Running Down a Dream

Keeping it Classy - Celebrity Style

2012-02-22T00:44:00.000-05:00

If I had to pick a favorite "celebrity" style, it would be Kate Middleton without a doubt. She is classy and beautiful. I would take her wardrobe (and let's face it, her body) in a heartbeat.

This blue dress is gorgeous and fits her perfectly.

I adore Kate's wedding gown - the lace is timeless and beautiful. And nothing is more becoming on a bride than such a happy smile!

Oh, how I wish we lived in a place where hats and fascinators are the style! I have quite a few hats, which I love to wear in the summer time! I LOVE the outfit on the right.

I really love this white dress (not that I could pull that off, but if I had her body, I would!).

I love seeing someone like Kate who is so classy and poised in the spotlight, especially where McKayla is concerned. I would much rather her see a lovely, well-dressed lady than some of the other celebrities with all of their "assets" hanging out. I have made it a point to say that dresses are too low when I see them. Last night we were watching "Say Yes to the Dress" and McKayla said, "That dress would be pretty with an undershirt. Why is she showing her boobies? Doesn't she know she's on television? People are going to see that."

I have to admit - that made me very happy :) Because while McKayla may not be a REAL princess one day, she will always be a princess to me. I would love for her to grow up knowing that her body belongs to HER.. and to the Lord. I want her to respect her body - and I don't think that showing of your assets is very respectful to yourself or the men looking at them.

So thanks to Kate Middleton for showing that women can have style and still be classy and beautiful!

Making Some Changes

2012-02-18T17:04:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks have been interesting for me. I've had a lot of ups and downs recently and my mind has just been spinning out of control. For various reasons, I've decided to take a step back from social media. As of tonight, I will be deleting my Twitter account. There are several reasons for doing this, but the main one being that I don't like who I am where Twitter is concerned. It has become something that just sucks out too much time and energy. So, as of tonight, no more Twitter.

I also made the difficult decision to sell my BlissDom ticket. I am sad that I am not going to be meeting many of you. I love blogging and reading your blogs, and I will continue to do both. But for right now, between my personal life and my finances, I decided that it wasn't the place for me right now. I am working so hard to pay things off and spend less money and this trip was going to cost a lot of money. I hope all of you going have a wonderful time!

I hope you'll continue to follow my blog, as I will still be posting (2-3 times a week instead of every day) and reading blogs. You can follow my blog on Facebook or you can e-mail me. I am going to try to spend more of my time with my family and in my Bible. Those things just seem so much more important right now.

I hope you're all having a great weekend! I love all of my readers and followers - I hope you'll stick with me! xoxo

Living Room Reveal!

2012-02-16T06:00:00.002-05:00

Even though we moved into our home in June, I finally feel like the living room is "complete". I know I'll change things here and there, but for now, I am really happy with how our living room turned out! Here's the tour :)

This is the view when you walk in the front door

To the right of the front door

I want to find a pretty stool for the piano instead of the non-matching bench

Pictures on the piano - my four favorite kids: McKayla on the wall, then L-R, our nephews Jack, Mason, and Cole

This is straight ahead when you walk in the front door. Pictures my uncle took on the wall. The pictures on the table are our wedding picture, a picture my uncle took, and the picture of us from our cruise. The magnolia was made by my grandma.

This view is from over beside the piano. I wanted to go pretty neutral so I could change out decor, pillows, etc., and have a new look. I want to ge a bigger rug - this one isn't quite big enough - and I'd like it to just be cream and brown, so it will match fall and Christmas decor as well.

View from the other side of the living room

I want to get a bigger rug here - any ideas for inexpensive rugs??

View from the kitchen

Our gorgeous new entertainment center - I'm so excited we finally found one! :)

So there you have it! Our living room - reveleaed :P

Things I LOVE

2012-02-14T06:00:00.005-05:00

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd do a post of things I love :)

My beautiful girl

My sweet little family :)

My handsome new nephew

My Lucy girl

My running partners

My other adorable nephews, Cole and Jack

My Mama, Daddy, and sisters

Sweet friends

My PJS, a good cup of coffee, and a good book (this was The Hunger Games!)

Gone With the Wind

My gorgeous ring and my favorite nail polish!

My bathroom - specifically, my tub :)

My Keuirg!

My beautiful china and crystal

My favorite heels

Sipping a cup of coffee while taking a bubble bath

Starbucks - need I say more?

Getting this in a text from my sweet husband <3

A yummy smelling house, thanks to Scentsy! If you're interested, my favorite big sister, Lauren, sells it here!

A good glass of wine (Moscato is my favorite) and cute wine stoppers like this one from my sister-in-law

Michael recently had our front door painted black and I LOVE it! I'm also loving our beautiful new number (much better than the mailbox stickers we had on the glass before!). I am also loving the Panthers-inspired wreath my sweet friend, Sarah, made! Want one? You can check out her etsy shop here!

Do you see a theme? I LOVE my family. I LOVE my coffee. I LOVE my cat. I LOVE my friends.

I LOVE my life.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Rough Week

2012-02-12T11:01:00.000-05:00

It's been a rough/crazy/busy week in our house. We hosted a Super Bowl party Sunday, so my day consisted of cleaning, hosting, then cleaning up. As I already told you, my family dog passed away and I found out on my way to work Monday. Michael's granddaddy had to have a stent put in, so he took him Tuesday and brought him home on Wednesday (3-hour round trip each time). Then McKayla got sick and was out of school Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I still had to do my 3 hour round-trip commute twice and then I got a sinus infection starting Thursday night. I am still feeling pretty rough today and hoping I'm better before my back-to-back commute days Monday and Tuesday! Here's a glimpse of our week in pictures. Nothing exciting, but it's all I got right now!

Some of the guys enjoying the man cave at the Super Bowl party

A saying that someone posted on Facebook this week and I loved

Lucy showing that she, too, loves Starbucks

The clothes I sat out Monday night for the next day - that sat out until Friday,

since I had to stay home with McKayla

I found this scene in McK's room - it melted my heart

My sweet girl napping off her almost 103* fever

Feeling better - and feeding my old Cabbage Patch doll, Tina Louise

The sweet thank you note McK wrote me for taking care of her while she was sick

I took an hour and a half for myself Thursday after work - I painted my nails and watched RHOBH!

Hopefully my meds will kick in soon and I'll start feeling better! Hope you all have a great week!

Sweet Jasmine

2012-02-07T11:39:00.000-05:00

The first time I met Jasmine, I had just attended a math and science conference in the 8th grade. When Lauren picked me up, there was a puppy in the passenger floor of her blazer.

Jasmine was THE best dog. Ever. Every day, she would get in the truck with Daddy and go with him to our family's frame shop to work.

Jasmine would travel back and forth from our house on one end of the farm to my grandparents' house on the other end.

She ended up staying at the frame shop when she didn't have to energy to go back and forth anymore.

Jasmine was the best dog anyone could ask for. All of the customers at the frame shop loved her, and some even brought her treats.

McKayla loved Jasmine, too. Jasmine loved for someone to get on the floor with her and just rub her. McKayla did that.

Yesterday morning, my Mama called and I immediately knew that something was wrong. My grandma found her at the frame shop yesterday morning. She had passed away. I am glad she is no longer suffering, but I am so sad that she isn't with us anymore. She would have been 14 years old this month.

I love you, Jasmine. I'll miss you every day.

Closet Inspiration

2012-02-02T12:53:00.000-05:00

Almost ten months ago, I did a post about my closet. Or what would be my closet. When we built our house, my husband wanted a huge "man cave". We had that built opposite of the garage, which has McKayla's room over it. Because of the "man cave", there ended up being a room over top - which just happens to be right over our bedroom. And because you can't have a bedroom within a bedroom, my closet was born..

I was thrilled and nervous at the same time. People are going to have high expectations with a space this large. I had some ideas, but didn't know exactly what I wanted to do.

Then I saw the first episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and... I was inspired.

No, this isn't my closet. Bummer. But Lisa Vanderpump has a few more benjamins than me ;) I LOVE the white, the island, the chandelier, and the sitting area!

We moved in last June and I haven't really had the time of the funds to work on the closet. Michael painted it for me, had the lights installed (although I still need to finish putting the crystal things on the chandeliers), and had the floors put down. However, all of the trash from painting/putting the floor down never got cleaned up and the closet became a sort of clothing/seasonal decorations dumping ground.

Please don't judge :)

I had a day off a few weeks ago and got to work... now the closet looks like this!

I searched high and low for a pretty white dresser and finally found one I love on craigslist. I even used my birthday money to purchase it!

I think it is so pretty! Now I just need to find a vanity and a pretty island one day :)

Thanks to my new budgeting, I am able to buy the materials to build shelves for my shoes around the window. My daddy is going to do it and I cannot WAIT to put my shoes there. He's also going to build a place to hang my clothes on the left side of the wall. I'm also hoping to find a big mirror somewhere like HomeGoods or Ross for a reasonable price.

It's definitely going to be a work in progress, but I'm happy to see things finally happening!

My Little Lady

2012-01-27T10:04:00.000-05:00

This morning you wanted to dress up for school. You wanted me to fix your hair and put a flower headband in your hair.

I caught you curtseying going down the hallway. Maybe for a dance with an invisible prince? You are most certainly my princess.

McKayla, you are the sweetest, most loving child I have ever known. From the minute I met you 32 months ago, you have never given me one ounce of trouble. You tell me I'm awesome, hilarious, beautiful, and sweet. You even tell me that I have nice rules. You melt my heart every single day.

You are such a little lady. You have some of the most ladylike mannerisms and you are so polite. My prayer is that you will always be such a sweet girl - a girl who tells Jesus every night that you love him. You never pray for yourself - you always pray for other people.

You amaze me every day, McKayla Grace. You are the biggest blessing I've ever known. I love you more than anything.

Financially Fit - Great Tips from Becca!

2012-01-26T06:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Thursday, folks! I have an awesome guest post for you today. My sweet friend, Becca, who is one of my financial inspirations, has offered to write about her journey with saving money! After reading her awesome tips here, go check out her blog. She is amazing!

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First off, I guess I should tell you a little about me. I’m 26, I live in Tampa, I work in the events department of a non-profit. I love, love, love my city, my job, my family, my friends and…football! I’m also highly organized and totally OCD. Which you may come to understand more thoroughly through this post…

Lucky for me, Lindsey and I exchanged cell phone numbers a while back and we’ve been texting fools ever since! It’s so nice to have someone else who likes to talk nerdy budgeting and savings ideas literally daily! I am so proud of her progress and her enthusiasm towards reaching her financial goals. I also love her for her open honesty in sharing that journey with me, with you all, and with others. She’s truly an inspiration.

