if this happened to you? Seriously. I die. Side note: Ellen Degeneres does this on her show and it never, ever gets old.

I can't be the only person excited about this remake. Candy Rain by Soul For Real was my jam in 1995. Wow, that sounds so long ago and now I feel very old. 

Do you guys ever watch the show The Sing Off? Remember Pentatonix? The group that won in 2011? Well, this is two of the guys from the group covering my most favorite person in the world Beyonce's new album. So. Good.

And I leave you with this kid. This kid. I love everything about him. If this video doesn't bring a tear to your eye and just make you really happy about life, I'm not sure what will. 

Thanks for reading.

And I'm really glad you're here. 

St. Patrick's Day.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, ya'll!

I celebrated St. Patrick's Day on Saturday by doing a scavenger hunt bar crawl. I can't believe this is the first time I've ever participated in something like this!

So. Much. Fun.

We basically spent 3 hours running (and rickshawing) around downtown Raleigh taking pictures and videos of ourselves at specific places, doing specific things (read: being ridiculous and acting like fools). 

The two guys on the bottom offered
to help us build our 3-2-1 pyramid. The
guy in the middle kept the cigar in
his mouth the entire time. 

We made the WRAL page, enjoyed the gorgeous weather, had some fun drinks, and walked away the big winners. That's right, people, 5th Annual Gulliver's Travels St. Patty Day Photo Scavenger Hunt Bar Crawl winners! Whooop!

Cheers!

Instagram and Cookie Butter.

Two things on this Wednesday:

1. Follow me on instagram here.

2. Trader Joe's Cookie Butter is seriously the best stuff ever...there is even a Facebook page with over 9,000 likes! It. Is. So. Addicting. And definitely not fat free. Must. Stop. Now.

That's all. Have the best day! xo

Grammys.

A few thoughts:

1. Miranda Lambert looks incredible. I'll have what she's having.  

2. Katy Perry, I love you way more now that you are dating John Mayer, but you will never be a dancer. Ever. Sorry, babes.

3. Totally not into Imagine Dragons, but this performance with Kendrick Lamar was amazing.

4. I think Pink is so talented, but I really wish she did a different type of performance. That acrobatic routine is amazing and crazy challenging and the Try choreography is passionate and wonderful, but we've seen her do both here and here. 

5. Last year for LL Cool J to host, mmmkay? 

6. I'm dying to know what the Daft Punk robots look like. Like dying. Has anyone ever seen them?? By wearing those helmets they totally have the best of both worlds. They are world famous yet can live their lives without all the crazy paparazzi and other stuff celebrities have to deal with because NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE. Genius. 

7. Taylor, Taylor, Taylor. I love you, I do. You are a master song writer and such a hit maker. You are beautiful, your fashion picks are always some of my favs, and I can tell that you really, really love your life and what you do. But please, no more standing and dancing like a 14 year old girlie fan at her first concert during these award shows. At the beginning of the night you looked so poised and like a legit supermodel and then this. Sad face.

8. Macklemore (Ben Haggerty) and Ryan Lewis seem so humble and gracious. That's my favorite kind of celebrity.

9. I can't believe Lorde's real name is Ella. And I can't believe she's only 17. I'm a fan.

10. Beyonce and Jay Z are everything. Everything. 

House News and Ballet.

Sorry for the blog silence over here! We found out we will be closing on our house a few weeks sooner then we expected, which is really awesome news (!!!!!!), but that also means lots to do pack.  So...that’s where I have been. Packing up our little apartment and getting ready for the big move! Hi to the handful of people who have still been stopping by my little blog to see what’s up. Handful = like five. I love you guys! Thanks for stopping by. :)

In other news, Grier started two year old ballet last week.  OMG, I seriously die a little every time I see her little body in tights and a leotard. Cuteness overload…FOR REAL. Dance was such a huge part of my life growing up and I secretly want her to love it as much as I do/did.  So far, so good. She regularly asks to have impromptu dance parties. I hope she stays two forever. Sigh.

