Faves for Friday

I have to admit, y'all: this week has probably been the best week I've had since being home full time. Sure, it may not seem like it with my constant whining, but I feel better about this week. It's a big deal, and I'm feeling really happy!

A Few highlights from my week: 
:: I haven't had to watch neighbor kids everyday this week. The one day that I did need to watch them, all 4 kids (mine and the neighbor's) were in rare form, so I'm thankful it was just one day.

:: Zander is getting to be more creative with his artwork. He didn't used to care for drawing and painting & now he has amazing creations like this


:: I managed to knock one off of my Fifteen in 2015. I tried the Avovado Mashed Potatoes, and holy cow they were delish! They pair really well with turkey meatloaf!

:: I felt really good about all of my posts this week. That honestly hasn't happened in awhile!

:: I got a lot organized in my house. Call it spring cleaning. Call it boredom and me needing to keep busy. Whatever it was, my house looks AH-MAZING!

:: Getting to talk to bloggy friends on the phone. Props to Faith, Kristyn, and Anne for having nice long conversations with me even with noisy kids in the background! I'm a people person and I crave interaction with others so being able to talk with them about just random just stuff this week has really made me soo happy!

:: Super sweet texts from other bloggy friends about my post on Faith's blog on Wednesday for her Overcoming Insecurities series! It was tough for me to write, but I'm SO glad I did! Y'all are the best!

And while those were my favorite parts of the week, I had a few favorite blog posts as well! Since it's been a few weeks that I've linked up with Meagan, I figured this week was a perfect week to come back!

Linking up with Meagan

+ Emily / Ember Grey was a guest at Best Kept Self. Her post about Parenting Yourself was really incredible. If you have kids or not... or even if your kids are fur babes... this list is something great to think about throughout your day-to-day.

+ Kendra / Kenji is Here : You know when life just gets to be too much and you need to take a break? Well, Kendra did just that. She gave herself a Me Time Vacation. LOVE this idea.

+ Meagan / All the Joys : The Timing is Right. I really needed to read this more than I knew. A key reminder that time with your spouse  is important!

+ Cassie / Sage : 5 Tips for Building Community on Instagram. I love instagram. If I'm not on twitter, I'm on inta. Cassie's tips are really helpful to make sure you get the most out of it!

+ Kerri / HKB : Why She Won't Follow you on Twitter. I actually learned something about twitter from this post. So not only was it well written, it was informative too. Win/ Win!

+ Kristyn / Chits & Giggles : No Bean Veggie Enchiladas. I love veggie anything, and I love that beans can be added to this if you desire. This looks So good. Just go check out all the yummy veggies Kristyn used!!

And with that, I hope y'all have a great weekend!

Currently, I'm in Love!

Happy Friday! I kind of feel like this week as flown by. Just me? It's still hard to believe that at this time last week I was admitting to being a newly stay at home mom. This week I've been browsing dollar stores to find fun little crafts for Ainsley and I to do at home. Since it's been awhile and I feel like I have a lot of new readers, I thought it would be a good idea to end the week with a "currently" post!

Thinking: About birthday celebrations. Zander will be 5 on the 26th. I want to do something special for his birthday since he's gotten to the age where he really is remembering everything... and talking about everything for that matter. I want him to enjoy his special day. Not just at school with cupcakes I mean.

Feeling: Cold. Georgia weather lately has been all over the place. Which is kind of the norm around here. When we go from 66 at the beginning of the week to 43 at the end of the week though... I'm cold.

Listening To: musically, I'm listening to Pitbull's newest CD (Globalization) I'm loving this entire CD (Thanks Josh for the awesome birthday present!). Mostly I'm listening to the T.V. as background noise though since that's what I'm really currently doing.
Watching: HGTV. I'm typing this up as Ainsley naps. As soon as she goes to sleep the T.V. gets switched from having Disney Jr. as background noise to Mommy shows as background noise. I don't actively watch anything until Josh gets home from work.

Reading: Divergent. I have already seen the movie (loved it). I started reading the book back in December, but I couldn't set enough time aside to get into it. Now, three days into it I'm almost done. Loving it!

Needing: To go to the store. Specifically the dollar store. I have a lot of ideas for crafts and activities to do with Ainsley during the day. We've been coloring and reading, but I know she'll  have more fun with hands on things. I need poster board!

