Sleepy Sunday 3-15-15: Bakery, Baby & Basketball

We had a lot of rain on Friday and the gloom and doom continued into Saturday morning. I was up at 7 to Little O’s paws underneath the bedroom door meowing for breakfast. I fed the cats and forced myself to work out then ran up to the store to grab coffee. I happened to spot some festive sprinkled doughnuts and could not pass them up. It had been months since I ate a doughnut and they just looked so good. So my post workout breakfast was a chocolate doughnut and coffee and it was totally worth it. 

I’m pretty sure I walked it off anyway because the rain let up late morning and we took Ares and Chaos out for our loop. There ended up being a bit of a drizzle for about a mile but it wasn’t bad. We saw giant tires for the monster truck show and the boys were so amazed by them we just had to take a picture.

The dogs don’t have any special rain gear because we don’t walk if it’s truly raining. They don’t to be bothered by a very light drizzle, especially if we are already out and it starts. I, on the other hand, wear my rain boots and jacket if even looks like it might think about raining. Hunter brand boots might seem on the expensive side for rain gear, but they are totally worth it. I can guarantee your feet will stay completely dry. My Columbia rain jacket is also truly waterproof and the hood actually stays up while I walk. There are few things more irritating to me than walking home with wet hair. 

Columbia Jacket / Hunter Rain Boots
 

Sunday I celebrated the coming birth of my friend’s little girl at her baby shower. By now you probably know I went with a themed gift. My mom and I actually decided to go into together so part of the present was the adorable mobile from her registry and some children’s books. The other part was completely off registry and this is where the theme comes in. Baby girl is due this April (best month to be born in my opinion) so I thought it would be really fun to make her very first Easter basket filled with Spring goodies. I found the perfect personalized Easter basket on Etsy that also came with a sweet little bunny and ordered a monogrammed sippy cup along with it. Then the cutest baby bunny beanie stole my heart and I scooped that up too. Target, my go to store, had Spring themed pacifiers, an adorable romper and some little bows for the head of hair that has already been seen on the ultrasound. A few barnyard animals toys, pastel Easter eggs and grass from Kroger completed the basket.

Easter Basket

Chris took Ares and Chaos to hang with Grandpa for a little bit while I was gone. It felt like a nice, sunny Spring day so they hit up the park too.

Piper took a front row seat for the SEC tournament and was very pleased that her blue Wildcat brothers pulled out the win. 

Ares and Chaos got manicures they were none too pleased about, but didn’t put up much of a fuss over.

 

 We look forward to getting back outside more often as the weather gets warmer!

Happy St. Patty’s!

Coffee Love & Wedding Stuff

Sorry it's been almost a week since I've posted but wedding stuff has momentarily taken over. I actually wrote this post a few days ago but am just now getting around to it. I know, I know. I'll try harder I promise!

Saturday morning I had to do some cleaning up after all my furbabies. They are so good at making messes and not cleaning them up. My super awesome fiancé ran out and got me some coffee to get my energy flowing and then he headed off to breakfast without me. Nice. Okay, the only reason I wasn’t invited is because it was more like a meeting with his buds to finalize bachelor party plans. I wouldn’t have wanted to go anyway!

Sunday afternoon I went to a wedding shower for a friend who is getting married 2 weeks before me.  It was chilly in the morning running errands but by noon it felt like a beautiful Spring day. Always a themed gift giver, Kristina and I went in on the perfect present for coffee lovers.

I can’t believe that my first shower is next Sunday! When Chris and I set our date is seemed so far away, like it might not ever come. But now that we are in the home stretch it still isn’t quite sinking it how close we are.

We’ve been planning for the big day for about 10 months now and I have learned so much along the way. The biggest thing I would say to other brides to be is to have your wedding the way you see it. That might sound obvious to most people but once you get into planning you realize that everyone is going to have an opinion and it can be very easy to feel pressured or be to persuaded. Remember the wedding is about you and the person you are marrying but you also can’t forget about your guests. Keeping the details authentic to your relationship and personalities is important but you do have to keep the big picture in mind.

I was doing something at work once and I couldn’t understand why we were still using a process that was created almost 10 years ago when I could think of so many ways to improve it now. When I brought it up no one seemed to know why we had never made any changes. It was just the way it was always done so we stuck with it. Just because something worked for someone else, somewhere else or 2 years ago doesn’t mean you have to do it. Traditions often times are continued simply for the sake of saying they were done.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against tradition. But if you aren’t a traditional person, don’t go that route for your wedding just because that’s the way your family expects it. Like I said, guests need to be considered, but major decisions shouldn’t be based on their wishes, only yours.

