{Link Up} Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, ladies! I am so excited to get the Halloween festivities underway. Last year Harper was too young to understand the concept but I think she just might enjoy herself this year. I'll be leaving work shortly after 3, running to pick her up from daycare, then we plan to start making our rounds sometime after 4. We have lots of houses to visit and lots of pictures to take! But before we can have some fun, I want to leave you all with a little five for Friday love...

A Full Weekend with the Hubs

I am so excited that the hubs has the whole weekend off. This hasn't happened in months and I couldn't be more ecstatic. Go figure he does happen to have a cold and spent most of his day laying around yesterday. But Harper and I will take him sick or well if it means we can see him more. We have an exciting weekend planned. Of course tonight we'll be trick or treating. Tomorrow we'll be painting Harper's playroom then finishing off the night with a game night with our closest friends. And Sunday we'll be having family photos taken. Our schedule is jammed pack but I'm looking forward to spending the weekend as a family of three! 

"Me" Time

Despite that the hubs wasn't feeling well yesterday, he was so gracious to watch Harper when I got off work so I could have some "me" time. After work I headed to the nail salon and treated myself to a much needed manicure. I hadn't been since July and it was nearly killing me. When I got home I fixed dinner and we ate together as a family. When dinner was done and the dishes were cleared, Kevin told me to go upstairs and read while he and Harper played so that's just what I did. I spent the evening curled up in our bed with a new book while Harper and Kev had some daddy/daughter time. I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting... something I haven't done in ages. Days like that are ones I could really get used to!

Happy Mail Days

My herringbone vest that I ordered over a month ago arrived in the mail this week. I had to wear it the very next day. I paired it with a chambray shirt, black leggings, and my new hunter boots. Toss in a gold monogram necklace and I thought my outfit was pretty perfect. 

Just Call Me Betty Crocker

I'm not sure what's gotten into me here lately but I've been cooking up a storm. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind cooking, it's the cleaning up after part that prevents me from carrying out the task. But here lately I've been cooking all our meals at home and it feels so great. We've had some delicious meals and we've saved a ton of money instead of eating out. We've had meatloaf, barbeque ribs, homemade vegetable soup, and chicken tettrazini and I even have meals lined up for the weekend. I think I just may go as Betty Crocker tonight for Halloween (;

Christmas Goodies

Thanks to some amazing steals on Zulily and a sale at Pottery Barn kids this week, Harper has three more Christmas gifts on the way. Since Harper no longer needs a diaper bag everywhere we go, I snatched up the most precious mini backpack from Pottery barn this week for less than $20. It's the perfect size to keep a few diapers in, a couple of books, some snacks, and a sippy cup. I can't wait till it arrives! 

In addition to Harper's backpack, I snatched up a few toys for her on Zulily. Harper is hands down my child when it comes to her OCD ways. She is obsessed with putting thems back in their places when she's done with them; a task I promise I did not teach her. She even puts Kevin's tennis shoes in the right place at the end of the day if she sees he's laid them somewhere else. I'm telling you... this girl makes me proud :P With that said, Harper loves to watch me clean so when I saw these adorable kids play cleaning sets I had to get them both for Harp. I sure hope she loves them as much as I do!

..................................................................................................................

Today I'm linking up with these lovely lades!

 Darci, Christina, April and Natasha

Karli of September Farm and Amy of The Farmer's Wife.

{Recipes} Vegetable Soup

I don't know about where you ladies live but here in NC we have been having the most beautiful fall weather this week. The mornings and evenings are cool with temperatures in the 40's and 50's and during the day the temperatures are in the 70's range. It makes for a wonderful day of fall layers which makes me oh so happy. Sadly, our perfect weather is coming to an end this weekend. Winter temperatures are making their way into the forecast and we can expect to throw on our wool coats this weekend. Not that I'm exactly complaining. I'm ready to break those babies out. But enough about fashion, let's talk food. With the cooler temperatures on the horizon, the thought of a freshly made soup gets my mouth watering. Vegetable soup happens to be a family favorite and I have a family recipe that's tried and true. Today I thought I'd share it with you ladies since it's super quick easy. And let's be real, us mamas don't have hours in the kitchen (; Hope you ladies like it!

