Wearing my clothes – Day #23

Apparently the “good” feeling didn’t have too much to do with working out yesterday, ‘cuz we slept in this morning (it was one of those pouring raining kinds of morning where your snuggly bed feels fantabulous!), and I still feel cute! =) But we’re working out tomorrow morning WITHOUT QUESTION!!

The outfit nitty gritty today:

I.N.C. jeans, Rocket Dog shoes from Ross, Lauren Conrad tank top from Kohl’s (kinda wish I’d bought a small, I got a medium but they stretch out quite a bit, still like it though), and Apt. 9 cowl neck sweater from Kohl’s. And Brighton necklace.

The only “mom issue” with this sweater is it gets caught on velcro and tiny fingers. =) But it’s still intact and I’ve had it for at least 5 months, so that’s good.

Thanks for the feedback everyone! It’s keeping me motivated. Happy dressing. =)

Pinned it, Did it - Smoothie

I love “green” smoothies because they’re a great way to sneak in veggies. Yeah, yeah…for myself too! What? I’m a big grown up kid alright? ;)

I found a smoothie recipe here titled “Slammin’ Sunrise “Green” Smoothie. I made another one yesterday from Pinterest that I didn’t post because Cooper took about 3 sips and passed.

But this one, he said, “Mmm…it tastes like a popsicle, mommy!” =) Success! So, here’s what I did…(I changed it ever so slightly from the original recipe I found)

Ingredients

2-3 1/2 cups spinach

1 1/2 cups strawberries

1 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 banana

1 cup crushed ice

1/4 milk

Blend and serve! I’ve found the clear insulated tumblers with the “stopper straws” work great for Cooper! Like these from Starbuck’s, but certainly doesn’t have to be from there! It’s too difficult for him to drink out of a sippy cup, the smoothie won’t come out the straw. Now that we’re really enjoying smoothies, I think I’ll invest in a few more cups. They are also pretty spill proof, which is great for those dark/green colored smoothies. I already learned that one the hard way. Thank you Folex!!

Seriously, go try it out! The sooner you start your kids on them, the more accustomed to them they will become. Even Allie loved it! (Shh…I know she’s probably not supposed to have strawberries yet, but she hasn’t broken out in a rash yet, and she drank SPINACH people! That’s a fair trade-off. ;)

Wearing my clothes – Day #22

I’m wondering how much my mood affects whether or not I like an outfit. But I’m likin’ this one today! Cute & comfy! It might be the fact that my husband and I woke up to work out for like the first time in forever this morning. You know, put me in a skinny feeling kind of mood? ;) Anywho…

Pants are Levi – I’m pretty sure I got them at Costco. So comfortable! The shirt was from Ross or Marshall’s, I love(d) both the color and the keyhole in the back. Fun! And I’ve mentioned the jacket before.

The shoes – so ghetto but comfy and kind of casual looking. And if you look really closely, I’m wearing silver hoop earrings. They’re from Premier Jewelry. I love them! Glad many of you are enjoying my outfit updates. I’m pretty sure I’ll blow past the month mark my husband thought it might take. We’ll see. I think it will also help me cut a few more clothes out of my closet. Again, we’ll see though! Stay tuned. =)

Pinned it, Did it

So…I recently caved and joined Pinterest. I created a board titled “Pinned it, Did it” ‘cuz I didn’t want to pin all these fun ideas and then never follow through because I was too busy pinning fun ideas! Ha!

I figured I’d share one with you from today. Plop down a piece of play-doh, stick in some spaghetti noodles, and let your kid put on some cheerios. We added an EXTRA level of difficulty by sorting the colors of cheerios (brown, yellow, and regular).

It did help him work on fine motor skills..for about 3-4 minutes, then he destroyed it. But it was still worth the 10 seconds it took for me to get out the supplies. =) Such concentration! Go do something fun with your kids now!

Wearing my clothes – Day #21 (a dose of reality)

I honestly don’t even remember where I got this shirt. It’s old! The jacket is from Sam’s Club, pants are Guess, and the shoes are Fioni, Payless. Just plain ol’ patent black heels that I certainly did not pick out because they cover my toes, and they desperately need painting!

So..the dose of reality? Today was…not the most fun. Just random, tiny obnoxious road blocks to my day, nothing huge! So, I was trying really hard to turn my attitude around when this happened…REALITY…You’ve got to be prepared to get stuff on your clothes when you’re a mom to young kids.

