fashion friday...labor day

It's a holiday, which means a long weekend ahead.  That makes me very happy!!  Labor Day signifies the end of summer is nearing.  While I'm ready for cooler weather, I am sad that I'll no longer get to wear summer clothes.  I love summer dresses and shorts!!

Today's Friday's Fancies is all about dressing for the Labor Day weekend.  Summer is the perfect time to wear bright, bold colors so both outfits I put together are fun colors.

These two outfits make me wish summer was just starting!  I'll be sad when summer bright colors turn into fall jewel tones.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

I'm linking up with the lovely {av} over at long distance loving for my Friday's Fancies.  Check out some of the other great outfits fellow bloggers have put together.  It's one of my favorite parts of the link up.

This Labor Day weekend Mr. H and I are headed to the lake!  We've been so busy this summer we haven't been back since July 4.  I'm looking forward to a lot of relaxing, good food and hanging with the in-laws.  

Hava a Happy Labor Day Weekend!!!

i need some advice...wedding dress preservation

Okay ladies, for those of you who are married, what have you done with your wedding dress?  Is it still hanging in a closet, did you get it preserved or something else?  Almost a year later, I'm trying to decide what to do with my dress before it's too late.

I am starting to research how much it cost and I had no idea it was so expensive.  The place I found has great reviews, but I was given a $350-$375 estimate.  Is that too expensive?  I have no idea.

I also hate to just put it in a box forever, it's just too pretty.  Let me know what you've done.  I'm curious to know what others do with their dress.

let's talk bachelor pad

Ever since last week, I'm over Bachelor Pad...yet I'm still watching.  I just don't really like anyone left.  They are all annoying.  I'm disappointed in the selection that is left and I could careless who wins as long as Chris doesn't win.

Here's my take on the couples/partnerships:

Chris and Sarah- I still can't believe they got saved last week.  And then this week they win the spelling bee challenge...wow.  Talk about lucky.  It's so funny to me that Chris still talks about how the break up with Emily is still hard on him, yet he's hooked up with half the girls on Bachelor Pad.  Keep telling yourself that Chris.  

Tony and Blakely- Talk about the most unlikely couple in the house.  Tony, you seem way to sweet of a guy to be with Blakeley.  Blakely, if you don't make enough as a "VIP waitress" to afford cable then I'd suggest getting a different job.  It's just a suggestion.  I'd bet money this couple doesn't last past the show...if that.

Nick and Rachel- Nick, what are you still doing here?  You are one lucky guy.  I feel sorry for Rachel for having to be your partner.  You almost caused the house to vote y'all off.  Nick, I'm totally wishing Michael was in your place because he should still be in the game for sure!  I'm glad you stuck it out Rachel.  Hopefully you can win this game.  You are by far my favorite one left.  Hang in there girl.    

Ed and Jaclyn- What in the world is going on with you two?  Ed, you are a sleaze ball and Jaclyn I can't believe you are going to continue going along with this.  I felt sorry for you for like half a second and then ven when you found out he was seeing someone back home you still act like you are a "couple." Whatever, I guess you are just meant for each other then.  

Kalon and Lindzi- I guess I'm happy y'all found love.  The only one playing the game in this partnership was Kalon.  Lindzi, I think we heard you say maybe five words the entire time you were on the show.  You are lucky you were partnered with Kalon or you would have been kicked off much earlier.  I hear you two are still together so I'm happy about that.  Everyone deserves log.  

I'm liking up with the lovely girls Meghan from More from Meg AND Alisa from All Things Alisa.  They brought us the wonderful Bachelorette link up and now they're talking about the crazy Bachelor Pad. Check out all the chit cat about the latest episode of the Bachelor Pad!

Here's to another crazy episode of Bachelor Pad...until next Monday!

it's award time...

Miss Mary, thanks so much for nominating me for the Liebster Award.  Mary has been a friend of mine for a while and has had a blog way before I did.  She'll for sure make you laugh.  She has the best blog name around: Put a Ruffle on It!  Stop by and say hello.  

