20 Questions.

Happy Wednesday, ladies! We are halfway to our weekend which makes this girl want to do the happy dance. But since I can't really dance I figured I'd just share a random blog post instead. Over the last few weeks my blog traffic has really picked up and I've realized I've got quite a few new readers so I thought it would be fun to play a little game of 20 questions that I spotted over at Simply Love. If you'd like to join in, copy the questions below (: 
1. Favorite food? It's a toss up of anything Mexican or Italian. Before being pregnant, I'd tell you Mexican food, hands down. But since Boston has made his appearance in our lives and my belly, it seems all we've been eating is anything Italian. 
2. High heels or flip flops? I love a cute pair of high heels. But since becoming a teacher and a mom, flip flops are the way to go for this girl. 
3. Favorite places to shop? Target, Marshalls, and Homegoods. That's where it's all at, friends. 
4. Standard coffee order? I hate coffee. Like big HATE. You guys and gals can have all the pumpkin spice lattes you want. But don't you worry, I still love Starbucks and can't ever turn down the opportunity for a vanilla bean frappucino. It's like snow cream in a cup. 
5. Must-have road snack? Doritos. I'm not sure why but every time we go on a vacation, I always end up with a bag. 
6. Diy or hire it out? If you've been a follower of mine for a while, you know I'm a diy kind of girl. Yet, if I can't tackle a project or I'm a little iffy on it, I'm always happy to recruit my dad to lend a hand (; 
7. Top 5 tv shows? Mistresses, Impractical Jokers, Family Feud, the Bachelor, and anything on the Hallmark channel. 
8. Favorite book? I wish I could answer this but I just have wayyy too many to name. Trying to narrow down your favorite book is like trying to tell people your favorite family member. You just can't. It would hurt too many people's feelings. ha ha
9. Favorite form of exercise? This girl loves the elliptical. I can get a full body work out all at one time. 
10. How tall are you? Well up until June of this year, I was always told I was 5' 8" but either I've been lied to or I am shrinking because at my yearly physical I was told I was 5' 7". 
11. Do you try something new at restaurants or stick to favorites? I'm a classic kind of girl. I leave the hubs to trying new things and I sample bites from his plate. If I like it, I may order it our next visit. But otherwise, I'll stick to my tried and true favorites. Usually of which are cheeseburgers and chicken tenders. Two things that are just about guaranteed to never be messed up. 
12. One makeup item you can't live without? Eyeliner. Without it, everyone thinks I'm sick. 
13. What's on your nightstand? My kindle, phone charger, tv remote, Harper's baby monitor, and a lamp. 
14. One thing motherhood has taught you? Never say never. I mean, seriously. All those parents I judged before becoming a mom. Not anymore. Now I look at them and say, "It's ok. I've been there". 
15. Music that reminds you of high school? Chris Daughtry. He was all the rage during my high school years and now you hear nothing out of him. 
16. If you could live anywhere in the world other than your current city, where would it be? A city somewhere close by where I currently live. I love our hometown and could never imagine living far away. It's located within an hour of four metrapolitan areas which allows us plenty of opportunities to visit and try out new places. 
17. Something about you we might not know? Back in the day, I flew cessna airplanes. I'm also related to the Wright brothers which is probably where I get my love of flying. 
18. Websites you read/browse besides blogs? I check Zulily, Jane, and Groopdealz daily (; 
19. Morning person or night owl? Before having kids I was definitely a night owl. Since Harper was born, I've wizened up and learned to go to bed when she does as you never know what kind of night or morning you may encounter with children. With that said, since I go to bed early, I find myself waking up really early in the morning which provides me plenty of opportunity to do things I need to do while Harper is still sleeping in... like getting ready for a new day and tidying up. If these things don't happen before she's up and going, they won't happen. 
20. What's your best feature? I'd say my ability to carry on a conversation with a practical stranger. But then again, I know some people who would say that's probably their least favorite quality about me haha 

Tell me something about you!

