A Day in the Life: Summer Edition

I love it when I get to read "a day in the life" posts, so I thought I would do one of my own. Plus, now that I stay home, I frequently get asked what our day looks like, so here you go. This is what our day looked like on Wednesday, July 27th.

7:00 - My alarm went off and I got out of bed and headed to the living room couch. I have a bad habit right now of checking social media first thing in the morning. My routine is Timehop, Facebook and Instagram. I need to break this habit, but I justify it since I don't get on my phone again until bedtime. 

7:30 - Daily Devotional + blog reading 

I was sent this devotional in a book share through Facebook and am really enjoying it. Each morning is really short, but leaves you thinking and has been great to get back into the routine of starting my day with God. 

8:00 - I hear a little voice talking to herself! 

Henley loves to play in her crib in the mornings, so I always hear her talking before I go get her! I changed her diaper, took her to say hello to Ben and she ran around a little bit while I got her breakfast ready. 

8:15 - Henley and I ate breakfast together while Doc McStuffins played in the background. 

8:30 - While Henley watches cartoons and finishes eating, I fold the laundry and clean up Henley's room. 

There are only three people in this house and I feel like laundry is my life! How?!?

8:45 - Ben leaves for work and Henley has to say goodbye at the backdoor, so I take the opportunity to clean out our bags from the day before and organize our pool bag. 

Wednesday mornings are nice, because I don't go to the gym until 11, so things start out pretty slow and productive. 

9-10:30 - Henley plays and plays and plays, while I look at our day and plan it out and get get ready for the gym. Once I'm ready, I get Henley ready, do her hair and brush her teeth. 

Then, we play with a picture scenes book on her bedroom floor for a little while. She LOVES looking at animals right now and practicing their sounds. Once she's bored of that, we decide that it's about time that we repaint her toe nails. 

After her toes are painted, she keeps playing while I pick up the morning mess and pack our bag for the day. She also eats a snack in her car! 

Then we head out for the gym. 

11:00 - I take a body works class at the gym while Henley plays in the kids area. She absolutely loves going to the gym to play!

12:00 - We leave the gym and head over to my in-law's house. My mother-in-law has an eBay business and since she is out of town, I am doing the shipping for her until she gets back. I make lunch for Henley and I before we get started and then she watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and eats while I work. 

It wasn't our most nutritious lunch, but it will get the job done! Peanut butter crackers, pretzels, cheese for Henley and blueberries. 

Henley stayed fabulously entertained while I worked, and we even sat on the bench together to finish lunch and Mickey Mouse before leaving with our loot. 

1:40 - Once we headed out for the post office, it did not take Henley long to fall asleep in the car. I took advantage of it and stopped by Sonic for a drink. Then, I mailed our packages and headed home with my sleeping baby. 

2:15 - 4:30 - Henley napped. Yes, my child can sleep! Sleeping has never been an issue for her and some afternoons she may sleep until 5 or so even. Her nap gives me a lot of time to work on things around the house or on the blog. 

I put up my What's Up Wednesday blog post, folded and put away laundry, vacuumed our master bed and bath, cleaned showers, tubs, toilets, mirrors and countertops, and started a new load of laundry. I would say it was a very productive nap time! It also poured down rain and I enjoyed getting to work in my cozy house! 

4:30 - Henley woke up and Ben got home at the same time. It was super early for Ben to be home, but we planned a lake day earlier in the week, so he was hoping the weather would clear out. We heard from our friends around 4:45 and were both hoping for some good lake weather, so we decided to risk it and head out there. 

5:00 - I packed our bags, shaved my legs (an emergency last minute task), put on my bathing suit, and got Henley ready while Ben went to go grab our boat. 

5:45 - We got to the lake and it was amazing! We were literally the only boat out there for almost the entire time we were there. The water was like glass and we had a blast with our friends. I got to surf the most I have ever gotten to, and we all had a great time. 

