Weekend Recap

Happy Tuesday ladies! I hope your weekends were splendid and your week is going swell. I woke up yesterday with fluid swishing in my forehead and ears. Not a good way to begin my week. Despite the joys fall brings, the seasonal change and allergies are one thing that I dislike about the season. Since I was a bit under the weather yesterday I didn't get around to sharing our weekend. Though truly, it was nothing much to brag about so I'll keep it short and sweet today.

My mother-in-law picked up Harper from daycare Friday so I could run home and get some cleaning done. Cleaning was my plan but after a long week at work, I was exhausted and opted to spend thirty minutes laying in bed reading a book before rolling out to grab Harp. After picking her up, we headed to a local restaurant for dinner with my parents, siblings, and the hubs.

Saturday morning we did the usual breakfast thing with my mom and dad since the hubs had to work yet another Saturday. 

After breakfast, my sister and I headed to Greensboro to get in a little shopping. I ended up picking up a Ralph Lauren t-shirt, a blouse, and two puffer vests for right around $50. I'd say that was a bargain. We grabbed a late lunch at Steak and Shake and then headed home since Harper had missed her nap time and was quick to let us know she was DONE for the day. When the hubs got home from work, we headed to my in-laws. Since Kevin's dad is on night shift, my mother-in-law volunteered to watch Harper while we grabbed dinner with Kevin's brother and his girlfriend at Ruby Tuesday. After Harper's meltdowns for most of the afternoon due to her refusing to take a nap, I graciously accepted and we headed out to grab some steaks and salads. By the time we got back Harper was out and we weren't far behind her.

Sunday we did our usual routine of church and lunch with my family. After lunch, my friend Brittni, Harper, and I headed to Old Navy to grab Harper some fall clothes and grab some groceries at Target. Old Navy was running their baby sale and most items were 30% off. In addition to the sales, I had a $15 off $50 coupon so I ended up scoring Harper a fall wardrobe for less than $75. Here's some of my favorite finds. She's definitely going to be one fashionable lady this fall. Now my only question is, do these come in my size?

Well that pretty much sums up our weekend ladies. Nothing too exciting, but just what I needed after a long week at work! Hope to see you ladies tomorrow!

Weekend Recap

It's Wednesday and I'm just now making my way over to this little corner of my world to share our weekend. I probably should have shared it earlier in the week but with all the excitement of it being fall and all, I just couldn't bring myself to sharing my weekend before sharing my favorite fall fashions. You can find that post here from yesterday if you haven't already checked it out. Let me know what some of your favorite fall fashions are this year if you haven't already!

Now on to our weekend...

Friday I left work shortly after 4:30, made my way home to grab the hubs (who was off for a change!), then headed to pick up Harper doodle from daycare. Upon picking her up, we skipped out on heading back to the house and decided to head on over to my parents' house. When we arrived my dad was in the back cutting the grass so we took Harper to him to catch a ride on the lawnmower... which just so happens to be one of her favorite outdoor activities. Though unlike usual, her ride was short lived. As soon as they made their way around the house, Harper caught sight of my mom in the kitchen and immediately wanted down... only because she saw Nana with some stick cheese. The kid is seriously addicted to it! After Harper had her snack and Dad finished mowing the yard, we made our way to Virginia to grab dinner at Clarence's. It's a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that specializes in seafood and homemade veggies. Weird combination I know but their food is delish and definitely worth the drive. 

Saturday morning Harper and I met up with my parents at our favorite breakfast spot while the hubs pulled another 12 hour day. Following breakfast we swung by Belks to look for a few fall outfits for Harper but left empty-handed. Our next stop was to head to a local greenhouse but on our way my best friend messaged me and said she was in town... about one mile from where I was at at the time. Needless to say, I ventured her direction and Harper and I popped into the nail salon where she was at to say hello. We hung around for about fifteen minutes then headed off again to meet my parents at the greenhouse. We grabbed some mums and a pumpkin for the front porch while Harper ran around the place. I think she was overwhelmed by all of the colorful flowers but she definitely was intrigued by the place. I couldn't not grab a picture of her in the midst of it all!