Poor little Allie got a tiny piece of pretzel stuck at the back of her throat, not choking, just couldn’t move it. She threw up all over. I’d rather have it on me than on my carpet! It’s all over her…me…but that was it!

I love her expression, like, “What mom?” =)

Live it up mommies! Throw up and all.

p.s. – I spared you all the close up pic that I showed to my husband during dinner. hehe He’s a doctor, he can handle it!

Wearing my clothes – Day #20

I’m not sure why, but I love this outfit! The pearl strands are from Kohl’s, as are both the jeans and the top, again with the Lauren Conrad brand (I’m also wearing LC in this post). The jeans are sort of a super light pinkish color, and the top is a pinky brown. I love the back of the top! Sort of what caught my eye. Trying clothes on is definitely the key to finding cute clothes. I never would’ve guessed I would have liked this style, but I love it! AND, super comfy to boot.

The shoes however? Not super comfy, but super cute!! They’re Guess brand (purchased at Marshall’s or Ross, can’t remember) and HIGH! Okay…curiosity just got the best of me and I just measured said heels. Eek! Almost 5”! What?! No wonder they’re not comfy. But, I feel very elegant and they’re fun on occasion. (today’s occasion was church, by the way)

Hope your weekend is wrapping up well. Mine is! My hubby is home, back safely from Honduras today. I threw in that last picture as proof…check out that smile! =) Go give your husband a big ol’ kiss just because.

It’s true what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. We’re definitely glad to have one another back.

Wearing my clothes – Day #19

I almost missed my picture today! Another sort of frumpy day. I think it has to do with not having hubby home for a week. =( I snapped it right before going to slip into my pj’s. (hence the slippies!) Levi jeans, Old Navy sweater that I actually traded at a consignment store awhile back. I like it more now that I look at it in the picture than I sometimes do catching glimpses in the mirror. It’s not bad, and quite warm! I had green Old Navy sneakers on with it before putting on slippers. =)

Bathroom Organization - Drawers

My bathroom organization started with the medicine cabinet, moved onto under the sink, and ended with these beauts…Apart from the medicine cabinet, this was my favorite place to organize in the bathroom! It’s so functional now! I’m much more calm when getting ready. I know that sounds cliche, but it’s true!

Again, I used the scrapbook paper covered in packing tape trick to line the drawers! I just chose whatever paper I had in my stash that made me happy. =) Here’s the break down of my drawer. Again, I only kept the essentials that I use daily!! Oh, and I purchased the drawer dividers at the Dollar Tree. They may not have these exactly, but buy what you like and what will work for you! From bottom left, working counter clockwise:

• Eye shadow and eye base
• Concealer, powder & blush
• Chapstick & floss
• Make-up brushes (in the pink case)
• Glasses & case (and normally my toothbrush is along the far right side)
• Q-tips and cotton balls (I was worried about the kidlets pulling these out, but so far so good. Although I’m sure Allie’s not far off from there)
• Make-up remover, deodorant, contact case, prescription
• Eyelash curler, mascara, make-up brushes, face lotion, eyeliner

And my second drawer…pretty straight forward: And the hubby’s drawer (which I didn’t line ‘cuz he could CARE LESS!!):

• Razor & rogaine (forgive me honey! although you’re far from vain, so I’m sure you will)
• Shaving cream, toothpaste, floss
• Deodorant
• Contacts
• around the edges are random daily use items

Ta-dah! That about covers our bathroom organization to date. Keep posted for other areas in our house! =)

Bathroom Organization – Under the Sinks

The bathroom organization began with the simple medicine cabinet. Check that out here.

The picture above is under my husband’s sink. Here’s the explanation of what’s inside…

The basket on the far right contains “extras”. Extra deodorant, toothpaste, soap, razors, etc. I tried snapping a pic, but it was too dark! The small white container to its left is Ryan’s travel size items.

