Today

Today, I shamelessly skipped church and cried cramps.
I wore flannel and sipped Dr. Pepper and read. Like, I read. A book.

Today, the only thing I wore on my face was Cetephil and Carmex.
I watched makeup tutorials on YouTube and planned out my outfits for a week. These two things shouldn't up my endorphins as much as they do. But alas, I'm unashamed.

Today, I painted my nails. Oh, and before that I used cuticle oil. On my cuticles. So now my cuticles are in excellent shape and my nails are shiny. And colorful.

Today, I ate those chocolate Cadbury things in copious amounts. I snuggled under animal print blankets and read blog posts on my iPad. For hours.

I watched New Girl and laughed with my kids and husband.

And drank a lot of Dr. Pepper.

And friends, I'm calling it productive.

-L

Wardrobe Wednesday: Winter Tag Week 2

Hey all. Alright, it's still freezing. I don't think that's going to change. Here ya go, week 2. I'm too tired and irritable today to write about anything else. So, bye.

 Grey skinnies: Kohls, Bow sweater: Kohls, Red earrings: My Sisters Closet, Watch and bracelets: JCPenny, Pumps: Steve Madden

 

 Polka dot henley top: Old Navy, Skirt: Down East Outfitters, Scarf: Kohls, Chevron black tights: Target, Boots: Steve Madden. Not doing my hair and makeup: thanks to the weekend, my friends.

Top: Alloy, Pants: Kohls, Blazer: Charlotte Russe, Boots: Steve Madden, Belt: Buckle (ironically...), Bracelets: Kohls and Forever21 

 Chambray button up: Old Navy, Cardigan: Target, Booties: Sam and Libby, Bracelets: Old Navy, Belt: Kohls, Hair pin: Birchbox

Let me just tell you about these booties. I absolutely adore them. They're so comfortable and look so cute with like everything. And more importantly, they look great on everyone! As you can see, Ellie pulls them off fabulously. 

-L

My Weekend in Snapshots

I went to school on a snowy Saturday morning, and obviously with an empty tank of gas.

I did laundry and other domestic things...#wefinallyhavecleantowels

It snowed.

A lot.

So I drank warm things.

And wore warm things.

And then we wrapped a birthday gift for Uncle Josh and made him a birthday card that we subsequently forgot to attach to the gift.

Then the kitchen actually got cleaned.

And Landon's room went from this, to this:

Which is something of a miracle.

Ellie's room stayed like this.

We had our weekly Sunday morning breakfast.

And went to church.

We picked our candy out of the Santa calendar.

And tore a paper off our our Christmas countdown chain.

We drove to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Sunday dinner.

Then we came home to make apple cinnamon cupcakes.

 They wrestled around on floor.

 And I sat down and read a book.

And now the house is quiet. And finals are approaching. And instead of sleeping, I'll be studying. 

And I think I need a weekend from my weekend.

-L

Wardrobe Wednesday: Winter Tag Week 1

Howdy.

It's so freaking cold outside.

I went out to my car yesterday and it literally (I measured) had 7 inches of snow on it. A snow scraper did nothing. I legitimately shoveled the snow off of my car. In 4 inch stiletto boots (as you will see later), successfully, without falling or ruining said boots. I was much more worried about my boots than I was about finding my car under a mountain of snow.

So, here's week one of the challenge I was tagged in. I kind of didn't do a great job this week-just two outfits. But here ya go! Ghetto iphone style via my ghetto door mirror. You're welcome for making you feel better about your less ghetto life.

I have to (semi) dress up for work, but I'm on a small budget, people. I guess this is my way of handling my shopping addiction on a dime. You're gonna see a lot of brands like Target and Old Navy in this tag, but that's how I make it work. I'm all about mixing my $6 t-shirts with designer stuff. And there are a lot more $6 t-shirts involved than there are designer labels. It's how I roll. College student, people. Two kids. What it is.

Feel free to join in--leave your link in the comments. I specifically tag Becca, Jess, Malae, Jena...I think you guys would be so cute, and it's kinda fun. And I want to see what you're wearing! (In a non-creepy way...or creepy, if that's what you're into. No judgement.)

Cardigan: BellaElla Boutique, Tee: Kohls, Pencil Skirt: Old Navy, Tights: Target, Scarf: Old Navy, Boots: Steve Madden 

 Cardigan: Old Navy, Tee: Costco (no lie), High Waisted Pants: Rue 21, Flats: Old Navy, Scarf: Old Navy, Watch: Michael Kors, Bracelets: Kohls

There ya have it! Link up! I wanna see what you're wearing ;) 

(That joke might not ever get old.)

