Friday, May 27, 2016

Five Things Friday

Back at it this week for a Friday full of faves!  Last week I took the week off, realizing nothing about the week was my favorite!  How sad!  Now if I could write the list of five things that were my least favorite...that'd be another story!!  But luckily last week is in the rear view mirror, I've turned over a new leaf, and this week was a whole lot better!!

{ONE}
Garth!!!!  So excited to be going to see Garth Brooks at Yankee Stadium this summer.  It's his first show country show ever at the new stadium and his first show in the New York City area in almost 20 years.  My bestie, Mel tried for tickets last Friday and was able to get them, an quick too.  We were so surprised!  Garth was totally on my bucket list, so I can't wait.
via
{TWO}
I literally spent Sunday clearing out hours of shows from my DVR.  And just deleting a bunch too...because ain't nobody got time for that.  But I have to say, it was a pretty fabulous day!  And a much needed day at home after spending two weekends traveling.

{THREE}
I've been cooking a lot lately thanks to Hello Fresh and I've just really been loving the meals.  I've enjoyed cooking them as well.  Spending time in the kitchen, with videos casting on my tv, dancing around the kitchen and sipping wine while I cook!

This seared steak and rice meal was definitely my fave
#srirachaisbloodyhot!! 


{FOUR}
2 fabulous 80 degree days this week!  Woo hoo!  I'll take it....so ready for summer!!


{FIVE}  
Girls trip booked!  Headed to Punta Cana this summer with my two besties!  So excited the trip was booked and set.  We have never done a trip all together before so it's going to be a blast!! And I've never been to the DR before so I am so looking forward to it!




Also looking forward to a three day weekend this weekend!!  Happy Memorial Day all!!  And if you missed yesterday's Holiday Weekend Throwback, you can check it out here!  Hope you all have a great weekend filled with sunny weather and some time to relax!!


Linking  up today with:
ErikaAndrea and Narci for Friday Favorites/Jennie/ September Farm for Oh Hey Friday/
Tif for H54F

Thursday, May 26, 2016

A Holiday Weekend Throwback

When I look back at posts to include in my throwbacks, I often find it hard to believe that time passes so quickly...because in all honesty, the days go by slow!  Is that weird? Or do you know what I mean?
Memorial Day weekend is here!  It's the unofficial kick-off to summer and for me it means that the end of the school year is near!  Woo hoo!  So for today's #TBT, I thought I'd share last year's Memorial Day weekend Recap!  Enjoy!  And enjoy the upcoming three-day weekend!
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Who doesn't love a three day weekend!!  

I kicked mine off with a wedding on Friday night!  A woman I used to work with at my old school's daughter got married.  She and I have kept in touch over the years, since I moved to a new school and she retired.  We always try to get together during each day off and once during vacations for lunch.  Her husband joins us often too! I always have fun chatting and catching up with them.  It was a beautiful wedding.  The peeps at my table ALL left after dinner to get home to their kids, so I was pretty much alone.  I went and got a drink at the bar and ended up watching the end of the Rangers game on the bartender's cell phone! #SolitaryLifeProbs (They won that game, but lost last night!...get it together boys!)

Saturday  didn't really have any plans, so I laid out on the postage stamp patio and then sat out in the front with my book until the sun went down.  Oh and I also spent an hour and a half live chatting with my new boyfriend cable tech guy, when my internet went down!  The horror!  (Which is actually also why I'm posting later today!!).  After such a long chat, I still had to make an appointment to have a guy come out to replace my wireless router!

So with no internet I read a bunch then later on that night decided to order American Sniper On Demand.  I don't know if any of you have seen it, but for me, it was difficult to watch. It shows the difficulty and sacrifice that the toll of war takes on our military servicemen and woman and their families. Bradley Cooper totally embodied the role and did an awesome job.  It was certainly not the Bradley Cooper I know and love!! But it was very well done and I'm glad I finally got the chance to see it.

Sunday my sister had everyone over to her house for a Memorial Day BBQ.  It was a lot of fun.  The weather was NOT that great!  My family likes sun...and although it made a few weak appearances throughout the day, for the most part, it was cloudy, windy and cold. Booooo!!!!  (Get me back to Florida...STAT!)  But the company was great, the food was yummy and the drinks were flowing...so all in all a successful party...even though no one left with a tan!  :)
 All the adults (or most anyway!) relaxing by the fire before the chaos that was SMORES began! 