In front of the beige basket is this… …which my husband mocked to no end! I told him, hey, you have no excuse now. Everything has a home, so put it there! ;)

On the far left is the following…(pictured above)

• Lint rollers (‘cuz we have a white dog, and wearing black is quite the challenge!)
• Men’s grooming kit – the black bag (which I use to touch up my son’s hair in between haircuts, and my husband uses weekly for his own hair)
• An otoscope (or ear scope – layman’s term) The hubs is a doctor, and it’s great to have at home for those iffy situations with kids’ ears.
• Vitamins, prescriptions & medical – anything that didn’t fit a “category” under my sink went in here
• Towels – I roll them up in the green basket

Now, under my sink… On the far right I have a set of curlers. I strongly considered getting rid of them, however, the few times I’ve used them, I absolutely LOVE how my hair looks. So, I keep ‘em for special occasions. =) The lovely bag on top is everything hair related. Headbands, rubber bands, barrettes, etc. I don’t have much, so it works. The striped Victoria Secret bag in the back hides some lady essentials. =) Random bag, but it fits perfectly! hehe A little leave-in conditioner for those summer pool days and extra mousse sit in the front there. A slightly closer look here we have…

• Tummy care – includes Tums, Pepto, Anti-diarrhea, along those lines
• Eyes/mouth care – Travel-sized contact solution, extra toothbrushes and floss, etc.
• Travel – my travel sized stuff
• Nail care – anything manicure-ish =)
• First aid – Gauze, band-aids, ace bandage, ben gay, etc.
• Earrings – the tackle box on the left is all my earrings (I have a hanging one in my closet for bracelets and necklaces)
• Extra make-up – The silver bag above the nail care holds any extra make-up I have. I really don’t play around with make-up, I don’t have that kind of time! But occasionally I enjoy a different color. So, this holds my stash.
• There’s a basket above tummy care that has extra lotions and hand soap. I think I’ll find a different home for this after organizing other areas in my house, but for now, here it is.Not super purdy, but it’s doing the trick in the organization department! And finally…the drawers…come check them out here! They ARE purdy! =)

Bathroom Organization – Medicine Cabinet

Noticing a theme here? Yup…organization!

I’m not sure what finally got into me, but I think I’ve mastered what works for me, and I’m on a roll at organizing and KEEPING it that way. So, I’m attacking one problem area at a time. I actually started with my bathroom, but posted about my closet here first.

I think part of it was all the fun blog pictures I’d seen about making bathroom organization pretty. So, I tackled my medicine cabinet first. We really only kept medicine in it previously. So, I took everything out, wiped the shelves down, and actually took them out as well. Did you, too, stick with whatever shelf configuration was there when you moved in?! What was I thinking? Personalize it ya’ll!

BOTTOM SHELF… holds Tylenol, Motrin, and Aleve, and my retainers and the toothbrush I use to clean them. TMI, I know, but I think part of what has helped me have been all the details I’ve read elsewhere, so watch out, they’re comin’! =)

I decided I wanted the medicine cabinet to house things I actually use somewhat regularly and/or want quick access to. Unfortunately, my running and constant headaches from screaming children demands aleve and the like quite often. And I didn’t get braces twice just to let my teeth get out of whack all over again, hence the retainers! And if you look at the far right of the bottom shelf, there’s a magnet with nail clippers and my hair clip I use while blow drying my hair in the morning.

MIDDLE SHELF… has volumizing mousse, a shine paste to tame the wild and crazy baby hairs, hair spray, lotion with SPF, and contact solution.

TOP SHELF… No!! Not vodka…although…

KIDDING people, kidding! ;) See for yourself, cold medicine, thermometer, throat lozenges, and our toothbrush charger. (oh, and tucked in between is campho-phenique. You know how the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding uses Windex as a cure-all? Campho-phenique is my Father-in-law’s cure all. And it does work for cold sores, let me tell you!)

And the pretty in the back is simply scrapbook paper covered in packing tape. My mom bought me a home laminator from Costco for Christmas, and she asked me why I didn’t use it for this. I explained that it doesn’t do 12x12 (which happened to fit perfectly), and packing tape is hecka cheaper! And works just as well (sometimes better!)

Oh! And one of the best parts?! I’ve been wanting to do this for some time now, and finally purchased the magnets (for a different project actually) to go ahead and finally do it! See on the inside of the door? *squeal* Here’s a closer look…Not the clearest picture, but you get the idea. Our tweezers and two nail scissors. My husband and I joke say that we’re gonna be hairy beasts if we ever lose the tweezers on the left. They’re the best and we can’t find any that work as well.

