Get Pin-spired!

Hi ladies! 

I'm linking up with Scheaffer for her Get Pin-spired Wednesday series. Schaeffer writes one of my very favorite blogs, Pinterest Told Me To. I love it because A) she's the cutest little thing I've ever seen (I'd give up an appendage for dimples like hers!) and B) Pinterest pretty much rules my life. I feel like it's my own personal Magic 8 ball. What should I wear tomorrow? Look on Pinterest. What should I cook this week? Look on Pinterest. What should I do with all these baby teeth Caroline lost? Pinterest has the answer! 

via Pinterest, you are drunk

Ok. So that's taking it too far. 

#waytoofar

Tonight, I am headed to Greenback, TN for a Luke Bryan Farm Tour concert!!!

#breathe

#justbreathe

SSSQQQUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAALLLLL!!!!

Lord have mercy. So stinkin' excited!!! 

So I need outfit inspiration. What's a girl to do? Turn to Pinterest, of course!!

I own this top, and this is the outfit I had already sorta decided to wear. 

Shirt is sold out, but original link was HERE. 

When I searched for "Luke Bryan Concert Outfit", I found a bunch of concert Ts, but also a lot of lacy and flowy tops with cutoff shorts. I have a lacy top that might work, but it's more dressy that probably should be worn to a concert out in the middle of nowhere in a big ol' field. 

Pinterest, you're not helping. 

Then there's the weather to consider. The high tomorrow is supposed to be 84, but the low is 54. The concert is obviously outside, and after the sun goes down, it's likely to get pretty durn cold. Very hot during the day, very cold after dark. Yay. 

That makes me lean more towards this outfit: 

VIA

The Wagon Wheel top is very similar in color to this top, so I could wear that and white jeans. But white jeans in that big ol' field? AFTER Labor Day? Even though we'll have a blanket, I still think it might not be the best idea. But the outfit is hella cute. 

Then there's this outfit. 

VIA

Super cute, but doesn't exactly scream "Shake it for me, Luke Bryan!" 

I'm sure my husband is truly wishing whatever I wear doesn't scream that, but you know what I mean. 

This outfit is super cute, would probably hold up well in a big ol' field, and I can bring a denim jacket to throw on if it gets cold enough. 

So this is my interpretation of this outfit for the concert. 

Happy Hump Day, folks! 

Weary-eyed but still excited!!

I'm posting this past midnight, which is a time on the clock that this ol' girl never sees. And, to make it even more crazy, I'm doing it by choice. Or by insanity. 

Today is officially our 60 day mark until our Disney vacation starts!!

Whoo Hoo! 

Happy Dance!

As happy as I am that our vacation is getting closer, I am stressed to the max about it. Disney has instituted a new program called MyMagic+ that includes a feature called FastPass+. FP+ allows you to reserve your time to ride a ride or see a show or meet a character. If you do it right, you can significantly reduce or even eliminate your wait times for the most popular attractions. 

Sounds fine, right? Weeeeelllll, there's these new gals on the block that tend to throw a wrench in the best laid plans. The meet and greet for Anna and Elsa is NUTSO and can mean spending upwards of 3 hours waiting in line to meet them. 

Uh, thanks, but no thanks. 

With that meet and greet being so dadburn popular, the FastPasses are just as much a hot commodity. I have never reserved FP+ before, since this is our first trip since MyMagic+ has been in place, so I have been gnawing my nails to the quick in anticipation of today. If you are staying on property (which we ALWAYS will), you get to make your FP+ reservations 60 days in advance, and I was not about to let one second into our 60 day window pass without getting that little baby in my itinerary! And I did!!

Happy Dance again!!

The new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride is equally as popular, and I was able to snag that one, too!! In fact, I got all the FastPasses I wanted, so now I just need to go through them all and see if I want to adjust the times on any of them. I've already adjusted a few, but I also wanted to get this blog post up before I was completely delirious, so I will work on tweaking times tomorrow. 

