Thoughts For Thursday

Lots of thoughts for this Thursday...

We have plans to meet with the homeowner of the house we want and officially lay out our offer. As long as all goes well, we should be moving mid-September! I am so excited about this house and so ready to have a little more space for our family of five. We've had a good 7 years in our current house, and well, if it ain't true what they say about that 7-year itch...haha.

Our house officially goes on the market today. We signed the listing agreement last night. We have been working so hard the last week getting clutter cleared, taking care of looming projects (stairwell painting and finishing up the bathroom remodel). The only thing left is a deep cleaning and carpet cleaning which are being done Friday and Tuesday, respectively. I am just praying that our house sells quickly...we are ready to move on.

I start my permanent position at Boeing next Friday. This last week of work is a bit weird and light on the workload, but it's kind of a blessing in disguise with all the stuff going on with the house. I reached a point the other day where I think that it all just caught up to me and I just found myself completely exhausted - mentally and physically. I mean, mind you, between a full-time job and getting the house ready to go, we still have three kids running around! I just can't wait until a couple months from now when we can get settled and this will all be a distant memory.

Linking Up With:

Mondays: Life Of Meg // Still Being Molly // Lipgloss & Crayons // B Loved Boston // Fizz & Frosting // More Pieces of Me

Tuesdays: Bless Her Heart Y’All // 2 Cats & Chloe // Style Elixir // Designed Décor // Enjoy The View // Olives 'n Wine // Confident Twosdays

Wednesdays: Pampers & Pearls // Fitness Blondie // Because Shanna Said So // The Pleated Poppy // Get Your Pretty On // Let It Be Beautiful // Tucker Up // Pumps & Pushups // Shopping My Closet // Cappuccino & Fashion // Classy Yet Trendy // Book of Leisure

Thursdays: Home of Malones // East Coast Chic // Living In Color Style // Stylin’ In St. Louis // What I Wore To Work // What Wives Wear // Look What I Got // ThrowBack Thursday
Fridays: Hello, Happiness! // The Good Life // A. Liz Adventures // Carolina Charm // Lauren Elizabeth // Meet @ The Barre // September Farm // The Farmer’s Wife // All The Joys // Momfessionals

Thoughts For Thursday: Pigtails and Splurges

We're almost to the weekend! I swear this week has been draaaagging. I've been up at 4am each day, so maybe it's just that the days seem longer when I do that. I'm back to my Body Beast workouts. I really need to keep with it this time because when I'm doing it, I do love it. I just seem to find a day or two where I fail to get out of bed and then it just throws me all off.

I've also been trying to run with this little girl every evening. We had a storm the night before last so I missed that evening. I got her hair into it's first set of pigtails this week too! I seriously die. I didn't realize she could actually GET any cuter...but I was wrong.

I made some pretty random purchases this week. My sweet friend picked up an awesome pair of palazzo pants at Buckle when we were shopping a couple months ago and ever since then, I've sort of been aching for a pair. They just look so comfy {especially for a mom!} and they can easily be dressed up for a nice night out, or down for hanging out at home or the beach. I ran a search late at night {when my inhibitions are at their lowest} and found these.

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They're a bit "loud", but paired with a white tank and a classy necklace, I think they will be adorable. I love Aztec prints and pink, so this is a win-win. I'm glad I've finally come around to palazzo pants! What do you think of palazzo pants?

This top was a deal at $19.99. Saw a blogger post about it and it just looked like something I would wear...so I will. I try not to just randomly purchase in that way, but at under $20, it's nothing I'll feel guilty about later. They also have it in white or black, but I feel the blush has a sweet and romantic look to it.

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Anyway, that's my splurging for the week.

The first week of summer break has been good...the boys are loving Karate camp...Breckin even broke his first board! He was so stoked about it. Farrah is still at her normal daycare. It's always summer when I wish I wasn't a working mom because I'd love to have this time with them and go to the pool, beach and parks all week. I am definitely aiming to get to the beach every weekend, weather permitting. So far, so good.

Have a great remainder of the week!

Linking Up With:

Mondays: Life Of Meg // Still Being Molly // Lipgloss & Crayons // B Loved Boston // Fizz & Frosting // More Pieces of Me

Tuesdays: Bless Her Heart Y’All // 2 Cats & Chloe // Style Elixir // Designed Décor // Enjoy The View // Olives 'n Wine // Confident Twosdays

Wednesdays: Pampers & Pearls // Fitness Blondie // Because Shanna Said So // The Pleated Poppy // Get Your Pretty On // Let It Be Beautiful // Tucker Up // Pumps & Pushups // Shopping My Closet // Cappuccino & Fashion // Classy Yet Trendy // Book of Leisure

Thursdays: Home of Malones // East Coast Chic // Living In Color Style // Stylin’ In St. Louis // What I Wore To Work // What Wives Wear // Look What I Got // ThrowBack Thursday
Fridays: Hello, Happiness! // The Good Life // A. Liz Adventures // Carolina Charm // Lauren Elizabeth // Meet @ The Barre // September Farm // The Farmer’s Wife // All The Joys // Momfessionals

Thoughts For Thursday: Home Updates & Other Random Info

Yesterday, this sweet little angel came down with a fever at daycare so I had to leave work a couple hours early to get her.

