Friday, September 30, 2016

Five on Friday - Finding Celebrations In a Crazy Week

The weekend is upon us, friends.  The weekend is upon us. 

I originally wanted to post on a different topic today, but once again, this week has kicked my butt and I just couldn’t muster the energy to gather everything I needed for my original idea.  I’m sure it will come to fruition in the near future, though, so just hang tight. 

Today I thought I’d share some favorites, because even though this week has been a bit crazy, there is always something to celebrate!

O N E – Cooler Temps

We awoke to temps in – not the 70’s – not the 60’s – but… in the 50’s!!!!  It was 59 degrees Thursday morning!!  I celebrated by wearing my first scarf of the season (never mind that the high was 82 so I had to wear it with a sleeveless shirt) and whipping up some hot chocolate for a mid-morning treat instead of my usual green tea with honey.  Words cannot even describe how happy I am that it’s not going to be 95 degrees today!



T W O – Walks With My Lovies

Cooler temps also mean family walks around the neighb again!  SO much better than walking in a gym, and one of our favorite things to do when the weather is nice.



T H R E E – Somebody is Feeling Better

My girl is back to normal, thank goodness!  It hurts my heart to see my babies sick, so I’m glad to have her back to her old cheerful, mischievous self!  Not to mention it’s so hard not being able to kiss on her when she’s sick… I’ll be making up for lost time this weekend.  :o)  Sweet girl.



F O U R – Plaid Skirts are Making a Comeback

Y’all.  So I’m in Old Navy the other day, picking up a gift for a friend, and what do I see before my very eyes?  The cutest black and white plaid flared skirt, a la Cher Horowitz circa 1995.  You can bet I’ll be participating in that trend again!  And I will also be watching Clueless sometime in the near future.  It’s been far too long since I’ve seen it… and Brian never has.  #AsIf




F I V E – More Finds at Old Navy

Can we please just talk about how Old Navy is on fire with the fall fashion this year?!  I mean, I always love them, but I literally want to buy every single thing in the store right now.  (I won’t, though, B.) 

And ladies, remember those perfect plaid shirt dresses from Target that I posted about a few weeks ago?  Well, Old Navy has them, too, and their color combos might just be my favorite.  How gorgeous is it in black and white?  (Links to all pieces are below.)








I seriously need to just rebrand myself as a fashion blog and call it a day.  I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I received free clothes.  Haha.  Why do I love clothes so much?!

Happy weekend, ladies!  Make it one that you won’t forget!

*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, Cup of Tea for High Five for Friday, and Our Pretty Little Girls for Rewind Friday!

*This post may contain affiliate links.


Thursday, September 29, 2016

Confessions {9.29.2016} + Sometimes Life Happens



Well, this week went downhill in the very wee hours of the morning yesterday.  Olivia started fussing around 4 AM Wednesday morning, so I stumbled out of bed, grabbed her from her crib in her bedroom, and transported her to her pack n’ play in our bedroom as I have done many, many times lately due to her bad dreams.  I covered her in her blanket and she snuggled down with her Sheepie, and I had just gotten back into bed, when I heard her heaving like she was going to throw up. 

Needless to say, none of us got any more sleep that night, and B had to stay home with her all day Wednesday.  Whether or not she is actually sick or she’s just doing that weird throwing-up-because-she’s-teething-thing remains to be seen.  She actually only really threw up once after breakfast and all of the other times nothing came out, so it’s hard to say.  'Tis the season, though...

Anyhoo, between that and being slammed at work on Wednesday plus living on less than five hours of sleep on Tuesday night, I feel like I don’t have many brain cells to put a post together, but I’ll do my best.

I confess…

… that I especially hate having a corporate job when my babies are sick.  I am their mother and it is my wish as well as my obligation to be able to be with them when they need me the most and it really sucks being at work while your husband sends you texts talking about how sad they look.

… that our sick-child policy at work plain sucks and that’s why B usually stays with them when they are sick.

