Traditions - Happy 4th of July!

I went to look for July 4^th photos from the past on Facebook and I was met with allllll of these below. So yeah. I'm over sharing a bit today. 

July 4th (or 4^th of July if you like saying it that way) has always been a HUGE deal in my family. It is one of the major holidays for us, on par with Thanksgiving and Christmas. We probably have the most set-in-stone plans for July 4^th over all of the other holidays.

Growing up we always did the same things: Arlington Parade in the morning with donuts, lunch at Chili’s with all parade attendees, swimming (first at my aunt’s house, now at my parent’s), and fireworks at night. Once my sister started dating her husband, we joined in on the large soiree known as ‘party at the Redman’s’ that involves fireworks, way too much food, and lots of people. It’s usually the highlight of the year! Then about 6 years ago my sister ruined it forever (jk Angela) when she broke her ankle while 5 months pregnant at the party. The Redman’s got a little gun shy about the hordes of people and general chaos, so now it seems to be a smaller party every other year or so. We then replaced the party with a night at Concerts in the Garden in Fort Worth. 

Phew. Just thinking about all of those plans overwhelms me!

Now that we are older and a solid 1 hour drive from most of those festivities (which take place in Arlington and some back country town called Rendon), we have to choose our events. We’ve opted out of the parade the last few years and will do so again this year. Mark and I are changing it up a bit and I’m excited to let today be a relaxed but super fun day to celebrate our independence. Whatever we do, we will celebrate in style! I hope you get to spend time with family and friends on this great day!

Happy fourth of July!!!


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Christmas at our house 2013

It's finally Christmas at our house!

Here was the snippet I posted the other night:

And here is our beautiful REAL tree in all it's glory:

I really like the placement and the tree itself this year!

I finally joined the cool kids with 'christmas mesh' or whatever it's called and I like it! I am a major failure at making it look good, but I like it!

Mark put the star on the tree after chopping off the abnormally long tallest branch. 

Of course I'm already done with my shopping so the presents are tucked nicely in, hiding the fact that I don't have a tree skirt. Shh!!

Some of my favorite ornaments:

Our first ornaments as a married couple...his and hers!

Mark's soccer ball and baby me in the background (with major glare. Sorry!)

I have a BUNCH of dollar store ornaments so I just fill mason jars and random vases with them. It's easy and festive! This is the half wall behind the tree.

We also have our countdown sign and look, more ornaments! 

I found this sign and switched it out for the "B" on my wreath to make the complete transformation to a Christmas wreath.

I'm still missing a lot of decor that will go in the kitchen (can't wait to reveal that this week!!!) and also a bag of decor was left at my parent's house so that has yet to be set up. Cross your fingers we get our Christmas lights up this year! I can't believe we're so late to the game! I guess it's all worth it for a new kitchen, though. :)

Merry Christmas!

Labor Day weekend and Target Tuesday bliss!

I LIIIVVEEEEE for long weekends. They are such a great little treat every so often. I love them because skipping a Monday workday always works out for the best. Plus, it makes for just a 4 day work week, and who doesn't like that?

We made sure to mix in a little fun and a little relaxation to our weekend. Check it out:

Friday night Mark and I headed to Fuzzy's (where else?) to watch the first half of the Texas Tech vs. SMU game. I was super pumped for the game due to a) my post from Friday (check it here if you missed it!) and b) this was an away game, played here in Dallas, and I happen to work about 1/2 of a mile from the SMU campus so as I left work on Friday, I watched as droves of Tech fans crowded the stadium.

A high school and college friend posted this on their Facebook during the week and I couldn't help but crack up. It's the SMU 'mustang' mascot on the left and the Texas Tech Masked Rider mascot on the right. Clear winner, right?

Saturday, we managed to get ourselves locked out of the house before heading to Home Depot. Long story on how it happened, but we ended up tearing off part of the doorknob to get it unlocked! R.I.P. one carefully ORBed doorknob.

After we successfully broke into our house (but then quickly secured it again) we headed to Home Depot. Mark decided he wanted to re-do our back flowerbed so I went along for the ride. We ended up with all of this!

I came across this super cool light fixture that I have in mind for the breakfast area. Maybe one day...

We did lots of this on Saturday afternoon...

We headed down the highway on Sunday night for a date night at Alamo Drafthouse. We saw Elysium and it was alright...super gory, but it did keep my attention, so that says something!

I worked on some crafts during my quiet time this weekend, and I was happy to finish before it ended! The first was this super easy burlap wreath. I'm hoping to change out the ribbon and maybe add a few things as the seasons change. I'll try for a DIY post one day!

I scored these cut-off shorts a few years ago at the resale shop called Buffalo Exchange. They had been cut off prior to being sold, but the previous owner did a really bad job and they were awkward and constantly getting shorter. Finally, I decided to add some natural colored lace to the bottom to make them a little longer. Love them so far!

I headed over to my parent's house in Arlington on Monday for a pool party and I snapped a few pictures of my dad's cat Debbie (long story on the name) who is 16 years old and hanging on for dear life! She was a hermit most of her life but she is actually quite pleasant now!

As always, follow me on Instagram here, or search for @buchanandiana to see my updates live!

ALSO - lest you thought I forgot - it's time for another Target Tuesday!!!

How sweet are these ottomans?! I love an ottoman. They are perfect for an extra seat, a footstool, a coffee table, a cat bed, anything! I like the blue one in the middle on the top!

Sorry for the finger shot! This mirror is super cool. It has that industrial vibe without being too rustic. It looks like something you might pick up at an antique fair!

I've seen these items all over the Internet. I'm pretty sure the price listed is for two, which isn't bad at all! Again, Target is running with the industrial vibe!

Can I say how much I LOVE Threshold frames?! They are so fun, eclectic, unexpected, and pretty. Target does great in the frame department!

Target also has some awesome lamps. I love that they have so many fun shade options, like the textured one above. Also, they have a bunch of clear bases that you can style on their own or with items (like the classic seashells-cheesy, but good if done right!) inside for a house with a more obvious theme.

As always, I'm loving Target! Did you score any Labor Day deals? I hope everyone had a safe, fun, and relaxing weekend!

Pssst...be sure to write about YOUR weekend and link up with Sami here!