See Ya Real Soon!

After months and months of preparation, the day has finally arrived!

Tomorrow afternoon we are headed off to see the mouse and cannot wait to spend the entire week in Disney World.

I'll hope to have full recaps when I return in 11 days!

In the famous words of Mickey...

See ya real soon!

It's Fall Y'all

Sweet, sweet Fall has arrived, officially!

I thought I'd celebrate by sharing some fall pictures from last year.

Fall officially starts today, but in our little town us locals start it off at our annual festival.

Last year Cadence represented the festival as Wee Miss Jasper County. It turned out to be a warm but beautiful fall day. 

We watch the parade and walk around and see the local vendors and their beautiful products.

We also visit the great Pumpkin Patch during October. It's so much fun picking out our pumpkin and coming home and carving our design.

Some time during October we also visit Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia. It's not too hot, not too cold and the beautiful cotton fields on the way are magnificent!

We also do Church festivals and always make time for face painting :)





I love October for the month itself. The smells, Halloween and all things pumpkin, but it's also my birthday so that's just something extra special to add onto it...last year Tarl took me to the Melting Pot and surprised me with roses and this delicious cake! What I love about the Melting Pot is they don't sing to you...yay!



Before we know it, Halloween arrives, along with all of it's fun and those delicious little treats we have to eat annually.

Like candy corn M&M's and pumpkin shaped candy corn.



And who can forget those beautifully decorated Krispy Kremes?!

Pumpkin Cheesecake!

Halloween Peeps!

There is nothing more fun (in my opinion) then skeet shooting or target shooting when there is a chill in the air, and camping out afterwards after you've roasted marshmallows by the fire.

I am smitten with fall decor!
Pumpkins and mums and scarecrows galore!





We also do special Fall crafts each year.
Last year we made these pumpkins, this year we made the Fall sign above our fireplace.

The sweaters, oh how I love warm cozy sweaters!



Before I know it, October 31st has come and gone and as much as I love Thanksgiving, well I'll let the meme below explain it for me :)

weekend

On Friday night we went to our hometown football game. Cadence got to run out on the field along with all her friends prior to the game starting and she had a blast!

On Saturday we went to do some last minute things since we're going to be gone on vacation. We also went and bought some Disney gift cards and gas cards. It makes it so much easier than trying to keep up with how much you've spent on your credit cards, receipts, etc...just buy the gift cards and be done with it! We also got Cadence's autograph book in that I ordered and we love it. It has a page for each individual character to sign along with their picture.

On Sunday we relaxed and caught up on housework. We are ready to get this work week and school week done so we can head off to see the mouse!

Vacation Prep

The thought of vacation makes us all cheery, but getting prepared with the "to-dos" prior to leaving can leave us with major anxiety and regardless of all the lists you make I guarantee you once you're out your driveway you will still have that "I think I forgot something" feeling...here's some tips and tricks to making both pre and post vacation a breeze!

Packing

Packing can be both fun and aggravating at the same time. You're excited because the trip has now come closer and you get to prepare your outfits, but on the other hand, you have to prepare your outfits...it's really a win/lose situation. First it depends on your location. Since we're going to somewhere warm and sunny my tips will be based accordingly, but if you're going somewhere chilly just do these steps in reverse. You'll read more below on how I pack, but the number one thing we do when travelling for longer then a weekend is put our folded, clean clothes in a laundry basket. When we arrive in our hotel we sort the clothes away in the drawers and stash the basket in the corner, voila...you have your dirty clothes hamper. This way when it's time to leave, you throw that dirty clothes basket in the back of your car and when you get home you don't have tons of sorting to do throughout your suitcase. This is such a breeze when your vacation has come to an end.

Look at the weather!

This time of year with Fall approaching, the weather can change in an instant. Whether it be rain and muggy one second and then chilly and dry the next. When travelling you have to be prepared depending on the time you travel. If you're travelling in summer then obviously no coats are needed, if you're travelling in winter you obviously don't need to pack shorts. Get my drift? With us travelling during the Fall transition we will pack mainly summer clothes (shorts, t-shirts) because it is Florida and still warm. However we will pack a light jacket because at night, when the sun goes down, it can sometimes get chilly. Nothing heavy, but just a nice light jacket or cardigan. Just remember to always look at the weather a week and then daily before you travel. The weather changes every day and you don't want to leave home without a jacket to have to go and buy one while on vacation.

Lists, lists and you guessed it, more lists!

