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Friday, October 30, 2015

Friday Wrap Up

(two guys feeling poorly, one teething and one with a cold)

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope everyone had a good week. Are your costumes ready? Are you going trick or treating? Any parties? I am throwing together a little impromptu Halloween get together so that means I am dashing around the house trying to get everything together. Sadly, my two guys are feeling less than great so I have to divide my time between cleaning and nursing these two back to health. 

So, things that have been on my mind lately/general happenings....

1. Christmas shopping: I love getting an early start on this. I have about half of my presents purchased. I try to find really unique or clever things. Etsy has been really helpful this year. I found some amazingly quirky baby items. Check out these amazing cloth baby books. I wish they were not so expensive or I would buy them all!

2. Baby is 5 months old! Yep, he is growing big and strong. I need to take his monthly pictures but I just have not got around to it. 

3. This article on creativity. Emma had some really great thoughts and points. I think I have stifled my own creativity in the past. I used to think that if you were not just naturally good at something then it was not your "thing." It would be better not to spend too much time trying to do something that you were great at from the start. I realize now how incredibly wrong I was. I hate that I have given up on a lot of things just because I was not an expert at the beginning. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Costumes Past


Halloween 2013, The first character to die in an 80s camp horror movie

I have never met a dress up event I did not like. I live for costume parties. With Halloween just a few days away, I decided to do a recap of some of my favorite past costumes. All of the ensembles are either self-made and cobbled together from items in my closet or borrowed from friends. 


The Little Mermaid 2009


 An Oreo (plus J. Biebs), 2010
 The Princess Bride, 2009
 Dexter and DeeDee, 2007ish
 Homeschoolers out on the town, 2008
Black and White themed party, 2008

There are more but these are a few of favorites. I am still have a bit of sewing to do for this years costume. Fingers crossed that I get it all finished. I hope you enjoyed the blast from the past!

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Over the Weekend: R&R



Not much happened over the weekend. It was filled with cleaning, watching The Office, and doing some baking. We visited a new potential church which was exciting. The leaves are changing all around. It is cold and dreary and wonderful
This week has been rather busy. I have everything I need for the baby's costume but I have not started on the sewing process at all. I am wanting to do a past costume round up before the reveal.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Friday, October 23, 2015

Friday Wrap Up

(via jones design company, found on pinterest)

I am squeezing this post in under the wire. This Friday has been all out of sorts. After a VERY fitful night of very little rest and lots of crying from baby, I was no spirits to get much done. However, I somehow got a a second wind this evening. Maybe it is the rooibos tea, maybe it is the Gilmore girls, either way I have the energy and I did not want to leave the anybody hanging. BTW, how cute is this picture? It is actually a free printable. I might just have to download this thing and slap in a frame.

So yeah, things from this week...

1. Adele is back! My old roommate sent me the new video. It is so great! I cannot wait to see what else Adele has in store. 

2. Speaking of Gilmore girls, did everyone see this article?! If this does not actually happen, I will die. 

I wish I had something else to round out the list but my energy is fading fast.

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Working With Baby


While I was pregnant, I was very adamant about that fact that I was going to return to work post-delivery. Just because I was having a baby did not mean that I was going to stay at home forever. No way, Jose! The thought was almost absurd. Why, would having a baby change the fact that I wanted to work?
Well, I had said baby. I took off about 14 weeks and now I am back at work. I am working part time and since I work for a small family business, I can bring the little guy with me. I am super thankful and glad to be back. I am very content with my current situation. I know that I have it significantly easier than almost anyone out there and I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity. 
The thing weird is, I was not discontent when I was at home. I thought that I would be ready to go back out of boredom. I was sure that I would be tired of being home. Maybe it is my hermit nature or maybe the whole maternal instinct was kicking in, but I was not going stir crazy at home. I think the weirdest but most fortunate thing about the situation is now I know I can do both. I can stay home if I need to or I can work. Both are good and I am happy doing either. 
Ultimately, I think my obstinate ideas and opinions pre-baby were coming from a place of uncertainty. I did not want, and still do not, want a baby to change everything about who I am. In reality, my life has simply expanded. I still have the same interests and ambitions. Those core ideals have not changed rather new things have been added. It is a liberating feeling. That pre-baby uncertainty has been replaced with a much more stable frame of mind. It feels good. 

Monday, October 19, 2015

Over The Weekend: Pumpkin

This weekend was quintessential autumn. It was chilly, we bought pumpkins, I made pumpkin spice coffee syrup. It was amazing. I snapped a few pictures of baby with our pumpkin haul. He was too cute. I am just trying to soak all of this amazing weather and all of the seasonally appropriate activities, possibly.

