Five on Friday - Favorites

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We made it through these last couple of crazy weeks and we are so ready to celebrate our sweet boy this weekend! 

But first, some favorites for the week…

O N E – Swimming Lessons

These are still high on the list because a) the kids are both doing so well, and b) BECAUSE THEY ARE FINALLY OVER AFTER TODAY!  Man, it has been chaotic these last couple of weeks!  The swimming instructor’s house is not remotely close to either of our offices or either of the kids’ schools (we’re talking a 30 minute drive from my office to her house!) so we have been doing major shuffling of the work schedules and school schedules these last two weeks.  One thing that I have loved is the fact that on days where I stay with the kids, we get home about an hour earlier than we normally do, so we actually have time to just hang out for a bit before it’s time for me to start cooking.  Having some downtime, my friends, is priceless.  Downtime?  What is downtime?  Haha.

The fifth day (last Friday) seemed to be a charm for Olivia because that was the day that she finally stopped crying and just started doing what she was supposed to be doing.  Jacob finally started using his arms really well this week and he is looking like a total pro!  Before, he was just doggie paddling and barely using his arms but the swimming instructor teaches the kids to have “big arms” AKA stretching your arms out really far in front of you to make the most use of them.  Both kids are loving it and I think that they will be a little sad when it’s over today.

T W O – Towel Responses

Wednesday I discussed our need for new towels and apparently the majority of you are in the same boat.  The problem is, there were so many different recommendations that I’m having a hard time deciding which ones to get.  I was hoping that there would be an overwhelming majority for one specific store/brand, but instead I got tons of different responses.  A couple of different people mentioned these at Pottery Barn and a couple mentioned these at Kohl’s and then there were many other brands mentioned as well.

I think I’m going to order the ones from the Nordstrom sale regardless since they have free shipping and free returns, and then I’m going to go check out the ones at Kohl’s as well.  I’ll let you guys know what we end up keeping.

T H R E E – Blogging Wins

The blogging wins for this week are two-fold.  First of all, I mentioned yesterday that I was accepted into the rewardStyle family!  You can see more on that in yesterday's post.

The second blogging win for the week is that a rep for Larabar saw my post a couple of weeks ago about my new love for their product, and she reached out to me to see if she could send some goodies as a thank you for spreading the word.  How nice was that?  I received my care package this week and I was so excited to see some of my favorites as well as a few I haven’t tried.  She sent one of the Banana Bread bars which I haven’t been able to find anywhere and I have a feeling that one may end up being my favorite.  Well, that or the season pumpkin bar that I assume will be coming out soon for fall!  EEK!

F O U R – Bloodline

You.  Guys.  I know I’ve already mentioned this a couple of times before, but good lordy we are loving Bloodline.  It is so good that this week, for the first time ever, we skipped an episode of The Bachelorette so we could watch Bloodline instead.  I mean it is just fantastic.  And Coach Taylor is in it so you really just can’t go wrong with that, right?!  Almost every single episode ends in a cliffhanger so it’s nearly impossible to not watch the next one right then and there.  I have a feeling tonight is going to be all Bloodline all night.  Ha! 

F I V E – Snuggling With My Boo

Jacob has always liked for one of us to stay in his room for a few minutes after he gets in the bed, so B and I take turns doing this every evening.  Usually we pat or scratch his back or just sit with him for a few minutes… some nights he falls asleep before we leave and some nights he doesn’t.  Well, just this last week he has started sweetly asking me, “Mommy, would you like to get under my blanket with me?”  It pretty much melts my heart and there’s no way that I’m going to turn down that offer.  He has a double bed so there is plenty of room for both of us, so on my nights all this week I have been getting under his blankets and laying nose to nose with him for a few minutes.  I’m loving every single second of it and I’ve been staying in there a little longer than usual just because it’s so special.  I know that this won’t last forever, so I’m not going to take a single second of it for granted.

Well, we just have to make it through the work day today and then we will be celebrating our boy all weekend long!  It’s going to be three days full of family and fun!  Happy weekend!

*Linking up with A Liz Adventures and Carolina Charm for Five on Friday, A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites,  September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre for Friday Favorites, and Cup of Tea for High Five for Friday.

Confessions {7.20.2017}

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Happy Thursday!  I haven’t participated in the confessions link-up in a couple of months so it’s time to unload!