I’m almost 3 years into my journey to being Financially Fit, a journey I assume doesn’t ever really have an end point. I worked 2 jobs to get debt free (of a car, a credit card, and a little bit of college) after taking Dave Ramsey’s ‘financial peace university’. Since becoming debt free my focus has really changed. So in my Financially Fit journey I’ve had to look long and hard at how I want my finances to look moving forward debt free and here’s where I’m at…

1.       I want to live generously. This year has really been the first year I’ve been able to support organizations, donate to friends walks/causes, and treat friends or strangers ‘just for fun’. It’s a great feeling and in an attempt to reach my financial goals, I also don’t want to lose my generous spirit.

2.       Save. Save save save SAVE. Right now I’m saving for important things (like paying cash for my next car), fun things (travels!), and emergencies (though Lord willing, I hope I won’t have any soon). I’m diligently saving all that money I was formerly using to pay off debt. It feels so good to save, that I’ve been able to find even more ways and funds to put towards this. Basically, I kicked butt the last few months of 2011, and I’m kicking even more hiney in 2012.

3.       Experience. I hinted at this with saving for travel but one of the most enjoyable things about being debt free has been the freedom to experience. I’m headed to Haiti in April, DC in May, and with my ever growing travel budget I booked a ‘just because I want to go’ trip on Southwest (during a sale) to go see my best friend which is now a week away.

There’s a little snapshot of where I’m at, but some of you may wonder how to get here. Here’s a few ideas…

Have a budget! This sounds elementary but you’d be surprised how few people really know where there money is being spent. One thing I did that really opened my eyes, is pull the last 3 months of credit or debt card statements (or both if you use both) and tally up how much you spent per month on food, eating out, clothes, etc. You may be unpleasantly surprised that you ate out a couple hundred bucks a month (it’s easy to do).
Get organized. Lindsey has talked some about this in past Financially Fits – but it really makes a huge difference. Know what you have to work with, and what you truly need. Make lists and only buy from the list. This helps at the grocery but I’ll tell you where it will really changes your life – shopping! If you have a ‘hit list’ of things you actually need to complete your wardrobe and you don’t buy things that aren’t on it, it will save you big time. Maybe you need a jacket, but you already have 60 pairs of shoes…so next time you see shoes you love, you don’t just buy them because what you know you need, is a jacket! Simple, right? ; ]
Understand needs v. wants. We’ve all had a friend or two who over use the phrase ‘but I NEEDED it’. Don’t be that person. It’s ok to have some things you want, but don’t mistake your wants for needs. Pay for your needs first, and limit your wants until you get your finances where you want them. Several of my friends cut cable while they were paying off debt, because it turned out they could save about $1000 a year by watching movies, reading books, etc. I cut internet, because I could get it on my phone when I needed it, and I have it at the office, so I didn’t really need it at home (this is not true for everyone, but for me it wasn’t a need).
Use cash for the areas you struggle in. My first few months of budgeting I kept spending my food money on clothes. I figured they’d look better if I had to starve a little anyway. This is a failure in the making. If you have areas (like clothes) that you have a hard time controlling, go to the cash system. When the cash is gone, the answer is no.
Get a partner. Accountability is key. It’s why programs like weight watchers work…you have someone to make you weigh in and face the math of your week’s decisions. My sweet friend Auburn does this for me. Find someone you can be honest with – that you don’t mind sharing your financial situation with, and who will ask you the hard questions.

I don’t want to drone on forever, like I can about budgeting. But I hope these tips have given you some good ideas and will help you on your journey. Certainly Lindsey’s a great resource and I’ll add to that, that if you need any extra encouragement visit me on my blog or shoot me an e-mail.

Love,
B

http://becca-christensen.blogspot.com

Birthday Recap & Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday! I hope y'all had a great weekend!

As you know, my birthday was Thursday the 19th. I took the morning off to go for a run and take a bubble bath. { Hey, it was my birthday and what I wanted to do :) }

First run of 28!

I worked half a day, then we went to dinner with mine and Michael's families.

The Smith family on my birthday :)

Mason and I shared the 19th - I turned 28 and he turned four weeks old :)

Michael and McKayla gave me a beautiful pair of earrings to match the necklace I got for Christmas.

On Saturday, Michael and I planned to go to Olive Garden and a movie.

With my glass of wine at Olive Garden {Thanks, B!}

Instead of going to a movie, we decided to go to Ashley Furniture just to see if there were any good sales on wall entertainment centers. And?

This has been ordered!!!

I am SO excited! :)

And now for the Scentsy giveaway winner..

My sweet friend, Lindsay, from the berteau life! Go over to her blog and say hello!

Congrats!

Financially Fit - Get Organized

2012-01-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

First of all, did y'all enter my birthday giveaway? All you have to do is leave a comment!

Second, thanks for all of the blog, Twitter, and Facebook birthday love yesterday. Y'all are awesome!

Also, do you 'like' my blog's Facebook page? Because you can do that here!

Now, onto the post... here are some more helpful tips I've found and used for saving money. You can see my first post here!

Figuring out couponing for the first time can be confusing and overwhelming. I've been doing it for about 2 months now and I still find it overwhelming! The most important thing for me has been getting ORGANIZED. Here are some of the things I have found helpful while shopping recently.

Take Inventory

What do you already have in your pantry/cabinet/closet?

I took everything out of my pantry and re-organized it so I could see what I had already purchased. If I have multiples of one item, the one with the closest expiration date is moved to the front. I also wrote down a list of items I need to use within the next month or two in my planner and the date it expires. For example:

Chicken Fajita Mix (2/11)

Jell-o Chocolate Pudding (2/13)

Then I cross it off as I use it. It's no good to buy a product on sale if you're going to have to throw it away. Lesson learned!

As you can see, our bathroom closet is pretty well stocked right now (as is McKayla's), so I'm going to try to hold off on buying toiletries unless it's something I can get for free. At first, I was afraid I was going to miss a sale or a coupon, but they come around again! :)

Know What It Costs!

This was a big one for me. At first I would buy something because it was on sale, then I'd go to a different store and realize that I still paid more than what it would have cost at that store! Best example: cooking soups (i.e. cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, etc.) were on sale at Food Lion, so I bought five (with a coupon). The next day, I went to Wal-Mart and they are regularly priced at a cheaper price than Food Lion's sale price! With my coupon, I could have saved a little more just by knowing how much they cost at Wal-Mart.

So I started this handy spreadsheet that I keep in my planner. When I find a sale, I whip this out and compare to see if it's really a good sale or if I could purchase it somewhere else cheaper. This has been SO helpful. Every time I come home from a shopping trip, I look at my receipt and add those items to the list. I have them categorized by product type (pantry, snacks, office supplies, paper products, refrigerated foods, pet items, spices, hygiene, and cleaning products). Then I have them alphabetized - everything is organized and easy to find, which is really helpful when you're in the middle of a store trying to find out if you're getting a good deal.

Meal Plan

When I first started trying to cut back, I just started writing down my dinner plans (in my planner, of course)! All I was doing was trying to eat at home as much as possible, stick to a plan, and have some variety. That wasn't enough! I'd look ahead to the next week to see what I needed to purchase at the store and would find that nothing I wanted/needed was on sale!

At the bottom of each day, I've penciled in my meal plan. I go through my freezer (don't forget to buy in bulk and freeze in individual bags!) and pantry to see what I have and plan around that. When meat and other items are on sale, I just buy and freeze them. This has helped tremendously! I also make sure to write in pencil so I can switch things around and change as needed.

Keep Everything Together

The two things I use to keep everything together are a coupon holder and my planner. I'm not saying you have to buy an Erin Condren planner (although I highly recommend it, as I use it every day), but you need something to keep it all together!

I keep gift certificates, my comparison price list, and other freebies on the left side. The right side holds my ExtraCare Bucks where I can see them :) Oh, and that precious picture is of my nephew, Cole!

Store coupons on the back - Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Dunkin Donuts, etc. All in plain view where I won't forget to use them!

I keep my coupons for groceries, toiletries, etc. in an alphabetized coupon holder.

You can also put them according to when they expire, but I think they're much easier to find and use this way!

This has become a rather long post, so I think I'll stop here for now and save the rest of my grocery findings for another post :)

What grocery tips and tricks do y'all have?

Birthday Giveaway!

2012-01-19T06:00:00.004-05:00

Happy Day, everyone!!! I am 28 years old today (hard to believe, huh, Mama?)! I love my birthday. It is my favorite day of the year. I took off this morning to go for a run (need to start 28 off right!) and take a bubble bath! Ha! Tonight we have plans to eat at my favorite local restaurant with mine and Michael's families. I can't wait!

So "Scentsy" it's my birthday, I thought I'd do a giveaway! Pun intended ;)

Taro Scentsy Warmer

"Taro features a contemporary dandelion pattern that pops against a deep gray background. Plug it in and watch it glow!"

I'll also give away a bar of Comfort & Joy - one of my favorite scents!

To enter, just leave me a comment with your name and e-mail address. Easy peasy! The giveaway ends Sunday night at 9EST. I will announce the winner on Monday. Good luck!

Have a happy day! Thanks for following my blog :)

Last Day of 27

2012-01-18T10:09:00.005-05:00

My husband sent me a text message this morning that read, "Happy Last Day of 27". I don't mind turning 28 at all, but for some reason it does sound a lot older than 27. Since today is my last day of 27, I thought I'd do a recap of my 27 While 27 list so you can see how I did :)

1. Read 12 books - I finished book 12 on July 17th and read 8 more books after that.

2. Continue to lose the weight I've lost recently (which is about 9 pounds). I'd like to lose ten more pounds – twenty total. By April, I had lost a total of 20.6 pounds. Sadly, I've gained some of it back, but I'm hoping that getting back into running will help!

3. Get a passport and use it! Michael and I received our passports on May 27th and used them on our trip to the Bahamas on June 10th.

4. Run a 5K and improve my time from two years ago (the only race I've ever done). Completed April 9th and ran it in 32:32, which was 2 minutes and 13 seconds faster than the one I had done a few years prior.

5. Run a 10K. I ran my first 10K on August 27th and it was an AWFUL experience. My time was 1:12:32, much slower than my training runs, but I still won first place females (there were only three of us) :).

6. Move into our new home. I thought we'd never move, but we did on June 2nd!

7. Have McKayla's first sleepover in the new house. Her friend Shana came to spend the night on June 17th.

8. Host a dinner party. I hosted Christmas Eve lunch for my dad and sisters.

9. Work out at least 3 times a week. I didn't succeed, but I'd say I evened out. I didn't work out much in June or December, but for the most part, I worked out at least 3 times a week, sometimes up to 6-7 times per week.

10. Pay for the person behind me in the drive-thru. I did this at Starbucks on April 28th. I honestly think everyone should do this at least once. I felt good about it all day!

