Tidbits.

- My photography business has been fairly busy lately, mostly networking and hanging out with other local photographers, combined with a few 2nd shooting gigs.  Someone asked me the other day what it felt like to be a 2nd shooter, and while I admit it was a little humbling at first, I actually really enjoy it.  I love not having so much pressure on my shoulders to think of all the posing, and the fact that I hand over my raw images and don't have to edit them is the cherry on top.  I actually hope to continue to 2nd shoot as much as possible... it's great experience, great exposure, and a lot of fun.

- I'm absolutely in love with the fall weather we've had recently... 64 degrees and cloudy today and I feel giddy like a school girl.  I love this season.

- This past week I lost another 1.5 pounds, making my total loss 24.2 pounds.  I was shopping on Saturday, looking for a dress for Sunday, and came across a cute lacey number that I thought would work well with leggings (that I'm required to wear when I'm on stage).  I loved the dress on the rack and actually thought about just walking out with it, knowing it would fit and that I would 'probably' love it, but decided I better just try it on.  I grabbed a Large, which is my normal dress size, and when I tried it on... it just looked super funky.  Didn't do a thing for my body, so naturally I was disappointed.  As I was taking it off, I realized how loose it was and told myself to not even bother with a Medium, thinking it wouldn't fit.  I changed my mind and gave it the medium a shot, and it fit like a glove.  Insert happy dance here....

Ignore the scowl look on my face.  :)
Also, I wore it with a cardigan.  Another requirement for being on stage (no sleeveless).

- Recently, my inlaws gifted us with some old furniture of theirs, so we finally have couches to sit on in the basement.  Our layout is so different down there that I wasn't sure how it would work, but after a few hours of rearranging I am really happy with it, and amazed how much more time we spend down there as a family.  Pictures to come, after my alphabet wall finds a new home.

- Jaxon's sleep schedule is still all over the place and it's been pretty stressful trying to get him figured out.  The easiest answer is to take away his naps, but even on the no-nap days we struggle getting him asleep before 10pm.  And then he's up at 6am.  And then he wants an afternoon nap.  And then he won't fall asleep till midnight.  I really miss our quiet evenings together, just Tyler and I, while we knew the boys were happy in la-la land.  Now every night is a battle, and it has become so frustrating for us both.

- Our worship Pastor and his wife (who are great friends of ours) were gone this past week on vacation, so I lead worship on Sunday, and practice the Wednesday before.  I am fairly comfortable doing this, but usually with a piano in front of me as my security blanket.  This time, I pushed myself to lead without the piano, standing with the worship team. The best part about it was on Sunday morning I didn't even feel nervous.  Anytime those fears hit my mind, I reminded myself it had NOTHING to do with me, and that eased every nerve I had.

- I can't believe my sweet baby (who obviously isn't a baby anymore) will be 2 next month.  I have really been making a conscious effort lately to soak him up, and have realized how big he has become, right before my eyes.

- As much as I can recognize that the house we're living in is definitely not a "forever home", I have felt so content living here recently and I'm grateful for those feelings.  It's not a big house, it's not great for entertaining (which is probably my biggest complaint), it's not "nice", and a lot of times I wish that we could change things about it, but in this present season we can't.  And for now, I feel ok with that.

- The 5k I'm running with my Dad and Sister is coming up in less than a month, and I feel ready for it.  We're doing the Color Run in Des Moines, and I can't wait!

- I really really really want to jump on the colored jeans trend, but just feel like they do nothing for my body, which is so unfortunate because they are stinkin' cute!

Time to brew another cup of coffee, grab my favorite blanket, and catch up on some Army Wives.  My newest nap-time addiction.  :)

Tidbits.

- I hope each of you had a great Thanksgiving.  Ours was great, spent with a dozen of my favorite people, what else could a girl ask for?  Friday, my Sister, Mom, and SIL braved the crowds and went Black Friday shopping.  To be honest, it was busy -- but not horrible.  Were we successful?  I'll let you judge for yourself....