Well…there you have it! My organized medicine cabinet. So far, it’s stayed organized! Hooray! Next up, under the sink, check out that post here.

Wearing my clothes – Day #18

Ugh…that pretty much sums up how I feel today. Didn’t do my hair, haven’t exercised in FAR too long, and don’t care for this outfit to boot. But…here’s the reality. I’m thinking I may give this sweater away after looking at it. And, when did these pants get so ill fitting?! Maybe they just need a good washing on hot? But hey, they served there purpose for today.

The sweater is DKNY from Ross. The pants are from Macy’s, but are quite old now. And one of the buttons actually broke (they’re plastic), so they had to put on all new ones. Not diggin’ how they’re different from the other buttons, and shiny silver as well. Oh well.

Home alone, hence the horrible auto-timer snapshot. But, it’s day #18, and for my first “Ugh…really don’t like this one” – I’d say not too shabby! =) Cheers to tomorrow! I’m getting my hair done, so I’ve got to feel better, right? ;)

Wearing my clothes - Day #17

I'm trying to post this quick before I need to head out for my flight. I took the obligatory "stand in front of the camera for my outfit" picture, and liked these much better! =) It's beautiful in LA today, so we headed down to our traditional HB Sugar Shack breakfast and enjoyed time on the beach. We enjoyed the waves a little too much and my son got his pants soaked. It was so much fun!

Anywho, this shirt is from Ross I believe. It was super cheap and I almost didn't buy it. I'm so glad I did, though, I've worn it a ton! It's an Old Navy white tank underneath. And the shorts are from Ross as well. Again, almost didn't buy them, I was worried they were too tight. But they're so comfortable! I'm obviously barefoot here, but had good 'ol Old Navy flip flops on. I also had my nifty white blazer to keep me warm in the beachy breeze, but didn't really end up needing it! I may add to this post later, but for now...toodle-oo!

Wearing my clothes - Day #16

This is another one of my faves...and yes, you guessed it, Anthropologie. Seriously, they are not paying me, which is the only reason I can say I shop there extremely rarely because they are incredibly expensive. The blouse and shorts are both from there. I almost didn't buy the shorts because, you can buy black shorts ANYWHERE, right? Probably for much cheaper. But, they were on clearance, and are SUCH nice quality!! I'm so glad I splurged. Shoes are DSW, and again! I wish I zoomed in on the earrings. My MIL bought them for me in Hawaii. I love them!

I feel spoiled with beautiful California weather...while I have many friends enjoying chilly, snowy weather. Sorry friends. =( Tomorrow should be a-maz-ing!!

Wearing my clothes - Day #15

So...I took a picture sitting down, because my mom and son were SUPER sweet and brought me these gorgeous flowers they cut from my mom's backyard. Cooper was so excited to bring me flowers. =) Ahhh. So, I'm sitting next to the vase they brought me.

My shirt is from Kohl's, but I should've snapped a pic standing up, too. It has a row of turquoise circles along the bottom, hence the turquoise ring and necklace, also from Kohl's. The pants are Guess and the shoes are from DSW. So comfortable, I love 'em! Oh, and the sweater is so old, I have no idea where I got it from, Ross perhaps? Again, I'm learning a lot about my wardrobe, and I'm thinking a new black sweater will be a good addition when I get to that point. This one is a bit faded. =) Stay tuned for more...



Wearing my clothes - Day #14

Yay! I suckered my dad into snapping a shot before heading out to meet an old friend at the park. Cooper wanted to be in it again. So precious! The sweater is Old Navy. The shirt is from TJMaxx. I ALMOST didn't buy it. It sort of puckered funny below the bust. But my awesome mom said, "I think we can just add a quick stitch and it'll stay put. Ta-dah! It did. I think it was only $10 or $12. Pretty fun shirt for that! Pants...same 'ol, same 'ol....I.N.C. and shoes, Target. =) Hasta manana!

p.s. - I wish I'd zoomed in on my earrings. I think the were also from Target. Kind of a moroccan feel. Love' em! I'm not good with jewelry, so when I get a good "match" with my outfit, I love it!