11. Meet a blog/Twitter friend in person - the more, the better! Brittan and I met up in July to have a girls' weekend and see NKOTB. I also ran a half marathon with Rachel and Kelsie!

12. Wear a bikini. I wore one on April 21st, then the rest of the summer. Not sure about this year, though ;)

13. Have a cocktail party (and actually have people wear cocktail dresses). Co-hosted with my younger sister for Lauren's 30th birthday party on May 14th.

14. Send a piece of mail every month. Done, and sometimes more each month.

15. Finish my family cookbook. Ha! Hardly even looked at this!

16. Learn 2 Bible verses a month. Fail. I learned 11 out of 24.

17. Purge closet of clothes too big so I can't wear them again! I did purge the biggest clothes, but like I said, I did gain some of the weight back :(

18. Go on a cruise. Michael and I went on a cruise to Nassau and Coco Cay in the Bahamas from June 10-13, 2011. Awesome trip!

19. Have our family portrait taken. My extremely talented uncle took our pictures on October 27th and we have a gorgeous picture hanging over the mantel!

20. Stop drinking soda. My last soda was on my birthday last year - January 19th. I haven't had one since! I'd say this is my biggest success from this list!

21. Cook dinner every night for a week. I think I made it to 6 nights in a week. I honestly didn't NEED to cook that much with leftovers.

22. No Twitter/Facebook for 3 consecutive days. Done in May!

23. Have a family picnic. I still need to make this happen.

24. Have a girls' weekend. NKOTBSB in Greensboro with Brittan in July!

25. Get a Halloween costume and go to a party. Went to our friends' house on October 28th and dressed up :)

26. Go skydiving. Didn't do it. It's honestly not that I chickened out - the opportunity never really came up and it was really expensive. Maybe someday.

27. Stay updated on my Shutterfly albums so that I don't have to do them all at one time! I'm caught up to May - can we say a quarter of the way? ;)

So there ya go! All of my successes and failures! I'm trying to decide if I want to make a list for this next year. It is kind of neat to write out this list and see what I've done.

What would you put on a list like this?

Financially Fit - Homemade Laundry Detergent

2012-01-17T06:28:00.000-05:00

When I did my first Financially Fit post about learning to coupon and save money, I mentioned wanting to make my own laundry detergent. Honestly, I was dreading it a little until my friend Natalie offered to do a guest post about it. I am excited to try it now that she makes it sound so easy! When you're done reading here, go check out her blog! She is super sweet and one of my best blog friends!

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When Lindsey started talking about possibly making her own laundry detergent to help save money, I mentioned that I make my own and could answer any questions. That turned into an offer to write a guest post about just how easy of a project it really is.

The best part of doing it yourself? The recipe calls for only 3 ingredients. EASY PEASY.

For one batch:

1 cup Borax

1 cup Baking Soda (or Washing Soda)

1 bar of soap, grated

Add each ingredient to a container. Use 1-2 Tablespoons per load of laundry.

grated soap

I found everything I needed at Wal-Mart. The soap cost $1, both boxes of powders were approximately $3-5 each but will last for several batches. I've read of a few people who use Arm & Hammer Washing Soda instead of Baking Soda, but the only difference I've found is the amount of pH in each. I think they both clean equally well.

Prior to making my own detergent, I've always used whatever was Free & Clear. My oldest has severe eczema and VERY sensitive skin. I've never been able to use any sort of fabric softener or dryer sheets. I was slightly worried about the soap breaking him out, but if anything it's actually helped clear his skin up.

There ya go.. It's fast, easy and cheap. What's not to love?

Birthday Wish List - Running Edition

2012-01-16T03:59:00.000-05:00

As I said in my last post, my birthday is this week! So here is the first half of my "wish list" - the running edition!

New running tights - these things are awesome, just so expensive!

via

Good for below 30 degrees - we've had some chilly mornings lately! (Also on the expensive side)

via

These aren't on my list because Michael already purchased them! Yay!

Knuckle Lights to wear when you run in the dark. LOVE!

Sparkly Blue Bic Band

My Brooks Ghost Running Shoes (Big Kids - size 4.5)

This gorgeous "Cityscape Female" display to show off my current and future race bling :)

And if you want to pay for me to do any of the following races, that would be cool, too:

~ Nashville Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

(because my two running partners in crime are running!)

~ Chicago Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

(because I'd love to go back to this amazing city... and meet Meghan!

It's also between the other races I'd like to run)

~Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon

(because I've heard Disney races are amazing, there's wine involved,

and I already have a State Holiday around that time! Score!)

21 Things of Randomness

2012-01-14T12:14:00.001-05:00

Two months ago, one of my favorite people tagged me in a random post! Since I have some random thoughts rolling around, I thought I'd try to get to 21!

1. I have recently started couponing/budgeting/saving money. For the first time in my life. Which is sad - but better late than never :)

2. My birthday is in five days. I love my birthday! I'll be 28 - I'll let you know when I stop loving my birthday.

3. I back my car in everywhere I go. I'm awesome at it.

4. However, I couldn't parallel park to save my life. Or yours. Just so you know.

5. Those rotating door things? Terrify me. But I make myself use it every day I go to work. Fighting my fears and all that.

6. I didn't run for the entire month of December. Now I'm looking for another half marathon to do after I Rock 'n' Roll DC on St. Patty's Day. Any thoughts?

7. Speaking of running, why is everything you need so dang expensive?!

8. Maybe I should spend some of my birthday money on running stuffs. :)

9. I do not like ANYTHING laying around my house. Nothing. Even the remote control goes into a drawer when I'm done with it.

10. I love using my china and having fancy dinners. I need to do it more often.

11. My sisters are the best friends I've ever had. They are seriously my soul mates and I don't know what I'd do without them.

12. I always said I would NOT date a man with children. Now? I'm married to one and that child is my biggest blessing.

13. I recently re-upholstered my dining room chairs because Rachel told me I could. So I did and think they look fantastic. I can't wait to show you the finished product!

14. I bought my business cards for Blissdom yesterday.

15. Have I not told y'all I'm going to Blissdom? Cause I am. And I am SUPER excited.

16. I get to go to Blissdom because my awesome husband bought me the conference and plane tickets for Christmas.

17. I don't understand why people cheat on their spouse. And news flash - if they'll cheat WITH you, they'll cheat ON you. Just sayin.

18. I didn't know if I'd use my Erin Condren planner when I bought it. I wouldn't have paid $50 for it, but when I got $25 off, I purchased it. Let me tell you - best. purchase. ever!

19. I loved high school and I loved college, but I'd never want to go back and re-live either. I love where I am right now.

20. I love to drink coffee while taking a bubble bath.

21. My mom is, hands down, the most awesome person I know. We may not always agree, but she sacrificed so much for my sisters and I, and the longer I've been a parent, the more apparent those sacrifices become. So thanks Mama. You're my hero.

Lindsey Gets Her Groove Back (Fingers Crossed)

2012-01-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

I started running in February 2011.

I ran a 5k in April.

I ran a 10k in August.

I ran an 8k in October.

I ran a half marathoin in November.

Man, was I pumped after that half.

  I came home, put on my running shoes & snazzy new race shirt the next day.

        I started running, happy as could be.

               And then it hurt. My knee. It hurt a lot.

                       I got discouraged. I didn't run for a month.

                                But last night? I feel like I got my groove back.

                                         I ran. In the rain. And it hurt.

                                                    But not enough to stop me. I finally feel like I'm BACK.

I think I'm ready to get back to it. Does it hurt? Yes. If it didn't, we'd all be size 2 marathoners (neither of which I am). But all I have to do is push through it, putting one foot in front of the other. Half Marathon #2 in DC on March 17th - let's do this!

GlassesUSA

2012-01-11T09:36:00.000-05:00

GlassesUSA is an online company offering high quality frames and lenses with a low price guarantee. If you're like me, you hate going to the eye doctor and spending hours picking out a new pair of glasses. With GlassesUSA, you can do it from the comfort of your own sofa!

The company has a wide selection of eyeglasses from which to choose and the website is easy to maneuver. It is separated into sections (men's, women's, multifocal, and sunglasses), so that there is no confusion.

You can shop by frame type, frame shape, size, style, material, and lens type. There is even a virtual mirror so you can "try them on" before you order glasses! You can upload a photo or use your webcam. How cool is that?!

My favorite part? You can save money while ordering eyeglasses online! There is an entire "Sales and Coupons" section to check out! Here are some of the current sales:

~ Take 50% off of all eyeglasses with the code: JAN50 (found online)

~ Take 20% off & free shipping on iSee Eyewear Collection with the code: ISEE20FS (found online)

~Take 20% off any pair of eyeglasses and get FREE US shipping with the code: New2012

~Take 10% off any order of prescription glasses with the code: Blog10

A great way to save money while buying your glasses is by using Mr. Rebates where you can get 18% back right now by using GlassesUSA.com! If you have Ebates, you can buy them and get a 12.5% rebate!

All pictures of eyeglasses from GlassesUSA.com
*I was compensated for reviewing the website and providing my opinion. These are my views after reviewing the website.

A Minute of McKayla #1

2012-01-09T12:37:00.000-05:00

When McKayla opens her mouth to speak, you never know what's going to come out. I always think I'll remember the funny, sweet, or cute things she says, but let's face it - that's not going to happen. So I thought I'd take a minute to write down some of the things she says here on the blog!

Riding the train at Santa Land :)

If you're around McKayla and I even five minutes, you'll know the child is crazy about me. And I'm not just saying that. We bonded fast and fell in love with each other! The other night at a restaurant, McKayla was just leaning on my shoulder, snuggling against me, and looking up at me. Michael said, "McKayla, you're not obsessed with Lindsey are you?" She looked at me and said, "She's just so fun to watch!" Ha! Not sure about that, but it definitely showed me that I better mind my P's and Q's... there are little eyes watching me!

Watching our town's Christmas parade

I was enforcing some rules the other day and I asked McKayla if she thought I was mean because I had so many rules. Her response? "No, your rules are really good. You're so nice!" (Am I lucky or what?!)

Holding her cousin, Mason, for the first time

Last night, McKayla offered to help me cut coupons. While we were cutting away, she looked at me and said, "Lindsey, will you tell me about GaGa {my grandfather, who passed away in 2005}? I've always wanted to know what he was like, but I didn't want to ask and upset you." This gave me both the biggest smile and tears in my eyes. I proceeded to tell her how much he would have loved her and all of my favorite things about him. She would respond with, "Oh, that is so funny! I wouldn't have guessed that" or "Yes, I can see that". It was one of my favorite conversations with her to date.

Financially Fit - Part I

2012-01-06T12:35:00.000-05:00

Money has always been an issue with me. If I have it, I want to spend it. I LOVE to buy things. I confessed to being a shopaholic and promised I was trying to do better here! That was about 6 weeks ago.

via

This is not a New Year's Resolution. This is a lifestyle change that I started in November and haven't looked back (okay, maybe once, but we all slip up every once in a while, right?).