Thankful For: Extra time with my babies! Not even trying to be cliche, y'all. I'm so thankful that I have all of this quality time, and that I've been able to really see their unique personalities!

Wishing Praying: For the courage to actually apply to go back to school. But I kind of feel like that might be a bit much to take on JUST yet. Maybe I should master being a great stay at home mom first. It's been something I've been praying on all week. No firm decisions have been made.

Loving: The fact that I'm starting to get back into the swing of things in the blogger world. I started getting my schedule back to normal. I'm able to blog and promote while Ainsley naps, and it's gotten me confident into being able to be active with sponsorships again. (Shameless plug!). I'm also loving that my tribe of bloggers has been so supportive.

Additionally, I can't end the week properly without linking up with Meagan for Blogger Love & my favorites from this week! I've really missed this linkup, and last week it gave me a great way to catch up on a lot of posts that I had missed!

Blogger Love!

+ Kristyn / Chits & Giggles : I Can't Take a Compliment From my Husband. Raw, real, honest posts are my favorite. This was exactly that.

+ Christina / The Mediocre Housewife : Camping with Toddlers. Christina's posts are both very funny and very honest at the same time. In this her opening line is "Vacationing and small kids is the ultimate team building exercise for relationship."  If that doesn't make you want to read more, I don't know what to tell you.

+ Emily / Ember Grey : To Love Oneself. I love this idea to make time for yourself, even if you're in a serious relationship.

+ Kendra / Kenji is Here : Confetti! To go along with loving oneself, and the amazing "theme" bloggers had this week, Kendra had this little gem! A reminder to be the "ups" in someones' life because there's too many "downs". LOVE!

+ Liz / Simply Complex Mom : For Every. A sweet post about amazing moments in parenthood.

+ Paige / An Uncomplicated Life : The Nightmare that is Dating & Texting. Y'all... I didn't even know this was a thing. Paige has a great point if you're in the dating world.

What were some of y'alls favorites? Do y'all have any big plans for Valentine's Day tomorrow?

 

New Year, New Love!

Happy New Year, Friends! 
I'm happy to announce that today, not only am I linking up with Meagan for Blogger Love, but I am also co-hosting with her! I'm beyond excited! Meagan has been a great person to sponsor this past month! LOVE HER!

So...
I learned something yesterday - my recovery day/ day off. Despite being 27 years old now, I am afraid I cannot party like I could in my early 20's. Don't get me wrong, New Year's Eve was a blast! But New Year's DAY was rough.

My mother in law came over to bring in the new year with Josh and I. I ended up being the only one drinking. Josh and I thought that she'd be spending the night since New Years with us usually means a few adult beverages and a traditional champagne toast at midnight.

Wrong, Melissa. No one wants to play your reindeer games.

This happened NYE...

She didn't want to spend the night so she only drank sparkling juice. That's all Josh drank too. But that was fine with me! More booze for me. Only someone forgot to remind me that my kids' version of "sleeping in" is 7 AM. Oops. Someone also forgot to remind me that because of the 7 AM wakeup call, and I not only drank a lot but also stayed up until after 1 AM. Ugh.

I was drunk but we were still super cute! xoxo

Thursday was a rough recovery day. But I survived. I'm at work today. Can someone fast forward to May now so I can have another long weekend? Pretty Please?
Actually, no. Now that I say that I don't want to fast forward just yet.

I do have a few things I'm looking forward to this new year. like...
Ainsley will be TWO and Zander will be FIVE.
Ok... I'm a little saddened by this too, because it means my babies getting older. I'm already planning their (joint) birthday party. It'll be zoo themed. Stay tuned for some fun pinterest inspired zoo decor!

My brother in law is getting married in Sept. 
We always take a trip to Jersey once a year. This year we're going later in the year to celebrate a WEDDING! Josh is the best man. He's nervous but I know he'll be great! Even if I have to help him write a speech.

Ok... well, I thought there'd be more than that. Oops. I'm sure there is, but I did have some favorite blog posts from this week, and that's kind of why we're really here today... right? right!

+ Christine // The So-Called Homemaker : Playground workout for Mom's on the go. Um, firstly I cannot say enough how much I LOVE THIS! I'm always trying to find new ways to switch up my workouts. Sure, I just got back into it after almost 5 months, BUT having variety helps. This is a great way to get outside with the kids and do something!

