[the good life]

friday thoughts.

2012-01-26T23:34:00.000-06:00

Sorry, guys - I am so exhausted [writing this on Thursday night] that I can't even think straight, much less put together a post regarding one worthwhile topic. So bare with me as I throw it all out there.....

I LOVE THIS. So much in fact, that I added it to my blog -----> over there on the bottom right.

Pinned here, found here.

DEAR FRIDAY....
Well, hello there, I have anxiously been waiting to see your bright, beaming face since earllyyyy Monday morning --- (random thought::: what if you had to be a day of the week?.... wouldn't it suck if you were Monday and be awesome if you were Friday?).... moving on.

So, it's Friday and I'm beyond excited because one of my very best friends, Lacey, gets in today for a fun weekend in H-town! Last time she was here, someone [it could have been me - I'm not saying].... may or may not have peed their pants from laughing so hard. I'd call that the sign of a truly fun time, wouldn't you????????????????

PINTEREST MAKES ME FAT.
My friend Victoria and I randomly both made a coffee cake and some casserole dishes this week (separately at our own houses and all, but on the same day, unbeknownst to the other)....odd, right? Well, not really...because we are creepily similar, but I digress ---- so we were texting about the food we'd made and then started planning to get together the following day and how we NEEDED to start walking / working out again [[[[ then we both bitched about being fat ]]]]. I realized the problem. Friends....I [me...Darci!] am now making coffee cakes and yummy casseroles?! I never made, nor thought to make a coffee cake in my previous life [previous life = B.P. or "before Pinterest" (I never made anything, quite frankly). It finally dawned on me that my inability to lose these 5 or so pounds is all because of PINTEREST. Not okay.

Side note: Victoria is not fat...at all... I'm a little chubby.

V-DAY BREAKFAST PLANS & SUCH.
I'm a big fan of v-day and Cason and I have made it somewhat of a tradition to make a Valentine's breakfast together over the past few years. Our first year was pretty hysterical .... I'm still looking for the blog post about it - stay tuned. Anyway, I found a lot of good v-day breakfast ideas from Christina at Carolina Charm [if you don't already read her blog, you should.....I love it!]! Here are two things I know I'm putting on the menu this year........

And do share --- do you have any V-day plans or ideas set aside?!

I think I want all of this below.... PLUS a cute new dress, a date and a cupcake.

Always add a cupcake....to any list.

Speaking of hearts..... I couldn't resist these ginormous glasses I found at Hobby Lobby. They're gawdy and absurd. I might have bought 2 pairs -- one for Jackson and one for his bff, Maddox!

[and yes!, it is okay to put heart-shaped glasses on your baby boy. i looked it up.]

an unruly dog, a wonky toe and real men wear PINK.

2012-01-25T10:09:00.002-06:00

How'd you like that blog title?

Some random tidbits, in no particular order.....

1.) Am I the only person who has no desire to learn how to fold a fitted sheet ~~[or know how to fully work all of the remotes in our house, for that matter]~~? People keep pinning "FINALLY! - how to fold a fitted sheet" tutorials on Pinterest and I just have no interest whatesoever in knowing how to do that? Don't we all have "those" things - that are probably pretty simple, but you just don't really care to know how to do? Or am I just lazy?

2.) It's strange how often complete strangers want to touch your baby. I'm trying to not be a freak about this, because I'm a baby addict too and remember wanting to just squeeze on little cute babes I'd see out and about.........but now, as a mom, I cringe inside every time someone I don't know tries to touch him [maybe I should just keep my ass out of Target... that would help tremendously]. I've actually thought about saying he has chicken pox, so they'd keep their hands off. Kidding. Mostly.

3.) My brother treated me to a pedicure yesterday for my b-day [and he joined me - such a trooper]. He told the sweet Vietnamese woman who was doing his pedicure [who spoke little to no English] to "just go ahead and avoid that one wonky toe". She repeatedly messed with said wonky toe. She finally got what he was saying when he cringed when she touched it for the 3rd time. I was dying laughing. Out loud.

4.) I turned 29 yesterday and had a perfect day. My hubby had a donut cake and chocolate milk (and a very sweet letter from him and Jackson) waiting for me when I woke up!!! Strawberry donuts + chocolate milk + anything with the word "cake" in it + my two sweet boys = perfection!

5.) Then Cason brought Chinese takeout home for lunch.....and then pedicures with my brother and drinks and dinner at a restaurant w/ a fun patio. Good times. :) I'm so thankful for all of the sweet birthday wishes..... texts, phone calls, emails, comments here on the blog, Facebook wishes, etc!!! SO SWEET --- it made my day!

6.) You know how I mentioned the donut cake my hubs made? Well, we ate about 4 of the 12 donuts....meaning there were 8 left. Hanna, our freakishly long-legged lab, ate 7 of the remaining 8 this morning while I was in another room. Awesome. I walked in to find her with both front paws up on the counter and a donut halfway down her mouth. So yep, she's had 7 donuts today ...... chances are good I'll have a sick pup on my hands shortly. :( No birthday donut for her this year (her and Miss Rose get a donut every year on their bday). Hanna's set for the next 7 years.

7.) Sending some birthday love this morning to our peeps in Friona, TX!!! Cason's sister, Britny & her son, Brayden, share the same birthday....how neat is that?! [I should have used my camera to take these instead of my trusty iPhone!]

before i forget...

2012-01-24T09:57:00.002-06:00

I'm way behind with posting this, seeing as how Jackson just turned 7 months old [that photo is coming soon!], but I wanted to share before it's too late!

Here's my sweet, perfect little mini from just a few days old through 6 months. Time.... it is a flyin'!

And here's his 6 month letter that I wrote for his baby book. I hope that someday, likely in adulthood, he'll look back on it and smile, knowing he was loved and treasured so very much.

1/15/12 - [a few days shy of turning 7 months]

To my sweet Jackson Pie,

I'm not sure how time is flying so quickly, but it most certainly is. You are learning so much every single day and I really and truly feel like I should't blink or I'm going to miss something. Your dad and I are soaking up these precious days and love watching you discover new things.

Here's who you are today, my sweet boy-

You are ALWAYS, always smiling. People always comment that "you're the happiest baby they've ever seen". This is one of our favorite things about you --- no matter what, if we smile at you, you immediately smile right back. Your cheeks have to hurt at the end of each day.

You are so easy going and easy to please. You get that from you dad, no doubt. Unless you're hungry or tired, you're happy. No lie. You're just an easy going little guy.

As you might notice from your photos, you are a big fan of food! ;) Momma's little chunkster! You have rolls.....and rolls....and more rolls!

You got your first tooth on Christmas day [at least that's when we discovered it anyway].

You've been eating baby food for about a month now and are a big fan of bananas, avocados and sweet potatoes. You aren't loving peas, but who really does? Every time I feed you peas or carrots, I always make sure you get a "dessert" too [bananas, mangos...some type of fruit]. I feel like you deserve it after eating veggies like a champ.

You LOVE going on walks....especially in your comfy new jogging stroller that Uncle B and Aunt Kat got you for Christmas. You are normally always moving, but for some reason, as soon as I start walking, you completely relax, don't move at all and just hang out for a bit!

You tuck in your bottom lip. Every now and then I'll get a photo of you with both lips out and I realize that your lips are actually somewhat full.... you just like to keep that bottom one tucked in for some reason? Maybe it feels good on your new tooth!

You love your girls, Hanna & Rose. Rose, bless her heart, is never far from your side [or mine...she's a momma's girl, too]. Whatever it is you are doing, she is undoubtedly right there. She goes to bed tired each night - that I assure you.

You're starting to like bath time a lot --- you've never disliked it, but I think it's becoming more fun for you.

You are sitting up on your own really well now and love being able to play with your toys / pick new ones.

You are still sleeping like a champ - 12+ hours a night! Sometimes I'll randomly go check on you in the middle of the night ....you'll be sound asleep and I'll pick you up out of your crib and rock you for awhile. You never wake. I'll remember these nights forever.

I think you look a lot like your dad, Uncle B and Pops, but you have my brown eyes, nose and lips.

You get really excited when your dad walks through the door after work. You guys play a lot and you think he's funny.... you'll realize it more and more as you get older, but you have the best dad in the world. No lie.

Although you're super easy going, your dad thinks you are going to be more and more strong willed [like your momma] as you get older / more independent. Don't let anyone ever tell you that's a bad thing.

I could go on and on.... you're changing so much and my days are filled with all of the little details of your life, but all you really need to know is this ------- you are God's design and you are perfect. I can say that because I'm your momma and I know it to be true. God has big plans for you my sweet boy. And it amazes me almost every day when I think about how much I love you.... before having you, I knew that we would be in love with you from the start, but I simply had no way of grasping how our hearts would be filled and forever changed because of you. I love everything about you and although I wish I could perfectly put to words how we feel about you, I can't.... it just wouldn't do it justice. We are beyond blessed and honored to be your parents and oh my gosh! are we excited for all that is to come!! It's hard to imagine better days than these, but I know there's lots of fun ahead.

Love you and then some!
-Momma

place your vote: i'm too old and indecisive

2012-01-23T10:46:00.004-06:00

Hi friends.

I turn *TWENTY NINE* tomorrow and have found myself hellbent on finding the perfect gift this morning [yes, you read that correctly --- for myself]. You see, I told the hubs "no gifts", because really and truly - I have everything I need and then some....and we've never really been big on gift giving anyway? Instead we go on a trip or get something for the house. We went on a fun b-day date this weekend and he made me a wonderfulllll birthday breakfast on Saturday, so it's not as though we aren't / haven't done anything. More fun to come this week, I'm sure.

BUT, ~~my birthday gives me a valid excuse to buy something ridiculously cute~~ you only turn TWENTY NINE once and I saw these adorable bracelets on Etsy this morning. I need one. Because it's my birthday. And they're adorable and all.... and not to mention they're only $20 [so yah, if you thought I was truly being uppity and gifting myself with a lavish piece of jewelry, that is not the case!].

Anyway, which one is your fave? I might need two actually --- a solid "apricot" and solid "mint" or maybe I need all three??!! Hmmm?

via this Etsy shop!

Show & Tell: Favorite Pinterest Recipes

2012-01-19T08:54:00.003-06:00

Hi friends.

For those of you that are fellow Pinterest junkies, I thought it would be really fun to share our favorite "Pinterest Meals"?! If your experience has been like mine, only about 1/2 of what I try is truly GREAT [and my hubby is picky, so that makes it challenging too!]. Not to mention that I hate wasting the time / energy / effort into trying things that just aren't that good. So, let's help each other out?!

If you have some favorites and want to share, leave a comment with a link to the recipe on Pinterest!

Our Favorite [and super easy] Pinterest Recipes:

White Cheese Chicken Enchiladas - probably my favorite meal so far!

I added 1/2 a can [small can] of jalepenos on accident and they were super spicy --- and good!!

BBQ Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches - again, delicious and SO easy!

If your hubby is a meat and potatoes kind of guy like mine, he'll love this.

[Note: use hot / spicy BBQ sauce if you want it to have some good flavor to it!]

Lowfat Bacon Ranch Slow Cooker Chicken - yum!!!

I plan to make this Benihana Fried Rice soon --- has anyone tried it?! It looks SO good!

Lots to love.

2012-01-18T09:50:00.005-06:00

I'M LOVING A LOT. SO PREPARE YO' SELF.

New, fun colored bakeware from Target....and a mini strainer. Yes, little things make me verrryyy happy.

Getting to hang out with our bff's (Victoria and Maddox) last week. Here are the boys ~~waiting for snacks~~ chatting it up at Chick fil a. Poor Maddox now has chicken pox [but is feeling just fine, thank God!], so he's been quarantined this week. :( We're anxious to see them soon and hopeful that Jackson doesn't end up with chicken pox, too! We'll see!

This V-day card I found on the dollar aisle at Target. If you're a coffee lover like me, you know that's a big statement.

Case in point. On my "what I'm loving Wednesday" list is COFFEE [and the fact that I found my very, very, very favorite kind for more than 1/2 off....again, at Target]. I stocked up.

ps - Can you tell that Target gets me every time?

Oh - also worth listing are these fun paper straws that I apparently ordered a year or two ago and found in a random box in my cabinets. Score.

No words needed.

DATE NIGHT [kind of for my b-day, which is next week] is this FRIDAY and we're going to my favorite restaurant, Tiny Boxwood's! I can't tell you how excited I am and how much sangria I plan to consume...because this will be date #2 [although date #1 was a disaster and doesn't even count] since Jackson was born....which was oh, ummmm... 7 months ago! Wow.
We must work on this.

A mini suit and tie. Yes - you better believe it. The suit is courtesy of Jackson's Uncle B (my brother, who is the best evahhhh). Jackson and Ryan (also known as Uncle B) are going to get photos together in matching suits and ties. No lie. Believe it or not, I had nothing to do with this. It was all Ryan's request....for his office... a photo of him and Jackson in matching suits. Hilarious and so sweet.

Again, damn you Target. New pillows for our all-in-one guest bedroom / office / dog room {yep, that's what happens when you have a baby....you run out of room!}. ;)

Perfect day.

To make it easier to FIND ME [because I know you are all "looking" for me....haha!... ps, I totally just thought of the scene in Wedding Crashers where she says "Never leave me!".... because "I would find you"! I added a few links on the top right column of this little ol' blog...go and check it out. You can quickly shoot me an email OR follow me on Pinterest. Oh what fun.

