Goals for 2019

GOALS GOALS GOALS! That is what today's post is all about! To be honest, I didn't even want to make any New Year's resolutions because I never really seem to stick to them! But, I am a BIG fan of setting goals and making to do lists to help reach them! And sometimes when we write out our goals (no matter how big or small) and then make a list of what needs to be done to reach them, they don't seem so unattainable anymore.

So, here are my top goals for 2019 broken out into categories...

. . H E A L T H  G O A L S . . 

Optimal health has become my main priority in 2019. This encompasses not only physical health, but emotional and mental as well. I am a firm believer if you do not take care of yourself first, you will fail at caring for others around you. I really want to focus on creating healthy habits that start from the inside. Eating better, sleeping better, drinking more water, fitting in exercise... these are all tasks that I can easily fit into my day, it's just making them a priority.

So here are the actions I plan to take to make these goals achievable!

1. Drink more water: I'm really trying to be better about this! I have my yeti tumbler that I will be filling up at least 5 times a day!

2. Workout at least 3x per week: We recently joined our local community rec center and I plan to take full advantage of their equipment, group fitness classes and child care! They also have a great indoor pool with a shallow area where we can take the boys! Taking the boys swimming on a Saturday morning is definitely counted as a workout!

3. Eat cleaner: I noticed last year when I was eating 'cleaner' that I not only lost a lot of bloat, but I also felt better physically. I have tried a few different diets and through trial and error, I have realized that some dairy, gluten and high amounts of sugar have a negative effect on my body. High amounts of these ingredients lead to stomach issues, feeling sluggish and leave me feeling hungry. I am going to do my best to cut out these ingredients in my diet as much as possible.

4. Watch my daily macros: I learned about macros from my friend Abby last year and it really opened my eyes to the way I was fueling (or not fueling) my body everyday. By tracking my macros I am able to see how much fat, carbs and protein I am consuming. When I first started tracking my macros, I realized that I was eating way too many fats and carbs and I wasn't eating enough lean protein through out the day to give me energy. So, by tweaking my diet and adding more lean proteins and cutting back on fat, I became so much more energized throughout the day!

5. Track my calories in the MyFitnessPal app: I started using this app after I had Camden 4 years ago to help me track my daily calories to lose the baby weight. Fast forward to this past year and I started using it again to not only track calories, but it also tracks my macros for me. You can set a goal as to how much weight you want to lose and it will give you an estimation of how many calories you should be eating everyday, You can also adjust you daily macro goals so this app does that for me as well!

. . B L O G  G O A L S . . 

So many blog goals this year! I really want to start building this little blog of mine! I've been doing this as a part time hobby for over 5 years now and I'm ready to really put in the time and effort to make it successful! What is a 'successful' blog? Well, I'm sure it's different for every blogger, but for me it means to turn it into a profitable business. I want to pitch to and work with more brands that I love, I want to share more with my readers, I want to push myself out of my comfort zone!

So, in order to be more productive in the new year, I really need to buckle down on my time management and planning ahead with the blog content.

1. Post 2x per week: I'm not off to a great start here yet! I average about 1 blog post per week, so hoping that my new schedule will help me complete at least 2 blog posts per week.

2. Plan content/photos one week in advance. This is the hardest part of blogging and posting on social media for me. Trying to get enough content to post everyday on IG is tough! I don't have an instagram husband (he's just so busy with work during the week) and I am not really ready to pay a photographer to take my photos. SO, you may be seeing a lot more mirror selfies! But, I do plan on scheduling a photo session at least once a month to have professional photos ready to post.

3. Pitch to 1 new brand per month: Pitching to brands is something that is so foreign and scary to me. I've always just let brands come to me. I've collaborated with some awesome companies and have received some great products, but I want to do more in the upcoming year. I know that having sponsored posts and collaborations with companies and brands is the true way to make this blog a business, but I will only collaborate with brands and companies I truly love!