+ Liz // Simply Complex Mom: Entrapped. Y'all... Liz has a way with words. I have very few words that can describe this post, but if you haven't read it already... you should.

+ Kristyn // Chits & Giggles : We Chose Giving. What Kristyn and her husband did for Christmas is truly inspirational. I love to hear stories like this, and it's even better when it's someone I "know". Kristyn and her husband "adopted" a child for Christmas and filled her wish items for gifts. It's so sweet to see people helping other people in need this time of year!

+ Rebekah // The Straight Arrow : Taxi Safety Tips! Would y'all believe I've never ridden in a taxi? My experience with them goes about as far as seeing people whistle for them on movies and T.V. Shows. So, basically I'd be the one you'd see on the news being kidnapped. NOT ANYMORE thanks to Rebekah though! With these safety tips, even a NOOB like me will be OK!

Who were some of your favorites from this week? Or Last week? Link up with me and Meagan to share!
This weekend I'm looking forward to not doing anything. We've already taken the Christmas decorations down, so I get to have a weekend of relaxation and recovery! Lord knows I need it!

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Friday, Friends!

xoxo,

Oooh, I Love the Way You Love Me!

Happy Friday! Y'all, I'm so beyond excited for this weekend! The weekend will be jam packed full, but it will be spent with tons of family and friends. AND if you're not following me on instagram (but if you're not- WHY NOT?! you need to be!!!) then you don't know about my super exciting news.

Tomorrow we'll be adding a new member to our family. (No, y'all I have not been hiding a pregnancy) Tomorrow we'll be going to pick up this sweet, adorable baby. OK.. technically he's not a baby. He's about one year old. He's fixed, house trained and SO super sweet! I cannot wait to get him. The kids are going be to thrilled. Even though Zander drives a very hard bargain when it comes to his Christmas gift this year, I think he'll be thrilled. (Basically Zander ONLY wants a power wheels / battery powered John Deere tractor) This kid... I swear... BUT he is getting that. And a dog. As of Saturday. Fingers crossed things go well. hahaha. I'll definitely be sharing more about this guy on another day. I'm such a tease.

Saturday night we'll be spending the evening having Mexican with my mom's side of the family and doing Christmas with them a little early. My grandpa lives about an hour and a half away from everyone, so we always get together and do Christmas either before or after the actual holiday. It's always a great time!

Sunday... actually we might not have anything planned for Sunday. Probably a day spent making last minute Christmas gifts! I'm so behind this year, it's borderline ridiculous!

TODAY is Friday though.
On Friday's we link up with Meagan
for some Blogger Love and Friday Favorites!

Some of my faves from the week:

+ Sheryl // How to Make a Life : Put Your Phone Down! We live in a day where most things are seen through the screens of our cell phones. Down to concerts and events. Some couples are even glued to their phones during DATES. I love Sheryl's post this week. A gentle reminder that there's REAL LIFE to be seen away from the cell phone screen!

+ Kasey // Kasey at the Bat : Top 5 Ways to Win your Tacky Sweater Party. T'is the season for tacky sweater parties! I'm bummed I missed the one with the Atlanta Bloggers this week. However, Kasey has some pretty amazing tips that are sure to put you in the winner's circle for your tacky sweater party!

+ Kristyn AND Tabitha // Chits & Giggles AND A Hundred Tiny Wishes : These two collaborated with 10 Ways Kids and Animals Are the Same. I  laughed my whole way through this, nodding my head the entire time. Both ladies nailed it with this one. Such a great collaboration!

+ Nina // Flowers in My Hair : When Christmas is Hard. Sure, this may not be what everyone wants to or needs to read, but it's real and it's honest and I LOVE Nina for posting it. Christmases can be hard. Heck, any holiday can be. When emotions run wild and memories are flared up it's HARD. Her message is excellent in this post!

+ Kerri // Hey Kerri Blog : DIY Sugar Hand Scrub. Y'all, if I've said it once on here I've said it a million times: I don't have a creative bone in my body. I want to be the girl that does DIY Christmas gifts but year after year I'm not. THIS YEAR Though, my bloggy buddies have come through and saved me with all of y'all crafting ideas. Kerri is no different. This sugar hand scrub looks SO easy and SO CHEAP! Heck yeah! Love this gal! She's the best.

