threads // completely causal

 I like getting dressed up when ever I get the chance. And by "dressed up" I actually mean getting dressed! As a stay at home mom, I usually am wearing my PJs from the night (or 2) before. And that usually consists of stretchy workout pants and baggy tee. So when I do get the chance to head to town, about 1-2 times a week, I take the opportunity to get "dressed up" with out getting to flashy-crazy! I like looking put together as best as I can, and still look some what stylish and myself. But let's be honest, sometimes it takes way too much effort to even want to pull together a FAB Go-To-Town outfit! That's when I keep it super casual, but cute!

  I have even made an attempt to start wearing actual clothes even if I have no intention of getting out of the house. It's kind of a simple mood lifter for me. Wearing clothes other than my comfy stretchy pants, can't get me out of one of those crazy feeling-super-BLAH moods! Funny what just a pair of jeans, top, and well, TOMS can do for you!

// Shoes: TOMS // Jeans: Rock & Republic from Kohls // Tank: Quiksilver Women // Layered Lace Tank: Target // Open Drape Sweater: Target //

 ::Quick Confession- Sometimes if I find super cute clothes I buy them... Case and point- This sweater is from the maternity section at Target! I did the look over and it didn't have that "this is a maternity sweater" look about it, so I bought it!::

this is me

 While surfing through this blogging world this morning, I stumbled upon a fun post/challenge created by The Paper Mama. I have been trying to come up with some fun more personal posts to share a little more about me here. Instead of my usual photo or "fashion" posts. Of course I can never seem to come up with anything that I feel is worthy enough to share.

 

 I get so nervous when I attempt to open up and share in depth parts of my life, somethings that I rarely talk about. Most of which because I am afraid of the reaction I might get from a certain few (not anyone in the blogging world, just certain people in my life or who don't play a role in my life I should say). I feel like this blog is a journal in a sense. A place to write down all my thoughts and creative ideas. But a journal that is open for others to freely read. I don't have crazy secrets that I want to reveal, or things that my friends and family don't already know. Just simple thoughts that weigh on my mind from time to time. Some of which, would feel so good to just share. 

 

When I read this post, I thought this would be a fun way to get back to opening up and sharing. Become more personable. Share my feelings, which was what I had intended to do when I started this blog.

Yep, this a the perfect picture to portray my self. Not so serious, goober-nerd.  Not an actual nerd, nerds can actually do math, I can't!

Currently:

Obsessing over.... getting my house decorated. We have lived/owned it for almost 3 years now and it's fully furnished. It lacks those finishing touches that complete our home. I only have a small area of wall space that actually has pictures on it. We just got a new couch, which then led to us rearranging the layout of the entire living room. Now I am on a mission to get some life up on the walls and finish some painting projects that I have planned. I am kind of excited to get things going, I was feeling a little blah about how the house was looking, a tad boring actually. While it has plenty of beautiful pieces of furniture that I love, the rest of the house seems to lack personality and charm. 

Working on.... planning my son's 2nd birthday party. It's the end of next month, so I am hoping I have enough time to get things made and ready to pull it all together. It's going to be a mustache theme of course. I ordered some fun invites from Just Us Three Design, and some fun mustache decorations. Lots more to do, but having fun working on it all!

Thinking about.... Family and friends going through some rough times. Life has thrown them challenges, yet the seem to know how to be so strong and rise above it all. They inspire me with their courage to overcome the obstacles they have encounter, and how to fight back with all they have.

Anticipating.... My sister's upcoming wedding. Actually she informed us it's only 65 days away! EEEKS! Need to get back on the workout bandwagon ASAP! 

Listening to.... little laughter and silly screams coming from the kiddos. Both have decided not to nap today, so we... they are watching Cars. And its just as funny as the first time they saw it.

Eating/Drinking.... just finished an ice cold Diet Coke, one which I said I wouldn't have because I need to drink more water. Because I am in my sister's wedding in 65 days!!!! I ate some tuna for lunch, which was actually quite yummy. I have been tossing around going back to eating Gluten Free. I did it for like 6 months last year and loved how I felt while doing so. And then the holidays rolled around and then that went out the window. But saying so and doing so are 2 completely different things! Okay, I am saying now, I AM GOING TO EAT HEALTHY!! (Note: I do eat on the healthy side, I just want to eat cleaner.)

Wishing.... time would slow down just a little. I feel like each day goes by faster than the last. You know those videos where the person is standing still, but everything around them is zooming in fast forward... I feel like that's how my life is sometimes, especially with my kids getting older! I blink and all of the sudden they aren't babies but little talking people!!