Tissue and pom garlands....I can't get enough!

This "ecard" I pinned on Pinterest. This is a fact.

And last, but certainly NOT least! The hubs is off tomorrow and Friday....so we have a 4-day weekend ahead!!!!!! SO EXCITED! It goes without saying that I love this guy and am glad he'll have some extra time at home with us. :) :)

we all know it's true.

2012-01-17T11:29:00.004-06:00

CRAFTS ARE FAR MORE FUN THAN CLEANING.

Given that little known fact and that I'm very, very easily distracted [annoyingly so], cleaning takes it's sweet time at my house. Instead, I make random things / re-organize stuff, etc.....because who likes to clean bathrooms? Blech. And Pinterest may have a thing or to do with my constant need to have a craft in progress. Silly.

So here's what I accomplished yesterday [besides a little vacuuming, bottle making, laundry, baby raising, dance party-ing in the kitchen with the mini, etc.] -- I randomly decided to throw together a little heart garland for Jackson's room. You see, I have a problem... I'm addicted to garlands / banners....whatever you want to call them. They're fun and cheery - I'd add one to every room in my house if it wasn't overkill. No really. I would. Considering that the little man is in fact a male, you would assume his room would be spared on all things garland / valentines-ish. Oh, no.....no...no..no... he's still a babe you see and I have only a few years where he has no say so in the matter. So, a Valentines-ish / boyish (those words don't go together) garland was going to happen.

After looking at garlands on Etsy, I was convinced that I could make one. Low and behold, I had everything I needed at home already! I bought some Styrofoam hearts (the ones you see below - they were pink and I painted them) from Michael's a few weeks back, knowing I could find something to do with them. Well, I painted them orange and aqua.....then used my little mini hole punch thingy (I'm sure there's a name for it -- some type of scrapbooking gadget) and some Martha Stewart baker's twine that's been sitting on my cute little craft shelf untouched for oh, maybe 3 years?! See below for the finished product and ONE VERY PRECIOUS BABE!

[ a day in the life ]

2012-01-11T07:07:00.000-06:00

I've had big plans for documenting an average weekday here at our little casa and have started the project several times, only to have forgotten about it by noon. Luckily, the photo for yesterday in the "photo a day in 2012" project that I'm ~~failing miserably at~~ doing, was "your routine". Apparently that was the motivation I needed? I wouldn't call this our "routine" per say, but it is a pretty average day!

Get ready to be blown away. We live a pretty G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S [did anyone else just bust out singing "Glamorous" by Fergie/Ludacris??] life and are always doing something new and uber exciting [complete and total exaggeration]. Ready for this?

6:30 A.M. - Cason and I wake up [he sometimes wakes up earlier if he's busy at work]. I always, always look at the weather, my emails and Facebook before getting out of bed. iPhone junkie - loud and proud, right here! Then, I make the bed, tidy up our room and sprint to the kitchen for coffee. Kidding...kind of.

6:45 A.M. - I sip on my yummy [musthaveitoriwillsurelydie] coffee while unloading the dishwasher. Does anyone else feel like you do this 20 times a day?? I've actually considered not having any more children for fear that adding one more will send me over the edge with the amount of dishes and laundry. Again, kidding...kind of. ;)

Get the clothes out of the dryer and - ~~put them in a basket and move to the living room where I will stare at them for a solid day (on average)~~ fold them immediately.

7:15 A.M. - Breakfast of champions. Get Jackson's bottle and breakfast ready because he'll be up any minute! Side note: maybe the insanely delicious Eggnog creamer that I douse my coffee with (and the fact that I drink wayyyy to many cups of coffee containing such) is why I've packed on 5 lbs? Good thing I just ran out of it today... and hopefully they no longer sell it since the holidays are over. Fingers crossed they don't.

Say good morning to this precious, precious, smiling face! He's SO happy in the mornings! All smiles! This is my very favorite part of the day. FAVORITE.

7:30 A.M.ish - Give Jackson his bottle while reading emails, etc. He likes to grab the keyboard now, so responding to emails with him in my lap just isn't going to happen.

8:00 A.M.ish - Get ready to go on a walk. This didn't pan out for us though because it NEVER stopped raining. :( Please note the Christmas decor still up...nice.

So instead, the little guy played in his exersaucer for awhile. Check out those chubbbbyyyy cheeks. He gets those from his momma!

Instead of folding those godforsaken clothes [notice how I'm mad AT the clothes now - like it's their fault for not folding themselves?], still sitting in the living room staring at me, I did the sensible thing and spray painted this little owl I found at Marshall's (it was black). It's supposed to be a pencil holder, but it's now a brush / water bottle holder ..... baby J's hair is outtacontrolllll, so having these handy has become a necessity. That and who doesn't love a good owl?

8:30 A.M.ish - Feed baby J! As you can see, he's just a tad bit messy. Wow. Today he had a mushed up banana and avocado. He's a hot mess.

Anyway, he eats and then I spend more time cleaning him and his chair than I did feeding him. I put him down at 9 A.M. for his nap and he typically sleeps until 10:30 A.M.

9:30 - 10:30 A.M. - While Jackson naps, I get ready for the day! I am easily distracted, so I typically do 82 other things while also getting ready. Kind of like this: wash my face, take down the Christmas decor from the fireplace mantle, put on moisturizer, try out my new BATISTE dry shampoo (we're on day 2 and loving it, btw), look online for orange throw pillows / waste time on Pinterest (freaking Pinterest!) and then finally finish getting ready. Ridiculous.

And here I am in all my glory - I almost forgot to get a picture of myself. Otherwise, this is really just a bunch of photos of the mini (which is fine by me). I'm a huge nerd - as you likely already know. A regular photo just didn't seem fun, so I tried to wave to y'all. And I'm pretty sure I probably even said "hiiiii" while waving.... TO MYSELF. IN THE MIRROR. There are no words.

While I run around doing 82 different things and Jackson is napping, Rose takes a very short breather and stares at me like I need to S.T.O.P. moving (only so she can stop moving....she follows me EVERYWHERE). Poor girl - she earns her keep and those stubby little legs sure are exhausted at the end of each day!!

10:30 A.M. - Jackson wakes up. I change his diaper, we play, he has another bottle and "lunch" (today it was sweet potatoes with apple sauce) at 11.

12:00 NOON - we load up and head to my brother's house (also referred to as "B" or "Uncle B"). We order pizza and wings and hang out. Did I mention I need to lose 5 lbs? Bad choices, Darci...bad choices.

1:00 P.M. - Jackson goes down for a nap at Uncle B's. Cason, my hubby swings by to say hello (he builds homes in the subdivision where my brother lives --- he just built my brother's new home!). We stay until 3 and then we're on our way home.

Pizza (for me) and wings (for my brother). Please notice the wing sauce on his face and "princess" napkin. He'll love me for this one.

Just before we leave, Jackson takes another bottle....and some yogurt melts...yum.

3:30 P.M. - We get back to "our side" of town and go by the hardware store because I'm convinced myself that it's a good idea to spray paint some Pottery Barn frames green to match our new bedroom decor. The hubs thinks I'm crazy. I'll show him. Worth noting is that this was Jackson's first time to sit in a shopping cart! BIG DAY. He wasn't a fan at first, but quickly caught on that all was okay. Loves it!

4:00 P.M. - we get home and Jackson goes down for a quick, 30 minute nap. I make some baby food while he's napping (this is easy, folks - promise).

5:00 P.M. - Cason walks in the door (home a little early - YAY!) and we go on a walk! Please observe the chubster legs and feet!!!!!!!

5:45 P.M. - we get back and the hubs and the girls feed baby J while I wash bottles, toys and bibs, oh my!

6:30 P.M. - I give Jackson a bath and around 6:45 or 7, Cason gives him his last bottle (he's always done the last bottle / night routine with him - that's their "thing"). We tell him our little bedtime speech together and kiss him goodnight. Lights out by 7:15 - always.

7:15 P.M. - We sit down and eat burritos (taco meat that I browned /seasoned weeks ago and froze so we always have some handy ---- yes, only the finest gourmet meals are served around here - duh!). We hang out for a bit, chat about our days....I pour a glass of wine and head to our bedroom to watch Gray's and Private Practice on dvr while Cason watches a football game in the living room. Past this point, I forgot to take any more photos because I crashed at 9:30!!

However, I had to add a few more photos because they all relate to this day....

1.) We were supposed to have Victoria and Maddox (our bff's) over to "play", but it rained all stinkin' day, so we got together the next day. Here are a few photos of two cute minis. And yes - same day....two different outfits....I guess I forgot to mention that an average day includes a lot of clean ups, diaper changin', sock searchin' and such, too. Never a dull moment.

2.) Remember that basket of laundry I put in the living room with the intention of folding it at 7 a.m.? Yah, 24-hours later, it's still sitting where I left it. Please, PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one?

And there you have it - more than you'd probably ever want to know about how we spend our days! Every now and then we stay in our pj's all day and I try to do minimal housework and don't answer my phone [ I call this taking a "vacation" day]. Every night when I go to bed, I'm truly tired....not as mentally drained as I was when I was working, but more physically worn out. But every single night, I thank my lucky stars (and my God!), for the opportunity to spend my days doing these things - the mundane and the exciting, but all right next to our baby boy!!! It's a blessing and it's not lost on me.

So, do tell....what does a normal day look like at your casa????!!!!

thanks + i'm already behind {2012 photo a day challenge}

2012-01-04T07:30:00.007-06:00

Thanks so much for all of the comments yesterday on dry shampoo! I'm headed to Ulta today to get two different ones that you guys recommended (don't you feel like you just won a prize when it turns out that the cheapest option is actually the one that really works?!).

Update coming soon on how things work out with the dry shampoo. Fingers crossed.

Moving on to my attempt at taking a PHOTO A DAY in 2012! I saw this yesterday on my friend Meredith's blog and decided I wanted to join in on the fun. As with most things, I'm already behind. Three days to to exact. I'll catch up though.

[Day 3: something you adore]
My sweet baby boy and his ever so loyal sidekick.

important things.....dry shampoo: your thoughts?

2012-01-03T08:29:00.005-06:00

I wrote a little New Year's post here, reflecting on last year and wishes for the new one ahead! Just a heads up in case you missed it and instead were spending time with friends / family, partying it up through the night or making homemade baby food while sipping on a glass of wine and then trying so hard to watch a movie and stay awake until midnight (because that may or may not be what we did on NYE)! We're wild like that.

Anyway, now that the year is off to it's official start, let's talk about important things.

LIKE DRY SHAMPOO.

Do you use it? Do you love it?

I need to wash my hair every.single.day. for it not to get too oily. I get it... it's probably a vicious cycle. I've washed and blow dryed it every day for SO long that my hair probably produces too much oil. Anyway, point being, I'd like to go every other day and have heard mixed reviews on dry shampoo. I think I'm going to give it a try... because washing and blow drying my hair every day (which I'll be honest, I don't do now that I'm not having to get perfectly pretty for work every day!) is just too time consuming. I'd rather have that extra 30 minutes every other day to do with whatever I want.......and I know it'll be better on my hair!

So, help a momma out! Do you have a favorite dry shampoo that you love???

Here are the ones I'm thinking about trying!

Batiste Dry Shampoo (for brunettes):
Price - $8.99 (Ulta)
Based on the reviews I've read this is an old product from the 80's, but actually works and is super affordable! And it's for brunettes, so it supposedly helps avoid that white / ashy look that some dry shampoos leave (which I know nothing of - first timer here). I like that it's in an aerosol can and isn't just a dusting powder - or so I think.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo:

Price - $11 (Sephora)

Reviews for this are also really good!

Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo:
Price - $14 for the 1.6 oz small can (Amazon)
Reviews for this are awesome and it's considered "the best" in Allure and various other beauty magazines. However, many say that you only get 3 - 5 uses out of it. That doesn't seem like much at $14 a can? Hmmm.

a year in review & CHEERS to twenty twelve!

2012-01-01T13:06:00.001-06:00

There's no denying that 2011 was very good to us.....the hubs and I both agree that it was our biggest, best, most nerve racking, most life changing year EVER. However, we know that great things are ahead and we are both really looking forward to a new year, new goals, new plans, new dreams.....and of course, watching our son continue to grow at lightening speed!

A friend of mine posted the verse below on Facebook on NYE and although it's been a favorite of mine for a long, long while, it really spoke to my heart right then and there. I feel like it sums up 2011 for us. With the arrival of Jackson and deciding that I would leave my job to be at home-full time with him, you can imagine that life has changed in lots of ways! However, with all of that change, we find ourselves more content and happier than ever. My ultimate goal for 2012 is that we can hold on to that contentment while striving to grow, improve and challenge ourselves daily. Read the verse below and then read it again. It's such a reminder of God's greatness and that we truly are "able to do all things through Him who strengthens us"!

For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in. I know both how to have a little and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content - whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)

I hope that 2011 was good to you, but more than that, I hope that in this new year we will all focus on being truly content (*whatever our circumstance*) and tackle each day with a happy heart! To those of you who I have gotten to know better this year via this little ol' blog [or through stalking yours!]....those of you who have been a go-to for all things "mom" that I didn't yet know, cheerleader, friend, confidant, stylist, bad.influence.because.you.find.too.many.great.things.i.need, and whom I consider my "blog world bff's" (you know who you are!)....you made my year richer and fuller - and a lot more fun!! xoxo!