She was very playful and happy when I got her home, some Motrin did the trick to get her temp down {it was low-grade to begin with} and she ate normally, so I was certain I was going to let her return to daycare today, but then she woke up 2-3 times screaming and crying during the night. Even though she went back down easily each time after being consoled for a couple minutes, I felt it best to stay home with her today since it was definitely out of character for her to wake at night.

At least it's a free day to get a head start on the weekend chores...and time with Farrah is always nice.

I shared a few random shots of updated spaces around the house this week on my Instagram.

Some of you may remember my Kids' Organized Art Space from two years ago...it was one of my most pinned items...so I was extra-proud of it.

It's looking more like this nowadays...upgraded to a larger table and two chairs, changed out some pictures in the frames and of course, now there is art hanging!

In Farrah's nursery, I had a really cute wicker chair that I had spray-painted. I really still love the seat, but it wasn't the best in terms of rocking and feeding her.

I posted about the one I found the other day - painted it the same color - and now it sits in her room beautifully. It's much more comfortable for feeding her in the morning...and it's a rocker!

We're still working on the bathroom...this project has taken much longer than I thought it would {my husband has taken a few weekends off from it - much to my discontent!} I told him I needed to get back in there and get my stuff finally all put away because it's driving me crazy...so I'm hoping we see it finished soon. The last I posted about it, it looked like this:

This is what it looks like right now - basically we just need to get a new light fixture, get the mirror cut to size and hung, get a plumbing piece that we need {since he moved the sink over a bit} and to repaint the room. I'll likely move back in before we paint because I can deal with that.

Jake made the countertop himself - it is so beautiful. And he made the cabinets on top. We used the existing vanity, painted it white and he just added to it with the drawers to make it larger and provide more storage - there's even hidden toilet paper storage!

That's it for my home updates for now. Hope you're having a lovely week!


Linking Up With: Home of Malones // East Coast Chic

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Thoughts for Thursday: Natural Mama & Other Things...

Over the last couple of months, I've made some changes toward the more natural, homeopathic way of life. I got introduced to Young Living essential oils in January and I pretty much dived right in. I now own like 20-something bottles of oil, I've bought roll-on bottles and dropper bottles to mix up regularly-used concoctions...and I'm literally searching Pinterest daily right now for new ways to use them...and any time some sort of ailment comes up for anyone in the family, they are the first thing I turn to. I've actually been witness to them working and it's a bit of relief knowing how much I invested in them! It's good to know that they are the real deal.

I'm turning into a fucking apothecary.

Haha, anyway...I think I may have shared in a post before some of my favorite uses for them so far, but I've gotten a few new oils since then and it's also been a little longer that I've used them, so I wanted to share again some things I am using them for - some may be repeats.

"FOCUS MOM" ROLL-ON (I call it that because I have a separate Focus blend for Tanner):
10 drops Peppermint
10 drops Citrus Fresh (or any citrus oil - lemon, orange, wild orange)
Fill remainder of bottle with carrier oil - I used grapeseed oil

I have been bringing this one to work and I really just love the scent. I roll it on the back of my neck (brain stem) and also rub it into my temples. I do feel a bit uplifted with it and possibly more focused. I would say it mostly helps me not feel tired...I definitely get a boost of energy.

"FOCUS BLEND" (for Tanner)
15 drops Vetiver
15 drops Cedarwood
15 drops Lavender
Fill remainder of bottle with carrier oil - I used grapeseed oil

Tanner puts this on the bottom of his big toes every night before bed - it aids in calming and helping him sleep better, which I think overall greatly affects his mood/behavior the following day. I also drop some on the back of his neck and rub it in...we do this before school. It is shown in studies to help hyperactive/ADD/autistic spectrum children to improve focus and quieter behavior. So far, I have noticed on the days I use it, he usually gets a good report. On days I've forgotten, I kid you not, those are the "bad" days. If I ended up running out of these oils and could only purchase one for the rest of my life, Vetiver would be it...just purely for what it's done and is doing for Tanner. It was the main reason I looking into EOs in the first place.

"STRESS AWAY" ROLL-ON
This is a pre-blended product from Young Living.

I can't say enough about the glorious scent of Stress Away. I love love love it and I really do feel more calm and peaceful after I put it on and breathe it in. I put it on my wrists and back of neck mostly.