Oh and have you tried THIS???  
It's so YUM!!  Sam Summer has long been MY BEER during the summers but I think I just might have to switch it up this year!! It's a Limited Edition called Porch Rocker and it's like beer and lemonade!  So refreshing!!  Definitely give it a try this summer!!

After a late night last night, I slept in this morning...til 8:15!  Hahahaha.  Cleaned up the house and waited for the Cable Guy. I was luckily enough to get an appointment for today, even though I felt bad that they worked!!  I originally wanted to get to the Memorial Day Parade on Main Street, but my service call window was in the middle on it.  Which also meant I missed a lot of the good sun today!  And today ended up being the best of all three days this weekend!  But I was able to enjoy some of it.  Then I came in a did my usual Sunday things...laundry and school work.  Ugh....

Oh and with my internet back up and running, I may have indulged in some of the Memorial Day Sales online.  I did really great with my "no shopping" goal in January, February and March...I bought absolutely no clothes then.  But April and the Spring Challenge came along, and the wheels began to fall off my wagon.  It's safe to say that after today, the wheels have completely come off!!  Compared to last year at this time, I'm doing well, but I do wish I had made it a little further in the year before I tanked it!!  But I can still say, I never buy anything unless it's on sale, and this weekend, the sales were just too good to pass up!!

Did you go to any barbeques. parades or shop any sales this weekend?  let me know in the comments below!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!
Remember and pray today for those who sacrificed so much!

Katie
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This post originally appeared on the blog on Monday, May 25, 2015

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Ahoy there, Matey!

Can I just say right here and now how much I just love the nautical trend?! And not just the navy/stripe theme that's the focus of our looks today, but the whole theme.  I have lots of nautical stripes but I also love my anchor sweaters and sweatshirts!  Check out a few of my nautical looks on insta!

Now that I got that outta the way, on with the show.  So excited my Canadian soulmate Nicole chose this week's striped look.

I've  showcased my stripes a bunch of times on the blog, so I thought I'd pick a favorite of those looks for my Style Perspectives today!  This is one of my favorites, and I put it together when I participated in last summer's Create 28 with Whitney and Carrie.  I am so glad that Create 28 has made it's way to The Blended Blog.  We hope you'll join us for Create 28 this June as we once again create looks around super fun summer prompts. I put this outfit together for what I think was the baseball prompt.
This striped dress from last summer is so super easy to just throw on.  It will once again be in heavy rotation this summer.  As will my beloved denim vest.  My trend impulse buy that I totally wore the heck out of!  So glad I hopped on the denim vest train.    I thought this was super fun and sporty and fun for summer and wanted to share it with you all again.  Complete with my red sox cap to help keep the sun away!!

And my cons keep it comfy too!!

I wore this dress from Spring all the way into the fall!  Check out more of how I styled it here!   Now that I'm looking at this I guess it's more sporty than nautical...but stripes, it is! LOL


And here's a round-up of last week's graduation dresses.  I kinda loved seeing us all dressed up and fancy!!




14 bloggers each picked a look that defined their personal style.  
The featured blogger on the Blended Blog showcases her signature style (the prompt for that day) and then the other bloggers (on their personal blogs) show how they interpret it.  
Make sure you stop by the Blended Blog to see the featured lady.  
Please link up on the Blended Blog to show us how you would wear the prompt!


Daily Style Finds: The Personal Stylist
Foxy's Domestic Side: The Crafty Engineer
Simply Shaunacey: Reformed Frumpy Mommy
Two Teens and Their Mama: Stylish Midlife Mama
RSquared: The Not So Nerdy Accountant
Shoes to Shiraz: The Shoe Hoarding French Teacher
Puppies and Pretties: Cube Dwelling Fashionista
Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life:  Single Girl, Simple Style
A Lovely Little Wardrobe: A Casual Petite
Making the Most of Everyday Classic Yet Current Over Forty 
NickandNik: Mama with Curves
Living on Cloud Nine: Blissful Fashionista
Whitney a la Mode: A Book-loving French Teacher

So hard to believe next week is our final Style Perspectives!!