I have gotten lots of tips and tricks from y'all and I'm putting many of them to good use! The best way I have found to track my spending is a spreadsheet filled with formulas. I write down EVERY. SINGLE. THING. I buy. If I spend 25 cents on a piece of gum, I write it down.

There are some things in our budget we can't control. For me, those things are gas (I commute 360 miles to and from work every week) and mortgage and car payments. There were things I learned that I COULD change, so here are some of the things I've learned over the last two months.

via

1. I don't NEED another shirt... or pair of shoes... or purse... etc. I have not bought any of these things in two months. Before, I was buying them on a regular basis. I can't even begin to tell you the difference this has made in my spending. I give myself $100 a month to spend on miscellaneous items, which includes everything but groceries/household items.

via

2. I don't NEED the grande caramal macchiato - I can get the tall. I don't miss those ounces too much, but my wallet definitely notices the difference. 78 cents per drink, I believe. If you get 8-10 drinks per month like I do, that saves $6.24 - $7.80 per month. (It saves calories, too!)

3. Starbucks will give you a 10 cent discount if you bring in your own cup. This has saved me $0.80 - $1.00 per month.

This is the cup I take to Starbucks - Michael gave it to me last year for Christmas!

4. If you shop at CVS and do some research, you can save a TON of money. I'm not at the point where everything is free, but last week I bought Herbal Essences shampoo AND conditioner for 90 cents total. I also bought three boxes of cereal for $1.00 (and I bought the GOOD cereal).

cvs.com

5. If you do shop at CVS on a regular basis, get the ExtraCare card (which is advertised a lot) AND the Green Bag Tag (which is not!). If you use a reusable shopping bag and have this card (which you buy for 99 cents), you will get $1.00 in ExtraCare bucks every 4th time it is swiped. I'll get my money back within the first month (I go about once a week) and basically earn 25 cents every time I go after that!

details here

6. Coupons are your friends. Seriously. I've probably saved $25-30 in the last month with coupons. There are lots of free printables online (such as coupons.com) and if you get a Sunday paper, there are some great ones there!

7. Nook, Kindle, and iPad have lots of free books out there. They may not be the latest Nicholas Sparks book, but I have found some good ones! I am currently reading Little Women, which I got for free for my nook. I also got a book called "Christmas at Harrington's" by Melody Carlson, which I enjoyed. When I went back to B&N to get another book by the author, I found the book is regularly priced at $9.99!

via

8. There is free stuff everywhere. This week, I've gotten three free magazine subscriptions and four free PHOTO greeting cards. No shipping. FREE. (Found on thefrugalgirls.com and moneysavingmom.com).

9. Buying meat in bulk saves a lot of money. I bought a TON of meat at Sam's Club a few weeks ago, divided it into two, three, or four portions, and froze them. The pork tenderloin I bought at Sam's Club was DOUBLE the size of the one at Food Lion and was the same price. Ground beef was at least $1 cheaper per pound.

10. Use sites like moneysavingmom.com and thefrugalgirls.com. They have some great ideas, freebies, and coupons!

My next goal is to start making my own laundry detergent! I'm thinking of making this a regular post - maybe a few times a month? What do y'all think?

I realize that I could give up Starbucks altogether and save $30 a month. But you know what? I don't want to. That's my "treat" for driving 80 miles to and from work twice a week. You can't give up everything you enjoy, otherwise life wouldn't be fun! But you can cut back and make better choices :)

What other things do y'all do to save money?

Bling Bling

2012-01-03T16:28:00.000-05:00

I know I have showed y'all my engagement/wedding ring before, but since there's a link-up, I had to participate!

Go play along!

Michael didn't really propose to me since we knew each other all of four and a half months before we got married. Six weeks after meeting, we decided we wanted to get married and picked out a ring! What's funny is that we were looking at rings online and both picked out the same one. We drove to Jared's about an hour away and the ring wasn't in stock, so they had it shipped there and we went back a few days later.

I didn't get a wedding band since the band was so thick on this ring.

The center diamond is almost a carat and there are 58 small diamonds around the ring and down the band. It's almost 2 carats total.

I. Love. My. Bling.

But more importantly, I love what it means...

That I'm married to this guy :)

3 Year Blog Anniversary & 2011 Recap

2012-01-01T10:03:00.000-05:00

2012

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope you enjoyed ringing in 2012! It wasn't too much fun at our house. We were supposed to go out, but I got sick last night and was asleep by 7:30. McKayla got sick this morning! So we are just spending the day at home, hopefully recovering!

via

Yesterday was my blog's 3rd anniversary. A lot has happened in the three years since I started this blog. I have loved my little corner of the blog world - making new friends, reading about your lives, and keeping up with ours! Thanks for following along :)

I spent hours yesterday attempting to upload pictures for a 2011 recap. I couldn't get it to work this morning, so here's a quick review of what happened in words!

We rang in the new year with lots of friends. I also celebrated my 27th birthday in January.

In February, Michael surprised me with tickets to see the play Romeo & Juliet.

March was full of family birthdays. We attended the wedding of Michael's cousin.

April was very special because we learned that my little sister was pregnant! Michael, McKayla, and I went to Monticello for her third grade field trip, then stayed in Gordonsville, VA for the weekend. I ran my first 5K in three years. I surprised Michael with tickets to see Jimmy Buffet in concert.

McKayla completed the third grade in May and was the top reader in her class! Leslie and I hosted Lauren's 30th birthday cocktail party.

Michael expanded his business this summer and started running the concession stands for local baseball.

In June, we moved into our new home and celebrated Michael's 30th birthday. Michael and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas, then stayed in Florida for a few days. McKayla danced in her yearly recital and did a great job!

July was a busy month! McKayla turned 9 years old. Michael took her to Water Country for the day. I took her to Northern VA for her first visit to the American Girl store! I met up with Brittan and saw NKOTB in concert.

In August, we travelled to Gatlinburg, TN for a fun family vacation. McKayla started the fourth grade with her new teacher, Mrs. Tower. I ran my first 10K. Michael's sisters spent the week visiting and we had a great time with our nephews, Jack and Cole.

Michael and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary in September. Michael and I spent the weekend in Charlotte.

In October, McKayla dressed up as her American Girl, Kirsten, and won best costume for her age group! Michael and I went to a Halloween party with friends - I went as a cat and he went as his 5th grade self. I also ran the Run Like A Girl 8K. We hosted a baby shower for Leslie at my house.

In November, I ran my first half marathon in Savannah, GA. I got to meet Rachel, Kelsie, and some other awesome women! I finished the half in 2:31:51. It was one of my proudest moments. Michael and McKayla visited Peaks of Otter with friends and climbed Sharp Top. Thanksgiving was celebrated with our families. The Bartons hosted a baby shower for Leslie and Chris. We had a girls' day in Durham of shopping and seeing the Rockettes!

December was such a fun month! On December 22nd, we welcomed Mason Asher Barton into our family. We celebrated Christmas for days with our family. My MIL and I took McKayla to see The Nutcracker.

We had a great year! Here's to 2012!

McKayla's Corner - Mason!

2011-12-29T07:16:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd let McKayla tell you about meeting her new cousin, Mason, for the first time!

On Monday I met my cousin Mason. He's so cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was not there to meet him on Christmas but I got to see him on Monday.I think he looks like his dad A LOT!lHe also looks like his mom. He was wearing a shirt that said handsome.I loved holding him. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
heres a picture of him and me

McKayla with Uncle Chris and Mason :)

Christmas Loot :)

2011-12-27T14:44:00.000-05:00

We had a GREAT Christmas. It is honestly the best one I've had since childhood. Between the birth of my nephew, McKayla finally coming home, and awesome time with family, I could not have asked for more!

I'm going to do a re-cap of all our Christmas festivities, but I thought I'd share my Christmas loot today :)

Everyone was SO good to me! Michael bought me a gorgeous necklace, a $25 Starbucks gift card, and my plane and conference tickets for BlissDom!!

Ignore the jammies, no makeup, and glasses :)

So excited!!

My in-laws gave me 8 place settings of the silverware I've been wanting for YEARS to go with my china!

From Princess House

Sweet Baby Mason gave me an ornament with his footprint :)

Isn't this precious?!

Other great stuff I got?

$60 in Barnes & Noble gift cards

$65 MORE in Starbucks gift cards (that makes $90!)

A 30-minute massage from my Mama, gift cards, sweet ornaments I love, etc.!

From our Gatlinburg trip this summer

To represent our new home :)

I also got money and beautiful pictures of my other sweet nephews! It was a fantastic Christmas :)

What was your favorite gift?

Welcome to the World, Baby Barton!

2011-12-24T07:09:00.000-05:00

It is with SO much pride and joy that I announce the birth of my nephew, Mason Asher Barton!!

Leslie started having contractions around 10am on Wednesday morning. We thought she'd be having Mason Wednesday night, headed north, and got a call to turn around and go back home. We got another call Thursday morning and headed north again. This time we stayed.

The Thomason family at about 1:30 the day Mason was born

The Barton family (minus Chris's other siblings, Matt and Lauren)

We stayed with Leslie and Chris until a little after 4pm (so about three hours for me), then we went downstairs so that they could have some alone time. Leslie said they watched The Grinch, The Santa Claus, and The Santa Claus 2 on television while they waited. She also said they prayed they would not make it to The Santa Claus 3 before Mason made his arrival.

This is what we did while we waited - we checked our watches ;)

We finally went up to the 3rd floor to wait around 7:30 because we just KNEW that it would be soon! We heard a song playing over the intercom and I remembered that hospital does that every time a baby is born. Daddy ran over to the phone and asked if it was Leslie Barton.

How Daddy spent the next few hours - either pacing or staring at the phone, waiting for the music to play. The third time the music played and he picked up the phone, the nurse just said "no, it's not yours" before he even said anything! Ha!

Uncle Bryan and Aunt Lauren in the waiting room

Michael watched the game while we were waiting

Leslie texted at 10:28 to say he arrived at 10:11pm on December 22, 2011.

Leslie is a MAMA!

The grandparents went back to see him at about 11:15 - they didn't want everyone back there at the same time.

Grammy (my mama) with Mason

The aunts and uncle got to go back around 12:15. I was SO ready to see him and hold him at this point!

Aunt Lindsey and sweet baby Mason :)

Daddy Chris and Aunt LiLi (Lindsay) holding the sweet baby

Seriuosly? Per.Fec.Tion.

Uncle Mick and Aunt Lindsey

My supermodel sister. Seriously. 36 hours of labor and she STILL looks this good.