… that B’s work’s sick-child policy is great and I’m really thankful that one of us works for a company who is family-oriented.

… that every time one of our kids throws up I go into full panic mode because stomach viruses completely freak me out.  In my book, they are possibly one of the worst things to have, and I sometimes feel like I want to die when I have one.  #ButDontWorryIWont

… that seeing my kiddos when they’re sick like that is just completely heart-wrenching.  I hate hate hate seeing them like that and I just wish I could take it from them.  #ThatsTrueLove

… that I was a Lysoling madwoman when I got home from work last night.  #IEvenLysoledTheCouch #IWouldHaveLysoledBrianIfHeWouldHaveLetMe

… that I’m literally terrified that Jacob or Brian or myself are going to get the cooties and we will have to miss taking Jacob to his first Georgia game this weekend.  #IrrationalFears  #PleasePrayForUs

… that someone getting sick right before an important event/meeting/trip/holiday is one of my biggest fears in life.  Like, I actually waste lots of time worrying about that before every single event.  #WhenYouHaveKidsYourChancesAreReallyHighThough #ButIThinkIStillNeedTherapy

… that I’m making myself (and probably you as well, if you’re even still here) nauseated even discussing all of this sickness so I’m going to stop now.

… that I feel really bad for making you read about puke during this whole post, so I’m going to put some happier images in your head now to make up for it.  Here we go… doggies in Halloween costumes… crackling fires in the fire place… a snuggly blanket on a cold day… Tim Riggins (or in my case, Coach Taylor) holding a baby…

Is it working? 

Yes? 

Ok, then I think we’re done here.

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



Wednesday, September 28, 2016

What's Up Wednesday

Hi friends, it's time for another rousing rendition of What's Up Wednesday!

What We’re Eating This Week

Monday – Sausage, Peppers, and Onions Tacos, and Lime Chips… this one is pretty much always in the rotation now.  So easy and SO good.  And also not too bad for you.  And it leaves just enough leftovers for me to have one for lunch the next day.  Delish!

Tuesday – One Dish Cheesy Chicken and Rice with Green Beans.  I will be sharing this recipe in the near future… assuming I can actually remember to take pictures when I make it.  I’ve forgotten the last three times.  Haha.

Wednesday – B plays tennis in the evening, so I’ll whip up some sandwiches, fresh fruit, and maybe a sweet potato for the kids, and B will swing by Bojangles, Zaxby’s, or Chick-Fil-A on the way home from tennis and he and I will eat after the kiddos go to bed.

Thursday – Breakfast for dinner… eggs, grits, bacon, and toast.

Friday – Out somewhere… Panera?  Jason’s Deli?  Five Guys?  Pizza?  Local brewpub?  Carrabba’s takeout?  The jury’s still out, but I’m sure we’ll hit up one of our usual places.

Saturday – We will be at the Georgia game, so we’ll either be eating something in the stadium, or we may swing by and stop somewhere on the way home.  There’s a Chick-Fil-A and an Applebee’s just outside of Athens that we frequent after games, so maybe one of those.

Sunday – My momma’s yummy cooking! 

What I’m Reminiscing About

All of the activities that we did last fall.  I put together our fall bucket list for 2016 last week so I was looking back through some pictures from last fall, and man, did we have a great time last year.  This is such a snuggly and joyful time of year!  


What I’m Loving

Fall fashion!  Even though I’m still not able to participate in it due to these ridiculous temps.  I have recently stumbled upon a few tops that I wish would magically appear in my closet... especially the first one.  OMG.  And that necklace!  If anyone knows where I can find it, please do tell!

ONE // TWO // THREE // FOUR
 

Let me know if you want to send me a gift and I’ll send you my address.  ;o)

What We’ve Been Up To

September was a busy month!  We went to the first Georgia game of the season, we took the kiddos to a character breakfast, I did another collaboration with JORD and shared my favorite fall fashion staples, I saw The Light Between Oceans with my momma and grandmother, I had a girls’ night out at Carrabba’s with my girlfriends, we went to my alma mater’s alumni social and homecoming game, and we celebrated my momma's birthday.  And that only scratches the surface, friends!  We’ve been as busy as little bees.