I confess…

… that every single time I type the word “because” I always transpose the “a” and the “u.”  Literally every. single. time.  And I cannot train my brain/fingers to do it right no matter how hard I try.  I’ve gotten to where if I’m typing something unimportant (pretty much everything besides work emails and blog posts) then I don’t even bother to correct it.  So if you’ve seen my backwards letters in your blog comments, you now know why.  #Lazy

… that a couple of weeks ago I had to take a picture of myself holding something for an Instagram photo, and I totally only painted my two fingernails that were going to show in the picture because I didn’t feel like painting the rest of them.  #LazyAgain  #ImSensingATrendHere

... that these last few weeks I have been on a break from growing my Instagram and it's been soooo nice.  Growing it was a lot of work that was consuming too much time (that I don't have much of), so I figured that since I already exceeded my goal of 5K by almost 25% that it was acceptable to stop.  #Whew  If you want to see my exact strategy for growing my following, every single detail is here.

… that I just bought some patriotic paper plates that were on clearance and I’m totally stressing out over where to store them.  Do I store them with the paper plates?  Do I store them with the patriotic decorations?  I mean, it could go either way!  If I store them with the paper plates then I might forget that I even have them when the holidays roll around, but if I store them with the holiday decorations I won’t be able to use them on a whim if the occasion arises.  #ThingsThatKeepMeUpAtNight  #OCDToTheMax

… that I have quite literally had a bowl of frozen yogurt every single night for the last few months and I don’t see myself stopping any time soon.  I want to rid myself of my late night snacking, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.  #IllKeepTheExtraFivePoundsThanks

… that I don’t like Saturday mornings.  Everybody always seems to be a little bit irritable (maybe it’s just me?) and it also means that I have to do aaaallll the laundry.  I love Friday evenings, Saturday afternoons and evenings, and all of Sunday, but I just don’t like Saturday morning.  What’s up with that??  And actually, let’s make that I don’t like Saturday mornings in the spring, summer, or winter.  I LOVE them in the fall because that means – #ESPNCollegeGameDay

… that I’m totally 100% longing for fall already.  Once 4^th of July is over, it might as well be fall in my book.  Yes, I’m aware that summer technically just started, and yes I’m aware that it’s 95 degrees (at least) outside.  But let's face it, summertime lost its charm long ago once I started clocking it in for corporate America.  I am just so ready for pumpkins and football and beautiful leaves and scarves and being able to enjoy hot coffee again.  #BasicForLife  #NoShame

… that I’m totally thinking after yesterday's post that we do not wash our towels enough.  And I’m also thinking that a lot of my readers don’t either because hardly anybody answered that question.  Haha. 

… that the Nordstrom sale is finally open to the public tomorrow and the majority of the stuff that I had my eye on is sold out.  Waaaahhhh.  I was dying to buy this top and they are all gone in my size in the color I wanted.  :o(  I also wanted this top and it’s no longer available in my size and color of choice either.  I think I am going to buy these leggings and this top, though… if they’re still available, that is!  #FashionBloggersAreBuyingUpAllTheGoodStuff

... that I just got accepted into the rewardStyle program and I'm so excited!!!!  I love fashion so much and it is an honor to be a part of such an influential program.  I have always said that if I was ever going to narrow my blogging niche to something other than a family scrapbook I would choose fashion, hands down.  I have loved it since I was old enough to walk and talk, and after years and years of wearing school uniforms I think I love it even more now.  :o)  I do, however, always feel awkward when posing for pictures alone, so I'm not sure that I'm cut out to do that full time.  Haha.  So don't worry, Lindsay's Sweet World will always be a place to come for lots of random different things... I might, however, have some fun new stuff in the works for the new year, though!  ;o)

Happy, happy Friday Eve!

*Linking up with Sparkles and Lattes for Confessional Thursday and Home of Malones for Thoughts for Thursday.

Wish List Wednesday - New Bath Towels

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Yes, yes, I know that this is the most boring title of a blog post ever.  I bet half of you didn't even open to read it because it sounds so boring.