I knew I would cry. I didn't know that tears would be SPILLING out of my eyes as I watched my nephew getting his bath for the first time. He hated the nurse washing his body and cried, but he loved her washing his hair under the sink.

I knew I'd love him. I didn't know just how much I'd love him until I saw him and held him. He is amazing.

And I knew I loved my sister. She has always been one of my best friends. I didn't realize how PROUD I would be when I walked into her room Thursday afternoon and saw how happy she was. I had no idea that I could love her more as I hugged her and kissed her cheek after she became a Mama. My baby sister is a Mama. I'm crying as I type.

Leslie and Chris are going to be the best parents. I am just so happy and proud and full of joy and love for that little family that all of a sudden has gone from two... to three. Mason is the greatest gift this Christmas. What a blessing to our family.

Welcome to the world, my sweet nephew. I loved you the first minute I knew you were coming.

April 2011

December 22, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mason - Day Two :)

The Barton Family with the Santa serving set we gave Mason for Christmas (he needs it for tonight!)

I LOVE this little hat (but most importantly, this little guy!)

With my favorite little sister and her new little man :)

Nonna (Leslie's MIL) and sweet baby boy - LOVE his hair!

Looking at his MAMA <3

Grammy, her baby, and HER baby

The sweet ring Chris gave Leslie - the birthstones for March (Leslie), April (Chris), and December (Mason... duh) ;)

I love you, Mason Asher Barton!

Christmas Card Link-Up

2011-12-20T12:30:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite bloggers, Kimberly, did a Christmas card link-up yesterday. I decided to join in today, since I didn't have the chance yesterday!

I actually did two different Christmas cards. Since I'm trying to be better with my money and budget/save/coupon, I tried to find deals on cards instead of spending a ton of money. The first deal I found was from Vistaprint - I ended up getting 100 Christmas post cards, envelopes, and over 200 labels - shipped - for under $20. I used a picture from our family vacation to Gatlinburg.

100 wasn't quite enough, so I ended up ordering 10 cards from Zazzle, because I had a $10 credit there. I basically just paid shipping on those cards. For some reason, I can't get the pictre of the card to save so I can show you. I like the picture on the Zazzle card better, but I prefer the quality and layout of the Vistaprint card. At any rate, I bought 110 Christmas cards for $30!

Merry Christmas from the Smith family :) Head over to Kimberly's Korner and link up your Christmas card!

My Style Monday #24- Kids' Link Up!

2011-12-11T21:59:00.000-05:00

Let's face it. You'd much rather see pictures of McKayla and her cute self than me attempting to look decent for work or going out. She just always looks good. So I thought it would be fun to do a My Style Monday link-up for kids! These pictures start back in the summer and continue up through last week.

Shirt and leggings: Dollie & Me (her doll has a matching outfit)

Shoes: Wal-Mart

Necklace: Stella & Dot

Shirt: Target

Jeans: L.E.I. from Wal-Mart

Shoes: Wal-Mart (got for $3 on clearance last year!)

Headband: Kohl's

Shirt & Bow: Pink Llama Shop

Skinny Jeans: Kohl's

Boots: Crazy 8

Ready for Dance class!

Whole outfit: Discount Dance Supply

Shirt: Peebles (also on clearance!)

Leggings: Wal-Mart

Boots: Crazy 8

Bow: Pink Llama Shop

Necklace: The market in Charleston, SC

Dress: Crazy 8

Turkey bow (Thanksgiving Day!): Pink Llama Shop

Shoes & Tights: Wal-Mart

Sweater dress: a department store, but don't remember which?

Turtleneck and leggings: Wal-Mart

Boots: Crazy 8 (can you tell we love these boots?)

Hair Clip: Crazy 8

Locket: ??

Sweater: Target

Skinny Jeans: Tommy Hilfiger

Boots: Crazy 8

Necklace: the market in Charleston, SC

Hairband: Kohl's

I think I may do another MSM with McK's pretty winter dresses - she has too many to add to this post! Link up below to show off your kids' styles!

Have a great week!

Christmas Decorations, Giveaway Winners, and the return of My Style Monday!

2011-12-08T07:03:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday! I have lots to talk about on the blog today! First, I'll announce the wreath giveaway winners. Thanks to Sarah for sponsoring this giveaway and giving away not one, but TWO beautiful wreaths! The two winners are..

Neely and Jessica!

Congrats ladies! E-mail Sarah to claim your prize :)

And making a reappearance next Monday, the 12th is....

Come link up your kids' style! I have really loved some of McK's outfits lately and I thought we could all share some of our kids' favorite outfits (no matter how young or old)!

Yesterday, I showed you our family Christmas tree. So I thought I would show you some of my other decorations today!

I need to hang this mirror, but it hasn't happened yet...

I just took some garland from Wal-Mart and added a strand of lights and some ornaments

Garland, lights, and bows coming down the staircase

McK's favorite decoration is the village in my dining room

St. Nicholas Square Village from Kohl's

My blue and silver dining room tree

LOVE my peacock tree topper!

My little reindeer candy holder on the kitchen counter

Snowflake-themed family Christmas pictures

The outside

and I meant to include this ornament in my Rockettes post the other day!

There is a third tree in our bedroom (in the middle window of the house), but I ran out of steam. I put lights on it, but never decorated it. I also wanted to do a 4th tree in Michael's man cave with all of his sports ornaments. We haven't found the tree yet :) My mantel isn't really decorated for Christmas for three reasons: 1) it is so narrow that I can't fit my garland. We are currently looking for a bigger, nicer mantel; and 2) I still have my fall picture hanging, awaiting our family pictures to come in; and 3) last year I bought SIX matching stocking holders when they were on sale after Christmas - I cannot find them now :-/ Oh well - next year!

Hope you all have a great day. After all, tomorrow is FRIDAY!

Our Family Christmas Tree

2011-12-07T06:52:00.000-05:00

Go enter my giveaway to win a Christmas wreath! It ends today!

I was so excited to decorate for Christmas in our new house! We have three trees, but the fun one is our family tree. Everywhere we go, I insist on buying an ornament to remember our trip!

Here are some of my favorites from this past year:

McKayla's 3rd grade field trip to Monticello

From mine and Michael's cruise to the Bahamas in June

I picked this one in Gatlinburg since M & I went parasailing this past summer

I also got this one in Gatliburg for my sweet Lucy girl :)

And my White House ornament that I get every year

The finished product - now I just need to wrap the presents!

Radio City Christmas Spectacular!

2011-12-06T05:29:00.000-05:00

Have you entered to win one of two beautiful Christmas wreaths that I'm giving away? Go HERE to enter! Tomorrow is the last day!

On November 19th, my Mama, sisters, McKayla, and I drove to Durham, NC to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring... the world famous ROCKETTES!

We left early that morning, since we decided to go to the 11AM show so we could have the rest of the day to shop and eat :)

McKayla and her doll dressed for the Rockettes

Leslie and I ready to go!

I loved how DPAC took a complimentary picture of your group!

I obviously should have turned off my flash, but here is McK in front of the stage

Lauren, Mama, McK, and Leslie waiting for the show to start

With my girl during intermission :)

And of course there was Starbucks and shopping after the show!

If you EVER have the opportunity to see the Rockettes live, DO IT. I loved this show and could go every single year. It was amazing! McK really loved it, too!

These Are the Special Times

2011-12-05T08:05:00.000-05:00

Before I start my post, please go enter my wreath giveaway. My sweet friend, Sarah, has decided to give away not just one... but TWO wreaths! Yay for the Christmas spirit and TWO winners!

This weekend was amazing. It was the epitome of a perfect Christmas-filled weekend. Saturday morning we woke up VERY early to go stand in line to see THE Legendary Santa. I posted about Legendary Santa the first time here. McKayla is the third generation in my family to go see him. The post about her first time there can be found here. He is definitely the real Santa - he even comes down the chimney!

After seeing Santa, McKayla looked around the Children's Museum (where Santa Land is located) and played in "Holiday Village". She also rode the train outside. My mama and Lauren also went to see Santa with us, continuing on the family tradition. We missed Leslie, who wasn't feeling well. I can't believe next year SHE will have a baby sitting on Santa's lap!

After we left Santa Land, we headed to Starbucks, Kohls, and Olive Garden. The perfect day if you ask me ;)

Michael's parents came by for about an hour Saturday evening to visit and see our Christmas decorations.

Sunday afternoon was our little town's Christmas parade. It was mostly fire trucks, bands, and a million little pageant winners (who knew there were so many here?!), but McKayla really enjoyed it!

We finished off our Christmas celebrations on Sunday night by reading a chapter out of Miracle on 34th Street and baking peanut butter blossoms. It was really the perfect Christmas-filled weekend. These are the special times - the memories I will always remember!

In these moments, moments of our lives

All the world is ours

And this world is so right

You and I sharing this time together

Sharing the same dream

As the time goes by we will find

The Legendary Santa after coming down the chimney

These are the special times

Times we'll remember

These are the precious times

The tender times we'll hold in our hearts forever

These are the sweetest times

These times together

And through it all, one thing will always be true

The special times are the times I share with you

McKayla talking to the Snow Queen

With each moment, moment passing by

We'll make memories that will last all our lives

As you and I travel through time together

Living this sweet dream

And every day we can say

McKayla with Santa (C-Mor photo)

These are the special times

Times we'll remember

These are the precious times

The tender times we'll hold in our hearts forever

These are the sweetest times

These times together

And through it all, one thing will always be true

The special times are the times I share with you

My sweet little family <3

These tender moments

When heaven is so close

These are the moments that I know

Lauren, Mama, McKayla & Kirsten, me, Michael

These are the special times

Times we'll remember

These are the precious times

The tender times we'll hold in our hearts forever

These are the sweetest times

These times together

McK riding the train

And through it all, one thing will always be true

The special times are the times I share

Are the times we share, are the times I share... with you

Michael & Lindsey

Special times I share with you

With my girl and the doll that I got from Santa 16 years ago!

At the parade

Lyrics from Celine Dion's "These Are the Special Times"

Santa pictures from my Mama's Facebook page :)

Official picture taken by the Children's Museum of Richmond

Back With A Giveaway!

2011-12-02T10:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, friends! I know I have been neglecting my blog (and yours), but I promise I've been busy. I hope to catch you up (and myself) in the next week or two before things get REALLY busy!

Today I'm coming back with a bang and announcing an awesome giveaway just in time for the holidays!

A few months ago, I had my friend, Sarah, make a wreath for my door - and I chose Panther blue and black!

Didn't she pick out the cutest ribbons?! I love it and it gets SO many compliments!

Today, Sarah from growing, laughing and loving in life has offered up one of her beautiful wreaths to one of my followers! It is perfect for your Christmas and holiday decorations!

This is a sneak peak of the wreath's ribbons and bow!