What I’m Dreading

Nothing much other than sounding like a broken record when I say that I’m dreading these ridiculous “fall” temperatures that we’re having.  #92DoesNotAFallTemperatureMake

What I’m Working On

This past couple of weeks has been spent preparing our house for fall.  I finally put the finishing touches on it this past weekend when we bought some mums and a couple of pumpkins.  Now I’m just working on getting it all staged and photographed so I can take you guys on a little tour!  I’m excited.  And the post should be live on Tuesday.  Here's the tour from last year if you missed it.


I’m also working on finding a photographer and picking out clothes for our fall family photo shoot.  If you need any pointers on what to look for when picking out clothes for a photo shoot, I’ve got you covered here.  Only 8 simple steps!


What I’m Excited About

I’m really excited about the fact that we already bought Halloween costumes for both kids, and the fact that we have already done a good bit of Christmas shopping for both of them as well.  I feel like I’m way ahead of the game, and this time of year goes by in the blink of an eye, so heaven knows I need to be as on top of things as possible! 

For Halloween, Jacob wants to be a Stormtrooper and Olivia wants to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast… a girl after my own heart… Belle has always been my favorite princess!  We got both of their costumes on Amazon.  Olivia’s fits perfectly and the quality is really good.  Jacob’s should be here Friday, so fingers crossed that his will fit just as well.


What I’m Watching/Reading

Watching – Aaaallll the TV!!  The fall lineup is here, you guys!  Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, Shark Tank, and my new favorite… This is Us.  You guys, this show is so good.  SO.  GOOD.  If you haven’t yet seen the pilot episode, drop what you’re doing and watch it immediately.  It has a Parenthood vibe with a twist so crazy at the end of the first episode that your jaw will literally drop.  Mine did.  My expectations were through the roof for this show so I was really worried it just wasn’t going to live up to them, but it did, friends.  It did.


Reading – I finally finished Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beasley.  If you remember in my last What’s Up Wednesday post, I discussed how boring it was.  Well, it did finally pick up a little toward the end, but overall it was a snooze-fest.  Don’t waste your time.  I am now reading The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, and it’s not off to a great start either.  Pretty slow so far, but I’m hoping it picks up soon… I don’t want another repeat of last time.  If so, it might just take me six months to read it.


What I’m Listening To

I still pretty much have Michael Buble, Steve Tyrell, Rod Stewart, and aaaallll the cocktail jazz on repeat.  There’s just something about this time of year that makes me want to listen to all the old standards.  I may have already snuck in a few Christmas songs as well, but only the jazz versions without lyrics.  I’ll hold out until November 1st before I bust out the big guns.


What I’m Wearing

I don’t want to talk about it. 

It’s still above 90 degrees every day here, so my leggings and boots and scarves are going to sneak out of my closet and catch the next flight to Maine if something doesn’t change soon.  And I’m going to go with them.

If you want to see a bunch of summer junk, you can see my last fashion recap here.


What I’m Doing This Weekend

This one is going to be such a good one, friends!!  We’re heading to Athens to cheer on our Georgia Bulldogs, and this time we’re taking Jacob for the first time!!  He has never been to a game, or even to Athens for that matter, so we are looking forward to showing him around campus.  It’s really beautiful this time of year, and the weather there is only supposed to be in the low 80’s there so we will at least get a slight reprieve from the heat. 

What I’m Looking Forward To Next Month

Our trip to the mountains!  Apple picking, wine-tasting, and gem-grubbing are a few of the things that we’re hoping to do while we’re there, and I am so excited I can’t even stand it.  The thing I’m excited about the most, though?  The cooler weather there.  Amen.

What Else Is New

I documented a day in my life on the blog earlier this week, and I had such a good time doing it!  I know I’m a busy lady, but I just didn’t realize the extent of it until I went to put the post together.  I had taken over 100 pictures that day.  Whew.  You can see the post here… you know you want to take a peek… these are the best kind of posts!