I'm so excited!! Now I can pretty much sit back and get more and more excited about the trip. I plan on doing lots of shopping for trinkets and outfits for the girls for Disney, and I'll be sure to post about my finds. 

I'm sprinkling pixie dust on everyone's dreams tonight! See ya real soon! 

Once Upon a Time Recap

Do you watch Once Upon a Time? I looooove that show! I'm a huge Disney fan, so this is right in my wheelhouse. And this season, Elsa and Anna from Frozen are joining the cast! 

Disclaimer: if you don't watch the show, you're probably going to hate this post. It's an episode recap with my thoughts on it. I follow the show and write what comes to my mind, so if you haven't seen the show yet, it looks pretty schitzo. 

The show starts off with Anna and a prince (Kristoff? He'd be a sort-of-prince if he marries Anna) in a storm on the high seas. The prince throws a message in a bottle into the stormy seas.

Anna and Elsa at their parents grave. Anna's dress isn't colorful enough. 

Now we have Elsa arriving in Storybrooke. On the season finale last year, I was rather disappointed in the dress they made for Elsa, but I've changed my mind since this episode came on. I think they did a great job interpreting it!

Oh yeah, I forgot about Emma bringing Maid Marian back from the past. I had actually started to like the Evil Queen/Robin Hood lovebirds story line. He's so handsome, and seems so genuine. This might turn interesting if Regina becomes the woman scorned. 

See? Aren't they cute?

Rumple gives me the willies. I just can't get into him being with Belle, except that he's a real Beast. 

Elsa and Anna back in Arendelle planning Anna's wedding to Kristoff.  I can't wait to see Sven! I sorta bet we won't, though. Elsa blames herself for her parents death, so I'm guessing they'll say she created the storm that sank their ship. Maybe those were their parents on the ship in the beginning? I'll have to rewind it to see. Sure looked like Anna. 

Back to Regina/Robin Hood. Let's just all take in the gorgeousness in that room, and I don't just mean Robin. The interior designer that styled that room needs an Emmy. 

Ahhh! The Magic Mirror is going to be a character!! That will be awesome!

Belle and Rumple are house hunting. Rumple is so stinkin' creepy. Annnnd now we have the Belle and Beast dance in the library scene! He's still creepy, but I love a literal interpretation of the Disney movies. They're even playing the theme song!

How cute is Gennifer Goodwin?? I just want to carry her around in my pocket. 

Speaking of yummy, Hook is back. 

Look, Elsa has her own personal flurry! 

Oh, now Elsa thinks they were running away from her powers when her parents were killed. 

Are we going to get to see the trolls???? This just gets better and better. 

Emma pulls a gun on Elsa. And out pops Marshmallow!! This is incredible. I'm totally fangirling over here. 

TROLLS!!!!

OMG. They look just like the movie! 

Marshmallow chases Emma and Hook through the streets of Storybrooke. No biggie. 

This is so ridiculous it's fantastic. I feel like you have to be a deep Disney fan to love this show. Luckily, I am certainly that!

Regina and the mirror again. I think this will be my favorite part of this season. Even more that the Frozen pieces. 

Awww, and now they're showing that adorable Anna Kristen Bell commercial! So fitting. 

I was wrong. There's Sven. Less cute than the trolls, but glad he's here!  

Marshmallow vs. the Merry Men. Smackdown, Disney style! 

And Regina wins. The Evil Queen is no match for a giant snowman. 

Regina wants to find who wrote the giant book of fairy tales? Isn't that like the fairy tale Bible? You can't find who actually wrote it, unless there's a Hans Christian Anderson character living in the woods. 

OMG. Is that the Sorcerer Mickey hat??

Lovin' the Kristoff character. 

And just like that, it's over. And I'm as addicted as ever. 

Friday Favorites!

Welcome to Friday Saturday Favorites! I'm linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci again for some of my current faves. 

Hope everyone had a great week!!

