Stuff and things...

First thing's first.

Stop everything you're doing right this second, go to my Instagram (@mrshargrave), and watch the video I posted of Grace last night.  It's the cutest thing you'll see all day, I promise.  (And if it's not, you're maybe a little dead inside.)

We spent this past weekend driving down to Houston (well, the Woodlands, really) for my friend's sweet boy's first birthday party.  It was our first road trip with Grace, and it went about as well as could have been expected.

She slept a good chunk of the way there and back, and she dropped her paci and screamed bloody murder a few times.  And of course we had to stop to change a dirty diaper.

But it was a fun, little getaway, and it was so wonderful to see Jennifer and celebrate Niko's special day.

Also, I accidentally opened a birthday present from Micah.  (I turn 29 tomorrow.  What a strange, sort of nothing age it seems to be.  Not yet thirty, but squarely outside the realm of my mid-twenties.  Weird.)  I had seen these mugs on Pinterest and emailed the link to him awhile back as a joke (he does not share my love for all things HP), and lo and behold, the man bought them for me!

I guess it's official.  I'm a keeper.

After bath time last night, we all snuggled up in Grace's room and read books until it was just absolutely time for bed.  These days, I can't get enough of these two.  Grace is at this stage where every freaking thing she does is adorable (except when she's screaming about something... not so adorable).  And Micah is as wonderful as ever.

And, look, I realize that I sound like I'm shooting unicorns and rainbows out of my rear all the time.  Believe me, there are hard days.  Days when I want to pull my hair out, days when bedtime can't come fast enough, days when I ache for the chance to sleep in -- even if only until 7:30.  But those very same days are still filled to the brim with happy.  With the most incredible, exquisite, heart-filling happy I've ever experienced.  And for me, that tends to overshadow the struggles.  I focus on the joy because I think life's just better that way.  That has always been who I am at my core.

So understand that I'd never attempt to paint you a picture that isn't the truth.  You're just seeing my own perspective reflected back here, with the blessings spotlighted... just as they are in my heart.

If you've got stuff and/or things you'd like to share today, you should absolutely link up with Kristin.  She's the bomb.com.

All the stuff...

Most of the time, I buy a bunch of stuff that I love and then forget to share it with you guys.  But sometimes, I remember that I'm a blogger and that I should share the love.

These are some of the things I'm loving recently.

Coola Organic Classic Sunscreen / Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer / Clark's Botanicals Smoothing Marine Cream / Dolce by Dolce & Gabana / Suave Keratin Infusion Dry Shampoo / Vinylux Weekly Top Coat / Julep Lip Gloss / Laugh with Me LeeLee

Coola Organic Classic Sunscreen. Maybe you guys aren't getting old yet, but I am.  I've got fine lines creeping up on me, and I'm more aware than ever that I'm not 18 anymore (hallelujah! but also boo!).  So I'm all about the sun protection, and this stuff is amazing.  It doesn't break me out or make my makeup look ridiculous, and it smells delicious.

Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer.  I've shared before about how I highlight and contour my makeup, and I had been using a cheap Maybelline concealer to highlight that provided nice illumination but zero coverage (still a great option if you don't want to break the bank).  The lady at the makeup counter at Ulta talked me into this concealer from IT Cosmetics, and I adore it.  It's got quite a bit of coverage, which is good for highlighting, and it stays put.  It's pretty pricey, but you don't need much at all (I use, like, half a pea size amount to highlight my whole face), so it lasts forever.

Clark's Botanicals Smoothing Marine Cream.  I've probably already told you guys about this stuff.  It's stupidly expensive and has a distinctly marine smell, but I use it as my nighttime moisturizer every other day, and it does wonders for my skin.  It's a great splurge.

Dolce by Dolce & Gabana.  Delectable.  That is all.

Suave Keratin Infusion Dry Shampoo.  Y'all.  Dry shampoo is the bomb diggity.  If you're not using it to either (1) extend days between shampoos or (2) pump up the volume, you're really missing out.  I used the Ojon Full Detox forever, but the smell is lame, and it's expensive.  Cara recommended the Suave version, and I can't get enough.  It's the cheapest stuff I can find, and it works just as well as anything else I've tried.  Plus, it smells amazing.

Vinylux Weekly Top Coat.  I'm really hard on nail polish, but this stuff keeps my at-home manis lasting longer than most other top coats I've tried.  Also, it gives a nice sheen.

Julep Lip Gloss.  I got, like, four tubes of this stuff when I was a Julep Maven for a split second.  (I cancelled because I'm pretty picky about beauty products, and I like to switch up brands quite a bit.)  I really like it because it's pretty glossy, lasts awhile, and doesn't taste offensive.  To the extent you come across this stuff somewhere, give it a shot.

Laugh with Me LeeLee.  A sweet friend at work keeps a bottle of this on her desk, and I've been in love with the smell for a couple of years now.  I finally broke down and bought a bottle to keep at mine.  Ain't no shame in it.

So that's what I'm digging on lately.  What are you guys loving?

*None of the links in this post are sponsored or are affiliate links.  I am completely and totally unimportant to these companies.  Just wanted to share about some products that I really like.  Over and out.

The beginning of it all...

Because it's Friday, and because I'm feeling extraordinarily reminiscent today, I wanted to share one of my very favorite posts from when I first started blogging.  It's a letter I wrote to Micah about the night we first met.  If you haven't been reading here very long, you may not know that I met my husband in seventh grade. This post is the first chapter of our love story.  I'll share the rest next week!