Well friends, happy fall, happy almost-October, happy cool-weather, scarf-wearing, pumpkin-carving, pumpkin-drinking, pumpkin-decorating, and pumpkin-eating time of year!  

Isn’t it simply marvelous being #basic?

*Linking up with Shay, Mel, and Sheaffer for What’s Up Wednesday and Jessi's Design and Going the Distance for What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday.

*This post may contain affiliate links.


Tuesday, September 27, 2016

A Day in the Life {9.22.2016}

Day in the life posts are always everyone’s favorites (mine included) so I have one coming your way this morning.  While I have discussed my daily routine a couple of different times here on the blog, I have never actually documented a full specific day until now.  And a short disclaimer before we continue… picture overload ahead… and please don’t judge me for the picture quality.  This is real, unedited life here, people!

Without further ado, I present to you, my day – last Thursday, September 22, 2016.  Enjoy, creepers!  I know I always do!  ;o) 

6:00 AM – my alarm goes off and I roll out of bed to get my day started.  I forgot to screenshot a picture until I went into the bathroom and saw the note that I had left for myself so I wouldn’t forget.  Thank goodness for the note!  I put in my contacts and quickly check Instagram and FB to see if I missed anything riveting overnight… news flash – I didn’t.





6:05 AM – jump in the shower, makeup, pick out clothes, hair.  While I’m doing all of this, B comes in and gets ready in, like, ten minutes.  Must be nice.  He gets Jacob up when he’s done getting ready (around 6:30) and they head down to get him some breakfast.



6:40 AM – head to my office, make sure my post has gone live (in today’s case, it was my Thursday Confessions post), link-up, post on social media channels.

6:45 AM – head downstairs where Jacob is sitting in complete darkness eating his Apple Cinnamon Cheerios with sunglasses at his side just in case of a light emergency, and B is unloading the dishwasher by candlelight the light above the sink.  In case you can’t tell, Jacob is not a morning person, he doesn’t like any lights on in the morning, and on summer mornings when the sun is already starting to come up, he wears sunglasses while he eats breakfast.  Lol.  However, he knows when I come down I’m going to ruin his day because I can’t make lunches in the dark, so I flip on the switch.  On this morning he doesn’t whine about it.  All right!  I quickly prepare Jacob’s lunch and snack for the day, along with my salad for lunch, and I silently curse myself for not doing my salad the night before.  B fiddles with the dishwasher because for some reason it didn’t drain during the last load and there’s a puddle of water in the bottom.




7:00 AM – head upstairs to wake the little princess.  She eats breakfast at school, so we get her up just before walking out the door.  She always greets me with a smile, she welcomes the light, and she always has to do 20 second of jumping up and down before I hoist her out of bed.  She still likes mornings, as you can tell.  She goes potty, gets dressed, and puts her paci up for the day and we head downstairs.  





7:15 AM – when we get downstairs, J is already completely ready (he and B usually go upstairs around the same time that I do to wake Olivia), and he is reading his Lego catalog in the middle of the kitchen floor.  We load up the car, get hugs and kisses from Daddy and Olivia, I snap a quick pic for my OOTD documentation (even though it’s starting to be too dark in the morning to do that now… that’s why this one is a little grainy) and Olivia joins me, while eating her jelly beans treat from going potty, and we head off to school while Daddy and Olivia wave goodbye to us in the driveway.  They load up and leave right after we do, but Olivia always likes to see us off before getting in the car.  Some mornings Jacob and I have dance parties in the car on the way to school and some mornings he talks my ear off, but on this particular morning he read his Lego catalog all the way to school and I listened to Bobby Bones… my favorite child-friendly DJ.  






7:30 AM – we arrive at Jacob’s school.  Since he’s still so small, I don’t like to drop him off in the car line, so we park and I walk him in, get him settled in to the early morning drop-off program, and it’s off to work for me!