Wearing my clothes - Day #13

Love this outfit! Cute and super comfy, which is good seeing as I travelled with my two kiddos solo on a plane today. It went smoothly except for the rude lady that wouldn't give up her window seat, resulting in my son's 5 minute temper tantrum.  So if my shirt looks a bit wrinkled, and you spy baby food on my white blazer, don't judge! I made it out of the house with luggage for 3 people for 5 days by 7:20, through security at the airport, on a 1 1/2 hour plane ride with BOTH kids, and ended happily and Grammy and Papa's. With that said, I think I look pretty darn good! ;)

I've always loved flying, I think I'm a bit old school in the sense that I like to look nice while travelling. I know, it doesn't make sense logically, just be comfy, right? But I think I view flying as a privilege, so I like to dress as if it's a treat! I've passed on the love of flying to my son. He gets soo excited when we get to fly!

Okay...so my outfit! The "blazer" is from Marshall's from a LONG time ago. So glad I bought it! A good fitting jacket is key! Now that I realize how much I do use it, I may invest in a super nice, excellent fitting white jacket at some point. This one is starting to age a bit, but it's working for now!

The blouse is from Old Navy (remember my post about "buying" right after I said I wasn't going to anymore? I didn't buy...I had merchandise credit...and how could I pass this cutie up, right? $6 and I love it!). Try clothes on people, just like in What Not to Wear. This blouse is kinda...well...blousy. Usually I like things to be a bit more form fitting. But after trying things on and seeing how things fit on my body, I've realized that you can wear things that are blousy, and still "show off" your cute figure.

The jeans were from a previous post, from Marshall's as well, and the shoes are from Ross.

Last minute "tip"...take it or leave it. Try looking nice or dressing up when you fly. I think people are nicer to you because of it. Maybe you look more professional or approachable or something. But, other than the the afformentioned lady above, I had 3 other helpful citizens assist me along the way. Yay for the goodness of folks!

Until tomorrow...

p.s. - since I'm away from my home compy, these posts may look different. But I'm still gonna try and post! Wanna keep up the outfit posts. =)

Wearing my clothes – Day #12 (and a quick trick of the trade)

Another positive take on this whole…wear everything in my closet before I buy/re-wear anything…taking these pics are really helping me to know what I like and do not like in my closet. This right here, while not bad, is proof that I should not impulse buy in the clearance section. This top is Old Navy. It was only $6. I thought

“Cute, fall-ish, fun color, buy!”

Meh. The sleeves are a little funky for me. But, I do like the color. Anywho…the necklace is also Old Navy, fun! The pants are *gasp* junior brand Angels from Ross. This brand for some reason tends to fit me well. These were my first (and only come to think of it) skinny jean. I don’t know if I’m sold on the skinny jean. I think it’s just the slight self conscious tendency. I’m not fat, I know that (right?), but I’m far from those cute little twig characters that can REALLY pull off the skinny jean look.

Two more things before I share my trick of the trade. =) The boots are target, Merona brand I believe. I’ve had them for YEARS. Love the fit though (although, now that I look at the pics, the toe is a little witch-ish – see photo below since shoes were cut off in the pic above) And…duh-duh-duh-DUH!! I tried another new hairstyle from Pinterest. This one wasn’t quite as successful, but again, I didn’t have much time to futz with it. I will certainly try again. I have issues with bobby pins holding my hair? Anyone else have this issue? Any suggestions? I have thin hair, that’s my major issue.

Trick of the Trade #21: Spill-proof coffe mug!

Notice I have a to-go coffee mug in hand. I swear I’m a walking saleswoman for this brand. It’s Contigo. And now that I just looked them up online, I can’t believe what a steal they are at Costco! I think I have like 6 of them? If I recall correctly, I got 2 for $20 at Costco. Seriously, with little toddlers, you will not regret purchasing this. If you don’t know about them, they have a push button mechanism that you push to drink. So you can throw that cup around any which way you want, and nothin’ is gonna spill until that little button is pushed for you to drink. Here’s proof:

Isn’t she hilarious?! Anyway, I swear by them. I know some of you are sold on the glorious idea of sitting down to a steaming cup of joe, but that’s just not gonna happen for me. This way, it STAYS hot for quite awhile, and I know I’m not gonna have to be bitter at either

A: Cleaning up a spill or

B: LOSING MY COFFEE?!

I don’t know which would be worse. =) They also have water bottles, and just added some that have straws too, perfect for my now drinking daughter! I believe they make kids ones, too, which will be great sometime soon here.