Sarah is also offering 15% off to my readers. If you place an order on etsy, just put in the code 'Lindsey2011' for your 15% discount! Sadly, Sarah's etsy shop is a little incomplete because of some computer issues, but she hopes to have some pictures up by Monday!

To enter to win a gorgeuos wreath by my sweet friend:

~Be a public follower of my blog

AND

Sarah's blog (Mandatory)

~Tweet about this giveaway (1 extra)

~Heart Sarah's etsy shop (1 extra)

The giveaway will close on Wednesday, December 7th at 7pm and I will announce the winner on Thursday! Good luck!

For Sale: Shabby Apple Dress & Aryn K. Blazer from Piperlime

2011-11-20T11:02:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! I'm going to try this "blog sale" thing and see how it works!

I have two items that I have recently purchased but cannot use. Sadly, I LOVE both of these items, but neither one fit me quite right and I waited JUST long enough where I can't return them. Of course!

The first item is a dress from Shabby Apple : -- Dress SOLD!

It is brand new, never worn (except the time I tried it on). If you click the link above, it will take you to the site for all of the details. It is a size small, but fits closer to a medium. I really needed a petite and some more room in the hips! The dress is $86, plus shipping and tax. I would like $60 (shipping included in that price). --SOLD!

The next item is an Aryn K. blazer, purchased from Piperlime.

This is also brand new, never worn, with tags! It is a size small and fits true to size. I really love it, it just doesn't work on me. I bought it thinking I could wear it with black slacks to the office or with cute jeans and boots for Christmas events. It is an $89 blazer, currently on sale for $63, plus tax. I would like $40 (including shipping).

Leave me a comment or e-mail me and let me know if you are interested in either of these items!

Something I'll Never Forget

2011-11-18T13:36:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, y'all! I feel like it has been an EXTREMELY long week (maybe because this is my first full week in a few weeks) and I was SO happy to welcome Friday! I ended up having to come into the office today, but I got to wear jeans and get Starbucks on the way, so it's turning out to be a pretty good day!

McKayla had her first cooking lesson last night. She has baked with me before, but I'm going to get her started in the kitchen. McK loves to play restaurant and pretend to cook, so I figured why not? We made chicken parm and she LOVED it. We put on our matching aprons and went to town :)

After dinner, we decided to....

Put up the tree! Our original plan was to just get the decorations out of storage, but McK's dance class was cancelled and we had a free night. I cannot wait to wrap presents to go underneath! And put up the other trees, of course.

After cooking and decorating the tree, McK looked up at me and said, "Lindsey, this is something I will never forget." Seriously, is she not the sweetest child ever?!

McK before school - 11.11.11

I am SO thankful that McKayla enjoys and appreciates these times together. I know I do!

Common Cents

2011-11-16T11:29:00.000-05:00

Hi, my name is Lindsey and I'm a SHOPAHOLIC. Anyone who knows me knows that I spend entirely too much time and money shopping. I'm not prejudiced when it comes to shopping - I'll buy anything. If it's pretty or cute or looks useful, it's in my shopping cart.
I tried a budget once and it lasted about four months. I'm not so sure a budget writing down every single thing I buy is going to work for me. Also, how do you add in birthday gifts and other random things that happen?

So, I'm trying to just watch what I spend. The online shopping has pretty much stopped for me. I had found myself purchasing things that didn't look right on me and I didn't send them back soon enough to get a credit. It's also a pain to return something - something I didn't need to begin with!

Here's where you come into play. I want all of your tips and tricks. If you have a good coupon site (especially for groceries), send it along! Leave me your favorite tips and ideas on saving money in the comment section. I want to become more of a saver and MUCH LESS of a spender!

I found moneysavingmom.com today and you can get 140 FREE address labels for the holidays (and only pay $3.50 for shipping)! DONE! Now just waiting on my Christmas cards :)

I already showed you what I want for Christmas from my husband. I've asked my family for gift cards to places I already shop and things I know I'll use - Starbucks, iTunes, and Barnes & Noble for my nook.

I'm trying to do better about taking my lunch to work. I'm also trying to replace my grande caramel macchiatos and Starbucks with tall drinks instead. Any other ideas? Help me out!

All I Want for Christmas...

2011-11-12T03:40:00.000-05:00

When we moved into our house, we did not have to buy one single piece of furniture. I would have LIKED to get a new bedroom set, but we decided to not buy it because it wasn't a need. After all, we were buying our new home...

I did purchase two chairs for the "formal" side of our living room and a white bookshelf and headboard for McKayla's bedroom (I painted an old dresser and end table white to match). We already had two sofa sets, a nice table for the kitchen, and we got a bedroom set from Michael's mom and a dining room set from his dad (both were sitting in storage and not being used, so we took advantage of that!).

Now that Christmas is upon is, the ONLY thing I want is an entertainment center for the living room. I don't say "only" because it's small or inexpensive or little, but because I'm not asking for anything else in hopes that I'll get it :)

Isn't this a lovely... wall? ;)

I realize that I could put up pictures or SOMETHING, but I really wanted to wait and see if we could purchase the entertainment center at the end of this year before I started putting holes all over the freshly-painted wall. If not, I'll do something to it!

This is what I'm loving and hoping to get (from Roomstore Furniture)!

I LOVE the look of this one! It would cover about 2/3 of the wall length-wise and stop 2 and a half feet from the ceiling, which I think is perfect! I also love the color and the adjustable shelves.

Michael doesn't want to call it my Christmas present, since it is something we will all use. He hates the thought of furniture as a gift, but I am ALL FOR IT! This is the one thing I think our living room needs (I promise the rest of the room is more furnished and decorated - ha!) and would LOVE to get this for Christmas!

What do y'all think?

Thankful: Learning from My Daughter

2011-11-10T10:17:00.000-05:00

McKayla and her class were tasked with writing Thanksgiving limericks, which were printed in the local newspaper with each child's name. All of the children wrote about football and a yummy Thanksgiving meal... except mine. Each limerick was witty or cute or smart or funny in it's own way. But McKayla's? Was extra special to me. I am so proud of her and wanted to share her writing with you.

Thanksgiving Limerick

By McKayla Smith

I'm thankful for trees, I'm thankful for bees.
I'm thankful for you and me.
Thank you for your love, Lord.
I love you Lord.
I'm thankful for everything.

This step-parent stuff is hard on me. HARD. There are many tears shed over this child and there are times when I wonder how in the world I will make it until she turns 18. Reading this in the paper was exactly what I needed. McKayla is the most precious thing in my world and I am constantly learning from her - much more, I'm sure, than she is learning from me!

Thank you, God, for bringing this child into my life. She is the most beautiful and amazing person I have ever known. And I love her with all of my heart.

My Style Monday - My First Half Marathon

2011-11-07T11:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday! Although I really wasn't ready for another week (I'm still tired from the weekend!), it is here!

I haven't done My Style Monday in a while, but I had to share with you my race day outfit!

Zebra headband: Bic Band

Shirt: Nike (the back says, "But You Will")

Capris: Danskin

Shoes: Brooks Ghosts for kiddies :)

Socks: Thorlo

Watch: Garmin

ID: Road ID

Oh! And you have to see my new B-L-I-N-G!

Isn't she pretty? Best necklace ever :)

The Road to 13.1

2011-11-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe that this is my last post before I leave for Savannah and my very first half marathon in the morning.

From July 18th - November 3rd, I have:

Completed 44 Runs

Run 196.27 Miles

12 Miles was my longest run

9:24 was my fastest pace

I ran my first 8K in October and my first 10K in August

I ran in the heat, the rain, and the cold

I'm honestly not sure if I'm ready for the race on Saturday. I've slacked off in the last 3 weeks. I have only done a few long runs and a few short ones. I have gained a few pounds instead of losing a few like I had hoped. But for better or worse, whether or not Rachel has to piggy back me across that finish line (she promised me she would), I will have a medal for completing a HALF MARATHON on Saturday. And I'm pretty proud of that.

My Beloved is Mine and I Am His

2011-11-02T12:27:00.001-04:00

"My beloved is mine and I am his."

Song of Solomon 2:16

I have this verse framed in our bedroom and I love it. I'm not sure if it's pre-race emotions or being totally stressed out or just the fact that he's awesome, but I am really feeling thankful that I have my husband right now (and always).

On our trip to Gatlinburg this summer

I tend to take Michael for granted sometimes. And then I'll go to the car on a chilly morning and back out of the garage - without having to scrape the windshield or wait for it to defrost - because he works hard and provides our family with a beautiful home.

A quick kiss in our old home on our Christmas Eve

Last night I came in from my long commute from work to a home-cooked meal made by my husband - BBQ chicken, mac & cheese, and peas (yes! he even fixed something green!). Then he even offered to help clean up.

Right after our new home was "delivered" to our lot

The amount of love and support Michael has offered while training for my half marathon this weekend has amazed me. There is no shortage of excitement for me or pride in my accomplishments. I'm sure he believes I could run TO Savannah if I set my mind to it.

At my sister's house in March

I have been so stressed out the last few weeks. There has been a lot going on at work, at home, and in our family. His response to my complaining every single time has been "How can I help?"

At a wedding earlier this year

Now don't get me wrong. Michael drives me crazy sometimes. He leaves dirty clothes EVERYWHERE. He is completely obsessed with his sports. He makes up songs to everything (which I admit, is cute, when it's about me).

Mother's Day 2011

Our marriage is not always sunshine and roses. It is work every. single. day. But you now what? It is WORTH IT. He is worth it. He and I may not be perfect, but we are perfect for each other. I am SO grateful to have him as my husband. I am so proud to be his wife. And pretty thankful that he puts up with me ;-)

Marriage is all about...

2011-11-01T05:45:00.000-04:00

Compromise!

Michael brought these home one day, since I like chocolate and he likes vanilla. It's the little things :-)

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T05:00:00.001-04:00

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I'm honestly not a big Halloween person. I don't do many Halloween decorations (I tend to decorate for fall) and I could care less about pumpkin carving. But this year, we did more Halloween things and I had a lot of fun with it!

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Wednesday night the 26th, we took McKayla to a fall festival. She wanted to dress as her American Girl doll, Kirsten.

McKayla and Kirsten :)

McKayla, Grammy, and Kirsten

Quick family shot before heading to the festival!

McKayla actually won best costume for her age group :)

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Friday night, Michael and I were invited to a Halloween party at our friends' house. They had everything set up so cute!

Honey and me - I was an underdressed kitty cat and Michael was the 5th grade version of himself. Apparently this is what happens when I'm cheap (the ears and tail were actually from one of McK's dance costumes) and he decides on his costume 30 minutes before we leave!

Oh look! It's us again! No seriously - our friends Ryan and Kaitlin went as... Michael and Lindsey Smith! :) Kaitlin even printed up season ticket passes with our names and pictures on them! It was actually pretty awesome.