20 Things You Might Not Know

While reading Jessica's post over at The Newly awhile back, I realized it's been a little while since I've shared some random facts about myself. Since I've gained a few new readers since the last time I've done this, I thought it would be nice to get reacquainted. So without further ado, here's 20 random facts you may not know about me from just reading my weekly blog posts. 

1. First and foremost in my life, I'm a Christian and love God with my whole heart. I'm by no means perfect. Every day, I say things I shouldn't say, do things I shouldn't do, and/or act in ways that I'm ashamed to admit. But that's the great thing about Jesus. He shows me grace with each passing day and each day I strive harder to be more like Him.
2. I'm one of those girls who fell in love with her best guy friend. Thankfully it didn't end in disaster and we've been married for four years now.
3. Speaking of which, Kevin and I were talking marriage long before we ever made our relationship facebook official (; Yes, we were practically engaged before we ever started dating. But as my Dad always said, "When you meet the right one, you just know."
4. I'm a homebody. As much as the thought of traveling abroad and seeing new places excites me, the thought of leaving home for an extended period of time makes me anxious and slightly nauseous. 
5. Now that I'm older, I'd rather hang with my family than my friends any day. But there is that slight exception for those friends who have became like family. 
6. I'm a planner. I have to always have a plan be it for a grocery run or a vacation itinerary. Despite that I'm OCD about plans, I'm okay if they change as long as I at least initially had a plan in place. 
7. I get so excited about Christmas now that I have a child that here it is June and I've already purchased most of my child's Christmas presents... on deep discounts of course (: Just one of the perks to early shopping!
8. I was a church secretary for almost seven years. 
9. I've taught third grade for four years now and I absolutely love it.
10. If I ever left teaching, it would be to design and decorate homes. I'm just a bit obsessed with both. 
11. When I was in high school, I co-piloted Cessna airplanes at Smith-Reynolds Airport. 
12. I'm related to the Wright Brothers, which is where my constant urge to fly planes comes from. It's all in the family, ya know!
13. I can never go anywhere without my cell phone. It's safe to say I have an addiction to it. It's probably the one thing that drives my husband the most nuts. 
14. I don't drink alcohol. Like ever. I've seen how it's destroyed people's lives on both sides of my own family so it's something I choose not to participate in. Just in case. But don't worry, I don't judge people who do. 
15. I don't drink coffee either. I don't know how you people drink that stuff. 
16. I'm not much of a sweets eater. I prefer french fries and mozzarella sticks over ice cream and cake any day. But I'll make an exception for a Krispy Kreme doughnut.  
17. I'm not one to jump on board with new trends. Hence why I'm always a year behind on the fashion bandwagon. But I prefer to spend my money on the things that are going to stay around. I guess that makes me sort of... classic.
18. You'll never catch me without earrings. Without them I feel naked. 
19. I love heels but always settle on flats. For one, in heels, I'm as tall as my husband. Secondly, have you ever seen a mama chasing a toddler in heels? I can tell you who wins that one...
20. I prefer to read over watching television & nine out of ten times, I'll be reading a romance novel.
So what can you tell me about yourself? Anything I should know!

{Confessions} A Random Brain Dump

It's been a long time since I've done a random brain dump/ confession style post. Since I've been in and out of the blog here lately, I thought this would be an ideal time to share some random thoughts, tidbits, and happenings. So prepare yourself ladies; this blog post is going to be a bit all over the place. 