1)

My first Friday favorite is why this post is going up on Saturday: Friday was a total family day! Steve was off, and Teagan had a bye week from football, so we spent the whole day together! It was so nice. Very low key day, and that's exactly what we all needed. It seems like this time of year just gets so dadburn hectic, so these easy days are decadent! 

2)Halloween decorations

I had planned to wait until October to put out our Halloween decorations, but the bug bit me this week, and now I'm pretty much out of control. I told Steve that I can't be held responsible for the damage I do to our checkbook when it comes to Halloween stuff. Either he locks me up, or he goes with me wherever I go and reins me in. So far, I guess he's just putting up with it! 

Here's what all I've done so far, but I would sure like to do a bunch more!

The newest (and yet unnamed) member of our family! 

I told the girls to make a scary face. Evidently Caroline didn't want to participate. 

And then I added a few decorations to that area. Pardon the mess on the floor. 

I am thinking about spraying this guy (girl?) with clear glitter. You can never have too much glitter, right? 

Here's the other half of that credenza.

 Owl cloche from Hobby Lobby, Haunted House cloche from Target, Poison bottles from Michaels last year, but they have similar ones this year. Stack of books and burlap from Hobby Lobby, Halloween party invitation plaque from TJMaxx. 

Here's the bottom of the credenza. Both pumpkins are from Hobby Lobby. Glitter pumpkin is from Target (I think. I bought it a year or two ago). Pumpkin wallflower is from B&BW, obvs. 

 Flower arrangement from Target, and mercury glass skull from Michael's last year. 

 Glitter decor from the dollar spot at Target, candle from Hobby Lobby

 Boo! and Eek! signs from Hobby Lobby. I sorta want to glitter them, too.

 I'm so in love with this skeleton witch! I can't remember where I found her, but I think Hobby Lobby.

This little glitter skeleton is a little silly, but he spoke to me. I'm a sucker for glitter! 

3) My newest pumpkin/fall haul!

I racked up this week!

Smells amazing!!! The pumpkin holder is new, too. 

Not pictured: the already burned Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin candle! I loooove those so much!

4) New fall nail polishes

OPI's I Saw... U Saw... We Saw... Warsaw

This is the nail polish I'm wearing in the above photos, and I love it so much! It has stayed on better than any non-gel nail polish I've ever tried. I'm addicted! 

Sally Hansen's Wine Stock

Soooo not my pic. I left my bottle in the car, so I stole this one from imabeautygeek. Just pretend my nails are as pretty as hers. 

5) Tennessee football is back! 

 Go VOLS!!! Beat Georgia!!

Get Pin-spired!

I like to imagine myself a crafter. I typically fail miserably, but I sure do love the process! 

I love scouring Michael's and Hobby Lobby for flotsam and jetsam to hot glue into some sort of burlap/chevron/chalk paint/tulle/glitter gloriousness. 

And since fall is obviously a big source of inspiration for me, my crafty bone got itchy when the weather here turned cooler. I looked on Pinterest for a quick and relatively easy new fall wreath, and found a great one that could give me a lot of bang for a little effort. 

Here is the inspiration photo:

via RefinedWreath on Etsy

And here's what I accomplished: 

I took this pic in the very early morning, before the sun was fully up

  and these before dinner, when the sun was setting. 

Now, there are some noticeable differences between mine and the inspiration photo. I bought my hydrangeas at Michael's, and they didn't have enough of the yellowish flowers. To compensate, I spread the hydrangeas out more than the etsy version. And also because of the lack flowers, I hung the bow directly on the grapevine wreath instead of on top of more flowers. 

My bow is also slightly different, with my orange instead of their black, but I also bought a non-burlap black and white bow that I plan to switch this one out for on October 1st. I think this one looks fall, and the black and white looks more Halloween-y. I'll post pics once I make the switch. 

Despite the differences, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out! I think it looks pretty great, for a fraction of the cost of the Etsy one. Yay me! 

Caroline's Birthday Recap

Caroline's 7th birthday was this past Thursday (the 18th), and I had every intention of doing a smushy lovey post on that day, and a festivities roundup this weekend. As any parent knows, though, all that celebratin' got the best of me, and it's taken me until now to finally have the chance (and the energy!) to do it!!

