Wednesday, August 28, 2013

got my mind on fall.

guys. i don't really know why this is happening, but it's almost the end of august (which is still 100% summer), but all i'm craving is fall. oh, actually... i DO know why this is happening... it's called indiana has been so bipolar with the weather this summer! a few weeks ago, we had spells in the 60's during the day and my mind has totally shifted away from summer! it doesn't help that our lame public pools close when school starts (which was two weeks ago... don't even get me started on how lame that is!). so, in the spirit of me wanting to light my fav leaves candle, cozy up with a warm caramel latte and light a fire... here's some fall inspiration! from none other than my trusty pinterest... obviously!

it prob goes without saying that i am a lover of color! so, naturally, i am stuper stoked that this fall and winter will not be full of maroon, brown and black! color is in, baby!! and i fully plan on rocking pink and turquoise pants all winter long!


do you remember when puffer vests were in? like back in the day?? i had a black one in high school that i wore all. the. time. i know that lots of people jumped on the puffer vest wagon awhile ago, but i just wasn't convinced! until i saw this outfit and want to rush out today and buy one! i love how it's paired w a sweater and flats and totally chic without trying too hard!


there are a lot of fashion faux pas in my book and at the top of that list is definitely leggings worn as jeans. it's just wrong. always has been! i don't care if they have pockets to make them look like jeans... they are still leggings and, therefore, should be worn with a dress or not at all. anyways... i like this look a lot (aside from the leggings). i have seen lots of black skinny jeans that could make this look super acceptable, too!


i love this 'girl next door' kind of vibe this outfit protrudes. it's feminine, yet not trying to be dressed to the nines. it's flirty, but still completely modest and comfortable. button up shirts are a busty girls worst enemy, so i don't own a single one, but i would love this look if i did! ha!

later this week, i may be back on the summer train since it has been in the 90's all week, but until then... fall, i can't wait for you to sweep me off my feet!

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

this one's for the girls!

being that i'm a lover of girly things, a mama & a jewelry fanatic, it only makes sense that i share with you the new stella & dot line specifically for the little ladies in our lives! i have high hopes that i'll have a daughter eventually, so this line makes my heart flutter for the future!!!! if you have a little girl in your life that needs a little sparkle, check out the new jewels and cross off a thing or two on your christmas list while you're at it!

PLUS, i'm doing something special right now that everyone who spends $100 between now and august 31st will receive a free pouf in the design of their choice (and there are some seriously cute ones!)!! i mean, how great is that??


some of my favs from the new little girl's line:

color crush statement set-
mariposa trio set-
olive pearl set-
mini mariposa necklace-

aren't they SO cute??? the only thing i'm hoping for is that they'll maybe mix in some purple next time since not all little girls are pink-obsessed!

hope you love the idea of having cute jewels for your little ladies as much as i do!!! hurry over to my website before the 31st to take advantage of the free pouf & to see the rest of this new line!!

baked bacon... for the win!!!!

i just feel like i can't not share this. you know when you have something so monumental happen to you and you couldn't possibly be selfish enough to keep it to yourself? that's exactly how i feel about baked bacon. yes... you read that right. baked bacon changed my life.

i was in the mood for some fresh bacon and decided to give one of my faithful pins a try. and low and behold, i found a winner!!!! it's easy, no mess & delicious. it doesn't get much better than that, my friends!!!



all you do is :
-line a cookie sheet w foil
-spread out the bacon slices
-bake at 400* for 7 min
-rotate the pan
-bake for another 7 min
-transfer bacon to plate w paper towel on it to drain
... and voila! you're done!!! 
seriously couldn't be easier and ten times better than the old-fashioned skillet way!!! just trust me, k?

ps--if you want to check out any of my other pinterest recipes that have been successes, check out my pinned & tried board!  


Monday, August 26, 2013

weekend recap!

as i mentioned in my h54f post, my little buddy has been a little under the weather along w his mama... our weekend was pretty low-key and, as always, that's a-ok w me! grant filmed all day saturday and then edited all day sunday, so h & i were on our own.

we cuddled...

made some yummy fresh food...


went to a baby shower for baby judah...


cuddled some more...


and got g a new little pretty for his office...

can't really complain! i am blessed!!!