What were some of your favorite posts for the week? I hope y'all have an amazing weekend!

T'is the Season to Spread the Love

Y'all!! Who else cannot believe that we've made it through the first whole week of December? Yeah... that happened. I've barely started Christmas shopping. Thanks to Amazon I've been able to get a few things for the kids and my nieces and nephews in Jersey. I'm no where near being close to done though. I still have the secret Santa for my dad's side of the family to shop for. My dad, my mom, Josh's mom. The list is just too long.

our tree this year. Minus ornaments. because I'm lazy

Can we talk for a moment about the Secret Santa for my dad's side of the family though? Good cause we're going to anyways.

I have a big family. My dad is the 4th of six. My paternal grandparents had ALL BOYS. Six boys. That's madness. Each of my uncles has at LEAST 2 kids. So yeah... big family, y'all. So for Christmas to try and save everyone some money we do secret Santas. Great idea, right? Well.... it would be if you didn't have Grandma Linda running this three ring circus.

Normally... well, on my mom's side of the family... the name drawing process is only for the adults 18 or older who WANT to participate. Don't have the dough this year? No problem. You can sit on the sidelines and ooh & ahh over everyone else's gifts. All the kids get something though. That's just how it's done. My dad's side of the family though? Everyone draws a name. EVERYONE. My little cousin that's not even in prek yet? Yep, he has to pick a name. And the kids don't pick kids names. Zander this year has picked one of my aunt's names. AKA his great aunt. I'm sorry but it bugs me. It doesn't make sense. I don't understand how we're going to say "yeah, Zander really thought you'd love this bottle of lotion for Christmas!" This is the one tradition that I'm kind of a scrooge about. I feel like if the kids are going to be in there, at least make it to where they pick for the other kids. And make it to where they're old enough to understand what "choosing a toy for someone" really means. If Ainsley were to be let loose in the toy aisle at Wal-Mart to pick something for my baby cousin, she would go to the baby dolls and pick something for her. I think four is a good minimum age to start having kids be in the secret Santa / name draw. Once you hit middle school, you should be allowed into the adult name draw. Not because you're an adult but you can pick out something your aunt / uncle might like. #justSayin.

#SorryNotSorry. (Thanks for reminding me, Amanda < <honorary blog love shout out!>> that we don't have to apologize for every little thing we say / do!) That was on my mind and needed to be said. I feel like the title of this post should have been calling me out for being a scrooge. I'm done being a scrooge now, I promise. Tomorrow I'll be getting my first REAL haircut since May. Because apparently drunken Thanksgiving haircuts don't count? Anyway. Stay tuned on Instagram for new selfies tomorrow. #sorrynotsorry

Linking up with Meagan for Blogger Love Fridays!
(on time this week! whaaaat?!)

Here are just a few of my faves from this week.

+ Elizabeth // Simply Complex Mom. Y'all firstly, I'm SO happy to have Liz on my sidebar this month. Her blog is absolutely amazing. If you're not following along already, WHY not?! Do it! This week, "The Meanest Mommy" (in the WHOLE WORLD) really hit home with me. As moms we hate to hear this. However, hearing it makes us realize, "hey, we're doing something right here". Ahh-Mazing!

+ Lindsay // Bourbon, Lipstick, & Stilettos. How many of us out here online shop for Christmas? *Raising my hand*. How many of us either worry about someone stealing your info or have actually had info stolen? *Raising my hand some more* I'm terrified of this. Daily. Online shopping is so easy (and I don't always like braving the crowded malls). I give to y'all: How to protect yourself during Holiday Shopping! Ta-Da! Lindsay is so great.

+ Jenn // Hello Rigby. All around blog land you've probably been seeing TONS of posts for what to get the man or woman in your life. But what about your cute little furbabies? Jenn has you covered! Gift ideas for your pets! If my cat wasn't such a snob (and actually played with toys. lazy bum) I'd totally get her that little track thing. Your pets are covered, y'all!

+ Faith // Life w/ Mrs G & the Artist. I don't know about y'all, but I'm not crafty. I rarely have pinterest worthy posts. I'm not creative. So when I see stuff like THIS Christmas craft with minimal paint and supplies, I remember there's hope for people like me. We will definitely be trying these!