The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 follows.  

Here's the Rules...

- Post 11 facts about yourself

    - Answer the 11 questions listed

 - Nomiate and list 11 bloggers

               - Ask your nominees 11 new questions

11 Facts...
1. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.
2. If I could eat dessert for every meal I would!!
3. I do not eat any kind of seafood and I can't even stand the smell of it.
4. My favorite thing to do is spend time with Mr. H.
5. I drove a white F-150 truck for over five years.  I'm the opposite of a truck girl, but it was an extra company car at my dad's business so he let me use it.  I was thrilled the day Mr. H bought me a Jeep Laredo because I could give up the truck forever!
6. My favorite color of all time is pink.
7. I am obsessed with tea.  My favorite is half sweet, half unsweet.  That way it's not too sweet.  I also love raspberry tea too.
8. Christmas is by far my favorite holiday ever.  I love all the holiday activities, time with family and remembering Christ's birth.
9. My dream vacation is to Hawaii.  I hope someday Mr. H and I will be able to travel there for a fun vacation.
10. I always have my nails painted.  
11. I love sauces.  I put sauce on almost anything.  

11 Answers...
1.  Why did you start your blog?
Being a newlywed, I thought it would be a fun way to document our marriage together.  I also thought it was a good way to let out my creativity.
2.  Why do you keep blogging? 
Like I mentioned in #1, I wanted to document our life together.  I also now blog because I've met so many awesome other bloggers.
3.   Do you have any blogging goals?
I actually don't have any goals for my blog.  There are times when I get down about the lack of readers or comments, but then I realize again why I am doing my blog in the first place, for me! and it makes me excited about blogging again.
4.  Favorite thing you did this summer?
Summer, I don't get a summer off unfortunately.  But as far as my favorite thing I did...I guess I would say celebrating my birthday, seeing my family that came in town and trips to the lake.
5.  What are you looking forward to the second half of 2012?
The holidays are my favorite part of the year.  I LOVE Christmas so I'm really looking forward to that time of year.
6.  Where is your favorite vacation spot? 
I haven't traveled to that many places.  I guess as of right now, my favorite vacation spot would be the Bahamas.  Mr. H and I went to Nassau for our honeymoon last year and it was beyond beautiful.
7.  What's your favorite form of social media?
Pinterest for sure!  It's such a great place to find inspiration on anything.
8.   Favorite TV show?
Friends is my all time favorite TV show.  I have tons of others that I am hooked on: Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, So You Think You Can Dance, The Real Housewives of OC, NYC and BH, Dallas, Glee, Modern Family, Smash, The Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor Pad, Bethenny, plus some I'm probably forgetting.  Can you say obsessed with TV.  Haha.
9.  If you could redecorate any room in your house right now, what would it be and what would you do?
Well first I would like to be in a house.  It's not fun decorating an apartment because it's a temporary space.  Once we get a house though and I could decorate any room, I'd probably decorate our living room/kitchen space.  We want to have a house to entertain and we hang out in the living room the most.  I'd love to have a big white sectional and then decorate with neutrals and blue hues.  I want it to feel cozy and inviting.
10.  Favorite simple recipe?
Hmmm.  I guess I would say a crock pot pot roast recipe I found on pinterest.  It's so easy and super yummy!
11.  Favorite cause/charity?
My second cousin, Allysa's project H2O.  She's so awesome and started this organization a few years ago while she was in collage.  

11 Bloggers...
(I only have 9.  Lots of the blogs I follow have over 200 followers....sorry.)
1. the blonde ambitions
2. grow the love
3. last year of twenty something
4. siddathornton
5. sprinkles and style
6. the failte house
7. the kb files 
8. the wags daily
9. whimsical occasions
10. ?
11. ?