Linking up with The Paper Mama for her Self Photo Challenge!

threads // BRIGHT colors + oxfords

BRIGHT colors + Oxfords by antlersandrosesblog featuring green tank tops

If you know me in real life, you would know that I basically wear black with every outfit. It's my go to safe color. I don't know why but I just feel comfortable in it. But with out looking completely "goth" I try to bring in color to brighten up my outfits. When I saw these tanks at Target, I knew I had to have them! I love that they are on the longer side and flow out a bit to hide unmentionable areas. They are just fun!
I also now have a slight obsession with oxfords! I bought 3 pairs at one time! I couldn't pass up the $10 clearance price!  I wore the leopard oxfords and pink tank this last weekend to my sister's Bridal Dress fitting, and I got so many compliment on just the shoes alone! I love how loud and crazy the print is! And the bright pink soles are pretty FAB too!!

Faux Leather Jacket :: Target // Black Skinny Jeans :: Target //  Prabal Gurung Tank :: Target  // Leopard Oxfords :: Target Yes, I am basically a walking billboard for Target!

Well you guessed it, this entire outfit is also from Target!

While I was taking these photos, I decided I should take some new pictures to use for my blog profile.  I feel oober awkward taking pictures of myself as it is...and well things got a little weird. Then some little people joined in!

valentine's recap

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! We have some sick little one in the house, so I am a little behind on getting posts done!! Thought I would share some of our Valentines from last week. I usually forgo the whole candy and chocolate stuff, and get fun goodies instead. 

(This doesn't mean I don't eat sweets!)

I got the kids some little toys that they both like. Lil Miss LOVES Toy Story and Lil Man LOVES his toy cars! The fun face glasses were a hit too!

While brother napped, sister and I baked up some cookies. She was over the moon when I told her we were going to decorate them too! 

DECORATE!!!

I think she did more cookie-licking that actual cookie decorating... And there were more sprinkles on my floor than on the cookie themselves! She enjoyed it though.

I always feel like my Hubby is so hard to get gifts for. I always try to get something different and that he wouldn't get for himself. Recently he got a new position at his job, YAY HUBBY!, and now he has an office and a desk. I decided to get some plain little frames and print up some photos of the family and the the kids, something to have on his desk. And of course Valentines Day isn't Valentines Day with out a card... or 3! If you haven't checked out Julie Ann Art's cards, you are really missing out!! They are so out of the box and fabulous!! All those things you think of saying, she makes them into cards! My Hubby LOVED the "I Love You A Sh*t Ton" card so much, he took it to work to sit on his desk for everyone to see! 

We ended up not going out to dinner, which was totally fine with me. Instead we enjoyed some YUMMY Chinese take out! My kind of Valentines dinner if you ask me!

love // our story

I guess you could say its comparable to that typical romantic movie.

Guy meets Girl

Girl likes Guy

They fall in love.

BAM!

Happily Ever After!

Okay, so there is definitely more to it than that... For this story we are going to need to go way way back, like 8th grade way back. That's not where Our Story begins, but it's where we met. 8th grade is basically where our friendship started. I can remember that we for sure had Math together. And luckily for me, we were seat next to each other... This is where I confess that I may or may not have copied some of those crazy math problems from Jared, he's a Math-Boy Genius! 

Alright now time to fast forward a bit to High School; still friends and we some how managed to still have classes together. 

 So now we are to the point where the Story starts. 

It all started our Sophomore year, 2002. With out boring you with crazy detail, we were both assigned to be in a Freshman Life Science class because we took an Animal Science our Freshman year (really it's a long story). I was actually glad that I knew a few kids in the class, him being one of them. As weeks went on in school, I started to develop a slight crush on Jared. And later I would find out from a mutual friend that he had a MAD crush on me! (Well, I don't know if it was a MAD crush but I'd like to think so).
It wasn't until a few weeks later that he asked me to meet him after our last class because he had something ask me. And class couldn't have gone any slower! What was he going to ask??!
Bell rings.
I run....I mean walk gracefully to our meeting spot, and there he stood.
My heart was pounding!
And then he spoke those 5 special words...
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
Uuh, DUH!
I actually think I said something along the lines of, "What took you so long!?"
And so from that moment on we were together all through out High School.
He was my date to Senior Prom.
He was my first Kiss.
He told me he LOVED me.
He was there when I needed to talk through my parents divorce.
He walked with me at Graduation.
He was my Best Friend.
After High School, about a month exactly, he left for school in Wyoming. It was the scariest thing ever. He was there for 15 months. The longest 15 months of my life. While we got to see each other on breaks, there were times we weren't able to talk. But we were so committed to each other and made it work. After he got back we continued to grow as a couple and eventually a few years later we moved into together.
At this point I think we were together now for about 7 years.
And then in April 2009 our lives would be changed forever, for the better.
We found out I was pregnant. We were both completely scared, but excited and over the moon that we were going to be parents. After telling our parents and family the good news, we decided to get married. I had initially wanted to wait until later in the year, but instead we decided to just go for it.
About 2 weeks after finding our we were expecting, we were engaged and then about a month later we were married!

