Here...

Ahem.

I'm long overdue for a post. Believe me, I know.

But you know what it's like when you just feel like you have nothing to say? Like you've shared the most mundane details of your life for so long and so people must know all there is to know about you? I have felt myself withdrawing from this blog and other social media for a little while now, and I really have no good reason for it. It's not like I suddenly discovered an overwhelming sense of privacy. And there's nothing scary/hard/embarrassing going on in our lives. 

It's just that I don't feel very relevant right now. It's like I turned 30 and automatically became too old to be cool. (I'm obviously joking except not really.) I know I'll snap out of it. This space and community has meant too much to me for too long to disappear entirely. But I may be a little quieter than usual. 

Until Stella gets her groove back, here are some things you should know:

-- I finished my Whole30. I think I mentioned that I was doing a "lazy" Whole30, which meant that I disregarded rules I didn't feel like following. Gum being the main thing. I had also been taking Plexus Slim for about three months before I started (I swear I'll never, ever try to sell you anything -- pinky promise!), which has some stevia or something in it, and I didn't quit that. And I know I ate salad dressings/meats/sauces that had hidden no-nos in them, but I very rarely deliberately cheated. I just operated under the working rule that if it looked fine and wasn't obviously non-Paleo, I'd allow it. I dropped about 12 pounds, which was necessary.

-- I am FREAKING OUT about the fact that Lauren and I are headed to New York in ten days. In the best way.

-- I was in Charleston for work this past weekend and have decided that I want to move there. As long as everyone I know moves there, too. Who's with me?

-- I'm utterly smitten with this sweetheart.

She's been extra funny and sweet lately. I just want to bottle it all up and save it for the days when I want to pull my hair out. :)

So anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still here in my little corner of northeast Texas doing my thing -- loving life and my family and Paleo cookies. 

Taylor and other things... AGAIN.

Just felt like dropping in and saying hi for no good reason. None at all.

Life has been calm and quiet-ish lately, though we did drive about 24 hours over three days to get to Missouri and back to Texas for Micah's family reunion last weekend. It was about as nuts as it sounds. Grace was sort of a bear on the trip there (which we did in one day) but was an angel on the trip back. And we had fun seeing Micah's aunts and uncles and cousins for the first time in several years. But I am henceforth boycotting any road trips longer than three hours for next six months. My mama heart can't take any more.

I'd say that Grace is, like, 90% potty-trained, which is kind of insane. Everyone says you have to let kids do it on their own timetable, and that has been very, very true for her. We're still doing Pull-Ups during nap time and at night, but she's sporting her Frozen underwear the rest of the time with very few accidents. Hallelujah and amen.

I'm going to see Taylor Swift in concert this weekend. Again! And I'm as excited as I was the first time around. Even more, actually, because I know how amazing she is live. There will be dancing and singing and red lipstick and fun with my best friend.

Speaking of my best friend. We booked a girls' trip to New York for November, and I am giddy. Like, SO FREAKING EXCITED. She has never been, and I'm always aching for that city. We've started making a "We Must See/Eat These Things" list, and here's what's on it for me.

– St. Patrick's Cathedral (since it was covered in scaffolding the last time I went)
– Stroll through Greenwich Village/Chelsea and eat/shop at Chelsea Market
– Serendipity for frozen hot chocolate (touristy, I know, but I've never tried it)
– Macaroons and/or gourmet donuts
– Spice Market for dinner
– Dinner on a rooftop

I just love that you can always experience something new in New York, no matter how many times you visit. We're staying at New York Palace, and I will very much be imagining myself into Gossip Girl the entire trip. (It's apparently where much of the show was filmed.) So that's exciting.

I'm on Day 12 of another Whole30. Ha. I know I crashed and burned on Whole30 #3, but it feels good this time, and I don't have any events coming up to tempt me. I've been a bit looser with the rules this time but have not had any legitimate, "Screw it all, I'm eating chips and queso today!" moments. And I made Paleo deviled eggs last night, and they are amazing. I'm fairly certain they'll be my go-to breakfast from now on. Which is just so weird.

So that's what's up.

P.S. Gracie is still cute.

How we survived Destin with a toddler. . .

