five on Friday | keeping it real

To be honest, I wasn't even going to post anything today. I took a sick day from work yesterday because that indigestion I mentioned? Yeah it's here to stay and it's hitting me with a vengeance. I'm taking medicine, trying to follow all the rules (like don't eat, drink, bend over, or lay down. ever.) but it's slowly killing me from the inside out. 

Anyway, I didn't think I had any blogging material (and you may agree after reading this) but I realized I can share my week with you by 'keeping it real'. So here goes:

one.

I started off my day yesterday at 3am! So productive of me, right? Nope. Acid reflux. So I found this fitting and posted it on instagram at that ungodly hour:

two.

Despite not being able to eat (ever), I came across this heaven on earth and texted Mark with the caption TAKE ME HERE. He totally understood the urgency and I fully expect it to happen for our next date night when I can eat again (which will be never).

three.

Did I say I couldn't eat? I lied. I made these on Monday night and they are already gone. Whoops. #maybethatswhyIhaveheartburn #sorrynotsorry

four.

Thanks to my general lack of motivation and ability to lift myself out of bed yesterday, I've successfully made it to season 5 of Downton Abbey. Don't spoil it!

five.

Ok, so I did take some pictures yesterday to document my 'realness'. This was the extent:

she stayed here literally all day

I got 'dressed' at 7:30pm. This was about as dressed as I could force myself to get.

yes, yes it was. 

my setup for the rest of the evening.

So there it is, y'all. Completely real, uncut, uncensored day in the life of a poor unfortunate soul. Happy Friday all!

*this post contains excessive use of sarcasm and dramatics. user assumes all risk.

The best weekends are boring

It's true. The best weekends are when there are no plans and the weekend just happens, organically.

That is exactly what this weekend was and I LOVED it! 

Mark and I had one plan for the whole weekend, so we hosted his mom and dad for dinner on Friday night. As I mentioned, I made a rendition of chicken taco chili and it was delish! We have some leftovers so I'm sure those will be eaten up during the cold week that is ahead. 

Mark took advantage of some great weather on Saturday and went east to play disc golf which left me with the entire day to fill to my liking. Luckily, I had already done my weekly housecleaning before Mark's parents came over so I didn't even have to clean! I started with one of the projects on my LONG to-do list:

I wrote here about how we sprayed almost all of our door hardware oil-rubbed bronze when we moved in. A couple knobs (mostly our exterior doors) were wearing a bit plus I had missed a couple things like the strike plates so I took those off, sanded them down, and sprayed them in the garage. It's super easy and way cheaper than getting new hardware!

I also treated myself to a matinee movie and went to see Gone Girl. I really wanted to read the book first but I decided to skip it and saw the movie instead. I got a deal on Groupon (tickets are usually 30-50% off so we always buy them before we go). I really liked the movie! It wasn't as shocking as I had heard from other people, but it was a good one. I had to run to the bathroom about 15 minutes from the end, which in hindsight was probably the worst part to miss, but I ended up getting a free meal out of it (we go to Studio Movie Grill and they serve food) so I learned that I was a pretty cheap date!

I then went home and did this:

Mark and I are seriously thinking about putting down hardwoods/laminate in about half of our house. I am BEYOND excited about it and am ready to get it done ASAP, but unfortunately I married someone that takes a little more time to make these big decisions. I'm taking it all in stride! I picked up about 12 samples of wood and laminate, and after talking about it we are leaning more towards laminate. We are thinking it's easier to install, harder for the dog to scratch up, and generally more cost effective than wood. Plus, we can't really tell much of a difference between some of the woods and high quality laminates. What do you guys think? PLEASE give us your thoughts! (keep in mind that we aren't trying to 'trick out' our current home in high end finishes, there is surely a cap of what we could get for resale in this neighborhood and there are plans to rent it out when we move, so keep that thought on the back burner!)

We went to a builder's surplus store on Sunday and picked up larger samples. The ones above are the rejects and the two below are actually different styles, but they are the ones we like best. 