1} I admit that I am obsessed with The Bachelor. However, I'm not a huge Bachelorette fan. Yet, this season, I decided to jump on board and watch it on Monday nights. I was totally Team Kaitlyn at the beginning but not so much now. I'm not sure if it's the fact that she reminds me of Miley Cyrus or the fact that she can't seem to keep her tongue in her own mouth, but I'm liking her less and less each episode. Yet, it's still like a train wreck that I can't stop watching and tuning into. 
2} While we're on the topic of television shows, last week while I was at home with Harper, I came across a television show called Married at First Sight. If you're unfamiliar with the show, it's a reality series where three couples are matched up by four experts and they don't meet until their wedding day. The show follows each couple for six weeks where they tackle all the ins and outs of marriage while trying to get to know the person they just met and married. I'm just gonna throw it out there that I may or may not have watched the entire second season in two days. I'm currently dying to see the finale tonight where each couple will choose to either stay married or get divorced now that their six weeks is up! 
3} It just dawned on me last week as I was flipping through photos on my camera that I've yet to share a post about our trip to Charleston that we took back in April. Oops. Be looking for that post soon... maybe. 
4} I'll admit that Christmas with a child is so much more fun than when it was just me and Kevin. In fact, it's so much fun that I've already started working on Harper's Christmas list for this year. On her list so far is her very first American Girl Bitty Baby, a doll cradle and high chair, an adorable Pottery Barn doll diaper bag and stroller, a soccer goal like her cousin Chasen's, and this adorable Land of Nod bow striped sleeping bag. Please tell me I'm not the only mama who has already started planning this?! I mean geez ladies, Christmas is only six months away and a mama has to spread out all of these purchases (; Any items I should go and add to this list? 
5} Speaking of preparing way in advance, I have a serious case of baby fever and I may or may not have already started pinning away nursery ideas for our next child... be it a girl, boy, or even twins. & yes, I've even figured out how we're going to make the big announcement. Kevin thinks I'm a bit crazy but what can I say? I like to be prepared for when the time comes (; 
6} I'm still addicted to my Fitbit Flex. If you don't have one and you want to be motivated to get up and move, go buy one now. They are worth every penny. And when you do buy one, add me so we can motivate each other to do better each day!
7} I have an obsession with two different shirts right now. The first being Piko tops. I've purchased a black one, white one, and now I'm contemplating adding navy, yellow, and pink to my closet. Is it crazy to own five of the same shirts? The second shirts I'm loving currently are the Simply Southern tees. They are so great to throw on with some colored or denim shorts paired with some cute colored studs or pearls. In the last year, I've purchased this navy God is My Anchor, yellow elephant, pink Elements of a Preppy Life, mint bow tie, gray Southern Tie That Binds, and this pale green North Carolina tee. And there are currently two more I've got my eye on (; 

Well that's about all of the randomness I've got going on today. Please send up prayers today and tomorrow for all of my third grade babies as they take their end of year tests! See you ladies tomorrow!

Thoughts for Friday

Happy Friday, friends! It's been a while since I've linked up for the usual Friday line up so today I thought I'd share a few random thoughts with you all. You can see who I'm linking up with at the end of this post. So let's get started shall we?

1. The Bachelor

I'll admit that I'm not much of a television watcher. Sure, I turn it on as soon as I get home each day but it's more or less just to fill the silence in the house, not to watch it. However, there are a few shows I do indulge myself in these days. The Bachelor being one of them. Farmer Chris.. oh yeah, he's got it. And blonde Ashley... please tell me I'm not the only one that thinks she might be a bit crazy? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to be sharing a room with her each day in the Bachelor mansion.... Just sayin'

2. Fifty Shades of Gray

And no, I'm not talking about the books. I'm talking about all the paint swatches I've looked at over the last two weeks. I'm seriously seeing gray in my sleep. Who knew there were so many shades of gray?! I seriously thought the book was just a fancy title.. not a segue into reality. 

3. Hubby's Day Off

I am so, so excited yall! After working 25 days straight, Kevin finally has this Saturday off. I'm so happy I don't even know what to do with myself. The fact that I can roll over in bed tomorrow morning and see the hubs in bed next to me instead of just a pillow makes me giddy. With the threat of bad weather for tomorrow, we haven't made any big plans for the occasion. Usually I'd complain about the possibility of snow keeping us in but after not seeing my hubby in so long, I think being snowed in could be a good thing!