Man, you guys. If I could pick Dallas up and plop it right down onto the Emerald Coast, I totally would. Before we went there for our most recent vacation, I hadn't been since I was a kid, and I had basically zero memories of our time there. Which was cool because I got to discover it again through Gracie.

Bottom line: we had an amazing trip. Amazing. We went with my mom and stepdad, as well as Micah's parents and his brother's family. It was a big group, but I loved it. And having two sets of grandparents around to help with toddler mayhem was so nice.

The drive:

We did the 11-hour trip from Dallas in two days. (We spent the night in Baton Rouge at the most disgusting La Quinta you could ever imagine, but that's a story for another day...) I stressed so much about the long car ride and spent an obscene amount of money on Amazon and the Target Dollar Spot on things to entertain her. But the portable DVD player and iPad we purchased specifically for the trip were the definite winners. And her Mamaw, who sat in the back with me and entertained her.

Where we stayed:

We rented a beachfront house through VRBO. 

We opted for a house rather than a condo partially because the group was so big but also because Micah wanted to bring the boat, and parking with a boat can be tricky. It was right on the sand along a great stretch of beach with several other houses and no big condos around, so it was ideal.

The beach:
Speaking of the beach...

It was incredible. I've never seen so much variation in color in one place.

(There's Micah! He and his dad drove the boat up the shoreline and came to say hello. It looks so small out there!)

The water was gorgeous, and the sandy was sugary white. The only thing I didn't expect was a strange attack from biting flies one afternoon. They got Gracie pretty bad, and she was very aware of bugs from that moment on. But they left us alone the rest of the time.

What we did: 
Mostly this.

We spent the majority of our time playing in the sand and waves on the beach. The main source of Grace's entertainment was a huge bag of sand toys that we carted down to the beach every morning. Other than that, she "painted" with her Mamaw and read books. It was surprisingly easy to keep a kid happy at the beach. Who knew?

I slept nearly every day while Grace napped, which was glorious. I also read this book. And we went to the Gulfarium in Fort Walton, which was cool and awful. I just feel so terrible about the way all of the animals are cooped up. I don't know the circumstances of this particular place and where they source their animals from (maybe they're rescues that can't be reintroduced into the ocean for some reason?), and it all looked very humane, but still. Something about it just makes me sad.

We drove over to Seaside one morning and fell in love with the picturesque town (it's where the movie The Truman Show was filmed!). It has a fun, little town center with shops and food trucks and a quick walk to the beach. None of the buildings can be over three stories tall, so everything feels so homey. I'd love to stay there at some point.

At night, we played games together or crashed early from all the fun in the sun. I loved sitting out on the back deck after Grace went to sleep when it was dark to listen to the waves crashing in. And I even slept out there one night!

The rest of the time?

We were eating.

What we ate:

The food was delicious. Overpriced at times, but very very good.

My favorite dinner spot was the Ocean Club near Sandestin. We ordered the special, but EVERYTHING looked good! The restaurant is pretty dated, and it's your typical "fancy" food with steak and fish and other seafood dishes, but it is all executed well. Great for a date night!

We loved the Hog's Breath for lunch. Excellent BBQ and seafood there. I got the fried shrimp, and it was some of the best I've had. AMAZING homemade tartar sauce, too.

Harbor Docks was also really good. Micah and I shared a fried seafood platter and a sushi roll that was good but weird. They have a surprisingly great sushi selection there!

The Back Porch and Louisiana Lagniappe are apparently owned by the same folks, but we found the latter to be much better. Pricier too, but delicious.

We got donuts at The Donut Hole, which were mediocre at best. But the actual breakfast looked AMAZING. We meant to make it back to try something but never did.

In Seaside, we had grilled cheeses from the Meltdown food truck, and they were soooooo good. When we go back, I'm itching to try The Shrimp Shack, which was just across the street from the food trucks. They have lobster rolls there which are basically my love language.

The moral of the story:
We had an incredible trip.

Just getting to spend time together as a family with the people we adore was wonderful. The beautiful water and sand in the background were really just icing on the cake.

And Gracie did so much better than I expected. The last two days were dicey, as she was way off her routine and extra grumpy. Putting her down for naps and bedtime was significantly more difficult than usual, but I chalk that up to not being in her own bed and the fact that she didn't like missing play time with her cousin and grandparents. Mostly she was a dream.

