31 Days: 31 Days to a No Brainer Wardrobe

Its day 2 of my "31 Days of 31 Day Favorites" and today is an awesome series:  31 Days to a No Brainer Wardrobe.

So Hayley, the author of The Tiny Twig, begins this series with this simple fact:  women wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time.  The 20% that you are wearing is probably the stuff that you feel great in, wash 80 million times, and hardly gets hung up before it’s worn again.

So Hayley's 31day series is all about having a great, usable wardrobe that you love!  Its how to establish your "style", and buying key pieces that fit your style for all different situations.  It's about having 10 clothing items that you can make into 25 different outfits.  I'm telling you - this series is GREAT, especially for people like me that really do only wear about 20% of the clothes in my closet!

So hope on over to The Tiny Twig and read this!  NOW!  
(side note: this link above takes you to the first post. When you're ready to move one, click "Next Article...even though it says "Meal Plan"...then the next article after the meal plan begins the series.  Continue to click on "Next Article" to go through the series.)

Life Lately

Most of you know that I love to scrapbook, but I have been so bad about keeping up with it.  But for some reason, the past two weeks I have been on a scrappin' craze!!!!!  Here are a few of my favorite pages that I've been working on.









 

 





 

The Summer Fun List

With summer right around the corner, I always love putting together a 

Summer Fun List!

If you've never done a Summer Fun List, it is a great way to explore your town, or just get outside and have fun, especially as a family.  We've done this the past several years and love marking things off our list.  So here are the fun things we want to do this summer! 

Day 2 - Commenting Challenge

Well today's topic for Jenna's Commenting Challenge is:  What's your favorite TV show/series/reality show? If you don't watch TV, what about a favorite movie or book series? 

Having a 2 year old certainly limits some of the TV watching that goes on in my house.  I mean if we get serious, I probably watch Disney Jr. just as much as I watch ABC or CBS.  But, I do have a few favorite shows that are on my DVR so I can watch in my "down-time".  Here's a quick run down:

• Amazing Race
• Duck Dynasty
• Next Food Network Star
• Chopped
• Deadliest Catch
• Pretty Little Liars

Can y'all tell that I enjoy cooking shows?  I used to be a huge One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries fanatic, but OTH and GG are off the air, and VD just doesn't interest me anymore.   

I'm also a huge reader.  I love to read.  Before I had Emmalee you could rest assured that my nightly routine involved a nice hot bath, glass of wine, and a good book.  Those were the days.  Since motherhood encroached upon me, reading has become a favorite pastime, but I still try to sneak in a chapter or two when I can.  

Some of my favorite books/authors are:

• John Grisham - I grew up wanting to be a lawyer, and even worked at a law firm for a little while, so I love legal/crime novels.  I'm just a sucker for them. 
• Mary Higgins Clark - I haven't read anything from her in a while, but she is still a favorite. 
• Karen Kingbury - I love her novels!  
• East of Eden - John Steinbeck - in my opinion, this might be one of the greatest classic novels of all time. 
• The Twilight Saga - Yes, I'ill admit that I loved the Twilight Saga books, and the movies.  And if you enjoyed them, then read The Host.  Stephanie Meyer did a great job on writing that one too. 

Do you have any other authors that I need to reading?  

Favorite Picture Ideas

Today on Kelly's Korner "Show Us Your Life", she is talking about favorite picture ideas.  And in my opinion, there is nothing better than simply capturing life!  Not poses, not portraits, but life...the smiles, the laughter, the true emotion of seeing someone truly live in the moment.

When Brant and I got married, we had a wonderful photographer names Julie Robles. (now don't judge that I didn't use my sister because 1, she was my matron of honor and 2, she hadn't started her photography business yet!)  But Julie was wonderful and did amazing work.  But my most favorite pictures that she took were right after the wedding ceremony had ended.  As soon as we walked out of the santuary, she pulled Brant and I aside, and took us into the courtyard.  She said "You have 5 minutes to just think about what just happened.  You're married!  So I want you to take this 5 minutes with each other, and just reflect."  And so we did, but the moments she captured between us are, in my opinion, priceless.  

It Was the Best of Times...

I'm so excited to be participating with the SITS Girls for their:

Today's writing prompt is "School Memories."

To tell you the truth, I have most good memories about junior/high school, but my greatest memories are from college.  This is where I made some of the most amazing friendships of my life that are still growing today. 