4. Is it Easter yet?

So I know we haven't even made it to Valentine's Day yet, but can we fast forward to Easter. I've never been one to really decorate for the smaller holidays but after a quick stop at Pier One the other day, I'm rethinking my decision. How cute is this tablescape?! I need one of everything please! 

5. Harper's Birthday Party

The fact that my child will be 2 in just a little over three months absolutely floors me. I have no idea how this happened. Every day Harper seems to change more and more. Despite that I love how much she's learning and growing, I just wish I could make it stop. But at least with her aging, that means I can do more fun party planning. And I'm not even going to lie... I've already planned her entire birthday party! Yes, I said ENTIRE birthday party. The theme has been chosen, the decorations picked out, the menu lined up. All that's left is to purchase a super cute outfit which I already have my eye on. For once, I'm a head of the game :P

Join the fun and link up with the following ladies! 

 Darci, Christina, April and Natasha

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

Pray or Worry, Don't do Both

A few weeks ago I read something that has stuck with me over the last couple of weeks. It said,  "You can either worry or pray, but you can't do both. We either truly believe in what God is capable of doing or we don’t. There should be no in between."

So often I'm guilty of praying for something, but yet I still find myself worrying and fretting over the situation. I don't doubt God and the plans He has for me. I know He has my best interests at heart whether I always fully recognize it or not. I refuse to let worry creep in on a situation I know God is in full control of.  This year, I'm determined to only pray; to not fall victim of doing both. So will you worry or pray this year? Just remember... you can't do both. 

You Might Not Know....

When I started this little blog of mine four years ago, it was just intended to be a little space I could document our memories before I forgot about them. I never anticipated that four years later, I'd have formed friendships with ladies all over the world that I don't even "really" know. So often I find myself telling the hubs at dinner about my "blog friends" and your little families. Of course, he finds it funny that I know so much about you ladies and I've never actually met you. But for some of you girls, I feel like I've known you my whole life even though we've never met in person. I laugh with you, cry with you, and pray for you through reading your posts daily. Each of you ladies are a true blessing and inspiration to me and I thank you for taking the time to pop over to my blog every now and then.

Over the last year, many new faces have wondered over to my little space and I've never really gotten around to introducing myself to you all properly. So on this beautiful Wednesday, I'd like to take the time to welcome you as well as to share some things about me that you may not know from reading about the in's and out's of our lives in the Holt household. So sit back, relax, and stay a little while while I share some random tidbits about me!

You might not know...

- I'm 25 years old. I got married when I was 22 and became a mom at 24. Seems young to most but I wouldn't have it any other way. 

- I've been teaching third grade for the last four years. 

- Despite that I love my job as a teacher, sometimes I wish I was an interior designer.

- Clean and organized spaces make my heart happy. If they aren't clean and organized, they make me extremely stressed out. 

- I'm a planner and a list maker. 

- My biggest pet peeve is people not being on time. Time is valuable and is one of the only things you can never get back. So I don't take kindly to people wasting it. 

- I prefer salty over sweet. This girl will take french fries and mozzarella sticks over cookies and ice cream any day. 

- I'm related to the Wright Brothers. That said, I've also been known to fly a plane or two myself. I just never continued on with my pilot's license since college, marriage, and parenthood got in the way. 

- I always buy note cards from Target's dollar bin yet I never send them because they're too pretty to part with. 

- I hate coffee. Like seriously, it makes me gag. But I'm totally not beneath grabbing a vanilla bean frappucino from Starbucks almost everyday. 

- I never pay full price for an item unless it's already at a discount store like Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Homegoods, etc. What's the point when it'll be on sale in no time?

- I love to read but I only read romance novels.

- I watch exactly two shows religiously. Mistresses in the summer and my new found favorite, How to Get Away with Murder. Otherwise, I only turn on the televison to catch a Hallmark movie... or two. 