- I am still absolutely in love with my Erin Condren planner, just in case you wondered.  SO worth every penny.

- Last week, we had break night at small group, so Tyler and I decided to take the boys to do a little Christmas shopping, share a Starbucks, and then finish the night letting the the boys pick out their ornament.  This is one of my favorite traditions that we do each year... try not to be shocked, Jaxon chose a train.  Cohen's pick was the bell from the movie Polar Express.  If you haven't watched that movie, add it to your Christmas 2011 bucket list.

- I am hoping to get our Christmas tree & decorations up tonight.  The boys received a train to go around the Christmas tree as a gift, and Jaxon will not stop talking about it.  He's obsessed with all things Christmas this year, the season continues to get more and more fun the older he gets.  I have a feeling keeping Cohen away from the tree & ornaments will be a challenge, but that's part of the fun I s'pose.  :)

- This year I'm attending my first Christmas cookie swap party, hosted by my close friend Andrea.  I am so excited to go!

- I have been really dizzy off and on for the last month or so and finally saw a doctor last week about it.  The dizziness gets so extreme that I start seeing black spots and feel like I'm going to pass out... it has freaked my husband out so much that he rarely lets me drive anymore.  The doctor's first instinct was my thyroid, but after all my blood work and tests came back clear, we are moving on to my heart.  He thinks it may be slowing down at random times causing me to feel like I'm going to black out, so I have been blessed with this EKG monitor that I have to wear for the next 48 hours... yes, that means no showering.  Pray for me if you think about it.  Health issues freak.me.out... I am so thankful I serve a God who knows all and sees all.  We should hear back from the results sometime next week.

- On a much lighter note, do y'all watch the show Revenge?  I was hesitant to watch it because I am not a fan of scary movies/shows, but we..love..it.  Like, staying up way way way too late to catch up on it... that kind of love it.  

- I was so thankful for Tiny Prints and their blog promotion this year.  I love to send Christmas cards, so the blessing of getting them for free was icing on the cake.

- I don't say it enough, but I'm absolutely smitten over my husband.  He is such a rock in my life, he truly is God's perfect one for me.

- The no-heat curls has turned into my "go to" hairstyle... I'm constantly amazed at how well it works for me, since my hair has never held curl.  Here's a little timeline from the first day I tried it:

8 hours after taking it out

With a curling iron touch-up

At the wedding

-I am so thankful for our small group.  Last night we had our first "split" night where the girls met together, and the guys hung out with the kiddos.  The study was focused on speaking truth into each other's lives... so often we hear lies from the enemy and I don't know about you, but for me I start to believe them after hearing them too much.  Last night was a sweet reminder of who we are in Christ, and who we are to our friends around us.  If you aren't apart of a small group, please join one... I never knew how life-giving it could possibly be, but I'm continually blown away by the community we have because of our group.

- I am so happy with the family picture that we got at Thanksgiving... it is going on our Christmas card and I'm weird about showing it before it gets mailed... but it's definitely a keeper and will be framed for sure!

- Happy Tuesday.

No heat curls.

Here's another thing a lot of you have probably seen or heard of in blog blog land... no heat curls.

The idea is to wrap your hair tightly around a elastic headband, go to sleep, and wake up with perfect hair!

I had my doubts, especially since I was blessed with hair that does not like to curl.  Straight as a board.

late last night ... ready for bed!

good morning!  someone get this girl a cup of coffee. 

i slept surprisingly well...

as you can see it also stayed pretty well in the band overnight.

as you can see it was nice and tight on my forehead... ouch

this is my impressed face 

this is my very impressed face 

the rear view... no pun intended

Have you tried this?  How did yours turn out?

If not, give it a shot... video tutorial here.  

We are headed to a wedding with my Sister and her husband tonight {yay yay yay!} so we'll see how long these curls last, but for now I am all kinds of happy with them.