It was only 80 degrees outside and the water temperature was 86 degrees. It was glorious! We listened to music, wakeboarded, surfed and the men even tried to slalom before we headed in around 8:15 and booked it to the nearest restaurant which closed at 9. 

It was a fabulous day!! 

What's Up Wednesday

It's the last Wednesday of the month and that means it's the What's Up Wednesday link up. I love this link up! I feel like it helps you get to know people better and being the nosey nellie that I am, I love reading everyone's updates! 

Enjoy mine! 

Ps - How the heck is it almost August?!?! Holy moly, the summer as flown by! 

What we're eating this week...

Well, this isn't too exciting. I put together a budget last week and am really trying to hold myself accountable with it. It's the end of the month, so we are eating what we have. Thankfully, we didn't eat three meals that I planned for last week and they are good ones. 

Monday - Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken (thanks to Shay)

Tuesday - out for Katie's (Ben's sister) birthday at 940s 

Wednesday - Homemade Pizza 

Thursday - Jalapeño Cheddar Burgers (thanks again Shay)

Friday - out 

Saturday - out for a friend's birthday

That's not too bad huh?!?!

What I'm reminiscing about...

Well, this fabulous picture popped up on my Timehop today and I just couldn't help but reminisce about being pregnant with Henley. I'm just going to put this out there...I am ready to be pregnant again! I loved being pregnant and I can't wait to feel little kicks again! 

What I'm loving...

My new bag and wallet! Ohmygoodness y'all...I do NOT buy nice things for myself, so this was a big deal, and I have already almost taken them back about ten times! I was challenged last week at the BOLD class I'm taking to buy something nice for myself to show myself that I am valued. I chose to buy the Tory Burch Large York bag and a Halogen wallet. I am very happy with both! 

What we've been up to...

Ben and I just wrapped up our 7th and last week of BOLD yesterday, and I am a bit sad that it's over. I absolutely loved the class and can honestly say that it has changed my life. I enjoyed everything about it, especially meeting new people and making new friends. I learned a lot about myself and am super excited about what's to come. 

Other than that, we've mostly been spending our free time at the pool or the lake. Henley has become quite the little water baby and I love it! 

What I'm dreading...

Well, the end of summer will be a bummer for me. Yes, I stay home, but some of my best friends do not and I will be sad for them to go back to work. It will be a little sad that we won't be meeting at the pool or play area every week. 

What I'm working on...

I am currently working on getting our study in order and all situated for me to start working in it. If you haven't noticed, I have been blogging a lot more and would like a space of my own (not just the kitchen table) to help the creative juices flow. Also, I am planning to get my real estate license soon and hope to work from home and take some of the load off of Ben. Woo hoo!! 

What I'm excited about...

We have lots of fun things coming up in the near future! We will be spending lots of time with friends and family and I can't wait! Birthday parties, time at the farm, a trip to Colorado sans baby, more time at the lake, etc. I think I am MOST excited about what is coming on August 5th though....THE OLYMPICS!! I love the Olympics and cannot wait to watch them every single day!! 

What I'm reading/watching...

I did a fun Facebook book exchanged and received the two books that I am reading at the moment. In the mornings when I wake up, I do a devotional in God, Me and Sweet Iced Tea and I am really enjoying it. I am also reading Sarah's Key and I cannot read it fast enough. I'm pretty sure the first time I got on the elliptical with it I read about half of it. It is so good! 

What I'm listening to...

Pretty much any time I'm in the car lately, I am listening to 95.9 The Ranch. I love country music, but I just can't say that I'm a fan of a lot that is on the radio these days. The Ranch plays the good stuff!! 

Other than that, I am always listening to something in the background during the day and, it is usually one of the Real Housewives franchises. I know, classy tv, but I don't really have to watch and it is super entertaining! 

What I'm wearing...

Well, the same old same old...workout clothes! 

What I'm doing this weekend...

