h54f!

linking up with lauren to bring you the highlights of my week! my good friend, ashley, was in town from nashville, so we ate out a lot and shopped as much as we ate! gotta love good friends that just get what it's like to have a baby... even if that means strolling around indianapolis for an extra 20 min cause the baby's asleep in the back! anyways, here's my top five!

5. the weather here has DEFINITELY been bipolar, but there have definitely been lots of beautiful days, too! we've taken several walks, went to the park and enjoyed actually having a spring season!!

4. if the tools are out, this boy is one happy kid. also, if the tools are out, that probably means there are some projects going on around the house! we are in the middle of getting our garage cleaned, painted & organized.

3. along with the garage projects, we are hanging lots of stuff on the walls. and i'm pretty sure i narrowed down our bed options! now, to make a final decision and get that thing ordered!!! here's the new canvases we ordered! gotta love a big canvas!!

2. as i mentioned previously, my sweet ashley came to visit the thompson's! we originally met in florida, hit it off right away & have been cracking each other up ever since! she loved on holden, loved on me (she brought hello gifts & then bought a goodbye gift! she cray) & we had a good time!!

1. I'm sure you could've probably guessed, but my number 1 this week is welcoming my new and first nephew, archer. this boy has stolen my heart! there's also some crazy nostalgia going on because we kind of just pass baby stuff back & forth through our family, so archer has worn lots of holden's clothe!

link up with lauren & i!!! happy weekend, y'all! :)

anniversary getaway!

grant & i barely ever get away. when we lived in fl, any vacation days we had were spent flying to indiana or minnesota to visit family. it was always bittersweet that we were still jumping town, but didn't necessarily get a relaxing vacation! now that i'm a stay at home mama, i get to sing songs all day long & read dozens of books like it's my job, BUT... that doesn't mean you don't need a break sometimes!

grant's mom agreed to watch holden for a couple days so we could skip town and hang out in chicago sans baby! and ptl for that! :)

we pretty much shopped and ate the. whole. time. and both of those things are a million times more enjoyable when you don't have a baby with you! can i get an amen?

if you follow my instagram, it's no secret that i'm slightly obsessed with dunkin donuts. we had a dd within 5 min from everywhere in the fl city we lived in. now... i have to go to indianapolis or chicago (or florida!) for one! no fair!!!!

after coffee, the first thing on the agenda was home goods. if you aren't familiar, it's basically a tj maxx, but ALL home decor. it's my jam and i scope one out any chance i get!

-home goods selfie-

-the things you notice when you don't have kids distracting you. seriously creeped me out for a sec!-

since grant just moved into his office that he's leasing, we hit up ikea to find a few new pieces of furniture. we walked out with way more than we went for (hello, new home furnishings!), but I'd call it a successful trip!!

-all our ikea goodies!-

now that i'm in the routine of only washing my hair every other day, i'm getting creative. it was windy as all get out in the city, so a pony tail was a must! second day hair is sure growing on me!

we dined at cheesecake factory (one of our favs) and stopped at fair oaks farm on our way home, BUT the most exciting pat of the trip was eating at portillo's! anyone who's from chicagoland always raves about portillo's, so we HAD to try a local place! the closest thing i can compare portillo's to is fuddruckers. they're known for their hot dogs, but grant & i both got burgers. loved the decor & the experience! and the food wasn't half bad either! highly encourage you check it out if you're in the area sometime!

all in all, it was a great trip! quick, but great! and i forgot just how FABULOUS it is to get ready without worrying that the baby is gonna wake up from his nap or, more commonly, get ready with the baby stumbling over your feet! happy six, my sweet hub!

oh and ps-- my lil nephew is FINALLY here!!! lil (not so little) buddy was born on tuesday! i'll have a post about all the excitement next week! and yes... i witnessed my very first labor & delivery!!!!

six.

6 years ago, grant & i tied the wedded knot. we were 20 & 21, immature, naive & had lots to learn! thankfully, we serve a god of grace that catches us when we throw ourselves off of the proverbial cliff. the past 6 years have provided the highest of highs & the lowest of lows. and through it all, i have had a great man by my side! and thank the lord for that!!!!