So we'll definitely be seeing you again soon, Destin! Stay beautiful.

{No. 13} Sleep Under the Stars...

While we were in Destin, I was sitting outside on the patio and looking out into the night sky, full of stars, and it hit me that I could totally sleep out there and cross number 13 off my 30 Before 30 list.

So we dragged down a mattress from one of the extra bunk beds, and I grabbed a couple of blankets, and I went for it. Micah wasn't interested in joining me (weenie!), so I had to go it alone. Which made actually falling asleep nearly impossible because every little noise became a rat and/or serial killer.

But I eventually closed my eyes, listened to the sounds of the waves rolling in, and fell asleep.

And then I woke up to this.

Glorious, right?

To be honest, it was some of the best sleep I've ever had. (And apparently Gracie woke up in the middle of the night and ended up in bed with Micah, and I completely missed that.)

Does this also count as camping? I say yes.

Where I've been...

Hi friends. World's worst blogger here.

The reason for my absence is lame. We got back from Destin, and I desperately wanted to share pictures, but the internet at my house has been stupid, and while I got them all edited, I couldn't upload them. Good news is that the internet is fixed, and I should theoretically get them uploaded tonight... ifffffffff I don't have to play catch up with a work project. Ha.

But either way, I wanted to drop by and say hi because I missed y'all. And because I'm feeling a little guilty about neglecting this space given that I've been busy elsewhere. 

My post for Dallas Moms Blog this month was deep and sort of difficult to share, but I did it because I feel like I cannot encourage my daughter to have courage and self-confidence if I cannot exhibit those things myself. So head on over there for that.

And then Kate from Kate's Balancing Act sweetly invited me to come hang around her blog for the day today, and I'm happily sharing some of my favorites there. If you've been reading for any significant amount of time, some things will look familiar and others will definitely not. Go say hi. Kate's a doll, and her blog is so much fun.

Moral of this story: I will definitely be back with some Destin details and pictures very soon. We had a ball, and I can't wait to tell you all about it.

XOXO.

Taylor and other things...

I'm currently sitting in a Starbucks in Houston, and getting more and more giddy by the minute.

Because tonight I'm doing something I've wanted to do for about ten years now.

I'M GOING TO SEE TAYLOR SWIFT IN CONCERT!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Haters gonna hate (hate, hate, hate, hate...), but I've loved her music since she released her very first album. And tonight I finally get to see her perform in person. So if you follow me on Instagram, be prepared for an annoying amount of pictures and videos of me and my friend having the time of our lives singing ALL THE WORDS.

And then Micah and Grace and I leave on Friday for Destin. We'll be gone a full, glorious week, and I can't even handle myself right now. I haven't taken more than a four-day vacation since we went to Paris in 2012 when I was pregnant with Grace. And I haven't been to a beach that wasn't Galveston (I have a hard time counting Galveston -- sorry, South Texas friends) in four or five years. So we're due for a good, long beach trip. We rented a house right on the beach, and Micah's family and my mom and stepdad are joining us, which will be a blast.

What probably won't be a blast is the 10.5-hour drive to Florida from Texas with a toddler. I spent an embarrassing amount of money at the Target dollar section and Amazon buying things to keep her busy, so I feel as prepared as I can be. Any good apps you guys can suggest for a toddler? We just bought an iPad mini, so I plan on spending some time on Thursday night loading up on Barney episodes and other obnoxious things. Hit me with your ideas, friends.

Alrighty, I think that's about it for now.

I'll check in and tell you all about Taylor soon!

This is thirty...

I wanted to come say hi and just quickly check in, but this feels like more of a sit-down kind of visit.

Don't freak out... I'm not, like, moving to China or anything. 

But I did turn 30 this past Saturday, which you're well aware of if we're Instagram friends because I blasted you all with many, many pictures. (Sorry about that.)

I'm not really sure why, but I just wasn't up for celebrating with a big party or a trip to Vegas. That's just not really my style anyway, and I've been so busy at work these past couple of months that I didn't have time to plan something even if I had wanted to. So I had dinner with each of my parents and then a fun dinner with my best friend and her husband.