4. Increase my instagram followers to 10k: This will be a big milestone! Since I share my daily outfit inspiration, beauty products, lifestyle items and basically everything over on my instagram feed and stories, it would be so much easier for your all to shop if I had the swipe up feature! In order to have the swipe up feature in instagram stories, you have to have over 10k followers. So that is my goal!

5. Communicate more with my followers and readers! I really want to create a community atmosphere with my blog and social media accounts! Sometimes it feels like I'm talking to myself lol! But, I love hearing your feedback in comments, DMs and even a simple 'like' of my photos! I'd love to get to know you all more, so please feel free to reach out to me anytime!

. . H O M E  G O A L S . . 

SO. MANY. HOME. GOALS. I have so many projects in my head that I want to complete in our house this year, but I'm really trying to be realistic. Bill and I are all about getting finances in order first before completing any big house projects. Our house was not very aesthetically pleasing when we first moved in almost 2 years ago. We basically painted the entire house and completed a major project that was a little tricky.

So, here's my house goal list for the year:

1. Have our kitchen cabinets painted white and change out hardware: This is something I knew I wanted to do as soon as we moved in. However, we kept going back and forth if we wanted to wait to just do a complete kitchen reno because I don't really love our counter tops and backsplash, but I can live with them. And I think if our cabinets were painted, they might look a little better. So, instead of waiting another 5 years or so to do a complete reno, we decided we can just have our cabinets (professionally) painted white and change out the hardware for a quick update. I think that will totally change the feel of our house and make it feel so much more light and bright! 

2. Redecorate the dining room: I want to paint our dining room, change out our light fixture, and add a new rug. Possibly get new chairs for our table as well.

3. Update and decorate the downstairs half bath: The little half bath on our first floor needs some help. I want to paint and change out the mirror and possibly the sink. Also, adding some decor pieces. 

4. Update Bennett's room into a 'big boy' room: This will be the year we give Bennett a proper bedroom! His room has 3 grey walls and one red accent wall that I've been meaning to paint since we moved in and it hasn't happened! This will be the year we transition Bennett from his crib to a big boy bed, so I will decorate his rooms and we will get him a new bed. 

5. Organize the playroom! This one is something I need to do desperately! Not a huge project, but just really organizing and purging toys and craft supplies. 

6. Purging and Organizing everything! I really want to start organizing every room in our house! Starting with our pantry and kitchen and moving to a different room every month!

Day Designer Planner 2019

. . P E R S O N A L  G O A L S . . 

Lots of personal goals as well. Time management is going to be my main priority this year! Having 2 little ones that aren't really in school yet (they go to daycare 3 days a week while I work and my parents help out some during the week as well!) makes being a working mama tough! I want to be home with them, but I also want to work and have something for myself! Time blocking my day our will help keep me on task while the kiddos are out of the house. 

1. Work on time management. I have created a color coded spreadsheet with my daily to do list in excel. This is something I reference daily to make sure I am on task. I also write my to do list in my daily planner! I LOVE this planner and have been using it for years now because it makes my life so much easier! Every day has its own page and is broken down by time slots and there's also a daily to do list I can jot down. 

2. Be more present when I'm with my family/the boys: This is really something I need to work on! Being in this blogging/social media world makes you feel like you have to be 'on' all the time and have your phone attached to your eyeballs. This is SO bad! I have decided that when I'm home with the boys, that I have to give them my full attention and put my phone DOWN! Starting with the week days, I plan on putting my phone away from the hours of 5pm - 8pm (or bedtime). Then on the weekends really trying to put my phone away while we are having family time. I'm also thinking about doing 'social media free Sundays' I've heard of others doing this and it sounds perfect!

3. Take time for myself: I want to make sure I'm scheduling some me time throughout the week. Wether that's to get my nails done, solo shopping trip, or a girls' night out! 

4. Read more. Trying to read one book per month! Recommendations welcome!

5. Give back to the community. This is one that I'm hoping to brainstorm about with my family. I really want to do some sort of volunteer work this year and get our family involved. 

I have so many more goals in my head, but I also don't want to overwhelm myself! I think setting realistic goals with action items helps to make them more achievable. 

