Five on Friday: Flowers

Just a quick Friday post as somehow the day is over halfway done (and let's be honest, since I am working at home today, I'd love to sneak away at 3:30 or so and get some me shopping time -- especially since we have a vacation coming up!)

No family updates today.  Why?  Because I'd actually have to think about that one.  Rather, this 5 on Friday is all about flowers.

Seriously, my house is full of flowers right now due to a combination of Trader Joe's flowers that seriously do not die, my successful attempt of growing tulip and Valentine's Day.

And I don't know about you, but fresh flowers make me happy.  So rather than a boring update on US, why don't you just imagine that these are around your house too?!?

1. Tulips

I've considered buying a tulip bulb vase for a very long time now.  But let's be serious, I don't have a green thumb.  Rather, I kill plants.  Thus, to me, its seemed like a waste of $15+.  However, when I saw this at Trader Joe's for $8.99, I figured why not. 

And look-y.

Tulips!

Now what happens when these die?  Anybody?

2. Trader Joes Batch # 1

Every Sunday I buy 2 bouquets of Trader Joe's flowers for the kitchen and the breakfast nook.  However, when I got home this week, I realized that the two previous ones still look great.  Thus, this bouquet is chilling in the Living Room.

This was the second bouquet I got Sunday.  It is a little sadder than most.  Maybe because it got stuck in the powder room?

3.  Trader Joes Batch # 2

Seriously, y'all.  This bouquet is almost two weeks old.  So in love with all the colors!

5.

4. Valentine's Day Roses

From one of the littles

5. Valentine's Day Roses # 2

From the other little

Seeing Hearts

If you thought the daddy-daughter dance and valentine's day cards were all we did to celebrate Valentine's Day, boy are you wrong.  Somehow along the way, Valentine's Day has morphed from a borderline Hallmark Holiday to more than a week long celebration.

Am I complaining?  No, not at all.  However, for both the size of our wallets and our waistlines, its probably a good thing it only happens once a year.

But regardless, it was a great week celebrating love:

Aside from the dance, we officially kicked off celebrating with Parent's Night Out at Trulucks.  Talk about yummy...good wine, oysters, crab...who wouldn't be happy.   Thankfully, we won a $75 gift which helped take the sting out of the bill this time as we'll definitely be back...


Other than that, we really laid low until the actual day.  Sadly, I had a super busy day at work so I couldn't sneak away for the girls Valentine's Day parties at their schools, but based on the pictures that school sends out, it looks like they had a blast making treat bags, decorating cookies, and exchanging Valentines with their friends.

But since I couldn't be there during the day, I did make sure to snap a couple of (crappy) pictures of them as soon as we got home while we were waiting for our dinner delivery.

Little Miss with her school made goodie bag 

 

Little Miss sorting through her loot.  Who knew you got almost as much candy on Valentines Day as you do at Halloween

 

Littlest Miss eagerly showing off her envelope of goodies

 

Real hug or trick hug?  Little Miss may have been trying to steal some of sister's candy

 

We concluded Valentine's Day with a heart shape pizza from Papa Johns and a rare Tuesday night dinner of all four of us sitting at the table at the same time!

 

Hope y'all had a great Valentine's Day!

Resolutions

Going into 2017, we were a little bit exhausted.


Admittedly, we had been overscheduled.  Running around from one activity to another.  Plans too many nights.  Too many commitments and not enough downtime.


Thus, rather than the typical new year's resolutions (you know, exercise more, eat healthier, lose 10 lbs), I made just one.  And a simple one at that.


To simplify.


Everything.  Our house, our calendar, our goals. 


And hopefully, in doing so, we'd have more time for what was important.  Us.  Our little family.  And making memories to last a lifetime.  Even if sometimes we were doing absolutely nothing.


So having said that, my iPhone camera isn't nearly as full as it may have been in the past, but that's okay.  It's been a great few weeks and I can only hope that the rest of the year is as good if not better.  But for all those curious, here are just a few of the things we've done to fill the minutes of 2017.

Catching "snowflakes".  yes it snowed in Dallas this year.  For all of 12 hours.  But given how infrequently we see snow here, judging by the girls' excitement you would have thought it was Christmas morning again

This bar.  Easily the best Christmas present of the year. If they aren't practicing gymnastics (a whole 'nother post) they are sleeping under it.  #eatbreathesleepgymnastics

Playing with sweet friends.  'Nuff said.  Quality time with quality people is definitely part of our simplicity goals for the year.

Mommy-time and Parent-day out.  Sporting events (including a Dallas playoff game), adult beverages and no kids...let's just consider that therapy.

Being silly, goofy and enjoying doing a whole lot of nothing.  This picture pretty much sums up our year so far.  (Including the Dallas weather -- it was 86 degree's last Sunday!)

Valentines Day Cards

Where oh where did January go?  And how the heck is it February already...


...and Valentines Day!


As mentioned last week, we already checked off one of our traditions with the Daddy Daughter dance.  However, another tradition is the actual Valentines Day cards that the girls bring to school for their sweet friends.


Not once, in the all the years (I think its  four years as I was still on maternity leave for her first Valentine's Day) that Little Miss has brought Valentines Day cards to school has she brought the simple, store bought cards that we gave out as kids.


Nope, rather, I succumbed to the pressures of raising kids in Pinterest-Driven-World have made homemade Valentines Day cards, often scrambling to get them done the night before, or even the morning of.  As stressful and unnecessary as this is/was, at least they turned out super cute, right?