Anyway, B and I have been married for almost ten years and we just so happen to still be using the same Target towels that we bought ten years ago when we moved in together... and we didn't spring for the nicer ones at Target... we got the cheapest ones we could find. These towels have held up decently, but a few years ago they started getting that old stale towel smell to them.  I did the whole Pinterest vinegar and baking soda trick and that seemed to freshen them up a slight bit, but after the next few washings they were pretty much gross again.  They have now gotten to the point where no amount of vinegar, baking soda, or laundry detergent helps, so every time I dry off I feel like I’m just getting myself dirty again.  #Gross    

In other words, it’s time for them to go! 

I figured that since B and I are now in our thirties and we are mature adults (yikes), maybe we should buy something a little nicer… you know, something that you would not bring to your college dorm.

I have done a bit of shopping around, but towels are just not something that I buy frequently, so I have no clue which ones are good and what is considered a good price. 

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you probably know that the Nordstrom sale is currently in full swing, so I thought I’d check there first.  I found these towels and these hand towels and they are on sale.  However, since I don’t have a Nordstrom here in town, I can’t go to the store to feel them and examine the quality before I buy.  They do have free shipping and free returns, but I would hate to have to return them all if I didn’t love them. 

I have also looked at these towels from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and they seem pretty nice as well.  I just don’t know if it might be worth it to get the ones from Nordstrom instead?

This is where I need some help from you!  Do any of you own the towels from Nordstrom or BB&B?  How are they holding up?  If you don’t own either of those, what towels do you have that you absolutely love?  We are looking for something pretty nice this time around.  Not super high-end, but maybe somewhere in the middle ground?  Affordable luxury?  Slightly splurging but not going too crazy?  Whatever you want to call it… just help! 

And while we’re talking about towels, just out of curiosity how many times do you use your bath towel before throwing it in the wash and getting a clean one?  Does washing them more often help prevent that stale old towel smell or does washing them too often cause them to get old and stale quicker?    

Well, clearly this isn’t my most interesting post, but I sure will be appreciative of any feedback anyone can give! 

#Adulting

*Linking up with The Pleated Poppy for What I What I Wore, Pumps & Push Ups for Oh, Hey Girl! Link-Up, The Mummy Chronicles, Tucker Up, Shopping My Closet for Style Me Wednesday, Classy Yet Trendy for Trendy Wednesday Link-Up, The Blended Blog and Jessi's Design and Going the Distance for What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday.

This is Six… Jacob’s Birthday Interview

I can hardly believe that it’s already time for another birthday interview for our first born baby boy.  Where does the time go?  Jacob's actual birthday is Sunday, but we're getting the festivities started a little early with a birthday interview.  Without further ado, here is Jacob’s sixth birthday interview with commentary by yours truly.

1.      What is your favorite toy?  “My new Nerf gun that I got from Tah-get!”  (I love that he can’t pronounce his R’s.  He sounds SO sweet.  When he finally does start doing that it’s going to be a sad day.)

2.      What is your favorite stuffed animal?  “My mouse.”  (My uncle’s girlfriend gave him a tiny little stuffed mouse Beanie Baby a few months ago and he has been sleeping with it every night.)

3.      What is your favorite game?  “Um…” <scratches head> “Zingo.”  (We do have this game, but we never play it.  Haha.)

4.      What is your favorite sport?  “Football!!!!” 

5.      What is your favorite book?  “My Star Wars Vehicles book.”  (That is accurate.)

6.      What is your favorite TV show?  “Transformers.”  (He watches the Rescue Bots version that is made for toddlers.)

7.      What is your favorite movie?  “Umm, Spiderman!  The kid Spiderman, not the real Spiderman.”  (I have no clue what he’s even talking about.)

8.      What is your favorite song?  “Trolls Soundtrack!”

9.      What is your favorite band or singer?  “Blake Shelton!”  (Also accurate.  This boy loves Blake Shelton!)

10. What is your favorite holiday?  “What is a holiday?”  Me: “It’s a day where you celebrate a special occasion – Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July…”  Jacob: “4th of July!!”  (Must be because it’s fresh in his mind.)

11. What is your favorite season?  “Umm… winter!”  Olivia: “My favorite is Mommy and Daddy and Maui and Jacob!”  Jacob: “THOSE AREN’T SEASONS!”