This is a picture fro my junior year in college: from the left there is Jessica, me, Mary, Michelle and Jill.  If you show this picture to anyone of us, we would crack up laughing simply because of the memories this night (in particular) holds.  Fast-forward 10 years, and here we are again (with the addition of my sweet child hanging on my leg):

And NO - were did not mean to stand in the same order as the picture above - it LITERALLY just happened!!!

These girls ARE my school memories.  We went through boyfriends and breakups, laughter and tears, triumphs and failures.  We had classes together, we lived together, we stayed up until all hours of the night together, we vacationed together, we loved together, and we are STILL together! 

I can truthfully say that college was some of the best 4 1/2 years of my life.  Yes, there were heartaches, but the lessons and memories (not to mention the love of my life that I met there) will always be worth it!

Summer Fun List Update

Well, the summer isn't over yet, but I just thought I would give you a quick update on what we have accomplished from our "Summer Fun" List. 

Here is our original list:

• Pick Berries at Gnismer Farms
• Go to Hawaiian Falls
• Spend a day on the lake 
• Wagon ride through Rose Memorial Park
• Go to a petting zoo
• Blow bubbles 
• Take Dax to the park
• Fly a kite
• Have a picnic
• Plant an herb garden
• Read books
• Feed ducks at the park
• Go see 4th of July fireworks
• Fingerpaint
• Plant a flower
• Dallas World Aquarium
• Make cookies
• Play in the rain

Although we haven't done a lot, we have done a few things and certainly had a ton of fun!

We have definitely spent our fair share of time at Hawaiian Fall.  Emmalee LOVES the water and loves to be outside, so Hawaiian Falls is a great place for us.  

We've also spent some time at the lake, and will spend quite a more this weekend.  With Granda and Grandad living on the lake and having a boat, we always have the chance to go to the lake.  This weekend we'll be spending some relaxing days on Lake Whitney at the White Bluff Resort.  I can't wait to leave. 

Sometimes I look back at this list and laugh because it seems like we read books on a nightly basis.  Emmalee LOVES her books, whether she is sitting in your lap, or reading herself.  She definitely gets this from her momma! 

On the 3rd of July we went and saw the fireworks in our little town of Mansfield.  It was great.  Brant's family came, and my sister met us out there with a few of her kiddos.  With colors filling the skies, a slight breeze and lots of friends and family, its was a GREAT evening.

And of course, I was the mom that let her child play in the rain.  You can see my post about it here.

What have you crossed off your "Summer Fun" List?

My Lil' Sassy Pants

On Saturday morning, Aunt Cookie did a little photoshoot with Emmalee.  I'm a crap mom and forgot to have 12 month pictures made, but we decided that 14 month pics was better than nothin'!  And y'all, I know I say it all the time, but I am so incredibly lucky to have a sister who is such a fabulous photographer!!!

I thought I would share a few of my favorites!  

Looking so sweet and innocent.

This one is one of my most favorite!  I LOVE those big blue eyes!

"Emmalee Caroline - get that stick our of your mouth!"

LOVE!

Annnndddd...here is Ms. Sassy Pants!

This is my happy girl! This is a totally unedited pic that I just had to share! She is just too cute here!

And the Diva is revealed! 

Family Ice Cream Night

Sometimes we like to go for ice cream at Sonic - its Family Ice Cream Night - and we ALL love it! 

 

There's a certain "big" girl who likes to do it herself. 

 

"Look at me Momma!"

Summer List

I have seen so many people posting "Summer Fun Lists" of things they want to do, or do with their children,  before the end of the summer.  I love this idea. 

So I've created a "Summer Fun List"!

• Pick Berries at Gnismer Farms
• Go to Hawaiian Farms
• Spend a day on the lake 
• Wagon ride through Rose Memorial Park
• Go to a petting zoo
• Blow bubbles 
• Take Dax to the park
• Fly a kite
• Have a picnic
• Plant an herb garden
• Read books
• Go to the splash pad
• Feed ducks at the park
• Go see 4th of July fireworks
• Fingerpaint
• Plant a flower
• Dallas World Aquarium
• Make cookies
• Play in the rain

Do you have a summer to-do list?  What's on it???  

Fabulously Frugal Fashion

One of the great things about working in Downtown Dallas is that there are people selling stuff all throughout the tunnels! (FYI - the tunnels are just that...an underground system of passages that take you to different buildings) Each day there are different vendors with all sorts of different things to buy.

Well today, there just happened to be a jewelry lady and she was having a huge sale on fashion rings!

These are my fabulously frugal fashion rings for only $2 each!!!!!!!! Can you believe that - only $2!!! I was so excited!