11 Questions...
1. What is your favorite thing about fall?
2. If you could meet anyone from the past to present, who would it be?
3. Who do you admire most?
4. Would you choose to eat something savory or sweet?
5. What's the most adventurous thing you've done?
6. What is your favorite sweet treat?
7. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
8. What are you three most valued possessions?
9. Who is your favorite super hero?
10. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
11. Would you consider yourself a morning person and a night person?
12. What is your favorite season for fashion?  Why?

Happy Monday Friends!

fashion friday...road trip

Happy Friday everyone!  Have you ever gone on a road trip?  I haven't.  I actually hate being in the car for long periods of time.  I just find it really boring and I get antsy.  

Mr. H and I travel four hours to go to the lake during the summer and I can barley handle that drive.  Don't get me wrong, Mr. H is fun to travel with because we talk almost the entire time...I just don't like to be cooped up for a long time.  

In my perfect world, I would love to take a road trip through California with Mr. H and stop at all the best cities.  I've only been to LA once and I'd love to travel and see San Francisco.  Maybe someday Mr. H can talk me into road tripping through California.  

This Friday's Fancies is all about the perfect outfit for a road trip.  Comfort is key when traveling!  I put together two shorts outfits that would be perfect for a road trip...if I ever decide to take a long one I'd for sure wear something like this.  Just because you're traveling doesn't mean you can't look fashionable!  

casual comfy    

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

comfy chic

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

I'm linking up with the lovely {av} over at long distance loving for my Friday's Fancies.  Check out some of the other great outfits fellow bloggers have put together.  It's one of my favorite parts of the link up.

I'm excited for the weekend (as usual)!  Mr. H and I have NO plans.  I'm thrilled!!!!!  

girl meets boy...

I think it's important to document your love story so you'll always remember the detail.  Last year I made Mr. H a book for Valentine's day with our story and included pictures of the two of us.  Since we'll be celebrating our first anniversary coming up September 10, I think it's the perfect time to share how this girl met her boy!

Let me tell you a little story of how I met my boy...

December 12, 2009 , Mr. H showed up to Farrina's (which we would later find out, it's "where friends meet") with our friend Melissa for my Irving Bible Church youth leader Christmas party.  Little did we know what was about to happen.  I can say for sure that neither Mr. H or I were into each other right away.  It wasn't until our friend's birthday celebration later that night that we actually started talking.  I wasn't going to attend the party that night, but so glad I did.  We were in a group photo together that would turn out to be the key to "us."  Thank goodness for facebook because it was there were Mr. H remembered me through that photo and asked me to be his friend on facebook.  I accepted because that's just what you do.  I thought that was it with us, but on December 21, 2009, Mr. H sent me a facebook message.  After a few messages back and fourth, he asked me my plans for New Year's Eve.  I'm pretty sure I said things were up in the air, but actually I had no plans at all yet.  I didn't want him to think I was desperate.  

After Mr. H returned from his family Christmas vacation in Canada, I finally heard from him and we made our New Year's Eve plans.  I was a little annoyed that we didn't make plans until December 30, but I realized later he had my number wrong.  Let's just say that December 31, 2009 was one of the best nights of my life.  Four of us went to a Star's hockey game and then to this restaurant nearby after to ring in the New Year.  We danced with each other and talked a lot.  We even shared a few New Year kisses.  I loved it that Mr. H could not wait another day to see me again.  I asked him what he planned to do that day and he said two things: 1. clean his apartment and 2. see me.  So we officially had our first date on January 1, 2010.  Quickly there after we knew what we had was special, we just clicked.  We basically from that point on spent almost every day together.  It's crazy how soon we knew we wanted to marry each other.  It was hard to really explain to others because it seemed too good to be true...sort of like something that you only see happen in the movies.  I can say without a doubt I am the luckiest girl and am so glad I found my boy!

There you have it...that is how our love story began and I am so excited to see where the Lord takes us.  It's only through Him that we ended up meeting.  I jokingly told Mr. H after we met that I secretly wanted a boyfriend for Christmas that year.  And it turns out I got what I asked for, it was just a few days late.  


