Five on Friday ::: Labor Day Edition

Hello Loves!

I'm sure y'all are looking forward to the 3-day weekend as much as I am. It's also a little sad though...with Labor Day weekend, I realize that the pool time opportunities left are very few, soon the beach will not favor laying out in a bikini and the days will soon seem shorter with daylight losing minutes and minutes with each passing day.

BUT, I also REALLY love fall...I think now that I live in Charleston, SC, fall has become my favorite season. It's when the temps are most ideal 'round these parts. So for my 5 on Friday, I am going to share five things I'm looking forward to with fall on the horizon.

{ONE}
Fall fashion...need I say more, really? Scarves, boots, leggings, cute sweaters and blazers...oh the options are endless! I love love love getting dressed each day when it's fall. I've been pinning a lot of fall outfit inspiration to my fashion Pinterest board the last couple of weeks. Here is one of my faves:

{via}

{TWO}
BBQs! Not that you can't do these in the summer though. But with football kicking off, the BBQs are more common and again, the weather is just better for it. We are hosting a small BBQ with close friends tomorrow evening. Hubby just bought this huge charcoal/propane grill and he's super-excited to host a BBQ.

{via}

{THREE}
Outdoor workouts are going to be much nicer. The warm autumn breeze is much better than this summer humidity. Tanner starts baseball in a couple weeks on Tuesday & Thursday nights, and it's right by the Ravenel/Cooper River Bridge, so Breckin and I will be able to walk/jog the bridge while we wait for his practices to end. Speaking of the bridge, got a chance to jog it this AM - here are some gorgeous pics I took:

{FOUR}

I love fall festivities and events. I've got a couple 5Ks - including the Susan G. Komen in October. I of course love the Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch - it's always so fun to take the boys to - corn maze, hay ride and so many other fun things. 

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{FIVE}

And lastly, though it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with fall, it will be happening for us this fall, and that is yet another trip to Disney World. I'm almost mad at how spoiled my kids are in that regard. Nana & Papa surprised us with a trip for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The boys are soooo excited. This will be Tanner's 3rd time and Breckin's 2nd. If you count me being pregnant with Breckin on our first trip, well then, it's technically his 3rd too. After all, he did {technically} go on all the rides I went on. These couple videos of Breckin meeting Mickey Mouse this past June are priceless:

Happy Labor Day weekend, y'all!

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Blogtember

Starting next month on 9/3, I'll be taking part in a blog series called Blogtember. If you want to join, go read the deets on the Story of My Life blog. Here are the topics for each day!

Tuesday, Sept. 3: Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are.

Wednesday, September 4: If you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do? (bonus points for fun photos from Pinterest, but don't forget to cite the source!)

Thursday, September 5: Pass on some useful advice or information you learned and always remembered. 

Friday, September 6: A story about a time you were very afraid.

Monday, September 9: Take this short personality test and respond to your results. (at the end, find the detailed profile of your personality account - click "click to view" under "You" and "self awareness and personal growth." You can even google your type and find more info on it!)

Tuesday, September 10: Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.

Wednesday, September 11: Share links to your favorite online shops, preferably with a few photos of your favorite items in each shop.

Thursday, September 12: Discuss ways that blogging or social media has changed you.

Friday, September 13: A self portrait

Monday, September 16: Write a public love letter to someone in your life. (It doesn't necessarily need to be romantic.)

Tuesday, September 17: A memory you would love to relive.

Wednesday, September 18: Only photos

Thursday, September 19: Creative writing day: write a (very short) fictional story that starts with this sentence: "To say I was dreading the dinner party would be the understatement of the century."

The story does not necessarily need to have a conclusion - you can leave your readers wishing for more!

Friday, September 20: React to this term: comfort. 

Monday, September 23: A "life lately" post. What you're up to, how you're feeling, how you're doing on your goals, etc. Bonus points for great photos!

Tuesday, September 24: Review a book, place, or product.

Wednesday, September 25: Write about a time you screwed up - a mistake you made. 

Thursday, September 26: Go to a coffee shop. Order a favorite drink. Write about what makes you happy and what makes you sad. Or write about anything you'd like! Bonus points for including a photo from the coffee shop. (I recommend downloading Ommwriter and bringing headphones along!) *if you can't make it to a coffee shop, at least leave your usual space and write someplace new.

Friday, September 27: An anonymous letter to your Facebook friends. Be as snarky as you'd like. (but don't include people's real names.) 

Monday, September 30: Share a photo of something old. Maybe something that has personal history for you, that was passed down to you, and that has special meaning to you. Tell us about it and why it's special.

I'll definitely try to include my regular posts in the mix!

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I'm an Emily Maynard Copycat...

