picking a bed.

since grant and i got married in 2007, most of our furniture has been either hand-me-downs or cheap apartmentesque furniture from target. when we moved into the first home we actually own (our current home), we both knew we wanted to get a nice set of furniture for our master bedroom. so, once we got settled in, we began the discussion of what kind of bed we wanted.

wood? upholstered? four post? platform? white? cherry? dark?

so many questions.

we quickly agreed that we wanted an upholstered bed with some sort of tufting and/or nailhead design. since our bedroom walls are medium to dark, i knew i wanted something cream or beige color. although we plan to flip this house next winter, i have lots of bedroom ideas that this bed will work with even if we don't have dark walls. 

we originally agreed on this bed that we found on wayfair and then again on amazon. we both love the straight lines of it and the price is killer, too. we do still really, really like it, BUT... i had major anxiety about ordering a bed online. the fabric is velvet, so i wasn't sure if i'd like that or not. then there's the whole 'how do i return this thing if i hate it?' ordeal. it just seemed too risky to me.

so... we i decided it was a better decision to find a bed from an actual store that we could see and feel the fabric. luckily, it didn't take long and i found a bed i LOVE! the picture isn't near as fancy as the one above, but i am in love with this bed for real. it's from z gallerie fyi!

now, grant has said he wants new bedding and the whole nine yards. i see lots of trips to indianapolis' home goods in my future... :)

things i'm lovin!

i have recently become obsessed w a few things here lately and i feel compelled to tell the world!!!

first, this isn't a recent fav, but it's recently made it's way back into my rotation. grant doesn't really drink coffee at home, so i try to not have a ton of creamers in the house or they will go to waste. my current go-to coffee creamer is the coffeemate peppermint mocha. it's the perfect amount of peppermint, but not overpowering.

no-crease hair ties are all the rage these days. i didn't really see the benefit of them until my dear friend gave some to me as gift. she's made me a believer, to say the least! they are AMAZING for throwing your hair up especially if you only want it up for a period of time (like while you're doing the dishes and working up a sweat). my hair is SO fine and regular hair ties almost instantly crease my hair. the other benefit of these is they are super trendy as bracelets and aren't too tight on your wrist like other hair ties might be.

if you own a dyson, have a good amount of hard floors in your house (tile, wood, etc) and don't own the hard floor attachment you seriously don't know what you're missing!!! i cannot recommend the dyson enough. i've had mine for around 5 years and still love it dearly. when we moved into our new house and have mostly laminate floor and tile in the bathrooms, i realized real quick that i needed to get something. i had no idea dyson even made hard floor attachment, but they totally do and it's worth every penny! it fits on pretty much every dyson and is such a lifesaver! makes vacuuming a breeze. seriously! get it!

I'm in a constant state of mind trying to decorate our house with things i LOVE, not just like... not just like the pricetag... not just like the durability... not just like that it's 'good enough'. i do know myself well enough to know that my style changes regularly, so blowing lots of $$$ on certain things just isn't worth it, BUT, i still want stuff i LOVE. with that said, i was recently at west elm and found THE most perfect throw pillows. I'm hoping to snag these on sale, but they ARE silk and that makes me nervous w a toddler constantly destroying my house! we'll see if they ever make it to mi casa...

so... what are y'all loving?? a new lipstick? fav new drink at sbux? share w me!!!

birth story: archer finn!

there are few days that i have lately that really just stand out in my mind. i might get a really sweet text from a friend or days like today, someone in front of me in the sbux drivethru buys my drink. these things don't really leave a lasting impression, though. i guess that's the best way to describe this: a lasting impression.

some may think it's strange how monumental this day was for me... especially since i have been through labor myself and have a sweet baby to show for it already. i just don't know how to explain how incredible the miracle of life is being on the other side of it.

not being the one stuck in a bed for hours.
not being the one asking nurses how many more pushes (ok... i may be the only one to ever do that...).
not being the one to be so exhausted that the first moments with your baby are a blur.

gretchen, grant's sister, asked me early on in her pregnancy what i thought about taking some pictures of their son after he was born. you know, getting weighed, his first bath, etc. i delightfully said no problem and looked forward to those first moments with my nephew. especially since we lived in florida when my niece was born and i feel like i missed out on so, so much with her.

fast forward several months. gretchen is a week overdue and we are all just on the edge of our seats wondering why he doesn't want to come meet us! since i knew they wanted pics RIGHT after he was born, i was fully expecting a call when they headed to the hospital to make sure i got there to take his first pics.

well, about the time i got the text that they were heading to the hospital, i had gotten about two hours of sleep. my friend ashley was in town visiting and we had stayed up late chatting. then, holden decided he wanted to party about 2 hours after we went to bed. and, per usual, this was no fun and my delusional sleeplessness was kicking in. well, shortly after holden woke up and would NOT go to sleep, grant got up cause he couldn't sleep either. and then i got THE text.