+ Kerri // Hey Kerri. Thinking of offering sponsorship's on your blog? Not sure where to start? Well, thankfully Kerri has you covered! A few things to be mindful of before you start announcing your sponsorship opportunities! A+ post with some great advice!

What were some of your favorite posts for the week? Be sure to link up with Meagan and share! Have a great weekend, y'all.
 

I Love New Friends

Happy Friday! It's been a whirlwind of a week! I'll have to post more about this week later, for now I want to share my latest awesome blogging experience.
This past Sunday, I was lucky enough to participate in the Atlanta Blogger's Network second meet-up. It was so fun getting to know some ladies in real life that I read daily. I'm of course a bad blogger, and completely forgot to take pictures AT the meet-up. But Thanks to Becca and Melissa, plenty of other pictures were taken and we were given the OK to use them in our posts.

The meet-up was held at GlowDry. AKA: an absolutely beautiful blowout / makeup / beauty bar.

Becca and Melissa went all out! We had mimosas, muffins, and swag bags! I seriously felt like a celebrity!

We played games, won prizes, and sped dated other bloggers to get to know more about them. To let you really feel the experience: PHOTO DUMP!

 New T-shirt! Super soft and super comfy!

My "swag!"

So yeah... tons of fun! I love these ladies and I'm SO blessed to be part of this awesome network. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And it is Friday, So I'd like to give some shout outs to a few of my favorite blog reads from this week. Linking up with Meagan from All the Joys for Blogger Love / Friday Favorites!

+ Lindsay at Bourbon, Lipstick and Stilettos nailed it again with another awesome recipe this week. My food pinterest board is quickly filling up thanks to this lovely lady! This week was White Chicken Chili.

+ Lora at Heart of Life made me cry this week. Dancing With a Limp. A post about remembering her Grandmother after losing her two years ago. I lost my Grandma on my mom's side of the family last December. It's hard. This post was just so beautiful and so moving. The quote in Lora's post really hit me hard. It's so true though. Go read it, but brace yourself and grab the tissues!

+ Mary-Keith posted about Community this week. I love my little community. My friends and family in real life, and my friends that feel like family in the blogging world. I'm so thankful for both. Mary-Keith's post was a great reminder for just how important community is.

+ Anne at Love the Here and Now wrote about a really great organization! Operation Christmas Child. I love everything about this. It really hit close to home because when Zander was two, we were having a really tough time that year, and even lost our apartment. A wonderful family sponsored Zander for Christmas so he wouldn't have to go without, so this organization is something I feel very close to!

+ Rebekah at Living Lavender asked What's In A Name? Picking a really great blog name is probably one of the hardest things I was tasked with when it came to starting this little blog of mine. I absolutely LOVE my name (Thanks, Amanda)  Rebekah's post was really great and thought provoking. Is your name one that will grow with your blog? Will you need to "re-brand"?

What were your favorites this week? Have you been to a blogger meetup? Tell me all about it! :)

Happy Halloween. P.S. I Love You

Happy Halloween, y'all!

Let me tell you Zander has been asking when this day will get here for WEEKS! No exaggeration!
Tonight we'll be going trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. We might even venture down the street to some of the other neighborhoods if Zander's walking feet don't get too tired. We revealed Zander's costume here. Ainsley will be Tinkerbell. (pics all over instagram!) I still haven't come up with a costume, so I guess I'll just be the mom. Boring. I'll try to do better next year.

Last year, Zander and I were pirates and Ainsley was our parrot. We were a big hit!

I made this!

 

Tutu Cute Bowtique

The Costumes This year:

So it is Friday, and I do have Blogger Love to share.

Linking up with Meagan at All the Joys

+ Christine at The So-Called Homemaker went all out for meatless Monday this week with Vegitarian Chili. Holy yum, batman this looks delicious. I'm a big fan of chili, but I'm a bigger fan of veggies. Especially veggies that can be hidden and make taste delicious... like chili. This one is going in the recipe book for sure!

+ Cassie from Sage shared some interesting Gluten Free Alternitives. My grandmother has celiac disease and when she was diagnosed there wasn't a lot of information about "gluten free" foods. In fact, there were many years where cakes and breads tasted horrible at her house because they were gluten free. I love seeing posts like Cassie's as a reminder that there's constantly more and more research being done about this sort of thing and there's so many alternatives to the foods you love!