6 years ago, we were:
-20 & 21 years old
-lived in lakeland, fl
-grant worked at victory church
-i worked at a commercial insurance company
-getting ready to start the wildest journey of our lives

makeup...

love this shot of my dad & i walking down the aisle! and you can see all the decorations my dad slaved over for days!

newlyweds! woop woop!

the past 6 years have been crazy! and i look forward to sixty more with this guy!! later this week, i'll be sharing about our chicagoland getaway!!

h54f!

it's friday!!! i don't work, but i still love weekends! weekends usually mean extra time with my hubby and holden's daddy, lazy mornings at home & getting together with our church family to worship! I always link up with lauren if you want to share your top 5's, too! (to link, just go to her blog & add your info every fri)!

here's my best moments of the week:

5. i have been trying to find a good local coffee shop. since grant is self-employed and i understand that WE can't survive unless our community supports our business, i strive to support other local businesses. well, i finally found one! and they're delicious! not to mention SO friendly, convenient & not any more expensive than starbucks. locals, you gotta check out java jo'z on creasy! i highly recommend the iced caramel latte!

4. i know I've said it before, but i have started taking pics of the house and hope to have a BIG reveal blog post in the next week or two! i think i haven't been motivated to post pics yet cause it's still very much a work in progress as far as decorating goes! i finally hung a few things on the walls & it's starting to feel like home! we hung this mirror in our entryway and i'm obsessed! target does it again! :)

3. along with the mirror, i got a little crafty this week! hit up hobby lobby for some craft paper and just went to town. i initially bought the paper for a flag banner to hang in the kitchen, but i used the leftover paper for art in holden's room! yay for making your own art!!!

2. our entire family is on baby watch. i go to bed each night double-checking that my phone ringer is on... just in case. my sweet lil nephew must just be so cozy that he doesn't care to come meet us (he was due tues)! so... since there are no signs of baby anytime soon, i suggested my sister & brother-in-law go out for a date. you know, in case the baby comes. well... he didn't take the hint that he could come, but holden & i had a fun evening with my niece, roslyn! roz is almost exactly a yet older than holden. they entertain each other, annoy each other & love each other. there's always nonstop giggles when they're together! love watching them play together!

-out for a walk & holding the dolly roslyn insisted he carry!-

-my future. two little ones on my lap trying to read separate books!-

-watching the rainstorm!-

1. eeeek my number one this week is that grant & i are going to chicago for a couple days! our 6 year anniversary is sunday, so we're gonna skip town for a bit and paint the town red. can't wait!!

 happy weekend to you all!!! hope you've had a blessed week! :)

stranger encounters.

a couple of weeks ago, i was grocery shopping at our local grocery store. it was maybe 8 at night and i was alone. it was a peaceful vacation compared to the usual trip with holden where he wants one of everything and we rarely make it out of the store without opening a package of something in the cart for him to snack on.

i was minding my own business cruising down the soup aisle. i was aware that a cart was coming around the corner into my aisle, so as i was looking for a specific soup, i pushed my cart over to the side to make way for the other shopper. in doing so, i made a complete fool out of myself. in a matter of seconds, i managed to push my cart into an end cap thing of pistachio nuts. i felt like it happened in slow motion as i watched the entire display of packaged nuts go crumbling to the floor. as I'm watching the display fall over, all i could say was 'ohhh myyyy gossssh'. the 30ish year old man that i was moving my cart for watched it all happen, chuckled and just walked right past.

i would consider myself to be independent and i don't really expect others to 'rescue' me. it's not like this guy HAD to do anything, but come on!!!! there were nuts allllll over the aisle and i felt like a such a clutz! not to mention that the moron was actually kind of cute. I'm not helpless... I sat there in the aisle and picked up all those packages and moved on... but an offer to help or maybe an 'I'm sorry' would have been appropriate. unfortunately, this incident left me feeling really disappointed in men and the lack of chivalry in our generation.