"ALLERGY" ROLL-ON
10 drops Peppermint
10 drops Lemon
10 drops Lavender
Fill remainder of bottle with carrier oil - I used grapeseed oil

Y'all, I live in Charleston and right now the pollen is out. I am usually a stuffy-nosed, sneezing mess by now. I have been using this one daily on the back of my neck and I haven't had one hay fever attack yet. Not even one Claritin has been taken.

"SLEEPY TIME" ROLL-ON
10 drops Lavender
10 drops Vetiver
Fill remainder of bottle with carrier oil - I used grapeseed oil

I have been using this every night for a few weeks now and my sleep has been SOLID. I usually toss and turn and wake up to look at the clock a few times a night...I also tend to wake up tired. This stuff knocks me out within 20-30 min of putting it on. I roll it on the bottom of my feet and the back of my neck and it's sweet dreams for me. I also like to diffuse Vetiver and Lavender in the evenings because it calms the entire household down and we all go peacefully to bed.

FRANKINCENSE for the Face

I've been using a very small amount of coconut oil (a carrier oil) with a drop or two of Frankincense rubbed together and put on my face each night as my overnight moisturizer. My skin has never looked or felt so soft. I did find that I have to alternate days and use grapeseed oil instead of coconut because I tend to break out a little when using a lot of the thicker oils...I've found that this rotation resolves that so far. I do have to make sure to wash my hair the next morning or use dry shampoo since often the coconut gets into my hair around the roots by my forehead. The grapeseed doesn't usually do that. But I definitely see a difference in the lovely fine lines that appeared on my forehead like the minute I turned 30. They are definitely fading!

Anyway, those are just a few...I have so many other great uses to try and discover.

I have started getting some things in order for Farrah's 1st birthday party. I ordered the invitations yesterday and I'm super-stoked about them. Aren't they adorable? I am sooooo happy I get to do a rainbow-themed party!

Those black bars aren't really on the actual invites...just can't have all you stalkers all up in my business. ;-)

I ordered them from Delight Paperie on Etsy, should you be interested in some invites for your own event...she has a lot of cute ones.

In further interest of my obsession of rainbows, I have dressed her like this today:

One day she won't let me do what I want with her clothes and her parties...so I'm taking full advantage of my power while I have it.

I've been keeping good with my clean eating and workout plans this week and I feel great. I am starting to already feel less sugar cravings. I actually did my strength training at home every day this week so far instead of the gym, in interest of time specifically those days, but I will be back in the gym for leg/glute day tonight. My thing is, it doesn't matter where I workout as long as I'm able to do what I planned to do, which I have. My home gym is looking better and better, I added some more bars and weight plates.

I will share my clean eating plan with you soon. It's really not leaving me hungry at all, which is awesome.

Linking Up With: Home of Malones // East Coast Chic

 See where I like to Party.

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Thursday Thoughts

I know I've posted a bit this week about shopping...but I actually think it's time I gave myself a little shopping freeze {those Christmas season months can really get you to open your wallet more than you're used to!} I'll share with you my latest and greatest purchases {and some I'm just coveting}...but after these, well, I'm just going to have to work with what I have and make outfits that way...after all, that is the goal, right? I feel like I've been building my wardrobe a bit lately and I'm good to go for a while.

Had to jump on this deal at Forever21 - It was a BOGO! They are running a sale now for 30% off on it and it had already been marked down to $49.99. I had been looking for a cute leopard coat, and for the price, this one is way cute. What I actually did was order one in M and one in L to see which one fits better...I'll decide what to do with the extra eventually.

Leopard Faux Fur Coat

I pinned a few leopard coat outfits I'd like to use as inspiration and recreate the looks to my own taste.

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I haven't actually jumped the gun on this purchase, but I think it's soooo pretty and perfect for summer parties. And y'all must know by now I'm a sucker for pretty multi-colored stuff.

Jack by BB Dakota Nues Printed Jumpsuit

At $19.99? OK, I'm literally sitting here right now thinking that I simply must go ahead with it right after I finish this blog post. THEN, the spending freeze will commence. Promise.

I debuted these Minnetonka Moccassin boots in my outfit post last week...I am so glad I got them. I bought them used {literally next to new}for a fraction of the MSRP on our local Facebook mommy exchange. Do you have one of those shop and swap sites on Facebook locally? You should find out if you do...I've gotten a lot for the kids and my home for great deals!

Minnetonka Front Lace Hardsole Knee-Hi Boot

I'm actually more excited to wear them with shorts in the spring/summer. Again, I look to Pinterest for some good outfit inspiration.

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Linking Up With: Home of Malones // East Coast Chic

 See where I like to Party.

Become a Fashion Designer