+ Lindsay at Bourbon, Lipstick, & Stilettos won me over again this week with her Pumpkin Overnight Oats. I'm a huge fan of oats, but I've never tried it with pumpkin. Normally for me it's a little milk, a little cinnamon, some apple and sugar - BAM: oats! This looks just positively amazing! Plus it's filling so win-win, right?

+ Kerri from Hey Kerri posted a great tutorial on How to Create a Blog Button W/ a Grab Box. I'm not even going to lie. I had ZERO clue how to make one of these before Kerri posted this. I have been lucky enough to have Amanda help me with my blog design. This is something I definitely need to save for future reference!

There were a lot more, but of course if I posted them ALL you'd have the longest post in the world. Think something like that could get me into Ripley's? Ha. After you're done reading all of these lovely ladies' posts, be sure to head over to Amanda at Knock on Wood for her big announcement today!

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone has a great night. Whether you're trick or treating with the kids or staying in watching movies (Cabin in the Woods or The Great Pumpkin?). Have a great night! Stay safe!

Late To the Party

By the time you read this, It'll be Saturday. Which means Josh, the kids, and I will be in downtown Lawrenceville getting our family pictures for the year taken. I absolutely love getting pictures taken. Josh could care less. I have family pictures everywhere and I usually use these as Christmas Cards. Yes, I'm THAT mom. We also have a lot of family out of town so we'll send prints to them.

This week has kind of flew by in a blur. a few blog worthy things took place. I mentioned some of them on social media briefly, but I'll have to get into more detail later.
I did buy new boots this week. You may have seen them on insta, but I'm in love. Believe it or not, these were at Wal-Mart! I was shocked too. Now I have two pairs of Wal-Mart boots that were a steal. My black ones have held up almost three years now! The other shoe in the picture are my steel toe shoes from work. lol. oops. should've cropped / edited the picture!

Yesterday I revealed my Pretty Little Beauty Swap. I'm still loving all of my fun new things
Today, I'm late to the party but I'm linking up with Meagan from All The Joys to share the Blogger love.

Here are some of my faves from the week! As always, there were just too many to choose from.

+ Emily at Ember Grey reminded us this week that sometimes we don't always see what God has in store for us. Sometimes is takes A Few More Steps just to really see the big picture. I really loved this post because I know I'm guilty of "wanting it now!" [stamps feet and all!] Emily is so great about writing posts that I need to see and I didn't even know I needed to see them until I read them!

+ Amanda from Notes From a Newlywed touched on weight issues from the "skinny" side of the spectrum with I'm One of Those Skinny B*tches. I really loved Amanda's honesty about her story, and it really shed some light for me because I struggle with weight the other way- I can't get it off where as she can't keep it on. Her post is a great reminder to just think about what you're saying and how you say it. Even though you might think you're sounding mean, your words might still be hurtful.

+ Meagan from All The Joys (wonderful host!) almost had a heart-broken child with Where's Puppy?. I've been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt with Zander. I knew exactly the feels Meagan was feeling seeing the look on her daughter's face when Puppy was missing. Ugh! Tug at my heartstrings more, Meagan! lol!

+ Lindsay at Burbon, Lipstick, and Stilletos  was my life saver this week. I'm not even kidding a little bit. The day I started feeling a cold coming on, I was being a whiney butt on social media. And then I read Lindsay's blog! THIS! Celebrate Southern: Hot Toddy... this was my life saver. Hot Toddies. I forgot all about these for fighting that scratch in your throat. Thank you Lindsay for looking out for me, but not really.

+ Kendra from Kenji is Here is a craft guru! I can knit with needles. Allbeit not very well, but I can. Kendra proved It's Easier Than You Think to knit without needles. She's made some adorable scarves. I have a feeling this will be what everyone is getting for Christmas this year!

Did you have some of the same favorites as me?

What will y'all be doing this weekend?

Insert Random Love Quote Here

I'm sorry y'all. I couldn't come up with a creative love quote for my #BloggerLove post. Last week was epic and clearly I've drained my creativity. Ooops.

BUT!!!
We've made it yet another Friday, y'all!
This week has been... interesting (yes, interesting is a good word for it). All week at work it's been just chaotic. So many of our bulk outbound deliveries (aka what I have to deal with all day) have been changed. As soon as I notify the carriers of one change, the customer has already changed the same order two more times. My head is literally spinning. I'm pretty sure Wednesday and Thursday were the toughest days, but Friday isn't over yet so we shall see!
Here's a little something to make you smile if you're having a rough day...