Much love and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

- Cason, Darci & Jackson

Chevron Pillow Giveaway WINNER!!

2011-12-23T15:27:00.000-06:00

We have a winner!! Melinda over at First Comes Love is the new owner of this fabulous red chevron pillow..... I hope you love yours as much as I love mine! They make my home happy! :)

I'll send an email shortly with details on how to get your pillow!

And many, many thanks to Tara at The Fabricate for sponsoring this giveaway..... your pillows are GORGEOUS and so well made! I couldn't be happier with mine!

THANK YOU!

what i'm loving wednesday [-friday edition-] and YOUR LAST CHANCE!

2011-12-23T09:11:00.000-06:00

Truth be told, I thought today was Thursday. No lie. Moving on.....

***wait....not so fast! I almost forgot that I'll be "announcing" the winner of the RED CHEVRON PILLOW GIVEAWAY today around 1 p.m., so enter HERE now if you haven't already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, back to what I'm loving................................

1.) I've had a massage, pedicure and manicure this week and it was DIVINE. No really, I can't stress that enough - it was awesome! My husband never ceases to amaze me and surprised me with a gift card to a nice spa because I'm "the best wife and momma EVER", so he says! ;) It was especially nice because my weekly pedicure / manicure days are in the past, so now they seem like a much more fun treat! :) In hindsight, I can't believe I'd spend $80 a week on nails. Mommyhood changes you I suppose.....in a lot of ways.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I'm a rebel...no really. I have RED shellac on my nails for Christmas --- WHAT??? This is seriously the 2nd time in adulthood that I've ever had my nails painted with color (normally just a french manicure). Told you - aren't I daring and fun? Bah!

2.) HOMEMADE BABY FOOD! The mini is 6 months old and we're tackling baby food in full force! One of our Christmas gifts for J was the Baby Brezza (all-in-one baby food processor / steamer / blender / defroster / etc). I tried it out last night for the first time and made butternut squash, bananas and avocado. I think I'm a fan so far...still learning a few things on how to work it, but so far so good!

And I must say, I'm really, really surprised at how different the food that I made tastes than what I've bought in the stores. I really hadn't thought much about making his food when I was pregnant and in the past few weeks have just bought various jars of baby food at the store to try out (and I've tried it too...just to see what it tastes like, etc.... all fairly good). However, you can tell that they add A LOT of flavoring and preservatives because it tastes considerably different when comparing it to what I made at home last night. I was pleasantly surprised and am now even happier to be making his food --- I can only assume it's probably better for him, we'll save some money making it versus buying it and it's kind of fun!! :) And I have a stock-pile of some store bought food too, for when we're on the run and it's just easier.

Baby J sporting a banana / avocado mustache after trying our first batch!

3.) THESE ADORABLE ONESIES / SLEEPERS FROM OLD NAVY ... HELLO, CHEVRON!!

4.) JACKSON'S FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE - he *needed* one in his room too, right?!

the big reveal and a big reminder.

2011-12-22T07:53:00.000-06:00

Our first Christmas card as a family of three!

[and keep on reading]

I hope that each and every one of you have a wonderful, blessed and truly memorable Christmas! And although I am beyond giddy about the hoop-la of the season (such as some silly cards, decorating and glittering up this place, Christmas hippo songs, Pinterest inspired holiday baking, gift giving, this babe's first Christmas, photos with Santa, etc..). I have NEVER been more certain of these words and the fact that THIS is what Christmas is all about! We serve a truly awesome Savior! Merry Christmas, friends!

No crocodiles or rhinoceroseses....

2011-12-21T07:36:00.004-06:00

I'm blaring a new [to me] favorite Christmas song throughout our whole house this week. And I must ask --- AM I THE ONLY PERSON IN AMERICA WHO HAS NEVER HEARD "I WANT A HIPPOPOTAMUS FOR CHRISTMAS" before??? Please, please tell me I'm not?

My family is absolutely baffled by this as the song is apparently a super well known Christmas song, created back in the 1950's. I'm sad that I've missed out on it all of these years... I LOVE IT....and I'm quite certain Jackson does too. He may or may not have to have a hippo in his stocking. Because you, know....I'm guessing by Sunday he'll be able to sing the following (keep in mind that he's an above average 6-month old -- very advanced!):

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas

Only a hippopotamus will do

No crocodiles or rhinoceroseses

I only like hippopotamuseses

And hippopotamuses like me too!

I just read the history of the song --- so cute.
Here's an interesting fact about the popular Christmas hippopotamus song - in 1953 a ten-year-old girl from Oklahoma, Gayla Peevey sang the song as a way to raise money for the Oklahoma City Zoo's first hippopotamus. It became a nationwide hit after that, although John Rox wrote the song "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" in 1950!

IN OTHER NEWS ---
1.) If you didn't hear about the ***chevron pillow giveaway*** I'm hosting...check it out!!! Seriously - like 3 people read my blog, so your chances of winning are favorable if you just leave a comment! ;)

2.) Jackson made his first visit to see Santa Claus yesterday..... here are a few photos! He was tired by the time we got to see Santa [for real - strategic planning is required to get a good photo of a mini...wow!]. Anyway, he was hot and tired by the time we got up there, so a smile just wasn't happening! He was a champ though and just sat in his lap like it was no big deal... truthfully, I'm sure he was thinking "seriously, Mom, can we just go home.... have a snack and a nap... and get out of this annoying outfit that's way too hot for the current 70+ degree weather.....OH, AND MAYBE LISTEN TO THE HIPPOPOTAMUS SONG **ONE** MORE TIME"???

Don't miss it - CHEVRON PILLOW GIVEAWAY!!!!!

2011-12-20T07:35:00.001-06:00

Hi friends- First of all, WOW!, thank you so much for all of the sweet compliments about the Christmas decor at our little casa!!!! It's cheery and fun and I may never take it down! ;) ;) But, really. Anyway - you may have missed it, but last week I mentioned that I'd be doing a giveaway for one lucky reader to receive a FREE CHEVRON PILLOW from the Etsy Shop, The Fabricate! Well, here are the details! :)!

Leave a comment telling me at least one of these things [note: if you blog about this giveaway you'll be entered 3 times!]:
1.) What is #1 on your Christmas wish list?

2.) What are you really, really looking forward to this Christmas / New Year's??

**I'll announce the winner on Friday!**

Check out these pillows & more at The Fabricate on Etsy!

ALL DECKED OUT + chevron love + a giveaway!

2011-12-15T00:27:00.000-06:00

I went a little crazy this year with decorating for Christmas - as in it was more or less completely done a week or two before Thanksgiving. Don't judge. It just seemed like the right thing to do.....personally, I love having a Christmas tree up and all of the other fun, glittery, shiny goodness going on. Don't you? I'm always a little sad the first few weeks after Christmas because the house looks so bare and "blah" after we've taken it all down. This year I have the remedy for that - I'm leaving it up through January. No lie. The New Year should get some love too, right?

Anyway, here's a glimpse at the White House....all decked out for Christmas!

Notice those awesome red chevron pillows? I found them at The Fabricate on Etsy and knew they were meant to be mine! Tara, the mastermind behind them, was kind enough to agree to give away

one of these pillows [identical to mine below] to a reader!!

Details on the giveaway tomorrow!!!

Our mini "latte lounge".... I'm pretty sure I've bought 1,800 bags of red hots so far this month!

And our little Santa Baby..... I had to share...again.

And the view on the other side of the tree... things are rarely picture perfect at our house, and that's how we like them! Notice Rose over there laying on Jackson's play mat.....in hindsight, maybe wood flooring throughout our house wasn't the brightest idea?

So there you go - a quick, sneak-peek at my little casa! It's made things really cheery and fun.....Cason handled everything outside and the lights look awesome!! I think we're ready for Jackson's first Christmas!! Yay! Well, minus a fun little quote or verse on the chalkboard - that's still on my "to-do" list.

Okay, more tomorrow on the CHEVRON PILLOW GIVEAWAY!!

What I'm loving Wednesday........

2011-12-14T11:40:00.003-06:00

Hey peeps. Let's get started....

1.) I found the jogging stroller I've been wanting on Craigslist [practically brand new] for $80 instead of $200. Remember....stay-at-home-mom budget? It fits in to that category. :)

2.) Couch-to-5k: I'm REALLY excited about doing this....it's a step-by-step guide on how to train to run a 5k in 10 weeks......so "from your couck to a 5k". For the past month, I've been wanting to do it [but haven't had a jogging stroller or much motiviation I suppose]. Well, after packing on a few pounds [which is the opposite of what you want to do after having a baby! - bah!!], I've decided I HAVE to do this. I'm sure you'll hear more as I think I'll die the first month since I'm so ridiculously out of shape.

This is too good not to share.

- Via Pinterest of course! -

3.) Our trip to the Christmas tree farm!! We had a lot of fun, even though it was a little more chilly / windy than we had expected! We went with our new bff's, the Lind family, and my brother and sister-in-law....lots of laughs. And tell me, is this just normal......that it will always been near IMPOSSIBLE to get each member of my little family of three looking and SMILING at the camera. It may never happen! ;) Nonetheless, I love these photos... we had a great time. Fun memories for sure!

4.) My new Kelly Moore "mimi" bag - I use it as my every day / diaper bag. LOVE IT! eI highly recommend these bags to fellow moms....especially fellow somewhat OCD, I *hate* for things to be unorganized moms. This bag is wonderful for keeping the 82 things that I carry around for baby J and myself organized. Everything has it's place, which I'm a fan of. It was designed with photographers in mind, but I think it's PERFECT for moms.... a cute handbag that works as a diaper bag too, for those who aren't carrying around a TON of stuff.

5.) Our FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD AS A FAMILY OF THREE. Now this, THIS makes my heart happy. : )

6.) My new iPhone case design!! This is a Christmas present...for myself! Thanks, Melinda for telling me about the great deal on Plum District! I've been eyeing a custom case for a long time! :)

7.) My two main men. I love this photo - and I love them.

8.) This Eggnog Latte Coffee Creamer is a definite honorable mention.

So, do tell, what are you loving as of late? :)

If only I could freeze time!

2011-12-07T01:03:00.001-06:00

What they say about these babes is so very true - they grow all too quickly!

These photos make it more and more apparent to me that I need to relax, play and be silly more with my sweet little guy and worry about ~~dishes, laundry, dusting, vacuuming 82 times a week because our dogs shed like mad~~ the truly unimportant things a lot less. Because, let's face it - he's growing at lightening speed and don't all of those "to do's" always end up getting done anyway? Today we're going to lay low, watch a Christmas movie and bundle up and go visit Cason for lunch. We're taking a vacation day I guess --- no chores / obligations....nothing. Nowhere to be and nothing to do. I'm just going to love on my sweet baby boy. And you know what? I'm not even going to turn in a vacation request form. Because I'm a rebel like that. ;)

Without fail,

2011-12-05T10:10:00.003-06:00

I always pick the hard stuff [or the most expensive thing for sale!]. As in this wreath project....oh.my.stars....this was way more time consuming than I'd expected! Technically, it took about 6-7 solid hours I'm guessing. The paper wreath tutorials I've seen online say they take an hour or two... really? Not buying it.. All in all, I'm happy with it though and it was a fun ENTIRE weekend project. ;) It wasn't what I originally planned, but I changed a few things up from the tutorials I'd seen online and then just got carried away.......I wanted more color, so I used magazine pages instead of book pages, used a bigger wreath [this ended up being 3 FEET in diameter - big!], etc. etc.

Here are a few photos - I seriously put so much time into it that I have to share it in some form or fashion!

Later this week I'm tackling THIS paper cone wreath.....with book pages and red chevron paper! Ekkk!! I'm so excited!

I've fallen in love.... oh, and I need your opinion, please?

2011-12-01T08:28:00.004-06:00

That's right. In l.o.v.e., LOVE!

I've fallen in love with my new chalkboard... the one I told you I was working on here --- the amazing steal I got from Goodwill. Yah, I think it's perfect and I smile every time I walk past it. :) I gave writing on it my best shot and it turned out okay ... it's not jaw-dropping artwork, but at least it's legible! And if you're unfamiliar with Thanksmas, here's the rundown. And notice that fun bow on the wreath there in the photo?? A big thanks to my bow-guru mother-in-law, Diane, who made some gorgeous bows for our house in about 5 mins. We had lots of fun crafting away... more on that later. Back to being in love and needing your vote ---- keep on reading. ;)

**2nd thing --- I NEED your opinion....
For photo Christmas cards (5x7) - magnet or regular card??

Leave a comment if you don't mind and let me know what you think! Thanks, friends!!! I'm torn on this one as I know a lot of people don't care to bedazzle their refrigerator (I used to be one of them and now have 82 photos of baby J on there and I actually like it better).

i may have gotten carried away...

2011-11-29T07:07:00.000-06:00

Who knew that baby onesies could be so fun? But really, I'm thinking I should stop soon before one of two things happens:

1.) I've made so many that baby J has to wear a new homemade Christmas onesie every day between now and Christmas.

2.) Y'all start abandoning me because it appears as though I've gone all Michelle Duggar on you with my homemade baby clothes and what not.