What You Need

- Pack of boneless chicken breasts/ tenderloins (I use tenderloins)

- Large can of crushed or diced tomatoes

- Can of creamed corn

- Can of peas

- 2 large or 3 medium sized potatoes

- 2 slices of fat back (optional)

- Salt and pepper

Directions

- Boil your chicken

- Once chicken is boiled, shred chicken with a fork

- Add water to remaining chicken broth (I add water until it fills up the pot about halfway)

- Add in tomatoes, creamed corn, peas, potatoes, and fat back

- Add salt and pepper to taste

- Let boil for several minutes then bring down to a simmer

- Cook until the potatoes are done

Serve it with some grilled cheese and you're set! 

Weekend Recap

This weekend sure was a fast one but that's what tends to happen when you're having fun. Our weekend was filled with friends and family and I personally don't care to spend my weekends any other way. Any of you ladies with me on that one?! As has been the case for the last twelve weekends, the hubs had to work Saturday and Sunday. He was supposed to have Saturday off but his work had other ideas. But that was okay because we're counting down the days until next weekend when we get to spend both Saturday and Sunday with our main man! Yippee! Harper and I will take what we can get these days. But back to our weekend...

Friday after work I ran home to get ready for a girls night out with my teammates from work. Around 6 they all showed up at my house. After a quick kiss goodbye to the hubs and babe, we were on our way to grab some dinner, drinks, and catch a movie. Unfortunately, the restaurant we chose was not on their A-game that night so we ended up missing the movie. But that was okay because we spent longer at the restaurant laughing and carrying on and then substituted the movie for a Starbucks and Target run. What girls don't love Target?! We spent nearly an hour there and each of us bought more stuff than we needed. Glad I'm not the only one with that problem!

Saturday morning Harper and I met up with my parents for breakfast at our usual Saturday brunch spot. Following breakfast, we headed to vote early and then did a little browsing at Belk. Afterwards we headed home for Harper to get a quick nap and me to do some laundry. When Kevin got home from work we headed out to grab Mexican for dinner with some of our friends and Kevin's brother and his girlfriend. Not even gonna lie... that was my fourth time eating Mexican last week. I have a serious problem. haha

Sunday morning Harper and I took Kevin breakfast like we usually do. Unlike most mornings though, this time we headed out in our pajamas and not our Sunday best. It was just one of those kind of mornings. But we did get our butts in gear when we got back home and got ourselves ready for church. We may or may not have been fifteen minutes late though. Good thing my family sits in the back (; After church, we headed to my parents with one of my best friends in tow. Since Brittni's parents were out of town and Kevin was at work, Brittni joined my  family for lunch and gladly took Kevin's place! After lunch Brittni and I headed to Greensboro for a little shopping at Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Homegoods, and Target. Other than wrapping paper and groceries, we came up empty handed which probably was a good thing.

We ended our weekend with dinner and a movie at our house with our siblings and friends. All-in-all, it was a great one (: Hope yours was too!

{Link-Up} Randomness from the Week

Happy Friday, girls. This has seriously been one of the best weeks we've had in a long time here in the Holt household. Our week has been filled with quite a bit of fun which happens to be quite unusual during the week. It's usually all work and no play until the weekend but this week was quite the opposite. Since I didn't get around to blogging about any of this week's adventures, I thought today would lend itself to the perfect opportunity to share a few snapshots from our week. So hang on to the edge of your seat and let's get started shall we....

The Hubby's Game

As I've mentioned before Kevin plays recreational softball with quite a few of his buddies each week. He's been playing for years and it's something I love to watch him do. Unfortunately with the cooler temperatures in the evenings, Harper and I don't make it to many of the fall games. However, Wednesday night after he left to head to his game, we changed into our winter gear and made our way to the ball field to surprise him. We had a blast cheering him on and Harper loved shouting "Dada, Dada" every time he came up to bat. Pretty sure that put a smile on Kevin's face for most of the game! I'd even like to say we're the reason he was on fire most of the night (;

Celebration Station

Yesterday Kevin's work hosted a family event at Celebration Station. Harper was a bit too young to participate in the games but Kevin and I swapped off holding her and chasing her around to get in a few games ourselves (; Despite that she couldn't really play the games, she could indulge in the food and that she did whole-heartedly. The kid ate 3 whole slices of pizza. Seriously. How she eats more than me and gains no weight is beyond me.