What I wore Wednesday.

Just for you, sister.

bible study & hanging at home today

cardi: ny&co

tank top: gap

jeans: old navy

I scored big time at Gap the other day with their "buy 1 shirt, get 1 free"... shopped the clearance department and got 6 shirts for $50.80... which ended up being only $0.80 cents out of my pocket, thanks to gift cards... thanks mom!

Love deals like that, and hooray for now having a little bit of a summer wardrobe.

What I wore Wednesday.

I failed pretty miserably this week... not because I wore jammies during the day, but because I don't have many outfits to show y'all. Like I mentioned last week, my spring/summer wardrobe is severely lacking, so I wear a lot of the same things. So this week I wore a lot of repeat outfits I've already shown you, and didn't think you'd want to see them again.

Anyhoo.... just a couple for this week:

library time for jax / errands

cardigan: ny&co

purple cami: ny&co

jeans: old navy

I felt a little bit like a LSU fan today {yellow and purple colors} but I love the color combo.

stayed home

cardigan: ny&co

tank top: motherhood maternity {don't stone me... i told ya i don't have summer clothes}

belt: aerie

jeans: old navy

Sorry, that's it for the week.

Anyone else?

What I wore Wednesday.

As the weather gets more and more warm, I am struggling coming up with outfits... this is my first summer being home and not working, so I don't own summer clothes! Well, of course unless you count last summer when I was pregnant... and no thanks, I don't want to be wearing maternity clothes this year.

Luckily I have a couple gift cards so I'm hoping to stretch them as far as possible and get a few new summer shirts out of the deal.

Anyway -- this week:

to the park

shirt: gap

cardigan: ny&co

jeans: the buckle

necklace: spice village

staying home

(praise the Lord, cuz that shirt looks AWFUL on me)

shirt: (now in the garbage) old navy

skinny jeans: old navy

church / life group

cardigan: ny&co

cami: old navy

jeans: old navy

boots: women within

kids painting at pinwheel kids

shirt: old navy

jeans: old navy

shoes: TOMS (red, my fav)

errands & to the doctor with jax

shirt: old navy

scarf: old navy

jeans: the buckle

hat: target

lazy day at home

shirt: target

leggings: target

I feel yucky and I look yucky. Blah.

I am thinking about rebelling and not posting anymore outfit pictures until my sister does. Just saying.

Anyone else take pics this week?

What I wore Wednesday.

This will be a lame one.... I forgot to take pictures this week because I was in Branson for 4 days {holla!} and just completely spaced it.

Anyhoo, here's the ones I did snag.

Laundry/cleaning day

shirt: haha, t-shirt from 4th of July...

capris: NY&Co

it's a pathetic outfit but i promised to be honest with y'all :)

Church/Life Group

shirt: Old Navy

skirt: Target

headband: Etsy

Mom's Bible Study at church

shirt: Old Navy

skinny jeans: Old Navy

shoes: Burlap TOMS :)

I'll try to be better this week, promise! Or is anyone getting tired of seeing these? It's okay if you are, I feel a little weird posting them so if you are getting tired of them let me know and I'll gladly stop ;)

Did anyone else take on the challenge this week? Dani? :) Be sure to check out Jenni's post from last week... some super cute outfits!

What I wore Wednesday.

Sorry I missed last week.... there's a few extra pics this week because of that!

Here we go....

Playdate with friends

cardigan: gap
black shirt: ny&co

jeans: the buckle

jaxon's birthday party

tunic: old navy (thanks sister!)

cami: old navy

belt: american eagle

leggins: target

boots: woman within (thanks momma!)

errands

cardigan: gap

cami: target

skinny jeans: old navy

life group

shirt: ny&co

cami: old navy

skinny jeans: old navy

boots: woman within

necklace: gift (thanks susan!)

church

dress: target

cardigan: ny&co

leggins: target

flats: target

necklace: spice village

coffee with a friend

sweater: gap

skinny jeans: old navy

boots: woman within

cleaning/laundry day at home

cardigan: ny&co

shirt: old navy

comfy pants (sorry!): nike

kids painting at pinwheel kids

hoodie: old navy

shirt: old navy

jeans: the buckle

valentines day date

shirt: forever 21 (thanks sister!)

belt: american eagle

skinny jeans: old navy

boots: woman within

Anyone else take on the challenge? I'd love to see your pics!

