Friday Favorites

Oh, hey there! Silly me thinking I could keep up with my blog during the months of August-October. This is my toughest time of year as a teacher. I cannot tell you how much I LOVE teaching though - I just need constant reminders at this time of year.

It's also been REALLY difficult to get my head in the game when I am just a few short weeks away from Thanksgiving, Christmas vacation, and maternity leave! 

I'm happy to have a few moments to return to my blog for now though and look forward to the holidays and maternity leave, where I will hopefully be able to post more often. 




One. Zoey. We happened upon the Frisco Arts Walk one weekend in early October and Zoey's whole 2.5 years of life was made when she ran into Anna and Elsa. She still talks about it.

 

She also dressed as Elsa for Halloween and enjoyed her first trick or treating experience at Trick or Treat the Square in Frisco.




Two. Halloween. Speaking of Halloween, this year we found an 80 pack of Play-Doh at Costco back in August and purchased it for our Trick-or-Treaters at home. I have to say, even the middle schoolers were psyched to get Play-Doh over candy. We will definitely be doing this again next year! #TealPumpkinProject



I also put together treat bags for Zoey's Halloween party. It took me two years, but I finally caught on to the untold treat bag thing Zoey's classroom seems to do at holidays. I was proud of myself. If you can't tell, we don't do candy in this house...Halloween is tricky.



Three. Pantry. It's been over 2 years since I last organized our pantry! I finally got brave and tackled that one weekend in September. My genius husband took it to the next level by installing some lighting in the darkness of our pantry. Glorious.





Four. Weekends. I live for the weekends with my family. Nothing better than cooler (slightly) weather, college football, and precious time with my little family.





Five. School. As luck would have it, our annual flu clinic occurred during my third trimester, which meant I was able to get my flu and TDAP shots knocked out in one go, on the clock, fo' free!!



I also had the pleasure of making my favorite recovery meal for a coworker. It beats the casserole and it's so easy to prepare. Seasoned taco meat {my taco seasoning recipe}, diced tomatoes, chopped onions, shredded lettuce, cheese, sour cream, soft and crispy shells, refried beans, Mexican rice, chips, salsa, and a little dessert!



Six. Nursery. At 31 weeks pregnant, we are finally starting Luke's nursery. We've been moving and consolidating our guest rooms - which, of course, entails some renovation (removal of "decorative" shelves surrounding the room, addition of a ceiling fan, and paint (the very last room of the house not painted by us!)). Luckily the nursery is already painted and ready to be Harry Potter-fied as soon as the guest room furniture is moved out! I AM SO EXCITED.

My Sooners are about to wrap up a sloppy win against Iowa State tonight. I am looking forward to wrapping up my Friday by chaperoning a sixth grade dance and then heading out later this weekend for a little solo time with Chris to see Doctor Strange. 

That's it for this week! Have a fabulous weekend!

              

Baby #2: Gender Reveal

So I asked Zoey before the ultrasound, if she thought she was getting a baby brother or a baby sister. She, without hesitation, emphatically announced she was getting a baby brother. Was she correct?





Yes - she was spot on!! Zoey will be big sister to a little brother!



Zoey is thrilled to remain the only princess in this clan! And we are thrilled to be adding a wiggly baby boy to our growing family!



Stay tuned - I have stitch fix updates and more coming soon now that the secret is out. <3

A Little Update

Hi guys! I wanted to write a quick post explaining my absence from the blog these past couple of weeks. I've been enjoying the heck out of being home with Zoey and soaking up these last few weeks of summer. I've also gone quiet, because I've been keeping a little big secret and it's hard to talk about life and keep big secrets!

So we are excited to FINALLY announce...

Zoey has another little secret for you too...

She knows if she's getting a baby brother or baby sister!!

Just for fun - We want to know what you think before we announce! Take the poll on the side bar -->

I'll be back tomorrow morning to let you know. ;)

Five on Friday - Already?

Is it just me or did this week FLY? I cannot believe it's already Friday and it hasn't even been that thrilling of a week. Zoey has napped 1.5/4 days this week so I've been struggling to get anything of substance done. Fortunately, we just have to survive today and then we get a 3 day weekend with Chris! We have some fun things on the agenda and I'm looking forward to some extra time with him. 

My post on book suggestions is almost complete and ready to be posted Monday morning. Thank you so much for all of the great suggestions!



Before ^

After v
 

One. Hair. I talked about my awful overgrown hair {last week}. Here was the end result. I am very happy and I adore my stylist. 




Two. Amazon Prime Day. I also talked about this last week, but the final thing I ordered finally came in this week! These little {portable chargers} are awesome. I know I'm the absolute last person to get one of these, but they're just so great! I can hunt for Pokemon, I mean, check work e-mails without fear of my battery dying while out and about. This particular one gets excellent reviews.



Three. Hairband. I am a little overly excited about {this impulse purchase} that I picked up at Target this week. I've already tried it out and it really is so easy and looks so good! My hair needs to be just a tad longer for it to stay put though.



Four. Binge. I just started watching {Crazy Ex-Girlfriend} on Netflix at the suggestion of my husband. He heard about it on NPR and thought I'd like it, aw! I know, he's so great! Anyways, I'm really enjoying it! I particularly LOVE that they break out into one to two songs per episode. I think it originally aired on the CW and the second season will air this fall. And yes, I am watching this with subtitles because this is the first lengthy nap Zoey has taken this week! I wasn't going to mess that up for anything.