Shortly after lunch I took Harper to my in-laws so I could get some cleaning done. With the hubs working so many weekends in a row the house chores have been piling up. Thankfully my mother-in-law was so gracious to watch Harper for the day so I could knock a few things off my to-do list. By the time the hubs got home shortly after 6, I'd managed to clean most of the house, do a few loads of laundry, and even reorganize a few drawers in the kitchen. My in-laws brought Harper back to the house shortly after 6:30.  We had dinner at home then headed to a local ice cream joint for dessert. Before heading home we road over to my parents' house to pick up a movie. But by the time we got home, we were so tired and worn out that we hit the freshly-cleaned sheets early and called it a night. 

Sunday morning my siblings and I sent my parents on a trip to Charleston for their upcoming 45th wedding anniversary. As much as I was excited about sending them on a little get away it made me sad to be missing our usual Sunday routine of church and lunch with the family. Since my parents wouldn't be at church, Harper and I opted for a day at home and a sermon online. Around lunchtime we swung by the Wendy's drive thru, grabbed a few combos, and headed to have lunch with the hubs which was a nice little treat since it's about the only quality time we'll have together for another week or so with his crazy work schedule. 

When Kevin's lunchtime was over, Harper and I headed to Target to grab a few groceries. Unfortunately it was Harper's nap time and I ended up carrying her around the store while she napped on my shoulder. You can only imagine the struggle of carrying a 20-pound toddler while pushing a full buggy one-handed. I'm sure we made quite the sight (;

We ended our weekend with Taco Bell take out (which happened to be free thanks to the car in front who paid it forward by taking care of our dinner... such a nice gesture!) and the movie Blended with our siblings. The movie was hilarious and actually pretty clean for a change. If you haven't seen it I'd highly recommend it! 

Hope your weekend was just as splendid and that your week is going swell!

Fall Fashion Must-Haves

Fall is finally here and this girl feels like it's Christmas. Not really, but you catch my drift. In honor of this much anticipated season, I want to share my five, fall fashion must-haves. Over the last month or so I've been eyeing the new fall clothing, shoes, and accessories that have been coming in and out of the stores. There are so many items that I'm dying to add to my closet right now but as a mama on a teacher's budget, my needs are far outweighing my wants so I'm having to keep my list narrow. But you best believe these five things are making their way into my shopping cart over the next few weeks (if they haven't already...shhh, don't tell the hubs). 

1. Plaid Blanket Scarf

Last year I fell in love with the plaid Zara blanket scarf that was making it's debut all over the internet world, pinterest, and blog community. I thought it was the perfect fall statement piece. Unfortunately, everyone else thought so too because they sold out in no time. When I found out they were going to be restocked this year I was stoked and was determined to grab one up. But yet again, I wasn't fast enough and they were all gone. So what did this little mama do? She went looking for an alternative and I scored big. I grabbed up this almost identical one off of Ebay for $12.99 (shipping included!). That's a bargain my friends! 

2. Herringbone Vest

I have been in love with the infamous quilted herringbone J. Crew vest since it first came out last fall. But I just never could quite pull the trigger on paying $140 for it. Afterall, that's a week of Harper's daycare or a trip to the grocery store. That's how I reason my purchases my friends... as to what bills I could pay instead of buying it. But thanks to it's growing popularity, many boutiques are offering knock-offs that are nearly identical and this girl is grabbing one up. I found this one at 261 Boutique for $58. Hurry and go pre-order yours now! 

3. Dome Handbag

Every year I buy two hand bags, exactly two. I always purchase one in the spring and one in the fall and let them each carry on into the next season. After seeing all of the new bags in the stores over the last month I knew immediately that I wanted a dome handbag. Originally I had fallen in love with this red London fog dome handbag that I ended up picking up at Marshalls for just $40.  But after seeing this cheetah print and patent leather dome handbag, I'm rethinking my choices. 

4. Lilly Pulitzer Monogram Pullover

In the fall, my wardrobe consists of hoodies with yoga pants or leggings. When I saw these adorable monogram half zip pullovers, I knew it was the perfect item to add to my weekend attire. You can find them all over Etsy. The one below is from The Pinky Girl and they sell for just $36!

