Five on Friday

It's time for Five on Friday again, girls!! Here's what's been happening at the homestead this week.

1. I've been making a few updates around the house, include sprucing up my front door wreath for Fall. After gushing over expensive wreaths on Etsy I walked my cheap self up to Hobby Lobby and make one myself. Is it a little crooked? Yes. Did it cost less than $15? Yes. Am I dying to paint my hunter green door and shutters? Yes Yes Yes. 

2. I'm working on a big post about how I meal plan as well as about how I coupon. A quick teaser? I'm the laziest couponer ever and have still managed to save at least $30 every week at Publix. Stay tuned. 

3. I've searched for years (years) for the right chambray shirt. I wanted something that was medium weight, with a tiny bit of stretch, and long enough for my long torso. And where did I finally find The One? 

Target. 

Duh. Why am I even surprised?

Don't be jealous of my wrinkles. Or my 1982 bathroom counter tops with BLUE veining. 

4. We made this for dinner last week and it was super delicious and healthy. I highly recommend.

5. And lastly, I painted my nails last Friday using an Essie color and Revlon's gel top coat and they are still chipless! This top coat is a dream. Don't tell me what wonder chemicals are in it, I don't want to know. 

Happy weekend, ya'll!! Bring on the wine and football!!

GameDay, Baby

In marriage, we all make compromises.

We compromise our tastes in food, decorating, vehicle preference, to better suit the one we're with. We go to Nascar races, camp in the woods, and watch the kids so our husbands can attend their fantasy draft party. 

I'm like to think I'm a pretty accommodating wife, but one area where I will not compromise is College Football.

Anyone who's known me for more than four minutes probably knows that I went to the University of Florida, that I am a true and true Gator fan, and that I fully intend to brainwash both of my children into sharing my love of this beautiful establishment.

But my husband, bless his heart, has been a Georgia fan since he was in utero. He grew up in Athens where the school is located, his grandfather worked at the dairy factory on campus, and he shames our family by barking at the TV every time they do that God-forsaken cheer. 

So what are two people who share a love of conference rivals to do? 

They choose a neutral ground, a safe place so to speak. For us, this place is Clemson.

I have cousins who went to Clemson, they are an ACC school, they have a beautiful campus, and we've been season ticket holders for the past five years along with a group of our friends who love this school the same way I love Florida. 

This past Saturday we left the kiddos with the grandparents and spent the entire day tailgating and watching the game with a big group of friends. It was an insanely long day, I am still (still) exhausted, but it was an great day. 

Here are a few pictures of our adventures. 

We hung out in front of the stadium to watch the players run in onto the field from the buses. This is a Clemson-specific tradition and one I'm glad I got to see/Matt and I at the tailgate (did I mention Clemson played Georgia? And they won? I was trying to contain myself but I was pretty excited)/Our group in front of GameDay

A few of us heard that there were nice (read: non porta potty) bathrooms at the baseball stadium and walked right into the press box which I'm confident was supposed to be locked. It felt very collegiate and sneaky and fun. Here are the boys calling directions down the dugout, naturally./ Matt and his brother Luke. Brothers can still dress alike when they're grown up. It's cool. 

It was a super fun day. Not one I'll be dying to replicate anytime soon seeing as how we didn't get home until 3 a.m. but fun nonetheless :)

Five on Friday!

Since I can't seem to get it together enough to actually write a legitimate blog post, I thought I'd link up with adorable Darci for her Five on Friday series. I can handle a post in bullets. In fact I swear that's how my brain is organized most of the time.

1. Ya'll, I started making my own coffee creamer. I feel like such a Martha. I used this recipe and can vouch that it's easy, cheap, and delicious. I only did this because I couldn't ever find a yummy flavor that didn't have tons of artificial flavors and chemicals and it's been a very welcome change to our morning. 

2. Madelyn started soccer this week. Watching someone try to teach four year olds soccer is like watching them try to herd cats but it's freaking adorable. And I'm so proud of her. She worked really hard and did so so well.

3. I realize I'm late to the party here (just like I was with chevron prints and twitter) but I am Ob-Sessed with the Mindy Project. It's funny. Watch it.

4. Three words: PUMPKIN FLAVORED COFFEE.

5. And last (but certainly not least), I got to celebrate six years of marriage to this guy a few weeks ago. We went to an amazing restaurant that serves Krispy Kreme bread pudding for dessert, which means it got an instant approval from me. I of course had a cold and couldn't taste said amazing food, but can assure you we'll be returning for round two. 

Hope everyone has a great Labor Day/first-college-football weekend! Gooooooo Gators!!!

The Sweet Spot

I feel like we've ventured in to the sweet spot of parenting littles. It's this happy place where the kids are getting a little bit more independent and their personalities are just exploding, and while our life is loud and chaotic (did I mention loud?) our job as parents is feeling a little bit easier. In some ways I feel like we've hit our stride.

We've done the sleep training. We know how we want to discipline. We are the proud parents of two very good, very healthy eaters. And there probably hasn't been a single time in our lives when we've laughed so much on a daily basis. Those two crazies bring an unthinkable amount of joy to our life.

Yes, there are tantrums. There are constantly messes to clean. My kitchen floor is literally always dirty. Someone always needs me and I've come to think that it's Davis' personal mission to see how many times he can call "mama!" in any given day. The laundry and dishes never end. Ever. But I know this time is  precious. And I know it's limited.

With every bit of independence that they gain my heart breaks just a little. In the span of your life, the time you get to spend with little, squishy, loving babies is so so short. Now on the other side, while our life may be a little bit easier, I grieve for that time with them and I'll never get it back. 

Matt always jokes that I panic when I have to be away from them, and that's partly true. But it's because I see them changing so quickly and I know my time with "babies" is coming to an end. Let's be honest, it's probably been over for a while now.

I will appreciate this stage while it lasts, knowing that every stage is a phase that eventually passes. But it's bittersweet to say the least. 

Friday Fun List

If you're wondering what we'll be up to this weekend, this is it.

 

No cleaning, no laundry, just FUN.

 

Want to join?! 



recipe here

Make watermelon slushies

Plant flowers for the back deck

Run through the sprinklers

Go to church

Watch Charlotte's Web

Go to the farmer's market and strawberry patch.

GET MY NAILS DONE. (justalittle excited about this one)



...and then my heart exploded

While on vacation in South Carolina earlier this month (more on that later) we hired a sweet photographer to attempt to capture family pictures. My mom and sister were in town and it's rare that we're all together since we live in three different states, so we took advantage.

I had low expectations. I mean, low. The only way I can get Davis to sit still is if I'm feeding him and I wasn't dying to have his lunch included as the fifth family member. It was unusually windy outside,  so much so that we had to change locations at the last minute. I was wearing white jeans, a questionable choice, and I hadn't even had a glass of wine yet (#FAIL).

And then the pictures came back.

And my heart exploded.

I'll spare you from having to look through everysingleone and force myself to just include the favorites. But really, I could have shown them all. For your sake, I'm trying not to be that mom.

Gigi and her girls

I die. I am literally dead.

 

I swear she gets prettier every day

Love his little expression

Daddy's girl

Few things will make a girl feel just plain lucky like looking through pictures of the beautiful family you helped create. This world would never be complete without those two little smiles and I dare you to convince me otherwise.

When I was younger and dreamed about having children I could have never imagined this joy and I'm so so grateful to have it documented.

If you are ever in the Charleston area I highly recommend using Amy for your photos. She was an absolute doll to work with and as you can see, knows her way around a camera :)

This Week's Menu

 

 

barbecue chicken/pizza