Shasta Anne Giveaway!

Wow - WHAT a giveaway!!! This lovely lady is giving away a Clarisonic Pro!!!

Go HERE to enter!

Good luck! :)

And don't forget to check out my Saturday Morning Scene below :) I'm a blogging machine lately!

Saturday Morning Scene

My first, Saturday Morning Scene with Katie!

My coffee...

My girls... (please excuse their hair - they just woke up :))

And one sexy cook makin' us ALL breakfast! Happy Saturday!

Fill in the Blank Friday

TGIF y'all!!!!!!!! :) :) :)

 Fill in the blank Friday is here with the lovely Lauren!

1. My plans for this summer include... to try every sno-cone at Bahama Bucks, lay out as much as possible to keep that summer glow, read 4-6 books (2 down!), grill out, go to the drive - in movies (done dos!), and soak up all that summer has in store!! :)

2. The best summer I ever had was... my freshman year of High School. I went to Duncanville, Texas (a suburb of Dallas) & spent 4 weeks teaching swimming lessons in my Uncle's back yard...he has been doing it for YEARS. When I got back my family took a vacay to Cali - fun times. It was a great summer :)

3. Summer is.... tan lines, wedges & sundresses, watermelon, sNo-CoNeS that turn your mouth blue, lightning bugs, country music, green grass & late night talks, Texas RANGER Games, homemade popsicles, red, white, & blue, fun mani/pedi colors, trips, & girlfriend slumber parties are just tp name a few....


4. My favorite summer food is... hamburgers on the grill, with roasted corn, and sweet tea!

5. The best way to quench a summer thirst is with... pink lemonade in a cold, frosty Mason Jar!

6. My summer uniform consists of...a sundress with a cute pair of wedges, or my Nike shorts with a cute T-Shirt

7. The best thing about summer... gettin' a nice tan! Because let's face it - I'm as white as they come in the winter. :)

As much as I LOVE summer - I have to admit, I'm a fall/winter gal. I know, know. :) There is just something about crisp weather, boots, a toasty fire, scarves, & the Holidays that makes me all tingly inside. But for now, I'm soaking in all the sunshine & warmer weather...when I'm not dying of a heat stroke. Ha. :)

The Simple Things

Here are some simple things I appreciated this week! :) I seriously LOVE this link-up & you will too!

...an invite to a church retreat at the end of July (more on that later)...
...receiving an e-mail invite to start Pinterest (thanks Jesslyn!) I'm obsessed...

...sweet kisses on the forehead...

...the anticipation of a girls din din on Friday night...

...having time to give my car a "deep clean" & fill up with a full tank of gas...

...frozen mason jars in the freezer, keeps anything you drink frosty & cold...

...a sweet "have a great day!" text in the early morn...

...Sex & the City episodes on E!...
...my new devotional book...
...time spent with the Lord...
...Starbucks...
...the color turquoise...
...finding some amazing decorating/craft ideas...

...feeling happy & at peace...

...& last but not least!!! Cooking dinner last night! :) If you read my blog, you'll know I really want to start cooking so this "simple thing" made me verrrrry happy. And HEY! I didn't burn the chicken! It was VERY simple: noodles, chicken, & spinach pasta. Hey - don't judge, I'm starting easy. :)...

And for dessert - my Nannie's homemade banana bread she sent back with me!! And 2 cute little girls who thought they were getting some! Ok...maybe I gave in. :)

I hope everyone is remembering that the simple things in life are what really matter! :) :) :)

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Link up with Jaime! :)

I'm loving... That it was a short week! It's already Wednesday!

I'm loving... My plans for this weekend are: N O T H I N G.Nada. Zilch. I'm thinking maybe a movie? Pei Wei take out? PJ day? Yes, please!

I'm loving... That we FINALLY are going to church on Sunday. We haven't been in 4 weeks due to being out of town & I'm feeling a huge void in my life. No bueno.

I'm loving... My fresh mani/pedi! I always feel clean, refreshed, & ready to take on the world (ha!!!) after I have one.

I'm loving... That my sweet lovebug bought me a certificate to get a massage! Such a nice guy. :) relaxation here.I.come!!

I'm loving... That after 24 years of being a girl, I have FINALLY decided to learn how to cook. Hopefully I'll be able to blog about it often.

I'm loving... this bible verse:

I'm loving... that it's almost time for a new planner. I don't think I could function without it, & there's nothing like a fresh, new, yummy smelling life-organizer! Dork alert. I'm also loving the book, Water for Elephants! I know - the movie came out a zillion years ago (ha) but I really wanted to read the book first - and I'll redbox the movie! :)

And just because....

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday!!!

4th of July Re-Cap

Well, I can officially say this 4th was probably the best yet. AND????? I only took a couple of pictures...all with my iPhone. Super bummer. :( We loaded up the girls (Belle & Ellie) & hit the road for Alpine Friday morning.

toes

We stopped mid-way & had lunch with my sister in Midland at Olive Garden - YUM!

When we arrived we of course had dinner prepared for us by Don's sweet momma - one of her many specialties, shrimp pasta & cake balls! Before I continue... let me say I think I gained about 10 lbs this weekend, moving on.....

Don's brother & sister in law showed up around 9 and we high-tailed it to the fire works display.

Saturday morning we woke up early (with coffee acourse!) & hit the road to Ft Davis; a tiny quaint little town nestled in the mountains about 20 mins away for their 4th of July parade & festivities on the court house lawn. We have gone for the past 6 years, and we usually only stay an hour or so because it's so HOT, but this year? We stayed for 3 1/2. The weather was nice & cool, & we found the perfect spot on the grass to eat all of our fried food. Did I mention I gained 10 lbs? ha!!!

They always have a booth set up with all things lavender: lavender soaps, fresh lavender picked the day before, incents, candles, lotions, but the BEST thing is the lavender lemon aide. Oh.my.word y'all. They had it last year, & when I saw the booth on Saturday I about did a little dance in the middle of the street. It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!!! I MUST see if I can find a recipe.

We spent the rest of the weekend at my parents house watching movies, relaxing, grilling out, & EATING. My sister came Saturday night, which made me a happy girl. :) There were no fire work stands open in Alpine ( or anywhere else in Texas ) because of all the fires we've had, but that didn't even matter, family & freedom are what do. :)

Arriba!!! ha!!!

We drove back Monday & were welcomed to BBQ & a Rangers Game at our friends house. Let's just say I crashed when my head hit the pillow... & so did Ellie's. :)

It was a great weekend!!! Now Tuesday is here, & it's back to work, a DIET, & the real world. But, that's okay because I am blessed!

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism." ~Erma Bombeck

Can I get some red, white, & blue?

I love the 4th of July!!!!
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All photos via pinterest

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I hope everyone has a fun & S A F E 4th of July weekend! Every single one of those men & woman fighting for our FREEDOM are my HERO'S!!! I'm so proud to be an  American!

Last year :)