Monday Musings: Meet Sugar

I want to first start off this post with saying that I miss Tundra. Dearly. I am still in pain over the whole ordeal and how it all turned out in the end. I loved that dog, and she, nor the dog that she was to our family, cannot ever be replaced. She was a great dog, she had a wonderful personality that was all her own and she will always have a huge piece of my dog lovin' heart.

That being said, Hubby bought me an early birthday present...

Sugar is an 8-week old Boston Bulldog {English Bulldog-Boston Terrier X}. She is super sweet and super white - hence the name Sugar. It definitely feels good to have a puppy again...after all, what is a dog owner without a dog?

So far, her favorite nap spot is right here {seriously, she pummels me over just to get to lay here}:

The boys absolutely love her, she is so playful with them. It's going to be a long few months of puppy-training...feels like there's a baby in the house again.

Have a great week, y'all! xoxo

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Kid's Art Keepsake Albums

I'm an artist. My brothers are artists. My dad is an artist. So it comes as no surprise that my son, Tanner, is quite the artist himself. {Breckin is still a little young to determine his aptitude for it.}

What comes with being an artist are supplies...lots of them. I've found a way to corral most of that {psst - see yesterday's post!} but today is about what comes from those supplies - the artwork. The piles and piles...and piles...of artwork.

Don't get me wrong, I LOOOOOOVE that my son is creative, loves to express himself through art...and has a bit of his mommy's side in him. It's something we can do together and both really enjoy. I love teaching him techniques and encouraging him to think outside the box. But alas, at the end of the day, I just realistically don't have the space to keep all of his original works.

I keep the "keepers" in his storage box that I created last year to have a place to put all the special works he does here and at school, but that will fill fast, and ideally, I'd like for it to cover all his years through high school graduation {if that's not possible, maybe two boxes at most}. I also like to hang my absolute favorites in frames and display them in our play room/home office.

Well, I've found the solution.

artwork keepsake albums

 

The image above is via an online print gallery for artwork albums called Plum Print.

I am in love with this idea. I think it would be great to create one for each age or school year. You can even personalize the binding so that it's easy to see from the bookshelf when you're grabbing to reminisce.

 

How great would this be? Your kids would love to pull them out when family or guests come over so they can proudly parade their artwork without a pile of papers to sort through. You could even make them as gifts for the grandparents.

These ones at Plum Print are a tad on the pricey end, starting at $85 for 30 pieces of artwork in a 10"x8" book, but the quality is great and they do offer a 40% discount on duplicates of books you've already printed.

Another alternative for this project would be Shutterfly. A bit less expensive, and they often offer discounts on their photo books. They offer many sizes and cover options to fit within your budget.

So what are you waiting for? Corral that pile of keepsake artwork together and create a book you can enjoy for years to come!

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Kid's Organized Art Area

Let me tell you how happy I am to finally be posting this! This means I have finally gotten my act together and created a clean and organized space for my children to create in! It has been on my to-do list for a long time now. I've gone through all sorts of different storage options for their supplies and I think I've finally landed on something I am happy with and so excited to share with all of you.

I found the white table and stool at Target. The white table is normally $49.99, but I got it on sale for $39.99. I had eyed it for a couple of months and happened to walk by it again one day when I saw the sale, so I had to grab it up. I am now kicking myself because I should have grabbed two...I do have enough space next to it for another one. I think I'll be getting another one. The stool was $11.99.

The bar and buckets are from IKEA. I knew I wanted 3, one for markers, one for crayons and one for colored pencils. The bar was $2.99, each bucket was $3.99, the "S" hooks were $1.99 for a set of 10, and the wire basket was $3.99. The wire basket is used to hold their stickers. I used Martha Stewart chalkboard labels.

For the wall holding their papers and books, I used some wire racks that I found at TJ Maxx and/or Marshalls {I have a few of these around the house and I've gotten them from both places}. They were $14.99 each.

I used a white paint marker from Hobby Lobby to label them. The paint is washable with rubbing alcohol should I ever want to write anything different. The printable you see above the racks is one I designed myself - and a quote I made up myself:

I wanted the area to be a positive space for them while they create. I think it will make them feel good to read all of the signs. Tanner is the only one that can read them right now!

The other wall has two bulletin boards by Board Dudes that I had already. They were from Target. I thought it would be great for them to be able to pin up their favorite works of art. And the rest of the wall is filled with more positive printables!

Here is one happy boy using the art area:

So there you have it - our finished art area for the kiddos!

Verdict: They love it!

Here is a full view again:

What do you think? Please remember to pin it if you love it! xoxo

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Black & White Maxi Skirt {3 Ways}

The other day, I was perusing Marshall's and literally ended up spending a small fortune. I found so many cute things for summer and just simply couldn't resist. One of my favorite finds of the day was a black & white striped Michael Kors maxi skirt for $34.99. I was just playing around with some things in my closet and put together some quick ensembles with it. {Sorry in advance for some of the smudgies - didn't realize how my mirror needed a good cleaning - thanks DSLR for pointing that out!}

The top in this first pic is from Target. I got them on a buy 1 get one half off sale, so one was $10, the next was $5. The bauble necklace is that infamous J.Crew lookalike I got off of eBay for $14.99 {sure beats the $150.00 J.Crew price tag!}

The top in this second picture is from Kohl's last year. I love the shoulder cut-outs and the color. I got it in a few different colors at the time since it was such a steal. Feel free to shop Kohl's tops collection here. {They are actually giving a 10% online discount to everyone through May 10th, just use the promo code BLOGS10 at checkout!} Again, another J.Crew look-a-like bauble.

And lastly, this is the skirt paired with just a simple black tank. I tucked it in to give more waistline definition.

