Snow Day Memories

Can I get a woo-hoo that Friday has arrived? I know it seems that it's a repetitive thing to be excited about Friday, but let's be honest, Friday's a happy day. Am I right?!

                           

I look forward to facebook memories each day. This morning I couldn't believe my eyes. This photo was taken two years ago.

It rarely snows in the lowcountry, and this was Cadence's first snow (if you can call it that) where she actually got to go outside and play with it and understand what it was. Of course, what child doesn't want to make a snowman. I explained to her that it hadn't snowed enough to make a snowman, but sweet girl improvised and made a little hand held snowman. I love this picture. So hard to believe how much she has grown up in the past two years.

The days are long but the years are short.

I have watched this video three times and it amazes me every single time. This artist has so much talent. I couldn't imagine being able to draw that well! Definitely worth the watch!

Valentine's Day is fast approaching. We don't go all out on 2/14 but we do treat each other to a little something. I'm loving these:

emoji pillows - $8.99

Let's be honest, Cadence wants the smiling poo!

I love these personalized stickers to put on treat bags or on suckers (as pictured) for the students in  Cadence's class.

24 stickers - $5.49

I am absolutely smitten with these personalized bar necklaces off Etsy. You can get your child's drawing or something they wrote. A significant saying, your name, a date, coordinates to a place that means something to you.  There are tons of options.

Emily J. Designs - Prices range from $45-$52

I purchased this top in lime green a year ago and it's on GroopDealz today on major sale at less than $10! They have colors perfect for spring, summer and even fall! My top three are Wine, Orchid and Taupe.

Source and link to purchase here

I'm off to watch this weeks episodes of Vanderpump Rules and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I do love Fridays! Have a blessed and happy weekend y'all!

What's Up Wednesday | First One of 2016

What we're eating this week.

When I grocery shop, I grocery shop for two weeks. If you don't know, grocery shopping is the one chore I hate doing. I'd rather sweep, dust, do dishes, fold laundry, and even clean toilets than grocery shop. With that being said, I try to limit grocery shopping and only doing it twice per month makes it that much easier, so here is our meal plan for the next two weeks!

Tonight - Baked Ziti with Garlic Bread

Thursday - BLTs

Friday - Fried Porkchops, Macaroni and Cheese with Crescent Rolls

Saturday - Salisbury Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Fresh Green Breans

Sunday - Grilled Chicken with Rice Pilaf and Broccoli au Gratin

Monday - Sloppy Joe Cups with Salad

Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Salad

Wednesday - Cubed Steak with Scalloped Potatoes

Thursday - Pizza Night

What I'm reminiscing about.

Warm, sunny days with these two.

What I'm loving.

All of my recent Lilly purchases. Lilly has two huge sales per year. One in January and the other in August. So a lot of people will buy products on sale, realize it doesn't work for them and then re-sale them for less than what they paid just to try and get some return on them, that's when I buy. Here are some of the items I recently added to my collection and I'm loving it! Seriously, spring can get here anytime now! A lot of these are no longer for sale on the Lilly site, however if I found any for sale on another site, I linked the site to buy below.

Callahan Short in Multi Palm Reader

I also got the Palm Reader Callahan's for Cadence too #twinsies

Walsh Short in Hot Wings

Callahan Short in Did You Catch That

Clam Jam Romper

Deanna Romper in Multi Palm Reader

Wiley Ruffle Tube Top in Lipstick Pink

(I couldn't find this color for sale- but Poshmark is a great place to look!)

Walsh Short in Dahlia Purple Party Girl

I am loving all of my recent purchases and I got all of these at a steal! Honestly, I've only paid full price for Lilly Pulitzer items, twice! That's it! If you're interested there are tons of Lilly resale pages on FaceBook, and I always check 6pm and Poshmark.

What we've been up to.

Trying to rid ourselves of this cold we've been fighting. Lots of disinfecting the house and lots of getting ready for Valentine's Day. I don't go all out with the decorations for Valentine's, but I do make sure I put out a little pink and red :)

What I'm dreading.

Cold weather - I'm seriously done with winter.

What I'm working on.

Reading my Bible. I have vowed to myself  and more importantly, the Lord, that I would read my Bible from cover to cover, not skipping chapters or pages. I'm proud to say I am now on Exodus. I realize it's only the 2nd chapter, but it's far more than I've ever gotten before. I will say, if you're anything like me, the Bible can be hard to understand so I went to my local Bible store and purchased an NLT (New Living Translation) Bible. Basically, it translates the Bible into modern English to be better understood. It by no means changes the Good Lords words, just makes it easier to comprehend.

What I'm excited about.

Disney! So we can make memories like the one below. The ones that touch your heart forever!

What I'm watching/reading.

Reading the Bible (as stated above). Watching: Criminal Minds. While I was sick, Criminal Minds was on repeat so I watched a ton of it and got hooked. Well there just so happens to be 10 seasons on Netflix, so guess what Tarl and I have been watching for the past 3 nights?!

What I'm listening to.