And speaking of Old Navy, until midnight tonight use the code FLASH online and get 30 % off, no exclusions. You're welcome. 

-L

Mouths of Babes: Christmas Edition

In our home at Christmastime, we have a little Santa calendar with pockets. You've all seen them. You know, the type that has a flurry of pockets in rows across Santa's belly, one for each day until Christmas Eve?
                                      
In the pockets of our Santa, there are little slips of paper with something fun to to each day. Things like, "Make Christmas cookies" and "Make a paper chain" are mixed with more exciting things like, "Take a trip to Salt Lake City to see the Christmas lights" and "Go to the church Christmas party!" Carefully typed, cut into strips and folded, these little activities fill the pockets across Santa's belly and my kids stare at them, wondering what fun surprise they'll unfold tomorrow.

This morning, Landon ran straight to the calendar and said, "Mom! It's the three day!" (Today is December 3rd.) He knows that after he gets home from daycare and does his chores, he gets to choose the paper of the day. All day, I know that he dreams about what he's going to get to do. He can't wait to find out what the "actibity" as he calls it, will be.

On the way to daycare this morning, Landon said to me, "Mommy, I love being a kid. I don't ever want to grow up because kids get to pick out of the calendar. I want to stay a boy like Peter Pan." I laughed and told him that if he wanted to stay four years old forever, that would be fine with me.

The concept has been mulling around in my mind today since he said that, though. Somehow, my small four year old boy is aware enough to think that only kids do "fun things", and that if he grows up, all the fun will go away.

I can't help but wonder, am I too detached, too busy, too frazzled to just stop and have fun? With my culmination of being a student, a mother, a wife, working (more than) full time...am I telling my kids that when you grow up, life isn't fun anymore?

This December, as we pull little slips of magic from Santa's pockets, I'm going to make a conscious effort to have a freaking blast. My babies are growing. They're aware. They're noticing. They're absorbing. I guess it's my job to make sure all of that happens the right way. Apparently, that's what parenting is.

Who knew?

-L

Thankful and a Fashion Tag

Hello! As the weekend of Thanksgiving draws to a close, I know I should be thinking about all of the things that I'm so grateful for, but I can't help but think, just a bit selfishly, that I'm exhausted. And I need a weekend from my weekend. That being said, I truly have so many things to be thankful for. I have a great job, my husband has a great job, my kids are beautiful and happy, my husband is my best friend, I have great Frye boots...I mean, the list goes on.

Mostly though, especially this weekend, I've realized how truly lucky, grateful and blessed I am to have Daniel in my life. My husband and I have had quite the whirlwind of a year. But dammit if we aren't the best of friends. I'd rather hang out with him than with anyone else. And he makes me laugh, oh he makes me laugh. He understands my sense of humor that is often mistaken by others as maybe...like, kinda....rude. He loves me even though I'm the grouchiest person alive, especially when I'm hangry (anger caused by hunger). Guys, he makes the best pancakes ever and he always scratches my back when I ask him to. The man does laundry, people. And he's just the greatest dad. The kids just want to be with him every spare minute. He never, ever acts annoyed when he's waiting for me to come to bed and watch a movie and I take literally thirty minutes to wash my face and brush my teeth. He always kisses me goodbye in the morning even though he leaves for work before I'm awake and he doesn't complain that I never make his lunch anymore even though when we were first married I did it all the time. He doesn't make me feel stupid when I buy another pair of shoes. He never puts me down. Ever. He has never in our marriage put me down. He rarely yells. He holds my hand all the time. And he lets me watch girly shows like Kardashians and Teen Mom without grumbling even though I make a big stink when I have to watch Overhaulin' or whatever the other car shows are.

So I'm grateful for so many things. Because I'm so blessed.

But I'm thankful, I'm just so very thankful, for him.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Onto the second part of this post:
And now, I've been tagged....so in turn, I'm tagging all of you. In the spirit of the holiday season here is a challenge (that I'm going to try so hard not to fail at miserably) to participate in our own kind of 25 Days of Christmas. Introducing: 25 Days of Winter Fashion.

The tag is to once a week, until December 25th, post a string of snap shots of that previous weeks winter outfit choices. Hopefully I can take a snap shot at least once a day. So, today I lose the game because I wore yoga pants and a hoodie all day long. But I suppose the fun of it is to document our winter attire in both the laid back and more uptight days. I'll post my pics each Wednesday until the best Wednesday of the month! (That would be December 25th!)

