Monday Phone Pics

{Jackson's fortune...sure was a great mont}

{Sleepy baby}

{Reading to brother}

{So modest}

{Found them this way while sleeping on the air mattress at Fripp}

{Sleepy baby}

{Father of the Year Photo submission:
Changing a BAD diaper on the side of the road}

yo yo blogger

Well.  Here I am again. I have no idea how this much time has passed without me writing.

I have a bad habit of putting my computer away and only using the iPad.   I am sure everyone in America knows how to blog from an iPad, but the one time I tried, my post listed under the year "2000" and I had no idea what to do.  Pretty sure blogs didn't exist in 2000.  After that I just never tried again and have been too lazy to get my computer out.  I realize how lame that sounds.

 I also happen to be the queen of  "I'll just do that tomorrow".......so there's that.

I also spend a lot of time reading other blogs.  It hit me the other day that I am spending a lot of time reading about the lives and loves of  my friends {and complete strangers} and no time documenting my own.  I do not keep baby books or a journal or a very sound calendar for that matter.  I need this to help me remember moments like this....

My goal is to blog again tomorrow.

DIY Grocery Store Flower Arrangements

I mentioned a few days ago that I hosted my family for Easter this year...I wanted to make our table special and "springy" so of course I needed flowers!  I was planning to set my table with my Portmeirion Pomona dishes so I wanted to find something that complemented the colors in my plates. On my grocery store run that Friday before Easter, I found just what I was looking for at the Publix.

Well, there is a little more to the story.  When I first arrived at the store I found a beautiful bouquet.  It was just what I was looking for.  The catch?  It was $26.99.  I did not buy myself an Easter dress this year so I justified the flowers and put them in my buggy {do you call it a buggy?  a cart?}  I ran into my friend Stacey in the store and she even commented on how pretty they were, but as I cruised around the store, that $26.99 price was bugging me.  So I went back and looked again for something less expensive to replace the perfect bouquet.  I needed a big one because I was planning to split it in two to make two smaller arrangements.  I settled for a pretty enough $12 bunch and headed home.

Saturday morning I decided to go ahead and put the arrangements together {mainly to get the flowers out of my sink} so I headed outside to gather some "filler" greenery.  I cut two big leaves from my cast iron plants to go inside the vases and a few other things that looked like ivy that were growing on the ground in the woods behind our house.  I decided to use two matching cylinder vases that I had on hand.  Once inside, I split the flowers into two groups and was ready to go!

First, I put the cast iron leave in the vase to hide the stems of the flowers once they were in place...

 So where is the DIY you ask?  Well, I have seen this idea several time in magazines and online and finally decided to try it myself.  It's a tip for helping you arrange flowers like a pro.  You simply take clear tape and create a grid over the top of the vase like this....

it holds the flowers in place and check out the results! 

 My brother's girlfriend even ask me where I had the arrangements made!  

Success!  

Stuck on you

I tend to get stuck on things.

Food, restaurants, items of clothing, songs, beauty products...you name it, I probably have a favorite "for the moment" or "for always" that I am stuck on.  When we were packing up our old house, my bestie, Ashley, was helping me pack my bathroom.  I had so many bottles of lotion she said, "You could be the most moisturized person I know."  BAM.  I literally have no excuse to ever have dry skin.   

1. For the past few weeks I've been stuck on Zaxby's Zalads.  If you order it with grilled chicken and ranch dressing but no fried onions, cheese or texas toast it's only 412 calories!  And why is it that a salad made at a restaurant always tastes better than the ones I make at home?      
2. Nike Tempo running shorts have been a favorite of mine for years.  I am not a runner, but these shorts are the only ones that I wear to the gym. They don't ride up between your legs {not that I have a problem with that. ha} and they have built in underwear.    I can not wear long pants to the gym so I LOVE THESE SHORTS.  And I just found them at Ross Dress for Less for $12.99!!
3. My friends laugh that I call it "Ross Dress for Less" and not just "Ross"...it's the kind of place that requires you have to have a plan of what you are looking for like gym shorts, or boy's polo shirts and you have to shop often.  The other night I scored 3 really cute dresses for summer {and my new shorts} and only spent 60 bucks!  I also love that it's right beside the TJMaxx, so if I don't find anything at Ross Dress for Less than I just skip on over to the Maxx and you know I can always find something there!    
4. Speaking of the gym...my gym, The FIRM,  is moving to a brand new building in a few weeks!!  I am so excited, I can hardly stand myself!  I know this sounds cheesy, but I have "stuck" with this gym for almost 5 years and I am so proud!!! You can check out their website here. 
5. L'Oreal EverStrong shampoo.  I love this because it's sulfate-free and makes my hair feel really clean.  I have used the EverCreme as well, and actually prefer the smell of this one best, but it's for dry hair and was a little too much for my hair.  
6. L'Oreal Extra-Collagen mascara.  My friend April at A.Liz Adventures put me on to this a few months ago and I love it!  I have stubby little eyelashes so I need all the help I can get.

Well.  How's that for a random post?