Each morning on the way to work I listen to Christian radio. If you've never heard of Focus on the Family I highly suggest it! Each morning they interview someone and they discuss their experiences which lead them to Christ. Some are in regards to parenting, being a husband, being a wife, drug addiction, prostitution, you name it, someone out there has been through it, the highs, the lows, and through it all they found Christ. Their stories are amazing and I look forward to listening to it each morning. Tarl does too. In the evenings we'll talk about who was on in the morning. Two weeks ago Al Robertson (Duck Dynasty) and his wife were on. 

What I'm wearing.

Nothing fun at the moment. Boots and scarves were fun in the beginning, but now I'm over it!

What I'm doing this weekend.

I've been dreaming of a farm house table for quite some time, but all of the ones I've been wanting are incredibly expensive. Well wouldn't you know Tarl has found Pinterest and out of the blue one day says, "I can build you those tables you've been looking at on Pinterest." My ears shot up like a Chihuahua with a treat and wouldn't you know, he started building it. #luckywoman

He hopes to have it finished this weekend and then I'll start painting and staining it to my liking. I love a good DIY project.

What I'm looking forward to next month.

Valentine's and then Easter decorations. I love adorning our home with pastels and all things related to chicks, bunnies and of course, crosses to represent our Lord and Saviors resurrection.

Happy Wednesday!

Valentine's Goodies.

Valentine's will be here before we know it. Personally, I adore Valentine's day, especially with Cadence. Getting sweet treats ready for her class, and of course, hoping for some sweet treats of my very own.

Here are some personal favorites that scream Valentine perfection!

                         

                                              source                                                   source

I have been smitten with Jadelynn Brooke and their t-shirts for quite some time. How sweet are these #squadgoals sweatshirts?! It's a tough choice between Friday Night Lights and Gossip Girl. Which would you choose? I'm on the fence...either way, clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!



Can one ever go wrong with Kate Spade? I don't think so! Tarl purchased me her glitter stud earrings in gold for Christmas and I can't wait to add more colors to my collection. These earrings are huge in real life and just add tons of sparkle to your ears! I think the rose is perfect for the Valentine's holiday and you can't go wrong with Opal. It's a color that goes with everything, plus it's my birthstone, win/win.

                     

link to purchase earrings

Speaking of Mrs. Spade, her gramercy grand watch is just stunning. It's been on my list for quite some time, but there is good reason, it's quite pricey. I understand that this watch, much like most of Kate Spade's products, most likely has great quality but my goodness I just can't bring myself to push the purchase button. However, it certainly doesn't mean it can't be on your wish list! You never know when your sweetheart gets a wild hair up his ass and decides to splurge! 

Kate Spade Gramercy Grand Gold Watch

As cliche a saying as "a woman can never have to many pairs of shoes", it's the truth! With that being said, y'all know I had to add some feet goodies to my list...

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These Jack Rogers Georgica Jelly sandals in blush are pure spring and summer perfection. Not to mention they are under $50! Pair these with Essie's, oni madame adorning your toes and you're set for spring and summer! This may be one Valentine goody I buy for myself.

Sigh...Hunter Boots. Can we talk about how darn precious these are! I truly want this high gloss bright cerise pair for myself and a pair for Cadence. #twinsies

They are bright and pink and when you think of boots you don't necessarily think of Valentines or spring...but how cute would these be with a white spring dress?

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So what's on your Valentine's list?

Stay tuned, because in a few days I'll be posting a lot of great Valentine's ideas for the kiddos!

Monday.

Well hey there y'all and happy Monday! I know it's a Monday but we should always stay positive and thank the good Lord that we're here to see another beautiful day He has made. I know a lot of people over the Eastern region got tons of snow this weekend. We actually had a flurry that lasted about an hour. Cadence loved seeing the little snowflakes come down, but alas, not a flake stuck to the ground...typical South Carolina snow :)

Our weekend was pretty much spent at home other than the pageant Cadence was in on Saturday. I'm still fighting off this nasty head cold. I have gone through three rolls of toilet paper on my nose, no joke! My nose is so red and raw and hurts and sneezing is every five minutes. I'll surely be glad when it's gone. We hated missing Church on Sunday but I just wanted to get some rest and not chance getting others sick if I could help it. At Cadence's pageant I tried my best to stay away from everyone, speaking of...

Sweet girl won!

Our entire family is so proud of her. She loved that family members on both sides came to cheer her on. Cadence was happy that she won but she had mixed emotions. You see, last year she won the same pageant, but she won the Wee Miss title because she was in Kindergarten, when you move up to first grade you're in the Little Miss title, so she was able to compete again since it was a different grade/title. Well Little Miss runs through 3rd grade, so she can't compete in this pageant again until she's in 4th grade. Honestly, this makes me happy. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing her shine on stage, but we do pageants because she loves them, not because we make her. I'll be happy to take a break!

That's it for today. Just wanted to boast a little about my girl...I am biased of course.

xo

Rompers in the City, yes please!

