Friday Favorites

WAHOO for the weekend!  My allergies have been kicking my tail all week, so I'm looking forward to some down time this weekend.

Just like every Friday, Narci, Andrea, and I are blogging some FAVORITES and sharing them.  We'd love for you to join us by grabbing our graphic, linking back, and then adding your blog to the link-up.

We ran into friends at the ball field.  Peyton's dad played football with Tab in college and we love their little family.  Friday nights at the ball field are my FAVORITE!  This season our advanced tee-ball team is GETTING it!  They know which base there's a force out.  They're covering other bases if someone else is fielding.  It's all coming together.  It seems like just yesterday we were watching them hit off the tee, and run.  Some ran to first.  Others ran to third.  They didn't know what was happening, so this year it's been SO fun to watch!

A couple weekends ago I shared that we met one of my roommates from college and her family for dinner.  Just yesterday, I found this AMAZING video Project Zero made about their little family.  You guys have got to watch!  You should maybe grab a Kleenex or two.  :)  It's a FAVORITE, for sure!  I linked to their Facebook page, but scroll down to the Blankenship Family if it doesn't automatically pop up.

 Saturday night we found ourselves at the Mavs' game.

(This was a little blurry and it does something to your eyes if I make it any bigger.)

We had one extra ticket and were planning on Nixon going with us.  But...he has the biggest crush on our sweet high school babysitter AND he heard I'd ordered Domino's for them so he decided he wanted to stay.  Ebby Lee jumped at the chance to go.  That girl knows nothing about baseball, but take her to a basketball game and she will WATCH THE ENTIRE GAME!

 Getting alone time with one child is rare in our house and something we have to make happen.  But when it does....it's a FAVORITE for us all!

 When the game was over, she took full advantage of that extra space.  Please note her t-shirt.  There was one on each seat because it was a playoff game.  Before the game started, the camera (on the jumbotron) was scanning the crowd and when they found someone who didn't have the shirt on they'd zoom in on them and say things like, "We're waiting".  UNTIL...they finally put the shirt on.  I think deep down Ebby Lee was petrified of that happening to her so she grabbed a shirt and threw it on ASAP!  haha!  #shegetsitfromhermama

I asked yesterday and YOU guys answered!!  Thank YOU to everyone who took a couple minutes to answer my poll.  I must tell you that you guys had some fabulous blog topic ideas.  I'm going to do my best to use as many ideas as I can.  I have to add that MANY of you chose posts as your favorites that others chose as their non-favorites.  Yes, so if you see a post and you think, "I told her I HATE these posts".  Well, please know that someone else said that they loved them.  Hope that makes sense!  And I'll try to keep the blog full of variety so you're not thinking, "UGH" very often.  :)

 These boys are crazy!  Smith was over on Monday and they decided to play "baseball" with those teeny tiny bouncy balls plus a tiny baseball bat and a football helmet.  Watching them come up with this plan was a FAVORITE.

What are you doing tomorrow??  If you're in the McKinney area, you should join us!  We'll be shopping while the kids play for a FAVORITE cause!

 I got to spend my Wednesday with this cutie!  Nixon's kindergarten class had a field trip to the Sea Life Aquarium in Grapevine on Wednesday.  

 His little group was so much fun...two girls and two boys who were so well behaved!

 It's always fun having some alone time with this guy.  He keeps me laughing.

We had a great time!  My FAVORITE six-year-old :)

Yesterday at dance, the boys were watching a movie to stay busy while Ebby Lee was tapping.  In the quiet hallway full of adults, Nixon says, "I remember when we watched this movie at The Lice Place!".  Yes, yes he did.  I wanted to crawl under that bench.  Just in case you missed it, check out the lice story here.  One of my FAVORITE memories of a little family vacation.  I'll NEVER forget it, that's for sure.

Hope you guys have a GREAT weekend! 

An InLinkz Link-up

I Wanna Hear from YOU!!

Happy Thursday!

I've been meaning to do this post for MONTHS!  

I want this space to be a fun, uplifting place where we can have a good time.  I want us to chat about motherhood, family, fashion, and everything else in between.  With that said, I also want it be a place where we discuss things YOU'RE interested in.  

SO....I WANNA HEAR FROM YOU!

I want to know what blog posts YOU guys enjoy the most.  What would YOU like to see more of?  Do YOU have any blog topics you'd like to see?  I want to give the people what YOU want.  :)

Please take a couple minutes and answer these four little questions for me.  To be honest, questions three and four are kind of the same thing.  I just thought three questions weren't enough.  haha!

CLICK HERE to take answer my short questions.  