BUT... yesterday, i was at the same grocery store. thankfully, i didn't have another incident like that and made it out without embarrassing myself. as i went to checkout, every single line had at least 2 people in it and their carts were full. I got in one of the lines and holden was being quite content... thanks to the goldfish. a new line opened up and the sweetest 40ish year old lady INSISTED that i go. not only did she not go in front of me, she actually stopped a man who tried to jump in line and said that me and my little man needed to go first. when i thanked her profusely, she said that she vividly remembers shopping with little ones and being a mom can wear a girl out. she said it was the least she could do.

honestly, it took everything inside me to not hug her neck and weep on her shoulder. it's sad that there aren't more people in the world like this sweet lady. and it also made me question if I'm as considerate and sweet as this lady who doesn't know me from adam. the answer is sadly probably not. sometimes, even if i don't have holden in tow, i have an agenda and am not nearly as kind to strangers as i want them to be to me. whether that means speeding up to the stop sign so i can go first or not holding the door for someone.

i desire to be the considerate stranger that i want to encounter. join me?

i'm joining the club.

for YEARS (and by years, i mean my ENTIRE life), i have had extremely fine hair. as in, when i was little, my mom tried to perm my hair... and it didn't work. we left the solution on my hair for like double the suggested amount of time. she rinsed it out and... nothing! stick straight, silky, smooth hair. no curls, no perm, no change whatsoever. i'm sure you can imagine how broken my little 7 year old heart was!!!

i have forever been jealous of the girls that have ridiculously thick hair. or really, any girl with textured hair. my hair is naturally limp and thin and not the type of hair anyone dreams of. anyways, one of my dear friends in florida seriously only washes her hair once a week... maybe twice a week, if she's gettin crazy. i used to think that was INSANE. well, i still kind of think that's insane, but I'm comin around. she might be on to something...

at my recent hair appt, i was telling my fab stylist how i wish my hair wasn't so oily so that i could only wash my hair every other day. when i said that, she gave me the most baffled look and said 'why can't you? you could TOTALLY skip a day. you just need the right products & knowledge, girl'. and just like that... i have officially joined the every other day hair washing club!!!!

my stylist suggested that i only shampoo my roots and only condition my ends. seems like i should know that by now, but i had never heard that! even by doing this one simple tip, i have waaaaay better texture in my hair and it's less oily. she then hooked me up with the BEST of the best dry shampoo aerosol.

here's how my new routine works: on my non-wash day, i take a 2 min shower (& skip washing my hair, obviously) and then spray the dry shampoo in my roots. i focus mainly on the top of my head, my bangs, my crown & around my ears. i don't really spray any on the lower half of my hair unless i am wearing it all up. the bottle says to spray the shampoo and then let it set for 2 min. who knows if this really makes a difference... but i do it! once the shampoo is set, i comb through and start to style. there hasn't been a no-wash morning that i haven't had to straighten or curl my hair due to some always ridic bedhead. i typically will straighten my hair (especially the roots) before curling to get rid of the nasty links. to straighten, i split my hair in two halves (top & bottom) to get the best results.

i was literally blown away at how well my hair styled for a no-wash day! you could have called me a skeptic cause i didn't think there was any way i could skip a day without my hair annoying me all day, but i assure you that the right product makes all the difference! i know some people use a dry shampoo even on days they wash the hair just because it provides AMAZING texture. i haven't done that, but that's probably cause the product costs around $30 and i'm not sure how quickly i'll go through it!

if you haven't ever tried a good dry shampoo and skipping a day here and there, i urge you to give it a try! i was horribly nervous that i had wasted $30, but knowing what i know now... i would pay $30 any day!!!!

oh, and if you're local and want my stylist's info, let me know! she's so great!!

a perfect spring sunday!

spring is here, my friends!!! we had an absolutely gorgeous sunday here in indiana & all I can think about is how incredibly blessed I am to call the midwest home again! florida was never my cup of tea with the humidity and endless sun.

yesterday was full of bliss. started the day with the best way a sunday can start: church! we feel very blessed to have gotten plugged in with our local church. there is just something about coming together with other believers! rejuvenating! I didn't get to go into service today cause it was my week to man the front desk for our nursery! I hate missing a week of church, so thankfully I got to watch service on the monitor at the desk!

after church, we went to our local fab Mexican place! it's right next to the church, the servers love holden (and have even held him before!) and it's a relaxed atmosphere which is ideal for a post-church-need-a-nap toddler situation!!

after holden snoozed, we went to the park with his cousin, roslyn! we also invited grant's gma & gpa! such good memories! of course the park was packed cause it was gorg weather!

grant's sister, gretchen, is due with our sweet nephew TOMORROW! we are all so ready to meet that lil guy and are officially on call!!! eeeek!