So, like I said, I tag all of you!

-L

Let's Talk About Clothes

Howdy. Let's talk about clothes.

This post has no rhyme or reason, except to just talk about clothes. There is no plot point or great gripping segue in the middle. There are no lessons learned at the end. I'm just rambling about clothes, people.

Obviously, if you've ever read my blog, I love clothes. I love shoes, jewelry, makeup, hair, and clothes. Did I mention clothes?? Let me just delve, for a moment, into how much I really do love clothes.

First of all, I have most (what I don't have has either been worn out or I've given to my little sister) of my clothes clear back into my sophomore or junior year of high school. (Before that, it just wasn't cute...) Same with my shoes. If they've been worn out, I've tossed them, but I keep most all of it. I still have the shirt and jacket I wore when my husband proposed to me. I have the yellow t-shirt I had on when we went to play in the park when I was 17 and he told me he "liked" me. I have the jeans I bought to go on our first date. I have the pajama pants (that were originally his) that he let me have when we were dating (I actually wore them last night, thankyouverymuch). You get the idea. I have all of those clothes, plus anything I might have bought along the way. This means, that I have a lot of clothes, even if I am not buying a lot of clothes all the time. Often (and I mean really often) I'll wear something from 5 years ago and be asked if it's new because nobody has ever seen it before. Dan and I have also discussed that when we build a house, he will build a room that is only a closet for all my clothes, shoes, purses, etc. I think this is a great idea because...well, it's a great idea! Dan thinks it's a great idea so that he can finally use his closet. (Literally, the only thing he has room for in our two-yes, there are two-full sized closet is his suit.)

A lot of people talk about how you need to go through your closet and get rid of the clothes that you don't wear or don't fit. Luckily, mine all fit still, but I can't bring myself to part with the clothes that I don't wear all that often. Because I genuinely still LIKE them. Things that are sort of out of style, I've been able to tweek a little here and there and still love them. Fortunately, my taste is really simple and classic, so most of my clothes don't go out of style. I'm big on staple button ups, solid colored t's and classic pumps or riding boots. I'm a huge fan of the converse (I literally have 10 pairs in different colors. Low top only for me, thankyouverymuch), and I even wore them under my wedding dress! I've always loved leopard print and luckily that is always classy so I've got myself quite the collection there.

That being said, I'm also a big sucker for cute trends. There are some I've stayed far, far away from (wedge sneaker--NO) but the neon trend? Love it. Camo? I think it's so cute (camo leggings, a big, lacy blouse and black boots?? Perfect!!). Statement necklaces? All about it.

So, we've talked about clothes for a minute. I could talk about clothes forever. If I could make a living talking about clothes, I would. If I could make a living dressing people, I would. If I could make a living shopping, I would. But, alas, I live in a small town and things like that don't really happen here.

But we can always talk about clothes, right?

Tell me your favorite trends! Tell me your favorite classics. Let's talk about clothes!

Thursday Threads-Black, White and Red

Apparently I've been a fan of the ol' black, white and red combo lately...

Lipstick: Revlon-Coralberry; Zipper Black Blouse: My Sister's Closet Boutique; Booties: Express; Statement Necklace: My Sister's Closet Boutique; Black jeans: Old Navy

Polka Dot Blouse: Kohls c/o Lauren Conrad; Bracelets: Old Navy and Target; Earrings: Old Navy; Leather Leggings: Kohls c/o Vera Wang; Pointed Toe Flats: Express

Birchbox and Ipsy

So, I've been discussing BirchBox and Ipsy with a few of my friends lately, and then yesterday, after posting this picture on Instagram about how much I love that the universe (or UPS, whatever....) sent me my BirchBox and my InStyle on the same day, some of my other friends struck up a conversation on facebook with me about Ipsy and BirchBox.

I have some reviews to do (I'm a slacker and I think it's been since July that I've done an Ipsy vs. BirchBox post), but I wanted to take just a sec and talk about them in general first, and post some links for ya.

I'll start with Ipsy.

Ipsy is pretty great. It is more make up oriented (whereas BirchBox does send makeup but seems to be more hair and skin care oriented than Ipsy is), and I love that each month comes in its own makeup bag. I also feel like the sample sizes are most often not really sample sizes. For example, blush and/or lipgloss is usually full size. Nail polishes are always full size. Eye liner and brow pencils are full size. You get the idea.