5. Hunter Boots

I know you've seen these on my blog time and time again. Over the last year I've been wanting to add these babies to my closet but I just couldn't make myself fork out $150 for a pair when Target carries a similar pair for just $45. But after trying on a coworker's pair and getting a 30% coupon for Piperlime, these babies are going to be coming home with me come October. I decided that if I'm going to be wearing them most of the winter, I'd rather invest in a good pair that will last me a few years. At least, that's what I'm telling myself! 

Well, that's it ladies, my five fall must-haves! What's on your list?!

{Oh Hey, Friday}

Today I'm joining two fabulous ladies, Amy of the Farmer's Wife and Karli of September Farm, for their weekly Oh hey, Friday link up. I figured, why not? It's Friday! A day for a little randomness. So let's get a little random shall we?

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1. Fall Finds

I mentioned in my weekend recap this week that I grabbed some amazing decor deals over the weekend. Since I didn't quite get around to sharing those, here's a picture. Hopefully I'll get around to placing them around the house this weekend and you can get a sneak peek next week of the fall decor going up in the Holt house. I'm just a wee bit excited about this!

2. The Hubs

As I mentioned Wednesday, the hubs had to undergo yet another surgery this week. Poor thing, this was the third one in a year for something that should rarely occur a second time. He's still a little sore but overall his recovery is going splendid. Much better than the first and second time. Guess he's getting used to it, right?

3. Hair Cut

Last weekend I decided to do something drastic to my hair. By drastic I mean I had it all chopped off this week. I haven't had short hair since I was a freshman in college. In other words, seven years ago. I was a bit nervous but oh so ready for a change.  And this change was definitely a good one. My hair is so much lighter, takes a whole lot less time to style, and is the perfect fall cut. Win, win, win! 

4. Bedtime
Yesterday after dinner, the hubs, Harper, and I decided to lay down for a short nap. Well, the hubs and Harper got up but this girl didn't. Ladies, I slept from 6:45 to 5:45 this morning! Whaaat?! This girl was seriously tired even though I didn't even realize it. But I'm not going to lie... it was ahhhhmazing! 

5. Fall Fashion
There are soooo many cute fall items now and I am so ready to start stocking my closet. I have a Fall want list that is growing faster and faster by the minute. Check back next Tuesday for my want list. Picture leopard print bags, puffer vests, cute boots, and an abundance of monogram items! (:

Happy Friday ladies!

A Date Night for Two

Last night the hubs and I had an impromptu date night and it was nothing short of amazing. Since the hubs is having surgery this morning  and will be out of commission for a little while, he arranged for his parents to look after Harper last night so that we could have an evening just the two of us. He's seriously amazing and sometimes I forget just how lucky I am to have snagged this man. At times he can blow me away with his thoughtfulness.

I arrived home later than usual yesterday afternoon because I went and had my hair chopped off (more on that Friday!) and it took longer than I had expected. But when I got home the hubs was dressed in his best and was waiting for  me. I did a little fixing up of my outfit so I'd be a bit more presentable and then we were out the door. For dinner we headed to Texas Roadhouse, one of our all time favorite places. Their steaks and homemade ranch dressing always hit the spot. We spent an extra long time at the restaurant just chatting away even long after our plates had been cleared. It reminded me so much of when we were dating. And let me just say, it was nice. It was nice to be free from distractions, free of cell phones, free of a toddler throwing food on the floor and reaching for more, and free from the cares of the world. So often we don't get to experience those freedoms but when we do, it's precious and we do our best to soak them up.

Following dinner we made a Target run, as we always do. Who can say no to Target? We picked up a few groceries and of course a few things for Harp. By the time we got back home it was well after 10 o'clock and Harp had long been in bed. We soaked up sights of our little girl sleeping in her bed, kissed her good night, then thanked the good Lord above for the little family he's given us! There's no other people I'd want to go through life with! 

Happy Wednesday ladies! If you get a chance, say a little prayer for the hubs today! 