--BLOG SALE-- [because, why not?]

2011-11-28T07:07:00.000-06:00

Hope you all had an awesome Thanksgiving! We sure did - lots to share and catch up on this week! If you missed THIS post over the weekend, it's a must see. Go now and come back.......

Adorable, no? Told you it was a "must see". ;)

Okay - so... about this whole "BLOG SALE" business! Several of my blog world bff's have blog sales a few times a year and they seem to go really well --- which makes sense, considering that those who regularly read your blog likely have some things in common with you / similar taste? So, I thought I'd give this a try.....

- 1ST ANNUAL WHITE HOUSE BLOG SALE -

Details on how this will work: if you are interested in one of the items below,

email me at littlepinkshadetree@gmail.com! I'll accept payment via paypal so it's
quick and easy for both of us!

Item # 1: Four, Brand New Baby Boy Toboggans (size 0 - 3 months):

Purchased for $51 + shipping back in May.

~~SELLING PRICE: $28 (INCLUDES SHIPPING)~~

- - - -SOLD - - - -

Being the over-the-top-crazed-with-anticipation momma to be that I was, I bought these for baby J a few weeks prior to his arrival. He was born in the dead of summer in Houston, Texas and is a very hot natured little guy as is. Needless to say, he never wore these - not even once.

I bought them all on Etsy, here (oatmeal colored newsboy hat) and here (teal border and white border hats)... except for the owl one that came from Babies 'r Us.

Item # 2: Stella & Dot Bracelet [never worn]:

Purchased for $70ish I think?

~~SELLING PRICE: $35 (INCLUDES SHIPPING)~~
- - - -SOLD - - - -

I LOVE this bracelet..... I saw it online and had to have it! I ordered it, put it on the moment it arrived and realized it was just too big for my petite self. I'm 5'1" and can't do bigger jewelry. So, it has been sitting in it's pretty little box for over a year. :( ** Note - I'm fairly conservative, so this is by NO means "big jewelry" to 99% of America. It's just too big for me.

Item # 3: Reversible Chevron Car Seat Canopy:

Purchased here on Etsy for $42.

SELLING PRICE: $25 (INCLUDES SHIPPING)

This was so handy when J was little bitty... I liked it for the following reasons:

1.) Protected him from the sun and wind!

2.) Allowed him to nap better when we were on the go (made it a little darker, less nosier when we were cruising the aisles at Target...or whatever it is we did when he was brand spankin' new.

3.) Protected him from baby crazy's that think it's okay to breath / touch / kiss all over your brand new baby. Not okay. You are germ-Y and I don't know you. Dear produce worker at Sam's... NOT OKAY to tickle my 1 month old and touch his face. NOT OKAY. After that episode, I realized I needed something like this!! Haha!
4.) It's reversible.... you can have the chevron pattern on the outside or the teal. And, the buttons are cute.
5.) It fit his Chicco Keyfit 30 infant car seat perfectly!

Here's a photo of what the cover looks like at a distance .... *note: this is not the one for sell....ours is the chevron fabric above**

Item # 4: Super cute mini

Purchased on Etsy. ;)

SELLING PRICE: 82 trillion million bajillion dollars (INCLUDES SHIPPING)

I kid, I kid.... I just like to find ways to work this handsome boy into every single topic imaginable. He's that cute / perfect / adorable / sweet / cannot.ever.get.enough.of.him! : )

And again,

Details on how this will work: if you are interested in one of the items above, email me at littlepinkshadetree@gmail.com! I'll accept payment via paypal so it's quick and easy for both of us!

so happy, so blessed!

2011-11-24T20:03:00.001-06:00

- prepping for Thanksmas -

2011-11-23T01:15:00.003-06:00

THANKSMAS [noun]: the name given to the holiday created when one celebrates Thanksgiving + Christmas at the same time. It's often considered a brilliant idea for those who live a long way from their families.

Cason's parents are getting here tomorrow and we are SO excited!!! We're celebrating Thanksmas with them because we won't get to see them over Christmas (it's our year with them for Thanksgiving and Christmas w/ my family). So, we've combined the two and will be having a Happy Thanksmas, I'm quite certain.

Anyway, the house is 100% prepped (okay, 95%) for Christmas and I have everything ready to go for a gourmet Thanksgiving feast. My in-laws are going to be insanely impressed. Don't act surprised... you know that's how I roll [if you consider "gourmet" food as store bought ready made stuff from HEB.... no lie].

Here's a quick look at a few things I have ready for the holidays....feel free to share the recipe below with everyone you know.

1.) [MY LATTE LOUNGE] ---- in my previous life, the high end apartment communities / lofts we developed always had "latte lounges" that were a fun amenity....they were far more grand than my little set-up, but I call this my "latte lounge" nonetheless. I spruced it up for Christmas..... and cold weather. Come on, cold weather.... please get her soon!?

*Check out the fun stir sticks I made!!!

2.) Homemade Pecan Pie [Martha Stewart Inspired] --- I told you it'll be a gourmet feast!! Here's a step-by-step guide on how to MAKE THE PERFECT PECAN PIE!! Seriously...best ever.

Step One: Find a cute, seasonal pie plate {dish?...whatever you call it}. The one shown was handmade by Martha Stewart herself (Macy's - $15 I think?).

Step Two [the hard part]: find a suitable store bought pecan pie. One labeled "homemade" or "fresh" is ideal. Place it next to your pretty Martha Stewart style dish.

Step Three: Place the pie in said pretty dish.

Step Four: admire how good it looks [far better than one you would have made] and avoid all temptation to "test taste" it before Turkey day.

Step Five: Pray that it tastes as good as the lady in the HEB Bakery says. If it doesn't, your in-laws may never come and see you again for Thanksgiving. ;)

There you have it - all you need to know to prepare for Thanksmas.....should you ever celebrate such an awesome holiday!

FOR SALE: 5 month old mini + English Bulldog baby

2011-11-22T09:15:00.001-06:00

Cason and I have always joked over the years when one of the dogs would ~~chew up 82 different dog beds, destroy Pottery Barn desks, chew the leg off of a new chair~~ get in trouble, that we were going to "sell them on Craigslist". Obviously, we were mostly kidding. ;)

Yesterday was one of those "I'm going to sell you on Craigslist" days. For BOTH the mini and little Miss(behaving!!!!) Rose.

So, yah, I text this to my hubby yesterday: "I'm totally selling baby J AND Rose on Craigslist". And now I'm blogging about it.....although I'm quite certain it's heavily frowned upon to say that you're going to sell your 5 month old on Craigslist. [[[Insert appalled look and judgemental tone]]]] "Why would you ever say such a thing"? Well, Jackson Pie decided to be a grump for 2 hours straight and nothing would please him. This happens, I know. But my babe is typically veryyy happy and good natured. So 2 hours straight of complete grumping / fussing / I cannot.do.a.dang.thing.to.ever.make.you.happy.again-ness, I had a bad headache and was more than ready for his dad to get home....and for a glass of wine - just maybe!

And what could my angel baby, bulldoger [still believes she's the firstborn] could have done to make me consider selling her on Craigslist? Oh, that sweet girl just chewed up a large bookshelf, a box with important house files in it and the box to an expensive gift I was going to return. No big deal, right?

So, why am I telling you all of this???? Besides making a few of you totally appalled that I'd ever say such a thing [and if you are in fact appalled, this blog and my sense of humor are not for you --- please move on].... Well, the point is to be real and honest. Not every day is perfect at the White House...not even close. However, more times than not, it's often more appealing to blog about fun things instead of one pissed off mini and brat of an English BullDOG. It's not always rainbows and sunshine, folks. Most days, but not all!

So do tell, do you ever have days where you've considered selling your mini or your dog [or maybe even your hubby] on Craigslist? ;) ;)

I big puffy [heart] Goodwill. Yes, you read that correctly.

2011-11-21T08:07:00.000-06:00

Guess what guys? I'm going to blog every.single.day.this.week. No lie. And then next week, I'll revert to my old ways and you won't hear a peep! --- let's keep it real here and all.

Okay, enough about me sucking it up at blogging - let's talk about important things such as ginormous photo frames with crazy ugly prints. And Goodwill goodness. And do-it-yo'-bad-self chalkboards. Yes, please?

I had an hour or so to myself this weekend sans the mini [he was hanging out with his dad], so I did what any respectable 28 year-old would do with a little "free" time. I went and got frozen yogurt, ran by Office Depot and stopped in at Goodwill [wow, again, who have I become...hehe] to see if I would luck out and find a huge, ornate and cheap frame so I could start round 2 of my DIY chalkboard extravaganza.

Well, I was in luck. Check out this beauty!!!!!!! It's huge and was marked 50% off! Gorgeous print, right? ;) I awkwardly carried the big ol' thing to the register, paid my $40 and walked out with a HUGE "I freakin' love Goodwill" grin on my face!

Once I got it home, Cason noticed this price tag on the back. Score!!

We then made a run to Lowe's to buy some glossy white spray paint, mdf and chalkboard paint. Here it is freshly painted and just waiting on the chalkboard.... I had to share this photo of my sweet hubby being a goof..... so thankful that he always helps me - with anything and everything.

More to come tomorrow on the finished product! I'm IN LOVE with this thing and have a hundred fun ideas of what to write on it for each holiday, etc. So cute! Now... how to tackle the "I have the worst handwriting in America predicament", because this is a chalkboard and all?!

Martha Stewart, with a baby [sans jail time]....

2011-11-11T09:15:00.001-06:00

In case you haven't noticed, things are getting all kinds of domestic over here. I'm really enjoying it, too. I've been cooking / baking a lot more [all thanks be to Pinterest!!] and have found some fun ways to "tweak" old Christmas decorations to make them a little more modern / more of my style as of today.

Anyway, point being is that I feel like I've become Martha Stewart.... without the show, magazine, french bulldog [because my English buller is better], mega bucks and jail time --- and plus a really cute baby.

What's my latest attempt at becoming a domestic badass, you ask??? SEWING. Yes, sewing. I am drooling over THIS sewing machine and hoping that the hubs listens to my plea that I NEED it for Christmas... but before Christmas so I can make Christmas-y things with it! Haha! Hello, cute Christmas onesies for Baby J, new drapes for the kitchen, etc!! The reviews are fantastic, it seems to do more than enough for a beginner / intermediate machine AND the fact that it's pink just puts it over the edge.

For those of you who have already one-up'd me in the domestic badass field and are pros at sewing, can you tell me if you think this machine is just what I need [please remember, the fact that it's pink gives it an extra star already --- only kidding]??

Here are a few sewing projects I have bookmarked that I can't wait to get started on [I just need the machine and one small other thing.... to LEARN how to sew.. haha!]!

Onesies for Jackson [and his friends] for Christmas......

I can't wait to learn how to make pillow covers ..... check out these that Meredith made!!! She's SO good and aren't her boys adorable?

A large floor pillow for J's room!

[found here]

of course this is a great idea.......

2011-11-08T08:39:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty sure Jackson's Pops (my dad) is qualified to write a book on car seat safety, no?

I'll tell you this much - my dad was on cloud 9 getting to cruise around [very slowly] with his # 1 guy and Jackson fell right to sleep..... I'm thinking J might be a fan!

in the blink of an eye

2011-11-03T07:07:00.000-05:00

***

Your guest bedroom becomes a nursery.
Your office turns into an office / guest bedroom / dog room, which is obviously super luxurious and inviting, right?
Your guest bathroom doorway is taken over by a red car jumper.
The bathtub is full of baby shampoo, a baby bath tub and the faucet is covered with a blue plastic whale --- which goes perfectly with your decor [or not].
Your living room has an exersaucer, toys galore, swing and a tummy time mat spread across it.
A pacifier and burp cloth can be found in secret places in every room of your house.... secret to everyone else, but known to you so you always have them nearby!
YOU WALK PAST THE GUEST BATHROOM IN THE PHOTO ABOVE LATE ONE NIGHT [while staying up late to blog, because you're a good girl!] and realize.......................

YOUR HOUSE HAS BECOME A HOME.

Lovin' these days ... our trip to the zoo!

2011-11-02T07:37:00.000-05:00

So, I must say, this whole being able to do fun things during the week and not having to take a vacation day from work is pretty awesome [although I've been at home four months now, this epiphany still hits me all of the time... "Wow, I don't have to take off of work to do this!"! I'm a fan and oh, so thankful and blessed to be able to spend such valuable time with my little guy!

We went to the Houston Zoo this past Friday with our new bff's, Victoria and Maddox and had a ball!

Here are a few pictures of these precious boys! I think we'll be back to the zoo, but we might just wait until the temps are below 80 degrees and Houston isn't on the verge of being taken over by mosquitoes. Heat and mosquitoes aside, we had a great time and I *think* we saw the boys actually looking at the animals on occasion [Jackson was especially fond of the seals]. ;)

[[ not to be missed - the mini's first halloween ]]

2011-10-31T07:07:00.000-05:00

Two things: Pinterest & Pink

2011-10-28T07:07:00.000-05:00

1.) Pinterest - I'll say it again... I'm addicted, my husband is thankful and the world is a better place because of Pinterest. ;) Among lots of other things, there are tons of great recipes on Pinterest and I've been trying a few each week. : ) The hubs is quite pleased by this and I'm fairly proud of myself. Here are a few photos of Pinterest recipes playing out in my kitchen over the past few weeks! Yah, I don't know who I've become either.........cooking.....whattttt????