12. What is your favorite color?  “Blue!”

13. What is your favorite animal?  “One of those animals that have two horns sticking out of their heads like this.”  <puts fingers on head>  “BUFFALO!”  Brian: “A buffalo is your favorite animal?”  Jacob: “Yeah, you know from that shooting game at Dave and Busters?”  (Why in the world is that the first thing he thinks of?  Haha.)

14. What is your favorite shirt?  “Batman.”  (He barely ever even requests to wear that one.)

15. What is your favorite fruit?  “Pears!”  (Accurate.  And I almost always forget to buy them.  They are never on my radar!)

16. What is your favorite vegetable?  “Broccoli.”  (Three years running!)  Olivia: “My favorite vegetable is chicken!”  (She doesn’t even like chicken nor is chicken a vegetable.)

17. What is your favorite snack?  “Cream Pies!”  (Huh?  They must be giving those to him at camp because I have never once bought those in my whole life.)

18. What is your favorite treat?  “All treats except for Milky Ways.”  (Haha.  I have to say that I totally agree… why would anyone want to eat a Milky Way when they could be eating a Snickers or a Kit Kat?)

19. What is your favorite drink?  “My favorite drink is blackberry juice!”  Me: <perplexed>  Jacob: “Nana and Poppie have it at their house!”  Olivia: “Poop!”  Jacob: “Poop can’t be a drink but tee-tee can!!”  Me: <disgusted>  Jacob: “Wha-aaaat?!  It is a liquid!!”  (Honestly.  I can’t make this stuff up.)

20. What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?  “Carrots and mashed potatoes and sausage.”  (That’s very specific.)

21. What is your favorite restaurant?  “One that has peppermint patties!!  That means Mexican!”  (Funny, because they have never even gotten peppermint patties at our Mexican restaurant until just this past week.)

22. Who is your best friend?  “Garrett.”

23. What makes you feel happy?  “When someone hits me!  Just kidding.  When I play with my cars.”  Olivia <trying to convince Jacob that this is the right answer>: “Hugging!  HUGGING!”

24. What makes you feel sad?  “When someone whacks me in the mouth.”  (Again, very specific… and I’m not sure that’s ever even happened to him before.)

25. What are you afraid of?  “Nothing.”  (I have to say, this is accurate.  And I can’t even tell you how much that scares me.)

26. What are you thankful for?  “I am thankful for guns so I can buy them at the end of swimming lessons at Cracker Barrel.”  Me: “Anything else?”  Jacob: “Nerf Guns, Hot Wheels, Toys R Us…” Me: “Anything else besides toys?” Jacob: “Ice cream!!!!”  (Not exactly what I was going for.)  Me: “What about God?  Mommy?  Daddy?  Olivia?  Your grandparents and other family?  Friends?”  Jacob: “God.  I am thankful for God.”  (Clearly we need to work on our priorities.  Lol.  And his gun obsession obviously came from some kid at school or camp because we don’t ever discuss guns with the kids.)

27. What are you really good at?  “Picking off jewels.  Drawing with chalk.”  (Picking off jewels AKA tearing up his sister’s butterfly wings.)

28. What is your best memory?  “What’s a memory?”  <I explain it to him.>  “When I got the Luke Skywalker Hot Wheels from Aunt Jennifer for Christmas.”  (Wow, I cannot believe he remembers that and where did that even come from?!  I thought he would say something about our beach trip or something that happened within the last week or two!)

29. What do you want to be when you grow up?  “A monster truck driver!”  (This is a new development.)

30. If you could have one wish, what would it be?  “I would wish for a real sword!”  (Odd choice but alrighty then!)

His previous birthday interviews can be found below.

Age 4

Age 5

And now it's time for the Tuesday Talk Link Up!

Hosted by:

Beth at Our Pretty Little Girls | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Crystal at Hall Around Texas | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Jessica at Sweet Little Ones | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram
Stefanie at Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam, & Dylan Too | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Stephanie at Wife Mommy Me | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Becky at BYBMG | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram
Lindsay at Lindsay's Sweet World | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram
Sarah at Sarah E. Frazer | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Justine at Full Hands, Full Heart
Christina at Waltzing In Beauty | Pinterest | Instagram
Meghan at The Adventure Starts Here | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Tina at Go Big or Go Home | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Whitney at Polka-Dotty Place | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

An InLinkz Link-up

Summer Weekend Vibes

Ah Monday, we meet again.