If you're local to the Dallas area and haven't eaten at Stampede 66, definitely try it soon. It's upscale but not fancy, which I appreciate. The food is phenomenal (I'd call it contemporary Texan), and the vibe is fun. I drink next to nothing, but they had this delicious-sounding margarita on their drink menu that just looked super fun, so I went for it, and it was an event. They mix and freeze it table-side with liquid nitrogen (!), which means that, as it melts, the flavor isn't diluted with water. Best drink I've ever had in my life (not that I'm any sort of connoisseur).

On my actual birthday, my mom and I headed to Waco for a Fixer Upper fan day. Have we talked about how obsessed I am with that show? If you're unfamiliar, it's a home renovation show on the HGTV channel (stay with me, I swear it's amazing). It's hosted by a married couple, Chip and Joanna, and I want to put them both in my pocket they're so adorable. She does the design and staging, and he does the contracting. They show each couple three older houses and give them a rough idea how they could be renovated within the couple's budget. The couple picks one, and then the show goes through the renovation and reveal. I mostly love watching because Chip and Joanna are just so stinking adorable together, but Joanna's style is pretty flawless if you're into farmhouse chic. (Not shabby chic, though, as it's mostly clean-ish lines and contemporary design. Seriously, if you're into Pottery Barn, it's your thing, I swear. I'm not sure why I'm trying to make you Fixer Upper fangirls. Anyway. Moving on...)

They have a shop in Waco called Magnolia, which probably isn't worth a trip on its own (SUPER small and pricey), but we made a day of it, driving around Waco and shopping/eating. It was really a blast and the perfect way to spend my birthday... and that's how I know I'm no longer in my twenties.

And I didn't forget about my 30 Before 30 list. Unfortunately, I did not complete everything on the list, but I made it a little over one-third of the way through. So my plan is to convert it into a 35 Before 35 list. Ha. I feel like I can TOTALLY accomplish the rest of the list by the time I'm 35. Famous last words, right?

As I consider my life at thirty, it's basically everything I hoped and dreamed it would be. And that's such an incredible blessing. I know bloggers throw that word around a lot, but I'm not talking about #blessings. I'm talking about blessings: God's mercies and graces which have been more extravagant and undeserved than I can even say. These faces, alone, friends.

They are enough goodness to fill my heart up for a lifetime. 

That Time They Stuck Needles In My Face: My SkinPen Experience

This post isn't at all sponsored. Just wanted to share this crazy thing I did with you guys because I figured you'd find it entertaining at worst and informative at best.

About six months ago, the signs that I am approaching 30 (two days, y'all!!!) became extra apparent. I mean, obviously the gray hair. My complete disdain for the majority of Top 40 music and new country artists (ahem, Florida Georgia Line). And the crow's feet.

Boo.

I already have a fairly consistent skincare regime, but I asked the girl who does my facials one day what I could do to get the most bang for my buck for my skin that wasn't super invasive and wouldn't require upkeep (i.e., no Botox). She suggested I get a SkinPen treatment, which is more generally referred to as microneedling. The awesome thing about microneedling is that you're not introducing any harmful or foreign chemicals into your body like you do with Botox and fillers. Instead, microneedling is basically a souped-up version of microdermabrasion. It's generally performed at med spas, and they run a pen-like tool (hence the name), which has a bunch of tiny needles on its tip, across your skin repeatedly. It simulates injury, so your immune system responds by pumping growth factors, collagen, and elastin to your skin to "heal" it. It was developed to help heal burn victims' scars, and some genius figured out that it could help all of us really vain selfie-takers stay younger a bit longer with no real downside (apart from cost).

The result is overall improved skin, but specifically:

• Minimized appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and acne scarring
• Reduced pore size
• More even skin tone

My skin has definitely come a long way and was much clearer than it used to be, but I still had some acne scarring, an uneven, ruddy skin tone, and I really just wanted my skin to feel smoother to the touch. 

So my friend from work and I made appointments for a SkinPen treatment at a place here in Dallas for the Friday of Memorial Day weekend and went for it.

I'm the world's worst blogger, so I only remembered to take a "before" picture as we were in the parking lot of the spa. 

(Geez. I'm so sorry, y'all. But you can see that, while I didn't have many breakouts, my skin was very reddish and uneven looking, and my pores basically needed their own zip codes.)