2.) PINK - you can never have too much... agreed?

- - trick or TREAT - -

2011-10-26T23:04:00.002-05:00

Since we won't be here this Halloween (headed to the homeland today, peeps!), Jackson and I took a little Halloween treat over to his friend Maddox yesterday!

How stinkin' cute are these owl treats with gummy worms?! Inside the gift bag is a matching glow-in-the-dark skeleton sleeper for Maddox..... here's Jackson sporting his. :)

And what is that you say?? You're terrified as to how over.the.top crazy my son's first birthday might be based on the fact that I've made his first Halloween such a big deal????
YAH, me too.... me too.

what.i'm.loving.wednesday

2011-10-26T08:07:00.000-05:00

1.) FAMILY and my very best friends and the fact that we get to see them all in the coming weeks!!! Yay! They are going to be shocked by how much Jackson has grown and changed since they saw him last!! Wow!

2.) Frozen yogurt and double punch Monday's [a new frozen yogurt place opened not far from here and I'm addicted.... and have convinced myself that I HAVE to go every Monday, because, come on, there's something exciting about getting your silly discount card punched twice]. God help me. I'm such a dork.

3.) That I finally get to wear some fun, fall clothes - high of 49 on Thursday when we land in Amarillo! Yes, please!!!

4.) That we get to escape the infestation of mosquitos that has taken over Houston. It's horrible. As in I don't think you can find a can of OFF in stores within a 100 mile radius of here. Gross.

5.) That I'm actually blogging this week! I've decided to make it a priority and just make it happen.... even if that means I stay up too late every night. I love blogging and will be so thankful I've kept up with it years from now.

6.) That my 4 Runner is PAID.IN.FULL. It has been for a few months now, but hey, I'm still loving this fact. It's helped make this stay-at-home-mama business happen and it just seems like a milestone in a way --- does this really make us adults.... or was that official when we had a baby and all?

7.) This girl. Every day of the week.

8.) That I've made this POPCORN CAKE recipe from Pinterest twice now for Halloween events and it's been a huge hit!. I used peanut butter M&M's instead of regular and added candy corn....so stinkin' good - everyone has loved it and asked for the recipe!

9.) That is kind of feels like I just bought a ton of new clothes because all of my fall clothes have been packed away and unseen for over a year.

10.) That our Halloween photo cards arrive in the mail today......... friends... I'm not kidding you, my little guy is just too cute in his costume! CANNOT wait to see them and get them in the mail to friends and family! :)

So, what are *you* loving this Wednesday?

pumpkin....I mean FUNKIN decorating - white house style!

2011-10-25T09:46:00.003-05:00

Remember the chalkboard I made with the intention of writing out a "fall bucket list" on it? Well, things didn't play out as I had envisioned seeing as how I have HORRIBLE handwriting. The adorable little list just never came to be..... so, my DIY chalkboard has been hanging on my wall for weeks - totally BLANK. Not very fun, right?

Well, my ever so gracious brother, Ryan, decided ---HE WOULD MAKE A FALL BUCKET LIST FOR ME--- [so thoughtful, right?]....... as you can see, his handwriting is also less than glamorous.

Anyway, I passed by the chalkboard day after day and decided that we were going to have a pumpkin carving / decorating contest and my brother had to come. Done and done. I made 82 trips to Michael's and Hobby Lobby and gathered up everything we needed (ummm..... hello, who knew FAKE pumpkins cost just as much or more than real ones....as in $27 for a "funkin"). And yah, I'm a child and had a ball adding "funkin" to just about every sentence on party day..... as did everyone else in my family. Because we're mature and awesome like that. ;)

Here are a few photos from the night!
**CAN YOU GUESS WHICH ONE THIS MAMA MADE??**

And HERE'S a link to our creations a few years back..... perhaps you see a theme here? OWLS win every time. ;)

so much fun and what a week ahead!

2011-10-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Dear friends and blog stalkers [anyone? anyone there? please say hello so I know there is still a point to blogging - ha! I've been so unfaithful....but I still love you]...

GUESS WHAT IS ONE WEEK FROM TODAY?

Halloween!!!!!!!

As you've probably already caught on [based on the fall / Halloween decorations that I plastered the house with two weeks shy of October], I'm a big fan of Halloween. **Melinda, I was devastated to learn that you are a Halloween hater.... damn good thing I really, really like you and that precious girl! ;) ;) ;)** I'll be the first to admit that it's a little strange that I'm so crazy in love with Halloween..... I don't really care for the creepy / scary stuff, but I love the onset of fall, kiddos dressing up, carmel apples, fall carnivals, trick-or-treaters, a good excuse to buy and consume way too much candy, hello, CANDY CORN, pumpkins, corn maizes.... the list goes on and on. Simply put, fall and Halloween make me giddy. Like stupid school girl giddy. Add that existing craziness with the fact that I now have a mini to involve in the hoopla? Shut your mouth......I'm beside myself.

So, we're a week out and lots of fun has been had so far in October..... we'll get caught up over the next few days!!

- In case you missed my last post [82 years ago], here are some photos of the White House, all prepped and happy with Halloween goodness.

- We made a trip to the pumpkin patch with our new BFF's, Victoria and Maddox! Victoria is a photographer and new stay-at-home mama to a sweet baby boy, just like me (and the same age, married her college sweetheart, her son is a month older than Jackson, we drive the same suv, lives 10 minutes away, blah blah blah --- you get it.... match made in heaven). Anyway, Victoria got a few photos of me and Jackson while we were there.... I love this one!

Oh, and I forgot to mention - we are going "home" to the Panhandle for 6 days at the end of this week and have SO been looking forward to it! It's Jackson's first real trip, first flight and his first time to see many family members that are very anxious to meet him. And it just gets better - the high for the day we get there is in the 50's! I repeat - the 50's!!!! YES, please! Ahhh..... sounds lovely!

Anyway, this is obviously Jackson's first Halloween and I'm so excited to be at home with family while our little guy gets to debut his precious self in his costume. Trust me, it's adorable! JUST.YOU.WAIT!! : )

what.i.love.wednesday.

2011-09-28T18:31:00.001-05:00

I'm tagging along with tons of my blog-world friends and plan to start doing "What I Love Wednesday". I'm excited....it seems reliable and fun....and I love lots and lots of things. :)

Here we go!

1.) FALL DECOR - up in here, up in here (and yah, for those who immediately started singing that song, we should be best friends....on second thought...yikes...just listened to that - wow! bad language!). Back to Martha Stewart[ish] fall decor goodness - because that's wholesome and all.

Jackson and I broke out the fall / Halloween goodness this week. Love it!

Remember my post about a fall bucket list? Yep, I'm totally doing one - but on this chalkboard that I made (I kind of hate the frame and am hunting for a new one that's a little more ornate / fun). I've realized that the only downside to chalkboards is that you should in fact, actually write on them.....and I have horrible handwriting. Should have rethought that one, eh? ;) Nonetheless,I'm excited about our fall bucket list - ugly handwriting and all.

In the meantime, the hubs, who can draw wayyy better than me, added this tree branch with falling leaves.

2.) SANGRIA WINE [in a box, because I'm classy]
Seriously, the White Sangria Wine in the "wine cube" from Target is ridiculously good! And it's the equivalent of 4 bottles of wine and lasts a month. Hard to beat at $15 a box. Again, I'm uber classy. I know this.

3.) GOOD SHOWS ARE FINALLY BACK ON! You're excited too, I know it.

4.) CUPCAKE HEAVEN. Rise Cupcakes, an adorable little cupcakery (if that's not a word, it should be) opened about 10 minutes from our house. The cupcakes are yummy and it's just fun to have such a cute place out here in the 'burbs. But, I'm in major trouble - I seriously talk myself out of going there every.single.day.

5.) FUN COLORED NAILS - a first. For the past 8 or so years I've had solar nails. Given that Jackson isn't overly concerned about how perfectly manicured my nails may or may not be on any given day, I've done away with the solar nails and now just get regular manicures. Way cheaper and I spend a lot less time at the nail salon (I actually hate getting my nails done). So, given that I'm no longer in the professional / corporate world for the time being, I can do whateva I want w/ my nails. FUN. So yah, I had them painted a fun color. I feel like a total rebel. Ridiculous, right?

5.) THE PIE. Last, but most certainly not least, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mr. Jackson Pie! Isn't he the cutest baby you've ever laid eyes on? ;) Such a sweet, happy, growing entirely too fast, baby boy!

Keeping up...

2011-09-23T10:17:00.002-05:00

Well, let's just say that I've failed miserably as of late at blogging while working and raising a babe [yes, you read that correctly - I've been doing some contract work from home for my old company over the past few weeks....the offer came as a pleasant surprise and has been really nice!]. However, it's a new balancing act that I'm unfamiliar with!

But for real, for those of you that blog every day and wear 82 other "hats".... how do you do it? Part of my problem is that I have in fact, been working [besides cleaning the house / grocery store / cooking, etc.] during nap time and in to the late hours of night, but the other issue is that I feel like I've run out of fun things to blog about!

So, for today, I'm going to leave you with some photos of the mini [***my 3 month old chunkster***] that can't help but make you smile. And this weekend? Well, this weekend, I'm going to get my act together and think of some fun things to share. I know you're dying over there with anticipation and all. ;)

Happy weekend, sweet friends!!

we have a winner.

2011-09-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

I asked the hubby to help with selecting a winner of the little party hat or giraffe giveaway I mentioned last week. :) He chose #10 and the 10th person to leave a comment was ABBIE from A Glimpse of the Girl Next Door [such a cute blog - you'll want to check it out].

So, Abbie, go and pick out which set of party hats or giraffe you want from the -Baby Darling- Etsy store! :) And happy almost birthday to your little one [Jackson will be 3 months old on your guy's 1st bday!]. I hope it's extra special!

{one hundred + one}

2011-09-14T10:45:00.005-05:00

In preparation for COOLER WEATHER and all of the fun things that come with fall {and because I like having things to look forward to!}, I printed off this adorable and free ONE HUNDRED + ONE BITS OF AUTUMN FUN
printable from Laura Winslow Photography yesterday. Better believe this is posted on our fridge now .... I plan to mark things off as we do them! LOVE IT! Take a look - there are some really fun ideas that I wouldn't have thought of. :)

download it here:

...and I just stumbled upon another similar one... a "Fall Bucket List" made by Katie at Loves of Life!

I'm admittedly a total dork and these lists make me want to squeal with excitement. Same for you?

I've already marked the first item off the list: ~~buy new gloves~~. done and done.

a reminder :)

2011-09-09T10:08:00.004-05:00

Winner of this little giveaway to be announced on Monday! Make sure to leave a comment if you're interested.

http://littlepinkshadetree.blogspot.com/2011/09/put-your-party-hat-on-giveaway.html

secrets of a happy life....

2011-09-06T13:05:00.003-05:00

"One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats." - Iris Murdock

These little owl measuring cups absolutely made my day. My sister-in-law
surprised me with them after I was eyeing them on our shopping trip this weekend. So sweet!

- owl measuring cups found here -

put your party hat on! [a giveaway]

2011-09-02T13:11:00.001-05:00

Over the next week or so, I plan on sharing some of my favorite "baby things" with you as I've received a few emails asking about various odds and ends and my take on "must haves". I decided to start with a few purely fun things I bought before Jackson arrived that we ended up really loving [not essential items at all....just fun extras that after having/using, I can say I'm glad I purchased].

FIRST UP - mini sized party hats!

I contacted Brooke, owner of Etsy shop *BABYDARLING* when I saw some adorable party hats and a giraffe toy in her "shop". I asked if she could make two hats for me that would fit a newborn [gahh, this is why I love Etsy...you can customize anything!] because my babe obviously needed to have a party hat on the day he made his big debut! The party hats ended up being a huge hit and they came in handy on several occasions?! Here are a few photos below and details on a giveaway [these would make a great baby gift]!

Sportin' the hat again @ 2 weeks old to celebrate his Uncle Ryan's birthday and again a few weeks later to tell his Pops (a.k.a. "the dadwin", my dad) happy bday.

That's right, Brooke, owner of BABYDARLING graciously agreed to let me do a -- GIVEAWAY -- !!

Here's how to enter [yah, it's crazy easy]: leave a comment below.... say hello.... tell me about your favorite Etsy store, favorite baby toy, gear, bottle, how you're dying for Fall weather to get here, the color you just painted your nails....for real...WHATEVER. **Make sure to leave your email address if your account isn't set-up through blogger so I can contact you if you won!

Here's what's being given away: a set of 8 party hats (your choice - check out her store and pick your fave) OR a stuffed giraffe toy (again, fabric is your choice - whichever you prefer in her store).

How will I know if I won?: I'll draw a winner next Friday, Sept. 9th and will announce the winner on this little blarg then. I'll email the winner as well, so make sure I can contact you!

halloween [yes, puhhleassee] and a guest appearance

2011-08-31T11:23:00.012-05:00

Friends..... FRIENDS?!!! I finally gave in and signed up for Pinterest. I know, I know --- everyone else in America is already addicted, already knows the "pinning" lingo and this isn't "news" to anyone anymore. Regardless, here are my thoughts on it thus far: Total time suck. Totally not making it easy to be more budget conscious. Grrrrr. All of that aside, I'm addicted, in love and have found some pretty awesome goodies....