7:50 AM – arrive at work, turn on my radio to listen to Elvis Duran, my favorite DJ who is not remotely kid-friendly, turn on the computer, and start responding to emails that I received over the weekend. 

 

8:05 AM – run to the break room to make breakfast – an egg with cheese, some fresh grapes, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries, and a huge glass of water.  I eat at my desk while working.



9:00 AM – on this morning, we have some nurses that have come in to give flu shots to anyone who wants one and I most definitely do.  It takes all of five minutes, and then it’s back to work. 



10:15 AM – head to the break room to get a water refill and to get some hot water for my green tea and local honey.  I drink this every single morning to keep my fall allergies in check.  It seems to actually work, because I used to have terrible asthma problems during the fall, but it seems to have lessened during the last three years since I started taking the honey.  Some people say it’s all in my head, but even if it is, then OH WELL – IT’S STILL WORKING!  On this day, one of my co-workers has brought in some chocolate dipped pretzel sticks and other goodies that his wife has made, so I splurge and have a chocolate covered pretzel stick with my tea.



11:00 AM – lunch break!  I, however, never actually eat lunch on my lunch break.  I always run errands or work out instead, and today was a gym day.  I arrived at 11:05, got changed in the locker room, and snapped a quick pic before heading to the treadmill… I wouldn’t have snapped the pic if someone had been in there.  Ha!



11:15 AM – turn on my workout tunes and get down to business!  I always set the pace to the point where I’m walking as fast as I can without jogging or running, and I crank up the incline typically to a 7, which is almost as high as it goes.  On this day, I listened to my tunes while watching Access Hollywood.  #TiredOfHearingAboutBradAndAngie  When it’s over, it’s back to the locker room to change and freshen up.






12:00 PM – on the way back in to work, I grab my salad from the fridge, add some feta cheese and dressing to it, and take it back to my desk while I eat and get caught up on emails that have come in while I was out.  After finishing my salad, I grab a small handful of dark chocolate M&Ms… I have them every day after lunch.  <3




12:30 PM – werk werk werk werk werk.

3:30 PM – grab a quick snack of a Kind bar and a Gala apple (I forgot to take pics) and I pull out my planner to see what’s on deck for the rest of the day.  Then it’s more work until 4:30.



4:30 PM – hightail it outta work and head straight to pick up my Boo from extended day at his school... my favorite time of day (tied with bedtime with Olivia).  He greets me with a smile and then proceeds to run all the way down the sidewalk (with me shouting for him to stop running) and he falls right as he gets to the car.  Sigh.  I examine him for scrapes and bruises, and miraculously, no blood!  I get him buckled in his car seat and he pulls out his Lego catalog for the car ride home.  We talk about his day and discuss what to expect for the rest of the evening (homework, dinner, etc.) and it’s a pleasant and quick fifteen minute ride home.



5:00 PM – stop by the mailbox to grab the mail before pulling in the garage, and get super excited because Olivia’s Halloween PJs have arrived from GAP, and so have some pictures that I had developed.  My excitement quickly turns to disgust when I see that the postman has folded the package of pictures in half when it clear says in big, red letters – PHOTOS ENCLOSED DO NOT BEND.  Sigh





5:05 PM – turn into a whirlwind… open mail, get Jacob set up on the iPad for his math homework, snap one more quick pic of my OOTD since it was so dark when I took one this morning, change into my at home mom uniform (yoga pants and a tank, hold the bra… hehe), check Jacob’s school folder, go through all of the stuff he brought home.  On this day his school pictures came home… look how cute he is!






5:30 PM – Brian and Olivia get home and I get this greeting!!  I love her so much it hurts.



5:35 PM – start prepping dinner… pretty easy tonight, because last month I made Shay’s Taco Joe’s and I was smart enough to make a double batch, so all I had to do was unfreeze, reheat, and chop up some green onions to sprinkle on the top.  That’s what I call the best way to cook!  While those were heating up, I worked some more on clearing the crap off of the kitchen island (our catch-all for junk), I checked on Jacob who was just finishing up his homework, opened our GAP package to peek at Olivia’s cute new clothes, and went through Jacob’s new artwork that he had brought home.  