Friday, August 23, 2013

h54f... aka we're sick & are glad to have made it to friday!

we are in sickville over here! so, our week was full of cuddles, cartoons, lack of sleep and tissue piles. fun, right?? gotta just keep it real! in fact... i just saw this on good ol pinterest and it couldn't explain my feelings better in this very moment!!


having a sick babe is exhausting in and of itself (hello, holden didn't nap all day yesterday and didn't go to bed til 10:30pm)... but i'm actually sick, too. so, although the extra snugs have been nice, what i've really wanted is to take a nap by myself!!!

anywho, hope you all have had a great week!! we are currently sitting in the dr's office waiting room to make sure what h has isn't more serious. good thing the waiting room has fishies! he's in heaven!!



i'm about 99% convinced it's allergies, so that means we can both expect to be down for the count at the end of august every year. ugh!!!!

i'll be back next week w more exciting posts!!!

Sunday, August 18, 2013

things i'm loving: toddler edition!

i did this once before and thought it was a fun take on my typical 'things i'm lovin' posts! if there's one thing i know, it's that when a mom recommends something to me, i listen real close. not because i can't come up with my own fav things, but because if someone has already done the trial & error of things, why would i waste my time?? or if there is a better solution to something i'm currently doing, it'd be silly to not change my ways! anyways... here's my recent favs for my almost-2 year old!!

first things first, my absolute favorite thing is labels by inchbug! my dear friend, jen, is the one who opened my eyes to the wonderfulness that these labels are! they are plastic, dishwasher safe labels that you can put your child's name on. so, like all the times holden goes to mops, the church nursery or is with his cousin, there isn't any confusion which cup is his! brilliant, in my opinion. especially since mops and church used to use avery sticky labels and it always left nasty residue and was a pain to get off! no more, my friends!! check them out! definitely worth the money, in my opinion!


another staple right now in our home is dora. i was really torn when holden first started getting into it because i wasn't sure if the show was more geared towards girls or what not since the main character is a girl. however, i've since realized that a) that doesn't matter and b) it really isn't since there are several boys in the show, too! holden loves the music and has honestly learned a lot from it (different words and colors!)! fab in my book!


i hear lots of mixed reviews of video monitors. we have always had one (got it before holden was born, thanks to my wonderful parents), so we don't know any different, but we love love love ours! it has given peace of mind in the early months where i just needed to see what he was doing and gave insight in the later months if i really need to go in his room or if he was fine. i'm a big fan of our summer video monitor and fully plan on buying an add'l camera when baby t 2.0 comes along! it's caused lots of laughs, too, being able to see what he's doing in there when he's making all sorts of ruckus!

the last thing i love is aquaphor. someone recommended this when holden was really little and we honestly haven't used anything else. this is my go-to for diaper rashes! i also use it on holden's eczema if he has a flair up and it totally helps w that, too. honestly, it's cheaper than all the diaper rash creams and is all purpose! def a good thing to have on hand!


hope you find a few of these helpful!!! loving toddlerhood over here!!

mascara hunt update!

so, as i mentioned last week in this post, my $28 tube of mascara habit train had to be derailed. it's not that we can't afford a $30 purchase, per se, but i know that money can be better spent or saved and it just isn't seeming practical these days. so, with that said... i feel like i'm making strides in the right direction! i haven't completely lost my love for my precious lancome, but i'm workin on it!

the mascara i've been using for the past several days is the maybelline 'colossal'.



i am not completely on board with it yet, but part of that is probably because it's just different. i guess i was a sucker for the 'wetness' of my lancome hypnose drama and the sleek curved handle was easy to hold and maneuver. if you're thinking i'm sounding a little crazy, i'm gonna go out on a limb and say you're feeling that way because you've never found a seriously amazing mascara!!!! haha

anyways, the colossal is doing the job alright these days, but several of my friends strongly suggested i pick up the l'oreal voluminous volume. once i'm done with or over the colossal, i definitely plan to give the l'oreal a try!


so, i have to ask... am i the only one that has a makeup product that is pretty expensive and needing to make the switch to drug store brand?? would love to hear what other drug store brand products are as good/better as the dept store ones!!