Sunday was lazy and Mark was around, so Motley caught up on her much needed sleep...(I'm seeing a yellow/black/white/grey theme here)

Sunday afternoon I got all ready to model my new eShakti shirt and then found out my camera battery was dead and I can't find my charger. So, I'll have that next week, hopefully!

Instead, I had Mark help me take some pictures for my Etsy shop. I posted four new items!

Completely candid and my new shop Instagram picture! 

I got to working on Mark's special anniversary dessert (today's our anniversary!) and realized I'm kind of a messy cook...

Any guesses on what I made?

I'm linking up here! I hope you all had a great weekend, and happy Monday!

Blogtober day 18 - share a secret about you

Blogtober day 18! Today’s prompt is ‘share a secret about you’.

When people ask me to share secrets my thoughts always go more towards negative secrets; the kinds of things you are embarrassed to tell. I don’t think I really have any positive secrets to share (hello, over sharer!) but I’ll share a story of a positive secret and a negative semi-secret today just to mix it up a bit.

Back in May 2013 Mark and I loosely decided we wanted to buy a house. We started looking and ended up having our offer accepted in the span of about 5 weeks, which was pretty quick but seemed slow at the time. Since we weren’t really sure if we were definitely going to buy or not, we chose to keep the fact that we were planning to buy a secret from all of our friends and some of our family. It kind of naturally turned out that way, since we weren’t really sure ourselves what we were doing, but it ended up being a good thing for us because of the ups and downs of searching and having offers rejected, etc. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to have to recap everything to everyone as the roller coaster went on. Plus, it really helped me to focus on other aspects of life since I couldn’t really talk about what was happening – and in turn I was probably less stressed and anxious than I would have been.

When we did announce that we bought the house, it was after our offer was accepted and a contract signed. I did so with an Instagram photo and posted it on facebook, and we got lots of surprised reactions. It was pretty fun, but I think some of my friends were a little ticked off that we kept that secret from them, but oh well! It worked out for the best.

My other secret is more embarrassing and not really a secret, more so just something I don’t like volunteering. I developed psoriasis in college on my scalp and it’s kind of a big nuisance to me. It flares up in the summer and I get sores on my scalp that itch and burn, especially when it’s hot and I’m sweating. To most people, the flakes and ‘scales’ look like dandruff so people typically comment on that. But most people think dandruff is ‘gross’ so any sort of white flake in your hair is pretty embarrassing.

Anyway, it’s not super severe by any means, and I just have a topical ointment that I can put on it from time to time. Most people don’t know about it, though!

Anyone else have a weird secret they want to share? Feeling super vulnerable today! ;) Oh, and happy weekend!!!

Blogtober day 16 - fall fashion

Here we are at day 16! We’re already halfway through blogtober and I’ve only cheated twice. 

Today’s prompt is ‘fall fashion’.

Now y’all, I am NOT a fashion blogger. I like feeling comfortable and being semi-updated on trends as well as trying to do my body type justice when getting dressed in the morning. That’s about it. I rarely buy any of my clothes full price (with the exception of Target) and do my best to layer what I already have to make it through the seasons.

I didn’t know for sure if I was going to do this prompt today, but we were hit with some AWESOME drizzly fall weather last weekend and I really liked my super trend-forward outfit so I snapped a few pics to share as my ‘fall fashion’.

This ‘blogger scarf’ is EVERYWHERE. It was sold at Zara last year but word on the street was that they aren’t bringing it back this year. Luckily, I found it on amazon for a pretty good deal and I snatched it up. I was a little worried it was a knockoff and would therefore be super cheap quality, but you guys, it’s AWESOME. It’s thick and warm and basically a blanket. I love it!

I have approximately 15 striped shirts. I don’t know what it is, but I love them! I’m glad we finally got over the myth that horizontal stripes make you look fat. Am I right? #stripesforlife

So this is the one in the picture. I snagged it here online a couple weeks ago and I can guarantee you it's going to be a go-to from here on out. It's long enough for leggings!!!