... and I'm not ashamed.

Girl has great style, so why be ashamed? Earlier this year, I posted this picture of her because I was absolutely IN LOVE with the outfit:

It inspired me to get my Minnetonka moccassin boots! {I have never regretted that purchase, btw.} However, I could not find that sweater...I even asked her personally on her Facebook page where she got it and she told me www.spool72.com. But unfortunately, they were no longer available. So I eventually forgot about it.

Well, now that fall is quickly coming upon us, it got me thinking about this particular get-up again {because, how cute is this for fall?} and I started doing a Google search for "Aztec sweater", hoping I could at least find something similar. And well, I got better than similar.

{via}

Yep, I got the exact one. It's headed my way in 4-7 business days. If you purchase this beauty, use this code to get free shipping: SHIPTHIS. I had to do extra search to find a promo code {always looking to save where I can} so you're welcome.

Can't wait to wear my Emily-Maynard-inspired outfit around the firepit this season. Sooooo comfy!

Do you have any particular looks you can't wait to wear this fall? It's seriously my favorite season for fashion. See my Pinterest board for many of the fall outfits I've been pinning lately!

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The Dog or The Clothes...

So I have this cute little pup named Sugar. She's 7 months old.

Most days, I think she's cute all the time.

But then there's right now. Right now I do not think she's cute.

That shopping trip to Forever 21 I told you about today? Well, this was one of the shirts I bought:

It's partially sheer on the back with a button-up detail. Soooo cute. I wore it this once...and just found out it on the floor in the office {where I had it hanging over a chair to dry}...Sugar had eaten holes into it.

Fucking dog.

I mean, it was only like a $14.00 shirt, but still, I'm not rich, and I hate seeing even $14.00 go down the drain.

Fucking dog.

She is not cute right now.

I like the shirt so much I may actually go back tomorrow and buy a new one...thus making it a $28.00 shirt. I guess it could be worse...but I am so mad at my fucking dog! It's not like she doesn't have an entire basket full of toys at her disposal. She's majorly cowering right now...I hope she's learned her lesson.

It's like a child...they fuck shit up...but you still love them anyway.

I needed to post these last two pics to remind myself that I actually do love her.

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Monday Musings

This weekend was a nice weekend. We were graced with some great weather, finally! I was able to take some time away from the work laptop on Friday afternoon to get downtown with my friend Chrissy for some shopping. We were long overdue for some Forever 21 indulgence.

Doesn't that pic seriously look like the light of Heaven is shining down? I think so.

I got a couple of cute tops - plan to style them and post them on here someday soon. My fave purchase was this cute deer antler ring. Don't you think it will go great with that coral necklace I got from Target a few months back {it totally looks like antlers to me more than coral}:

The Hootie & The Blowfish Homegrown concert series was going on this weekend and they had a lot of activities for families to take part in - best part, it was free! {Darius Rucker is from Charleston and puts this on every year} On Saturday, I took the kids to the Family Circle Cup stadium on Daniel Island where they had jump houses, a rock wall, game booths, a Lego play area and more for the kids to enjoy.

We also went out for a family dinner that evening.

Breckin is always in defense mode when Tanner gets near because big bro is always picking at him...gotta love sibling rivalry.

That night I got to go out with one of my best friends, Suz, to her friends' house for a ladies' game night playing Cards Against Humanity. I was so excited to play this game...I had heard about it via someone's blog and was dying to play. It's like Apples to Apples, but so politically incorrect, it's wrong. But sooooo funny. And I won! I'm definitely downloading the free print-at-home version of the game to keep handy for game nights with couples at our house.

Sunday was a clean house kind of day. Jake took the boys shark-fishing with their Uncle Bobby...

So I got some free hours to myself to actually make some head way on the disorganized mess that is our house at the moment {and I try sooo hard}. Truth be told, most the time was spent in the boys' rooms...ridiculous the messes they make, I tell you! I also took care of getting rid of the too-small clothing and other miscellaneous crap that had been stuffed out-of-sight-out-of-mind in their closets. It was long overdue.

I also DIY-ed a fabric bulletin board for Breckin's room, much like the one I did for Tanner's room. I'll be posting Breckin's room on here soon...have done a lot to it! Tanner's too.

Hope y'all had a happy weekend too!

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Five on Friday

Happy Friday, Loves! It's time for another...

{ONE}
Call me old-fashioned, or a dork...or both...but I saw these for sale on a mommy exchange group on Facebook and couldn't resist:

Yup...paid $35 for nearly new K2 roller blades that retail for $150. Hadn't planned on getting back in the {circa 20 years ago} hobby, but super-excited to roll around the neighborhood, and maybe even the beach streets, for a good workout. Nice change of pace {pun so very intended} from a walk or run!