Her last day as a 6 year old....

My plans were to wake her up with a balloon filled room on the morning of her birthday, and have her come down the stairs to some funfetti pancakes. None of that happened. First, I completely dropped the ball on getting the balloons the night before, and then her normal wake up time of 7AM-ish turned into a so-excited-I-can't-sleep wake up time of 6AM. yay. 

 At least I had her sign ready!

The birthday princess!

Ella Kate had a few gifts she wanted to get for Caroline, so she got to open those that morning. 

A Snackeez! My girls are suckers for anything on a commercial on Nick Jr or Disney Channel, and they've both wanted Snackeez since the commercial first started airing. 

This is a great little gift we picked up at Target. It's a block of chalky dirt, and you have to chisel out a T-Rex "fossil" that you then have to put together. This was her very favorite gift of all those she got! She loved it, and still talks about her very own T-Rex!

This is Barbie and the Secret Door. Caroline didn't want it, but Ella Kate did. So she wanted to make sure Sissy got it for her birthday. :) It did come with a Barbie mini doll, so that was nice. 

The birthday pancakes didn't pan out, so Dunkin' Donuts it is!

 Check out those chocolate covered teeth!

Sugared-up selfie! 

Since I dropped the ball on the balloons in her bedroom, I had the bright idea to take them to school. 

#oops

Little did I know, "birthday celebrations" are not allowed, and the principle had to come confiscate our balloons. :(

Luckily, he came and got them before she even saw them, so it's not like he took balloons away from a little girl. Steve and I were taking them to her room when he came and told us they weren't allowed, and he took them to the office. We got them as we were leaving, though, and she was still super excited to get them at school. 

#mommysatroublemaker

pre-balloon pic with Ella Kate

 The girls had dance class right after school, so I had the festivities continue there with a cookie cake. I brought it to her class, but pretty much the whole dance academy came for cookie cake once they heard it was in the building. Glad I got the big one! 

 A while back, Caroline had finished reading the year's worth of club words to her teacher (basically sight words), and she got a free meal coupon for Texas Roadhouse for finishing. She had been begging us to take her, so we figured her birthday was as good a night as any, especially considering dance class nights tend to be hectic anyway. 

Texas Roadhouse has birthday girls ride a saddle while the wait staff sing and clap. Humiliating for me, but Caroline LOVED it!! 

These pictures don't do the joy justice. She was ecstatic!

She ate a few bites of her free birthday ice cream, and the birthday fun wound down to a close. I had subbed at Ella Kate's preschool that morning in the 2 year old class, and I was exhausted to say the least. I think we all were by the end of the day, and as sad I was to see her 7th birthday go, I slept like the dead that night. 

----------------------------

Her party was Saturday, and we had her "Party Animal" themed party at Brushstrokes n' More, the local paint-your-own pottery place. All of her friends got to pick a piece of pottery to paint, and all the pieces they could pick from were little animals (plus one mermaid), so that helped us pick a theme for the party. 

You can't tell from these pictures, but Caroline picked a raccoon to paint and Ella Kate had a little puppy that she swears is a bunny. 

I love this party because it was so unique, and everyone got a cool souvenir to keep. I don't have the finished product to show yet, though, because they still have them to get them all fired and dried. 

They even gave Caroline her very own animal print birthday plate to keep!

Just look at her awesome cake my friend Mandy made! If any of you live in East Tennessee and need an awesome looking and tasting cake, hit me up and I'll get you in touch with Mandy! 

Throughout this whole thing, this is the one picture I got of me at the party. #fail

Present time!

 Caroline's sweet friend Caylee

These are our good friends Reese and Kennedy, and they came back to our house that evening for a birthday dinner of spaghetti and s'mores! 

The girls had an absolute ball! 

 In fact, we all had so much fun we decided to do another bonfire this coming Saturday! 

You know it's a good 7 year old birthday when even the adults have so much fun they want to do it again!