Five. Planning. I can tell that the school year is coming. I've started hoarding school supplies that I find on sale, pinning math and SPED ideas like crazy, and I busted out my {Erin Condren planner} this week. Last year, I had the {Plum Paper planner} and I think I like the PP layout better, but EC's bold colors and stickers are hard to beat. I am loving it so far. 

That's it for this week! Check out a few of my favorite blogs below and have a fabulous weekend!

                    Linking up with a few of my favs - April, Christina & Natasha!

See you next week!

Five on Friday - This and That

Happy Friday! I fully intended to get this up during nap time this afternoon but in pretending to be asleep so Zoey would sleep...I fell asleep. Better late than never though!

On a side note, I am compiling book suggestions from my {last post} and I'll have that up soon. Please leave your book suggestions - I need them all!




One. Hair. I have never been more excited to go to my hair stylist than I am right now. I missed my last appointment due to a case of strep right after school let out and I've been abusing it daily at the pool. It needs some TLC. I am going to have to tip her so much for dealing with this crazy mess. Hair bliss awaits me tomorrow morning!





Two. Amazon Prime Day. I scored lots of goodies and my mailman is probably pretty thrilled about it. Diapers were 35% off, about $.17/diaper. The deal was limited to one box so I bought one of each type in Zoey's size. Score! I also scooped up this amazing pair of jeans by Liverpool - 30% off. They are softer than butter and fit like a glove. I was unsure about the "pull-on" style, but after reading rave reviews, I had to give them a try and they're fantastic.



Three. That's a wrap on swim lessons for the year! Zoey had a blast and is looking forward to next year when she can go out on her own. I'll be looking forward to watching her from a beach chair with a book in hand. 

  
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Four. I think it's time to overhaul my make up routine. I'm looking for a lighter, more moisturizing foundation type product. I cannot get away without wearing some sort of foundation so it has to be tinted and provide some coverage. Any suggestions? These are a couple I'm interested in. What else is a must have in your make-up bag?




Five. I just can't tell you how much fun I'm having with my sweet girl this summer. I feel so honored to be her mommy and so lucky to have a job that affords me plenty of time to spend with her. She is growing up to be such a sweet, daring, and kind young lady.

On a less sentimental note, Zoey's bow is from {The Tipsy Bunny} Etsy shop. I follow her blog {A. Liz Adventures} and she makes some pretty fantastic Lilly bows. I LOVE getting to dress her up.

                    Linking up with a few of my favs - April, Christina & Natasha!

Have a fantastic weekend! See you next week!

Summer Reading

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Happy Monday! After binge watching and reading my way through several series and books, I'm finding myself in need of some book suggestions.

I just finished watching the 2nd season of "Outlander" on STARZ. I mean....

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 I've read Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber - Voyager is definitely on my list to be read soon.

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 If you have not read this series, I highly recommend it. It's a beautifully written historical, romance series with a touch of science fiction. It has everything. You can hop on your library's website and check these out for free!

I do need a short break from the intensity of this series though. What suggestions do you have for a great summer read? It can be adult or YA, I'm into everything.

 I'll follow up on this post and compile a list of recommendations that I receive, so bring them on!

Five on Friday - It's been a while!

My triumphant return to blogging sure lasted long, huh? I have just been having WAY too much fun with my kiddo, and while she naps, I've been binge watching so many shows that I fell behind on during the school year. AND knocking so many items off of my to-do list. Best. Summer. Ever.

I've been thinking a lot about my little blog and there is just so much I want to share with you. Some of my most favorite bloggers are those who just talk about life and what they're doing. That's what I want for this blog.

So the easiest way to dive back into blogging? Five on Friday, of course. Let's go!





One. We finally finished Zoey's playset enclosure! We (mostly Chris) built this playset last summer and Zoey enjoyed it during our gloriously mild winter. When the "grass" (read: weeds) started growing again this spring, we bit the bullet, ordered 2 tons of rubber mulch and built (mostly Chris, again) this sweet enclosure. I love how it looks and the extra safety it provides for our fearless climber and her friends. Chris loves not having to mow under it.



Two. We discovered our athletic center's indoor play pool this summer. The outdoor play pools put it to shame, but it's pretty awesome and not highly attended in the AM. Such a great way for Zoey to expend some energy without the sunscreen battle.



Three. I'm still Stitch Fixing! I kept all five from my latest fix - my stylist really knocked it out of the park! I'm obsessed with the shoes. If you haven't tried it yet, give it a shot: {Stitch Fix}.



Four. I made my first burlap wreath last week! It is not my favorite, but the thought was to make it plain so I can change out the decorations with some of these more fleeting holidays. I'm thinking, if I add some color to the bottom right, it will look more complete.









Five. Motherhood has been throwing me way out of my comfort zone this summer. As an introvert, it is very hard to do anything that is unknown; my natural instinct is to stick with what I'm comfortable doing. The demands of an adventurous two year old have thrown me into some big unknowns and I'm so thankful! We've discovered all of the "free" swimming places, just completed our first week of swim lessons, played in a Chick-Fil-A play area (my personal hell), done story time at the Library, and played in the mall play area (my second personal hell). With another month left of summer, we still have so many places to check off our list. What are your recommendations for toddler friendly fun?

Six. Because I can't ignore the hurting in my city or anywhere else today.

My prayer list for the families of those senselessly killed by fearful and hate-filled people grows too long. I know my ongoing struggle is judging others, but maybe if I work harder to love instead of judge, I can be a better example for my daughter. Let's all choose love, our world needs it right now. 

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                    Linking up with a few of my favs - April, Christina & Natasha!

Happy Friday! See you next week!