Friday, August 16, 2013

h54f!

happy friday, friends! we are up and at em this morning. well... technically i got up and at em (aka showered & ready for the day), but now that holden is up, we are being lazy bums on the couch watching luke bryan on the today show! i had big plans of getting out of the house early to get a head start on my long list of errands to run, but that didn't quite happen... oh well! we've had a fun week of qt and laughs! still loving holden's age so much!!! here's my top 5's of the week! what are yours?? make sure to link up w me, lauren & jeannett!  

5. remember how i mentioned here that i was starting the c25k program?? well... things were all fine & dandy until the curse of shin splints took over my life. for real! they finally subsided a couple day ago, so i've started hitting the pavement again!


4. we met a friend and her son at the park and local zoo this week. love that we have a cute local zoo that has goats, otters, emus, monkeys etc. they also have a cute train that takes you around the park for like a 10-15 min ride! it's not huge, but it's nice and close and is free! 



3. i've really been making a point to study and get into the word the last few wks. and i can say that it 100% changes my attitude and mood when i set this as a priority in my day. one day this week, i decided to have my breakfast & coffee on the patio w some worship music playing. birds chirping, no toddler needing me... it was bliss! 


2. now that mops is getting into full swing, we have meetings every tuesday (since i'm on the leadership team). after our meeting this week, we decided to go to chick fil a! besides it being noon and sheer chaos, we got to eat as a group and the kids got to play. we were def outnumbered by our kiddos, so i didn't get any pics, but i did snag this quick one of h! he's getting braver in the play place...


1. i have been loving the weather here in indiana this summer. we have lots of hot days and nights, but it's been overall pretty cool. as in, it's currently in the high 60's-low 70's here right now. in august. crazy! anyways, with good weather comes good non-frizzy hair days. ptl. and being able to dress cute and not be a sweaty mess. amen! i debuted my somervell necklace yesterday! I've had it for awhile and was waiting til it felt right w an outfit. and a fun shirt w bicycles on it just felt right!


hope y'all have had a good week!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

beyond blessed.

holden turns two in november. this partially blows my mind that he's only 2 since he is so smart and partially makes me seriously question where all the time went. and then i think how old that makes me feel. not in the sense that 27 is old as dirt or anything, but more so that i'm not the 20 year old i still dream i am. i have successfully kept another human being alive for two whole years. and what a wild ride it has been!!!


this morning, holden and i are having a 'hang out in our jammies even though we're approaching noon' kind of day. necessary sometimes, y'know? these days, my buddy has had me laughing so much. sometimes from his ornery-ness and sometimes from his cuteness. i'm sure all mamas can understand.

holden has recently become a 'bunny daddy'... kinda like a 'baby mama' or something! he tries to share his sippy cup with them, tells them to go 'nigh nigh', gives them lots of hugs & kisses and has them (yes, there are several...) 'kees' aka kiss each other. it's just so sweet. and although baby t 2.0 isn't coming anytime soon, it's so sweet to imagine that he will love on a future sibling like this!!! 

my heart is just full. cherishing these moments. the 'jammies at noon' kind of moments. blessed beyond measure. 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

on the hunt!

i have been a faithful lancome hypnose drama mascara user for years.



and before that, i was a faithful diorshow mascara user for years.

it's in my blood. good mascara is right up there with food, in my book. but... all of those years of fab mascara equals lots of $$$ that could have been saved... or spent on fab other things, let's be honest!

ok, so here's the deal. i've been delaying this moment for a LONG time for fear of never finding another mascara i love as much. but, the day is here because i can't bring myself to even go to the macy's counter one more time and shell out $28 on that glorious tube of magic! so, here goes. i'm on the hunt for a cheaper mascara! but, i'm not happy about it, so i'm gonna need some help along the way!

i picked up a couple mascaras while at target the other day, but i hadn't read any reviews or asked around or anything, so i'm still not sure if i'll even open them. i will say, i honestly grabbed the first two i saw because it's back to school shopping MADNESS in lafayette and i couldn't imagine staying in target longer than necessary (this further proves how insane this madness is!)!

the two mascaras i grabbed are by maybelline. 'the colossal' & 'the rocket', to be more specific.



i don't have super high hopes, but i'm trying to keep an open mind! if they stink, i'll move on until i find something better! and i actually will be looking up some reviews over the next few days since i have to return the one that i accidentally picked up in 'brownish black'. oops!

leave me some feedback!!! do you have a fav 'drug store' mascara?? if so, what is it? or have you tried some that just plain stink and aren't worth my time?

ps- if you have pathetic lashes and are in the market for a mascara that will give you a little somethin somethin, i cannot recommend the lancome hypnose drama enough! take my word for it and splurge just once!!!