Weekend Recap

Happy Tuesday ladies! I hope your Monday went well and your weeks are starting off great. Our week is definitely in full gear and it started out with a bang, Yesterday afternoon, I ended up with the beginning of a migraine and the hubs locked his keys in the car while at the gym. Needless to say our Monday night ended with a take out pizza and an early bedtime. But it seemed to do the trick as our Tuesday is starting out great. So on to the weekend...

We had a pretty exciting and fun-filled weekend. Friday my mother-in-law picked up Harper doodle from daycare so I could stay at work late and prepare for this week. I ended up working till 5:30 which was by no means my intention but in the end it felt great to be well prepared and caught up on everything. After picking up Harper I headed home to meet the hubs for when he arrived home from work. After we all changed into warmer clothes, we headed downtown to meet my parents for dinner at a local cafe and walk the streets for the local cruise-in. Something we enjoy doing the second Friday of every summer month.

Saturday morning Harper and I met my parents for breakfast at our usual spot while the hubs pulled another weekend shift (something he'll be doing for the next seven weekends!). It was a cold and rainy morning so we broke out some of Harper's new outfits and rainboots. Her outfit was just too cute not to document (;

Around lunchtime, Olivia, one of my lifelong friends, arrived from Wilmington to spend the day with Harper and me. While Harper napped we caught up on what had been happening in her life with a new job, new home, and an upcoming wedding. All such exciting things! By the time Harper was up we were starving so we loaded up the car and headed to Greensboro to grab some lunch at McAlister's deli.

After which we did some shopping for some fall decor. This time I happened to get lucky and grabbed a few cute chalkboard baskets at Michaels for less than $25, a Nate Berkus tray from Target for $8, and a cute elephant printed rocking chair for Harper for $50 at Homegoods. All good finds if I say so myself (; By the time we got back home it was after 7 and Olivia had to hit the road to get back to Wilmington by a reasonable hour. It made me sad to see her go but I know we'll be getting together again asap so it helped matters.

To end the night we grabbed Japanese with Brooke and Bryan (Kevin's brother and his girlfriend) and ended up in bed long before 10 o'clock!

Sunday we did our usual thing. Harper and I went to church with my family while the hubs worked. After which we headed to Mom and Dad's for Sunday lunch and spent the evening there until it was time to meet the hubs at home. The rest of our night was spent spoiled Harper, straightening up, and preparing for another week.

All in all, here's to hoping next weekend is just as fun (:

{Oh Hey, Friday}

It's Friday ladies and this girl is singing the Hallelujah chorus. This hasn't been a bad week by any means but this girl is just exhausted. I feel like no matter what time I went to bed this week I felt more and more tired each morning. You can best bet that my alarm clock and I will not be getting together this weekend! No sirree. To kick off this weekend, I thought I'd link up with Amy of the Farmer's Wife for her Oh Hey, Friday link-up. So let's get this kick off started...

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1. Fall

Earlier this week we had a sneak peek of fall weather in NC and it was amazing. It may have rained for two straight days but the cloudy skies, leaves on the ground, and cooler temperatures were just enough to get this girl giddy and excited for the coming weeks. Not that it took much as I've been looking forward to fall since I started thinking back-to-school thoughts. I've yet to bust out my fall decor (though I've been dying to) but I couldn't pass up some fall scented candles on Monday while at the grocery store. These two babies have been burning in our house and they smell glorious! Do yourself a favor and go to Walmart right now and pick them up. For $5.88 a piece how could you say no?!

2. These Two 

On Wednesday, this guy took Harper to the pool so I could clean and do laundry. Brooke, my brother-in-law's girlfriend, sent me this picture as she's a lifeguard there and it just melted my heart. These two cuties are my world <3 nbsp="" p="">

3. The Nesting Place

Over Labor Day weekend, I snagged a copy of The Nesting Place on my kindle for $1.99. I'd seen quite a few bloggers share the book on their blogs and as a wanna-be interior designer I couldn't pass it up. I'm so thankful that I grabbed it because I haven't been able to stop reading it. It truly spoke to my heart and has given me just the motivation I needed to complete some of the house projects that I have been wanted to do for a while now but have just been afraid to do myself.  I'll share more on this book in the future, but for now, take my word for it and go grab it!