I want to personally thank you all that follow my blog and social media! With out you all, this little blog of mine would not be possible!

So tell me... What are your goals for 2019?

How and Why I Started Blogging + Your Questions Answered

I have been meaning to write this post for a while now and wanted to somehow loop it in with the backstory of how my blog started and the evolution of it. I'm hoping this one isn't too lengthy, but if you have some time... Sit down with a fresh cup of hot coffee and enjoy!

Links to outfit above: spanx faux leather leggings | long sleeve stripe tee | $10 sunnies | peep toe booties | monogram necklace | starbucks tumbler

How and Why I Started Blogging

Oh boy... where do I start? I guess at the beginning! I started blogging almost 7 years ago. It was around then that Pinterest became really popular and I came across a few blogs that were linked from some of my 'pins' that I just fell in love with. I loved the idea of having a creative outlet that combined home decor, fashion, and everyday life! I also loved the idea of keeping a somewhat personal journal online that you could share with people. I always loved writing and used journaling in the past as an outlet, but I loved that blogging was a way to connect with like minded people that had the same interests. 

My first blog was called 'Last Year Of Twenty Something' which was not a very good idea for a blog title because A. I wasn't going to be 29 forever... and B. It just didn't really tell my readers what my blog was all about. So, when I turned 30, I decided to change the title and actually bought my own domain as well to use for this blog. I knew I wanted to continue to blog about style, home decor, and life in general so Lovely Life Styling was what I chose! The 'Lovely' part comes from one of my favorite bible quotes: "Finally, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is LOVELY, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8

I've always loved that passage and to me it means to focus your energy and mind on positive aspects in life. Think about things that are true, lovely and make you feel good. I think it is so easy to focus on all the negative aspects in life and especially with the way social media has impacted our lives. It is so easy to fall into the comparison trap and all the hardships that are happening all over the world, but if you just focus on the good things in your life and count all your blessings, you will in turn feel more inspired and happy! That's what I want this space to be about... Focusing on all the LOVELY aspects of LIFE!

The Evolution of My Blog

When I first started my blog, I was posting about random things. Recipes, new clothing and accessories, home decor, etc. It was all over the place! Then, when I got engaged right after I turned 30, the focus turned to wedding planning! There were 'wedding Wednesday' posts and DIY projects I completed for our wedding. Then, after our wedding I posted some recaps of our wedding. 

Then, when I got pregnant with Camden (about 4 months after we got married!), it was all about pregnancy! Then, after I had Camden, it was alllll about baby Camden! Fast forward to getting pregnant with Bennett (when Camden was 10 months!) and then having Bennett, it was all about baby stuff again for the next year! 

Once Bennett turned one, I started to turn the corner from zombie new mommy to beginning to feel like myself again. I still would occasionally blog and post about style and home decor, but it was mostly centered around the boys and motherhood up to that point. I started feeling a little more comfortable in my skin last year around this time which made me want to do a little shopping and actually feel like I could be put together on a daily basis. I've always loved fashion and style and putting together outfits is somewhat of a way for me to feel creative.

Fast forward to the beginning of this year and my focus has turned mainly to style. I love sharing my daily outfits, affordable and stylish pieces. I want to inspire others by showing them that they are worth the extra effort in the morning to look and feel their best! For me, if I wear sweats or my PJs all day I am not productive. If I throw on some jeans (or even leggings!) and a cute top, then I feel so much better and am ready to tackle my to do list. I want to inspire and empower others to do the same! That's not saying I won't ever post about home decor, pretty parties or motherhood. Those subjects will also be sprinkled in as well!

Your Questions Answered

Recently I dropped the Question box in my instagram stories and told you guys to go ahead and ask me anything! I was a little nervous about what type of questions I would get, but was pleasantly surprised to see most of the questions were about my boys, our family and my (daytime) job! Which prompted me to write this post as well! The questions I received and my answers are below...

Q1: "Your boys are so cute! Are you planning to have more kids?"