We then moved back in with my mom so we could save money before the baby came. We wanted to get our own house, and paying rent wasn't something we wanted to do long term. We wanted a place to call home and start our family. But that would be a little longer than expected.
And then on December 11, 2009, we welcomed one of the most amazing gifts, our beautiful baby girl!

She would make life that much better. Full of laughter and so much love!
The following year we finally found a house to call a home. We were officially home owners! A place for our little girl to grow up, where we would have family dinners, celebrate Christmas and many birthdays.
Our Home!

A fixer upper for sure, but it was perfect. My mom was so amazing to let us continue to live with her while we renovated. And not long after buying our home and painting Little Miss' room pink, we learned that we were expecting again!

On March 27, 2011, we were blessed with another bundle of joy! 

A handsome little guy, a little brother to his amazing big sister! We were complete, one of each, both perfect in every way possible.

Fast forward to present day, 2013 and here we are. Still together, going strong, if not closer than ever before! Together for almost 11 years, and will celebrate 4 years married in May. We still love each other like crazy, and still drive each other crazy! I am so happy and proud to call Jared my best friend, my love, my companion, my husband, my life.

This is our story.

life list // pocket book

A few weeks back I came across this post from Andrea from For The Love Of on creating a Life List. A life list is basically a reworked term for a Bucket List (Goals you have listed to accomplish through out your life). It was fun to read what goals she had listed, which then inspired me to create a list of goals for myself. I am usually bad at actually following through with things/goals I make for myself. Probably out of fear that I might fail at what it was I set out to do, I guess we can't be perfect at everything. 

So I thought I would share the list I have made for myself, along with goals made to accomplish as a family.
I made a cute little "Life List Pocket Book" to write down all my goals in. That way I have it on hand when ever I have the urge to check something off the list or if I come up with another goal I can add it to the ever growing list.

Brown Paper Book : Fawn & Flora // Washi Tape : Downtown Tape // Stamps : Michael's

Life List

Goals for Myself (In no particular order)

• Marry the Man of my dreams
• Become a Mom
• Make my family proud of me
• Host a Party
• Surprise someone who deserves something special
• Attend a blogger conference 
• Learn Sign Language 
• Read 1 book a month for a year
• Completely decorate every room in the house
• Learn to say "Hello" in 10 different languages
• Do indoor rock climbing
• Sew a dress for myself
• Start a charity
• Run a 10k
• Run a 1/2 marathon
• Run a marathon
• Do something crazy I wont regret
• Get a few more tattoos
• Zip Lining (at Margarita Adventures)
• Attend New York Fashion Week
• Take a photography class
• Create a Happiness Project
• Become an early riser
• Learn to say "NO" without feeling guilty
• Make a documentary film
• Sell your original artwork
• Donate blood on a regular basis
• Donate Clothes to a Local Women's Shelter
• Become a clothing designer
• Start a blog
• Create YouTube video and have it go viral
• Write letters to kids on a regular basis
• Write a children's book
• Create Trust Funds for the kids
• Take up yoga
• Learn to meditate
• Design and create my "dream" craft room
• Learn to LIVE NOW
• Become influential on Social Media
• Visit New York...Again; See all Major Landmarks and visit all 5 boroughs
• Renew my vows with my Hubby

Family Goals

• Trip to Alaska
• Disneyland
• Visit Washington DC
• Arlington Cemetery
• Family photo portraits once a year
• Visit the Smithsonian
• Get a pet fish and keep it alive for a year
• Adopt a Family in need for the Holidays
• Drive across the Golden Gate Bridge
• Santa Barbara Zoo
• San Diego Zoo
• Sea World
• Go on a cruise
• Virgin Islands (Hubby & I trip)
• Plant a veggie garden
• Complete our backyard
• Museum of Natural History
• Super Bowl
• World Series
• Go to the park at least once a week (weather permitting)
• Go on a picnic 
• Create a fort in the living room and have a movie marathon one weekend
• Camp out in the back yard
• Go on a camping trip
• Snow Trip
• Volunteer at a Homeless Shelter for the Holidays
• Visit a nursing home to bring goodies
• Have a water fight
• 
  

threads // aztec inspired

AZTEC inspire by antlersandrosesblog featuring a long knit cardigan

This Aztec Look was not something I thought I would ever wear. But after awhile, the look completely grew on me, and I kind of fell in love with it! Tried to pull it into my own style so I still felt like me. Definitely a fun print to wear and can wither be dressed up or down with the right pieces.