We kicked off our weekend on Friday with the last swimming lesson of the week and I’m happy to report that Olivia finally went an entire lesson without crying!  There was a tiny bit of whining on a couple of occasions, but overall, she did fantastic!  At the end of the lesson, the swim instructor pushed all of the little kids to the bottom of the pool to see if they could pick up some coins and I couldn’t even believe it that Olivia retrieved a dime!  When it was Jacob’s turn he cleaned house coming up with three quarters, a dime, two pennies, and a Canadian dollar.  Haha.  Not sure if she meant to put that one out for the kids to retrieve, but it was there.  Hiiii, Canadian readers and friends!!

After the lesson was done, Mrs. Joni passed out popsicles to all of the boys and girls since they had done such a wonderful job, and then it was time to head home.  I had taken the rest of the day off, so the kids and I loaded up and went home for a little bit of rest before B came home from work.  The kids watched a little bit of TV (they earned it today!) and instead of tidying up the house like I should have, I laid down on the couch to snuggle with the kids and read for a bit.  It was a wonderful way to kick off the weekend and I wish every Friday could be like that!

When B got home we headed out to Five Guys for dinner and then we took the kids for some celebratory Blizzards at DQ since they had done so well at their lessons all week.

The kids were exhausted and fortunately fell asleep quickly Friday evening so B and I fired up Bloodline and watched two more episodes… I am completely HOOKED, you guys.  So good.

Saturday morning we had a birthday party for Jaxon, a little kid in Jacob’s class, so we headed over to their house for some pool fun.  I wasn’t sure how many of the parents would actually be swimming so I didn’t even bother to wear my bathing suit, and then I regretted it about five minutes after arriving because it was soooo hot outside.  Most of the parents did end up in the pool, and I just hung out on the side with my legs in.  The moral of the story?  If you live in the south where it’s 95 degrees and humid every day, always wear your bathing suit.  What was I thinking?  Haha.  Both kids had a blast and Olivia even jumped off of the diving board four or five times!  What a difference a week makes!

Saturday evening we attended church and then went to eat Mex with my parents, grandmother, Uncle Billy, Aunt Maureen, and Uncle Chris.  I swear, our kids would eat Mexican every single night if we would let them.  Must be because I ate it so much while pregnant with both of them!  It must have rained while we were in the restaurant, because as soon as we stepped outside, we were greeted by a double rainbow!  Aaaahhhh so pretty!

Saturday night looked similar to Friday night – two exhausted kiddos from so much swimming and two more episodes of Bloodline. 

Sunday morning was cloudy and it looked like the bottom could fall out at any minute, so we were pretty lazy.  The kids watched a couple of cartoons while B and I sat around the kitchen table – him paying bills and me catching up on life stuff, and then Jacob and Olivia joined us at the table to work on summer journal and cut out stamps respectively.  We also did Jacob’s birthday interview for an upcoming post, and that was fun as it always is… kids really do say the darndest things!

The afternoon was spent at my mother-in-law’s and step-father-in-law’s celebrating my brother-in-law’s birthday.  They had a spread of beef tips, rice, fried okra and green beans from the garden, black eyed peas, scalloped corn, jalapeno cheese bites made with jalapenos from the garden, homemade rolls, fresh fruit, and two big bowls of watermelon.  We had a Dairy Queen Blizzard cake for dessert to celebrate my BIL and also my nephew’s little league state win this weekend.  I was positively stuffed.

We played in the back yard for a short bit, and then it was time to head home to let Olivia get a short nap in before heading to my parents’ for Sunday dinner.  

I was particularly excited about this one because we didn’t get to go last week.  My parents had hardwood floors installed a couple of weeks ago and it looks like a totally different house!  Gone is the old carpet that I used to run around on when I was little.

Momma and Daddy had prepared another feast for us, and we were able to enjoy another few hours with family before it was time to head home and get ready for Monday.  But not before seeing yet another amazing sunset!

B was stoked because Game of Thrones is back and I was all over here like Zzzz.

Happy Monday!  More swimming lessons and chaos for us this week!

*Linking up with B Loved Boston for Weekending, My Glittery Heart for Hello Monday,  More Pieces of Me for Hello Monday Linkup, and HoHo Runs for Weekly Wrap.