Have a good Monday!

Friday, October 16, 2015

Friday Wrap Up

Well, I was late on the draw today. My errands ran a little a lot longer than I intended. But hey, it is Friday! Yeah for that. The weather is wonderful, this week went pretty well. I am feeling good.

Things that I am loving right now/what is on my mind:

1. Snapchat and Periscope: I am sad it took me this long to jump in. I totally felt really old for awhile during the introductory period but now I am hooked. Both are really fun and I cannot wait to see how they grow and develop.

2. Christmas cards: I do not condone CELEBRATING anything related to Christmas yet (no Christmas musIc), however, some elements of Christmas take planning and I am all about getting ahead of the crowd. I am debating what to do this year. Both Persnickety Prints and Artifacts Uprising have some cute options. What do you think?

3. Painting my nails: I go through spurts where I am very diligent about keeping my nails painted and not biting them. I have been a nail biter my whole life and I am trying to stop. I did really well for about four weeks then for some reason I started again. Usually, it coincides with my stress level. During finals I had no nails. I am on a good nail painting kick and I am hoping that it will translate into nice, healthy, non-bitten nails. We shall see. For now, I am just enjoying the pretty new polish.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Bangs



BANGS, guys.  Bangs. For those who do not know or do not remember, I had a bad case of horrible bangs for most of my life. Well, I think they were horrible. I am sure they were not THAT bad but I swore for the longest time that I would never have anything that resembled straight across bangs again. I have to eat my words because the bangs are back. They are not as heavy or blunt as my tween/early teen ones were but they are much more pronounced than anything I have had in years. It has been an adjustment. It seems like a superficial thing to say. How much can a haircut matter? I do not know if it is a girl thing or maybe it is just me, but my relationship with my hair has always been a bit of a struggle. I think it is because I am not very confident when it comes to styling it. For a long time, I hated the fact that I never could get my hair to look like I wanted it. I have photos from past events that I do not care to look at because my hair bothers me so much. Is that not horrible? How does one get past this? Well, I think a lot of it has to do with maturity. Not sweating the small stuff. I am definitely not there yet but I can see the growth. Getting bangs is a sign that I growing a little. I usually do not like to rock the boat too much when it comes to my hair (other when I dyed part of  it pink.) But you, what? It is just hair! At worst, I have a week or so of really bad hair days. It will always grow. This is just another area I have to release from the control of perfectionism. That is what it is truly about. The need to control and manage everything to compensate for a lack of confidence.
So yeah, bangs. I am still getting used them but I like them. Still, styling tips are appreciated!

Do you have a love/hate relationship with your hair? How do you feel about bangs? What products do you use?

Monday, October 12, 2015

Over the Weekend: History



This weekend I had zero motivation for my own work, but I did enjoy helping my mother in-law sort through her photos. I am trying to convince her to use physical Project Life for organizing her photos. It was a lot of fun looking through all the old photos of my husband and his family. There were definitely some comical hair and dress choices. I loved looking at his baby photos and comparing them to our baby. It was cool to see the similarities. To go along with our photo organizing and football watching, we made no bake cookies. Probably my favorite type of cookie. I love anything with peanut and chocolate. I could eat the whole batch by myself. Even though it was not necessarily the most productive weekend, it was a pretty good one.

Have a great Monday!

Friday, October 9, 2015

Friday Wrap Up

(via pinterest , from march 2015 vogue)

It's gray, it's cool, and I am suffering from zero motivation. All I want to do is cuddle up with my pup and a good cup of coffee and drift into delirium. Amazingly, baby let me sleep in a little today. It actually kind of freaked me out because I woke up on my own and looked over at the monitor and he was just laying in his bed looking around. I have no idea how long he had been awake. 
Have I mentioned here how much I like Taylor Swift? This photo series for Vogue was amazing. Loved the boho, carefree vibe. Karlie Kloss is a stunner. I love the new album but I am still really fond of her old stuff. Taylor Swift is the champion of girls and women everywhere. For some weird reason, people just relate with her. 

So in other news, I kind of hate all my clothes. I am in a rut, stylistically. It feels amazing to be back in pre-baby clothes but I really do not enjoy what I have. My style is definitely in transition. I have been trying to nail down what I love theoretically/on other people versus what I actually love to wear. I do not know what my style really is. I also realize that I need to stretch myself out of my comfort zone a little. Otherwise, I am going to be perpetually stuck wearing the same things, over and over again. 

Here are a few things I am drawn to lately, 





Just some thoughts I have been having. 