 

 // Aztec Sweater: Purchased on Zulily // Top: Victoria's Secret // Black Denim: Target // Boots: Target //

lust list // be mine

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I thought it was only fitting to share some lovely red items that I am lusting over...

1 //  2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

little man, not so little

I decided it was time to give Little Man a haircut! Although I hate having to trim his little locks, it was much needed! It's amazing what a simple haircut can do; one minute he's this little baby boy and then the next he is a little man boy!! I have trimmed his hair in the past here and there, but it has always been such a challenge to get him to sit still or keep his tiny chubby fingers away from the sharp blades. So pulled in all my go-to resources to ensure I could get a FULL haircut. 

Mickey Mouse.

Check.

Bowl full of Skittles.

Double Check.

What is normally a 30 minute stress-ball battle, was a quick 10 minute snip snip!!

New fresh do and a sticky face!

favorite links friday // valentine's crafts

HOORAY! It's Friday!!

Came down with a slight cold, but it was an overall great week.

And I can't believe next week is already Valentine's Day! I have to say, I have done any decorating or crafts yet... But I still have about 6 days left to get my craft on!!

So I decided to share some fun Valentine's crafts that have been poppin' up all over the place! Some of which I might just do myself!!

Valentine's Day Inspire Crafts

DIY Vintage Marquee Light

Washi Tape Milk Bottles

DIY Neon Valentines

Sweet Little Valentine

DIY Hand Painted Valentine Shirts

DIY Valentine's Day Card

Drop Heart Frame

Aren't these just the sweetest! 

Did you do any fun Valentine's Day crafts? Please share the link below so I can check them out and get some ideas!!

Hope you all had a great week and Happy Friday!!

valentine blogging party

A few weeks back I joined in on a Valentine's swap being hosted be some of my favorite bloggers! I was so excited to find out who my swap buddy was, I actually jumped the gun and went shopping in excitement!

I was partnered with the BEAUTIFUL Shane from Whispering Sweet Nothings. Such a cute blog name right there! I am so glad we were paired together, I feel like we have some similar interests- Ice Cream & Chocolate... Oh how fun it would be to chat over a nice chocolate sundae!

I wont share what I sent her just in case she hasn't received or open hers yet, but I will share the goodies she sent me! 

There was a CUTE little heart tin as well, but my daughter claimed it for herself!

These earrings are so sweet! She actually has an Etsy shop full of beautiful jewelry she makes herselfWhispering Sweet Nothings Shop

Shane sent me this cute little paper to be inserted into a frame that would double as a message board. What a cute idea!! 

She also sent over some questions, so I thought I would answer a few of them here.

1. Who has given you the best relationship advise, and what was it? I would have to say my mom. She is the one I go to when ever I am in need of advise for basically anything. It's hard to pick just one thing, but one of the best things she has told me is to Communicate. Communication is the key to any successful relationship. I can't say that I am the greatest at it, but over the years I have learned to speak my mind and from the heart. It has helped so much in many situations.
2. Do you think romance is an important part of a couple's everyday life? If so, what is the best way to keep it alive? Well I think there are lots of things that keep the romance alive, but I wont get all 50 Shades on you! I think simple things like a kiss or holding hands keep that spark there. Not only those, but simple conversation. Asking how one's day was at dinner, laughing together at a funny story. Staying connected both physically and mentally are some key things to help keep things alive.
3. Discuss a dream you would like to pursue together this year. For me, I would love to have more date nights. Get out together with out the kids, to help remind us of where it all started before we became parents. While it's always hard to leave the littles behind to enjoy ourselves, it's something we need to do on a regular basis. And not just for special occasions either, more just be cause dates. 

Thank you to our wonderful hosts for putting this together!!

Casey // The Wiegands

Ashlee // Growing Up A Thomas

Nicole // The Style Hatch

Lauren // From My Grey Desk

Alycia // Crowley Party