- The one thing I wish I could change about my body is not my weight nor my height. It's my hair. I have naturally curly hair but my top layer is straight which results in my hair always being one of those "bad hair days". No matter how hard I try to straighten it or curl it, it never looks how I want. 

Well that's my list of random things you might not know about me. What's there to know about you? (:

Friday Confessions

Since I'm getting back into the blogging routine after blogging pretty sporadically this past school year, I decided I'd jump back into the 5 on Friday or Friday Confession posts. Since 5 on Friday is taking a break for a little bit that leaves me with a good ole 'fess sesh for you ladies today! Which is even better because I don't know about you ladies but it's always hard for me to narrow it down to just five. What can I say, I'm a talker! Anyways, on with the confessions...

I confess...

1. My biggest goal for myself this summer is to organize our house from top to bottom, inside and out. For the last few months I've been dying for summer to get here so I could get started. I just knew I'd start on this big task as soon as summer started. But yet, two whole weeks have gone by and I've done nothing. I wake up every morning saying today is the day I'll get started and then I spend hours reading a book, checking all my social media apps, browsing pinterest, or blogging. By the time I find the motivation it's too late in the day. I'm convinced that this will probably be on next year's summer to do list as well... Fail.

2. I am ashamed to admit it but I am addicted to the show Mistresses that comes on ABC on Monday nights. It's risque to say the least but for some reason I can't change the channel. Even the hubs has gotten into watching it with me despite that he'd never admit it. If you haven't seen it, go check it out. You'll be hooked. 

3. I have already started working on Harper's Christmas list. On the top of the list was a Kidkraft retro kitchen and we were so lucky to score a brand new one on Craigslist for less than half the cost. Problem is I got so excited about it that we gave it to Harper the next day. Hopefully she'll tire of it before then and we can put it away and pull it back out on Christmas. haha

4. Last week I had to have my car towed because all of the oil had drained out of it on my in-laws driveway. I found out that the previous place I had my oil changed at put the wrong oil in it and my line had busted. Since finding out that last Friday it's all I've been able to do to not call and demand they pay for the expense to fix it. But I'm reminding myself that everyone makes mistakes and I'm sucking it up and forking out the cash.

5. I am currently obsessed with redecorating my home. I want to redecorate our living room, bedroom, and get started on Harper's playroom. Unfortunately, most of it's going to have to wait with the exception of Harper's playroom. Which I'll be blogging about soon (or I hope).

6. I had to get my first filling ever on Wednesday. Not because I had a cavity (which I've never had by the way) but because I have a receding gum line. To say I was nervous about the whole ordeal was an understatement. I am pretty sure having a baby wasn't as nerve-racking for me. 

7. I am obsessed with all things monogrammed right now. Thanks to Harper stretching out my sunglasses while playing with them recently, it gave me an excuse to add these monogram sunnies to my collection. I scored them on Groupdealz for less than $14... shipping and all. They should arrive just in time for our beach vacay!

8. Kevin and I discovered last week that we're getting a donut shop less than five minutes from our house. We may or may not drive by every day to see if they've opened yet. Can you say fatties?

Anyways, that's enough with the confessions for today.

Hope you ladies have a fabulous 4th!

Flying Airplanes!

When I was 15 years old, I got to fly my first plane! It was exhilarating! I can still feel that nervousness I had as I waited for the control tower to give me the go to get on the runway. I can remember racing down the runway & slowly pulling up! I was so nervous but after just a few short moments, I was up in the air flying over Winston-Salem! Then, I forgot everything!

Flying an airplane is absolutely the most amazing thing in the world. It's alot of work because there are so many things to remember and there are so many buttons and controls to constantly mess with as you fly, but still, its worth it! As you fly a plane, you feel so in control. You feel like you have all the power in the world. Plus, its so peaceful. It's wonderful to just fly around and look at everything below you. It's amazing how small things really are when you're 1000 ft off the ground! It's also amazing how everything seems to be in little squares. You don't notice that when you're on the ground.