We will be heading to the farm on Friday for some good quality time with our cousins and Pete and Dee! Henley is so excited! We have some fun plans with friends on Saturday and a wedding on Sunday. It should be a fabulous weekend!! 

What I'm looking forward to next month...

Both of my sweet nephews have birthdays next month, and I am so excited for birthday parties! I love birthdays! Ben and I are also going to Colorado to hike a 13,000 foot mountain and I can't wait to spend some time with him and challenge myself. Also...THE OLYMPICS!!! 

What else is new...

Not much, just enjoying this crazy life! 

My favorite part of summer...

Long summer nights! I love these long summer nights! 

Being able to go out on the lake or up to the square or the playground in the evening and stay out until bedtime is the best! 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday friends!! I'm joining the link-up party again with my favorites from this week. The week has absolutely flown by, and it has been a good one! I believe we have a fabulous weekend ahead of us too. There could be a lot of lake and pool time with friends in our future. My favorite kind of time!! Before I get too ahead of myself, here are my favorites from this week. 

ONE

The Show & Tell Home Tour! 

I had so much fun reading your comments about our house and getting to see inside other people's houses. If I could show homes with Ben all day I probably would...I LOVE getting to see different homes and get a peak into how other people decorate! It was so fun to share our home and it got be even more excited to finish decorating all of our rooms. 

TWO

Baking!! 

Baking has always been one of my very favorite things to do, but I find that with just three of us at home (I don't eat a lot of sweets), I don't do it near enough. Thankfully, we had some friends over for dinner on Sunday night, so I baked these AMAZING cookies I saw on Andrea's blog over the weekend. I definitely had one of these and they were beyond! The sea salt on top sends them over the top!

I guess I got bit by the baking bug because yesterday I also baked these watermelon cupcakes from Shay's blog. Since it's about 1,000 degrees outside, I was trying to think of something fun for Henley and I to do yesterday before nap time. Baking cupcakes of course!! Henley sat on the counter and got some tastes while I baked these cupcakes, and I can see a lot of baking together in our future. We ended up going to the pool with friends after nap and ordering pizza, so I brought these cupcakes and they were a big hit. They are even more lovable since they're pink! 

THREE 

Tuesdays with this guy! 

We are taking a class together called BOLD every Tuesday, and I am loving our time together. It's a class geared toward real estate, but Ben got so much out of it personally the last time, so he asked me to take it with him. This week is our last week, and I will definitely miss our days together. It's pretty fun going to and from "work" together and getting to share in some pretty neat things. 

FOUR

Going to the grocery store with this sweet girl! 

Y'all she is hysterical! She has been talking and talking and talking lately and I swear she speaks Chinese. I love her little voice! She makes every activity fun, especially the grocery store. She was so excited to get a cart with a "beep beep" this week. She also loves that she gets a treat at the grocery store which helps with making it through the trip happy. This trip she got a donut, but most trips it's a chocolate milk. Oh, I just love her! 

FIVE

Ohmygosh you guys! We went to a work event for Ben on Tuesday night and it just so happened to be the venue's third anniversary, so they brought it this mariachi band. Henley was entranced! She sat like this for over an hour. She danced and twirled and clapped and had a blast! She was so sad to leave while they were still playing. We might have to start playing some different music on the radio! 

I hope you enjoyed my favorites from the week! Have a wonderful weekend! 

Did anything happen in your week that stood out? I'd love to hear about your favorites! 

Show and Tell Tuesdays: Home Tour

Oh I'm so excited about today! Today I get to virtually have you over to my house! Now, let me just tell you that I didn't (well my husband didn't) take pictures of our entire house. I am just highlighting a few rooms for you. 

Ben and I love to have people over to our house, so this is super fun today! I can't wait to see everyone else's home tour as well. Here's a little background....