Girl's Night Out

I am happy to report that tonight I'll be having a girl's night out with some of my teammates. Seriously. I can't remember the last time I headed out to dinner and a movie with some girlfriends. Excited is hands down an understatement. After work I'll be heading home, getting fancy, and then rolling out with some coworkers for dinner and a movie. The Best of Me is calling my name! Any of you girls seen it yet?

A Clean House

Tonight my coworkers will be coming to my house to meet up before the movie so we can all ride together. With that said, I needed to do some tidying up. So last night around 9, with the hubs gone and the babe in bed, I thought I'd just sweep the floors and do a little dusting. Fast forward three hours later and I found myself on a roll. I had swept and vacuumed all the floors, washed and folded the laundry, dusted all the furniture, cleaned the bathrooms, and even packed away some of Harper's toys. Despite it being midnight when I finished, I couldn't fall asleep because I was so giddy that our house was spotless before the weekend. Lame I know, but a working mama doesn't see that happening much these days. Now to figure out what I'll spend my Saturday doing since it won't be cleaning. 

Christmas Gifts

I am so happy to report that as of last night, Kevin and I have officially figured out what everyone in our family is getting for Christmas. Ladies, you have no idea how much of a huge relief this is for this girl. Every year I hate racking my brain for what to get our parents. They are by far the hardest people to shop for because they both have everything. But this year, their gift is going to be the best one yet. Just you wait and see! And as for Harp... she's getting the playroom we never quite got around to doing for her birthday. I sat down this week and played around on Polyvore with some different e-designs and finally came up with the look I'm going for. The end result was amazing. Here's part of the design I came up with... isn't it precious?! I sure hope she loves it as much as I do!

..................................................................................................................

Today I'm linking up with these lovely lades!

 Darci, Christina, April and Natasha

Karli of September Farm and Amy of The Farmer's Wife.

Weekend Recap

Well ladies, we're back to another Monday which means I have another weekend review for you all. It seems like only yesterday I was sitting down to write last week's recap. How'd that happen? Time is flying by I tell you. Can you believe Halloween is less than two weeks away? Then there's Thanksgiving and Christmas just right around the corner. Eeeeek! I really need to get on my Christmas shopping but that's a topic for another time. So on to the weekend...

Our Friday went down just like they always do. I came home from work, did a little laundry and cleaning up, then headed out to pick up Harper. For dinner, we all met my parents for some homestyle vegetables at a local restaurant. By 10 o'clock, everyone in the Holt household was back home, in bed, and calling it a night. 

Saturday morning I was up at the crack of dawn. While Harper slept I got ready, finished up some laundry, and finished up a book on my kindle all before 9 o'clock. The things you can accomplish without a toddler tugging on your sleeves or climbing on top of you. But don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade if for anything in the world. By the time Harper was up, dressed, and fed we were out the door and on our way to my parents' house. The school I teach at was having a fall festival which meant I had to work for the day. Thankfully my parents volunteered to watch Harper for part of the morning while I worked my shift and Kevin worked another twelve hour shift at his job. Shortly before noon my parents brought Harper to me at the festival and she got to partake in some of the fun and festivities. Yet another thing we can mark off of our fall bucket list even though the hubs didn't get to participate. 

We left the fall festival shortly after 1 o'clock, swung by a Wendy's drive thru then headed home since it was Harper's nap time. By the time we pulled in the driveway Harper was fast asleep. I carried her upstairs, put her in her bed, and expected her to be up in about an hour or so. Much to my surprise she slept for three and a half hours which left me some time to curl up on the couch with another book. Not even going to lie, the feeling was amazing. Harper woke up shortly after 5 o'clock. By the time she ate a snack and we read some of her favorite books, the hubby was back home again. He changed clothes, spent a little time with us girls, then we loaded up and headed to his parents' house. His mom had volunteered to watch Harper for the evening while his dad worked so that we could grab dinner and run errands without a toddler in tow. 

