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Hampton // 10 Months

August 24, 2014

My baby boy,

I can’t believe you are 10 months old today. This past month has been the fastest one yet. You still aren’t walking, but you are standing up for several seconds at a time before you fall down and I feel like you probably will be before your 1st birthday – but I’d be okay with it if you didn’t. You need to slow down. You climb everything – including me and daddy. You love playing in the kitchen cabinets. You are cutting two more teeth on the bottom, but you still have no signs of any on the top. Thomas the Train and Cat in the Hat are still your favorite shows/songs/toys. Your favorite book is the bible, and I am so proud of that. You go straight to it every time you want to read a story.

You don’t like to snuggle quite as much as you used to, but when you do, it is precious and I treasure every second of it. You love to be cuddled when you are sleepy. You still sleep with your Daniel Tiger and we can’t go anywhere without it. We are going to Me Me’s house for your first time this week! I can’t wait to take you to the beach again. I can’t wait to celebrate your first Labor Day with you. You have started eating more “big people” food. You love bananas, toast and apples the most. You hate carrots and green beans and throw them at Pippa. I can’t believe you have already figured out that trick. You are talking more and more and getting to be quite loud. You have the biggest smile and you are constantly making us laugh. You are definitely learning the word “no” really well and even obey us…sometimes. You roll your cars and Thomas all over the living room floor. I love watching you play. You are over 20lbs now and growing more and more every day. I am starting to plan for your birthday party because it will be here before we know it.

I love you my sweet angel.

-Mommy

Back To School Target Giveaway

August 22, 2014

Can you believe we are already at the end of August? I mean, what? Where did the time go? My baby is about to be 10 months old. That is not okay. A lot of you or your kids have gone back to school, or are about to start back. Everyone could use a little extra help, right? Right. So I am really excited to be participating in Helene’s Back To School Target Giveaway! Enter in the rafflecopter below:

Dara : The Southern Thing // Melany : Melany’s GuyDlines // Kelly : Sparkles and Shoes

Logan : Logan Can // Jess : The Fly Away American // Kelly : Six One Six

Becca : Becoming Adorrable // Jess : Being Mrs. Beer // Jackie : Our Nashville Life

Kate : Kate the (Almost) Great // Heather : When You’re Making Plans // Helene : Helene in Between

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns

August 21, 2014

Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Laura Weisberger
May 2014 Simon & Schuster

Pages: 416

Synopsis from Goodreads: Almost a decade has passed since Andy Sachs quit the job “a million girls would die for” working for Miranda Priestly at Runway magazine—a dream that turned out to be a nightmare. Andy and Emily, her former nemesis and co-assistant, have since joined forces to start a highend bridal magazine. The Plunge has quickly become required reading for the young and stylish. Now they get to call all the shots: Andy writes and travels to her heart’s content; Emily plans parties and secures advertising like a seasoned pro. Even better, Andy has met the love of her life. Max Harrison, scion of a storied media family, is confident, successful, and drop-dead gorgeous. Their wedding will be splashed across all the society pages as their friends and family gather to toast the glowing couple. Andy Sachs is on top of the world. But karma’s a bitch. The morning of her wedding, Andy can’t shake the past. And when she discovers a secret letter with crushing implications, her wedding-day jitters turn to cold dread. Andy realizes that nothing—not her husband, nor her beloved career—is as it seems. She never suspected that her efforts to build a bright new life would lead her back to the darkness she barely escaped ten years ago—and directly into the path of the devil herself…

My Thoughts: I read the Devil Wears Prada and this sequel back to back, and I have to tell you, it was like reading about 2 completely different people. I get that the second book takes place 10 years later than the first. Andy has grown up a lot, but she is like a totally different person, and so are all the other characters. Miranda isn’t in the book as much as I would’ve liked, and she isn’t really the bad person in this book. I’m not going to spoil it and tell you who is, but it was just kind of weird to me when considering the title of the book. She isn’t a saint, but she isn’t the villain of the book either. I liked the story okay, but it was totally different from the first book. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting. Because it didn’t make sense to me, I gave it 3 stars.