Sadly, I can't find the ones I actually made, but use your imagination and just pretend that they looked as good as the originals:

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And in all honesty, I thought this year would be much of the same.  I even started "pinning" ideas a few months ago and had largely narrowed down my choices to these:

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That is until I spent a kid-free Saturday morning wandering around Target. 




And found a bunch of super cute, pinterest looking Valentines Day cards all ready to go.  So I did what any sane mom would do and snatched up entirely too many




And then left it up to the girls to decide which to give their friends.  After much thought and deliberation, Little Miss choose Princesses and Superheros (shocking) and Littlest Miss choose (i.e. was left with) Ponies and Dinosaurs.  Now all Mommy has to do is assemble them...which given my love of procrastination may be easier said and done.  At least it didn't involve late night runs to the FedEx Kinkos store.

It did however require me to stay up WAY past my bedtime trying to tie on 64 different toys to 64 little cards.  Good thing Target pre-cut the baker's twine and pre-punched the cards.  Oh and thank goodness for washi tape.  Any loosely tied toys were easily secured.


All in all, I think they turned out pretty cute, don't you?




But what about you, what are you doing for your kids Valentines Day cards this year?






And lastly, speaking of Target, I saw this mug on Instagram today.  I think its my next purchase as its 100% truth.

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Daddy's Little Princesses

So in keeping with the Valentines Day tradition The Hubby and Little Miss started last year, Saturday was once again time to find fancy dresses, new shoes, and get our hair did...and more importantly enjoy a night dancing away with Daddy at the Daddy Daughter Dance.

Only this year it would be twice as chaotic, I mean, fun as Littlest Miss got to go as well!!

Which meant Momma got some much needed wine time with other Mommas.  Wins for everyone!!

So while we waited for Daddy, Mommy snapped some pictures of the little princesses

Hugs on the stairs

Little Miss

Littlest Miss

Aren't these flowers girls beautiful?

Waiting for their Prince Charming

Trying to get a glimpse of their corsages

hugs for their daddy

Getting the flowers on (which Littlest Miss REFUSED to wear)

Posing with their friend V (trying to get all three to look at the camera at the same time was impossible).

Pictures with daddy

And last but not least, the one "professional" picture that they took at the dance. 

Aside from Littlest Miss essentially skipping her nap and crying through most of the night, everyone had fun and can't wait to next year!

Book Numero Uno

Let's be honest.  During 2016, I didn't read very much.


I had some great intentions to read a lot.  I even started A LOT of books, but I didn't actually finish very many of them.  Rather, I spent a lot of time playing Candy Crush, stalking on Facebook and pinning on Pinterest.  In essence, wasted time.


Thus, one thing I would like to do more of this year is read.  And not just read, but actually finish books.


Well if the past few days is any indication as to the rest of the year, 2017 should shape up to be much better as I already finished this book.  As in, done, finished, complete, in 24 hours.  (yes, caffeine is a necessity as I type this):


It was so good.  Or at least good in the sense that I had zero expectations. 

Image found here

Prior to reading it, I had never heard of the book or the author.  The only way I even found it was through exploring the "free" books under Amazon Prime.  And all I can say is thank goodness I looked.  I really, really liked the book.  It was a great combination of romance, mystery, and psychological thriller.


So now it's on to the next book.  Or at least determining what that will be.  But two questions for you:


(1) Any recommendations?  It can be anything really!  Fiction, non-fiction, religious, work-related.  You name it and I am game for it this year.


(2) Amazon Prime allows you access to a certain number of free books.  However, Kindle Unlimited seems to open up thousands of more options for a mere $9.99 a month.  So my question is -- is it worth it?  Are there enough "good" books to justify the cost?


Happy reading!


And next week, I'll try to get back to Welcome Home Wednesday and all the "plans" we have for the upcoming year.  I just couldn't do it this week when I still have fake Christmas trees at my front door.

Hello 2017

...so what if I am 23 days late. 


2016 was great, and 2017 has already shown its going to be even better (so long as you stay off Facebook and the news and are able to tune out all the childish antics and hate being spewed at us pretty much every single moment, which is another post or two).


And why is 2017 off to such a great start? 


Because it's literally been life changing.  Seriously.

First, I had LASIK done last Thursday.  After years and years and years of considering it and backing out, I finally put on my big girl panties, funded my flexible spending account and scheduled the procedure.

And after no more than 30 minutes, I was able to throw away my glasses and contacts that I've worn for nearly 30 years.

Seriously, life changing.  And as many had told me, the only regret I was going to have was that I didn't do it sooner.  #truth

And secondly, I got one of the keychain poufs for Christmas.  Not sure what I am talking about, well here you go.  One of these:

I "asked" for a Kate Spade one, only because I am mildly obsessed with anything Kate Spade, but really it didn't matter. I thought they were cute and would liven up my car key and house key only key chain.  But it did so much more than that. 

See, I use to spend countless minutes looking for said keys in my always-to-large-and-to-clutter purse.  But not anymore.  I can reach in, feel the soft fuzzy pouf and be on my way.  It has saved me at least 5 minutes a day.  Which when you are always running behind and trying to squeeze the most out of every day, is huge.  Not as life changing as being able to see, but still life changing.  Or at least I think so.

So yeah, 2017 is off to a really good start.  Here's to 11 more months of awesomeness and hopefully many more posts from me.  No promises, but I will try.  Really.