When we walked into the spa, they ushered us in and applied a topical numbing cream to our faces. As you can imagine, needles freaking hurt, so they apply the cream about 15-30 minutes before your treatment to help ease the discomfort of the procedure. And it really does help, but the numbness of my face felt so strange.

After we were completely numb, they took us into what looked like little massage rooms, had us disrobe and slide into a comfy bed, and cover up with blankets and sheets. I honestly could have fallen asleep. This particular place applies a peel along with the SkinPen to help amplify results, so I think my esthetician did that first. Then she started the procedure.

She began systematically running the SkinPen across my entire face in lines. To be fair, it really doesn't hurt much at all on most parts of your face; it feels a lot like a Clarisonic or some other exfoliator. When she got to my nose, I got a very strange urge to sneeze, which is fairly common. And then she hit my forehead, and it began to get a little painful. Apparently, the forehead is usually painful for most people because there's less skin and more bone there. I think the numbing cream was wearing off by that point, too, and it really wasn't pleasant. But the whole process only took about 20 minutes, and my esthetician told me I must have a very high pain tolerance (I've never been told that before in my life, so do with that information what you will). One thing to note is that the procedure is customizable in that they can adjust the depth of the needle penetration depending on what kind of results you're looking for. I told my esthetician to be as aggressive as she wanted, and I'd just deal with the pain. (Again, though, it wasn't bad, I promise.)

After she finished, I got dressed and followed her to pick up some products. They recommended a growth factor serum, hyaluronic acid (which is a GREAT GREAT GREAT moisturizer to use after procedures like this or sunburns), plus a Vitamin C and E cream.

And let me tell you, this stuff wasn't at all cheap.  The procedure was $250 (plus tip), and the products were about $125 total. So you're looking at over $400 after tip if you buy all the products. I just figured that if I was going for it, I might as well do it right. And this was my Mother's Day gift from Micah.

I was told the down time was "minimal" -- I'd be red and swollen for a day or two but that by day three, I'd be back to normal. And that was mostly true.

This was me right after the procedure.

Very red, very swollen, tight, and my skin felt hot to the touch.

You're instructed to ABSOLUTELY stay out of the sun, Micah wanted to take Grace "fishing" that night, so this was my solution.

Ha. I'm sure the people driving by thought I was out of my mind.

The next morning (Saturday), we had to go to my niece's recital. I was still very red and swollen, but I slathered on some foundation and went anyway.

Not awesome, but workable.

The next day (Sunday), I started peeling like nobody's business. So, so gross.

This picture's a little blurry, thank goodness, but it was bad. I stayed home from church and basically avoided leaving the house for the entire day.

The next day (Monday), I was still a bit red, but most of the peeling was gone, and my skin began to feel really smooth.

If I had had to go to work, I could have. Thankfully, my firm was closed that day, so I had an extra day to heal.

By the next morning (Tuesday), I was good to go. No more redness, no peeling, and a definite improvement in skin texture. But the thing about the SkinPen is that, because it requires your body's own inflammatory cascade, the results can take up to six weeks to see. I remember thinking at four weeks that the procedure wasn't really worth it because I noticed some improvement to fine lines, but no significant change. And the texture of my skin, while vastly different in the first two weeks, seemed to get subsequently less smooth.

BUT.

At the six-week mark, I could see major change. My pores were smaller, the fine lines definitely reduced, and the surface of my skin was truly transformed. One of the things about the SkinPen is that it's said to help the products you're already using work better. I'm definitely going to preach the wonders of glycolic acid to you guys at some point, but I began using these Bliss That's Incredi-Peel Daily Glycolic Resurfacing Peel Pads a few months back at the recommendation of a friend, and they are the HOLY GRAIL. Hands down my favorite product right now. And I KNOW they're working better because of the SkinPen.

So I know you've been waiting patiently for the "after" picture. I will now oblige.

So much better, right?! I haven't edited any of these pictures -- they came straight from my crappy iPhone (as did the before and progress pictures, which were also (clearly) not edited).

Definitely less red, smaller pores (though they could still be smaller), and a DEFINITE reduction in my wrinkles. The acne scarring was also reduced.

Let's do a side-by-side, shall we?

I'll take it.