Kevin had to work Sunday as well so we got up early and took him breakfast. After breakfast we swung back by the house, changed clothes, then headed out the door for church. Of course after church we did the usual lunch thing with my parents and siblings and were back home by 3 o'clock. While Harper napped I tidied up some more and worked on some blog posts for the week. 

We finished off our weekend at home with some family and friends and a movie on the television while we all devoured some chocolate chip cookies. Perfect way to end a weekend in my book if I say so myself (: 

Picking Out Pumpkins

As promised last week on my Five for Friday post, I'm here today to share some pictures from Harper's first experience of picking out pumpkins. Initially when Kevin and I created our fall bucket list, we had all intentions of taking Harp to a local pumpkin patch complete with hay rides and cow trains. Unfortunately, with Kevin's crazy work schedule and no days off in the near future, I'm not sure when that opportunity will present itself so we did the next best thing... we headed out to my church's pumpkin patch and picked up some cute little ones in the name of a good cause. Despite that our church's pumpkin patch doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the other local ones, Harper didn't seem to notice and she was still quite pleased with the selections before her. It took her close to thirty minutes to decide on two of the cutest little pumpkins ever but that was of course after we told her she couldn't get the pumpkin that was as big as she was. Oh my little one... She's got tastes like her mama! :P

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking! 

Fall Bucket List

Happy Tuesday ladies! I hope your weeks have kicked off to a great start. Today I want to share our family's fall bucket list. It's no secret that fall is by far our favorite season in the Holt household. After all, what's not to love about it with all it has to offer? The crisp air. The colorful leaves. The pumpkin, cinnamon, and apple scents. The fall fashions. The holidays. The fun fairs and festivals. It's just perfect. No other season can compare. So without further ado, here's some of the things we're looking forward to most this season...

The Holt Household's Fall Bucket List

• Visit a pumpkin patch
• Go to a fall festival/fair
• Go on a hayride
• Decorate for fall
• Burn through a fall scented candle
• Drink hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows
• Bake a batch (or ten) of cookies
• Host a family get together
• Go trick or treating
• Make goody bags for Halloween  

What's on your fall bucket list? Let me know if I left anything out :D

{Weekend Recap} A Fun, Fall Weekend

Happy Monday ladies! I usually don't get around to sharing about our weekend until Tuesday these days, but something about our weekend put a little pep in my step and I got around to sharing about it today. Our weekend was filled with all things fall related and it was absolutely glorious.

Friday

Friday afternoon I left work sometime around 3:30 and made a quick grocery store run to grab a few essentials for the weekend. On a whim, before picking up Harp from daycare, I decided to swing by a local gift shop to check out some of their new fall merchandise. I ended up scoring the cutest picture frame ever that is the perfect addition to our fall decor on the coffee table. You'll be seeing pics later this week, I promise!

When Kevin got home from work Friday around 6:15, we all changed clothes then headed out the door to visit some people at a local nursing home. My great aunt and uncle have been in a nursing home for quite some time now and every so often I take Harper to visit them. Now that Harper is a bit bigger she really opens up to the residents there and just smiles, talks, and oohs and ahhhs at them. It makes the residents' days and ours as well seeing how happy our little girl makes them. Since we hadn't been lately we thought Friday would be the perfect day to take her. Despite our late arrival, Harper was still in a great mood and cut up and carried on with several of the patients. We ended up staying for an hour or so then made our way to grab dinner with my parents at a local cafe. As you can tell from the picture below, we were pretty excited about our evening!