Anyway, I found these at Target a couple weeks ago and bought the red/blue striped one, wore it to work, got compliments, and my coworkers went out and bought some. So then, naturally, I went back at lunch and got the black and white one. :) They have it in solids, too, and it's THE MOST COMFORTABLE SHIRT EVER. Seriously, y'all! (I'm wearing the black and white one today!!!)

I was WAY behind on the military jacket thing. I’m totally not a jacket or coat person, and I usually make it halfway through December before I decide to ditch the coat and just run to beat the cold anywhere I go. I hate carrying around bulky things! Well anyway, I found this jacket at Target and picked it up. I’ve been really happy with it! I love the drawstring waist, collar that stands up by itself (with a hoodie inside should you want one), and roll up sleeves. It’s super light and I wear it as a layer most of the time, but it also works nicely as a wind block. I suggest you grab one!

I’ve been super surprised with these jeans. I picked them up at H&M a couple of years ago for $20 and although I was a little worried at first because they were so stiff, they have proven to be my favorite jeans! I love the wash, the way they cuff, and I feel like they make me look a teensy bit skinner than I really am. Isn’t that the best?!

(not exact)

My shoes. Ohhh how I love these shoes. I could wear them every day. I originally bought the first version of these Steve Madden leopard wedges in 2012 for my wedding. Yep, I wore leopard shoes at my wedding and I loved it. I saved them for that special day and started wearing them regularly after that. They wore out in about 9 months, but you guys, I wore them a LOT! I’m also not known for taking great care of my things, so add at least another 9 months onto that if you’re better than me! I freaked out when I found them again, with slight modifications, about a year later. My size sold out quickly at Nordstrom so I grabbed them quickly at Dillard’s and have been wearing them often since! They are my fave. They don't have them in leopard anymore at Nordstrom but they have a ton of other colors and they are super cute!!! 

So that’s my fall fashion! Surprising, since we don’t get much of a ‘fall’ in Texas. Happy shopping, friends! 

Blogtober day 6 - 5 things I told myself when I started blogging

Happy Monday! I'm back for day 6 of #blogtober14. Check my two older posts for days 4 and 5 over the weekend! :)

I’ve only been blogging a little over a year, and I can’t say that I told myself a variety of things, it’s just that I had some crazy broad ideas. So I’m going to narrow this down to the 5 things I told myself when I started blogging:

-5- 

I’d blog every day with good content about DIY projects in my house with breakdowns of cost and time. Y’all, that is a LOT to keep track of and keep up with! I’ve definitely had my share of DIY projects and how-to’s, but I can’t stage every project and break down the cost of everything because that takes time and frankly, I’m super impatient!

-4- 

I’d make a ton of blog friends. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve corresponded with plenty of you guys, but so far, no blogger meet ups! I’m not counting Kendi, because I wasn’t blogging when we met. Oh yeah, on the night of my engagement. :)

-3- 

Sponsors would be dying to PAY me to write for them. Bahahahaha! Yes, I’ve been contacted by sponsors, but I’m definitely not close to quitting my day job.

-2-

I’d be Young House Love famous in a few years. Well, I hear there might be an opening in the market, so I’m not totally writing this one off yet… (don’t leave us YHL!!!)

 -1-  

     HTML was so super easy to learn (it’s not the hardest thing ever, but it can be challenging!) I was literally stuck for about 3 months because I had hit a glitch on blogger and I wasn’t able to update my page or profile. I finally did some serious googling and figured it out. It was so frustrating!

yikes.

I will say this - I've learned a ton during my short stint at blogging and I love what it provides for me, monetarily and emotionally. I love reading stories and I love documenting my simple life and reading back to see where I've come from. I'm so glad you're reading too! 

Happy Monday! 

Join up with us here for #blogtober14!

Blogtober day 5 - fall bucket list

I posted my fall bucket list last year and didn’t end up reaching all of my goals, but that won’t stop me from having another list this year! Here it is:

-attend a football game in cold weather gear

-visit a pumpkin patch or fall themed festival/carnival

-watch football with the windows open and hot chocolate in hand

-make one crock pot meal every other week

-simmer fall smells on the stove (via pinterest)

-jump in a pile of leaves

-take an evening walk once a week

-have some fun fall photos taken of Mark and myself (already scheduled-after I made this list!!!)