5:50 PM – once everything was mostly cleaned off of the island and put away, I lit my Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin candle, and turned on my dinner party playlist to set the tone for a cozy evening.  I then took a peek at B and the kids who were all happily sprawled on the living room floor doing puzzles.  After that it was back to my cookbook to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything, and then I chopped those green onions.







6:10 PM – dinner!  Taco Joe’s and Fiesta Lime Chips for us, and Taco Joe meat, separate buns, and banana slices for the kiddos. 



6:25 – Olivia declares she’s done after eating her bananas, so we clean her up and she brings her puzzle into the kitchen to stay close while we finish up.


6:35 PM – everyone is pretty much done, so B cleans up quickly and then starts watching YouTube videos to try to figure out what’s wrong with our dishwasher that still hasn’t drained.  I join the kiddos in the living room to work on Jacob’s planet puzzle with him, while Olivia somehow manages to get a hold of her new Halloween jammies and put them on over her clothes.  Never a dull moment!




7:00 PM – upstairs for baths… I get them started and B joins us and takes over after he realizes that the dishwasher just isn’t going to get fixed tonight.  I unpack and take the tags off of Olivia’s new clothes, and toss them in the hamper to be washed, and then Olivia comes running in her room buck naked and fresh out of the bath, climbs up on her crib, and grabs her paci.  I do believe that is her favorite time of day.  We get her dressed in her jammies (not the new Halloween ones, much to her dismay), and then we head into Jacob’s room for reading time where he and B are already waiting. 





7:45 PM – Olivia and I sneak out and get her teeth brushed, and then she heads back into Jacob’s room one last time to give the boys some night-night lovin’. 


7:50 PM – my favorite time of day… Olivia and I head back to her room, turn off the lights, and snuggle in her chair under a blanket, say our bedtime prayer, and then talk to God.  Most nights I just don’t want it to end. 



8:00 PM – I lay Olivia down in bed, give her all 5,341 of her babies by name, kiss her a few times, and then sneak out.  I grab her baby monitor from our bedroom and then head straight into Jacob’s room where he and B are laying in the dark waiting for me.  We say the bedtime prayer there, give kisses and hugs, and then I tiptoe outta there while B stays with him for a few more minutes.  Jacob likes for us to take turns staying with him and that night just happened to be B’s turn. 



8:06 PM – back to my office to finish up tomorrow’s blog post, which in this case is my Five on Friday – That Southern Game Day Style post – which turned out to be one of my more popular posts… you ladies love some college football!  And a lot of you seemed to be intrigued/surprised by the fact that us southern girls wear dresses to the games.



8:45 PM – back downstairs to join B who is still trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with the dishwasher.  Some last minute preparations for the next day, and then it’s to the living room to do some ab work, squats, leg work, and free weights while also watching Friday Night Lights, as nothing else is on TV.



9:24 PM – grab my planner to have a look and get organized for the next day while finishing up our episode of FNL… oh Coach Taylor, why are you so smoking hot?!



9:51 PM – let Maui out one last time to start getting ready to go upstairs for the night and realize that I never opened my package of mailman bent pictures.  Fortunately they appear to just have a slight wrinkle, and once I get them in frames, I’m sure they will look just fine.



10:00 PM – upstairs, wash face, brush teeth, take out contacts, change into jammies, blah blah blah… why is it that there are 18 things I have to do before getting into bed?!

10:11 PM – finally, finally settle into bed with my current book while B watches some football.  I only get through a few pages before I can barely hold my eyes open anymore, so it’s one last quick check of social media, and then lights out.




10:33 PM – Nighty night!



If you’re still with me, then bless you, because that had to be one of the longest posts I’ve ever written, but that pretty much sums up my life these days – long and filled to the brim!! 

And I’m thankful for every single second.


*Linking up with Our Pretty Little Girls for Tuesday Talk.