Marianne and Chris went as John Edwards and Rielle Hunter - pretty funny if you ask me!

Eric and Jessica aka Brangelina and some of their offspring - they were voted best costume of the night!

Our awesome hosts, Robbie and Maria and their son, Liam. I LOVED Maria's costume and eye makeup - it was amazing! (I also have them to thank for the pictures - I borrowed them from Maria's FB page!)

It was actually the most fun Halloween I've had in a long time AND I get to cross another thing off of my 27 While 27 list! "Get a Halloween costume and go to a party" :)

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Happy Halloween, everyone!

Book Club Friday - The Hunger Games Trilogy

2011-10-28T07:28:00.000-04:00

Happy FRIDAY! These last few weeks have been SO busy and next week will be no different, but I am looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow and the Panthers game on Sunday!

I haven't participated in the Book Club link-up in a while, so I thought I'd tell you about one of my new favorite series - The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins!

images via

I had heard about this series, but didn't know what it was about. One night, after seeing how inexpensive these books were on my nook, I asked Twitter if I should buy them. The overwhelming, unanimous response was YES!!

After reading the very first chapter of the first book, "The Hunger Games", I wasn't sure if I'd like it because it didn't seem like something I'd normally read. Here is a quick overview from bn.com:

Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place.

I am so glad I stuck with it, because I LOVED it. Every single word of every single page! I quickly moved on to the second book, "Catching Fire", and really enjoyed that book as well. The third book, "Mockingjay", was my least favorite, but redeemed itself in the end!

If you need something to read this weekend, I definitely recommend this series. And there is a BONUS! It has been made into a movie in theaters March 23rd!

Have a great weekend!

Gatlinburg, TN - August 12-16, 2011

2011-10-27T06:00:00.002-04:00

Yes, you read that date correctly. I am just now catching up and posting about our summer vacation to Gatlinburg! Michael and I had gone on a cruise to the Bahamas/trip to Florida in June, so this was our family vacation. My mama even braved it and went along for the ride :)

We stayed in one of our timeshare options - it was a neat little two-bedroom condo.

Us in front of our home for the week

I loved the master bedroom!

Michael and McKayla relaxing in the living area

McKayla and Grammy shared the room downstairs :)

Our first order of business was to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Bubba Gump's!

A shrimp po boy is my FAVORITE meal there!

Grammy and McKayla ready to eat!

After dinner, we did a little shopping and played putt-putt (the first of... three times? on this trip!)

McKayla's only goal was to hit the ball - she didn't care at all how many times it took!

The second day, we went to the pool, then got ready to go back out. This time we did the sky lift, which was McKayla's first choice of things to do.

Hubsy and me on the lift

The Smith Family on top of the world :)

Grammy and Macadoodle

Love this picture my mama took of McK!

Hanging out with some of the grizzlies

I think we had Hard Rock Cafe for dinner this night, then I'm pretty sure we played another round of putt-putt and did some 3-D ride. And ate ice cream ;)

The next day we spent a few hours at the Christmas shoppe... oh my word. I spent more money there than anywhere else on the trip! I LOVE that place! Then Michael and McK went to the pool while Mama and I just hung out. The best part of this trip was RELAXING - something we rarely do!

The last day, we went to dinner at Olive Garden (my all-time fave), then to a show at the Comedy Barn. Michael and McKayla loved it. It wasn't my favorite thing, but I did enjoy the cotton candy!

Our family on the balcony before we left for dinner and the show

I did love how they invited all the kids on-stage to dance before the second half!

We really had a fun trip!

Lucy Girl

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday!! I am so excited that we are halfway through the week! I have thrown a bunch of emotional posts your way recently, so I thought I'd ease up on the tears and emotions and introduce you to my other little girl, my cat, Lucy!

I got my first apartment in October 2005 and quickly discovered how much I enjoyed my freedom! I also discovered how quiet it can be when you live by yourself. I wanted to get a pet and started thinking about different options. I'd done the fish thing in college, so I knew that was out of the question. After briefly considering a dog, I decided to get a cat because I was gone a lot on the weekends. Although I'd never really been around many cats, I thought I'd give it a try.

I decided to adopt a kitten from Cat's Cradle in Richmond, VA. At the time, it was $90 to adopt a cat and it included the first vet visit, all of the cat's shots, and spaying/neutering. It actually ended up being cheaper to adopt than to pay all of those vet bills!

I went to PetSmart (where they took the foster cats) to pick out my kitten a few days before Christmas. I really wanted a little, little kitten, but they only had four month old cats. There were only two girls and one boy cat left, and I knew I wanted a girl so I could name her Lucy. That left me two, almost identical cats from which to choose. I ended up putting a hold on "Angel", saying I'd pick her up on December 27th after I got back from Christmas at my Mama's.

"Angel" quickly became Lucy. She was (and still is) a pretty stand-offish cat to almost everyone but me. Lucy mainly likes people that are laying or sitting down. But she loves me all the time :)

This cat LOVES the tub! She sits with me every time I take a bubble bath!

See?

I'm not even kidding.

She's not thrilled about her Panthers jersey...

....but she's so dang cute in it!

Lucy loves to find a nice, sunny spot

And check out the view from the tallest kitchen cabinet

She invites all of her friends to dinner

She loves to curl up on my bed

And steal her mommy's heart :)

The Perfect Day

2011-10-25T05:08:00.000-04:00

Do you ever have one of those days? One of those days that goes by way too fast and it's over before it even started? A day that you wish you could freeze in time and relive over and over again? That was my Sunday.

I woke up at 8am with Michael and McKayla both watching me sleep. He was getting ready to leave for the Panthers game with a friend and she wanted to get into bed with me. So he kissed us goodbye and McK curled up beside me and we cuddled and talked for an hour.

I fully intended to spend the entire day on the sofa in our PJs, so we loaded our arms to the brim with board games and puzzles and down the stairs we went.

I did have a little cleaning up to do from the baby shower, but then we sat down and ate breakfast. After that, it was time to get down to business.

We played LIFE, which is one of mine and McK's favorite games. It's Michael's least favorite, so we try to play it while he is gone. As silly as this sounds, I was actually pretty proud of McKayla's "Life" choices. She went to college, paid off her school loans as soon as she could, was thrilled over "having babies", and even chose having family physicals over buying a big screen television! We had so much fun playing the game and actually pretending like we were the people. We named our "kids" and decided which places on the board were our homes. And somehow during the course of the game, I even became a princess:

Didn't you know? Princesses wear no makeup, no contacts, wear PJs all day, and don't brush their hair ;)

But don't worry... McK got to play a little dress-up, too. Except after about five episodes of Say Yes to the Dress, she wanted to be the BRIDE:

Don't you love the idea of getting married in pink kitty jammies??

Then we had a fantastic lunch of leftover shower food: ham biscuits, pigs in a blanket, shrimp, tomatoes, cheese and crackers... YUM :)

We did three puzzles, watched the football game, played Guess Who a few times, had tacos for dinner. We cuddled on the sofa, told each other how much we love each other... you know. All the things that make a day perfect. While eating tacos, McKayla looked at me and said, "Lindsey, I could not have asked for something better than you. You're so nice." I melted.

She was SO proud of completing this 300 piece puzzle!

Then she asked for my phone and walked into the other room. This is what I had on my phone when she gave it back to me:

Oh my goodness. Be still my heart. This child has turned my world upside down in the best way possible.

I was pretty upset that I wasn't going to the Panthers game because Michael was taking a friend. But let me tell you what. If the Panthers had gone to the SUPER BOWL, I would rather have this perfect day with my girl. It was one that I will never forget.

Leslie's Baby Shower - 10.22.11

2011-10-24T06:00:00.002-04:00

I'm going to warn you before I even begin. This is going to be an overly emotional post with entirely too many pictures.

My favorite picture of the day! Mama, Lauren, Leslie, and me

Okay, moving on....

Saturday, October 22nd was Leslie's first baby shower for my sweet little nephew. I pretty much cried the entire week every time I did something in preparation for the shower. I bought decorations - and cried. I looked for pictures - and cried. I wrote a note to the little fella - and cried. And I may have sat in my tub after running ten miles and cried my eyes out as I thought about my baby sister's baby shower. So I'm just going to inundate you with pictures and explain them along the way :)

Cutting cheese for our cheese platter

McKayla wanted to help make the pigs in a blanket :)

The buffet in the dining room - those little pom pom things were a pain. A PAIN.

Favors, vases I put together, Leslie & Chris's wedding photo, candles, and the plates/napkins/cutlery

The food! We ordered the cake and ham biscuits, then made the rest

Ham biscuits, pigs in a blanket, spinach dip, sausage dip, cream puffs, chicken salad, shrimp, banana nut muffins, veggie tray, cheese platter, brownies, marshmallow crescent rolls, and peanuts

Lauren had a great idea to do a picture tree

I found pictures from Leslie & Chris's relationship, starting in high school, continuing to their engagement pictures, wedding day, then pictures of Leslie's pregnancy - I LOVED this!

Another thing I really loved! I found this at Michael's. It's a clothesline with little clothespins that hold letters to the baby. I had my daddy, Chris, and his dad do them and all of the people at the shower. It was a surprise to Leslie.

Leslie reading the note her husband wrote to their future son

Lauren made this awesome diaper cake!

Leslie's excitement and reaction definitely made it worth the hard work!

Aunt Joy arrives with the balloons! She, our grandma, and a friend helped host!

McKayla gives her cousin a book (one of Leslie's favorites and McKayla's!)

This all happened before the shower even started!

Lauren and I with our cousins Katie and Ashley

My grandfather's cousins, my aunt, and me

My Aunt Nancy adding her note to Baby Barton

Present time! Mama, Lauren, McKayla, and I bought Leslie her car seat

Leslie's mother-in-law, "Nonna"

Our friends Sidney and Cory (who helped host the shower)

Sisters and McKayla <3

Lauren, Leslie, Lindsey

The day was perfect. My nephew now has an entire wardrobe and lots of other goodies! He is going to be so blessed and so loved. I hope that Leslie enjoyed the shower and will remember this day forever!

My Heart Overflows

2011-10-21T10:12:00.000-04:00

I have been an emotional basketcase lately. I have been so busy with work and life and training for my first half marathon in two weeks. Currently, my sister's baby shower is taking up a lot of my time and I was stressing about it for a while. But today I woke up and realized that tomorrow we are hosting my baby sister's baby shower. Say what? MY BABY SISTER. The one I held and read to and shared a room with for 15 years. My little sister is having a baby. I am so in love with this little man already. And the shower has all of a sudden turned from one massive to-do list into something I am ready and excited to host!

My heart overflows with love today - especially for my sisters.