I'll be sharing our proposal story coming up too.  Mr. H wrote it and it's so special to me!!  

Have a wonderful day!!

let's talk bachelor pad

Okay, if you watched Bachelor Pad I bet you can guess what I'm going to say...I'm sooooooooooooo sad that Michael is gone!!!!  The challenge this week I thought was pretty stupid: stacking cups and saucers....that's just boring.  The real game took place in the house among the contestants left.  Anything can happen and the worst totally did!

Rachel- You and Michael make a sweet couple.  You found a real catch girl so hold on to him for sure!!  I don't know what to tell you about how to survive without him now.  I probably would have left with him.  I'm rooting for you girl in the show, but mostly in your relationship with Michael.

Michael- Okay, I am seriously sad right now.  You remind me a lot of my Michael (Mr. H): handsome, witty, fun, sweet, kind hearted and silly.  I am not sure how the house will survive without you.  You really were playing the game all the way.  I know voting Erica off was hard for you, but it's a game so you did what you had to do.  I don't blame you at all!  You better take care of Rachel.  She likes you a lot.

Lindzi- I still don't know how I feel about you and Kalon.  I still don't like him so it's hard for me to like y'all together.  You are just so sweet and he's well....you know.  I'm glad you got to have a date with him though.  I honestly, for your sake, hope he's being real with you.  Watch your back is all I have to say.

Kalon- You better take good care of Lindzi.  Because she's so sweet, she could easily be taken advantage of, but you better not be!  I hope you really do have good intentions.  I'd much rather see you find love with Lindzi than win the money!!!  

Chris- Why are you still here and Michael is gone?!?!?!?!?!?!  That is totally not cool.  You are sooooo annoying and no one in the house wants you there.  I think abc knew how it was going to go down so they created a new twist to shake things up.  That's not cool abc and Chris you sure got lucky.  I'd be careful because the house still doesn't like you.  Sarah is all you have and I hope she realizes how much of a looser you are before it's too late for her too.  p.s. I'm only harsh because it's true.

Sarah- What are you doing with Chris???????  I mean he's just going to drag you down.  You don't have an alliance now so you better beware.  

Erica- How were you still on the show???  You are always so ridiculous and you don't even really try at the challenges.  What's with that gavel?  I am beyond sad that you sent Michael home.  He played the game and kept you WAY longer than you deserved to be there.  You were being selfish and took it out on someone that should have been kept in the game.  I'm over you...see ya!

It's going to get really crazy next week.  I am curious to know how it's going to go down now that Michael is gone.  It really shook things up.  And poor Rachel, now abc decides to have everyone couple up.  That's just wrong!  As always, I am hooked. 

I'm liking up with the lovely Meghan from More from Meg.  She brought us the wonderful Bachelorette link up and now she's talking about the crazy Bachelor Pad. Check out all the chit cat about the latest episode of the Bachelor Pad!

Mr. H made us the most amazing ribs EVER! p.s. The picture doesn't do the ribs justice...I was too excited to eat them and didn't want to waste time photographing then.  Literally, the meat feel off the bone.  It's safe to say he's a better cook AND baker than me.  Did I do good or what?!?!?!?

He seasoned them with salt, pepper and a blend of season called fiery 5 peppers.  He then cooked them in the crock pot for 6 hours and then let it rest in there for an additional hour.  We weren't eating them until last night so he wrapped them in foil and put them in the fridge.  Then last night, I took half out and put them in a pan and put BBQ sauce over them.  I heated them in the oven for about 30 minutes on 300 degrees.  Since they were already cooked, I just wanted to warm them up. 

I had left over pinto beans from the BBQ pot luck we had last week and then I made some corn on the cob and added some of the yummy pepper seasoning.  Wow, it was the best meal ever.  We'll certainly be adding this meal to our favorites.  It was so easy to prepare tonight because all I had to do was heat everything up.  It doesn't get easier than that!  

who doesn't love an overnight getaway!