4. A Military Vest

Last week I grabbed this military vest on a whim at Marshalls for $29.99! After perusing Pinterest for outfit ideas, I'm so thankful I did. There are so many super cute pins on there. I can't wait to try styling them all. I definitely see this being a weekly worn item in my closet. I may or may not have already worn it several times in just a week's time. Which leads me to the question, is it bad to wear the same item to work in the same week as long as it's a different look?! What do you ladies think?

5. Best Friends and Visits
Tomorrow I'll be having a girls' day with this girl! Olivia and I have known each other since kindergarten and we're more sisters than friends. Earlier this year she moved to Wilmington so we don't get the opportunity to see each other as much as we used to. But as of tomorrow, this girl is making the drive all the way from Wilmington just to come see me and Harp for the day while the hubs works his Saturday away. I could not be more excited!

{Bucket List}: Grasshoppers Game

As I mentioned yesterday, at the beginning of summer, Kevin and I made a bucket list of things we hoped to accomplish over the summer. You can find that list here if you're interested. Unfortunately in the hustle and bustle of summer, I forgot to blog about a few of our adventures. Since summer is coming to a close, I wanted to share some of those things before I forget about them and it's too late! So stick with me today as I share one of my favorite memories from our summer!

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This summer one of mine and Kevin's bucket list items were to try to catch a Greensboro Grasshopper's baseball game.With the exception of last year, we've attended a game every year since we were dating. It's an annual tradition that we've sort of set even though we never intended to. But it's something we've enjoyed doing together even though baseball is more of Kevin's thing than mine. I'm more of a basketball girl myself. 

Back at the end of August, Kevin and I had the luxury of attending a Grasshoppers game with his aunt, uncle, and his mom while Harper spent the day with my parents. Kevin's aunt and uncle are employed by Miller-Coors and as a family fun day, Miller paid for all of it's employees to bring their families to the game free of charge. There was free parking, free tickets, free food and drinks, and even free popcorn, cotton candy, and snow cones. It was amazing! On top of that we got to enter the park an hour earlier and get players' autographs as well as play on the field. It was definitely one of the coolest experiences I've ever had at a game.

{Bucket List} A Trip to the Natural Science Center

  As the summer is coming to a close, I wanted to share a few things that I never quite got around to blog about. So bare with me over the next couple of days friends as I recap some of my favorite summer memories and of some of the Holt family's summer fun!

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If you read our summer bucket list that I posted right after school ended you may remember that this summer we had big plans for Harper. We had planned to take her on quite a few "field trips" while I was on summer vacation and Kevin was off. We had plans to visit the Children's Museum, the Ashboro Zoo, and the Natural Science Center to name just a few. Despite our high hopes, the weather just did not cooperate with us. On the days Kevin was off or we didn't have plans, it was always either super hot or it was raining and neither made for a good combination of a family fun day with a toddler. But just when I thought Harper wouldn't get to go on any field trips this summer we caught a break! We had the perfect Saturday filled with sunshine and mild temperatures.

On August 16th,  the hubs, Harper, and I loaded up in my parents' Suburban and hit the road to spend the day with them. It just so happened to be my Mom's birthday that day so as per her request we hit up Country Barbeque for some tenderloin biscuits before making our way to the Natural Science Center. As a kid I can remember going to the Natural Science Center and loving every minute of it. I loved it so much in fact that I even visited it back in college with some of my teaching buddies. Since the last time I'd been a lot had changed. They'd added on an aquarium, had more animals in the petting zoo, and changed out each of the exhibits. Needless to say, I was as excited about our visit as Harper was!

Our first stop was the new aquarium. The aquarium was a smaller version of Ripley's but had quite a large selection of fish, sharks, stingrays, and penguins. The penguins were by far Harper's favorite. She was obsessed with them and was not keen on the idea of leaving them.

After checking out the aquarium we toured the health exhibit then made our way to the dinosaur exhibits. While in the dinosaur exhibits Kevin thought it would be funny to feed Harper to the dinosaurs. What a crazy dude! It kind of backfired on Kevin though because Harper wanted to climb up on the dinosaurs after that! But thankfully a quick photo with Papa as a pirate (their featured attraction is a pirate show at the Natural Science Center this summer) made her forget about the dinosaurs and move on to better things.