Say it with me, lists are our friend. Without a list I would forget my head if it wasn't attached. That's just me. Even if you have the best memory in the world, I still suggest this step because you always have that possibility of forgetting something. This too depends on the type of vacation you are going on. If you're going to an all inclusive resort, you really only need a packing list. Arrive and enjoy. If you're going somewhere to sight see (New York, Paris) make sure to have a sight see list handy, whether it be in the Notes app on your phone or a hand written one. With the excitement of a huge "bucket list" trip you can often forget something special. My NY list is a solid page long, front and back! If ever I get the chance to travel to NYC I would hate to miss one thing off my list so I will make sure and bring it and tuck it in my pocket. The most obvious list is your packing and I make one by the day. With Disney and the Florida heat sweat is inevitable, so we will change daily before dinner, so I have a day list and night list. This makes it easier when I go to pack to know exactly which outfit to throw into the bag verses..."what am I going to wear?!" I also have a to-do list of things to do prior to leaving (dog sitter, cat sitter, make sure everything in the house is turned off, etc.) I also make a cleaning list prior to leaving. There's just something so nice about returning to a super clean house. I clean throughout the week, each day having a chore. You leave the items that get the dirtiest quick for the last few days (accumulating dust and obviously your floors). On Monday I'll clean the bathrooms. On Tuesday I will catch up on all laundry. The only laundry we will wear from Tuesday - Thursday until we leave on Friday will be work and school clothes which will not go with us to Disney. On Wednesday I dust the entire house, and on Thursday I will sweep, mop and finish packing.

Ziploc Bags

It's so easy to take a 2 gallon Ziploc bag, write the day of your trip on it and tuck that outfit in. This also alleviates dirt and stains from getting on your clothes. Since our clothes aren't coordinated like Cadence we'll skip this step for us, but her Disney clothes are already Ziplocked and put away in the suitcase.

Stock Before You Leave

Make sure your gas tank is filled and you have your snacks ready to go. By the time your vacation has arrived it seems like every second takes longer than the last. You're so ready to leave that the thought of spending 15 minutes at a gas station filling up and getting snacks is aggravating. If you're like us you're ready to get on the road. Make sure you get your snacks and gas the night before, this way when y'all are ready to hit the road, you can!

Necessities

These are the important things you don't think much of on a daily basis, however when you need them, you need them! Do not forget these. Think phone charger, camera, medicine, etc. No one wants to get sick, ever, but especially not on vacation. However vacation destinations are some of the germiest places in the world. Make sure you're prepared if this happens. Pack all the medicine you would need as if you were at home and got ill.

Do you have any vacation prep tips?

Let's Chat

It's been a while since we've had a random "Let's Chat", so why not today...

We are now in the single digits of our Disney vacation! The past 200 days have flown by, and now that we're down to 9 they are dragging ass. Sorry for the language but there just isn't any other way to put it.

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Do people still read blogs? As of recent it seems that posts are dwindling as well as comments and just social interaction altogether. I'm not talking about my blog either. I'm talking about blogs as a whole. It's sad really. I love to blog and write...it's nice to be able to share it with others but I guess that's what twitter and instagram are for now, right? Speaking of...

Instagram

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Do you ever want something so bad you can taste it? New York is that for me. I want to visit so badly it hurts...I mean just look at the architectural beauty of the city itself!

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You can see all my New York pins and more by clicking on my Pinterest below!

Visit Miranda • Life in the Lowcountry's profile on Pinterest.

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Hometown football is Friday. The kids at Cadence's school get to run out on the field with the players right before the game starts so she is beyond excited about that. That's what I love about her school, they involve the children and the parents. I love knowing what she's doing and learning and the fact that she can have fun at extracurricular activities, like football :)

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Garth Brooks is the man, point blank! It's no big secret that his music isn't on iTunes due to the fact he likes to sell his songs as an album instead of one single track. This is where Ghost Tunes comes in to play. TBH I don't quite understand it. Does it get automatically downloaded to my phone or do I have to do all of that work. Has anyone tried Ghost Tunes yet? If so, do tell...

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I'm loving the smells of Fall that permeates throughout all the department stores now. Whether you walk in Belk or Starbucks, there is some type of pumpkin smell wafting throughout the room and it smells delicious. I don't know what my favorite smell is, pumpkins or pine trees (Christmas).

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I was bored today and listened to a lot of cover songs on YouTube by random people and wow. Some people have such an amazing talent and voice. I sure wish I did...but I sure don't! #dogsbarking

Happy Hump Day Friends!

What if I fall? Oh but my darling, what if you fly?

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The word can't is inevitable in our society. We live in a world of cants, wonts and donts and it's sad that it is reflected on our children. I remember being young and my dream was to be a doctor, a pediatrician to be exact. As I grew older and more faint of blood I realized that wasn't in the cards, but still I had that dream and I had supportive parents who would have been with me the entire way had I followed through with them. 

I want that for Cadence. I vow to never be that mother who says you "can't". If she wants to grow up to be the next President, I'll encourage her. If she wants to fight crime by wearing a badge, I'll support her. If she wants to be what she currently wants to be, a Princess. I will do everything in my power to make that a possibility.

I never want her to second guess herself or her choices. I want her to know without a doubt that she is determined, moral and honest. I want her to follow her dreams, always. I never want her to wonder, I want her to do.

