Friday, January 27, 2017

Five on Friday - Favorites

B has been out of town for work since Monday, so I’ve been momming so hard this week.  It’s been nothing but 5 AM wake-up calls and 11 PM bedtimes in order to get everyone where they need to be and to get everything as much as I can done every day.  When B gets home this afternoon, he’s going to be on Daddy-duty for a solid week.  ;o)

A few favorites to get your Friday started…

O N E – My Mommy and Daddy

Speaking of being a single mom this week, I have to mention that I have the most amazing parents a girl could ever ask for.  They were such a huge help this week… they helped shuttle kids back and forth, they came over to help out with bath time a couple of nights, and they brought homemade beef stew for dinner one night.  I am so thankful to have them so close and I’m so thankful that they are so selfless that they put their own plans on hold to come help me when I needed it.  They love our babies like their own – maybe even more than their own (AKA – ME… haha) – and I am forever grateful to have them in my life. 

And it was so hectic this week, I sadly forgot to capture any of the moments of them with the kiddos.  :o(

T W O – New Shoes

Run, don’t walk to Target, ladies!  Their new spring shoe line is out and, wow, do they have some gorgeous stuff!  These right here… I die.  


Remember these Dolce Vita Linsey Wedges that everyone was paying an arm and a leg for last year?  



Well, DV now has a line for Target and these are almost identical to those!  But for almost 80% less!  And I actually think these are even cuter!  OMG!

And look at these!  And these!  And these!  I could go absolutely nuts right now!  But I won’t, Brian.  ;o)

T H R E E – A Sweet Message

One night last week Jacob was playing in the bathtub and he said, “Don’t look, Mommy… I’m making something for you.”  So I waited patiently while he did his thing, and when he finally told me to look, I saw this:


I mean, melt my heart why don’t you!

F O U R – A New Coffee

Have any of you ladies tried the Cascara Latte at Starbucks yet?  It is so good.  This past Wednesday the traffic gods were watching over us and I managed to get both kids to school in record time so I had a few extra minutes.  I decided that instead of going to work early, I’d just head on over and pick up a treat.  I was torn between this one and the Cinnamon Dolce Latte that Emily had told me about, but I decided to try this one first.  It was so delicious! 


F I V E – A Day With my Girl

Olivia had an appointment yesterday, so I took the day off to be with her.  The appointment was scheduled for noon which meant that she would miss lunch and nap at school, so I decided it was best to just take the whole day off since I would have to feed her a late lunch and get her home for a late nap. 

We had a fun little girls’ day before the appointment.  We got Jacob off to school, and then she and I headed to Panera for breakfast… but not before heading to Starbucks for a Cinnamon Dolce Latte!  Thanks, Emily… it was SO good.

After Panera, we ran to Target and I’m ashamed to say that I already bought a swimsuit and cover-up for Olivia.  I always talk about how ridiculous it is that stores have swimsuits out in January, but hey, I figured that I might as well get while the gettin’s good!  And how cute are they?!  I mean, the cover-up has little pom poms on it, for goodness sake!!!!  I didn't want to miss out!

After Target, we had to return something at Hobby Lobby and then we made our way to the library where we parked ourselves until her appointment.  We read several books and met up with a couple of friends who just so happened to also be there. 

After the appointment was over, we headed to CFA for a late lunch, I let her play on the playground for a few minutes, and then it was home for a nap (for her) and to do all the things (for me) before heading to pick up J from school.

I rarely get any one on one time with Olivia, so these days are always so cherished.  I love my girl!




Well, happy weekend, all!  We’re off to the ball, and it looks like I’m going to have to wear the original sequins dress because the gorgeous red one isn’t going to make it here on time due to some shipping issues.  WAAAAHHHH!!!!  January just continues to be a butthole to me, doesn’t it?  I sure hope that yours has been better!

*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.

*This post may contain affiliate links.


Thursday, January 26, 2017

Our Wedding - Portraits

Back in December I started recapping our wedding in honor of our ninth wedding anniversary that was on December first.  Well, I got about halfway through recapping and then I got swept up in all of the holiday posts like most of us bloggers tend to do. 

So far I have shared the planning & details, the rehearsal & rehearsal dinner, the big day leading up to the ceremony, and the ceremony itself so I still owe you the pictures from the reception and the portraits.  Today I’m posting my favorites of the portraits.


Since we had such a late wedding (ceremony started at 7:30 PM), B and I opted to see each other beforehand, so we could go ahead and get all of our portraits out of the way and have time to enjoy all of our friends and family after the ceremony.  I was so against this at first, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense.  The portraits took around two hours, so if we had waited to do those until after the wedding, it would have been an incredibly late start to the reception, and we would have also been rushed taking the pictures.  Not to mention we wouldn’t have been able to get any good shots outside in the natural light. 

Since I was initially crushed about having to see him before the wedding, our photographer arranged it so the church would be empty so B and I could have our privacy when seeing each other for the first time.  This allowed us to have our own special moment.  B had his back turned when I walked in the door, and he turned around just as I started walking down the aisle toward him.  The photographer was the only person in there with us, a fly on the wall, to capture the moment.  A moment I will never forget.

After that, we took some shots in the church and some shots outside together, and then we joined with our wedding party as well as our family to get some group shots.  We have a couple hundred pictures, so I have narrowed them down to my favorites, as hard as that was!  I’ll let the pictures do the talking now…





































I’ll be back soon to share the final installment… the reception.  And boy, was it a party!  Best night of my entire life! 