Do you do stripes or enjoy the nautical trend?  Show us how...head to The Blended Blog to link up now!  Can't wait to check out all the looks!

Linking up today with:
The Blended Blog/Sydney Fashion Hunter/The Pleated Poppy


Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Monday Moments of Gratitude...on a Tuesday!!

It's been a while since I've posted a Monday Moments of Gratitude post, linking up with my blog buddy, Shaunacey!  I had all intentions of getting this up yesterday, but it didn't happen obviously.  I thought about not having this post go live until next Monday, but then I figured that any day's a good day to be grateful!

I've been busy traveling!!  Two weeks of traveling is a lot, but I loved every second of it.  I will recap both trips at length, but today, I'm focusing on the big picture of both those trips!   How grateful I am to have had the opportunity to spend  time with my family!

It was so great that I could spend Mother's Day weekend with my mom in Florida!  It was a really fun time, and I know my mom, too, was thankful to have me, my sister and nieces were there.It was also the first time in five months I had seen my dad, and almost a year had gone by since seeing my Aunt Laurie, so that was great too!  I'm also so happy that there was not a cloud in the sky while we were there and I could enjoy the warmth and get some color!I talked a little bit about the trip {here} and promise to recap it soon!



The very next weekend, I was off to North Carolina to celebrate my cousin's wedding.  It was quite the adventure!  The weather the entire weekend was beautiful.  The wedding was on a huge piece of property at a brewery and in a barn.  Really fun and different. It was filled with wonderful, simple touches of both the bride and groom.  The "original 6" of my family all traveled to be at the wedding.  That time together spent just the 6 of us never happens anymore, so that was pretty special as well.  And a Sunday spent in Charlotte with just my sisters was awesome....filled with more laughter and fun than we've had together in years!

Still waiting for my mom to put all her photos on Shutterfly but this is the photo we all got with Kev before the ceremony,  The photos I took of the happy couple dancing all came out blurry!!  Maybe because I was bawling...but that's a blog post for another time... lol

There was a time when I thought my family was one of those who spent way to much time together!  But now that's not really the case, so I enjoy any time we have together.  I know not everyone is as fortunate as me to have all their family, for a variety of reasons, so I am grateful!


Hope your Tuesday's been terrific and hope to see you back here tomorrow for another edition of Style Perspectives!



Thursday, May 19, 2016

A Teacher's #TBT

For many reasons this week has been a tough one as a teacher. After traveling and being off a few days these last two weeks and having to make sub plans (*seriously...it's harder to be out then it is to just be here!), being thrown into being a sub my first day back, and numerous schedule changes this week, it's sometimes easy to lose sight of the reasons why I'm still doing this all...and it's easier still to drown my sorrows in a glass of wine at night!  So after all this, I thought I's throw it back to one of my favorite posts!  I wrote it last year in June as the end of the school year was nearing, but it was over a year in the making!  It reminds me of why I became a teacher and why I still am!  Even when everything but teaching gets in the way of that!!
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The school year is coming to an end. I'm not going to lie...I'm excited about this!! This year was was really rough for a variety of reasons, none of which I will go into! 
But that's teaching...some great years, some good years, and some not so good years! I won't say bad...because no year is ever truly bad. There are always those silver linings in a bad day! At least for me! I might be having THE WORST DAY EVER (usually those days are middle school related! HA!) and then all of a sudden, one student can turn it all around! Be it with a click of a mouse, getting on Google Chrome on their own! Or with a silly comment, kind word or just a compliment that that was the best story they've ever heard! Even those littles who show up at my door with a birthday cupcake will do the trick!! So everyday might not be a great one but at least I can smile about it.

And with the end of the school year, comes a whole new set of issues! End of year “business” needs to be attended to, and for me, report cards for the whole school have to be printed. And there is inevitably always something that goes wrong!

Last year around this time, I stumbled upon an awesome blog post at Scholastic.com by one of their top teacher bloggers, Brian Smith. He wrote a post, entitled I am a Teacher. It was so true and funny and talked about how sometimes teaching gets so crazy at this time of year, that it's really important to take the time to reflect on all the reasons we do this job! I commented on Brian's post (and have been following him ever since) and said I wanted to write a similar list on my own blog. Well a year later, Brian, here's my list!