To say that I am glad it's Friday would be an understatement. Remember when I told y'all about Cadence not feeling well on Monday? Well, like any typical mom, we shower our sweet babies with lots of love and hugs, especially when they aren't feeling well. I guess it caught up with me because as of Wednesday I've been fighting off a nasty head cold.

That's the thing about head colds...you feel miserable, but you're not sick enough to skip out on anything so to work you go and fight through it.

We have a busy weekend ahead of us. Cadence is in her school's pageant. We went and picked up her pageant dress yesterday and it's stunning. Lots of pink and green. When I think pink I most certainly don't think green, but somehow, they go great together! I can't wait to see her on stage. This is something she enjoys doing, but then again, what girl doesn't love wearing a gorgeous dress and having her hair done?

Tarl and I have started something at the beginning of the year. We call it quiet time. It lasts about 30 minutes and each person in the family does something they want that is quiet. It sounds silly but this is something that I have looked forward to every afternoon. You can choose to read, go outside, rest, or just simply relax. Most of the time I spend it reading my Bible and Cadence and Tarl usually read a book of theirs too. Well her teacher recently recommended a website with a lot of online books for children of all ages and last night this child of mine read 4 books. Tarl and I are so blessed that she loves to read and I hope that never changes! I had to pause for a minute while laying in bed reading the Good Book, to snap a pic. I am so very proud of the little lady she is becoming!

I have thoughts of summer on my mind as of recent. Bright colored clothes, rompers, shorts, sandals and sunkissed skin. Seriously, spring can make her appearance anytime now and I will welcome her with open arms. With that being said I'd love to be able to take a quick summer getaway to NYC. All my talks of New York has had Cadence buzzing about it and Tarl and I promised her that the next time we went she would come too. She has it all planned out. Milkshakes at Serendipity, lunch at the American Girl doll store, lots of pasta at an Italian restaurant, and of course, she wants to go to the very top of the Empire State Building. I doubt we will be able to swing it, but that doesn't stop me from dreaming!

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Yesterday my Lilly romper arrived and it is even more beautiful in person and it fits like a dream. I'll be honest, I never thought I could pull off a romper, but they are so comfortable and fit so well. I missed purchasing it when Lilly Pulitzer had their huge sale at the beginning of the month, but 6pm still has a lot of Lilly items at way less then their full retail price, which is where I purchased mine from and the good news is...they still have a few of these rompers left!

Link to buy

Isn't it a beautiful piece for the spring and summer. Particularly for walking the city sidewalks of Manhattan? Tarl - if you're reading this hint hint! ;)

Happy Friday folks!

Mama, I'm hot!

Yesterday morning the alarm went off. Tarl and I both had to work but Cadence had school off in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King. That alarm snooze was my best friend for 30 minutes, but alas, it was time to get up and ready for work.

Like most mornings, Cadence came and snuggled up to us prior to the alarm going off. That child has never known what sleeping in is. I pray this lasts through her teenage years as well and we never have to fight her to get up and go to school. Wishful thinking? Maybe.

Anyways. I got up, brushed my teeth, put on my pants and at this point realized sweet girl was still lying in bed. I told her to get up and when she sat up she had a pitiful look on her face like she was on the verge of tears. This is very unlike Cadence. She wakes up happy, goes to bed happy, she's just a happy sweet girl.

That's when I asked what was wrong and she replied with tears streaming her face, "mama, I'm hot." I felt her forehead and sure enough poor gal was running a fever. It was low grade, around 100, but still enough to make her feel pitiful so I stayed home with her yesterday.

With a little motrin, she was back to her usual self until around 5pm, when she started feeling bad again, so we gave her some more motrin, and praise the Good Lord she is still fever free. Tarl is staying home with her today just as a precaution and she's been good all day long and the last time she had motrin was at 5pm yesterday. It looks as if it was just a 24 hour bug. I pray it's gone!

It doesn't matter how old your child(ren) is, whenever she gets sick, it's just as scary as it is the very first time they get sick. Cadence is a generally healthy child with an average of two bad colds (with fever) per year and maybe one or two just head colds with a runny nose, but y'all, school is no joke!

Germs and lice and more germs and snotty noses and the sounds of coughing filtering throughout the hallway. Cadence is always saying how so and so was out for a week due to an illness. It's like I tell Cadence, germs and Jesus are everywhere so wash your hands and then use them to pray!

On Sunday, before the illness hit and with thoughts of work on our minds, we decided to venture out to Savannah and window shop. Window shopping turned into actual shopping in our local Belk, particularly the Lilly Section. Window shopping fail!

To my defense, the navy/pink coral print Callahan's were on sale for half off (and no longer online) and as far as the Purple Dahlia Walsh shorts, (click the link below to buy), I've been eyeing those babies ever since Lilly introduced them so I took the plunge before they were sold out!

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I hope to do a Lilly blog post soon to show you all my goodies. Other than a spare few, I haven't paid full price for any of them! Y'all know I'm all about bargains!