"I remember trying not to stare the night that I first met you. You had me mesmerized."
- Brad Paisley, Then

Micah Lee,

Do you know how often I think back to the night I first met you? The images come to my mind like a photograph. It was 1998, and I was standing in the sanctuary at the First Baptist Church of Josephine. I still went to Wylie schools, but my parents were moving us out to the country and thought going to church in Josephine would help me get to know everyone. I had no idea I'd end up meeting my future husband there in that small church.

It was the last night of vacation bible school, and I was too old to participate. So I sat with Lauren, the only person I knew there, in the sanctuary, just watching the bible schoolers sing and dance. You were standing there on stage... holding a puppet and singing along with everyone else. You were SO cute. I'm pretty sure you stole a small piece of my heart there in that moment. I leaned over and asked Lauren who you were. She told me you were just a sixth grader, and I was a little disappointed that you were younger than me.

But the crush developed anyway. How could I help myself? Your blue eyes truly were mesmerizing, and I loved how quiet and shy you were. I loved how you stood up on that stage and captivated me. You and that puppet.

I couldn't know in that moment that you would stand on that same stage, ten years later, and captivate me once again. That I would walk down the aisle in a white dress, holding my Daddy's hand, and see nothing but your face. Our wedding day is such a blur to me, but I will always remember that moment, seeing your face as I walked down the aisle. I'll remember looking at you and wondering how I got so lucky, wondering why in the world the adorable boy with the puppet picked me.

Love,

Ryan

Stuff and things...

I've been meaning to link up with Kristin for her awesome "Stuff and Things" Thursday link-up for awhile and figured today was the perfect day to start.

I was having a conversation with my aunt yesterday about eyebrows, and it reminded me that I have been intending to do a whole post about how I fill mine in to make them look fuller and frame my face.  But in the interest of not boring you all to death, I figured I'd just show you why I do it via selfie.  And why you probably should too.

 

My right eyebrow (that's left to you) was filled in with an Anastasia Brow Wiz pencil (in soft brown), while the left eyebrow (right to you) was left naked.  Ooh la la!

Now that I've started filling my brows in, I feel like I look so unfinished when I don't.  It's certainly something that can be taken overboard, but I love that it seems to frame my face and allows me to create a more refined arch.  Anyway, that's my PSA for filling in your eyebrows.  Try it sometime!

via

Micah and I are contemplating taking a trip somewhere on the east coast in October-ish.  I'm hoping to find a place with a secluded beach (preferably rocky AND sandy) where I can read, Micah can fish, and we can eat delicious seafood.  I've got my eye on Maine, the Carolinas, and possibly even Florida if I could find somewhere that wasn't super touristy.  

Do you guys have any favorite coastal towns we should look into?

Also, I hosted a small baby girl shoe sale a couple of nights ago on Instagram.  There are still a few pairs of really adorable shoes left (mostly in the 4-5 range) that Grace never wore because her feet are too darned chubby.  So in case you weren't already inundated with the pictures in your Instagram feed (so sorry!), go check them out. (You can find me @mrshargrave).

Lastly, this is what I came home to the other night as Micah was supposed to be feeding Grace dinner.

Happy Thursday, friends!

Confessional Friday...

One.  I confess that the flight I thought I booked for Monday to Rochester, New York was in fact headed to Rochester, Minnesota.

. . . 

I don't even know, y'all.

I didn't discover my idiocy until we were halfway there on a layover in Chicago, so I spent the better part of an hour on the phone with American Airlines' customer service (even though I was in the airport... so bizarre) trying to get the reservation adjusted.  The worst part about it was that a co-worker was with me, and she had just booked her flights to match mine, so I screwed her up, too.  (And the bag she checked that went to Minnesota and then New York and finally back home to Dallas.  Yeesh.)

Needless to say, we carved out some time during our four-hour layover in Chicago to get chair massages.

Two.  I confess that my breakfast this morning consisted of two bowls of Special K, 3 pieces of turkey bacon, a handful of popcorn, 5 peanut butter M&M's and, like, 3 pieces of licorice.

Ha.  Just kidding.  (Please tell me I'm not the only person who can still recite nearly every line of Clueless.)

I really had two hard-boiled eggs with Louisiana Hot Sauce on top, a handful of cherry tomatoes, a bowl full of kale with olive oil and lemon dressing, and a handful of cherries.  And I liked it.  I don't even know who I am anymore.

Three.  Speaking of who I am anymore, I took a bathroom selfie at work today.

Awkward as always.  But as I was going back to try and find "before" pictures for this post and having the hardest time doing so, it struck me that I need to be better about capturing myself as I am.  Because although I still feel so far from where I'd like to be, this process isn't just about the destination or the end result -- it's about the journey.

And I love myself for who I am today, not for who I hope to become in the future.

The girl I am today still has flabby arms, thick legs, a post-c-section tummy that will never ever look good in a bikini, and more junk in the trunk than I know what to do with.  But I love her just as I loved the girl who could barely button a pair of size 22 jeans, and just as I will love the girl who (hopefully!) slips into her old wedding dress with ease come next August.

Plus, I am incontrovertibly beautiful in His eyes no matter what size I am.

Four.  You know who else is beautiful?

// onesie // bows //

This kid.  She brightens my world in the most spectacular way.

Five.  I confess that I finished my friend Joey's book, Yeah Maybe in one night because I just couldn't put it down.  It was a very fun read, and I'm more proud than I can say of Joey, as I know how hard she's worked and how much of herself she poured into this labor of love.  You did great, friend.  So very, very great.

Got a burning secret to confess?  Come link up with A Blonde Ambition and spill!