Monday, August 12, 2013

birthday date night!

like i mentioned here, grant has really been intentional about making my birthday special this year! so grateful for that man!! so, we planned to jet off to indianapolis late afternoon to make our 6 o'clock reservation!

after have a child, i feel like you appreciate driving, eating, walking, etc so much more when you don't have your babe w you! i would consider holden an extremely well-behaved toddler, but the experience would've been a lot different if i would've had to help entertain him all the way to indy, distract him during dinner & hope he ate the food & then distract him on the way home again! needless to say, a date night was much-needed and a great way to make up for my slightly depressing & boring actual birthday (the day before)!


we decided to go to fogo de chau downtown. i've heard mixed reviews about the place, so i wasn't sure what to expect. it's an all-you-can-eat brazilian steakhouse. so, as long as you ask for them to keep bringing meat, they'll keep bringing it (on skewers). we had a god time for sure, but it was just okay in our opinions. it costs about double what it costs for us to eat at cheesecake factory, so we knew it'd take a lot to impress us. the different steaks were good, but i can only eat so much steak, y'know? and they had a huge salad bar w tons of veggies, but the veggies were all cooked and cold. it was too weird! 


all in all, it was great to sneak out of town for a bit, have a nice dinner w my hub and to try something new! i think we will opt for something we know we will love next time, though!


27, you better be good to me!!!

Saturday, August 10, 2013

happy early birthday to me!!!!

i am a big birthday person. i like to celebrate all week long with breakfast parties, dinner parties, dessert get-togethers, etc. well... when you marry a man who couldn't be more opposite than you, you kinda take what you can get (which can be a little disappointing!). however, i must say... my hub is really making my bday a big deal this year and i truly feel so loved! :)

a couple weeks ago, grant casually asked what i wanted for my bday. i could barely get the words 'madison tech bag' out of my mouth quick enough! you know... the bag i mentioned here. i am ob. sessed. with this bag and had to have it! 
so, he says those two magical words... "order it". and that i did, my friends! as in, like 5 min later. but then, he managed to make my night just a little bit better by saying that he made dinner plans in indy to celebrate!! 

i know it may not seem like much, but this is leaps & bounds from past birthdays! i feel so blessed this year that he's tapping into my love language and treating my birthday like the holiday i think it is! haha!

i'm pumped about our hot date on sunday and you best believe i will be sporting my new bag all around indy!!!

Friday, August 9, 2013

h54f!

rather than my typical high 5 for friday post, i'm just gonna post about why i'm thankful it's friday! holden & i have had a pretty lazy week full of snuggling, some shopping and lots of down time at home. i'm grateful for weeks like this. we really just took it slow most of the week! grant has had a TON of projects to edit, client meetings, photo & video shoots and the last couple days he has attended an event at our church. all of that means long days for this mama! im grateful, like i said, but on weeks like this, i'm tired by 4 if we run around town like normal!

so, I'm thankful that it's friday because...
-holden & i had a lot of sweet moments at home. just the two of us!
- tomorrow is my bday and we have some fun stuff planned this weekend to celebrate!
-a dear friend of mine who is pregnant has had a hard week w signs of really early labor. i'm taking her back to the dr this morning to hopefully get news that the contractions have slowed. (prayers welcome!)