{TWO}
Took this big guy to his first day of 2nd grade on Wednesday...

 Hoping he has the most wonderful year!

{THREE}
Thanks to #2, my gym schedule is actually a "schedule" again. I get to drop the kids off by 7:30 then head straight across the street {gotta love that convenience!} to my gym for an hour workout before having to be at work by 9am. Here's to Monday thru Friday workouts, and then of course Saturday AMs too! Back to 6 days a week - yesssss!

{FOUR}
As of this week, this little man is officially potty-trained!

This pic from this post in January

He's making it through the days dry in his underwear or pullup and asking to use the potty on his own when he has to go. He will still wear a diaper at night for a while, but we're so glad we can stop buying pullups! We still a pack to go through, so we'll save them for times we'll be out of the house for long periods of time {restaurants, beach, etc.} to prevent accidents. He just had his 3rd birthday, so for a boy this is quite good! {Our oldest was 4 before he was officially trained - #2s are what took the longest...ugh...don't miss those days!}

{FIVE}
Originally I was going to do the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon {a half marathon} in October as my first half marathon, but who am I kidding? I've been lazy about training this summer, all the rain has been no help either, and when it's not raining, it's scorching hot...call me high-maintenance...so I've officially actually REGISTERED for the Charleston Half Marathon on January 18, 2014. It's paid for, so there's no way out now. If there's anything that motivates me, it's not wasting money. September, October, November & December will provide more ideal temps and weather for training.

Oh and can't forget I'm Backin Dat Azz Up with Whitney again...and here's my jam...I am dedicating it to the strenuous half marathon training I'm about to endure. Have a great weekend!

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It's OK To Be Smart

I was watching the Kathie Lee & Hoda's TODAY show last week and they had Danica McKellar, formerly of The Wonder Years, on talking about her math books for girls. Check out the video:

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What I love about Danica is that instead of succumbing to the Hollywood life and becoming an ill-fated childhood actress, she went to UCLA and graduated Magna Cum Laude.

It got me thinking about society today and how there are many girls these days that "dumb themselves down" and are embarassed to be smart, for fear of being seen as nerdy, a know-it-all or even a goody-two-shoes.

I don't have a daughter, but I know if I did, I'd teach her that her brain is one of her best assets. Long after the looks are gone, you're going to have to have some substance. I've been guilty of "dumbing myself down" be it for a guy, or to not look like a brainiac in a group of girlfriends...for fear of coming off the wrong way. I look back and wish I hadn't. I'm sure there are many people I've met in my adult life that have no idea that:

1) I've won two spelling bees.

2) When the entire school was tested in their English skills in the 11th grade, I earned the overall highest score {and I was NOT Valedictorian or anything}.

3) Before entering the 7th grade, all the 6th graders in my district were tested and a small handful of around 15-20 students were put in Advanced Mathematics - I was one of those students. {Great way to meet hot Upperclassmen.}

4) In my 9th grade & 10th grade French classes, we would be tested each week and every Monday the teacher would put on the board everyone that received an "A" along with the percentage. My name was always there...at the top...with 100% next to it.

5) In 9th grade, a few of my popular-crowd friends borrowed my packet on our Romeo & Juliet study {this was a big 3-month study, so a third of our grade} and nearly that entire crowd passed that class because of that packet {you know who you are}.

6) In college, I helped a couple friends with their final class project because they honestly didn't know what they were doing. If I hadn't helped, they would have failed that course {I'm not proud of that, but neither of them are using their degree, so it's OK}.

7) My college GPA was 4.0.

8) I was put into Honors English in the 10th grade at the recommendation of my 9th grade English teacher.

9) Remember those State standardized tests we'd spend 1-3 days taking in school? {Don't forget your #2 pencils or you will DIE!} I never scored under the top 10% in the State and nation.

I do believe sometimes intelligence is just innate, but it's also a matter of applying yourself to a certain degree and actually giving a damn and trying. Even with all this evidence of high IQ, I'm not making 100s of thousands of dollars a year. I definitely had the potential, but I spent a lot of time dumbing myself down and fucking around. I thought I had nothing but time and I wanted to have fun in my young adult years. That is one of the regrets I have in life...not seeing myself to my full potential. I know my life isn't over or anything, but as a wife and a mother of two young boys, I have to do what's necessary to pay the bills. I'm not in a place where I can dedicate my time fully to some great entrepreneurial idea. Someday I hope to be able to...because my brain is always churning with ideas. I suppose I'm also not big in the corporate world because I truly can't stand to be bossed around {usually by someone much less intelligent than me}.