Haha... moving on!
This weekend the kids and I plan to meet one of my dearest and long time friends at a park that's halfway between us both. We live about an hour away from each other. Maybe a little less. Either way, we're far enough away from each other that we never see each other anymore. It saddens me. However, now that I don't have to rely on Josh for rides on the weekend (and since he's working tomorrow anyway) I'm taking myself and the kids and we're going to play! Sunday my dad and step mom are supposed to come over for lunch. Which means of course tonight will be spent with me looking like a crazy woman trying to get the house super clean. Good thing we'll be out of the house Saturday, right? ha!

Anyhoo... it IS Friday which of course means I get to share with y'all (some of) my favorite posts from this week. Linking up with Meagan from All the Joys (love her!)

This week's shoutouts!

+ Katie at Hot Tea and the Empty Seat. This girl has quickly become one of my new favorites. I found her blog when Faith did the Golden Vlog last week, and y'all I'm hooked! She's so, so sweet! This week, she posted The Day Jesus Spoke to Me in a Parking Lot. All I can say about this post is wow! Just wow!

+ Lauren at Lot 48 shared some amazing quotes this week. If you're ever feeling down or in a rut, just go back to this post because these are seriously so inspiring. She even has a whole pinterest board for inspiration! Love her!

+ Emily from Ember Grey cooked this week! I am seriously going to have to try this Cinnamon Applesauce Spread, y'all. PLUS! you make it in the crockpot. It cannot get much easier than that, right? Right!

+ Cassie from Sage the Blog has a series that I love. Equally Yoked. It's a marriage series and the bloggers she has guest posting are just as incredible as she is! This week was all about setting boundries; how to talk about boundries and why they're important in a marriage.

+ Mary-Keith reminded us this week that we don't have to know our passion and that's OK! She gave some really great tips on how to find your passion. Plus, how cool is her name?

What were your favorites this week? I love finding new blogs to read! Oh... and can we talk about how it's 2 weeks away from Halloween and I STILL don't have a costume?? WHAT am I going to be, y'all?? Zander has his costume. Ainsley will be Tinkerbell. I don't know about me. This is also the first year in three years that I'm at a job that doesn't allow costumes. SAD FACE!
I dunno... hopefully I'll figure it out.
Happy Friday, y'all! Here's to a great weekend!

I Love to Spread the Love

Is it just me or is everyone else in denial that this is the last Friday of September? This month has flown by and it's hard to believe that next week is October. The best thing is that now that it's officially fall, this week has actually felt like fall in Georgia.

Can we talk about my picture for a minute though? These leaves were in my front yard and I was able to get (what I think is) a pretty nice shot! But anyway... moving on...
I'm glad we have finally made it to Friday! As y'all know by now, on Friday's we share the blog love and link up with Meagan! I love reading all of these posts and finding blogs I haven't read. My bloglovin feed has grown thanks to think fabulous link up! (So, thanks Meagan!). Of course, AS ALWAYS (because y'all are so great) there were so many posts to choose from!

(a few) of my faves this week:
 

+ Anne at Love The Here and Now, Amy at Set Free and Sarah at Seriously, Sarah? win a tie for first place this week because they all posted some really yummy looking drink ideas for fall! How awesome are they? Anne made Caramel Apple Cider for adults. Amy made Frozen Butter Beer!! WHAT?! Yes, please I'll have three! And Sarah made homemade PSL. My inner penny pincher is dancing for joy at the thought of saving so much money making these at home.

+ Faith at Life w/ Mrs G & The Artist made chicken pot pie. I'm a sucker for chicken pot pie. I've never been brave enough to try making it myself, but her recipe looks so easy. (Hello, cheats included!) This has definitely been added to the meal list for our house.

+ Tabitha at A Hundred Tiny Wishes wrote a beautiful letter to her son for his birthday. I'm also very jealous that I didn't think of this idea for my son. I think it's such a sweet thought to write a letter on each birthday and give them to her son when he turns 18! Adorable!

+ Kerri over at Hey Kerri Blog got a new tattoo recently and blogged about it! If we remember from earlier this week, I LOVE tattoos and I especially love stories behind them. Plus She's the sweestest ever linking back to my story!