Also, Ipsy has links to get discounts on full size items that are sent to you in your bag each month. So if you get something and love it, you can buy a full size at a discount that month!

Ipsy used to not really have much of a points program, but lately they've adopted a system much like BirchBox. You can review the items you get in your Ipsy bag, and you receive points for each item reviewed. After so many points, they send you products. I've received a bracelet (that I adore and wear all the time!!), some OPI nail polish and Urban Decay eye shadow. Right now their points are offering NYX eyeshadow, Benefit mascara and some hair accessories. So, that's pretty rad.

Here is the Ipsy link: http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hfwytq3dyjp23na 

On to BirchBox.

I love that BirchBox has an amazing points system. For every $10 that you spend (i.e. each month or more if you order full size products), you receive 10 points. You also get 10 points every time you review a product (and each BirchBox has between 4-6 products a month....so that's anywhere from 50-60 points a month). After 100 points you get $10 credit to the BirchBox shop, and you can save up your points. I've got lots of free stuff, people.

Also, BirchBox gives you free shipping on any of the products that came in your package that month, and if you purchase a full size item, they often send you larger than average samples of really great products (like this Living Proof Style Extender. LOVE!!) and they last a long time. I love that their sample sizes are lots bigger than I'd expect.

Here is the BirchBox link: http://birch.ly/17ihbTX 

Both are just $10/month and I love them both!

_L

Wardrobe Wednesday

Here is some old wardrobe Wednesday's from before the leaves changed color and the weather got just a bit colder. As for today, there is a leather jacket and scarf involved. But let's all think warm thoughts and go back to the summer for a minute, yes?

I've been loving on some stripes and neon lately:

Top: Old Navy, Bermuda shorts: Sexy Modest Boutique, Sandals: Forever 21, Watch: Michael Kors

Me: Top: Kohls, Skirt: Old Navy, Pumps: Target, Bracelet: a jewelry party

Landon: Who cares where it all came from. Look at that mug! ...handsome little devil!

As for now, I'm obsessed with fall fashion. My Pinterest is going haywire with all of the winter and fall ideas and I love layers, so these seasons are the best! Let's discuss how much I love black and white stripes, mustard yellow and leopard print together. Ya feel? Ya dig? 

Me too.

_L

Where I've Been

I was recently asked where I've been.

I don't really know. I mean, I'm a working mom. I'm a student. I'm doing the best I can, really. And blogging, for me, is something I do just for me. I love to write and I love the things I write about. But this blog isn't something that I do because I have to. So sometimes I live my life for a few weeks and go without writing. And that's okay. I'm still here. And if there are certain things you want to hear about, leave me a comment about it and I'll get on it.

Sometimes we just live, ya know? We get up and go to work. We get home and realize we'd better find something for dinner. We bathe the babies and read stories and sing songs and say prayers. We finally have a quiet house and we start laundry and we do dishes and we sit down with a text book. We think about how someone ought to mop the floor but it's past midnight already so we go to bed and we do it all over again the next day. And somehow in there we try to date our spouse or go to the grocery store. We try to stop and play a game on the floor with the babies or teach them that they need to clean their room. We remind the little one not to pee pee in her panties and we tell the older one what a good big brother he his. We try to pack the preschool back pack or remember to wash the sheets..or if we're really crazy we try to stop and put gas in the car.

That's where I've been.

But now, can we talk about how much I love this song by Bette--which is the name for the one man band that is Bethany Joy Lenz. Check it out here, and it's also available on iTunes. It's a great mix of jazz, old soul, and I can taste country in it too. And her voice is great.

I also love her cover of We Belong when she was with the band Everly. And who can forget her and Tyler Hiltons cover of Stars Go Blue? One Tree Hill, anyone?! #dontyoujudgeme

I have some Birchbox and Wardrobe Wednesday love coming your way soon. So just sit tight and we'll be back to business soon.

-L

Tired

I haven't written in a while.

Why?

Because, I am exhausted.

I'm emotionally drained.
And physically drained.
And all of the other kinds of drained that I'm too tired to list.

Choices drain me.
Lack of choices drain me.
People drain me.
Lack of people drain me.

But do you want to know what doesn't drain me?

Pumpkin muffins.

Yeah, pumpkin muffins.
Pumpkin muffins don't let you down or wear you out or keep you awake at night.
They're just there. And they make everything better because they mean that Fall is coming and the colors will change and I'll get to wear those Fall-esque clothes....which is what real happiness is about, right?

Unless, of course, I have to bake those pumpkin muffins myself. In that case...

...I'm too tired.

-L