We have moved 4 times in 5 years. Ben is a realtor, so if he finds that we can make a decent amount of money on our house, we start looking for a new one. I will say that I do not at all enjoy the moving process, but I do love the process of decorating and the excitement of a new place. That being said though, our houses seem to never get fully decorated. Our first house (one we knew would eventually be a rental property) never got decorated really at all because we knew we'd be moving. The last house we were in was actually decorated, but not fully our style because the house wasn't fully our style. Now, our house is our style, but not fully decorated because I would like to get the things we truly love and will keep. It is getting there though! 

So, without further ado, here is the place we call home!!

(Sorry the pictures are a little off. I wanted the pictures to be BIG for you.)

This is our living room. I will point out that Ben has built a lot of the furniture in our house. The coffee table was built by him after I found a Pottery Barn coffee table on Pinterest that I loved. I love it! He also made the table you can kind of see in our entryway. I painted the legs red recently for a little pop of color. You can catch a glimpse of our kitchen table as well which is also built by Ben. He built the table and the bench and I found the chairs at Frisco Mercantile. I actually made the wreath above the fireplace, so there's the little pat on my back! haha 

Our kitchen - my favorite part about our kitchen is actually what you cannot see...the cabinets. When they flipped this house, they did a wonderful job creating cabinet space that is very efficient and useful. The cabinets under the stove are actually drawers. Each cabinet in the corners, bottom and top, are these fabulous round turning tables. I am obsessed!!

Henley's room! I love that her room is so big! There are so many things we can do with this room. When we did her room at our old house (where we brought her home from the hospital), we painted the walls a beautiful mint color. I figured out how I wanted to do her room from a few paint samples I got from Home Depot. I just grabbed a few colors I liked and put them together - they were two different pinks, navy and mint and then I added a burlap ribbon that was off white with gold polka dots. I fell in love pretty darn quick! We decided not to paint the wall at this house just to keep things pretty neutral. We intend to have another baby in the near future, so we didn't want to paint twice. Hopefully we can plan the next nursery around the grey as well. If not, we'll paint, but as you can tell from the pictures, our house is mostly grey and white. 

Henley's crib is from Restoration Hardware and I'm so glad we spent the money on this crib since we'll have it forever. I picked out the fabric for the crib skirt at Hobby Lobby and my mother-in-law made it for us. The gliding recliner (cannot recommend it enough) is from Buy Buy Baby and it is fabulous! 

And now for the smallest room in our house, the "master" bedroom. Henley's room and the guest bedroom are at least twice the size of our room. The master is an add-on and it is actually perfect for us. Our last house had a huge master and we could never figure out what to do with the space and we were never in there. We love our cozy master. Ben made our headboard after I again found one on Pinterest I liked about 4 years ago. I will say that it is the hardest piece of furniture for us to move, but I love it, so it's worth it! He also made the Texas on his side of the bed. We used to have a long bench Ben built in front of our bed, but I moved it to the hall so we could have some more space. As long as we keep this room clean, it is the perfect space for us! 

Last, but not least, our master bath. I love our bathroom!! We clearly still need some decoration on the walls, but we will get there. I love seeing my "be still" art on the wall while I'm getting ready each morning. I plan to surround it with some shelves or crates filled with beautiful things. This bathroom just makes me happy. My style is a mix between Pottery Barn, JoAnna Gaines and Anthropologie. I like clean lines, a farmhouse feel and pops of color. This bathroom gives me all the cleanliness I need!! 

Thanks for coming over!! At some point I'll share our guest bedroom, playroom, guest baths (love them) and our back porch with you! I should have shared this at the beginning of the post, but to give you more of a visual of our house, it is a very old home that was flipped before we bought it. It is a ranch style house. Most of it is redone, but the guest baths are still the original which we love! One is grey and white and one is very very pink. Like I said, those are to come! 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday everyone!! Today I am joining the link party and posting my favorites from the week. I would say that all of this week's choices are pretty summery. I love the summer! The longer days, fun things you can do at night, the pool, the traditions, the relaxed attitudes...I love it all! Here are my top picks from this summery week! 