A: As of right now, no... We have our hands full as it is! 😆 BUT, we haven't completely closed that door yet. Just not on our immediate agenda! 

Q2: "How close in age are your cute boys? Would you say their age gap is good for your family?"

A: Camden and Bennett are 19 months apart! I got pregnant with Bennett when Camden was 10 months old! Camden wasn't even 2 yet when we had Bennett and I will say that came with some challenges. Camden was in a very needy stage when Bennett arrived, but I think he really started to love his little brother after a few months. There will always be an adjustment period going from one child to 2, no matter what the age gap. I LOVE how close in age they are now! They are just starting to really play together and like all the same things. It is so cute to see their little friendship grow! I feel like I could write an entire blog post about them and this subject!

Q3: "How long have you lived in Columbus?"

A: Pretty much my entire life! I grew up in a suburb of Columbus (Worthington), then went to Bowling Green State University for college (close to Toledo), then moved back to Columbus after I graduated. Bill and I met and got married here and moved to a suburb of Chicago (Plainfield, IL) when Camden was a little over one and I was pregnant with Bennett for Bill's job. After living there for a little over a year, we decided it was best for our family to move back to Columbus. We missed our friends and family being close and to be honest, I really think Columbus is such a great place to raise a family! 

Q4: "What is your job?"

I work as an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) analyst for a Real Estate Investment company based out of Colorado. Basically, my company buys apartment communities for sale and takes ownership and manages the properties. They also complete any upgrades needed such as interior renovations or adding amenities. 

What I do is help to manage and audit the websites for the properties. It is a unique business because each property is run as it's own small business and each property has it's own branding. I also help to optimize the websites for search engine results by updating content, photos, etc. There is a lot of technical backend work that goes along with SEO, so I will not bore you to death with the details!

I work about 32 - 36 hours per week remotely from home which helps me have a flexible schedule. The boys still go to daycare/school 3 days a week and my parents help watch them 1-2 days per week so I can finish up work projects, etc if need be! I love having this type of flexibility!

Q5: "How did you find out about your job? It is so awesome you get to work from home!"

A: This could turn into a whole blog post on it's own but basically I am somewhat related to the owner of the company. He is my mom's cousin! But to be honest, I maybe met him a handful of times before I got the job. My mom actually encouraged me to send him my resume because she had heard they were looking to hire someone to help with social media. A lot of the reason I was hired was because of my experience. I had been working in leasing and property management for 5+ years, I have a business degree and majored in marketing and had (at the time) my real estate license. I also mentioned on my resume that some of my skill sets included social media, blogging and knew my way around google analytics and I think that helped seal the deal as well!

When I started, the company had NO corporate marketing department. The company has since grown from owning and managing less than 40 properties to now owning and managing around 200 properties! I got in at a great time and we now have a marketing department of over 30 people spread out all over the country!

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So there you go! Hopefully you now know a little bit more about me! If you are still reading this, kudos to you! I would be fast asleep by now! ha!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Girls' Trip to Puerto Plata Recap

Remember that time I had a mimosa on the beach every morning for 5 days? Yea... that was nice! 

This trip was something that had been planned for a long time with my group of friends. It was something that started as an idea, maybe just a weekend get away. Then, it turned into a 'we need a REAL vacation' trip! Five of my friends (I've known them all since high school! Some even middle school!) and myself decided to take a trip to Puerto Plata! Four of the girls were there for a full week (Wed - Wed) and my friend, Kristen and I went for the last 5 days (Fri - Wed). I just wasn't sure about leaving my boys for a full week when we were booking the trip. But, five days and nights was plenty! 

I don't get to see these friends too often, so it was so nice to have the quality time with them! We are all working moms with busy schedules, so it's always difficult to coordinate schedules for some girl time. This trip helped me reconnect with them and now we have a slue of memories that have brought us all closer together! If you are a busy mom, I HIGHLY recommend booking a girls' trip at least once per year (doesn't have to be this extravagant!) just to reconnect with your girl friends. It's so important to keep friendships with other mamas! 

airplane outfit: tee | shorts | cardigan | hat | beach bag (carry on) | earrings | tory burch sandals

It took about 7 hours to get to Puerto Plata from Columbus, OH. We had a lay over in Miami for about an hour, so we weren't able to get a direct flight. But, once we got there, the long travel day was totally worth it!!