This saying means so much to me. What a beautiful inspiration!

Encourage your children.

Spend time with your children.

Don't laugh off their dreams, listen intently.

Be supportive all ways in always.

Love them, unconditionally.

Help them achieve their goals, regardless of their age.

My dear sweet Cadence,

What a joy you have been in my life. From day one you were a big ball of energy and brought an immediate glow into our family. You are loved by all who know you and you love just as much.

You are kind yet headstrong when you need to be.

You are smart but you have such a silly side to you that is hilarious and delightful.

You wear your heart on your sleeve, but know how to stand up for yourself if need be. 

You currently want to be a Princess, and I believe you will if that's what you choose.

Hector and Rosie are your "babies" and you are their mommy. You feed them and burp them, love them and "give them a bustin" if they get into trouble. It's hilarious to watch you mother them as if you were a true parent. What a wonderful mother you're going to be some day. 

I pray that you always have integrity and morals. 

I pray that you are always kind without being boastful.

I pray the world treats you kind.

I pray that you love Jesus and find the good in every decision he makes for you.

I pray you always know how much your daddy and I love you.

I love you my darling and remember...what if you fly?

-mom

weekend

What a weekend, but first, how about them Gamecocks, hey Lauren?

In all seriousness, it was a great game. I'm not a HUGE football person, but those are the games that are interesting to watch. So close you are at the edge of your seat. Georgia played well, but we took the title. Holla!

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Friday after I got off work I headed straight to the salon and finished my lighter look by getting blonde tips at the end of my hair. I couldn't be happier with the results. My sister did a fabulous job and it was just what I needed, at least for now. 

I am one who changes my hair every three months or so, but for now I'm loving it. 

What can I say? Obsessing over hair runs in my family and before long I'm sure I'll want it back to black, so get ready Tesha!

It is definitely something to get used to but wowza - finally blonde with no brassiness to it! Love!

We hung around the house on Friday night and snuggled with our girl in her bedroom, normally it's in our big bed, but something about her pink room is so cozy. We read books and played "tickle monster" and it was so fun! One of my favorite books we have collected for Cadence throughout the years is called Dream Big Little Pig. It's such a cute book with a great moral to it. Tarl read this one to his girls while we snuggled and listened like we had never heard it before, even though we know the book word for word. Such a special moment. Even Rosie and Hector the cat were in the room. Our entire little family.

On Saturday morning we had our appointment with our Pageant Dress lady. She rents out pageant dresses at a steal compared to buying one. She is so talented with her dress making and it's so hard to choose just one dress from the array of dresses she has to choose from. 

She's been our dress rental lady for the past 4 years and although she has several dresses to choose from and try on, each time we go we are there for only a few minutes because once Cadence tries on a dress that suits her, it's like we know.

We tried on a hot pink beauty and although it was gorgeous, it just wasn't "the one". We tried on a purple dress, although I'm not a fan of the color itself, and wouldn't you know, it was amazing on Cadence!

Stunning!

Saturday afternoon we checked the mail and my BH Cosmetics products arrived. Their bronzer is beautiful but I am smitten over their blush palette. The best part is the price, especially since the quality is on point. You're getting a designer blush palette at a drug store price!

I love every single color in this palette. The neutrals are a perfect color for those days you don't feel like wearing a ton of makeup or are going for a more natural bronzy look. The pinks and violets are a great Spring color, and the warm hues are perfect for the Fall and Winter months. The two end colors that are dark pink and red are a good date night color if you are wanting a more sultry look.

I've swatched each color and there truly isn't one I don't like!

Seriously, buy this palette!

Sunday Funday was just that. We stayed around the house and watched brand new bitties be born. Cadence you know, if you have read this blog for a while, is a true bitty lover and they are just precious!

We also went over to Grandma's and got spoiled with an ice cream cone - she loves them, if you couldn't tell :)

We went and got some snacks for the week and I couldn't resist picking up these Smore's flavored candy corn - wow, that's all I'm going to say!

We finished the weekend watching Disney movies snuggled in bed. Before I knew it she was out and so was Hector. He loves his human, and she loves him :)

I can't believe how big Hecky has gotten. He turned one year in April and I never thought I was a cat lover until he has came into our lives. He is hilarious and truly has his own personality. 

I love how he watches over her. Whether outside or inside, he walks right beside her and doesn't leave her side - what a sweetheart!

I thought I would share the text I received from Tarl this morning:

I really do love you alot.

Just the thought of not being with you kills me.

Having those dreams are awful and are very eye opening.

I need to always show you that I love you and not assume you just know.

I love you so much, have a great day.

He had a dream last night that I was gone. Terrible dream, but this text was just about the sweetest thing I could have received on a Monday morning. 

I truly do have the best husband ever!

Have a blessed Monday friends!