THANK YOU!!!

I'm looking forward to hearing from YOU!

What's Up Wednesday

 I'm joining Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up!

What we're eating this week:

This week our menu...

Monday:  Mongolian Beef with Brown Rice (shockingly, the kiddos ate this pretty well.  They dipped their meat in Ketchup, but I'll take it)

Tuesday:  I made a chicken, green beans, and potatoes slow cooker meal that Tab and kiddos enjoy because I had GIRL'S NIGHT!

Wednesday:  Tab's getting in late, so I'm taking the night off from cooking.  :)

Thursday:  Salmon...my family all loves salmon so we try to have it as often as possible.

Friday:  Something will be grilled in the backyard.

What I'm Reminiscing About:

Summer days spent at the pool.

What I'm Loving:

THIS WEATHER!!!  I said this last month too, but our weather has been SO great lately!  (As I'm typing this, the weather forecast has storms so let's hope that doesn't happen.)  But the weather this weekend was amazing!  Perfect for being outside.

What We've Been Up To:

Lots of nights spent outside.  We're soaking it up here in Texas.  In the summer, if you're outside you want to be in some body of water because it's so hot, so we're enjoying every last bit of these nice nights.

What I'm Dreading:

I'm not dreading a thing!

What I'm Working On:

I've been working on ironing out ALL the details for our summer vacation.  These four people and I are gonna have a week of making some awesome memories.

What I'm Excited About:

NO MORE LUNCHES!!!

 I'm sure you've read this post before, but Jen Hatmaker nailed it when she describes how we're all feeling by the end of the year.

What I'm watching/reading:

Amazon suggested I read this one, so I ordered it.  I'm about halfway through and will let you know my thoughts at the end.  :)

Oh my goodness!  Who's watching the Real Housewives of Dallas?  And if so, raise your hand if you're as confused as I am?  The Real Housewives of Dallas is very different than my usual favorites-New York, Beverly Hills, New Jersey...what is happening on that show?  If you're watching, please share your thoughts!

What I'm Listening To:

We're getting ready for summer over here by listening to The Beach Boys on Pandora.

What I'm Wearing:

I'm fairly certain my white legs blinded people yesterday, but it was HOT!

Tee:  Super limited sizing/colors

Shorts:  Exact here.

Sandals:  Exact here.

Necklace:  Exact here.

What I'm Doing This Weekend:

We'll be grilling out with friends, enjoying the great weather, eating good food and this...

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month:

Lots of things...the pool, legs that don't resemble the color of white printer paper, dinner outside on the patio, the pool, Memorial Day weekend, watching Nixon's baseball games, the pool.  :)

My Favorite Mother's Day Gift to Give/Receive:

On my first Mother's Day, Tab went all out and got me a ring with Ebby Lee's birthstone.  I was not expecting it at all, which made the present even better. 

Happy Wednesday, Ladies!!  XOXO

The Big Man is 6

Nixon's big day fell on a Tuesday.  He started off the day with a few presents before school.  As far back as I can remember, Nixon has been really into dogs.  The truth is...I'm just not a dog person.  But years ago, I told him when he turned seven we could get a dog.  I said that thinking, "surely he'll be over dogs by then".  And in some ways he has because now he's into sports, but deep down his love for dogs remains.  So-I'm panicked because he just turned six!  haha!

Ebby Lee and Bowen each chose him a toy for his birthday. 

I brought him a special birthday lunch.  :)

That night the real party started.  He asked for a couple friends to go bowling and eat dinner at the bowling alley.  Nixon is always my easiest kid for gift giving and birthdays.  

We swung by and picked up three of his good friends and headed to Splitsville for some bowling fun.

M came to join the fun as well! 

Bowen was pumped about getting to hang with the big boys. :)

These boys were so fun!  They were all crazy pumped about bowling.  They were pros at watching to see whose turn it was next AND they might now think the ball retriever can suck kids up inside if they get too close.  #allegedly #idontknowwhotoldthemthat #tab #butitworked

We had pizza, nachos, and french fries with the most delicious french onion dipping sauce for dinner.  Seriously, I might ask to go back for the fries and sauce on my birthday.

We followed it up with baseball cupcakes for dessert.

Birthday boy was too cool for a picture.  He was trying to hide and that little brother is trouble.  :)

I sent this picture to all the mamas at the end of the night and let Meagan know I was signing Fount up for a bowling league.

How we ended the night!!  

Nixon had the best time celebrating his big day with friends!

Nixon's Birthday Interview:

What is your favorite color?  Blue

What is your favorite toy?  Badminton (he got a set for his birthday)

What is your favorite fruit?  "I don't really like fruit".  