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, October 8, 2015

All The Places You'll Go

Part of my budgeting plan right now is preparing for a trip for my sister's high school graduation. She goes to boarding school in Germany, the same one that my brother and I attended. Scott has never visited and I am really looking forward to showing him around. The trip is still two years out but I cannot stop daydreaming about it. We both love to travel and I am exciting to introduce baby to the joys of traveling. We are hoping to make it an extended vacation, so I am researching and reviewing all the different things we could possible do and see. Rick Steves is my go to travel guy. His show on PBS (which we watch on Hulu) will transport you all over Europe. He has great tips for getting the most out of your money while still having a rich travel experience. He can be kind of cheesy and loves a good pun but that is why we love him. His show is great and his website is very informative. 
I also love watching Anthony Bourdain's shows for a more food-centric travel experience. No Reservations  is great for uncovering the food history of the area. He makes me want to be adventurous and eat everything.  
It is still a long way off but I cannot wait for our European adventure! I will just have to be content looking at pretty pictures and making plans until then. 

Do you like to travel? Where is your next big adventure? 
For more travel related inspiration, check out my pinterest account. I am always pinning lustworthy travel images. 


Wednesday, October 7, 2015

The Grind



Whew. Is it Friday yet? No, just Wednesday? Wow. This week has been full already. Work is slammed. I am trying to stay on top of my little homemaker duties. I finally made it to the grocery store yesterday so there is fresh food in the house. We are making progress with our "Total Money Makeover." My head feels full. It is probably dehydration. I do not do well about drinking water when I get too busy.
Being an adult is rough. Life is rough. Work is rough. Parenting is rough. Sometimes I feel like I am being pulled in a million different directions. However, in the middle of the grind of daily life, sometimes the best thing you can do is take a little step back. I had to do that this morning. Perspective is an amazing thing. It is like one of those illusions where first you see an old hag but then if you let your eyes refocus you see the beautiful lady. That is how I have to look at the daily tasks. If I let myself get bogged down, all I see is a million things to do. Taking a step back lets me breath, refocus, and better attack the problem. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I feel accomplished. Drinking a big glass of water (followed by a big cup of coffee) also helps.
So, here is to Wednesdays and getting stuff done.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Over the Weekend: Downpour











It has rained almost nonstop for 4 days. I do not think the ground can hold any more water. This hurricane has been no joke. This weekend was great. We visited with some friends, had some chill time, and just got the chance to recharge. It was just what we needed. On Sunday, I made homemade pizza. It was so good. I love making my own sauce. It has a much deeper flavor than anything you can buy at the store. As a part of our "Total Money Makeover," we are not eating out at all this month. That means no delivery pizza here. I think it will be a good exercise in restraint as well as a big eye opener. Eating out is definitely a money suck. It will be interesting to review how we did budget-wise at the end of the month.
Enjoy the snapshots from this weekend.
And, yes, I got bangs.

Friday, October 2, 2015

Friday Wrap Up

(old photo via my instagram, would have been appropriate for #nationalcoffeeday)
Another week is wrapping up. It is October and so far it has been extremely WET here. Nothing like a lot of rain to usher in a new season. Work has been rather crazy but I am really glad to be back. I come home feeling tired but really accomplished. 
So after posting about being a slob it totally kicked my butt into high gear. I have been on a cleaning tear. I also realized, that I am more likely to keep a room clean if it is somewhat decorated. So that has motivated me to really get some more rooms fleshed out, especially our master bedroom. That is where junk goes to die. Getting it somewhat finished has shot right up to the top of the to-do list. 
Parenting wise this week went smoothly. The little guy is in a good routine and is getting very predictable. I am not looking forward to the crawling. He is so content to just play. I can get a lot done simply by moving him from room to room with me. Once the crawling starts, the battle will begin. It is another reason I need to get the house in tip top shape. 
Other things happening around here:

1. Listening to The Dave Ramsey Show: Money can be pretty taboo but it is something that is incredibly important. I love his brusk attitude. He just lays it out there. I am going to start reading The Total Money Makeover. Should be a good read.

2. Brainstorming Halloween costumes: It probably will not be anything elaborate, but I love group Halloween costumes. Last year, Lady Pup and I were a Mummy Pup and a Mommy Pumpkin. I was 12-13 weeks pregnant I think. 
I have started pinning some ideas. We shall what it ends up being.

3. Autumn activities: Now that it is October, I feel like I can dive into some Autumn activities. Number one on the list is getting some pumpkins and breaking out my Fall decor. I cannot wait!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!