Where we stayed

We stayed in a private villa at the Lifestyle Holiday Vacation Resort in Puerto Plata, DR which is an all inclusive resort. We found out about it through one of my friend's parents (who own a time share here) and were able to get a little bit of a discount on the villa for the week. Our villa had 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, full kitchen, large stone patio with a beautiful view over looking our private pool!

The beaches at this resort were like nothing I've ever seen! We went to 'Serenity Beach' pretty much every morning. This beach is lined with white curtained cabanas with big pillows, beds with complimentary beach towels, hammocks and swings and little tiki bars! It was like Heaven on earth! 

Every morning we would get up and have breakfast, which was made for us by a chef in our villa!  He was the BEST and made such a wonderful spread of food every morning at 9am. He also made fresh fruit smoothies every morning which were always delicious! Our maid would set our table for us on our balcony so we could enjoy our breakfast with a view. It was amazing! Definitely one of my favorite parts of our trip was breakfast and coffee in the am and just chatting with the girls. 

Once breakfast was cleaned up, we got ready to go to the beach. We always wanted to make sure we got a good seat on the beach, but on this beach it was hard to have a 'bad' seat!

We also would start our morning at the beach off with a mimosa! The wait staff on the beach was so good and kept our drinks flowing! 

You guys... I actually finished a book on this vacation! It's been so long since I've felt like I had the time to read. Now that I've started again, I'm hoping to keep it up! I realized how much I enjoy reading! I brought 'The Couple Next Door' to read, but my friend had just finished 'Girl, Wash Your Face' by Rachel Hollis and insisted I read it. I'm so glad I did! I highly recommend it! Great beach/pool/summer read!

(tank available at my friend's online boutique Middle Sister Boutique)

My suit | sarong | sunglasses | hat from Target dollar spot!

Four out of the five nights we were there, we had dinner reservations at a different restaurant on the resort. One night we had a chef cook a big BBQ dinner for us in our villa! It seriously felt like I was on one of those 'Real Housewives' vacations lol! I didn't take too many pics at night, mostly because I wanted to be in the moment and focus on what was happening instead of being on my phone, but we usually at least got a group picture of all of us each night.

We also got to tour one of the high end villas on the property! This place was like something out of MTV cribs (is that still a show?)! I'm sure if the Real Housewives did come to Puerto Plata for a vacation, this is where they would stay!

Below was the view out of one of the balconies...

And it had an infinity pool!

By day 5 I was definitely ready to fly home to see my boys, but I am so glad I was able to take this trip!

You can go to this post to see everything that I packed for the trip!

PS - This post is not sponsored in anyway, just wanted to share our experience in case you are looking to book a vacation to the DR! 

Currently | January Edition

Oh January... You are not my favorite month of the year. BUT, we've been enjoying the hibernation the month has provided. Camden and Bill did get out and play in the snow a bit, but other than that we've been hanging around the house in our PJs when we aren't working or the kids are at school. It's given me a lot of time to think about and start scheming different house projects I want to tackle for the year. I'm really hoping to start organizing and purging a lot of areas in our house over the next few months. Now, I just need to find the motivation/energy to get started!

I always love reading these 'currently' posts from other bloggers and it's a great way to just recap and share what I/we have been up to this month. I hope you enjoy this type of post too! I'd like to keep it as a monthly staple.

Currently I am...

Wearing... These high waisted leggings, these hunter boots with the sock inserts and this monogramed quilted pullover. Like, all 3 are on heavy rotation recently because #winter. 