  

Rewards.

2013 was a year of change for us. Big change. The biggest? We left our lives in Chicago for a place we had never visited.  Kevin received a job offer and within two weeks we were packed and on our way to North Carolina. It sounds crazy and may seem really scary to some people (especially with a small child), however, moving to a place you've never been is really quite an adventure. When Kevin and I first started dating (waaaaay, way back in 2007) we both quit our jobs in Indianapolis and moved to Chicago. Looking back on that experience, I should have been terrified. I didn't have a job, Kevin didn't have a job, we didn't really know anyone, and we relocated to a place that was considerably more expensive than Indy. BUT, to me it was an adventure and you know what they say, "If you want big rewards, take big risks." True dat...Chicago turned out to be a big reward in every aspect of our lives. So when we had the opportunity to change our lives and take another big risk in 2013, there was no hesitation. And now, here we are, a day away from 2014 and life is so good. Kevin loves his job, we have made so many new friends, the weather is like a million degrees warmer, and we are building a home for our little family (more on that later!). 2013 was good to us and I can't wait for all the big rewards of 2014. Cheers!

My Prudent Advice.

I can't remember how I found this beautiful keepsake journal, but I'm so glad I did. My Prudent Advice is the most darling journal for mothers to record advice/wisdom/thoughts/stories for their daughters. I bought a copy when Grier was only a few months old. I love the idea that I can write in this journal throughout different stages of her life and one day, when she is old enough,  she will have years of handwritten memories. Such a sweet, sweet idea and what a wonderful gift for her to have for the rest of her life.

Front cover.

"I hope to paint you a picture of what our life
together is like now; perhaps one day it will help
you figure out where you're going."

"Being intelligent, beautiful, wealthy, talented, witty, or
powerful is meaningless if you are not also kind."

Merry Christmas.

Love,
Grier Caroline

Salt Dough Handprint.

Salt dough handprints are so easy and such a fun keepsake. I made one last year with Grier and it is such a sweet memory to see her one year old little baby handprint hanging on my tree. 

2012.

Now that she's a big girl and into doing everything I'm doing (especially when it comes to things in the kitchen), we spent a rainy morning making salt dough handprint ornaments. There are only three ingredients, most of which you probably have on hand (see what I did there?!), salt, flour, and water. Since I will be adding my ornament to my tree, I picked up some festive ribbon and glitter paint.

Supplies: Salt, Flour, ribbon to hang, and paint.

Mix 1 cup of flour with 1/2 a cup of salt and then add half a cup of water. I mixed the ingredients together in a stand mixer with a dough hook for about five minutes so I didn't have to knead it by hand. Once the dough formed a ball, I rolled it out on a floured surface and cut my circles.

Grier was fascinated with the mixer. And yes, we made these in our PJs.

I used a large round glass to make my circles.

Grier loved standing on a stool and pressing her hand in the dough the first two times. Then she was completely over it and I may have had to bribe her with a dum dum lollipop to finish the rest of the ornaments. This recipe yielded about eight circles for Grier's handprint. You could always double or triple if you want to make larger circles or more ornaments.

I poked a hole with a straw for the ribbon before baking.

Bake in a 200 degree oven for about two hours and once the ornaments cool, decorate and hang on the tree. Like I said earlier, so so so easy.

Red for 2013.

Name and year on back.

GCB.

Happy Second Birthday, Grier Caroline Brauner!

Two years ago today you made your grand entrance at 36 weeks and surprised us all! After a very long seven days in the NICU we took you home and life has never been the same. You make me laugh every day and I have no idea what I did before you. You are so loved by so many people, sweet girl, and you make everything seem brighter. Oh, and also, please just stay this little and perfect and kind forever. Okay?? XO.

GCB.

Thankful.

Thankful for my beyond awesome Mom & Dad.

Thankful my brother and his wife could be here.

Thankful for this handsome man.

Thankful for this sweet girl.

Thankful that someone at my parents house googled this.




Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for reading!!

Be kind.