Found this on Insta a few weeks ago!  
#truth

Before I was the Librarian and Tech teacher I was a classroom teacher for 10 years, so I'm combining the list to include all my 13 years in teaching!


I am a teacher...

I am a teacher because I love learning...and in teaching you learn something new everyday!

I love sharing my love of reading with the children...and according to one of my littles I "read books really good!"

Laminating things is my favorite.

New books in my library make me smile.

There is nothing like hearing a student say “Technology is my favorite class!”

And I love when they tell me that they went on my Library/Tech website AT HOME...ON THE WEEKEND!!

Three Words: School Supply Shopping!

I am a technology teacher...on any given Wednesday you might hear me say the words "mouse control" 87 times!

I am a teacher...

I've been called mom, dad, grandma and every other teacher's name...and am totally ok with it!

That Teacher Appreciation luncheon every year.

I enjoy days off as much as the kids do.

Completing a bulletin board is a huge accomplishment.

I am a teacher thanks to Mrs. Grosskurth, Miss Puileo, Miss McCartin...and the few who got it wrong, because thanks to them, I knew what NOT to do!!

I love dress down days (and PJ Day!), too!

I proudly rock my spirit wear beyond the four walls of the school building.  :)

I am a teacher because seeing a child's “A HA! Moment" is just awesome...and the fact that I might have had a little something to do with it, that's just icing on the cake!

Where else do you get to feel like a rockstar everyday?!?

I know Summer's Off are not totally Summer's Off...

I am a Catholic School teacher, I make very little money but I'm rich in other ways!

I am a teacher because I've never wanted to do anything else with my life!! 
When I was a little girl I used to play "school" for HOURS on the weekends and during the summer with my sisters and friends.  Thankfully these days though, I don't yell at my students and throw them across the room for their bad behavior like I allegedly did to my Cabbage Patch dolls!! Poor Humphrey Peter!! LOL

I realize that right now in our country, it's very difficult to be a teacher but every job has it's ups and downs!   I really can't see myself doing anything else.  Even though I joke about retiring, I'll be doing this and only this (if I'm lucky), for the next 30 years and beyond!!

But first....bring on SUMMER!!!!

Check out some of my plans for summer here and here!  What are yours?


I'm linking up today with Vanessa and Penny for Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  



Have a great day!
Katie


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This post was originally published on Thursday June 18th, 2015

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

A Graduation Look!


Back for another round of Style Perspectives with The ladies of The Blended Blog! So hard to believe we are almost through all the looks! (Check out all my takes on the prompts {here}). This week’s prompt is a graduation look courtesy of Sheila, whose son just had his home school graduation this past weekend.  A big congrats to him!  And wait til you see Sheila! She looked beautiful!!


Being a teacher, it’s required that we go to the 8th  grade graduation ceremony each June.   It’s in the evening and in the church, so each year I wear a dress...which, I’m not gonna lie, is rare for me on the daily! But I like dressing up!


This year, I think I plan on wearing  the same thing I wore to my cousin’s wedding this weekend. (As long as the weather cooperates!  This 50° in May baloney is just plain crazy!!) Being in a church though, I’ll be wearing a trusty cardigan with it as well. Most likely a cream colored ¾  sleeve one! So my shoulders are covered!




This was the perfect dress for a wedding in a barn, in the mountains of North Carolina! Where it was 75° and beautiful out! It's simple but I was able to jazz it up with some fun jewels and funky wedges, which truth be told didn't last long!

Before I head out take a peek at at recap of last week's super fun look on all the Blended Bloggers.
 


Don't forget to link up your graduation look with us this week!! No blog? No problem. Hashtag a graduation/dressy look on insta and across all social media using #theblendedblogstyle!


14 bloggers each picked a look that defined their personal style.  
The featured blogger on the Blended Blog showcases her signature style (the prompt for that day) and then the other bloggers (on their personal blogs) show how they interpret it.  
Make sure you stop by the Blended Blog to see the featured lady.  
Please link up on the Blended Blog to show us how you would wear the prompt!