Unfortunately, I haven't flown a plane in 3 years and I miss it. I didn't realize how much I missed it until Kevin and I watched the movie, "She's Out of My League". In that movie, he learns to fly planes and it reminded me of myself several years ago! So, I'm thinking I'm going to have to make a trip to Smith-Reynolds Airport and hop in a little Cessna and make my way down the runway! I'm pretty sure I can remember how to do it all. Taking off and landing are the easy parts! It's those floaters that are the trick!

(For those of you who don't know, a floater is when you shut down the plane's engine in the air, and the engine will stall. When that happens, you will literally float! It feels much like that first big drop on a rollercoaster.... it's an adrenaline rush!)


Here's some pics I took when I was flying several years ago!

clouds (:


a view of Winston Salem (:



See what I mean about how everything looks like squares?!


these are what I usually fly (:

I Got What Was Coming to Me

Well as most of you know from my facebook status, I finally got what was coming to me.... my very first ticket!

Yesterday, I was at work and decided at five minutes till 4 that I was gonna leave work and go see Kevin on his 4 o'clock break. I wasn't really in a rush because it only takes about 7 minutes to get there. Well as I was rounding the curve on McCoy Rd, I noticed I'd picked up speed and hit my breaks to reduce it. Just as I made my way around the curve, I saw a policeman. My first thought was "OH great!". I passed him and he just sat there. When I got to the stop light, I looked and he was behind me but he didn't have his lights on. I turned at the light and made my way down the road, well a minute later he turns his lights on and I pulled over. He came over to my car and proceeded to tell me that he pulled me for doing 55 in a 35! I was in shock! I mean I know I had picked up speed on that curve but not that much and if I was going so fast, why didn't he pull me back on that road! I didn't really know what to say! He asked for my drivers license and registration so I gave him my license. When I opened my glove compartment my old registration card was lying on top. He said he'd need my new one so I started looking for it. I told him I might not be able to find it because of all the stuff I had. I knew I could, I was just making conversation since he seemed in a hurry. Well he told me no problem he'd just pull it up on his computer.

As I sat there on the side of the road, I looked in my rear view mirror and what do I see? A blue truck with silver stripes! Of course, of all times, my brother is coming down the road. After he passes me, he goes up to the next road, turns around, and heads back my way. As he passes me, he rolls down his window and waves and grins! I think I could have beat him at the time :P haha He thought it was hilarious that his baby sister finally got pulled over!

After what seemed like forever, the cop returned to my car and tells me he wrote me up for 55 in a 35 and that he fined me $30 as well for failing to show my registration! Oh boy, was I mad then! All I could think was "what a butt hole!" It wasn't that I couldn't find my registration, he just said he'd pull it up so I stopped looking for my card! I'd have kept looking if I'd known it was gonna cost me! And where was my warning for speeding?! I'd never even been pulled over before! I had a clean driving record!

So now, I'm in the process of having to find a good lawyer. I'm sure tomorrow my mailbox will be overflowing with letters from lawyers, so thankfully they can come to me; I don't have to look for them.

But on the bright side, this experience has taught me something; I'm learning to not worry about things I can't change. There is no point of being angry at myself or at him. Its over and done with. Now I have to learn from the consequences. And I do have to admit, I'm thankful that that officer was doing his job and stopped me from speeding (though I wasn't going as fast as he said!). And who knows, him stopping me might have possibly prevented me from some other major catastrophe. So I guess I have to look at the bright side and say that maybe this ticket was the best thing that could have happened to me!

It's Time for a Different Approach

For years now I have wanted to keep a journal. Yet, everytime I start one, it lasts a few entries. It never lasts because I'm what you would call a perfectionist so every time I have to change my thoughts or make an error, I have to re-correct what I have written on the page. I hate that! I can't stand mistakes so I start all over again. After a few entries of this, I get tired and say "forget this".

So I have decided to try a different approach. I've decided to keep a blog. In this way, I can record my thoughts and easily correct my errors without having to redo an entire entry!