“A warm smile will cure just about anything; even the cold, wintry blues.” – Me

I’ve got the blues. The cold, wintry blues.

We’re knee-deep in winter here in small town Missouri and bracing ourselves for what could be the worst winter storm since 1912. Sleet, freezing rain and snow seem to have taken up residence around these parts and they’ve no plans on leaving anytime soon.

There are only two things in life that can chase away the cold, wintry blues: a cup of hot chocolate and smile-worthy moments that warm the heart. Moments like these…

Bundled-up sledding snow bunnies crashing at the bottom of a hill.

Celebrating Maya’s 8th birthday. The excitement on a child’s face as they close their eyes, make a wish and blow out those birthday candles brings so much joy to my heart. I couldn’t help but smile in the presence of my birthday girl’s excitement.

Making kick-ass cake balls. Crappy cake balls are a thing of the past. Thanks to a lot of preparation, research and help from a few friends, I finally pulled off some amazing cake balls that Bakerella herself would be proud of. Okay maybe not, but still…they kicked ass.

Finally learning how to use textures to add a unique look to my photos. Thanks to Lish at A Beautiful Mess, I’ve finally mastered the art of using textures in Photo Shop. The best thing about it all? The amazing effects you can achieve are really simple to do!

Sisterly love. I adore the bond that my girls share, even if they do argue and fight and get on each other’s last nerve. It warms my heart that they’ll always have each other as sisters and friends.

Receiving an ‘atta girl from fellow bloggers. It’s always nice to be acknowledged for something you’ve poured your heart into. Liz (a belle, a bean & a chicago dog) and Amy (Baby Baby Lemon) both chose me as one of their Fab 5 Bloggers. I’m overwhelmed and incredibly grateful that someone would think highly enough of my little ol’ blog to add me to their top 5 list. (Bragging is something I’m extremely uncomfortable with, but these women were so sweet to think of me, that I’d feel terrible if I didn’t acknowledge their kindness.)

Enjoying an unseasonably warm day outside with the family. We flew a kite, played basketball and rode around on our ride-on mower just for fun. The warm sun felt so good on our skin, even if it only lasted a full 24-hours. Is it Spring yet?

And finally, the news that made my heart soar this evening…

Receiving word that the 12-year old boy involved in that horrific accident the other week is slowly improving. There is hope yet.

Epic snow storm or not, I’ve got a cup of hot chocolate and a few smile-worthy moments to hold me over and keep me warm during these cold, wintry days.

This week at Live and Love Out Loud…

Today, you can find me over at Our Mommyhood where I’m sharing my amazing 21 month breastfeeding journey. Breastfeeding is something I’m passionate about and I’m so proud to say that I’ve been breastfeeding my toddler for 21 months and counting. I’d love for you to stop by Our Mommyhood and share your experiences with breastfeeding as well.

Tomorrow I’m celebrating the smile-worthy moments in my life here at Live and Love Out Loud. Participating in Alicia’s Project Smile blog hop each month has been an eye-opening experience. I’m so much more aware of the happy, smile-worthy moments that present themselves each and everyday. Tuesday is also the last day to enter the Caroline G. giveaway for 2 super cute headbands. Carrie’s adorable hair accessories for girls are not only cute, they’re for a good cause.

I know how much you all love the Mystery Photo on Wordless Wednesdays so I’m bringing it back this week! Have fun guessing the mystery item and don’t forget to come back on Thursday to see if you guessed right. You just might win a crappy souvenir t-shirt in the process!

Here at Live and Love Out Loud, I’m celebrating women who use their online presence to encourage, inspire and empower others. Last month I featured Dagmar Bleasdale, a breastfeeding, natural childbirth and attachment parenting advocate. On Friday, I’ll be unveiling the next woman in the Women Who Empower series. She’s a strong woman who’s inspired me since the day we “met”. I absolutely love her and I know you will too.

There’s a lot of fun in store here at Live and Love Out Loud this week. If you’re not already receiving updates from my blog in your inbox, now is a good time! Subscription is free and you can cancel at any time.