Saturday

Our Saturday morning started bright and early. At 8am, my parents showed up at our house baring the most amazing stew in the south. Every October a local church cooks a stew and my whole family stocks up on it for the winter. Since it has to be picked up around 6am my parents always grab it for us so we can sleep in for a few extra hours. One of the perks to my parents being early risers (;

After testing the stew out (yes, for breakfast), Kevin and I got ready while my mom and dad watched Harper. By 9:30 we were all out the door and heading out for a real breakfast at our usual Saturday morning breakfast spot. After stuffing ourselves silly, we headed downtown for our city's annual Homegrown Festival which happens to be my favorite event of the year. During the Homegrown Festival, all the downtown streets are blocked off so that vendors can set up and sell trinkets, home made goodies, nick knacks and such. Along with the vendors, there are also classic cars, fried food stands, inflatables, pony rides, and concerts held at the Market Square. It makes for a fun family outing! We spent the majority of the day there despite that we were overdressed for the 80 degree weather that came out of no where.

Saturday afternoon my in-laws and Kevin's grandma stopped by the house on their way home from the beach. None of them had seen Harper for a few days and they were having withdrawals (; Harper was just as excited to see them as they were to see her and she ran all over the house showing off for them. It was super cute. Since my mother-in-law didn't get to pick up Harper from daycare Friday like she usually does, she volunteered to watch Harper for the remainder of the evening so Kevin and I could have some alone time. Despite the fact it was already 7 o'clock, we took her up on the offer and headed to Danville to look for some Halloween decorations for an upcoming Halloween party we may or may not have. After quick trips to Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, Old Navy, and Target we made our way to Chick fil a for a quick dinner then headed back home to grab Harper and call it a night.

Sunday

I had all intentions of spending my Sunday doing our usual Sunday routine then coming home and decorating our home for the fall season since it hasn't been finished yet. But unfortunately, my body had other plans. I woke up yesterday morning with the worst case of vertigo that I've had in years. It was awful. I couldn't lift my head without breaking a sweat, feeling sick. and feeling like I had done one too many rounds on a tire swing. Factor in a husband that was working a 12-hour shift and there was a problem. Thankfully my parents live just ten minuets away. After a quick phone call to my dad, my parents showed up at our house just moments later. My mom brought me my medicine then got Harper up and ready for the day. Then my Dad ran and got us a biscuit. By the time I ate, my medicine had kicked in and I felt a lot better. But for precaution sake, my mom took Harper and I back to their house while Dad went to church. I spent the remainder of the day on their couch napping while Harper was spoiled rotten by the rest of my family. Despite being out of a commission, it felt good to catch up on some rest and take it easy for a change.

Hope you ladies had a fun, fall filled weekend. Check back tomorrow for another fun, fall post! 

{Link Up} A Productive Week

Happy Friday girls! Unlike most weeks these days, this week has flown by. We've accomplished quite a few things this week in the Holt household. We've marked off some items on our to-do lists and crossed off a few things from our fall bucket list. Speaking of fall bucket lists, I'll be sharing about ours next Tuesday so check back then. Instead of giving you the full run down of our week, let me share a few of my favorite things that have happened thus far for my Five for Friday and Oh Hey, Friday link-ups.

Dixie Classic Fair 

Monday my students and I took our first field trip of the school year. We went to the Dixie Classic Fair which is by far my favorite fair around. It happened to be school day so everyone got in free. Kevin and I go every year and we have plans to go this weekend if the weather cooperates. If not, at least I already got to go once and indulge in all the deliciousness of the fried foods! Who doesn't go to the fair for the food?! I mean, I know I can't say no to these blooming onions.

Pumpkin Patch

One of the items on our family's fall bucket list is to take Harper to a pumpkin patch. Our intention was to take her to a local farm to pick out her first pumpkin but it just so happened that our church is currently doing a pumpkin fundraiser so on Monday we allowed Harper to wonder around and choose her first one. It was the cutest darn thing watching her try to decide. I took about a million and one photos and I'll share more of them next week but for now, here's one of my favorites.