Mr. H and I were excited about this weekend.  We decided to do a $$ date from our date jar and chose to stay at a hotel on Friday night.  There is this trendy loft hotel in Las Colinas I'd heard about so we thought we'd stay there.  The NYLO hotel was pretty cool and it was super trendy.     

Who doesn't love a mini getaway?!?!  It's nice sometimes to escape reality and spend a little time way even if it is only for one night.  We don't have a king bed so I always love when we get to stay one!

The shower was AMAZING.  I have never taken a shower with a shower head that is above.  After experiencing it, I know that we'll eventually need to upgrade to this.  There was a cool sliding door on the bathroom.

See what I mean about it being trendy!  No that little bitty couch was soooooo not comfortable.  It's more like art than anything else.  I sat down on it thinking it would be bouncy...nope!  I love the art over the couch though.  The walls were cement which was kind of cool.  

I arrived to the hotel before Mr. H so on his way over, he stopped and got us a yummy Chicago style pizza: pineapple and canadian bacon...my favorite!  It's our tradition so even though we weren't home, we still enjoyed Friday night pizza.  

Being the sweet eaters we are, I talked Mr. H into driving us around the corner to get a shake from In & Out.  I had actually never even eaten there before, but knew they had shakes.  I got a small shake and Mr. H got us an XL iced tea.  Look how huge the XL size is!!!  It almost didn't fit into our cup holder in the car.  Hahaha.  We just lounged in the hotel and watched TV.  It was a really fun date night!!  

Remember all the weddings we have this year???  We'll one sweet couple from our Bible study group is getting married September 8 (two days before our anniversary!).  Our Bible study threw them a Western themed couple's shower Saturday night.  We had a BBQ pot luck and omg it was so yummy!!  

I made this banner for them in the Western theme.  I'm all about details when it comes to parties.  No I wasn't planning on getting a new dress for the party, but I had to stop by Target to get a card and obviulosy with it being tax free weekend I had to check out the clothing section.  I found this adorable lace dress and knew I had to have it.  I was planning on wearing my cowboy boots and knew it they would go great with this dress.  Mr. H even said this was a great purchase because I looked super cute. Haha.  His words, not mine.  

Sunday is our lazy day at home, grocery store day and church time.  What a fun weekend, but they aways seem to go by so fast!!!  Why is that?  Well another Monday is here and I hope this will be a great week!!!  

Tonight, Mr. H has made us ribs and we'll be watching Bachelor Pad.  I'm pretty excited.  

fashion friday...summer sunset

Happy Friday!!  Man do I love the weekends.  They are my favorite time out of the week!

Okay ladies, today's Friday's Fancies is all about summer sunset.  These two outfits I'd wear on a date with Mr. H for a sunset dinner.  I used the colors of the sunset as my inspiration and then added some animal print for extra pizzaz.

think pink

This dress is from H&M and I think it needs to be in my closet ASAP.  I love animal print paired with pink.  This outfit would be perfect for a date night with Mr. H.  I 'm always cold in restaurants so I always make sure to carry a cardigan with me.  This one is especially cute because of the rhinestone buttons.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

mellow yellow

Like the dress from above, this top is from H&M and I think it needs to be in my closet ASAP. It comes in white and light pink so I'd have a hard time deciding on which color.  This would make a cute  outfit for a date with Mr. H out to eat or a night with friends.  I'm nil one with those Michael Kors earrings.  

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Mr. H and I have a fun night planned.  We will be having an overnight date night!!  We chose a $$ date from our date jar and I am so excited for a mini staycation!  Then, Saturday night we will be helping host a western themed couple's shower for a sweet couple from our Bible study group.  They will be getting married in September!

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend FRIENDS!

simply lovely series {part 5}

Here we are on {part 5} of my simply lovely blog series.  As promised, I've got another fun Q&A for you about marriage.  

How long have you been married?

34 years

What is an activity that you and your spouse enjoy doing together?