And the SkinPen isn't something you have to keep doing on a regular basis. It has now been almost three months, and my skin still looks great. The girl who does my facials told me about a week ago that my skin is the best she has ever seen it. I'll probably go in for treatments twice a year or so, just to see how much more improvement I can see. The way I see it, if I take small measures to take care of my skin now, maybe I'll avoid the need for anything more drastic later. I mean, a girl can dream, right? :)

In sum, I would ABSOLUTELY recommend the SkinPen treatment to anyone looking for an improvement in their skin.

Pros
-  Minimally invasive and uses your OWN immune system
-  Improves skin texture
-  Reduces pore size
-  Minimizes appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
-  Lessens acne scarring
-  Quick procedure
-  Minimal down time
-  Minimal pain

Cons
-  Expensive (but not compared to other comparable procedures, including Botox)

Have you ever done anything crazy to your skin? Would you consider a SkinPen or other treatment to combat aging?

Why I think two isn't so terrible. . .

I swear, you guys. Two is magic.

Yes, it's hard. Gracie has opinions about everything, and we're no strangers to feet-kicking, scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs tantrums. She's still learning what "share" means, and her mood can shift from sweet to sour faster than you can even imagine.

She's also been cutting her two-year molars, and I notice a marked difference in her demeanor every time another tooth comes through. (Hallelujah that we're almost done with this teething madness.)

But when it's good? It's so good. 

 

She's into everything I'm doing. If my hair is down, she wants hers down (even if that involves ripping out her bow and her "pony"). If I'm wearing a kimono (always), she runs to her closet and reaches for one of her "'monos" to wear, too. She'll just lean in and lay her head on my shoulder to be a little closer, and it slays me.

She has also been saying the funniest things. Just this weekend, I caught an adorable video of her telling me, "I cooking right now. . . . I busy!" as I was trying to get her down for a nap. Convenient timing, kid. . . 

When something upsets her, she says, "That hurt my feelings, Mommy. That hurt my heart." And then I crumble into a million little pieces.

She knows she's cute, which makes her even cuter. And difficult to discipline.

I don't mean to suggest that she's any smarter or more adorable than any other two year-old on the planet, but she is, in fact, my two year-old. And it's incredible to me to look at her and remember what she was like as an infant. She's changed so much in just two short long years in both appearance and demeanor. What in the world will she be like at four? Or eight? Or heaven help me, 16??

For now, we are soaking up this time. Some nights, I'm counting down the minutes until bedtime. But most nights, we negotiate some couch-time cuddles and sneak in an episode of Sophia the First so that we can enjoy her a little longer.

Everyone says that babies don't keep.

But I still look at her and see the wild-haired newborn who claimed my heart with her first cry. I don't think that will ever change.

So, in this small way, she'll always be that baby to me. No matter how old she is.

#beblessedlovelies

If you guys have been around these parts for any length of time, you know that I thought the world of Leslie Sisti. A Blonde Ambition was one of the first blogs I began reading religiously, and I loved watching her sweet love story with Stephen unfold. And then we became mommies around the same time, and I so identified with her approach to motherhood and life generally (though I'll never achieve her flawless style and perfect combination of wit and Southern charm).

via

After the birth of her youngest daughter, Ainsley, Leslie was hospitalized for quite some time for a heart condition. She eventually was able to come back home to be with her family but returned recently after her health took another turn for the worse.

And on Monday, Leslie went home to be with Jesus. 

All I can think about is her husband, who clearly thought Leslie hung the moon, and her precious baby girls who now have to grow up without their precious mama. There's a GoFundMe account where you can donate money to be saved for her daughters' college funds. Leslie was brilliant, and I know her babies' education will have meant the world to her.

In honor of her beautiful memory, I thought I'd share some of the words she wrote a couple of years ago after she had Caroline. I will remind myself of these words and avail myself of Leslie's wisdom when the day-to-day struggle threatens to rob me of my joy:

Know what I call a success these days? 

Holding in this girl. Going to sleep at night knowing that I really savored the moments of the day, which God so generously gave me. Seeing my husband walk in the door and pick up our daughter, his face beaming as he says, "Hey kiddo." The three of us spending a Friday night on the couch snuggled up in front of the fireplace with cheese pizza and an even cheesier Lifetime movie. 