Here’s a link to one at Target that is similar to the one I have. They’re currently out of stock, but they have other similar ones. Happy coffee drinking! =)

Wearing my clothes – Day #11

I had to go with the self-timer today. My husband left for Honduras for a medical missions trip, and it was a bit of a hectic morning. This is one of my favorite splurge sweaters! Anthropologie! I saw it in the catalogue and almost HAD to have it. It’s SO me! The undershirt is from Target. The jeans are Levi again, not my fave, but they’ll work. And the shoes I got at Ross…Rocket Dog. So comfy! I wanted to do cute hair again today, but did you hear me mention that it was a hectic morning? Yeah – I didn’t get to do anything but let it dry this morning. Hey, at least I got a shower. Yippee!

After I did the whole “self-timer” bit, I looked over the pictures and I had fake smile in most of them. =( I really do put on a better smile for the hubby. We’ll see how they turn out while he’s away. I threw a little sass in for this one. That’s what he’s always telling me to do when I attempt to strike a pose. hehe Miss him already and it hasn’t even been 12 hours. That’s a successful marriage!

Caramelized Onion, Walnut and Cilantro Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Not sure where I nabbed this recipe, but it’s yum! I made it for a Valentine’s get together. Ironic, ‘cuz of the onion factor…on Valentine’s Day…but what the heck!

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup chopped sweet onion (1 large)

2 cups Shredded Chicken Master Recipe (see recipe below)

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

¼ cup sliced green onion (2)

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon lime juice

Salt and ground black pepper (optional)

10 slices sourdough bread, toasted

10 slices tomato

¾ cup baby spinach leaves

Pimiento-stuffed green olives (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion. Cook, covered, for 13 to 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Uncover; cook and stir over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes more or until golden.

2.In a large bowl, combine onion, chicken, walnuts, and green onion. Add mayonnaise, cilantro, and lime juice; toss to coat. If desired, season to taste with salt and pepper.

3.Place about 1/2 cup chicken salad on each of five bread slices. Top each with two slices tomato and some of the spinach. Top sandwiches with the remaining bread slices. If desired, secure each sandwich with a skewer and garnish with an olive. Makes 5 servings.

I’ve also served it on croissants.

Wearing my clothes – Day #10

A little over a week into trying to wear all the clothes in my closet, and I’m realizing I need to pace myself. If I wear all my favorite clothes up front, I’ll start to feel a bit dowdy at the end. hehe

With that said, here’s one of my new sort of faves. Pants are I.N.C. from Macy’s, petite! The sweater is from Kohl’s using Kohl’s Cash! It’s Lauren Conrad brand. When I went to go spend my Kohl’s Cash, I ended up buying almost everything Lauren Conrad.

**CONFESSION**

I didn’t know who LC was…I figured she was someone famous, so I googled her. Laguna Beach and The Hills. Eek! I’m starting to feel a bit old and out of the loop. But I’m totally okay with that in this particular instance. Even though I didn’t know who she was, I love her clothes!

Lastly…my son is wearing one of his Valentine’s gifts, Kermit the frog PJ’s. He loves them! Clearance at Target. I’m starting to buy and stash a few goodies like this for occasions such as this. Then I was frantically trying to figure out what to do for Valentine’s morning. =)

A little gold chain/loopy necklace I think was also from Kohl’s (I try to throw jewelry in, but am still learning how to incorporate it), and the shoes were from Target a year or so back. I’m bummed, one of the rhinestones fell out. I keep meaning to replace it, but you know how it goes. Someday the stars will align and I’ll be wearing them ON one of my many trips to Michael’s, I just KNOW it! =)

Wearing my clothes – Day #9

Ugh…I waited until 10:30pm to take this shot. My husband is soo sweet to snap pics for me, but he’s hilarious! He keeps putting his thumb in front of the flash. And the below picture is what HE’S focusing on. Men! Glad to know after 8 1/2 years of marriage, we’re still going strong! ;)

This sweater is actually from Walmart a few years ago. I think it was like $12. I’m wearing a plain old, long sleeve tee from Old Navy underneath. And the jeans are from Macy’s, can’t recall the brand right now. And you can’t tell, but I had my good ‘ol green corduroy Old Navy sneakers on. It was CHILLY today (okay, for California standards, but still!).