What is your favorite tv show?  Alvinn and the Chipmunks

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  Lunchables

What's your favorite outfit?  Long sleeve shirt with jeans (he's still feeling the winter season)

What's your favorite game? Angry Birds

What's your favorite snack?  Goldfish

What's your favorite animal? Dog

What's your favorite song?  Shake it Off (his face turned red after he said it)

What's your favorite book?  "I don't really like to read books much."

What's your favorite cereal?  Lucky Charms

Who's your best friend?  Smith

What's your favorite thing to do outside?  Play baseball with Dad

What's your favorite thing to drink?  Lemonade

What's your favorite holiday? Christmas

What's your favorite thing to take to bed with you?  Max

What's your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Muffins

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pizza and fries

What do you want to be when you grow up? A police officer

Let's Talk...HAIR AND BEAUTY!

 Happy Monday, Girls!

If you're like me, this weekend just wasn't long enough.  We had a couple late nights and I could use one more weekend day to get caught up.  But, such is life, right?

Today, Andrea and I are "talking" about all things HAIR and MAKEUP!  From your hair routine, to favorite lip colors...we're covering it all.  You can join us!

I'm gonna start by talking my favorite hair products...

*Moroccan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner-This shampoo and conditioner has quickly become my favorite.  I wash my hair about every three to four days and the Moroccan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner are my go-to.  They smell delightful, get out all the products from the days before, and condition my hair so well.

*Moroccan Oil Hydrating Cream-After washing my hair, I put a couple pumps of this in my wet hair.  It adds extra hydration to my "dry" hair and when I blow dry it leaves it very smooth.

*Wet Brush-I use the wet brush to comb through my wet mop of hair.

*BaByliss PRO Nano Titanium Hair Dryer-About two years ago, I realized my cheap blow dryer just wasn't cutting it so I decided to invest in a nicer dryer.  Immediately, my drying time was cut in half.  This not only dried my hair quicker, but it left my hair feeling smooth.  Win-win!

*BaByiss Pro Nano Titanium Hair Straightener-If I'm straightening my hair, then after drying, I use this straightener.  My hair dresser uses this brand and encouraged me years ago to upgrade.  I've never looked back since I switched.

*Moroccan Oil Treatment-After straightening, I always add a bit of the Moroccan Oil to smooth any stray pieces.

*Hot Tools Curling Iron-If I'm curling my hair, then after blow drying, I separate hair into sections and curl with this curling iron.

*Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Cream-After curling, I put a little of this all over hair to give it an even smoother texture.

Here are some random things about my hair routine...

*I only wash my hair every three to four days.

*I use dry shampoo every day I don't wash my hair.

*This Batiste is my favorite dry shampoo brand.

*I pretty much wear my hair three ways...straight, curled, or in a pony tail.

*Because my hair is colored, it tends to get dry/brittle before getting super crazy greasy.  (I went through a period of MAJOR teasing and it destroyed my hair for a bit.)

*About once a year (for the last two years) I get a Keratin treatment (similar to a Brazilian Blow Out).  It tends to make my thick head of hair feel less bulky and smoother.

*Whatever I do after washing/blow drying-straighten or curl, I have to stick with that until I rewash my hair.  If I switch before washing, then my hair doesn't stay curled or straight.

Beauty Products:

*Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturizer-About three months ago, my beloved Tarte BB Cream ran out so I decided to give this moisturizer a chance.  Shay convinced me to mix a bit of this with a little of....

*Nars Illuminator-THIS!  I mix just a tad of the illuminator in and it gives my face a little shiny look.

*Beauty Blender-And because Sheaffer is so bossy I bought this sponge a while back but just hadn't used it.  It's the perfect applicator for my moisturizer/illuminator mix.

*Urban Decay Naked Palette-I've had this palette for probably too long, but it's my favorite/my go-to.  

*Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil Eye Liner-These eye liners are easy to use and go on smoothly.

*Bobbi Brown Mascara-I bought a Bobbi Brown gift set over Christmas.  To get a fun eye color, if I'm being honest, but I liked the mascara so much that I bought a full size asap.

*MAC Viva Glam II Lipstick-This has been my go-to lipstick for years.  No matter what season this is what I wear.  I'm on a hunt to change it up a bit.  I'll let you know if it works out. haha!

*Buxom Full-On Lip Polish-I always have one of these in my purse, pocket, or car.  

If you guys have any questions, please leave me a comment.  Thank you!!

Join us in May when we talk about our plans for the summer!

An InLinkz Link-up