Daily Style Finds: The Personal Stylist
Foxy's Domestic Side: The Crafty Engineer
Simply Shaunacey: Reformed Frumpy Mommy
Two Teens and Their Mama: Stylish Midlife Mama
RSquared: The Not So Nerdy Accountant
Shoes to Shiraz: The Shoe Hoarding French Teacher
Puppies and Pretties: Cube Dwelling Fashionista
Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life:  Single Girl, Simple Style
A Lovely Little Wardrobe: A Casual Petite
Making the Most of Everyday Classic Yet Current Over Forty 
NickandNik: Mama with Curves
Living on Cloud Nine: Blissful Fashionista
Whitney a la Mode: A Book-loving French Teacher




An InLinkz Link-up

Have a happy Hump Day... few more days til the weekend!!  We can do it!!

Friday, May 13, 2016

Friday Already?!?

It was a quick week!  Last Friday I mentioned that I was off to FL for the weekend!  Getting back on Tuesday, this was a super quick work week.  Which is a fave but here are a few more before I jet off again for another weekend of fun, in good ol' NC!!

{ONE} Spending Mother's Day with my mom!
Like I mentioned in last week's five (that I never ended up linking anywhere...ha!) I spent this Mother's Day with my mom again!  The weekend in Florida was so much fun!  With the craziness of the weekend and spending the week getting ready for my next trip, I have yet to recap it but I will eventually.  But I had a great time, with my parents, sister, nieces, and Aunt all weekend.



{TWO} Getting My Tan ON!
90 degrees and sunny all three days I was in Florida??  I'll take it!!  I have a great tan for May and just love that I was able to soak up the sun and spend some time swimming!!  I could get used to this.  I think I need to go to Florida more than just once a year!
Everyone looks better with a tan!!


{THREE} Jennifer Aniston! What?!?
This might actually be my most favorite favorite of the week!! While we were away, my sister and I grabbed a drink at one of the bars while my nieces and parents were in the square dancing. After going to pay our bill,  the bartender told us that a round was bought for us, by the man at the end of the bar.  My sister and I went over to thank him.  And his response was...'
"Well I just couldn't believe how much she looks like Jennifer Aniston!" HE WAS TALKING ABOUT ME!!  When I'm with my sister, NO one even looks at ME!!  Clearly this man must have skipped his meds for the day to think I look like Jennifer Aniston, but we all got a huge laugh out of it and my family was calling me Jen the rest of the night!!  And I just kept laughing!  I think I may quit my life and go hang in The Villages...I can't find a nice 30-something guy, maybe 70s is where it's at!!!

This was me on Monday night....Jennifer Aniston?? Nahhh...


{FOUR}  Mexican Train
My parents play this game with friends ALL THE TIME in The Villages!!  It's a dominoes game!  And we all played it for the first time while we were there!!  I gotta say...I'm totally hooked!!  I won three rounds. And I loved that it's a game for all ages!  BUT I think it could be a fun drinking game too...losers take tequila shots!!  HAHAHAHAHA!  Game night at my house this summer!!  Wooooooo!!



{FIVE} Jenny is back!!
My fellow single gal pal, Jenny, from Much ado about Jenny started  blogging again this week after a super long blog hiatus...or blogatus, as she called it!   I follow her on Insta, so have been keeping up with her but am so glad she is back to blogging!  I look forward to keeping up with her adventures once again!! Definitely go give her blog a read!!



Hope you all have an awesome weekend!  I know I will.  I'm off to North Carolina to celebrate my cousin's wedding with my family...the original 6!  Looking forward to a fun time!

Link up today with Erika, Andrea and Narci for Friday Favorites!

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Throwin' it back....

On a Thursday that kinda feels like my Tuesday, I'm throwin' it back to December 2015, when I went to North Carolina for the weekend!  Because tomorrow I'm off to North Carolina for the weekend...again!  My cousin Kevin is getting married on Saturday.  And, (if you're a regular reader of me blog and an insta friend) you might be thinking to yourself, "She's going away again?" Why yes...yes, I am! I kinda can't believe it myself!  When I went to North Carolina in December, it was for my cousin, Kathleen's gender reveal party.  I recapped the weekend in a Friday Five.
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Friday's here!!  Only a few more school days til a much-needed Christmas Break!!  This week was a quick one for me!

Here's a few faves from the week...