Our last stop of the day was the zoo. Growing up, the petting zoo was always my favorite so we headed there first. The petting zoo includes horses, llamas, goats, donkeys, hogs, and a variety of other animals. Unfortunately, the only animals wanting to cooperate and not sleep in the shade were the goats. But Harper didn't mind. She just thought they were dogs and kept shouting "ruff ruff" at them as she petted them.

After hitting up the petting zoo, we made our way around the rest of the zoo to see the meerkats, lions, kangaroos, and monkeys. We also went to the reptile center to see the snakes, lizards, and turtles.

By 1 o'clock Harper was worn out as it was an hour or so past nap time. So instead of making our way through the rest of the museum we called it a day and headed out. Guess that just means we'll have to go back again some other time!

If you're ever in Greensboro, be sure to check it out!

Weekend Recap

Well here we are again. Another Monday. Despite how fast the weekend flew by, I have to admit that it was a good one despite that Harper and I barely saw the hubs.

Friday

Friday afternoon, I finished up grading papers, preparing for this week of school, and getting my classroom in order before leaving. By 4:15 I was out the door and on my way to pick up Harper doodle from daycare. Since Kevin was working and was planning to go to the gym for a quick workout after, Harper and I made our way over to my parents' house for the remainder of the afternoon. As soon as we arrived, Harper immediately told her Papa she wanted to go outside... her absolute favorite place to be. Since the weather was so nice, Harper, my dad, and I took a stroll through the neighborhood. When we got back Harper chowed down on some snacks and spent an hour playing in the yard while we sat on the side porch. By 8:00 the hubs was finished with his workout so we headed out to meet him for dinner at Reid's House, a local diner in our hometown. 

Saturday

Saturday morning, Harper and I met my parents for brunch at our usual Saturday morning spot while the hubs pulled another twelve-hour shift at work. When breakfast was over, we rode by and saw my best friend and her husband who happened to be in town for the morning. Harper had a blast with Uncle Clint and Aunt Aly. Of course that's because they'll let her do whatever she wants. Who wouldn't like people like that?! (;

Around lunchtime, Harper and I made our way to Greensboro to pick up a birthday present and pick up some fall decorations. Sadly after a trip to Target, Homegoods, and Marshalls, we had no such luck on either front. Looks like I'll be doing quite a few diy projects this fall... that is if I can find the time! 

Saturday afternoon, Harper and I headed to Thomasville with Kevin's parents for a birthday party. It was the first kid's birthday party Harper had ever been to and let's just say, she's clearly going to be a fan of parties. She loved all the attention she got, the unlimited food (and cake!), and all the toys that belonged to someone else. A toy playhouse being her favorite!

When the party was over, we swung by Carter's where my mother-in-law picked up Harper the cutest Halloween costume. This year she's going to be an owl. I just couldn't pass up the mint green, pink, and white cuteness!

Sunday
Sunday morning came bright and early. Harper decided 5:30 was the perfect time to let me know she was ready to start her day. However, this little mama was not at all ready. A whole Coke later, I was finally back to my morning person self and was able to get myself in gear to get ready for church. Speaking of church, this week it was an adventure. Since Harper decided to start her day much earlier than usual, her nap schedule got all off. Ten minutes into the service, she threw a massive fit. Embarrassed as all get out, I yanked her up and headed off to the nursery. I seriously contemplated not going back into the service after Harper's melt down but once she finally fell asleep, I managed to get over myself and head back in to the place I needed to be.

After church, Harper and I headed to my parents' house for our usual Sunday lunch with the family. We hung around the house until shortly after 3 then made our way to an open house in a neighborhood not far from where we currently live. Unfortunately the house wasn't much. The pictures online made it look much nicer than it actually is so we'll be staying put at our house for a while longer. After the open house, Harper and I headed back to the house. Brooke and Bryan swung by and kept us company until the hubs got home from work shortly after 6.