Prime example of why Pinterest is the best.thing.ever [with the exception of my mini, blogging and 3 cups of coffee a day of course!]:

-Halloween Love- Via Pinterest:

Side note: Let's all please remember that I loved owls before owls were cool. No lie.

Owl cupcakes - cannot wait to make these! Ekkkkkk.

I'm going to pretend this is my front porch.

I'm thinking 3 of these... a big one, small{er} and a mini for my little family. CANNOT WAIT.
A little hooter family.

Isn't this cute... and it doesn't look too hard to make? Yah, right. I'd butcher it for sure.

For those of you who read through all of that nonsense and made it this far - thank you, true friends. I saved the best for last. We have a guest on the blog today.....the one and only.....the mini......... JACKSON PIE. He woke up from his nap and wanted to hang out while mama wrapped up this post. Blogging is a little tricky with a 14-pound chunkster in your arms.

---- playin' it cool, enjoying some blog time----

----- aggghhhhhhh, MOM!!! Enough already! I'm just a baby and am not quite ready for my worldwide web debut.... get me to the living room where all of my awesome toys are..... OR we can dance around the house again in that bjorn thingy.....maybe you can even vacuum like you've been saying you were going to do for what?, like 5 days now.

Gotta run. Happy day, peeps.... happy day!

straight up gangstas

2011-08-30T08:50:00.003-05:00

This will soon be framed in our master bedroom. No lie.

[found here:]

On an unrelated note [see, gangstas say things like that "on an unrelated note"], I have some fun things to blog about and hope to post a lot this week - it all just depends on what my new boss has in store for me [he hates....aghhhh! HATES! Mondays, so yesterday was less than glamorous....but TODAY--- no, today is lookin' pretty dang good already....go Jackson Pie, go!!!].

I'm just a newbie - my account of mommyhood [2 months in]

2011-08-25T07:07:00.019-05:00

I simply can't believe it - our sweet boy has been here for 2 whole months?!

We are parents? We are old enough to be parents? We are kind of doing okay at this whole thing [most days]? Whhhhaaaaaattt??

It seems like just minutes ago the hubs and I were walking the block time and time again [yah, as in 2 miles a day the last 2 weeks of my pregnancy!] in hopes of helping move things along to meet baby J. Well, he's been with us for just over 2 months now, so I feel a little more comfortable sharing my take on mommyhood thus far.....note: my thoughts are in no particular order and are the honest truth, so take it or leave it:

I truly don't how it's possible for a couple to have a baby and not believe in God. I mean, WOW..... if that won't show you that He has a plan for your life and make you sit there in awe of the tremendous blessing He's entrusted you with, I don't know what will.

I'm certain that if I ever hear anyone count to TEN again, it'll make me throw up. 1....2...3................. gag me. Ugh. Yah, labor was definitely not easy.

I love my husband in a whole new way. I can't put to words how proud I am to be his wife and mama to our mini.

My new "normal" is talking in a baby voice for 3/4 of the day and wondering if I smell like poop. Oddly, I'm okay with both of these things. Anyone who matters will understand that my babe is too cute not to talk to in that voice and well, he can't make it to the bathroom on his own just yet..... so, sometimes, since I'm his means of transportation, WE smell like baby poo. So it goes.

I'm pretty sure I worsened the baby acne he got around a month old with the 7,200 kisses I plant on his face every day. I try not to put on lipstick or carmex too often now so I don't have junk on my lips when I want to kiss my mini.......which is about every second of every day.

This motherhood gig is way, wayyyyyyy easier than I thought. In fact, I might just be the best mama ever and J is definitely the best baby ever. Gawwwdddd.... we've GOT THIS! Wait for it, wait for it............

Change of thought. This motherhood gig is way harder than I thought possible [I THINK THIS AS FOLLOWS..................on the few nights when the mini wakes up every 4 hours ~~and for the love of everything holy, mama just wants to sleep~~, when he has the saddest little cough I've ever heard, when he is crying and I can't figure out what's wrong to make it all better, when I'd sell my soul for a long nap, a bath and to blow dry my hair, when I think about the day we will hug his neck and say goodbye to him when we take him to college.....or a step further when I think about when he ~~completely deserts me~~ marries the Godly woman of his dreams that I'm already praying for.

The last line item brings me to tears. He will leave us some day. And I know that it's all part of it. My biggest goal, desire and privilege is to raise him to be a wonderful young man..........although I'd like to keep him "as is" for as long as humanly possible. A little 14 pound, smiling, coo-ing, chunkster!

Please excuse me as I call my two best friends and beg for their advice because I am so not prepared for this mommyhood business!!!! I don't know a damn thing about raising a baby or medical care for a baby?! Eeeekkkkkk!!!!!!!!! LACCCCEEEEEEE (that's me yelling for my best friend, Lacey)...... what do I do when... [insert xyz here]. Or KALLLLLLLLLLL (that's me yelling for my best friend, Kallie, who is a nurse and freakin' aunt KK of the year)............baby J has a fever.... what do I do?!!!?!

My mini looks like his dad. I love it.

Little mister - I used to have a super.skinny.almost.concave.stretch-mark.free.tummy. I have this no more. Maybe never again? For those of you who have yet to birth a babe, look at your body now and say "for real - I look goooodddddddddd!"! ;) No, really..... DO IT....do it now.

I wish I could freeze time. No, I really do. Of course, I'm eager to watch my babe grow and develop, but I'm a "baby" person and these days are precious and perfect to me.

My husband's goal for this weekend is to put graphite on all of the door hinges [they squeeeakkkk and wake up the mini]. Our old goal for the weekends: make it to church on Sunday and hopefully brunch. Also, relax a lot.

Will he ever know how much I love him???? Maybe when he's 28 and welcoming his first babe into the world? Maybe then?

I now say the following words frequently o my husband and neither of us bat an eye: nipple, scrotum, poopie and pump. These words rarely came out of my mouth as of 9 weeks ago.

I realize how insignificant things are that I used to worry myself sick about. If my little family is happy and healthy, all is right with the world.

Freakin' bottles, nipples, breast pump parts, etc. For real. This is a post in and of itself. I wash these things 82 times a day. I used to be on conference calls, review reports and go to meetings.... now I wash burp cloths, bottles, nipples and breast pump sucker thingies. And I'm happy with my decision and opportunity to now spend my days doing the later of the two.

JCrew, Ann Taylor Loft, Banana??? Yah, I know, I don't see you much anymore. It's because I'm online at Amazon Mom or perusing the aisles Babies R Us because J just had his 2 month shots and a random toy [that he totally isn't big enough yet to play with it] will make his tears and sore leg all better. But GUYS....... Don't forget about me - I hope to be back some day. In the meantime, please stop emailing me about all of your great sales. Thanks, Darci.

I could go on and on. Simply put - the past two months have been perfect. Absolutely perfect. They've been hard and trying at times and we've felt inadequate, ill prepared, exhausted, etc., but our overall take on it? PERFECT. HUMBLED. BLESSED. PRIVILEGED. totally.want.to.wait.a.good.long.while.for.#2.

So, if you're on the fence about signing up for a mini......pay your dues and make it happen. Best thing ever. Just make sure you have two best friends to call, a good breast pump or 82 bottles....or both, like me, a great marriage to begin with and an open mind............because these babes don't come with instruction manuals. And don't blink because they sure do grow quick! Here's proof......

Just what I needed --- A LIFE PLANNER.

2011-08-22T16:45:00.024-05:00

I'm pretty sure that you've all heard about the gorgeous Erin Condren Life Planners already since they've been blowing up the internet for several weeks now....WELL, mine finally arrived and I'm in L.O.V.E.! Real deal, it makes me all kinds of giddy love.

I took a few photos to share with you so you too can jump on the Erin Condren Life Planner bandwagon [for fellow type-A, mildly OCD, "planner" types....trust me, it'll make your heart swoon and will bring a huge smile to your face]. They are so well designed, so well made, so practical and have uplifting / fun quotes throughout the pages. They are all around awesome.

So, do share - who else scooped up one of these lovelies?

Which design did you go with?
I want to see! I want to see!!!

Many thanks to my friend, Meredith, who posted about the planner and an awesome discount on Plum District....I was on the fence about ordering one, but took the plunge and am so glad I did!

for my fellow owl lovers.....and pj / movie date night

2011-08-18T00:15:00.009-05:00

Check out these darling pj pants!!! Hands down, the best $10 I've spent in awhile! I'm quite certain that Old Navy designed them just for me [and every other awesome person who is mildly addicted to cute owls.... there's a lot of you out there, I know!].

Now that my job title and employment status have changed, I'm no longer shopping for slacks, cute tops or suits... oh, no - now I'm keeping an eye out for fun pj's. Yep, it's true. Since the babe joined us, and because we're fairly limited on fun outings with a now 8-week old in this scorching heat, we have a lot of pajama / movie family date nights ........where ~~we all~~ Jackson and I wear our pj's ~~because my hubby refuses to wear pj pants~~ and our little family watches a movie together on the couch... with popcorn of course and our favorite candy to make it legit. Here's a photo of me and sweet boy on our first pj / movie family date night!

Speaking of DATE NIGHT --- the hubs and I are going on a real.full.fledged.legitimate.babymama. and.babydaddy.only. we're.talkin'.a.nice.dinner.and.a.movie.for.an.entire.evening this Saturday and we are so excited! We've had one other night all to ourselves since Jackson was born (we like him, what can we say?!), but didn't do anything but relax at home for a few hours while he was around the block at my brothers! Point being, we're both really looking forward to some time together on Saturday, but I'm sure we'll be so anxious to get back to our sweet boy! **And mega thanks in advance to my brother and sister-in-law as they're keeping the mini while we go out and play dress up, eat a yummy meal at a fun, new restaurant I've been eyeing, watch a good movie and just some alone time together. :)

Sorry - I've rambled on. You probably stopped reading 5 minutes ago and hopped in the car to make a mad dash to Old Navy to pick up a pair of hooter pj's of your own, didn't you? I can't blame you.

Well said, well said.

2011-08-12T01:27:00.005-05:00

I'll be honest... my attitude hasn't been too stellar this week. I don't know about where you live, but it's 8,200 degrees here right now and has been for at least a solid 90 days?! Baby J and I are feeling a bit couped up because it's literally too hot to do anything outside [it really is over 100 degrees and humid as all get out]. Jackson is very hot natured and is oddly enough not a fan of sweating in his car seat -- and I don't blame him one bit. Point being, it's hard to get out in this heat with a new(er) baby in tow and we are ready for some cooler, Fall weather. So ready! But, I read this quote that I had saved awhile back and thought it was pretty fitting. I'll ENJOY today, hellacious heat and all! :) Happy Friday, friends!

Back to school...

2011-08-10T12:47:00.002-05:00

Is it just me or does anyone else miss all of the fun surrounding going "back to school"? For real. I loved gearing up for a new school year....... buying all new school supplies, locker decor (yah, I did that - y'all did too, right?), new clothes.... aaaahhhhh! And then before school started you'd lay out all of your outfits for the first week back along w/ your newly decked out backpack or book bag? Yah, I loved all of that. I'm sure a big part of that was the fact that getting new, fun "things" is always exciting, but a fresh start is always something to look forward to.

So, while Jackson and I were perusing the aisles at Target the other day [~~DAMN YOU Target.~~..wait, mama's aren't supposed to say that! - DANG YOU Target for making such cute stuff], I couldn't help but throw two notebooks in the cart along with a matching mini dry erase board (intended for a locker). Because I'm not an adult or anything and every 28 year-old should most certainly have new notebooks and dry erase boards for stay-at-home mommyhood. Duh.

And off the subject, but worth discussing.... is anyone else a fan of Instagram? I don't know where I've been, since this has apparently been popular for awhile, but I'm addicted to it.

A change of scenery.......

2011-08-08T00:18:00.007-05:00

After devoting a lot of years and a ton of hours to this office, I've accepted a BIG promotion....one that offers a slightly different view!

I chose an entirely different "look" and color scheme for my new office.....................

That's it, sweet friends.... that's the "BIG news" I was holding out on last week. I'm now employed full time by Mr. Jackson Ryan White! I'm sure it's not a total shocker, but it's a very big change for us and one Cason and I are very excited about! For those of you looking for a rapid, very drastic change in your life - HAVE A BABY. All kinds of changes......... but I must say, I'm really loving all of them! [minus the major cut in my pedicure budget due to the new job title --- I'm kidding. Kind of. ] ;)

In all seriousness, I am so happy and so blessed that we are able to do this. I've always wanted to stay-at-home while my baby is a baby (follow me?). I have worked really, really hard for a long time and while I love what I do and hate to give it up, I can't imagine missing out on my sweet boy's first year! Although we are having to cut back and adjust our normal lifestyle (but for real - we just had a baby .... what we've known as "normal" for a lonnnggg while is no more!), it is SO very worth it. I'm beyond blessed and TREMENDOUSLY thankful to have the ability to stay at home with my little man.

So, HERE.WE.GO. --- follow along with us as we embark on this whole new season in life! I'm certain there will be lots and lots of awesome, memorable days and there will likely also be a few where I'll need copious amounts of Tylenol, several glasses of wine and I might even runaway as soon as the hubby gets home without saying where I'm headed [in all likelyhood, I'll "escape" to the nail salon around the corner or just make a Target run all by myself.... so spontaneous, right?!].

