Fabulous Fall + Weekend Recap

It's the best time of year again, Fall! And here we are in humid, dreary, rainy Texas. Hopefully this rain brings on a cold front for a couple of days -- I'm dying to open a window and let that crisp cool air fill my house. Last week I pulled out my fall decor, and over the weekend I got around to putting it up. I just love how cozy a few pumpkins, autumn colored leaves, and a seasonal candle can make the house feel.

Over the weekend we hit up the grocery store hoping to find some pumpkins, but we only found the wanna-be squash section. Maybe we'll be able to hunt down some pumpkins this weekend!  

Saturday morning we bitter-sweetly shopped for a new washer & dryer. Our dryer went out after a good six years of drying... that dryer will be missed (considering the set was only $200 total!). We, surprisingly, didn't spend too much time shopping for the set - kind of picked the first reasonable set we saw and we both liked it. I think I spent more time "driving" baby B around Lowe's like NASCAR while he screamed "DADADADA" and clapped than the actual shopping part. I do love our new set though... like I said, bitter-sweet. 

Then, later that evening our friends stopped by for the A&M/Arkansas game. The hubs threw together some buffalo-chicken blue-cheese-stuffed meatballs and my girlfriend made some hot pizza dip. We, appropriately, stuffed our faces during the game, then afterwards played a few games of darts and corn hole. Not to toot my own horn, but my dart game was on point. :)

Sunday was spent running some other errands, watching more football, and playing endlessly with our little man - which is always the best way to spend our weekends. 

And because it's Monday again, here's a print for you to enjoy. And I hope your Monday is in fact, just what this print says!

I hope y'all had a great weekend, and have a wonderful week ahead.

Weekend Happenin's

This weekend was jam packed with football! And appropriately so, I (finally) decided to update the chalkboard, which doesn't get much love anymore.

Saturday I hit the grocery store bright & early with my little shopping buddy. It was my first time as the 'Crazy Coupon Lady'... I think I upset a couple of people in line behind me, and I probably should've been more organized, but it felt pretty damn good to save $10! I'm already getting excited for next week's grocery trip... What can I say, this girl loves a good deal / savings!

Later that day, one of my very best friends stopped by just to hang out. We did a little grilling, a little drinking, and a lot of catching up. We were even hoping for a better game than last week for the hogs... but not this time.

Sunday we ate pancakes & bacon for breakfast lunch, lounged around, and - you guessed it - watched more football! For the second week in a row, the Cowboys nearly gave my husband a heart attack, but they made it out with the most penalties I feel like I've ever witnessed in one game and a win. Surprisingly, baby B doesn't have much Cowboys gear... I have yet to find an infant onesie/shirt that isn't totally lame-o, so if you've seen any cute ones, then let me know!!

Overall, it was a pretty laid back weekend at our house... except for when 3:00am rolls around. That's when a certain someone decides to wake up and party in his crib. Every. Single. Night. For the past few nights. I feel like another teething monster may be making an appearance soon. Pray for us.

So, this morning I'm thoroughly enjoying my Grande Nonfat Caramel Macchiato. Happy Monday, everyone!

Pinterest Foodie

Now that the hubs and I are able to have a sit down dinner (most nights), we decided it is easiest to plan out our dinners and shop for those specific meals weekly. We used to grocery shop for two weeks, but we ended up throwing a lot of stuff away since nothing was really planned out and found ourselves eating-out or ordering-in more. Our weekly dinner plan looks a little something like this:

Monday - Fish
Tuesday - Pork, steak, or beef
Wednesday - Pasta
Thursday - Chicken
Friday - Pizza and wine
Saturday & Sunday - We'll probably grab lunch or dinner somewhere on Saturday just to get out and about & eat leftovers, and Sunday we'll grill or make finger foods for easy all-day-long snacking :)

Instead of doing the same dish on the same day each week, we only do the same protein (except for Tuesday - that tends to switch up) and figure out which meal we want to do with that protein. This allows for us to still have a plan, but with some variety. So, before we head out to the grocery store, we figure out what meals we want with which protein. Easy-peasy!

I've turned to Pinterest for some (OK, a lot of...) help on new, creative dinner ideas since I don't cook - I just provide the menu. ;)

Most recently, we made these french dip crescents (with horseradish sauce) on Sunday, which were surprisingly really tasting given how easy they were. The hubs actually liked them "a little bit more" than my pizza balls! Monday night (a.k.a. fish night) the hubs made this pesto salmon and Italian veggies (with asparagus & mushroom rice), and omgdelicious!! And just as a plus, the clean-up was super easy because everything is cooked together - minus the rice - in foil.