Watching... I'm embarrassed to say that I've been enthralled with Relationshep on Bravo (season finale is tonight!) I've always been a big fan of the show Southern Charm mostly because of my obsession with the city of Charleston... What's worse is I haven't even started watching the new Bachelor season yet! I'm also SO happy This is Us is back on! I am thinking of starting a new Netflix series though and on my list is The Crown and Stranger Things... any others you guys recommend? I've also found myself just watching instastories at night to unwind haha! I just hit the 'watch all' button on top and I will literally just lie in my bed at the end of the day and watch them for a good hour. I love catching up with all my bloggers and friends that way!

Listening to... Justin Timberlake's new song "Filthy!' Are you guys a fan of his new song? It kind of has been growing on me and now I love it!

Reading... Ummm... do blogs count? I need work on reading some books this year! I see so many great recommendations from friends and bloggers that my list is pretty long! 

Eating... Healthy-ish? Trying to at least. I've been all about the slow cooker meals recently and I made this slow cooker chicken, broccoli and rice casserole last week and it was pretty good! Next up on my list is this slow cooker sesame chicken and this slow cooker lemon garlic chicken. I'm also working on meal prepping for the week to make things easier and I'm hoping to share a blog post on my process soon!

Enjoying... This slow time of the year. As much as I despise the winter season, I do love that it allows us to just hang out in our PJs with the boys on the weekends! 

Loving... How my boys are really starting to wrestle and play with each other. I still have to play referee for the most part to make sure they don't poke each other's eyes out, but it is so cute the way they roll around together and giggle! Also loving how much of a mama's boy Bennett has been! He's currently cutting the sharp teeth on the bottom (I believe they are called Canine teeth?) and he's been super whiney and clingy, but I love the cuddles I get! 

Wishing... I could find more motivation to work out. I've been going to a core strength training class at our local gym a few times a week and I love the way I feel when I go! It's just finding the motivation to get to the gym that is the hardest part! But, I am determined to have some sort of ab definition back (haven't had any since having kids) by summer time!

Looking forward to... Completing the list of house organizing and decorating tasks I have on my to do list! Also looking forward to sharing the progress on the blog! I also have a few fun brand/product collaboration posts in the works for the next few weeks that I'm excited to share with you all as well! Stay tuned!

How is your January going?

Halloween 2017

Oh, hey! I feel like I'm apologizing every time I post now which I don't feel great about. But, things are just busy busy busy this time of year! Have I mentioned that I started a photography business on the side? Oh, yea..that happened! And it happened pretty organically which I love. One of Bill's friends contacted me about taking their family photos and I was happy to do it at no cost because it's something I truly enjoy! Once I posted the final product on facebook, I decided to create a little facebook page for my photography and BAM! I got 7 messages asking to schedule sessions! I kept my cost pretty low just to see what kind of interest I would get. I have 6 photo sessions scheduled between now and the first week of December, and one that I completed last weekend!

So, between this new photography venture, working, mothering, wifing, (oh...and throw in potty training!) my plate seems to be pretty full at the moment which hasn't left a lot of time for blogging. But, don't fret! I'm not going anywhere!

I did want to at least get some trick or treat photos posted before Thanksgiving! We had such a fun night with the boys and I was really impressed with how long they lasted on trick or treat night. Our neighborhood hosted a little pizza in the park before trick or treat started which was so nice because I didn't have to think about making dinner for the night. Bennett was a little hesitant at first about his costume, but once we got outside with all the hoopla he was excited to join in the fun! He loved looking at all the other kids all dressed up! Camden was so excited for his fire fighter/ fire truck costume! Everyone loved it! AND we had a surprise visit from a REAL fire truck in our neighborhood! The local fire fighters come every year to pass out candy to the kids. So, of course I had the perfect photo op!

And now for the photo overload...

(Camden's costume here and boots are here | Bennett's costume here)

I mean... Does it get much cuter??

Here was my creative costume... and yes, I wore the same one last year!

shirt via Etsy | cardigan | jeans Express (old, similar here)

Now that we have Halloween out of the way... Can we start decorating for Christmas? No? Too soon?

I did at least FINALLY decorate our mantel for fall! I guess this will tide me over until Christmas decoration time...