For more book recommendations and reviews, heck out my bookshelf!

Date Night With Chili’s® At Home

August 20, 2014

Big thanks to Chili’s® at Home for sponsoring this post and providing the entrees to be sampled.

As a new mom, my time is extremely limited. I’m working, cleaning, organizing, managing everyone’s schedules, and the list goes on and on… Needless to say, I don’t always have time to cook dinner let alone go on a date. We try to budget and eat most of our meals at home because it is healthier and saves us so much money every month. For my birthday last week, we went to Chilis to celebrate. I remember thinking, I wish I could make delicious food like this at home. Well, thanks to Chilis® at Home frozen foods I can! These are some of the best frozen food meals I have ever had. They are so delicious and I have fallen in love with the convenience and big, bold tasty flavors of Chilis at Home. They make my life so much easier.

The Chilis® frozen foods are inspired by the restaurant’s most popular entrees. They are sold at all of the major retailers such as Walmart, Kroger, Food Lion and many more. There are so many options available including Bacon Mac & Cheese, Island Chicken and Rice, Cajun-style Chicken Alfredo and many more. They are offered in single-serve entrees as well as multi-serve meals which are perfect for parties and football games!

Ryan and I picked our frozen meals up at Walmart. We enoyed the Bacon Mac and Cheese and the Cajun-style Chicken Alfredo. They were both delicious. The Cajun-style dish was a delivered a spicy taste that wasn’t too overpowering and the bacon mac and cheese is perfect if your in the mood for some comfort food.

We enjoyed a nice relaxing night at home with great food and best of all – convenience.

Be sure to check out Chili’s® at Home frozen foods and grab your free coupon today!

Have you tried Chilis at home meals? Do you eat at Chilis?

Literary Junkies (August)

August 19, 2014

Literary Junkies is an online book club that I am a part of where we read one book a month and discuss it on Twitter. It is such a joy to be a part of and this month, we read one of the best books yet – Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult.

1. What are you reading? Tell us about it!

I’m still finishing up Lone Wolf, although, I will be at my friend’s viewing so I will not be chatting with y’all this week. 🙁 I am absolutely loving it, and the situation with their dad has really hit close to home for me these past two weeks. It has been an emotional book for me to read right now, but really good at the same time.

2. Do you read one book at a time, or read multiple books at once?

I usually have one book on my kindle and one hard book that I keep going at the same time.

3. What is the first book that made you fall in love with reading?

I grew up reading fairy tales with my grandmother. They are what made me fall in love with reading. A good book is a nice escape for every day life.

4. Do you prefer a physical copy of the book or an electronic version?

I actually prefer a physical copy. There is just something about holding a book in your hands and turning those pages…

5. What are three books currently on your To Be Read list?

3? Out of 1,000? haha I still want to read the Dream Trilogy by Nora Roberts, The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani and so so many more. Check out my 2014 must-read list!

Falling for Booties

August 18, 2014

From top Left to bottom right: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

I know that fall isn’t technically for another month, but it is my favorite season, so I’m getting started early. Everyone knows that fall really starts as soon as the first Pumpkin Spice Latte is served anyway – which is August 25th, in case you haven’t heard. I am so excited to pull my booties out of the closet and wear the mess out of them this fall season! Boots are by far my favorite types of shoes. I love sandals and everything, but boots are so much prettier. I recently purchased the middle pair from Target and will be featuring them in many fashion posts to come this fall season. I have been on a mad hunt for a pair of black booties, so if any of you come across a cute pair, help a sister out and leave a link in the comments!

Pictured above are a few of the booties I am swooning over. Honestly, there are so many cute boots out there right now. I had a really hard time picking, but I feel like these go along most with my style.

What are your favorite types of shoes? Are you a bootie (shoes, people) girl?

Facts of Life: After Baby

August 15, 2014

Here are a few facts about my life since having my baby (9 months ago).