So what have we learned this week? Clearly I'm straving, need a good drink, and have a soft spot for sweet posts. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Celebrations and Blog Love

Y'all, I'm nervous. There, I said it... yes, I'm nervous. Tonight hubby and I are celebrating our 6th anniversary in the city. This of course means the kids will be left with my mother in law tonight and tomorrow. This is the first time we're leaving BOTH kids with someone overnight, and that's what's making me nervous. (I know, I know... I shouldn't be; they'll be fine; blah, blah, blah). I was the same way when we left Zander alone for an overnight stay. I'm just a wimp. BUT, I know Josh and I will have a great time! I still don't know all of the details, because he's keeping most of this a surprise. I'm very impressed with that, by the way because normally Josh isn't the planner in this marriage! SO, this is the last I'm going to think about not having my kids this weekend and I'm just going to enjoy celebrating our anniversary! (Just like a good wife should, right?) Ha.

Anyhoo... IT IS FRIDAY! Of course that means we're sharing the #bloggerlove and linking up with Meagan from All the Joys. Once again, this week was filled with amazing posts! I seriously loved Anne's suggestion to help remember faves throughout the week by using bloglovin! What a help, thanks, Anne! So let's do this, y'all!

+ Kenji from Kenji is Here wrote a beautiful post for Emily's Grateful Heart Linkup. Simplicity is Key. It's so very true. Honestly, how many times have y'all de-cluttered your desk or closet and just felt so much better afterwards? *Raises Hand!*

+ Christine at The So-Called Homemaker gave some great tips on How to Be an Awesome Sponsor. I happen to agree with all of her tips. I've been lucky in that all of the ladies that I've sponsored have been amazing and I have no complaints! But, if you're new to sponsorship's, these are some great tips! Take notes, y'all.

+ Cassie from Sage the Blog shared the story behind one of her tattoos. I'm a big fan of tattoos, and I always love to hear / see the story behind someone's tattoo. Especially if that tattoo is REALLY pretty and very well done!

+ Katie from Life Is... wrote this beatuiful post on Wednesday, Early Morning Thoughts. I really needed this post this week. A gentle, peacful reminder to love yourself and to slow down.

+ Amy at Set Free. Her post: How I Keep My Marriage Alive After Kids really hit the nail on the head. (But ALL of the Mama Tells All link up posts were amazing) But Amy said something I think a lot of us forgot to say: Take time for your friends! Even though you're married you can't stop seeing your friends. It's just so very true!

Who were your favorites this week? I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I'll do my best to do a weekend recap of a kid-free anniversary celebration. Don't worry y'all I'll leave out the dirty parts ;) ha.

On Names, Originality, and Love

What a busy week! We're finally at Friday! This is also the only post I didn't have scheduled this week. Oops. I'd like to announce, in case y'all missed it, Amanda at Knock on Wood made an exciting announcement yesterday for a fun new linkup starting Monday. And I promise, to all of my wonderful readers, to get some much needed rest this weekend. Amanda suggested a mommy / daddy vaca... that'll be next weekend for our Anniversary! This weekend is just going to be all about resting! I really do appreciate all of the sweet comments telling me to get my butt to bed though. Thank y'all for looking out for me.

So let's do this! Linking up with Meagan at All the Joys for Friday Faves! (Holy cow, there were a lot this week, y'all!)

 

+ Amy at Set Free talked about baby names. Firstly, I absolutely love the names she's picked for her bundle of joy on the way. Secondly, I love this post because it reminds me of when I was pregnant (with both kids) and the looks I'd get when we would tell people the names we had chosen. (**ALSO I really loved her post about the "perfect" mom!)

+ The Florkens talked about The Struggle for Originality this week, and whoa! Some of the points they made really got me thinking, "am I staying true to myself?"

+ Lauren at Lot 48 had a great find for what to buy any man in your life. Men are hard to shop for, and this post seriously will help a lot of women that don't know what to get!

+ Cassie at Sage the Blog wrote this amazing post about conflicts she's been having with herself and delcaring the Word to others. Seriously, this was just so beautiful. Just go read it if haven't already!

+ Kenji from Kenji is Here had an amazing take on sunrises and new beginnings. I just loved it. :)

So what were your faves from this week? Did any of mine make your list? I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Also, sorry for the super short post. I did this on my lunch break #unprepared.