Five on Friday - Favorites

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I am so happy to see Friday!  This has been a doozy of a week.  Our schedule is all turned upside down since the kids are taking swim lessons this week, so I’m ready for a two-day reprieve from the chaos.  I’ve been skipping my lunch breaks and leaving early every day to get them there which means that grocery shopping, other errands, and allergy shots have been getting done after swim lessons which has resulted in us getting home later some days.  And then, when does that leave time to cook? 

We also had bad storms a couple of days, so lessons were rained out one day which means they will have to be made up, and we also lost power for an entire evening on Tuesday which meant that I got way behind on life stuff, workouts, and TV. 

Whew.  It’s definitely been a strange one, and next week will be more of the same as the swim lessons continue all next week.  Not to mention I have another appointment in Atlanta, so that will only add to the chaos.   

Anyway, it’s been a while since I did a favorites post, so I have lots of things to cover today.  Here we go!

O N E – Swimming Lessons

While we’re already on the subject, the kids are taking swimming lessons this week and next week.  Jacob took them last year for the first time, so he has pretty much picked back up where he left off last year and he is doing fantastic.  He’s doing everything he’s asked to and he keeps wanting to go back for more!

Little miss, on the other hand… not so much.

The first day we arrived, she was so excited.  She let them dunk her like a pro and then she sat up on the side with all of the other little kids excitedly.  When the instructor asked who wanted to go first she shouted, “MEEEE!”  Haha.  I was thinking, “Wow, she is going to do fantastic.” 

But nope, once the instructor told her that she had to swim with her face in the water the whole time she flipped out.  It’s all fun and games until you inhale water, I guess.

And we’re not just talking sad crying… we’re talking screaming bloody murder, kicking, and clawing.  Eek. 

By yesterday she had calmed down a bit, only crying right before or after her turns to swim, but she’s gotten to where she’s mostly okay in between. 

The funniest thing of all is that the second the lesson is over for the day, she becomes totally fine like nothing ever happened.  And when we get home each evening she loves to talk about it and watch the videos of herself screaming and swimming.  Haha.  Hopefully she’ll get the hang of it soon.  It took Jacob several days last year to stop crying, so I’m sure she’ll be fine soon.

And while it’s not my favorite to watch my baby scream her head off, it is a favorite that both of our babies are getting water smart.  

T W O – Ding Dong the Paci’s Gone

You guys.

The paci has left the building.

After almost six years of having babies taking pacis at night, all of the pacis are officially out of our house.  Well, not technically.  Technically, Jacob’s and Olivia’s favorite pacis are both still up in my office tucked away in keepsake boxes, but we no longer have any babies taking them at night while they sleep.

We took Jacob’s away when he was two years and nine or so months old.  At that point he was only getting it during naptime (at home, not at daycare) and bedtime.  We let him keep it until shortly after Olivia was born and then he left it for the Easter Bunny on Easter Eve that year.  We told him that the Easter Bunny would clean it and then take it to a little baby who needed one.  The Easter Bunny then brought a special gift for him and wrote a thank you note to him for being so generous.

The first night without it went swimmingly for Jacob (probably from the anticipation of the Easter Bunny coming), and then all hell broke loose.  He didn’t recover for months, y’all, and his entire behavior seemed to change after we took it. It was just awful.

So yes, we waited even longer for Olivia because we were so flipping terrified of the thought of going through that again.  Yes, she is three years and four-ish months old, and yes, we know we let her have it way too long, but honestly, aside from being terrified of going through what we went through with Jacob, I just didn’t care as much with her.  I guess you really do stop being so strict with the second child.  Plus, I selfishly loved seeing her with it and hearing that sweet little sucking noise while I rocked her each night, and I knew that getting rid of it only meant that she is truly no longer a baby.  It kills me to even say that.

We decided that since we already missed Easter, that the Paci Fairy would just come to get hers because we didn’t want to wait six more months for Santa Clause.  Haha.  She left it out last Thursday evening (7/6) and the Paci Fairy brought a plush Moana doll for her to sleep with to replace it. 

I am happy to report, that after only three nights without hers, Olivia stopped crying for it.  Don’t get me wrong, she’s not acting totally normal yet without it… she’s been whining a bit and it has been taking her way longer to fall asleep, but the fact that she’s not screaming her head off any more already makes me so happy. 