Our house will not stay as clean as it was before.
-I have a really good cleaning schedule at our home. Laundry on Mondays, floors on Tuesdays and Saturdays, etc. It helps keep our house clean for the most part, but we have toys now. They stay out all the time and they are all over the place. I have been mysteriously finding my plastic spoons and spatulas thrown about the house as well as tupperware. Honestly, I love it. I love that my house is clearly lived in. My sweet baby made that mess and therefore I love it.

We will not be able to watch a T.V. show or movie without hitting pause for…the foreseeable future.
-This one is a shame. It takes us 2 hours to watch a 1 hour long show and sometimes we don’t even get to finish it until the next day. Thank goodness for DVR, right?

We will not have an uninterrupted meal.
-We take turns tending to Hamp while we eat. He hates it when we eat and aren’t paying him as much attention. He also decides he is hungry again every time we sit down to eat. Gotta love him. Hopefully this will get better with time. It’s just an attention seeking phase…right, moms? Anyone?

I will never take enough pictures.
– Ryan laughs at the amount of pictures I take of our son. I can’t help it. I want to remember everything. There are some things I’ve already forgotten like his first couple of months. It is all a blur and I don’t know what I would do without all of the pictures I took. I want to remember every face, look, smile, cry, and laugh.

Date nights are needed often, but don’t happen often.
-Before having Hampton, we could do and go wherever we wanted when we wanted. After having him, our date nights are not as often (naturally) but we now take full advantage of them. Before, we took them for granted because we saw each other all the time. Now, it is a treat and something we look forward to.

I will never travel peacefully again.
– When we went to Orlando, I left Hampton for the first time. I cried and cried. It was so tough for me to enjoy the trip without constantly thinking of him and wondering what he was doing or if he was okay. Did I forget to leave something for him? etc. When we left him for the second time while we were in Chicago, I had the same thoughts. It wasn’t as bad that time because we stayed so busy, but the plane rides were rough. By the time we got home, I was so anxious to see him. I’m hoping this will also get better with time.

I have a new-found confidence and less fear.
-I have lost some of my fears because having a baby does something to you. It makes you strong in ways you never were before. Motherhood also brings about new fears. Obvious ones. Of course you worry about your child constantly, but you will also grow and mature in a whole new way. You no longer get to be the child. You are the mom. This tiny person looks to you for comfort, food, and security. That gives you strength.

Some months I feel like I’ll never sleep again.
-Hampton is 9 months old, but he still goes through phases where he wakes up many times a night. I don’t know when this will get better. I am constantly wondering when we will sleep again. Sometimes he does great. He will sleep through the night for 2 or 3 weeks and then just when we feel like we have it all figured out, BOOM. He wakes up 4 times in one night and then it begins again. He won’t sleep for weeks. It goes back and forth. Can you tell I haven’t slept much the past 3 weeks? Can you tell by this sleepy rant? (haha okay, done)

We will not ever experience a love like this again…
-…until we have another child, of course. Hampton has filled my heart with so much joy and love since the moment I found out I was pregnant. Since he came into this world, it feels like my heart is crawling around our home. He is so precious. I can be in a terrible mood and he looks at me and smiles or does his sweet little chuckle and I forget about it all. The world around me fades and everything is better. He is the biggest blessing to mine and Ryan’s lives and I can’t imagine life without him now that he is here.

Bottom line, it’s worth it. To all of my friends and followers who are expecting their first child, cherish this time with your spouse. Things change so much once that little one comes into the world. You will have tons of time to focus on your little one, but you only have a limited time left to spend with your spouse like this. Go on dates now. Don’t wait. Children are a huge blessing from God and they bring so much joy to you and your home. They are worth it. Hampton is worth every T.V. show I haven’t watched. He is worth every bite of my dinner I didn’t get to finish, he is worth every day I haven’t been able to shower and every frustrated tear from a very tired mother. He is worth everything.

What changes have been made in your home since having children? How often do you go on a date with your husband?

Book Review: The Devil Wears Prada

August 14, 2014

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
May, 2006 by Anchor Books

Pages: 432

Synopsis on Goodreads: A delightfully dishy novel about the all-time most impossible boss in the history of impossible bosses.

Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job “a million girls would die for.” Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile, fabulously successful editor of “Runway “magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts “Prada! Armani! Versace!” at every turn, a world populated by impossibly thin, heart-wrenchingly stylish women and beautiful men clad in fine-ribbed turtlenecks and tight leather pants that show off their lifelong dedication to the gym. With breathtaking ease, Miranda can turn each and every one of these hip sophisticates into a scared, whimpering child.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA gives a rich and hilarious new meaning to complaints about “The Boss from Hell.” Narrated in Andrea’s smart, refreshingly disarming voice, it traces a deep, dark, devilish view of life at the top only hinted at in gossip columns and over Cosmopolitans at the trendiest cocktail parties. From sending the latest, not-yet-in-stores Harry Potter to Miranda’s children in Paris by private jet, to locating an unnamed antique store where Miranda had at some point admired a vintage dresser, to serving lattes to Miranda at precisely the piping hot temperature she prefers, Andrea is sorely tested each and every day—and often late into the night with orders barked over the phone. She puts up with it all by keeping her eyes on the prize: a recommendation from Miranda that will get Andrea a top job at any magazine of her choosing. As things escalate from the merely unacceptable to the downright outrageous, however, Andrea begins to realize that the job a million girls would die for may just kill her. And even if she survives, she has to decide whether or not the job is worth the price of her soul.

My Thoughts: I loved this book. Plain and simple. It is so much better than the movie, simply because there is so much more to the story than the movie shows. Which is basically like every other book-to-movie. I’m so glad I decided to read the book before reading the sequel because I would have totally been lost otherwise. I enjoyed it so much and blew through it very quickly. The characters are so real and I love fantasizing about working at Runway. Every fashion lover’s dream – to work at a high fashion magazine. Reading about the clothes/photography/models etc. was so much fun! I loved getting lost in this book that is also one of my favorite movies. I gave this one 5 stars…because, why not? Oh, and if you haven’t already, you need to watch The Devil Wears Prada movie!

For more book recommendations and reviews check out my bookshelf!

The Perfect White Shirt

August 13, 2014

white shirt: c/o oasap here
hat: versona
sandals: target
shorts: old navy via thred up

OASAP is turning into one of my favorite online fashion websites. I love their variety and more importantly, their low prices. All summer long I’ve been in search of the perfect white shirt. Guess what? I found it! I don’t like to wear super tight clothing. I like to be comfortable and chic at the same time, and this plain white shirt offers me all of the above. It is so comfortable, flowy and very light weight – perfect for those summer nights. I’m kind of sad that I didn’t find it earlier in the season, but what can you do? I’m glad I have it now and will have it for next year as well, although, I do wear white year round. I’m a rebel. It is a great staple piece.

Linking up here: Monday Mingle YOLO Mondays Monday Bloom Style Sessions Trend Spin Fashion The Pleated Poppy What I Wore Wednesdays Random Wednesday Look what I got! Vodka Infused Lemonade I Feel Pretty Be.You.Ti.Ful Casual Friday Fashion Friday Favorite Fashion Friday Friday’s Fab Favorites Fashion Friday Glitterati Gala

Do you wear white after labor day? Are you a fashion rule breaker?

The Little Black Dress

August 12, 2014

black halter dress: c/o oasap here
necklace: kate spade here

I love this little black dress. Everyone needs a good black dress. It’s like a given, right? I’ve been needing a new one and found this little beauty. I love the fit – how it hugs the waist and flows at the bottom. It is perfect for dancing the night away!

Although my weekend wasn’t exactly fun, my friends took me to eat mexican food for a mini birthday celebration. It was so sweet of them. They are so incredible and I love how we can all lean on each other through good times and bad. I’m so thankful for them and their love and support. Close friends are hard to come by and when you find them it is important to hold on to them. Ryan surprised me with this Kate Spade necklace I’ve had my eye on for a while which was a huge surprise. He definitely spoiled me.

What did you do over the weekend?