Big news......

2011-08-04T16:50:00.001-05:00

COMING SOON! [for all three of you that might still be reading my blog.....are there even three of you left???!] ;) But really, can I get a pass on my lack of posting lately? You know, this babe is hard to compete with........and I've been pretty busy with diapers, and feeding, and pumping, and diapers, and feeding again, and bathing, and tummy time and LOVING and CUDDLING and STARING at my little man all day long.

I'll be back full time soon and with BIG NEWS. :)

Miss you all, blog ~~stalkers~~ friends.

some things are meant to be.

2011-07-15T07:11:00.004-05:00

The mini woke up at 4 a.m. this morning absolutely starving because I just don't feed him enough [a total exaggeration - and I'm not complaining one bit... he's been sleeping 6-8 hours at night at just 3 weeks old]. Of course, after he was fed and warm and cozy back in his crib, I was wide awake. So, I did what any normal person does at the crack of dawn --- I caught up on some blog reading and stumbled upon THIS gem. Seriously.... I'm pretty sure it's my new favorite blog. I'm in love! If you are a mom or a mom-to-be or just love all things baby or nurseries, GO, go now!

Simply put, I'm sure of FOUR things today.
1.) I was meant to find this website. Makes me heart swoon.

2.) Today is DONUT FRIDAY, which is reason enough to celebrate. AND my brother is joining us this morning -- woohoo! He loves our baby Jackson and is such a good uncle. We love getting to share this time with him. :)

3.) One of my very best friends [college roommate, friends since 5th grade... you know one of those few true, life-long you're like a sister to me kind of friends?] gets here today!!! She's flying in for the weekend to meet baby J! I'm so freakin' excited!

3.) Not only did I find my new favorite site, but Joni (the mastermind behind the website/blog) was kind enough to share these words below. This perfectly applies to this season of my life right now. I'm telling you - this morning was meant to be.

You can download this here in pink or blue. - Many thanks to Joni at laybabylay.com!

Two handsome boys.

2011-07-13T10:11:00.004-05:00

Love these guys oh, so much.

And I pinky promise that I'll eventually blog about other things than my newborn son. But for now, just bare with me.........I mean really - is that little burrito'd baby (my preferred term for "swaddled") not the sweetest thing you've ever seen? His dad is pretty stinkin' cute too! Love my boys!

It will surely be the death of me...

2011-07-12T10:15:00.006-05:00

ETSY that is.

Seriously. Am I the only one that finds something that I really and truly NEED [said with much sarcasm] on there every.single.day. I love it, yet hate it so.

<---- Case in point - look what was on the homepage today! Ummm... yahhhh... need this!

Unfortunately [and fortunately], I've put myself on a much more strict "mom budget" because you know, diapers and wipes (oh my!) are by NO means cheap! So, if you aren't on a "mom budget" or any budget at all - knock yourself out and thank me later. ;)

- found here -

I pledge allegiance....

2011-07-05T15:59:00.008-05:00

to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.

Impressive, right? At a mere 2 weeks of age, our little mini already has the Pledge of Allegiance down! ;)

Here are a few photos, courtesy of my ever-handy iPhone, from our 4th of July!

- Two things -

2011-07-01T08:48:00.001-05:00

1. HAPPY DONUT FRIDAY

2. Happy 4th of July weekend!

Both of these things make my heart very happy.

MUST do list

2011-06-29T08:20:00.006-05:00

I just had to share -

Yesterday, was a big day. I tackled all but ONE thing on my "must do" list. Who knew I'd ever be so proud of such minor things? Truth be told, I marked more things off this small list yesterday than I do on any given work day.......because you know, that list just keeps on growing and growing and you're putting out fires instead of handling anything that you originally planned on doing when the day began.

Before I start rambling about exactly what all I accomplished yesterday [because I know you're just dying to hear].... Is anyone else obsessed with lists or am I the only neurotic one out there?

Check out these beauties:

found here

- MY MUST DO LIST -

Warm up frozen enchiladas for lunch w/ Cason. [love it that he works so close and can come home and see us at lunch!!!! Also love that my sister-in-law is amazing and stocked us up on yummy meals! It has been so convenient and made our days easier!] *Done*

Call Kenmore to cancel service call for dryer [because hubby is awesome and ordered the part and is fixing it on his own]! *Done*

Call Hyatt Place [because we left our new, $100 Sonicare toothbrush there a week ago today because baby J had a little bit of jaundice and had to stay in the hospital for an extra 24 hours. We couldn't be far away from him, so we got a hotel by the hospital....and likely lost our expensive tooth brush that I loved so dearly.] *Done*

Organize the clothes in my armoire [this only happened because the hubby took an extra long lunch and was lovin' on his babe while I did this!]. *Done*

Take photo of Jackson in his "mini" onesie. *NOT DONE* You know, the 12 onesies (one for each month) + the newborn "mini" one that I bought to document how much he grows each month? Well, he's only "mini" sized for another week or so..... so, I need to get to it!

Newborn photos w/ Aunt Kat *Done*.......and a huge, huge thanks to Aunt Kat! I think she got some great pics - can't wait to share!

Wash a load of laundry at my brother's [again, because the stupid dryer is broken]. *Done*

GET READY - as in Darci, you cannot continue to wear pj's or yoga pants every.single.day. for the rest of your life. This folks, is the jackpot of them all. Yes, I bathed (and shaved my legs - woohooo.. no, for real), put on make-up, got dressed in something other than pj's or yoga pants and somewhat did my hair. I felt SO good. *Done*

So, beloved blog stalkers - whatever is on your "to do" list today, because I know all of our lists look OH, SO DIFFERENT, I hope you get it all done. And if not, call it a day and swing by our little casa and get a photo of my mini in his "mini" onesie. Deal?! ;)

Well hello little man, we've been waiting on you!

2011-06-27T11:29:00.007-05:00

Our precious baby boy, Jackson Ryan, joined us on Monday, June 20th at 6:15 p.m., weighing 7 lbs. 8 oz. and measuring 20 inches long. He is perfect and we are all doing great!

There really are no words to describe how full and happy our hearts are right now, but I do know this verse could never be more true ---
"From the fullness of His grace, we have received one blessing after another." - John 1:16

We are absolutely in love and can't take our eyes off of him. Here are a few photos from his first few days. Enjoy! More soon from this little family of three. :)

His daddy's favorite onesie....it has been in his diaper bag for months and was a "must" for the hospital!

Melt my heart - love this photo.

Headed home and I have an awesome little hooter on my car seat. Yessss!

Hangin' out with mom.

so true.

2011-06-15T07:07:00.003-05:00

A new look and a blogging fool...

2011-06-14T09:34:00.004-05:00

A whole new look.... you like?

My blog guru, Carly, over at Playful Pickle Designs is still making some final tweaks to the font, etc., but we're 90% there. She's awesome [awesome] to work with....and I'm crazy picky, so the fact that she puts up with me and my 8,200 changes says a lot! ;)

In other news - I've been a bloggin' fool here lately....... see below for recent, daily posts. Guess I got carried away after not blogging for over a month!

PS - IF YOU CAN THINK OF A GOOD, CREATIVE [NEW] NAME FOR THIS LITTLE BLOG, PLEASE.... DO SHARE! ALL I COULD COME UP WITH WAS "the good life"....BUT, IT IS TRULY, A GOOD, GOOD LIFE! SO, I MIGHT JUST KEEP IT? ANY SUGGESTIONS?

dear sweet tiny,

2011-06-13T12:37:00.008-05:00

we're ready and waiting on YOU. even your spoiled rotten, not eager to share me with you, bulldogger of a sister is eager to celebrate your bday!

<------ poor little girl, see what you're doing to her?! ;)

seriously. what exactly are you waiting on? just tell me and i'll knock it out crazy fast, promise!

i can't clean another thing. or wash one more load of laundry. i've made freezable meals. we've hung your strollers in the garage. your room was done forever and ever and ever ago. your dad still needs to touch-up paint a few small little lines in your room, but no one knows they're there but us. i got a pedicure and my nails done LAST weekend thinking you'd be here by now. we've tried out your monkey in every.single.piece.of.baby.gear. we have just to make sure we're somewhat familiar w/ how it works. see below for proof. if that's what has been holding you up - rest assured - we know how all of it works and have tried it out!

your uncle and aunt wanted to take off work today to meet you. your grandparents call frequently to ask if you're still just hangin' out. so, do tell - what are you waiting on little man? you're stubborn like your mama and are going to make us wait, huh? that's okay.... i have a feeling you'll be so worth it!

and yah, we're crazy and totally put this monkey in all of our baby boy's gear over the past 9 months - we're new to "all things baby" and needed the practice...and then it just became funny!

and THIS is why i love blogging

2011-06-11T20:17:00.001-05:00

Today, while ~~killing time instead of just sitting around praying this baby boy would arrive.like.TODAY~~ randomly reading old blog posts, I stumbled upon this one I wrote last Spring entitled "my future children". I wrote this 15 months ago - long before we had plans for or knew of this sweet baby boy that will be joining us any day now.

Really thankful that I've stuck w/ this whole "blogging" thing. Such a treasure to look back into different seasons of life!

Go and check IT out - really...it's worth it. And for the record, I'm 100% sure we have a "tapper" on our hands. Called it!

[the BIG reveal] - baby Jackson's nursery!

2011-06-06T05:10:00.018-05:00

Here it is! Our little guy's room - ready and waiting for him to show up any day now!

We hope he loves it just as much as we do....his daddy and I sure had fun getting it ready for him and have spent a lot of hours in there over the past 9 months [some of it working on the room, obviously, but most of it just sitting in there staring at every thing in amazement thinking "OUR baby boy will sleep in this crib....soon!" or "OUR baby boy will be rocked to sleep in this rocker a thousand times over"]. I'll never forgot when we got the rocker/glider home and my sweet husband asked me to come in there and sit on his lap so he could rock both of his babes! Before I get all crazy emotional and sentimental [I'm 9 months preggo - this happens easily!], I'll leave you with this fun quote and some not-at-all-professional photos of our mini's room! Enjoy! :)

Note: I've received a handful of emails asking for various details / specs from the photos I posted previously of his room, and since I'll be a tad bit preoccupied in the weeks to come, I thought I'd go ahead and post all the info below now in case I'm slowwww to respond to emails! :)

**ROOM DETAILS**

Crib - Bratt Decor "Dick" Crib [great name for a crib, eh?!] - I was in love with one from Restoration Hardware that was almost identical to this, but couldn't bring myself to pay that much for a non-convertible crib. As luck would have it, I found this crib on Craigslist for less than 1/2 the price and bought it from a super sweet family the same day!

Bedding - Serena & Lily "Ben" Crib Bedding

Dresser - Ikea "Hemnes" 8-drawer dresser in white (note - it's an off white)

Console Table with Baskets & Orange Storage Boxes - Ikea "Hemnes" sofa table in white with these handwoven baskets and these orange storage boxes.

Frames above changing table/dresser - CB2's gallery frames

Elephant and giraffe orange prints - custom, from A Vintage Poster [I highly recommend!]

Abacus - found here, also from CB2 [probably my favorite thing in the room....until the mini arrives that is!].

Orange elephant piggy bank - Urban Outfitters

White rocking chair / glider - Best Chairs Trype Upholstered Swiverl Glider / Recliner [a big thanks to my parents for buying this for baby Jackson!!! - we love it!]

Hamper - Seagrass Hamper from Target

Jute rug - Ikea Tarnby Jute Rug

Curtains - Ikea - hubby's going to have to help w/ this one. The tag on the curtains is way high up there and I'm far to big to be climbing on anything! Ha!

Teal bucket with receiving blankets in it - Target!

White Side Table - Target
Orange Throw - Ikea Ritva Throw
Labrador Pillow - Serena & Lily Buddy Pillow

**PAINT**

Bedroom:

White Stripe: custom, mixed in Benjamin Moore Aura Collection [and by custom I mean that I found a white I liked from one of our 27 trips to Home Depot or Lowes and didn't keep the name of it, so I had the paint matched at Benjamin Moore]

Gray Stripe: Gray Owl, Benjamin Moore Aura Collection

Stripe Width: 12.5" [I found several great articles online about "how to paint the perfect striped walls"]. Cason taped off everything and his painters painted. We love the final look.

Closet: (slightly darker gray than in the room)

Coventry Gray, Benjamin Moore Aura Collection

Every Friday is

2011-05-06T11:22:00.014-05:00

This has become our Friday morning ritual for awhile now. And I like it. I like it a lot. This is what the hubby means when he asks me if I want "the regular"?

Little ~~getting bigger by the day~~ Mama White - frosted cherry, frosted chocolate and one donut hole for the mini.
Papa White [hubby/daddy to be of the year] - donut holes, bear claw.
Baby Girl Pups - share a bag of donut holes while perfecting their tricks (sit, stay, speak, bang, etc). Rose mostly only cares for "sit".... the other, more complicated tricks she graciously defers to her sister.

And trust me, these girls recognize "Donut Day" and immediately assume this position in the kitchen to get ready to "catch" their donut holes!

[And of course, just after typing this post, an email comes through from "My Fit Pregnancy" about healthy eating throughout your pregnancy. HUSH IT - Don't you dare try to ruin my Friday].