I have a sneaking suspicion that no one will remember me for a spotless kitchen floor. Or a stack of perfectly folded towels. Or for my promptness on replying to emails. 

No, I'd rather them say that I was a great wife and a great mom. 

Isn't it the quality of the relationships with those we hold dear that really enriches us? 

I tend to think so. 

My wish for all of us as this holiday season kicks off is to drink each moment in fully. Live in the here and now. Don't fret over a perfect table setting or making sure the house is in magazine-order condition. Instead, just take it all in. 

I think one of the best ways to thank God for the people in your life is to spend your time with them well. Make it count.

Hold your love ones a little tighter, friends. Make time for the things that matter and spend time with the ones you love well. We only get this one life.

Make it count.

Be blessed, lovelies.

Adulting is hard...

I left work early yesterday to try and make it to the Sunnyvale courthouse in time to take care of the tickets I got a few weeks ago. (Because I know you're curious, I was going 65 in a 45, had expired registration, and apparently my brake lights were out. The cop gave zero shits about the tears I cried. Understandably.)

On the way there, I ignored a sign that indicated that the road I was exiting onto was closed and then got annoyed when traffic began to back up. (Because that's reasonable.) I did what every other law-breaking driver ahead of me did and popped the curb onto the service road. Which was also backed up. So I took a "shortcut" through a movie theater parking lot. Which was also backed up. 

I finally made it to the municipal court, dealt with a rude clerk whose job I do not envy, paid nearly $300 to make the tickets go away, and went home.

I popped into our study to admire the gallery wall I spent hours hanging the night before and saw this catastrophe on the floor.

Apparently those Command strips are no substitute for a hammer and a nail. Thankfully, the (overpriced Pottery Barn) frame was intact, so I'll just have to have a new pane of glass cut to fit.

Micah had a softball game last night, so after tucking Miss Priss in for the night, I crawled into bed at 8:00 and called it a day.

Of course, that meant I forgot to pack Gracie's bag for splash day at school, which means she'll be the only kid splashing around in the water in her t-shirt and shorts rather than a swimsuit. (At least I had the foresight to bring some extra clothes for her cubby last week...)

Mother of the year over here, y'all.

Can I have a do-over?

A Stitch Fix Review: July 2015

A good, but not great, month with StitchFix. My stylist nailed it fairly well on style (three items were on my Pinterest board!) but the details were just slightly off. But I did find one keeper. Scroll on down to see what it was!

Gilli Sina V-Neck Printed Maxi Dress ($74)

I had pinned this dress because it looked fabulous on someone else. But on me? The fabric looked strange, and my, ahem, bosom was abundant. Not a good look.

Brixon Ivy Ronan Maxi Dress ($78)

I also pinned this one and LOOOOOOOOVED it. Like, wanted to marry it. The coral color is perfection, and the waistline is so flattering. But it seems to run a bit small and was a smidge too tight on my tummy and derriere. Begrudgingly, I sent it back.

Zad Elvira Natural Stone Pendant Necklace ($34)

I wanted to love this but didn't. The color of the stone was very blah to me, and the gold chain and setting looked pretty cheap. I do want a natural stone necklace of some sort, but this wasn't quite what I was looking for.

Skies Are Blue Kaia Crochet Trip Top ($54)

I feel like we've talked about the fact that cap sleeves usually aren't my favorite. I haven't said this to my stylist, though, because she sent a cap sleeve top once that I really loved. This one was fine (and apparently I pinned this one, too!), but the problem is that I would likely wear this to work, so the sleeves would make a regular bra impossible. And there's no way I'm suffering through a strapless bra all day. Sent this one back, also.

Papermoon Toland Kimono ($48)

The fabric, the crochet detail on the back, and the roomy fit of this kimono made it a winner for me. I do so much black, so the navy and cream were a nice change. I've worn this a couple of times now and have gotten compliments each time. Fabulous with a lacy, cream tank and skinny jeans.

I'm definitely still loving StitchFix. Even when I only keep one item, I find the "investment" totally worth it, and my closet is full of things I probably would never have picked out for myself. Give it a try for a month or two and see what you think. I bet you'll be hooked.

** All links in this post to StitchFix are referral links, but I love this company and do these posts because they're fun. Over and out.