Wearing my clothes – Day #8

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I know, not very “festive”, but I don’t really have any clothing that’s very “Valentine-y”. So, here you have it!

Shirt is Old Navy (I’m seeing a theme here…)

Pants are Levi “Ultimate Lift” (Shh..’cuz I don’t have much of a boo-tay)

Shoes are…ooo..heck old! I think Ross or something? Also, I may as well address this. I have an unusual connection to my watch. Almost to the point that I should go do a class on addiction over it. Seriously!

There’s a bit of history behind “The Watch”, or at least the concept behind the watch. Waaayy back when, I did part of my student teaching overseas in Papua New Guinea (PNG), I discovered that communication while living in the middle of PNG, not so good. And the time difference is quite unpleasant. So, having only been dating my hubby (boyfriend at the time) for all of 5 months when I left, we purchased two watches with daily alarms and set them to go off at the same time. We committed to praying for one another when our alarms went off. It was comforting to know we were thinking of each other at the same time, every day. I know, schmoopy beyond all reason, but precious.

We both became sort of addicted to our watches. It’s nice having access to an alarm wherever you are. We actually both use our watches as alarm clocks still to this day. This is how bad it is…I forget that I’m wearing it, and actually feel naked without it…here’s an example of how bad the addiction is: My husband’s work Christmas party, formal obviously. It’s okay, you can tell me. TACKY!! I honestly just forgot. But, ewww!

As I leave you today, a word of marriage advice, seeing as it IS Valentine’s Day. Someone just asked me, “What’s the best marriage advice you’ve heard?” I don’t know that this is the BEST, but it certainly has helped me.

Tell your husband what you want, but then be pleasantly surprised when he does it. =)

So, for this Valentine’s Day, I had no expectations. And guess what?! I was not disappointed! =) We had a lovely breakfast of heart pancakes, an evening at the park with the family, and heart shaped meatloaf. Now, we’re working back to back at computers. Don’t worry…we’ll spend a short bit of quality time before we crash for the night.

Valentine’s Day

In this blog…

1. Valentine’s Dinner – Parmesan Chicken

2. Valentine’s Breakfast – Pancakes and Heart Milk Cubes

3. Valentine Play Date

4. Valentine Dinner #2 – Heart Shaped Meatloaf

My son has been soo looking forward to Valentine’s Day this year. I was telling my husband, other than Christmas, I think this is the first holiday he’s actually been truly excited about, AND understands why we celebrate it.

We started the night before, because I found a heart-shaped chicken parmesan  recipe on Pinterest. Hers is WAY cuter than mine, but I was still happy with the outcome. (Sorry, I’m not good at photographing food. So it’s not the most appetizing, but here it is nonetheless) And the little baby tomato hearts are adorable too. Just cut them in half at an angle, flip one half and stick ‘em back together. Here’s my son’s plate:AND…he ate all the baby tomatoes. He does tend to like them, but I’m pretty sure the heart shape provided an extra draw this meal.  My daughter enjoyed the spaghetti as well! ______________________________________

The next morning we had heart-shaped pancakes and pink heart milk cubes in our milk! Another Pinterest find. I didn’t get a picture of it in the glass of milk, but soo fun! And bonus! It keeps the milk extra cold without diluting it. Yum! Here’s the sleepy head excited about his V-day breakfast. And here he is opening his Valentine’s gift. A Jeff Foxworthy book (that I purchased when Borders was going out of business for a few bucks…sad face), a glow in the dark bee mask I purchased at Dollar Tree, and Kermit the frog PJ’s on clearance at Target. He was in heaven! It was fun to have breakfast with daddy. Often times he’s gone before we eat. So it was extra special. ________________________________________

THEN…we hosted a Valentine’s play date. It was “low-key”. But, as my mom pointed out, I don’t do anything low-key. I didn’t do anything that took much effort (not that I don’t love ya all girlfriends!). I cut some pb&j’s using cookie cutters, put out some candy we’d received from friends, and made chicken salad sandwiches for the ladies. I’ll do a post with the recipe here. We just played and exchanged Valentine’s. It was fantastic! I did try and have some decorations up. =) Here are my 2 sweethearts playing…___________________________________

And FINALLY….Valentine’s dinner. Heart shaped meatloaf and mashed potatoes. (simply used a cookie cutter!)  Happy Valentine’s!