Join in here for #blogtober14!

Blogtober day 4 - favorite instagram photo

So Day 4 of #blogtober14 is favorite photo you posted on instagram...

Let's be real here. I'm a bit obsessed with insta. I didn't have an iphone or android until December 2012, and as soon as I got one, I jumped on the IG bandwagon. I'm an #oversharer to the max, so I have a ton of pictures! I'm going to limit myself for Day 4 to favorite photo on instagram for THIS YEAR only. And because I couldn't pick just one...

...I picked my top 9! Here they are (in really no particular order except for my #1)

#9

car selfie with my hubby on the way to my favorite thing - dinner!

#8

Girlfriends by the Austin sign!

#7

Morning bike ride with my pup! 

#6

I just posted this last weekend, but I love this casual selfie!

#5

Again, another from last weekend! Girlfriends and I at Cowboys Stadium. 

#4

My sweet littlest niece and I at my birthday dinner!

#3

My biggest niece being silly for the camera!

#2

Another candid shot from a walk around WRL with my baby girl doggie!

#1

My husband, my house, and my tree! Love this one and the perfect lighting. ;)

Join us here for #blogtober14!

Blogtober day 3 - something I can't live without

Today's #blogtober14 prompt is : one thing you can’t live without...

I could take this a serious route and say my faith, my husband, my family, etc. but hopefully you guys know that I can’t live without them already so I’m going to take it just one notch below that and let you know that I can’t live without these things:

Yes, I went there.

Now don’t get the wrong idea – I would hardly describe myself as high maintenance and I don’t think any of my friends or family would either, but I have got to have these items. My hair has a storied past…

 we're going to have REALLY cute kids.

-Straight and thick as a child-

This is my father in a dress. (not really. he's a man. I just look a lot like him here)

-Ringlet-curly as a teenager-

cousins!

"Sweet band uniform!" you might be saying...I know. I was awesome.

During my junior year of high school, I loved my friend Jenny’s hair so I chopped mine off and started blow drying and straightening it into the ‘flippy-do’. I think it worked better in the context of 2004…

remember ponchos???

Anyway, shortly after that, I moved to east Texas for college and it was HUMID. Like crazy humid. Straightening my hair was a lost cause, so I let it do what it wanted.

In the middle of my sophomore year, I transferred schools to West Texas – a completely different climate. It was DRY and I loved it. My hair behaved (for the most part) and I continued to grow it out and straighten it most of the time.

I had a lapse in judgment and wanted to change things up so I went blonde for a month. It was….weird. I loved getting my brown hair back but – guess what – bleach fries your hair. Don’t do it, my friends. It took me years to get rid of the blonde that would show up randomly and my hair was genuinely fried. After I moved back from college, I was more open to try going back and forth between curly and straight – I mean, all of my cousins can do it!

Nope. Doesn’t work. My hair absolutely refuses to cooperate. It typically does this weird straight/wavy frizz thing with one million flyaways…

my hair - natural - this week!

..but recently it has gotten a LITTLE curlier – praise God. However, it is super weird up against my scalp so I can never find a good place to part it and tame it against my big noggin. It’s like having hair with a toddler’s personality. It’s horrid!

I’m still rarely happy with my hair, but I think taming with heating products makes it a tad better. I’ve had panic moments when my hair dryer sparks and stops working at 6:45am on a workday, and I always have a crappy back-up flat iron just in case my CHI decides to go out.

The struggle is real, y’all. I couldn’t live without my hair products! Getting back to curly is like a 12 step process and I think I’m maybe on step 5 or so. I’m growing out my hair (I say this constantly because my hair grows about ½ inch every year) so the weight will hopefully fix some of the weird scalp curl nonsense and hopefully – HOPEFULLY I will one day master the Bennett curl once again.

Linkup here for #blogtober14!