"we are heading to the hospital. if you can head there in about 30 min, that would be good."

so, i jump in the shower (knowing i won't have time after he's born before i have to be to MOPS) and start to get ready for my day. at 4am. oy. around this time, i text gretchen's husband, jason, back and ask if he can find out what exactly gretchen wants pics of (in between contractions, of course!). he texts back that she wants me there when she's pushing. and not just there... in the room.

my heart skips a beat. the thought never crossed my mind about being in the delivery room as she was delivering. maybe because gretchen is fairly private. maybe because i didn't know if that was something that i would even enjoy. i don't know why it didn't, it just didn't.

so, knowing that with gretchen's daughter, her entire labor was around 4 hours, i knew i had to move quick. i threw on some clothes, grabbed my camera (that grant lovingly got all ready for me) and i was out the door. i wanted a coffee... i wanted lunch (it felt like i should be ready for lunch since i was clearly not getting the sleep my body needed!). but, i knew i couldn't risk missing everything for a coffee!

i drove a little quicker than i should have, almost ran a red light that was taking forever and i can still remember the jitters i had. it was like i remembered the nervous feelings i had going into labor and was having sympathy feelings or something. so, with my stomach in knots, i made my way to the hospital.

when i got there, they weren't quite ready for me, so i waited in the lobby. i had grabbed some goldfish on my way out the door, so i anxiously munched on those while watching infomercials. after maybe 20 min, i got a text that she was ready to push.

what?
already?
ok... here we go!!!

i got settled in my 'station' up by gretchen's shoulders and was ready to shoot. luckily, since gretchen does have ridiculously quick labors, it didn't take long and we all got to meet the little (not so little) baby boy!

 archer finn diehls was here! all 10 lbs, 3 oz of him! gretchen is a warrior. a non-epidural warrior!

archer finn, your auntie misty loves you to the moon & back. i can't wait to see the man of god you become and the great things you will do! i feel honored to know you from the beginning, my love!

easy crockpot chicken tacos amazeballs!

if you've read much of my blog, you may get the impression that i'm savvy in the kitchen. well... i am here to tell you that that couldn't be farther from reality. i wish i liked to cook, i wish i liked to do the dishes afterwards and i reallllllly wish i had a husband that knew not to compare my meal to carrabba's (yes, i'm serious about that last one). i really shot myself in the foot because when grant & i first got married, we were both working, both had no clue how to cook & lived near a bunch of amazing restaurants. ergo, we ate out. like every other night. we ate some darn good food and food that is impossible to replicate.

fast forward 6 years and i am now a stay at home mama with more time than ever before to meal plan, grocery shop & get a meal on the table. the desire to cook in me is starting to grow, but i am nowhere near the pioneer woman! thanks to my handy, dandy pinterest, i've found some recipes lately that are tasty, versatile & most importantly... EASY! i have a feeling my crockpot will quickly become one of my dear friends!

ok, ok... enough with my cooking history!!! you've gotta try these easy, peasy crockpot chicken tacos! like tomorrow! :) since it makes plenty of chicken and i got sick of eating chicken tacos for lunch every day, i switched it up and made quesadillas w the chicken! and they're amazing! so, without further ado...

EASY CROCKPOT CHICKEN TACOS

1 package taco seasoning
1 24 oz jar of salsa
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1. pour the jar of salsa in the crockpot and dump in the packet of taco seasoning.
2. toss the chicken in & make sure as much of the chicken is covered w the salsa.
3. turn on low & let it be for 6-8 hours.
4. the chicken will be falling apart, but shred any remaining chunks.
5. ENJOY!

this recipe could NOT be easier. and that's comin from a lady who doesn't know much about cooking! the original recipe called for a 16 oz jar of salsa, but i wanted to make sure that it didn't get too dry in the crockpot. honestly, 20 oz would prob be the perfect amount, but go with your heart! :)