I have so many other things I can pair with this skirt - its classic lines and colors make it so versatile. It's going to be a spring/summer staple for sure. It's so comfy, I could live in it all summer - maybe I will. xoxo

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St. Patty's Outfit {The Deets}

So yesterday in my Monday Musings post, I posted a quick, but not too quality pic of my outfit from St. Patty's Day. I actually got a few compliments on the get-up while out and about that day, so I thought I would share with all of you just what it's made of.

Dress: TJ Maxx / Boots: Minnetonka Moccassins / Necklace: Bohme Boutique /

 Earrings: Target

Some of you may remember this outfit from the Rascal Flatts/The Band Perry concert I went to on Valentine's Day when I got to meet The Band Perry backstage! This dress was such a great find at TJ Maxx for $12.99 - and now I have some much-needed green in my closet {I am seriously lacking in that department!} And plus, it is fitting with Pantone's 2013 Color of the Year: Emerald.

These earrings were a steal at Target for $7.99. I checked and they are not available online, so I suggest you run to your nearest store and raid their jewelry section...they had tons of great stuff.

The necklace is from Bohme Boutique. I got this when I visited Idaho last summer. They do not have these boutiques on the East Coast...I think so far they are only in California and the Northwestern states. So if you live over there, lucky you! They had a great selection of jewelry.

And I tell you, I have not gotten tired of my Minnetonka Moccassins and I don't think I ever will. LOVE.

Hope y'all had a great St. Patty's Day! xoxo

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Monday Musings

This Monday post is coming a bit later than usual...had to be at the gym for my shift bright and early this AM {4:30!!!} and then I took a barre class when I got off at 8:00. With all the festivities this past weekend, I just didn't have a chance to put a post together.

How was y'all's St. Patty's weekend? I have to say I can't complain, even though we were busy, I felt like it was pretty low-key. Unfortunately Hubby had to serve his USCG Reserve weekend though. The boys and I started out Saturday with the beach - Charleston was in the 70s this weekend! We met my friend Chrissy and her husband Doug out there. It was pretty breezy, so it was hard to lay out, and with my boys running all over the place it got a little crazy. We lasted a couple hours and then we headed home. Later, I went with Chrissy to Poe's on Sullivan's Island. {This island town is always going off on St. Patty's Day!} We ran into many people we knew, enjoyed some beers and just had a good time.

Sorry for the low-quality pic, my iPhone has no flash! Ugh. #timetoupgrade

On Sunday, the boys and I bustled around town running errands, then I was so excited to finally see my friends David, Taylor and their baby Cruze who all had been living in Hungary for just about a year now...I was so glad to finally be able to meet her baby!

From Left: Taylor, Me & Coco - REUNITED!

 It was so good to see them doing well as a new family with a new baby. Cruze was just darling.

Here's my St. Patty's Day outfit:

Hope y'all had a great weekend! xoxo

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Entryway Restyle

I'm at it again...moving things around here and there. I don't think I ever go more than a few days before moving at least one thing in my house to a new spot. I've restyled my entryway console table and I wanted to share it with you. Let me know what you think because I know sometimes it needs a few pairs of eyes and some good suggestions to get a great final product. Thanks, darlings! xoxo

 I added those key hooks because I am notorious for forgetting where I last set my keys. I needed somewhere right in the entry that I could hang them. This was at Kohl's on sale for $8.99.

Those coral geometric frames were a great find last year at Walmart - $4.98 each! They hold pictures of me with both my boys at similar ages, in the pool, wearing the same hat. The one to the right was Tanner in 2006 and the other is Breckin in 2011.

Speaking of coral, that white beauty you see there was one I ordered from Z Gallerie a few months ago. It was $24.99. The magazine and book stacks  contain all of my favorite home magazines {HGTV, Better Homes & Gardens, Charleston Home + Design, etc.} and a few of my favorite home decorating books.

The abstract art is the work of my first grader, Tanner - done when he was age six last summer. The pallet art is mine...hubby and I have talked about working together to make and sell these eventually.

And of course, my favorite Craigslist find to date is still that yellow Crate & Barrel console table...it was love at first sight.

Hope you enjoy my latest restyle {I can guarantee there will be more to come!}

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Goodbye, Google Reader

I've recently learned that as of July 1st, Google Reader will cease to exist. I am bummed because that's where I keep and read all of my favorites blogs' RSS feeds. If you happen to follow me on Google Reader, I need to ask you a little favor...

Pretty please start following me on BlogLovin' instead? You can be directed to my blog on there by clicking here, or there is also an icon in the Follow Me section of my sidebar on the right. I actually just finished moving all the blogs I read via Google Reader over there.

Don't forget, I'm also on Facebook and Twitter if either of those is your follow method of choice. Links to my blog posts automatically post whenever I add new content.

Thank you much, and as always, I'm super-grateful that you read my blog. xoxo

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Easy Protein Banana Pancakes

This weekend I tried my hand at my own recipe for some protein banana pancakes. They were actually super-easy to make, only a very few ingredients and the kids gobbled them up too!

Here's what you'll need:

2 eggs
1-1/2 scoops vanilla whey protein
1 banana
1/4 cup water (or less for desired thickness)

Heat skillet at med to med-high setting. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and wisk until smooth. Bananas may leave some lumps, but that's OK. Spray skillet with cooking pray {I always use olive oil cooking spray...repeat this between each pancake}. Pour 1/4 batter per pancake (this recipe yields 4 pancakes; adjust as needed). Let cook until bubbly and then flip.

Serve with a drizzle of sugar-free syrup.

Each pancake is approximately 90 calories and packed with approximately 12g protein - not too shabby!

These are actually great to make a batch ahead of time and refrigerate them in single-serve baggies so you can grab-and-go as needed throughout the week. 

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*Note - original graphics-free image was from this similar recipe.