{ONE}
My trip to NC last weekend was definitely a fave!  I didn't get to post a recap! Since this five is filled with snip-its of my trip, it's kinda like a recap though!!   It was a great time!  Lots of laughs and memories made with family I don't get to see as often as I like!!  I mentioned in last week's 5 that I was going there for my cousin's gender reveal party!  It was so cute!  She had the house decorated with sweet touches (who knew they made this stuff?) and guests wore stickers with what they thought the baby was.   It's a BOY!!  Can't wait for him to arrive in April 2016!!  I was totally Team Blue!






{TWO}
One of the things we did while I was in NC was travel to Asheville for the day!  My cousin Kevin lives right outside Asheville, so we spent the day hanging at his house, then headed to dinner in Asheville, for a little Irish Session and some good food.  While we were there, I got in the holiday spirit, drinking some Sierra Nevada Celebration (An NC brew!!).  When it arrived I noticed on the back of my coaster, it said if you hastagged a photo cheers-ing your Celebration, Sierra Nevada would send you two free pint glasses!  So of course, me being me, I did it!!  And guess what...2 free pint glasses are on there way to me!!  Woo Hoo!! It will probably take forever to get them, but that's ok!!  I LOVE free stuff!! And that's two more pint glasses for my collection and two less that I have to steal !
#shamelessselfieforfreeshit

{THREE}



I had a later flight out of NC on Monday, so my Aunt and I spent part of the day shopping!  One of our stops was World Market!  I saw the store on the way back from the airport Friday night and mentioned that I had just been on their website.  My cousin said that it was THE BEST store, so I was on a mission to get there at some point during the weekend!! (And pretty much talked about it all weekend...after my cousins' houses were filled with goodies from World Market!!) And seriously, can I just say....where has this store been all my life?"??  They have everything!!  And I mean EVERYTHING!!  Even WINE!!  Basically my dream store! :)  I came away with as much as I could fit in my carry-on, joined their rewards program, and have plans to shop on their website more soon!!  C'mon NY...get with the program and bring World Market here to my town!!

{FOUR}
No judgement for this next one!  But while I was away, my cousin shared with me her love of Justin Bieber (and Jordan Smith!)!!  LOL.  The drive home between Kevin's house in Asheville and Kathleen's house is about an hour and a half.  On the way back we listened to Justin's new album, Purpose. I am not ashamed to admit I really liked it.  Not every song was great, but I will say for the last four days I've had about a half a dozen of them in my head.  I am not totally on board with purchasing the album just yet, but I have been casting it on YouTube every night!  HA!  Definitely worth a listen!!
Purpose Deluxe

{FIVE}
After the weekend and having Monday off, I feel like these last few days before Christmas Break have been worse than usual.  We go through to the 23rd but this week and next, there are days with Christmas fun scattered throughout so the kids are a lil bit crazy...which is kinda making me cranky.  I feel like such a Scrooge this week!! I have been trying to stay in the holiday spirit this week though...especially with my blog posts! And today I am looking forward to a dress down!  Any Friday in my jeans is a good day!!  But I am certainly counting down the days til the 23rd!!  EVERYONE needs a break!!
via




Hope you all get to enjoy some time off and time with your family this Christmas!!
Merry Merry!!
Katie

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*Kathleen's baby boy Connor has arrived!  He was born on April 21st.  Can't wait to meet him this weekend!


Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Style Perspectives Wednesday

Back at it for another Wednesday Style Perspectives!  Thanks everyone for linking up last week with your leggings looks!  I had fun with it and like seeing how all the leggings were styled!  So glad I was able to get some of my Blended Blogger buddies out of their comfort zones!





Carrie's up today with her look.  And I gotta say...I'm excited!  When I saw that is was a jeans, tee, blazer and sneaker look, I knew exactly what I'd wear.  I am a cardi girl through and through but over the last year or two, I've very much embraced the blazer.    So here's my take on the look...

Saturday, May 7, 2016

A banner week on the blog!!


It's been a super fun week!
Check out what you might have missed!  (Links are the days of the week!) 




There were lots of link ups with my blog buddies on Monday and Tuesday! A Wednesday that saw me as the the star of the show over at The Blended Blog (eeeeekkkkkk!). A Throwback Thursday that got me all sorts of excited for this weekend, and a Friday Faves that had me dancing!!

Have a great weekend and thanks for spending some of your week here with me!

Friday, May 6, 2016

This Friday's got me like WHOA!!!