grant's grandparents are so sweet! they live around the block from the park, so we called them up and they came over to watch the kiddos play! they LOVE that holden will just let them hold him and grandpa always comments on holden's dimples! so sweet!

after the park, we hit up a local fav, dog n suds. this place is talked up a little, but I sure do miss eating outside in fl, so it was a nice treat. all they serve are burgers & hotdogs! and it's pretty cheap, too.

we ended the day at another local fav, pink walrus! holden was past the point of no return towards the end of dessert, so we headed home & he crashed! ptl for weekends, family & the midwest! cheers!

perfect sock bun!

my hair on any given day is ridiculously boring. i blow dry and straighten just about everyday. it's plain jane & boring.

well, as i was standing in a long checkout line at h&m last week, i saw (for probably the 10th time or so) the sock bun hairpiece. my hair is thin and I can literally hold ALL of my hair up with ONE bobby pin. it's insane. so, I haven't ever gotten creative and tried the sock bun knowing that it would look ridic. i must've been feeling adventurous cause i threw this tool in my bag and decided to give it a try. and what a great $4 spent it has proven to be!

I'm still figuring it out, but I have just pulled my hair up into a pony tail and slipped it through the, err... donut hole? :) then i split the ponytail in two halves- a top and bottom half. then I just kinda fanned out the hair and wrapped it around the donut. since I don't have a lot of hair, I could still just just one bobby pin, but I will probably use a few if I am going out for a girls night or a wedding where I might be dancing or something.

it's such a good, easy tool and was well worth the $4!!! my one thing with the sock bun look is that it's usually way more formal of a look than I prefer, but I totally plan to rock it for church in the next couple weeks!!

isn't it fun?? definitely jazzes up plain jane hair like mine!!

h54f!

as always, I'm linking up with lauren at 'from my grey desk' to bring you the highlights of my week. unless you're a mama, you probably don't care or understand, but I am currently in the midst of switching holden from his beloved bottle to the big boy sippy cup. to say we've had lots of meltdowns would be a crazy understatement! the boy loves his baba. I have definitely thought about just giving him the darn bottle back especially after he woke up with a fever this morning (teething, I'm pretty sure) and all he wanted was a baba. to all my instagram friends that said not to give in... be proud. I didn't cave even though the mommy guilt took over my life for a few min there!

5. since my hubby, grant, is self-employed, we don't have the typical 'daddy leaves for work at 7 and gets home at 6 routine'. since before we moved into our house, we have been looking at options for where grant can work during the day. since our house isn't that big and i'm a stay-at-home mama, we just knew it wasn't going to be fun for him to work from home while i'm there all day with holden. well, long story short, but grant is leasing a space with a few other creative professionals & they moved into their new office last week! holden and i finally got out to the office a couple days ago and holden loved exploring the space. here he is blowing kisses to daddy when we were leaving.

oh, and side note... this trip ended a little not as planned. little buddy was drinking his bottle in the carseat (which i NEVER do, but he was going crazy wanting it... and yes, this was before i took the baba away!). well, lesson learned. he somehow managed to spill almost the entire contents of the bottle all over himself, and his carseat. i didn't realize this until i went to get him out of the car at target. well, that mission was quickly aborted. i looked like a fool, i'm sure, as i stripped him down to just a diaper in the parking lot and then stuck him back in the carseat for a long, cold, wet drive home. poor buddy!

4. i have been wanting to get an entry table since we moved in and have had one picked out pretty much since we looked at the house the first time, actually. i knew we would need storage in a house this small, but also a convenient place to throw keys, set things out of holden's reach, etc. we ended up getting a table from ikea and i put it together last night. if i ever get around to snapping pics of the house to do a tour (which i'm sure all you readers would appreciate... eek!),  you'll get to see what i mean. it's a slim table, so it doesn't crowd the entryway and it stores shoes! PTL!!!

3. i am sure i'm in the minority here, but i just love a good, rainy day. it's like good for my soul. and, after winter, it's a sure sign that spring is coming!!! yes, even if it's only 40 degrees out right now. the seasons are seriously confused, if you ask me!! i don't really prefer running errands in the rain (who does?), but i sure love cuddling up on the couch with my sweet boy any chance i can... especially if it's raining out! 