ONE

Pool days! 

I am loving taking my little munchkin to the pool when we can. Last week, my oldest sister and her three kiddos came up to Denton and we had a fabulous pool day here. By the end of it, she only wanted her cousins, Annie and Charlotte, to hold her. She wouldn't even let me hold her at the ice cream shop! 

This week, Henley and I headed to Richardson and met both my older sisters and their kiddos at the Heights pool. If you haven't been there and live in the area, I highly recommend it. There were so many cool areas for the kids to play, and I even got to race my oldest niece down the waterslides a couple of times! We had so much fun with all of the kids! Of course, this week I didn't take any pictures. 

TWO

Our evening plant watering routine! 

After nap each day, Henley wakes up, we have a snack on the front porch and then we water the plants. Well, I water the plants while she asks to drink the water out of the hose and then we swing for a little while. I love it! 

Last night was even more special. As we were sitting on the porch snacking, Henley and I face timed my parents. They just so happened to be about 2 minutes from our house about to get a Sonic drink. They weren't expecting Henley to be up, but they got a nice surprise! They came over for a little bit and played with Henley and chatted with me. It made for a fabulous evening in the front yard! 

THREE

Henley's accessorizing! 

This girl LOVES her accessories! When we got home from Hawaii, Henley's teething necklace broke and she was missing it dearly. She definitely notices when other people have on a necklace, so she would touch theirs or mine and then touch her neck where her necklace used to be. When she was recovering from jet lag one day, we ventured out of the house to Walmart and bought her a new necklace and bracelet set. She is obsessed with the necklace!! The bracelet tends to fall off of her, but the necklace never leaves (except for when she is sleeping). 

She has also grown quite fond of my headband collection and puts them all around her neck and my rubber bands around her wrist while I am getting ready. Whether it is a necklace, headbands, rubber bands, bracelets, sunglasses or a hat, Henley loves her accessories! We even went to Bowie trade days last weekend and she found a jewelry booth and had 12 bracelets stacked on her wrist before we knew it! I love my girly girl! 

FOUR

The lake! 

Last night we decided to head to the lake once Ben got home from work. It was the perfect time to go! There weren't too many people out there, the sun was still shining, the water was perfect and (other than Henley), we didn't even need sunscreen! We had a blast! We went out with Ben's business partner and his family and so enjoyed their company. 

I was nervous about how Henley would do. She tends to not love a lifejacket or confined spaces, but she was in love. She kept going up and down the back of the boat and asking to be put in the water. Her favorite was jumping to Ben off the back of the boat! We will definitely be taking our little fish out more often! 

FIVE

Days at the farm! 

My parents recently made a big move from the big city to 22 acres in the country. We are loving it! They are only a 30 minute drive from us with zero traffic and we try to get out there whenever we can. When we got back from Hawaii, we spent a whole day out there and it just so happened to be their first round of bailing hay. Henley loved getting to watch the action with her Pete and Dee. We had a blast! The best part about their place is you can stay outside all day long without getting too hot because they have TONS of shade in the back. It is perfect for all the kiddos! 

Then, last week, my sister texted me to tell me they would be spending the night out there on their way home from Colorado, so we took advantage of it and spent the day out there again. Henley and Owen had a blast in their blow-up pool and slip and slide. Well, I should say Owen had a blast on the slip in slide. Henley had a blast at the end of it in the water. After I demonstrated for the kids, Henley wanted no part in it! Bonus, my little sister happened to be there too, so we had a wonderful time enjoying the kids, talking and relaxing.

These pictures are compliments of my fabulous brother-in-law. He is such a wonderful photographer and I am so glad we have him in the family! 

Happy Friday again friends! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! We have big plans of a girls day in McKinney, a birthday party, hopefully getting to visit some new babies in the hospital and lots of time spent enjoying the summer! I'll leave you with one more picture of my sweet girl enjoying a summer night.