YAY!!  Friday is here and I might be in a boring PD Day as you're reading this, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel! Because in just a few short hours I'll be headed to the sunshine!!  I'm visiting my Mom for Mother's Day again this year! {Read about last year's visit here!}
And that is definitely my most favorite thing about today!!  But before I go, here's 4 more faves from this week!!

A day off!  And on Cinco de Mayo at that!  So I spent the day eating Mexican and drinking Sangria with two of my favorite people!  And who doesn't love free tequila shots...that you must do because it's cinco!?!  LOL
totally love that I'm Aunt Katie to this little one!!  

Actually this first week of May has been all about Mexican... Saturday night, Tuesday night and Thursday I went out, while Sunday and Monday I had quesadillas here at home!  Food in the house was slim pickings since I'm going away! Good thing Mexican is my most favorite!!


This song on repeat.
I watched a country cover (of course!) of Lean On by Lennon and Maisy online one day and thought it was really great. These girl KILL IT on covers!!  Went back later on and listened to it again on YouTube on my ChromeCast through my tv, which is on autoplay, so it played all the suggested videos. This is one of them! I'm a lil obsessed and not one bit ashamed to admit I was dancing in my living room!!  I don't know who this Major Lazer chick is but I like her!!

Having all this week's posts done and scheduled by Sunday Night!
Because ya know...THAT NEVER HAPPENS!!!!!!  Especially when it's a 6 post kinda week...7 if you count my post over at TBB!!

Being the featured blogger on The Blended Blog's Style Perspectives!  My prompt was a leggings and scarf look.  I like leggings for Spring...and they can be jazzed up quite nicely with a scarf.  It's simple look but I like it!  For me any day in leggings is a good day! Check out my look here!



Hope you all have a great weekend!  Happy Mother's Day to all the MOMS out there!! Enjoy YOUR special day!!!

Thursday, May 5, 2016

#TBT....to my first trip to The Villages!

I'm leaving on a jet plane...and unfortunately, I do know when I'll be back again!  But I'm really excited to once again be headed to spend Mother's Day Weekend with my parents in The Villages, Florida.  My sister, her two daughters and I went last year and now we are calling it a tradition.  I thought I'd be fun to share last year's post for Throwback Thursday!!
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A Weekend Away!

This weekend I escaped home and went to the sunshine!!  I visited my parents at their home in The Villages in Florida!! I was the only one in my family that hadn't been down to see my mom and dad's place and my sister was taking her girls down to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom, so I thought, it'd be the perfect time for me to go too!   I had a really great time.

I left work on Friday and scooted to the airport.  We are really so lucky to have an airport so close to home.  It's a small regional airport that never seems to be crowded so I was able to fly thru security.  I had plenty of time before boarding, so I headed to the bar for a drink.  I debated the Starbucks, and it would've been cheaper, but went with the beer!  I am not great at flying alone honestly, so I thought I needed something!  And went with the big one!  I posted my beer on Insta as "the most expensive beer ever", but when I got my final bill, realized she charged me for two!  Whew...so considering it 30 ounces...it wasn't that expensive at all!!  HA!!

When I boarded the flight, I was happy to find that it wasn't full, so even though I was the B boarding group, I went pretty much toward the back and had all three seats to myself.
The flight went pretty well.  We left early and arrived a full 30 minutes ahead of schedule...which is pretty crazy!  I had no baggage (I gave it to my parents when they headed down in the car last week) so I was out of the airport in five minutes, met up with my parents and we headed back to my Aunt's house.  When we arrived there, I was met by my nieces, sister (who had come down Wednesday night), my cousin Kim and her husband Brian, and my Aunt Laurie-my mom's sister, who lives in The Villages full time.  Mom, dad and I ate dinner, while we all chatted, watched the Rangers Playoff Game, and played Name that Tune (with my dad's 4000 songs!).  It was a late night and my aunt had to get up early for work the next day, so we headed to my parents house.  They live a few miles away, in a different community.

My mom and dad's house is really cute and my dad, who had been down there a few times for extended periods of time, while my mom was still working, has down a TON of work!  And it looks great!!

Saturday we headed to the pool!  It was a beautiful day!  We didn't stay long at the pool, and I was sooooo mad because I put on 55 SPF and got nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!  In fact I think I was whiter than before!!  LOL.  But the two hours were really enough for me.  I guess, for it being my first time out in this type of heat this season, I was a little dizzy.  But we came back ate a good lunch and got ready to go to The Square and dinner.