There are quite a few recipes we've found via Pinterest - not going to share them all, but if you want to check out my Delish Dishes & Such board for some ideas, be sure to follow me - that were all so good, and we now try to incorporate them into our dinner plans!

I'm always on the lookout for something new to try to help spruce up our weekly dinner plan. Share your favorite Pinterest recipes with me!

Crafting for Grandparents Day

Even though we celebrate Grandparents Day all year long (what would we do with out them), this past Sunday was National Grandparents Day. Being the hubs' and my parent's first Grandparents Day with baby B, I wanted to make sure they each got a little something special.

Since my guy is still a baby, it was so easy to figure out what we wanted to make for his grandparents -- something personalized with his tiny, adorable hand prints!

First, I picked up some plain white platters (you can use cups, plates, bowls, whatever your heart desires) and enamel paint. You want to make sure you take off any stickers on the glassware and wipe it down with some rubbing alcohol getting any grime off the dish you're about to paint.

Second, when the best idea quickly turned into the what the hell was I thinking idea... Paint your child's hand. (Note: Lots, and I mean LOTS, of paper towels and deep breaths will be needed.) It took us a few tries and red paint everywhere, but we finally got it!

You'll want to let that paint dry before you begin painting your art. Can you tell which animals these little hand prints are going to be?

My in-laws are huge Razorback fans, so it was obvious we would do something hog related, and the monkey was just adorable, so we couldn't not do that one.

Once you've finished painting your art, you'll want to let the paint dry completely. I suggest waiting a few days to be extra sure. Then you'll want to put it in the oven at 275 degrees for about 30 minutes - this sets the paint so it doesn't peel off. *Be sure you put the dish in the oven prior to turning it on/off. It needs to heat up and cool down with the oven to avoid the dish from breaking.*

Hope the grandparents love their new platters! (I should've made an extra one for me, because I love them that much!)

Short Hair, Don't Care

It's Friday and I'm so looking forward to this weekend! Last night we had dinner at my parents house and got to meet my sister's daughter for the first time. Baby B just adored his cousin! I may have had total baby GIRL fever last night, but that ended once we journeyed home and someone wouldn't stop crying. I quickly snapped out of it and enjoyed the cry of just one baby. :)

So, the other day I came across this article about Mom Hair, and It really got me thinking: Hey I'm a mom... and I'm ready to get rid of my long locks! It goes like this... The moment my hair grows long, I'm ready to just chop it all off. I don't have that great of long hair, I like to think I do, but I don't. When it gets really long, it's stringy, flat, lifeless. So, I get really annoyed with it on a daily basis. Not to mention, my beloved straightener of 8+ years died on me about a month or so go, so I've been curling my hair every day. Which takes forever and never looks that great. Girl just wants straight hair again.

So, here I am... looking for easy, but "chic" short haircuts. My hair-crush is without a doubt Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting:

She pulls off the best short haircut, in my opinion. But, as obsessed as I am with her haircut, I just don't think it'll suit me like it does her. In other words, I really don't want to look like Justin Bieber.

But my goodness, how much extra sleep I would get if I did have that hair length! Dreaming... Maybe one day. But until then, I'm thinking of working my way up to that mom-cut-length so it's not a major shocker. Because that one time I decided to get a bob-haircut and then cried several times at the salon, on the way home, and later at home. 

So, here's my shoulder-length inspiration for my next salon visit:

Source

You get the idea. I love how easy, but chic this length looks. What do you think? Maybe this time I won't sob forever. ;)

Here's to change!

Have a great weekend!

Lately | Etsy

Where to begin! Life has been so hectic lately - not that I'm complaining. :) July was full of busy weekends every single weekend and August has been a busy month at work (and home life is never a dull moment with a now 8 month old). The hubs and I were able to get away for a weekend to celebrate our 10 year (dating) anniversary, which was so very much needed. We ate extremely unhealthy, delicious food, drank some great cocktails, explored the Riverwalk, floated the river, and just enjoyed each others company.

As you might have noticed, I've added a new page to my blog: Etsy Shop. I love printables (I mean, who doesn't, right) and I love creating them even more. So! In honor of my grand opening, if you will, I'm dishing out a complimentary 8x10 printable for you to frame and display. Enjoy!

Right now, I'm targeting seasonal prints, but if you have any ideas of what you'd like to see or have a custom order you'd like (invitations, prints, etc.), please contact me via Etsy - get creative!

Well, that's all for now. :)