friday's five favorites: beach attire for guys

Jason and I are headed to the beach in a couple weeks (we're praying that we don't get rained out).  I am so excited that I can hardly stand it.  You may have noticed that I can't go very long without some sort of vacation in my life, even for just a long weekend.  

In honor of our upcoming trip, I decided to scout out a possible beach outfit for Jason.  There was much more cool stuff out there than I thought!  Here are a few pieces that were my our faves:

Jason loves wearing hats.  A hat is a must at the beach, or at least on the way to the beach.

You have got to have a cool pair of shades to protect your eyes from the sun.

A basic tee is perfect for the beach; nothing too heavy.

Jason is all about the the fun and funky boardshorts.  This pair is pretty awesome.

And, of course, you have got to have a pair of Reef sandals to complete the look.

goodbye funk status

I feel like it's all too easy to get stuck in a funk.  

Get up. Go to work. Come home from work. Eat dinner. Watch tv. Go to bed. Do it all over again.

Yesterday, while I was at work, I realized that my week has sort of started out that way.  So I decided that when I got home, we needed to head to the pool.  

I just needed to be outside. In the sun. And away from anything close to that funk status.  Since it is still blazing hot here, the pool was the obvious choice. And a great choice because we had the pool all to ourselves for a little while.  Thus allowing me to snap some photos without feeling embarrassed. ha!

What do you like to do to get out of your funk status?  

it's all about the bam pow

dress-f21, shoes-aldo, nail color-turquoise & caicos by essie

Here it is my friends!  The dress I chose for the wedding.  

I know, I know... I went way off the grid and chose something far from my inspiration dresses.  There was just something about this dress.  When I first tried it on, it instantly spoke to me.  It was soft, light weight and super comfy.  The print and colors gave it a nice bam pow - I think I knew right away it was the one.
We had a great time at the wedding.  The rest of our weekend was filled with studying (hubby), errands, 1st birthday party (me), and relaxation.  Why do weekends seem to go by so quickly?

friday's five favorites: dresses for a wedding

Today after work I am meeting up with my friend Melissa to do some window shopping (dangerous, I know).  Well actually, I won't just be doing window shopping; I will also be looking for a fabulous reasonably priced and pretty dress to wear to a wedding this weekend.

This week I have been doing some pre-shopping on the internet to get inspiration and to get an idea of what's out there.  I thought I'd share with you some of the beauties that I found.

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an evening stroll with my little family

The weather here has continued to be hot and humid and at times unbearable.  But it is still important for us to get out and get some exercise.  We are fortunate to have a greenway nearby that has lots of shade and it cool enough in the evenings for us to go on a nice stroll.

This greenway runs alongside a big creek, so we let Jack play around in the water so that he doesn't get overheated.  I think it's his favorite part.  I love these times with my little family.

p.s. did you know you can make magnets out of your instagrams? how cool is that!

my PTO is spelled MIA

While Jason's family was here, we took some family photos after church.

It is always nice to have family come and visit.  Summertime is usually a booming time for guests at our house.  

After having my sister here for three weeks and Jason's family here for a week (all within 2 months), I have to admit that it is nice to have things back to normal for a little while.  Don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of it.  But it can also be a little exhausting, especially since I still had to work my 9-5 while everyone was here.  

I wish I would have been able to take some days off work while we had guests, but unfortunately my PTO (paid time off) always seems to burn a whole in my pocket.  (remember I went here and there, and before that here) And since I have to use my PTO for holidays, it seems to diminish twice as fast.  That's why I say my PTO is more like MIA (missing in action).  If it were up to me, I would get a week of vacation every month.  A girl can dream, right?  

{Jason says the sun was too bright, that is why he is squinting. ha!}

more work in the backyard

While us ladies were out having a good time, Jason and his dad and brother (and jack too) were back at the house finishing up a project in our backyard.  We decided a few months ago that we wanted to extend the concrete slab to give us a little more space to work with.  

It was so great to have my father in law here to help out Jason, his expertise always comes in handy around our home.  The guys did a great job and I think Jack had a great time supervising the whole day.

Now we just need to decide exactly what we want to do with this extra space.  I am thinking we should get a couple chairs and a fire pit.  I can imagine having friends over on a cool evening and roasting marshmallows and telling stories. mmmm..smores.  

What do you think would be a good use of this new space?

market time with my mother in law

Sunday morning, my mother-in-law and I headed down to the Chattanooga Market.  It's been about a month or so since I have gone, so I was happy to take her.  We got there a little early this time, but I am so glad we did because we had a chance to beat the crowd.  

I scored a fabulous pair of earrings and a leather bracelet along with some of my favorite bread (jalapeño and cheese).  My MIL got some delicious peaches and other fresh produce.  

As usual, there were gorgeous flowers and other unique, locally made treasures.

We spent about an hour and a half there and by the time we left, the crowds had managed to get quite a bit thicker.  I have made a mental note to get there about 20 minutes before the official open time in the future.

friday's five favorites: master bedrooms

If you follow me on twitter or pinterest, you might know that I have been itching to do some work on our master bedroom.  

Since we moved into our house, the only thing we have done to our master bedroom is put in laminate hard wood on the floors.  We have random pieces of furniture and it basically resembles a bachelor pad to me.  So I have decided it's time to start planning and putting into motion our master bedroom re-do.  

One of the big items on our list is an upgrade to a king sized bed.  Any other married couples out there have a king bed?  Is it worth it? 

Here are some bedrooms that I have been admiring lately.

I like the blue accent color of these pillows.

This bed looks so clean and comfy and inviting. I love the gray and white.

This bed looks like it's ready for me to crawl up in and cuddle with my lover.

 This bedroom was my original inspiration.  I love the pops of color and the DIY nightstands.

Isn't this rug awesome?! I also love the chairs and the pillows on the bed.

its the little things

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Sometimes I tend to get caught up in life and the stress and worry it can bring.  I am sure most of you can relate.  This print is a great reminder to slow things down and enjoy the moment.  

My in-laws come in town today and I know this can be a stressful event for some, but I plan to enjoy every minute.  Especially my mother-in-law's cooking.  It's always nice to get a break from the kitchen :)

splish splash - take 2

I wonder if I am breaking some sort of blogging rule by writing about the pool two days in a row... Well that's too bad.  Because I went to the pool Sunday and Monday, I'm just crazy like that.  

The truth is, work has been a little boo boo lately and the only thing that could possibly make me feel better was a date at the pool with my hubby.  So once I got home from work, we threw on our suits and headed to the water.  

It was so refreshing and just what the doctor ordered.  Plus, the heat index reached triple digits today people.  That is hot.  The pool was the only logical way to cool down.

splish splash

One of my favorite things to do in the summer time is go to the pool.  I just love the refreshing feeling of the water on these hot and humid days.  I also love getting a good dose of vitamin d into my system, it's just good for the soul.

Christy and Shawn joined us this time.  She is about to have a baby next month, so she was loving the cool water!

Hubby is such a good student and he brought some of his stuff to study.  He makes me so proud :)