In The Square, they have live music nightly.  And people just dance, or sit and watch others dance!  My nieces loved this!!  It also has lots of shopping and restaurants.  
The family that dresses alike!  Totally unplanned...obviously!!



We ate at a place called The Lighthouse.  it was on the water, but being so many, when we put our names in, we said we'll take either in or out.  We got a table inside but by the window.  Dinner was very yummy!  I had the crab cakes!  But I think I enjoyed the apps we all shared better!  It was a lot of fun and laughs!!  
After dinner, we said our goodbyes to my cousin and her husband who were leaving the next day, and headed home to my parents.

Sunday for Mother's Day my nieces wanted to make breakfast for my sister and mom (and me too, because they didn't want me to feel left out!)  So my dad and I helped them make waffles and omelettes.  It was really a great breakfast.  After that us girls headed to Spanish Springs, another "Square", to find some souvenirs!  Being Sunday morning and all, not much was open but we did go to the Tervis store, and the Logo store.  So I got a few tervis glasses and two wine glasses from the Logo store.  Should've thought to take pics, but I left them for my parents to bring home.  After that, we had no plans but to spend the entire rest of the day at the pool! It was a spectacular day!  Not a cloud in the sky and hardly any humidity.  I got color!  Woo Hoo!!  
Golf cart selfie!

We spent a couple hours at the pool, headed back to the house for Happy Hour with my aunt, who came to say goodbye to us, then headed back to the pool to watch the sunset!  The girls loved this.  We were the only ones at the pool and it was so warm!  Awesome sunset!!

A few pics from Sunset....


This one I posted on Insta too!!  It just looked so cool!  I'm thinking of having it put on canvas to hang in my house!!


We got back from the pool around 8:30, had a late dinner and watched the end of the Ranger Game!! A win...and a game 7 is on Wednesday!!  (Woo hoo...but also eeekkkkk!!)    It was another late night.

Monday Morning we got ourselves together and headed the airport...our weekend was over! Booooo!!!!!!!
We had time for a quick lunch down by our gate.  While I waited for the bill, my sister and the girls headed to the bathroom.  We thought we had plenty of time before our boarding group, but all of a sudden we heard them call our names!!  HAHAHAHA!!  It was pretty funny, because it was five minutes after they started boarding.  I guess everyone was already there and eager to get home so they boarded in a flash.  Why would anyone be so eager to get home??  The flight wasn't as great as my one going down...super cray landing!!  And I sat next to a girl with a bad cold...chances are, later this week, I'll have the same cold!!  UGH!!

But I'm home now and actually took off today to recoup and get my act together!  Because tomorrow it back to reality...BLAH!!

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This post originally appeared on the blog on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 


Have a great weekend!  And Happy Mother's Day to all my bloggy buddies out there!!  You are all fabulous Mamas and deserve YOUR day!!

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

It's Style Perspectives Wednesday!



And I'm over at The Blended Blog  today with MY look for Spring!  Check it out here! And don't forget to link up with us! Hashtag your photos on insta and across all social media with #theblendedblogstyle!





14 bloggers each picked a look that defined their personal style.  
The featured blogger on the Blended Blog showcases her signature style (the prompt for that day) and then the other bloggers (on their personal blogs) show how they interpret it.  
Make sure you stop by the Blended Blog to see the featured lady.  
Please link up on the Blended Blog to show us how you would wear the prompt!


Daily Style Finds: The Personal Stylist
Foxy's Domestic Side: The Crafty Engineer
Simply Shaunacey: Reformed Frumpy Mommy
Two Teens and Their Mama: Stylish Midlife Mama
RSquared: The Not So Nerdy Accountant
Shoes to Shiraz: The Shoe Hoarding French Teacher
Puppies and Pretties: Cube Dwelling Fashionista
Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life:  Single Girl, Simple Style
A Lovely Little Wardrobe: A Casual Petite
Making the Most of Everyday Classic Yet Current Over Forty 
NickandNik: Mama with Curves
Living on Cloud Nine: Blissful Fashionista
Whitney a la Mode: A Book-loving French Teacher


Thanks for showing me some love on TBB today!!