This was right after we found out Leslie was pregnant

Waiting for Baby Barton to kick Aunts Lauren and Lindsey

We have been through all the ups and downs of life and family together. My sisters are the greatest two women I know and the best two friends I could ever ask for. One of my very first posts ever was about being an "L" (Lauren, Lindsey, Leslie) and included the poem at the end of this post.

I cannot wait to hold this sweet baby boy, this extentsion of my sister. I cannot wait to hold him, love him, spoil him, and pray that, one day, he will have an awesome relationship with his future brothers/sisters - one just like his mommy and aunts.

I love you, sweet baby boy. And I love you, my sweet sisters, my best friends.

i carry your heart with me by E. E. Cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it inmy heart)i am never without it(anywherei go you go,my dear; and whatever is doneby only me is your doing,my darling)i fearno fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i wantno world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)and it's you are whatever a moon has always meantand whatever a sun will always sing is youhere is the deepest secret nobody knows(here is the root of the root and the bud of the budand the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which growshigher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Run Like A Girl 8K

2011-10-20T07:29:00.000-04:00

I've been pretty absent from the blogging world lately. I've just had a lot going on this ~~week~~ month! Instead of sitting down to write/read blogs during my "free time" (i.e. time I should be folding laundry, cleaning the house, running), I've been sitting on my butt and watching reality television. What can I say? It sucks you in, people!

Three friends and I got up really early Sunday morning (10.16.11) to head to Goochland, VA for the "Run Like A Girl" race that was being sponsored to raise money and awareness for ovarian cancer. I was a little bummed we didn't get shirts that said "Run Like A Girl", but we did get this visor:

You can ignore the funky hair and no make-up post race :)

The ride to and from the race was so much fun. It took us about an hour and a half to get there and the time was filled with plenty of girl talk!

Alicia and I staying warm in the car before the race - it was chily out!

Sidney and Ruthie waiting it out

Before the race - Alicia, Sidney, Ruthie, and me

I actually wasn't nervous before this race, which really surprised me. I started out with Ruthie and Sidney, but quickly realized I wouldn't be able to keep their pace. I slowed down, and I'm glad I did, because I literally had nothing left at the end of this race. Which I guess means I gave my all!

According to my Garmin, I ran 5.01 miles in 47:06. I checked my watch at 3 miles and I was around 27 minutes, which is definitely my fast three miles ever.

Here we are after the race (not sure what I'm doing with my foot here)

According to the race results, I was 4th in my age division (out of 11) and 61 overall (out of 142).

I'm pretty happy with that! My official time was 47:08, which means I ran at a 9:29 pace.

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And we stopped at Starbucks on the way home, so I was a happy girl :)

Surprise!

2011-10-14T09:13:00.000-04:00

Happy FRIDAY!! I am so excited that the weekend has finally arrived! I have some fun plans, including a trip to the winery with my girlfriends and the Run Like A Girl 8K on Sunday!

I got a big surprise last night. I left to take McKayla to dance class and got home about 10 minutes later. When I left my husband was here. When I got back, his truck was gone and his dad's truck was here. The house was empty. About ten minutes later they pull back up with this on the back of the truck:

An elliptical!!

(Please excuse the mess of the not-yet-finished man cave)

I have been saying for two years that one day I'd love to have an elliptical! Earlier this week, I saw where one of his friends was selling a like-new elliptical and I joked and said he should buy it...

And he did! I was so excited :)

I've already done my first workout, completed this morning! Thanks honey!

Our New House: Master Bedroom & Bathroom

2011-10-13T12:52:00.000-04:00

I hope y'all aren't tired of my house posts. I've tried to scatter them since we moved into our new house back in June. If you missed them, you can check out McKayla's room (she did a vlog), kitchen, bathroom, and front of the house reveals.

Today, I'm moving into the "master suite" :)

My bathroom is one of my favorite rooms in the house - because I LOVE my tub. Michael did NOT want to "waste money" on something I would "never use", but begging ensued and I got my tub. I probably use my tub 3-5 times a week. Seriously, I spend HOURS in there and it was so worth the money!

Tub and sinks :) The shower is to the left of the tub (thought I got it in the pictures - oops). And the toilet is in a little corner across from the sinks beside a closet. Exciting, I know.

Seriously. My favorite place. The letters say "M&L", just in case you can't read it because of the vase.

This is the view of the bedroom from the hallway door. No, we do not have a headboard. I bought McKayla new bedroom furniture instead of us :) I also need curtains.

The four pictures over the bed are from our wedding day.

From the corner of the room. Michael's closet would be to my right, my closet behind me.

Lucy had to be included, since she thinks this is HER room. She rarely leaves.

Another wedding day picture and a framed Bible verse that says "My beloved is mine and I am his. Song of Solomon 2:16"

This is our empty little corner right now that just holds Lucy's toy basket and a small ottoman with storage (and quite often it also holds the ironing board, which I took down earlier - and not for the picture!) At Christmas, this will be for a Christmas tree (this is the center window at the top of the house). After Christmas, I'd like to make this a pretty reading corner. Add an end table, lamp, and chair. Then I can actually use the ottoman :)

I love our tray ceiling!

The room still needs... something. New furniture (especially a headboard) would be nice, but I'd rather buy a few pieces for downstairs first. I know I need curtains and to fix that little corner by the window, but I need more on the walls. You may have noticed that McKayla does not appear in any of the pictures. I really wanted our bedroom to be a special, sweet place for just the two of us. So we have just pictures of the two of us. No worries, though, she is found ALL OVER the rest of the house ;)

Baby Barton Update - 29 Weeks & Mary Kay Giveaway Winner!

2011-10-12T06:00:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe that we are in the last few months of Leslie's pregnancy! Her first shower (the one we are hosting) is coming up in two and a half weeks! I've been busy addressing invitations, ordering the cake and other goodies, and looking for shower decorations. So excited!

26 weeks

Leslie looks fantastic. She's only gained about 16 or 17 pounds and it's all in her belly. She is the cutest pregnant gal I've ever seen!

27 weeks

Feeling baby boy move is the most amazing thing ever! It is so amazing to feel him moving in my sister's belly. I am in awe!

28 weeks

Leslie and her husband, Chris, have picked out baby boy's name, but it's a secret - so I can't tell you yet! I can't wait to show you nursery and shower pics :)

And now for the winner of the Mary Kay giveaway! I put all of the entries on a spreadsheet and came up with 49 entries. Then I had McKayla pick a number between 1 and 49 and she chose....

Meghan from The Perfect Compilation Tape :)

E-mail me, sweet friend! Congrats!

Twelve Miles

2011-10-10T12:50:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday! I am SO excited that today is Columbus Day and I have the day OFF!

( I hope you do, too! Have the day off, that is.)

Yesterday we went to the Panthers game in Charlotte, so I am so happy to be at home today instead of having to do my 3 hour commute and work!

What am I doing today, you ask? (Well, let's just pretend you asked). I woke up at 6am, which is a big deal considering I woke up at 5:30 to run Saturday and 6:00 on Sunday to head to the game.

And I ran. Twelve miles. TWELVE.

This is the longest run I've done to date to prepare for the Rock N Roll Savannah Half Marathon in less than a month. Not only did I run it, but I did it by myself. I was really worried about doing a long run by myself, since the longest run I've done alone is 7 miles, but it actually wasn't too bad. Only 1.1 more miles, and I would have run a half marathon! I am SO proud of myself. I have a lot more confidence in my ability to run and actually RACE this half marathon.

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My first long run (8 miles), I ran 10 minutes, then walked 2 minutes. For my next three long runs (9, 10.5, and 8 miles), I ran 12 minutes, than walked 2 minutes. This time I ran 13 minutes, then walked 2 minutes. This worked really well for me. I may try to do 15 minutes, then walk 2 minutes for the race. We shall see.

I drank a whole bottle of water and ate an entire packet of chomps.

Like my Panthers coozie? It actually didn't bother me to run with it. The coozie kept the drink cold and my hands warm (since it was chilly at the beginning of the run) and helped me keep my grip!

Dean Karnazes really pulled me through in some of the tougher times with my favorite running saying:

"Run With Your Heart"

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So anyway, I'm really proud of my run and excited about the half marathon!

What do I have planned for the rest of the day?

Painting my nails and toes...

This one is called "Sample Sale"

And catching up on some of my favorite shows!

Anyone else think it's creepy that they're all holding hands?

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Have you seen this? DEFINITELY my new favorite show!

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AND I'm waiting for my Mary Kay order to come in! It's not too late to enter my $25 Mary Kay giveaway! Ends tomorrow!

Hope y'all have a good day :)

Why I Don't Want A Funeral

2011-10-07T05:00:00.000-04:00

Well, did that title catch your attention?! No, I'm not sick or dying. I hope I don't for a long time. But when I do, I don't want a traditional funeral.

Every time we go to a funeral, I reiterate my feelings and wishes to my husband. I just don't want one. Give me five minutes at the graveside, then go home.

All of the Twitter and Facebook comments about Steve Jobs has me thinking about funerals again. And it just makes me even more adament not to have a funeral. If someone is going to stand around and talk about how great I was, I'd really rather them come visit me and tell me NOW. Ya know, while I'm here to hear it.

Also? I don't want people eating after my funeral. I mean, they can obviously eat, but not all together like they're throwing a big shindig. If they want to eat to celebrate my life, take me out to dinner now so I can enjoy it, too. And I'm not even joking.

Funerals are expensive. If someone (probably my husband or child) is going to shell out that much money to bury me, I'd rather them take me on a vacation or buy me diamond earrings or a pair of Christian Louboutins. Because really, I don't care about a casket. Or if I'm in one at all. If it's cheaper to cremate me, I'm cool with that, too.

Finally, I do not want an open casket anything. If I'm alive and well, dressed up for an evening out on the town or if I'm looking really nice for work, feel free to tell me how good I look. Tell me you love my dress or my shoes or that my hair looks nice. But I absoloutely do not want people looking at me in my casket talking about how good I look. Because that just doesn't seem right to me.

I hope everyone told Steve Jobs what a visionary he was while he was still here to hear it. It makes me sad to think how popular/important people become after they die - that goes for people who are famous or just regular folks like me. And if you don't like me now, while I'm alive, please don't come to my five minute graveside.

*This post is not meant to offend anyone. They are just my own wishes and opinions! And I know I'm being sort of sarcastic, but really... I'm serious.*

We have grass and a sidewalk!

2011-10-06T05:00:00.002-04:00

Hi! It's THURSDAY! :)

I just realized that the last time I gave you an update on the outside of the house, it looked like this:

So here is the house now....(forgive my poor phone pics)

We have our driveway, sidewalk, and grass! :)

Close-up

Still some work to do, but I think it's lookin' good! :)

Don't forget to enter to win $25 to use towards Mary Kay products HERE!