And if you missed the prior wedding posts, you can see them below.


Photograph credit: JE Hedges Photography

*Linking up with Home of Malones for Thoughts for Thursday.



Wednesday, January 25, 2017

What's Up Wednesday

Halfway through the week… we’re almost there!

What We’re Eating This Week

We have a lot going on this week, so the kitchen is closed… we’re going to be living off of salads, sandwiches, soups, and any kind of veggies that can be heated up quickly. 

And if I have time, I’m going to whip up some more of these Strawberry Crinkle Cookies to have on hand for the upcoming week.  They are so dang good!


What I’m Reminiscing About

Over the last month I’ve been recapping our NYC Christmas trip from a few years back so I’ve been thinking a lot about that.  If you missed any of the recaps, they are below.   



What I’m Loving

All things Valentine’s Day – fashion, décor, recipes… all of it.  I have always loved all things pink and all things hearts (I mean, hello, look at my logo!) so Valentine’s décor just fits right in with my personality.  I could wear pink stuff and hearts every single day.  I mean, look at how cute this is… and I’m head over heels for this sweatshirt that Lizzie posted the other day… I just can’t justify the price tag.  Waaaahhhh!

I just finished decorating our house for the big day, and I’ll be sharing it soon as well!  Until then, here’s a little sneak peek of my chalkboard… think Frank Sinatra.  ;o)




What We’ve Been Up To

Honestly, this month hasn’t been my favorite.  It’s been nothing but a barrage of sickness (for all of us), ants (in the house – ugh), severe weather, and tons of other little things that I haven’t even mentioned here on the blog for many different reasons.  I hate to complain in this little space of mine because I know that overall we’re extremely blessed, but being bombarded by lots of little things can really take its toll so I will be extremely glad to see January go.  We just need to get through a few more bumps before it’s over.  And speaking of which, I have an unspoken prayer request, so if you could just think of our little family the next time you pray, it would really mean a lot to me.

What I’m Dreading

February if it’s going to be anything like January.  ;o)  I kid, I kid.  I’m praying that February is going to be worlds better!  I must get out of this funk!

What I’m Working On

Even though we’ve had a bit of a rough start to 2017, I’ve also managed to have an incredibly productive start as well.  I’ve already crossed some major things off of my list for the year and I’ve gotten a jump start on others and it’s only January.  Let’s see…

·         Start reading a daily devotional.  I’ve been doing this every single day and I’m loving it.
·         Clean out everything.  I have a long way to go, but I’ve already purged the kids’ toys.
·         Find a new doctor for my chronic back problems – I found the doctor, now I just have to make the appointment!
·         Get Olivia completely potty-trained.  Check!
·         Buy domain for blog.  Check!
·         Host or co-host a link-up.  Two are in the works!  Eek!
·         Connect with new bloggers.  I’ve already met a few new ladies who I know I’m going to love!
·         Post more recipes.  I did one yesterday… did you see it?
·         Increase Instagram following to 5k.  I honestly don’t remember my exact number at the beginning of 2017, but I remember telling B that I hit 3k on 1/13, and now I’m up to almost 3,200, so I’ve had a gain of maybe 300 for the year so far?  At that rate, I shouldn’t have a problem meeting my goal.
·         Increase Twitter following to 1k.  I started around 580 at the beginning of 2017 and I’m up to 619 so that’s not too shabby.  I hate Twitter, so baby steps, y’all.  Baby steps.  ;o)



What I’m Excited About

Co-hosting my very first link-up!  Well, two actually.  I’m going to be joining a current weekly link-up that you may be familiar with as well as working with some other lovely ladies to start a new monthly link-up… busy busy!  More details to come soon!

What I’m Watching/Reading

Watching – Tons of stuff!  My favorite train wreck The Bachelor, This is Us, The Odd Couple, Big Bang Theory, and Shark Tank on TV and then B and I are still binging Gilmore Girls and The OA on Netflix.  Oh, and Scandal starts back up tomorrow night!  Can I get an amen!


Reading – Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks.  I’m a few chapters in and I’m liking it so far!  This one seems a bit different than most of his books for some reason.  I haven’t pinpointed quite why, though. 


What I’m Listening To

Closer by the Chainsmokers.  Over and over and over and over and over and over.  Because… kids.  Haha.  It’s their favorite right now! 

What I’m Wearing

Short sleeves and skinny jeans one day, and then boots and sweaters the next.  This weather has been C-R-A-Z-Y this year.  And it’s often pretty crazy, but this last year takes the cake!

And also on this topic, did you see that I completed my challenge in 2016 and I managed to wear something different for all 366 days of the year?!  Oh yes I did!  You can see how I did it here, you can see how I took all of my OOTD pictures here, and you can see every single individual outfit from 2016 in the links below.




What I’m Doing This Weekend

Remember those dresses that you've been voting on?  Well, the ball is this weekend and I’m so excited!  I’m still waiting on the last two dresses to arrive, but I will definitely let you ladies know which one I choose.  :o)


What I’m Looking Forward To Next Month

We’re hoping to take a little weekend getaway to Atlanta next month.  They have this place called Snow Mountain, and since Olivia’s never seen snow (and Jacob doesn’t remember it) we would love to take them there.  And maybe also Legoland? 

February is also Olivia’s birth month so I’m really looking forward to celebrating our sweet girl… she will officially be a threenager!!!!  #Scary

What Else Is New

I never really know what to say here because I’m already so transparent with you guys, so we’ll just let this one go and call it a post!

Happy middle of the week, friends!

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

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