2. on wednesday night, grant and i ended up meeting up for dinner and afterwards, we were just both craving something sweet. we ended up hitting up our fav local froyo place, pink walrus. stupid name, but delish yogurt and even more delish toppings. they seriously have the best selection of toppings. like, i'm talkin hot fudge, not just chocolate sauce. and chopped up reeses cups, not just reeses pieces. the best!!! locals, if you haven't been, you're seriously missin out. AND... it's seriously darling in there. 

1. my top moment of the week was finally getting a new diaper bag. i've been carrying the same one since holden was born. i originally splurged and got an expensive timi & leslie bag. it's been good, but definitely not great (in my opinion). it's kind of falling apart and i don't have a need to carry that big of a bag anymore. my new franco sarto bag is still big, but it's a stiffer material, so it stands up on its own. big plus! my other one got all flimsy if i didn't have her stuffed full (which seems to be the case a lot these days). my only beef with my new bag is that it's technically a purse, not a diaper bag. so, although there are a lot of interior and exterior pockets, there isn't a bottle/cup pocket. so far, it hasn't been an issue, but i just pray i don't have a major spill on the inside of a bag. that would be a bad, bad day.

  

link up with lauren & i to share your top 5's!!! hope y'all had a good week! oh, and check back later today for my sock bun post!!

things i'm lovin!!

if you know me, you know that I'm a particular person. when I find things I love, I become obsessed with them and will tell people about it any chance I get! I guess that's why I feel like it only makes sense to do a regular post on my recent favorite things. I'm not paid by any of these companies to share their products, so you know that the opinions are just true and honest!!

first, my go-to lip product right now! urban decay is a makeup line that I'm just starting to incorporate into my routine, but I'm lovin their 'lip junkie' glosses. 'naked' is my color of choice at the moment. this gloss claims to plump your lips and I think it 100% lives up to that claim! my lips are silky smooth after I put this on, too!!

in the same category of makeup, I have to tell you about my FAVORITE blush on the world!!! ulta's makeup line can be a little hit or miss for me, but their cheek colors are exactly what I want in a blush! the color is 'afternoon delight' and it's the PERFECT peachy/coral color for summer. I actually wear this color pretty much year round cause it's a great shade for my skin tone, but it's spot on for the trends this summer! now, if we could just get a stinkin ulta in lafayette, my life would be muy bueno!!!!

it's no secret that I'm slightlllllly obsessed with target. and their spring sandals have me over the moon obsessed. I'm trying to not go crazy, but these sandals literally jumped in my cart and I couldn't take them out even if I tried! the mix of gold, camel color and animal print. so versatile and they are the perf addition to my summer wardrobe!!! love love love!

h54f... sick edition.

since i have been sick for the past week, my top 5's aren't too exciting, just a warning! as usual, i'm linking up with lauren to bring you the highlights of my week... even if i've been sick for the majority of the week!

5. since i haven't been feeling well and didn't leave the house at all until thursday of this week, target & chick fil a were the expected first places i went. and since it has been GORGEOUS weather here, we whipped out some of holden's new spring clothes! gosh i love h&m. maybe a lil too much. shirt, cardi & skinnies are all from h&m.

4. normally, this wouldn't constitute as a top 5 in my week, but when you are stuck home with nothing to do, a new hair toy makes the list, y'know? i'll have all the info on my new bun trick next week!!! best $3 i've ever spent!

3. i try not to have my entire top 5's revolve around holden, but since i'm a stay-at-home mama, sometimes it's just inevitable. especially when he's at the stinkin cutest age in the world!!! gosh i love me some holden crew! simply the best!

2. i'm thankful that my baby has so many toys that my house can go from spic & span to disastrous is 5 seconds flat. ok, ok, more like 4 days of a sick mommy flat, but whatever! i'm grateful that on the days i'm not sick, i get to stay at home and all i have to worry about are taking care of my baby and keeping a clean house... instead of working a normal job. and for that, my messy house deserves to make my top 5's this week!

1. easter, easter, easter. this has to be #1, right? it's sad that it sometimes takes a whole season of remembrance for me to acknowledge again how much grace has been extended to me. jesus, let me never be too quick to think i can do this on my own. without that cross and a gracious god, i don't know where i'd be. 

this is holden and his lil lady friend, emmy, on easter morning. and yes, this IS as good as it gets with two lil toddlers in one pic.

i hope y'all had a great week! link up & share your top 5's!!