We enjoy traveling together, Lake LBJ, Pandale ranch, working out at the health club, Saturday morning breakfast, playing with our poodle Emmie

What is one thing your spouse does that makes you smile or laugh?

Laurie: Looking for something that is right in front of him.

Dennis: Laurie's pronunciation of words.

What is one thing your spouse does that makes you roll your eyes?

Laurie: Dennis starting a question with “have you seen?” 

Dennis: When Laurie says “we need to look at the calendar.”

Describe your spouse in a few words.

Laurie: Dennis is Faithful to God, wife, kids, friends & work.

Dennis: Laurie is agreeable and happy.

What advice do you have for newlyweds?

Don’t take stuff too seriously:  Laugh

Is there anything from your first year of marriage that really stands out that you'll never forget?

Laurie: Our first anniversary was spent with his parents at the ranch, small house one room and an outhouse.

Dennis: Bringing home my first turkey from a hunt and not being able to clean it at the kitchen sink. 

What is one thing you wish you would have been told before you got married?

 Change yourself not the other person, Being committed does not mean you cannot pursue your own gifts and interest;  encourage one another; marriage would become very dull & boring if each committed partner never allowed the other to soar, I believe time spent apart on is healthy, this can be through work or other interest.  For Dennis his passion is hunting; mine is needlepoint, MahJongg, being with family and friends.

Thanks so much Laurie and Dennis for your awesome answers!  Mr. H and I are so blessed to have a wonderful example of a godly husband and wife.  Coming from a divorced family, I don't have a good example of how a godly marriage works.  I am thankful that we have you to look to for advice when it comes to marriage.  You have set a great example for you kids and spouses.  I am also so grateful for the example Dennis has give to Mr. H on how to be a godly husband and father.  He has made an awesome husband and I know someday he will make the best dad to our kids.  

I hope you enjoyed this fun Q&A.  I'm going to be sharing pictures from our special day, 9.10.11.  I am so excited to share my favorite pictures from our wedding.  It's hard to believe we'll be coming up on a year in a few weeks!  Wow!!

do you watch dallas?

Where do the weekends go?  Seriously, I feel like I blink and then it's Monday morning again.  Why can't the weekends go by as slow as the weeks go?  

Mr. H and I got hooked on the new show Dallas when it came back again.  Neither of us had ever watched the original, but thought we would give it a change seeing that we live in Dallas.  We actually both really got into it.  It's nice finding a show we both enjoy watching.  Usually I make Mr. H watch my girly shows.

via

Friday night is our usual pizza night and I picked up a Papa Murphy's pizza to bake at home...delicious!!  I had DVRed a bunch of Dallas episodes from the following week when they were playing a marathon leading up to the finale.  We ended up watching five episodes!!!  That's right, we had an extremely lazy Friday, but totally enjoyed it.  It was actually nice to watch them all together because then we didn't have to wait to see what happened.  Now we have to wait until January to watch it again.   

I'm so lucky to have friendships that have lasted for over 20 years!  These two girls have been lifelong friends and it was so wonderful to have brunch together with baby Neal.  Michelle (left) lives close by, but with our busy schedules we don't get to see each other very often.  Valerie (middle) is a world traveler and is in DC now while her husband is training; and then in November they are headed to Niger, Africa.  Whenever we get together, it's like time hasn't even passed.  Love you girls! 

Saturday night Mr. H and I went to an Texas Ranger's themed engagement party honoring Rachael and Daniel!  These two got engaged a few weeks ago and will be getting married in November.  Rachael is a dear friend and I couldn't be happier for her!  I'm also super excited because I'll be taking her bridals in a few months.  She's going to be one beautiful bride. 

The newlyweds Laura and Chris along with Mr. H and I  pose for a picture.  We felt awkward with the mailbox in the middle, but I wanted to get the TX Rangers balloons in it.  

These boys were all in a Bible study together and are still all great friends.  We had a great time and it was wonderful celebrating with them!  I can't wait until November and I KNOW they can't wait either!!!

Happy MONDAY!