What I wore Wednesday.

It's so easy to get in a rut when you're a stay at home mom. It's easy to not shower daily, it's easy to not style your hair for days, and most of all it's easy to stay in comfy pants all day long.

I always feel bad being in comfy clothes when Tyler gets home so I usually change about a half hour before he arrives... ha!

I have decided to challenge myself to get dressed and make an effort to look presentable, even on days that I am not leaving the house. I know my husband appreciates it, and I always feel better when I do.

And in order to keep myself accountable, I decided to take pics and post them on my blog. I don't think anyone wants to see me in jammies, so this is good motivation. :)

grocery shopping & errands

cardigan: old navy

scarf: old navy

cami: old navy

skinny jeans: old navy

lazy day at home

cardigan: ny&co

stripped shirt: old navy

leggings: target

birthday date dinner!

shirt: aerie

belt: american eagle

skinny jeans: old navy

to court to pay my speeding ticket...

cardigan: american eagle

tshirt: my sister's drawer

jeans: the buckle (bke brand)

hat: target

coffee with a friend

plaid shirt: aerie

cami: target

skinny jeans: old navy

my favorite TOMS :)

Yes, I wear my skinny jeans a lot. I love them, but they are too big on me (yay) so I'm looking for a new pair. Anyone have a favorite brand?

Any other SAHM's want to take on this challenge with me? :)

Exploring the city.

Our car was broke down for a few days this week, so once Tyler had some time to fix it, Jaxon and I spent the next day out on the town ... we were thankful to not be under house arrest anymore! While we were out, I found this really cool shopping mall. It's not your typical mall ... it was a huge warehouse that they remodeled and turned into one large shopping area, so instead of each store having it's own 4 walls, every store was out in the open and you just roamed from place to place, not even sure if you were in the same store as you were just 5 seconds ago or not. Some stores were blocked off with curtains or decor, others were not. It was a little overwhelming at first, but once I figured out what was going on I really enjoyed it. Then, no matter what store you bought from, you paid in the same place up front. It was an interesting concept and I'll definitely be back... they had some really cute stores and just cute stuff in general!

Here's some pictures I snapped while there ...

{sorry for the picture overload, I didn't realize how many I took until I uploaded them!!}

Cute maternity section ... too bad the plain t-shirts were over $70!
{everything else was super reasonably priced ... just this particular boutique was crazy!}

All the jewelry was $2 each!

Granted, it might break tomorrow, but at least you only spent $2 on it.

Awesome stationary/graphic design area

Cute little cafe ... they have a $5 lunch menu and everything sounded yummy!

In the back corner {where you see black/white words} was where I got my eyebrows waxed ... it was cheap, only $12 and she did a really good job.

Wish I had the time/energy to scrapbook or do anything creative for that matter ...

sigh, maybe someday.

Know my sister would LOVE this section ... cute cute clothes!!!

Loved all their home decor ... I could have done some damage there to my bank account, but I resisted. :)

Lucky for my husband for me, these are the only things I walked out with ...

4 necklaces for 8 bucks. Not too shabby.

Just part of my plan to dressing cuter ... figured a few accessories might help!

{29 weeks, 2 days - in case you were wondering!}

I was in a hurry that day as I had to be home to make dinner before Tyler got home, but I easily could have spent a lot of time there and hope to go back someday soon ... it would be great to find a friend to go with ... hopefully someday.

Guess you know what we're doing when you come visit us, huh? ;)