That's all for now! Hope you all had a fun Halloween!

I'm linking up with Natalie and Annie for Thoughts for Thursday!

Saying Goodbye to Summer and Looking Forward to Fall...

I can't believe how fast this summer has gone by! It feels like just yesterday we moved into our new home here in Columbus, when the weather was just starting to warm up by the end of March. We have definitely taken full advantage of the play ground across the street from our house and all the beautiful parks which are in walking distance and short driving distance as well. The boys love being outside and it's always a great excuse to get them out of the house and wear them out get them some exercise before nap time!

We've made so many memories this past summer: The boys' first trip to the beach, their first splash pad and community swimming pool experiences, their first Fourth of July parade, multiple trips to the zoo, playdates with friends, Bennett's first birthday party... the list goes on! 

Yea, I'd say we really lived it up this summer!

As much as I love summer, I'm really looking forward to the last quarter of the year (which is actually my favorite time of year!). I love when the leaves change and it's chilly enough to wear a big comfy sweater and drink hot coffee in the morning. There are so many fall activities I'm looking forward to planning for our family and the boys. We went apple picking last year, and Camden had a blast! I'm definitely planning to take a trip to the apple orchard and the pumpkin patch this year as well! 

I love decorating our front porch and home for fall. And of course Halloween with the boys will be so fun this year with 2 toddlers (costume ideas for 2 little boys welcome)! And football season should be extra fun this year now that Camden can actually say 'Go Bucks!' and "O - H... I - O!!"

I always feel like it's a new beginning around fall. Probably because we've been so trained on the school year calendar growing up. I like to make new personal goals this time of year as well. Now that the craziness of the busy summer schedule has died down, it's time to really focus on myself, my work, my blog, my fitness/health and my spirituality. I have a list of personal goals I am hoping to start working on for the remainder of the year and I hope to share with you each one in separate posts to come (so stay tuned)!

As far as the blog goals go, I'm hoping to stay on a regular schedule of posting going forward. My upcoming post ideas are to continue my 'Blogger on a Budget' series and share with you my fall capsule wardrobe, more beauty related posts including my everyday make up routine, and of course sharing more motherhood related posts and bits and pieces of our everyday life. These are just some ideas I have, but if you have any suggestions on types of posts you'd like to read, please let me know in the comments below! 

Farewell for now, sweet summer...

And Happy Fall Y'all!! (#sorrynotsorry)

Easter 2017

It was such a beautiful Easter weekend! It was tough to get back into the swing of things after the holiday fun!

On Friday I was home with the boys and we had a fun time dying eggs! I was very brave to let Camden 'help' with the process. They came out pretty good if I do say so myself! I'm so excited that to start these fun holiday traditions with the boys!

Saturday afternoon, our neighborhood hosted a little Easter egg hunt for the kids. Camden had a fun time finding his eggs! He wanted to open each one as he found them, so it slowed him up a bit. But, he had fun discovering all the little trinkets and candy inside each one. Bennett happily observed the all the fun from his stroller. 😊

On Sunday morning we attended church service, then hosted a little lunch at our house afterwards. I was so excited to host a family holiday meal! We hadn't been able to the whole time we were in IL. So, I was excited to decorate the table! 

I found the table runner, napkins and napkin rings at Target (the napkins and napkin rings were from the dollar spot!) and I found some cute little ceramic bunnies and chicks from Hobby Lobby to help decorate the center piece to make it feel more festive. I had trouble deciding between hydrangeas and tulips for the center piece vase, but ultimately landed on hydrangeas and I'm so glad I did! I just loved the pretty blue and white ones together. 

After lunch (and nap time) we had a little Easter egg hunt in our back yard for Camden. It was fun to see him try to find all the little eggs! It was such a beautiful day out, so we stayed in our backyard for a while playing with sidewalk chalk and bubbles!

I can't believe another holiday has come and gone so quickly! I'm so excited to spend this summer with my boys and to create new memories with them! 

How was your Easter weekend?