Half-Days at Work

Wednesday was our first teacher workday of the year. Since I was pretty much caught up with all of my lesson planning for the next month or so, my papers were all graded, and my classroom was relatively straight and in order, I decided to take a half day off. I met the hubs for lunch at one of my favorite hometown hangouts where we grabbed some fried chicken and home cooked vegetables. After lunch I headed home and got to work on cleaning our house. A task that has been put off far too long due to the hubs working every weekend and me being with Harper every moment I'm off. With the Hubs being busy and Harper at daycare, I can't even begin to tell you how much I got done. I cleaned our kitchen, packed away Harper's bottles and beginner sippy cups, dusted furniture and vacuumed, cleaned bathrooms, did five or more loads of laundry, cleaned out my closet, and took some stuff to Goodwill. I mean seriously! I forgot how much you could get done with no husband or babies around. It was glorious and for the first time in a long time, I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulder.

A Clean Car

Along with my half-day on Wednesday, some other exciting things happened! I finally got my car cleaned. Ladies, that baby hasn't had a bath in months. It was seriously embarrassing. When I went to pick up my car from the detail shop, I nearly didn't recognize it. I completely forgot that my car looks almost black when it's clean instead of navy. For the past six months it's looked gray from all the dirt and grime that's been accumulating on it because I just haven't had time to call and set up an appointment. Can I just say that that was by far the best $45 I have spent all week!

Happy Mail Days

I had another happy mail day this week. My Zara look alike scarf arrived in the mail earlier this week and I couldn't be more excited about the fall weather that is to come. I'm anxiously awaiting the days that it's cool enough to wear it. If you've been on the look out for the Zara blanket scarf and don't want to fork out a pretty penny for one, go grab this one on Ebay for just $12,99 (shipping included!). I was very impressed with the overall quality of it. It's just as nice as the real deal :D 

A Simple Weekend

Good morning, ladies! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Ours went by at lightning speed. Friday after work I headed home to do a little laundry before picking up the babe. By the time I got her, it was dinner time so we met my parents at a local diner for some breakfast for dinner... my favorite time to eat bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns. Is it just a southern thing or does breakfast taste better at night everywhere in the United States?

Saturday, Harper and I grabbed breakfast at our usual spot with my parents and sister while the hubs spent another day working. After breakfast, my sister, Harper and I made our way to the outlets to do a little fall shopping. My friend Brittni also met us there. After grabbing a few items at Gap and cashing in my style cash, we made our way to Target and TJ Maxx where we picked up a few more fall staples that I'll be sharing on the blog in the coming weeks. We arrived home just moments before the hubs got home. I'm not sure if it was being on the road all day or just having shopped till we dropped, but Harper and I were exhausted. Factor in a husband that had worked his tail off all day for twelve hours straight, and you have a recipe for take out and early bedtimes. Which is just what we did. 

Sunday Harper and I woke up early so we surprised the hubs at work with breakfast. After which we headed to church with my family. Our usual Sunday morning sermon was replaced with a bluegrass gospel band and they were amazing. Harper was fascinated with the music and we caught her dancing more than once during the service. When church was over, we headed to Mom and Dad's for lunch with the family. Since Kevin was working all day again, we hung there most of the evening until we knew it was about time for him to be home. The rest of our evening was spent at my in-laws house where we grabbed some dinner and hung out with the family. 

Pretty simple weekend if you ask me. But sometimes, that's just what ya need. 

Happy Tuesday ladies!

{Link Up}: Weekly Randoms

Friday is finally here and I'm pretty stoked about it. I'm not going to lie, I count down the days till Friday just like I count down the days until Christmas. And while I'm on the topic of Fridays and Christmas, there are just eleven Fridays left between now and then. Whoop whoop! Not even going to lie, it's probably my favorite discovery that I made this week. And speaking of my week, lets get on with this Oh, Hey Friday & 5 on Friday post so I can share some randoms from it. 

....................................................................................................

1. Impromptu Date Night

After my not so perfect beginning of the week, the hubs surprised me with a dinner date for just us two. He arranged for his mom to watch Harper while the two of us regrouped over dinner at Outback. To really put the cherry on top, he even took me to Marshalls, Old Navy, and Target/Starbucks. Just a few of my favorite places where I bought nothing except for Harper's first car (see #2). How'd I get so lucky with this guy?!