-being lazy & acting like he owns the place!-

i've got a list of errands to run and a bathroom that wants me to clean it (really, it told me!), but none of that matters when it's your birthday week! am i right or am i right??? :)

hope you all have a great weekend!!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

the secret to dressing little boys!

before i had holden, i naturally found myself in the little girl's department at stores instead of the little boys! i didn't do it on purpose and there truly wasn't any part of me that wished i was having a daughter instead of a son, but the frills, lace, leopard print and bows just made my heart melt so much quicker than polo shirts and khaki cargo shorts! i know i'm not alone in this!!!

a friend of mine (who is prego w her 3rd babe, but first boy) recently posted something on facebook about how much harder it is to find cute baby boy stuff and it seems more expensive, too. i feel like that is a completely accurate statement... but once you find out where to shop, what to stay away from, it's easy as pie! i may pay a little more per item with holden, but i don't buy near as many things as my friends who have girls, so it probably balances out!!

my goal w dressing holden is to mainly buy pieces that i absolutely love. for now, we aren't big into the 'traditional' little boy attire: baseballs, fire trucks & monkeys. since those are the typical type of boy clothes, it can be tricky to find cute clothes! i try to focus on buying pieces that i can dress up or down, mix & match and he can wear many, many times. so, this means, that i will pay $15ish dollars for his skinny jeans at h&m. but, those $15 jeans will literally be worn for months. h&m jeans have adjustable waists, so he wears them on the tightest setting until he doesn't need them tightened at all. when they are on the tightest setting, we have had to roll them at times (which is totally in style & not lame, fyi!!). i literally cannot rave about the pants from h&m enough! holden is 21 mos and we just put away his yellow pair of pants that are size 6-9mos (h&m does run big, but not that big!).

since people comment on h's clothes all. the. time... i though it'd be fun to do a post some pics & tell you where i snagged the pieces from! i do buy some stuff second hand, but the pieces i always prefer to dress him in are things i've bought recently cause they are trendy!!

it prob goes without saying, but my number one store for little boy clothes is h&m. hands down. no competition. and, if you aren't lucky enough to have an h&m in your mall, they just opened their online store! after h&m, target & old navy are probably tied. and then i occasionally pick up pieces at kohl's, children's place & gymboree. we also have a store here called crazy 8 (a sister company of gymboree) that i've gotten a few things from. 

here's some examples of little boy outfits that are still totally boy without being lame (in my opinion!)!!

shirt: old navy, jeans (relaxed style): h&m

hat: crazy 8, shirt: old navy, pants: h&m, flip flops: babies r us 

shirt: carter's (got at kohl's), cardigan & skinny jeans: h&m, shoes: converse 

shirt: old navy, pants: h&m, soft shoes: ministar brand (target)

onesie: old navy, shorts (they have fishbones on them): children's place, dino shoes: target

shirt: children's place, bow tie: target (was $2.50!!), jeans: h&m, flip flops: babies r us

shirt, cardigan & jeans: h&m, dino shoes: target

bow ties are HUGE right now for little boys of all ages. my fav company to buy them from is on etsy: little gentlemen. they are spendy, so i don't get them often. however, i fully plan on him wearing them for years to come & on any future sons we may have!

moral of the story: little boy clothes may not initially be as cute or fun to buy, but i promise that everyone loves a well-dressed little boy! people comment on holden's clothes almost everywhere we go and i assume it's because i put a little bit of thought into dressing him! have fun with dressing your boys, mamas!! and splurge on a few key pieces that you love! it'll make all the difference!! :)

Monday, August 5, 2013

simple & easy weekend!

i love lazy weekends. as in love love love them. especially lazy saturdays. this weekend was pretty low key for us here in thompsonland and that is a-ok with me!

friday night, grant decided he wanted to go putt some golf balls at his parents' house (putting green) and decided he wanted to take holden with him! totally unexpected and totally welcome! so, after dinner, my boys left me. home alone. on a friday night! i was so giddy i didn't know what to do! so, like any normal almost-27 year old, i sat at home and browsed pinterest mindlessly! ha! it was wonderful! and hilarious. such as... 

boy do i know!!!

this is confusing beyond words! the placement... the verse... so wrong. 

i don't really repin the funny things i see, but i definitely get a good laugh out of them! 

saturday was nice & lazy, too! super low-key just the way we like it! and the best imaginable way to cap off a low-key saturday was a cookout w good friends! :)

snugs. my fav. 

my sweet happy boy. or not. should've been in bed...

a plate full of carbs. so wrong, but oh so right!

pre-church photoshoot! xoxoxo



did y'all have a good weekend?? hoping you get a lazy one soon to stop & enjoy the little things!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...