The first couple of nights were just awful.  She screamed and cried and we ended up having to sit in her room until she fell asleep, but last Sunday evening, she finally didn’t cry and she fell asleep on her own.  Monday and Tuesday we had storms so B and I had to sit in her room until she fell asleep anyway, so we have no clue how those nights would have gone, but Wednesday night she did fine again.  I am having to pop in her doorway and let her see me every five minutes (literally) to let her know that I’m there and “checking on her,” but it’s so much better than her disrupting the entire household by screaming or having to sit in there with her for an hour until she falls asleep.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that things continue to improve.  At this rate, she should be back to normal in just a couple of weeks.

Now if only these dang thunderstorms would quit popping up at bedtime. 

We’d be golden then.

T H R E E – Sunsets

It seems that we have had more beautiful sunsets than ever this summer, and the sunsets are more beautiful than they’ve ever been.  I think it may be from all of the storms that we’ve been having.  We are typically in a drought all summer, but this entire year has been extremely stormy, which has resulted in some really cool clouds in the sky after everything starts to clear.  Just look at what we’ve been seeing around here lately.  And none of these pictures are edited to change the vibrance and color… this is what they really looked like.  Aren’t they just gorgeous?

F O U R – NSale

The Nordstrom sale started yesterday and I am so excited to see all of the things that the big fashion bloggers are choosing.  While I don’t have early access to the sale, I did post Wednesday about some of my favorites that I have had my eye on for a while. 

I think I’ve convinced myself to get this belt… I actually have one similar in black and it’s one of the most asked about items that I get from readers.  I bought it years ago so it’s no longer available, but this one is very similar and it comes in several different colors.  So for those of you who have been searching for the cutest bow belt ever, I found one for you!

I also mentioned this top and I truly think it’s one of the cutest tops I’ve ever seen in my whole life.  GALS, IT’S NOW 40% OFF!!!!  I want one so bad, but I have no clue which color I would even choose.  All three are just perfect.  Game Day, anyone?

Unfortunately none of the other items I listed yesterday are on sale, but I did come across several items that I would love to have…

This Lush perfect tunic that everyone has been raving about is back this season again and it's currently on sale for $27.90!  All of the fashion bloggers have been raving about these jeans and they are only $24.97!  That is crazy!  I adore the bell sleeves on this top and if this isn't the perfect off the shoulder top to carry that trend into fall then I don't know what is!  I would love to have a long cardigan and this one and this one both fit the bill.  Finally, everyone has been raving about this ruffled t-shirt dress and it I can totally see why... it looks so soft and comfy!  And oops, I lied.  One more thing.  I would be remiss if I didn't mention this scarf.  Y'all know I love a good scarf!  

I do also have a quick question - are these Zella leggings worth the money?  I have seen and heard so much hype around these and I just don't understand why anybody would want to pay that much for leggings, but my curiosity is getting the best of me.  I want to try a pair so bad, especially now that I'm working out so much at the gym, but goodness, I just don't like paying that much  money for workout clothes... my jeans don't even cost that much!  Haha.

F I V E – Amazon Prime Day

Y’all, I was so flipping busy on Tuesday that I didn’t even have time to look at anything on Amazon during Prime Day.  What the heck?!  I had planned on doing some shopping Tuesday evening, but that happened to be the evening that our power went out for 3.5 hours.  Our whole evening went way off track and I ended up spending all of my time hunting down flash lights, cleaning up the front and back yards from stuff blowing around, and stumbling around in the dark trying to get everything ready for the next day so I ended up not having time to do anything else. 

Brian was able to score this marble racing set, this Star Wars Lego set, and Star Wars Mad Libs for Jacob for his birthday, but I was sad that I didn’t have a chance to check on a few things that I have been wanting.  I have several books on my wish list – The Rumor, The Island, and The Year of Yes – and I also wanted to check on the Bona Mop but alas, I never had a chance. 

Oh well.  Brian and our wallets thank me.

Did you guys score anything great this week from Amazon or Nordstrom? 

Happy weekend!

*Linking up with A Liz Adventures and Carolina Charm for Five on Friday, A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites,  September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre for Friday Favorites, and Cup of Tea for High Five for Friday.