Playing catch up....

2011-05-02T21:04:00.003-05:00

That's right. I've neglected my blog stalkers and I feel like we aren't on the same page anymore.

So - here you are........... a random photo update as to the ongoings at The White House.

*and you know the drill - these were all taken on my iphone, so don't judge.

A fun Easter basket for my hubby....mini bottles of champagne for the day our Jackson is born.

My bunnies.

I couldn't resist - an Easter basket for my brother and sister-in-law, complete with dog bones for our nieces (Magpie & Boo). And ya, my brother has everything, but really loves him some Burt's Bees!

Found this around 11 p.m. the night before Easter - Cason broke into the iced animal cookies, but didn't want to mess up my cute basket, so he put a chip clip thing on there. Hilarious.

Homemade cinnamon rolls on Easter morning [did you expect anything less--- gahhh!].

Not.at.all.homemade. Straight from a can.

This photo is kind of sad. This is the adorable dress and necklace I bought for my baby shower back home that we weren't able to go to. All is fine, but my doctor didn't feel comfortable with me flying / traveling at 33 weeks prego and had some scares with the potential for preterm labor. I had to rest it up and "take it easy" all of last week and go back to the doctor tomorrow.
Long story short - we had to cancel the baby shower and weren't able to go home to enjoy a weekend with my closest friends and family. God knows what He's doing though and I'm okay with all of it now. Good news is the dress isn't maternity and I can wear it after baby J is born. And the necklace is just plain awesome any day of the week.

Cute bags with hostess gifts inside. Putting these in the mail! My best friends and sister-in-law worked SO hard and put in so much thought and love into what would have been a wonderful, blessed day!

The ever-growing BUMP. I'm wayyyy pregnant. Or at least that's how I feel. A guy asked me on the elevator the other day how far along I was.......... I responded with "82 weeks" without even thinking twice. Meaning, I'm ultra pregnant. ;) Amazing what our bodies are capable of, huh?! See the 2nd photo below for a belly shot at 8 weeks --- what a difference 26 weeks makes, huh?!

- 33 weeks prego -

BIG day today - baby Jackson's car seats arrived! I may or may not have had to call one of my best friends [thank you Lace!] in a panic to ask how to detach the seat from the base. It was the first and certainly not the last time to feel completely unqualified for this new gig!!!

See, we're totally caught up! ;) Just pretend that I've been a good blog mama and posted every day for the past month.....same thing, more or less....rigghhhtttt?? ;)

Happy day, friends.

Hoot, hoot.

2011-05-02T08:42:00.002-05:00

Ummm... I'm 33, almost 34 weeks pregnant. WHAT?!

How did that happen (the time passing part, not the pregnant part!)?? Seriously - 6 weeks or less until we get to meet our little guy.

It dawned on me yesterday as I packed a hospital bag, washed some onesies and blankets and we installed the seat protector and baby gear holder thingy in my car (car seats get here today --- and I can't contain myself I'm so excited!), that our lives are about to change very, very quickly. We are beyond excited and overjoyed about that. We are so, so eager to welcome our little boy into this world and start our new life together as a family of three. We're also slightly terrified and overwhelmed because we know that it's truly something we can't be 100% prepared for and we can't anticipate how different things will be.

I think this sums up the whole point of my post:

I used to be ridiculously giddy over purchases like this one [don't try to hide it, that little hooter wine stopper is a-dor-a-ble]:

Well, these days, I'm equally, if not more so excited about purchases like this one I made yesterday.

little mini

2011-04-18T09:38:00.003-05:00

I don't know about y'all, but we had a crazy busy, really good weekend! We had our first "baby" class on Sunday and I'm sure we looked like the epitome of dorky, crazy giddy, overly excited to be going to a 5+ hour long class on a Sunday, first time parents-to-be as we walked into the hospital with our two pillows, notebook and pens in hand. But, that's what we are - and we're blessed to feel that way.

Moving right a long [promise I'll try to start blogging more and not talking ONLY about "baby" things]........... - - - but, until then, I HAVE to share these with you. Please, please check out THESE precious "month by month" onesies [or bibs]. Ridiculously adorable, right? Since I found out I was pregnant, I've been looking for the perfect way to document our little guy's growth over the first year.....found these here recently and fell in love. The design is perfect - simple and clean. Anyway, just had to share....thought they'd be the perfect baby gift for a new momma-to-be or to order for your own little mini.

-Found here on Etsy-

The little things.....

2011-04-04T09:18:00.003-05:00

We had a very low key weekend, which was pretty nice seeing as how we have something scheduled every.single.weekend from here until the baby is born!

After looking at some of the photos I snapped with my trusty iPhone this weekend [for real, Darc - you have to buy a new camera soon!], it just dawned on me that it really is the little things in life that make it fun!

.......like buying some Spring flowers just because they were pretty and you knew they'd make you smile every time you walked past them. Same is true for the confetti filled eggs!

....watching movies in bed with your hubby, snuggly bulldogger and baby on the way.

.....making good use of said confetti eggs. ;) Can you tell that Hanna was less than amused?

.....planting some Knockout Roses in our front flower bed [we planted 3 - can't wait for them to grow....they smell SO good!].

[eleven] weeks until........

2011-03-28T09:10:00.003-05:00

We get to kiss these chubby little cheeks!!!!

Sweet blog friends, best friends and family -

Take a look at our precious little tiny.

Dear Spring, we really love you.

2011-03-21T14:35:00.004-05:00

I LOVE Spring. Everything about it makes my heart happy........the fun / cheery colors, new wardrobes, snocones, frozen yogurt, patio sittin', some color on my pasty pale arms, flip flops...the list goes on and on.

Here in Houston, we get a solid 4 - 6 weeks of ridiculously awesome weather and then it immediately turns hot, humid and flat out miserable. And ya, my baby boy will be here in mid-June, right in the middle of it!!! We won't be going on walks around the neighborhood until he's a 3 months old........ if it's even cool enough by then!

Anyway, I plan on soaking up this weather now because I know it's fleeting. This weekend I bought a new little flower pot and planted some flowers. Hanna and Rose got a bath and some new bandanas. What have you guys been up to lately???? Please tell me that you're planting new flowers and doing some porch sittin' [just don't mention the margarita that you likely had in hand!]. ;)

BEST DAY EVER! :)

2011-03-16T09:29:00.006-05:00

Okay, maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but I woke up [and immediately read my emails on my iPhone because I'm a weirdo like that] to find an email from Kirsten with 6th Street Design School saying that I WON her Dani Notes iphone case giveaway! YAYYYY!!!! I'm a happy girl, fo' sho'!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Kirsten!

I've been eyeing them for awhile, but was trying to be a good [frugal] momma-to-be and wasn't going to order one and was hoping the Easter bunny would put one in my basket [I know the *best* Easter bunny]. ;)

And then, the morning only got better when the hubby went and picked up Chic-fil-a.

Today is a GOOD day!

Passing on all this goodness, I have a big announcement..................... Rose and I picked a winner last night for the CUSTOM BLOG DESIGN BY FABULOUS K CREATIVE............ Ms. Lauren over at The Neaves Nest!!! Congrats!! I'll email you shortly with details!

Keepin' things real.

2011-03-09T21:38:00.003-06:00

Just found this little beauty on my phone and had to share.

..... a text from me to my hubby one early Saturday morning, many weeks ago.

I really, really wanted to be able to just share the photo and not say a word more....but, it's too much....I can't resist.

First of all, Darci, I'm pretty sure that the you meant to type "EGGO" instead of "leggo my EGO".

Secondly, could this sound any worse? Seriously. Totally sounds like a bunch of sexual innuendo.

Promise all I really wanted to know is if he too wanted waffles (which we refer to as 'leggo my eggo') for breakfast and to maybe go on a walk?

Thirdly, many might ask why I was texting my husband at 7 a.m. on a Saturday from our own bed, asking if he's awake yet. Well, he's a champ and I was super tired the night before and fell asleep crazy early, so he slept on the couch in the living room. So, in my little mind it made perfect sense to text him at 7 a.m. to see if he was up [versus walking my lazy prego self 20-feet to the living room to see for myself].

Please tell me you're a total weirdo, too? ;)

Good morning, sunshine........

2011-03-07T08:41:00.007-06:00

Happy Monday, friends! I don't know about you, but I think I need a pillow just like this (not sure where the photo came from?).....surely I'd wake up with a smile on my face?

Anyway, here's an update on things around our little casa. :) And ps - don't forget to leave a comment if you're interested in my FREE BLOG DESIGN GIVEAWAY by Fabulous K Creative! Rose will draw a winner this Wednesday.

Here we go.

**A good friend of mine gave Jackson this cute little monkey. I bought the beanie on Etsy and it arrived in the mail this weekend. Cason thought it looked too big, so I tried it on the monkey for good measure. ;)

Poor kid - he's going to be inundated with orange and gray.

The abacus is up and we're in love with it. I bought that cute little orange elephant piggy bank at Urban Outfitters and think it goes perfectly.

And the same thing again, but with a glimpse of the closet.

I'm working with Dani Notes to have some [adorable] thank you notes made for Jackson as well as getting started on his birth announcements, etc. And, YES, I know that I'm crazy ahead of schedule. He won't be here until JUNE and I'm already thinking about birth announcements??? I just thought that it made sense to tackle them now and have everything ready to go [minus his photo] so that I'm not freakin' out over it while sleep deprived and overwhelmed those first few weeks. Like how I just justified how over-the-top I am? My hubby is crazy too with regards to getting things knocked out and way ahead of schedule................................but, I must say, I like our kind of crazy.

Back to Dani Notes --- go NOW and check out her iphone case covers & other paper goodness. I'm in lovvvvvvveeeeeeeee and can't wait to see the design we've talked about! I'm thinking that I need a new iphone case for Easter. Don't you agree??

From her website: They do come in ANY color combination or pattern you could dream up...although everyone keeps ordering the gray and turq. Available for the iphone 3, 4 even the new verizon iphone, itouch and ipad! They not only protect your phone, they make it more beautiful! Order info here

Ohhhhhh.......and one more BIG & exciting piece of news that I have to share. My dear friend Lisa, who just so happens to be in the same industry as me, got a fantastic promotion last week. I am SO VERY PROUD of her!!! My heart was so happy on Friday when I heard the good news......don't you just love it when good, honest, hard working people (and obviously those you care about and want to see succeed) are blessed?! If you have time, stop by her blog and say hello and wish her well. :) :)

To my blogger savvy friends....

2011-03-03T12:00:00.002-06:00

I've googled it, I've checked all of my settings and I STILL can't figure out how to set it up so that fellow bloggers can respond to comments I leave on their blog VIA EMAIL (without having to come back to my blog and leave a response on a random post)????

I'm sure it's an easy fix, but apparently too hard for this girl?!?!

Thanks in advance!

Ps- See the post below for a ridiculously great GIVEAWAY!!

BIG NEWS --- you don't want to miss!!

2011-03-02T17:10:00.003-06:00

Hey friends and blog stalkers!

I have BIG news! I'm doing my first [okay, maybe 2nd] ever giveaway... and it's a GOOD one! A CUSTOM BLOG DESIGN by Fabulous K Creative that includes custom sidebar titles & a horizontal navigation bar. Awesome, right?????

To "enter" simply leave a comment on this post! To be entered twice, post about the giveaway on your blog! :) I'll have Miss Rose draw a winner a week from today on Wednesday, 3/9!

25 week update :)

2011-03-02T08:05:00.007-06:00

Yours truly [and my little guy is there too, he says hello!] at 25 weeks pregnant.

Ummmm..... and does my post below about really needing a new camera make sense now? Our point and shoot is on the fritz permanently, so all of my photos are via

my beloved iPhone. It will work for now.

See just below the photo for a 'pregnancy update' thus far

[and yes, I've been really horrible about doing those!].

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain: 11 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yes, definitely all of the pants I wear as of late are maternity... I can still get away with tops for the most part, but stocked up on some cute maternity shirts for work. PS - maternity clothes and all things 'baby' are just like weddings..... the prices are so inflated! For example --- this cute dress I found and really wanted......for real... $167 for a very plain and simple cotton dress? Ridiculous!

Stretch marks? No - just some tiny ones on my hips that I've had since I was like 13!

Sleep: Okay for the most part.

Best moment this week: He has been kicking REALLY hard this week, as in drastically bigger and stronger. It's fun to watch him every night.

Movement: See above!

Cravings: None really...........although it is Cadburry Creme Egg season [I don't refer to it as "Spring" or "Easter", but "Cadburry Egg Season"......don't you?]!

Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Thank heavens, no --- he still has some important baking to do!

Belly Button in or out? Still an "innie"....hoping that stays the same.

What I miss: Sorry folks, I'm honest..... I can't say "nothing" here. So, in no particular order: wine, margaritas and being able to wear all of my clothes. What I don't miss??? The fact that this bod won't have to be in a swimsuit this summer! No swimmy shopping for me!

What I am looking forward to: Meeting our sweet boy. June can't get here soon enough! I'm really looking forward to the baby showers, too. And ordering the rocker/glider sometime this week!

Milestones: Just happy to be at 25 weeks and knowing he's growing on schedule. :)

Weekly Wisdom: This isn't baby related, but it's still worth reading and re-reading!!!