2. Bargain of the Year

During our trip to Target the night of our impromptu date night, the hubs and I found ourselves wondering down aisles we usually don't browse. Most of the time our Target runs consist of the clothing, baby, housewares, and grocery departments. But this week we found ourselves perusing the sporting goods section looking at random pool gear that was marked down on clearance. Then lo and behold, we hit the holy grail! There in a box sat a battery-powered Viper for just $50 on clearance! After a quick google search, I discovered that they retailed for $280 at Walmart! Kevin and I had already discussed that Harper's big Christmas item this year would be a battery powered car as her little Cozy Coupe is her favorite thing in the world. However, Kevin really wanted to get Harper a Corvette just like his. But for just $50, we really couldn't pass up grabbing this baby. I think Kevin was as excited  as I was for the bargain of the year. And can I just say, Kevin's exact words as we were walking out of the store were "Well, I always wanted a viper"! Men!

3. Fall Fashion Must-Haves

So last week I posted my top five fall must-haves. If you didn't read about them, you can find that post here. I'm happy to report that three of those items have been ordered and are on their way. I'm super excited. My boots arrived yesterday and my scarf and vest will make their appearance in the next few weeks. Happy mail days will be in my future! I'm sure you'll be seeing my mail day excitement on instagram! :D

4. New Hairstyles

Harper got a new hairstyle after bath time last week. I have to admit it was meant to be a joke but then I thought it made for the cutest picture and everytime I stumble across it, I can't help but smile real big!

5. My Mini Me

Over the weekend, Harper and I sported identical shoes... well almost. The thought that Harper is now at the stage that she can dress like her mama makes me oh so happy that I have a girl. I'll be on the hunt this weekend for some more mama and me staples for our closets! If you didn't catch my weekend recap, last weekend I grabbed up a few adorable pieces for Harper's wardrobe. Now I'm off to find myself a matching fur vest just like hers :P

Looking for Rainbows

As I mentioned yesterday, my week didn't start off too well. Factor in a nasty sinus infection, a teething toddler, and a husband that's being forced to work all the time and you don't necessarily have a wife and mother with an attitude of gratitude that's for darn sure. Hey, I'm just being honest. Lately it seems life is just piling up on me and I'm struggling to stay above the water. I have a house that I've been dying to decorate for the fall for weeks now but I can't even begin to think decorations with the amount of laundry slowly piling up in our master closet. I've cooked exactly two meals for our little family in the past two weeks. And I couldn't tell you the last time our toilets or floors have had a good cleaning. Needless to say, I wouldn't make a good hostess at the moment. I haven't slept but a handful of hours in the last two days. This morning I literally went through a drive-thru to grab breakfast, paid, then drove off. When I got to work and was getting my things to carry inside, I realized I'd forgotten to even get my food from the lady at the drive-thru. I had to turn around and go back to get it because a lack of sleep combined with a lack of food for breakfast would make for a very grouchy teacher. Thankfully the young lady at the drive-thru understood where I was coming from but I still felt like a total idiot. 

But despite how things have been recently, I've been trying to find small moments of positivity to hold onto and keep me from drowning in self-pity. I recently read a quote that said "When it rains, look for rainbows. When it's dark, look for stars". What a powerful reminder.  Instead of being upset that we have so much laundry that just never seems to get done, I'm reminding myself that we're blessed to have so many clothes when people barely have any.  Instead of being frustrated that Harper is up at all hours of the night screaming, I'm thankful that besides a few ear infections and the occasionally fever from colds and teething, we have a healthy baby girl. Some people aren't so lucky. Instead of being frustrated that I'm often the one at home with Harper because the hubs is working twelve hour shifts every day for weeks at a time, I'm grateful that my husband has a job; to top it off, he loves it. It provides more than enough to meet our needs as well as our wants and not worrying about when our next check will come is one less thing we have to worry about.

So despite how often things to go "wrong", I'm doing my best to look at the big picture and see how much is going right for us in the Holt household. Some days it's harder than others but for today, I'm seeing rainbows instead of rain. Any of you ladies with me?