"Todd & Steven"

Day 18, Saturday: Tell a story from your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt.

Well this should be easy. I've got a plethora of childhood stories. Some funny. Some mediocre. Some crazy and dangerous . Some scary. 

Good grief, this is so hard to just choose one! I adored my childhood! 

But let's talk about this photo. ^^

Yes, that's me dressed up as a housewife serving my (real footed, drawn-on, cut-out-face) husband dinner. 

My sister and I used to "play" this game. We would draw faces of the boys we liked at the time. The boy you see here was my crush at this point in my life. Let me introduce you to Steven, I believe. And Amanda's husband was Todd. Funny enough, we titled this game "Todd and Steven". Go figure! So we'd be like, "It's raining outside. Wanna play Todd and Steven?" This game sufficed when we couldn't go outside and play. Outside was our jam.

After we drew the faces, we would get a shirt hanger with one of dad's big shirts and tape the face on the top of the hanger. In this photo, we had draped a pair of my mom or dad's jeans over Amanda's legs, simulating a real, fully-clothed man...with actual human feet. No arms. Word.

Next, I would put my apron on, set the table, welcome him home, and we'd eat. 

Then we would switch so Amanda could serve her husband dinner. Although I'm sure Amanda had gone first, since those were her rules as the older sister. So. much. fun. 

At least it was then! Also, I can't promise you that we didn't give our "husbands" a kiss or two. Yep.

I remember playing this "game" pretty vividly. I definitely remember that yellow table. Oh, that yellow plastic table. We put that thing through the ringer, among many other things.

I remember that wood paneling (hello 90's), I remember my sweet, sweet dog over there looking out the window. He was my first puppy ever. Got him when I was 5(ish...maybe a seasoned 4)...and he passed away when I was 12. Sad face. But man do we have some great memories with Shivers. He was by our side wherever we went. 

I remember those parakeets, that TV, the pillow you see in the left hand corner and the pattern on the sheet draped over the piano bench for a "couch".

Life was good. I was blessed with a sister who was my playmate all throughout our adolescence and our imaginations ran wild. Wilder than wild.

Man, how I wish I could be little again...just for a day or two!

Fishtail braid

Wowzers. It's already day 17! The day where you share a photo that you like of yourself and why.

So...
(crickets chirping)...this is awkward...at least for me it is. I'm trying to get better about posting pictures of myself on here. But it's a challenge.

Thankfully, my sister Amanda was recently in town for a visit and she created this fantastic fishtail braid for me and took some pictures! So now I have something to share! Because I love her handiwork!

shirt: target // earrings: francescas // necklace: quincees boutique

There's just something fun about trying a new hairstyle that makes ya feel good. Or maybe it's just because that means I get to have my hair played with.

Yeah, I think that's it.

Check back tomorrow for a story from my childhood :) Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy lady

So, the topic for day 16 of the challenge is this: something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it.

I have been thinking about this topic for a while. I was getting worried that I wouldn't have much to say about it because I couldn't think of any "difficulties" in my life. Sure, I face the many (and sometimes overwhelming) challenges of being a mom. And sometimes I completely fail at that job and go whining to Mitch about how terrible of a mother I am. Or sometimes I can be very impatient with things and get easily frustrated. And a LOT of times, I find myself wishing I had more, more more.

But my "lot in life" has been very blessed. And I am one happy lady.

 I have a good lookin', hard workin' husband who would do anything in the world for me and loves me in a way that makes my knees go weak. happy. He LOVES his job, it has secured our future, and it provides for us immensely. happy. I've got the most outgoing and beautiful daughter in the entire world...who is currently walking around in my shoes with just a diaper on and a face smothered in spaghetti. happy! Our family loves and supports us. happy. We live in a beautiful city. happy. I just got a king size bed. comfy & happy! I could go on and on.

I've got no complaints about my life. It's perfect. Yes, there are struggles here and there. But nothing that would render my life difficult.

Our Day: A Photo an Hour

Day 15. Isn't this a fun one. The one where I document how awesome-sauce my day is *insert sarcasm*. No, but really, I may not have the most interesting and glamorous life when it comes to the day-to-day stuff but it sure does make ME happy. And that's what matters! (awwwww!)

8 am. Lydi wakes up, therefore I, too, must wake up. And I desperately want to crawl back into the bliss of my cloud-like bed.

9 am. Lyd and I have had our breakfast and I'm enjoying a warm cup of green tea while I watch her explore the living room.

10 am. We still be playin'. Lydia's latest thang is picking up her "phone" and saying, "weh-woh?...bah" (hello & bye...'bye' being said in a southern accent).

11 am. We jet off to the wonderland of Target (seriously, their products are blowin' my mind lately) and I pick up a ton of cute stuff...one being this gold striped journal! It has quickly become my "blog" journal! Lurve it!

12 pm. We scootch on over to the local farm and buy some fresh produce and herbs! Gotta support your local farms!

1 pm. Home girl puts on my shoes and (very aggressively) signs "eat". So we eat lunch and go outside to get worn out  play before nap time.

2 pm. Lydia goes down for a nap and I get some blogging work done.

 my tutorial of the baby's breath on a canvas // loving this best day ever computer wallpaper

3 pm. I grab a handful of dark chocolate chips for a snack and then head outside to sit and relax in the sun while Lydia naps.

4 pm. Lydia is awake and while she is eating her snack I write a quick letter :)

5 pm. I start prepping for dinner.

6 pm. Mitch comes home, we talk, he fixes the blinds that came crashing down on me because I pulled WAY too hard on them...and we eat!

7 pm. I head off to the gym (around 7:45) and Mitch and Lydi hang out before she goes to bed.

10 pm. I get back home, take a shower, and we sit down to watch Shark Tank on Hulu before we crash!

Ahh, what'a day!

10 things on my happy list

Day 14. Almost half way there! Here are my top 10 things that make me happy.

In no particular order (except for #1 and #2. these make me the happiest in the world)

1. let's go ahead and state the obvious: my husband and daughter and all the amaziness that encompasses them.
2. having my hair played with. nothing can compare. not even a massage. *gasp*
3. taking in a gorgeous view while holding Mitch's hand. lot's of those here in Chahl-ston.
4. using the rear parking camera on my car. big smiles with that one. i'll never have issues parallel parking again!
5. receiving things in the mail...things I buy...or snail mail. happy dance to the mailbox all the way.
6. gyros. with extra tzatziki sauce. no tomatoes.
7. thunderstorms. at night. while cozying up to Mitch.
8. seeing my family. whether they come visit us or vice versa.
9. the special booth at Chick-fil-A back home where Mitch and I first met.
10. Dunder Mifflin.