As soon as Kevin got home, he ran upstairs and changed clothes and then we were out the door again. Our neighbors are expecting a baby early next year and they were kind enough to invite us to their gender reveal party so we didn't have far to go... just four houses down. They revealed the baby's gender during the halftime of the football game that was on at the time. They had everyone choose a pink or blue balloon and blow it up. The blue wouldn't blow up which meant they were having a girl. It was the cutest idea! We're so excited that Harper is going to have a neighbor she can play with when she gets a bit bigger!

Following the gender reveal party, we caught a late dinner at a local pizza joint with a coworker of mine and her boyfriend, who Kevin happened to grow up with. By the time we got home shortly after 9, we were all exhausted and called it a night. The next thing I knew it was 5:30 and my alarm clock was going off...

Hope you ladies had a great weekend!

{Weekend Recap} Labor Day

Well it's Thursday and I'm just now sitting down to write about our weekend when another is just around the corner. For this to be a short week, it sure hasn't felt like it. But for me, short weeks are always faster paced probably because I'm trying to cram five days into four. Is it just the teacher in me or do all you ladies feel the same? At least Harp's with me!

Our Labor Day weekend was perfect and just what we needed. Friday as soon as all the kiddos were gone, the school secretary announced that they were "paving the parking lot". This just so happens to be the code that you can go home early and not wait until our usual dismissal time of 3:30. Thank you long weekend! After laying out all of my stuff for Tuesday, tidying up my classroom, and gathering my things I headed out the door. Unfortunately as much as I wanted to go home, I had a doctor's appointment that was calling my name. As I mentioned last week I came down with this random sickness that left me feeling like I had the flu yet I wasn't actually sick on my stomach. As a precaution since it was a long weekend I made a doctor's appointment to be sure there wasn't anything major wrong. Thankfully I did because apparently I had a serious throat infection... yet, my throat didn't even hurt. Weird?!

After my doctor's appointment I headed to my in-laws to pick up Harper doodle. My mother-in-law was kind enough to pick her up in case my appointment ran over. We spent the evening there until it was time for dinner. Since we weren't going to do dinner with the Friday night gang being a holiday and all, we hit up a local restaurant with my sister and her family for breakfast for dinner.

Saturday Kevin had to work so my sister, Harper, and I headed to the Tanger outlets to do some fall shopping. The stores were running some good buys but I didn't end up with a whole lot. I scored some long sleeve shirts from Gap for $10 each and picked up Harper a pair of jeans and a couple of shirts. On the way home we grabbed lunch at Texas Roadhouse, one of mine and Harp's favorite restaurants. Then made a quick Old Navy, Ross, & TJ Maxx run where I found absolutely nothing. Oh well. More money in my pocket.

Sunday morning we headed to my parents' place at Belews Lake for a cookout. Following lunch we headed out for a day on the water while Harper was spoiled rotten by her grandparents and great uncle and aunts back at the house. Despite how crowded the lake was, the water was still relatively smooth so it made for a great day of wake boarding and wake skating.

We ended our Sunday with another cook out at Kevin's great uncle and aunt's farm. Unfortunately it got darker faster than our last visit so Harper didn't get to go on a trail ride or visit the animals. I'm pretty sure she was disappointed!

Thankfully the hubs had the day off on Monday so he volunteered to watch Harper while I ran some errands early Monday morning. I hit up Target, Marshalls, Old Navy, and Sam's Club. By the time I was finished it was lunch time so I swung by Chick-fil-a to grab us some lunch and headed home. As soon as I walked in the door and Harper saw the food bag she threw a fit. The kid loves their waffle fries and chicken nuggets. Needless to say, her food was gone long before my lunch.

After lunch we took Harper to the park to swing and ride the slide. Usually we spend an hour or so there but it was just too hot and humid so we only made it a bout thirty minutes before Harper wasn't having fun anymore. As soon as the fussiness began, we knew our time was up. We packed up the car and rolled out.
Not long after getting back home, Kevin's brother, Bryan, and his girlfriend, Brooke, showed up. They ended up spending the rest of the day with us. We watched the new Captain America movie, chowed down on some fettucini alfredo, and sat around chatting with each other long into the night. By the time they left and we locked up the house, it was hours past my bedtime but the lack of sleep was totally worth it.

Here's to hoping this coming weekend is just as grand!