I hope to see you around this week at Live and Love Out Loud…

Moms do it all.

We kiss boo-boos, annihilate monsters under the bed, clean poop off the walls and catch vomit in our hands. And sometimes we even suck up our pride, tighten our girdles and give cake balls another go.

Even if those cake balls looked like crap the first time around.

Nothing is more soul-crushing than devoting hours of precious time bringing your dream of cake ball confectionery bliss to fruition, only to have said dream come crashing down in a fiery explosion when your cake balls fall apart in a bowl full of hardened white chocolate. The baking and crumbling? Dipping and sprinkling? Praying to the almighty cake ball goddess, Bakerella; pleading for her to send her cake ball making powers down from confectionery heaven above? All of it, for naught.

All.of.it.

After last month’s cake ball disaster, I blamed it all on Bakerella I vowed to never make those stupid little suckers again. Cake balls were evil and I wanted nothing to do with them. I had every intention of keeping that promise until my daughter Maya requested them for her party. The mommy in me just couldn’t say no. I mean, look at this face:

Have I mentioned that moms do it all?

In an effort to bring happiness to my little girl’s world, I sucked up my pride, put my big girl panties on and dived head first into a cake ball making frenzy. I spent hours researching cake ball dipping techniques on the internet. I harassed my friends on Twitter, twisting their virtual arms until they divulged their secrets to cake ball making success. I even sent prayers up to Bakerella, cake ball goddess extraordinaire.

I stayed up until 2am baking, crumbling, rolling, chilling, dipping, sprinkling and lollipop-sticking over 100 doggone cake balls. I pulled out my vintage Fiesta pieces to create a beautiful display.

I even made a super-sized cake ball for the birthday girl.

Why?

Because she asked me to.

Because moms do it all.

And because I’m not going to let a crappy batch of cake balls kick my ass.

The “Oops, I Think I Need a Tissue!” Face

The “Hurry Up and Wipe This Off My Face” Face

The “Are These Really For Me?” Face

The “Touch My Cookie and You Die” Face

The “I Know I’m Cute But Please Don’t Wake Me” Face

And my absolute favorite…The Giggle Face

What’s got Alana in a giggly little mood? She’s head-over-heels in love with her brand new hair bow from Caroline G. The adorable accessories sold at Caroline G. are not only affordable, but a portion of the profits are donated to Girls, Inc; a non-profit organization that inspires and empowers young girls. How cool is that? Even cooler…Caroline G. is giving away a pair of super cute headbands here on my blog. It’s easy to enter – just click on over and leave a comment!

Oh and before I forget, thanks so much for stopping by and linking up at Live and Love Out Loud. If you’re looking for even more fabulous people to link up with, head on over to the following blogs and link up with them as well.

Looking for super cute hair accessories for that special little girl?

Caroline G. has an adorable selection of bows and headbands for your little one. Caroline G. is committed to giving back to organizations that empower young girls. Carrie – the driving force behind Caroline G. – donates 10% of her hair bow profit and 30% percent of the profit on the featured bow of the month to Girls Inc, a non-profit organization that inspires girls to be strong, smart and bold.

If that weren’t amazing enough, Carrie’s offering 2 (two) ribbon spike headbands to one lucky winner here at Live and Love Out Loud. Contest entry is easy.

Entering the Caroline G. Giveaway is Super Easy…

Giveaway runs Tuesday, January 25, 2011 12:00am – Tuesday, February 1, 2011 11:59pm and is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Winner will be chosen via random.org.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post. For an additional entry, “like” the Caroline G. Facebook page. (Leave an additional comment on this post stating that you’ve done so.) It’s as easy as that!

Good luck and be sure to stop by Caroline G. Buy a bow. Make a difference.

Disclosure: Items offered in this giveaway are provided by Caroline G., an advertiser here at Live and Love Out Loud. I received no compensation for this giveaway. As a matter of fact, I purchased a few adorable bows with my own money thankyouverymuch.