If I could go back to my college years, I would have applied myself, made a plan for myself and saw myself through to the potential I know I had. If I had a daughter I would tell her my story...and I would hope she would take the advice that it's more than OK to be smart. Anyone that has a problem with that, well, probably isn't smart. But you know what, this is great advice for my boys too.

On the upside, I am great for philosophical conversation and I can kick some ass in Scrabble, Scattergories, Sudoku - pretty much any game that requires a lot of thinking. My brain hasn't gone anywhere...it's still here.

Check out Danica's books here:

What about you? Have you realized your full potential? Do you ever make yourself seem not as truly smart as you are?

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Place Your Bets {Pantone Color of the Year 2014}

I'm going to play a guessing game. This Pantone Color of the Year thing...I think I will be just about spot on with the color for 2014.

A little history of the Pantone Colors of the Year since 2000:

Obviously, guessing the exact name of the color would be next to impossible, but I'm going to put it out here right now - so I have the bragging rights of saying "I told you so" and "Girl got ESP, yo". And if not, you can laugh and laugh and I will say those three words I never ever say {at least to my husband}, "I was wrong."

My feeling on this next color, is that it's going to be in the lavender/purple family. I'm actually not a huge fan of purple in my decor, nor do I have much of it in my closet, but I feel like it's coming back around.

{source}

{source}

{source}

If the color is more toward the darker shade end of purple, I see it having a little bit of indigo or gray tone within. Remember Lauren Conrad & Heidi Montag's apartment on The Hills - that beautiful purple-gray wall color against the stark white couch?

{source}

*Sorry - only picture I could find of it!

So there you have it, my friends...my prediction for PCOTY2014.

What's yours?

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Monday Musings

Oh what a weekend! We did so much for the last weekend before school starts...on Saturday, we went out to dinner as a family and then headed over to the local put-put/game arcade, Blackbeard's Cove with our friends Bill & Suz, who also have kids Tanner's and Breckin's ages. Suz and I sung about three songs each on karaoke...yeah, we were brave {and maybe a bit buzzed}! But it was so fun. I wish I had pictures {or video; that would be more embarassing}.

On Sunday, we went to church and then went to the splash park. I wish I had pics, but I left my phone in the car the entire time. It was a clear, sunny day - so nice since it had been rainy since Wednesday...and we're already back to rain again today.

In other glorious news, I won my first blog giveaway! It's a free blog makeover by Tricia Nae Designs via Cait's blog.

Thank you so much, Cait, I can't wait to see what Tricia does for my blog. If y'all don't follow Cait's blog, Southern Curls & Pearls, you definitely should...she is absolutely darling and has great style.

Today, Tanner and I are headed to meet his 2nd grade teacher. He starts back to school on Wednesday! This summer flew by too fast, but we had a lot of fun.

Wish I had more today...it's one of those days where my mind isn't quite yet organized back from the weekend. I didn't even get to do my Sunday prep for clean eating this week. {Gasp!} No worries, I had some clean eats leftover from last week, so I'm living on those until I can get to the grocery store and do my prep this evening. I'm doing pretty well, except this weekend I definitely did some cheating. But you do gotta live a little, right? As long as you're able to get right back on track.

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Five On Friday

1. One of my best friends had her first baby this week {on my Daddy's birthday, her original due date, and my original due date for Breckin three years ago}. She named him Levi Michael and he is just so precious. I think so highly of my friend, Corey...she has the best heart and anyone that knows her just loves her. I know she will make an amazing mom. I am so glad I got to meet the little guy before they left the hospital. And he is just one of those babies that came out looking good...well done, my friend {Corey}.

2. It rained a lot this week...starting Wednesday...it started and stayed wet through Friday. But good news is, I got to try out my new rain boots! I know they are not the Hunter's I wanted, but I couldn't justify purchasing them with the pennies I have in my wallet. Pennies, people. I got mine at Rack Room on sale for $24.99 and I don't think they're too shabby...and they do the job of keepin' my feet dry in the rain. What more can you really ask of a pair of rain boots? Mine look a lot like these:

3. My VS PJs came in this week...LOVING them. They are so much like my Eberjey's at a fraction of the price. I think I actually like the modal fabric better anyway. I got one set in Viva La Pink and one in Soft Nude. The site is still having their FALL13 code sale, which helped me save even more.

{via}

4. DVF shoes at Marshall's? Yes, please {maybe I can now afford something DVF}. Love the classic black pumps.

5. I usually get to #5 on these posts and have nothing other to say than I'M READY FOR THE FREAKIN' WEEKEN', Y'ALL! And I'm going to start by Backin' dat azz up with Whitney:

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