As we get closer to our wedding I will love sharing some of our details and why we chose them. I am sure almost nothing is completely original, even though we might think so, or that it will be the best wedding anyone has ever been to. But I can absolutely say we’ve stayed true to ourselves and tried very hard to consider our guests and our wedding will showcase that. We’ve got nothing against a classic black tie affair, a modern vintage look, rustic elegance or city chic, but they just aren’t very “us”. So if you stay tuned I will talk about our Polished Casual wedding theme and how we plan to pull it off.

In the meantime, here are some always adorable (if I do say so myself) snaps of the furry munchkins.

Spring Style 2015

If you live in my area this is old news to you but if not, here’s the recap. Earlier this week the temperature warmed up to 54 degrees. And then it rained. And rained and rained and rained. And washed the snow away. But then the temperature dropped and Wednesday night we got all the snow back. This morning it was 0 degrees. So to Winter I say okay it’s been real with the snow and all but please melt away now because we are ready for Spring!

I’ve been spending my free time (actual free time that does not include dog walking, working out or cleaning) finalizing wedding details so I haven’t been up on the new warm weather duds. But last night I decided to go ahead and peek at some of my favorite sites and check out the loot. Not only would I like to add a few pieces to my Spring/Summer wardrobe, but a girl’s gotta have some honeymoon style. And of course I didn’t forget the pampered pups.

Starting tomorrow the forecast is showing temps in the 40s and 50s so we are crossing our fingers (and paws) that those predications come true. Spring might not officially start for another couple weeks but we are hoping to will it to at least feel like Spring while we patiently (or not so much) wait. These are a few items I’m loving for the Mama and the boys.

RuffWear Swamp Cooler Vest

Cincinnati Reds Mesh Dog Bandana

Silly Buddy Gingham Bow Tie Collar

AEO Floral Printed Legging

J. Crew Factory Triangle Bikini Top in Sailor Stripe

J. Crew Factory Triangle Bikini Bottom in Sailor Stripe

Old Navy Faux Leather Capri Sandals

Armoniia Straw Fedora Hat

Target Aviator Sunglasses - Rose Gold

The Mint Julep Boutique Free for All Maxi

I’ve heard about the Ruffwear Swamp Cooler Vest before but it just seemed so counteractive to put something on the dogs when it’s hot out. So I did some research that turned up great reviews and because we already own and love Ruffwear products, it is definitely on list to try out. We are also all about cute bandanas, especially ones that support our teams, and how adorable is the bowtie collar from Silly Buddy?!
I’m totally a leggings lover and when I saw these floral print ones from American Eagle I literally squealed. I’m already dreaming up the endless outfit possibilities. Remember how I said I love navy and white stripes? Could this J. Crew bikini scream my name any louder? I think not. Flip flops are a must to show off those piggies with pretty Spring pastel polish and it’s hard to beat Old Navy for these. I’ve wanted a fedora for a while now but the problem is my teeny tiny child sized pea head. Thanks mom. Women’s hats are usually too big but even though the kid sizes often fit, I find them to look too childish. This one is exactly what I’ve been searching for. Of course sunglasses are the classic sunny Spring or Summer day accessory. Aviators seem work well with my face shape and don’t give me bug eyes and I love the rose gold color of these from Target. Maxi dresses have become a staple in many a girl’s wardrobe these days. They are cute, comfy, flattering on everybody and can easily be dressed up or worn casual so basically it’s a no brainer. The colors in this one from The Mint Julep Boutique are so fun!


What’s on your warm weather wish list?

Sleepy Sunday 3-01-15: Coffee Beans & Bean Boots

Our walking route follows a busy main road and you locals often wave or honk when you see us out while you’re driving. 95% of the time I will not wave back. And it’s not because I’m being rude, ignoring you or just a self-absorbed a-hole. It’s because I’m not paying attention. It might even appear that I’m looking right at you as you try to get my attention to no avail. But I’m not. I am usually very focused on making sure the dog or dogs I’m walking are staying where they are supposed to or completely lost in my own thoughts of what to eat for dinner, what to wear tomorrow or planning the weekend. Most recently I am far too busy trying to navigate the snow mountains and icy patches to worry about who is driving down the street. So I am sorry if you’ve waved or honked and have received no response or if you do in the future. This is completely the cliché case of “it’s not you, it’s me”. I just really felt the need to put that out there. So now that we have that covered, here’s a little recap of our always too short weekend.

 Saturday morning Chris finally sold his old Jeep but it took quite a while to do all the paperwork down at the courthouse. We stopped over at my parents’ house to go over some wedding details in the afternoon and get some honeymoon planning advice. I can’t believe it’s less than 3 months away! That evening we went out for dinner for my friend Lindsey’s birthday and I splurged on a beergarita. It took me forever to finish it but it was delicious! Good thing Chris was driving though because my goodness it was strong.

 Sunday morning there was a beautiful snowfall and my friend Kristina picked me up to go to the cutest little coffee shop. My Winterberry Mocha was delicious and so was my homemade raspberry jam and granola treat. We also picked up some goodies to gift a friend and chatted about the randomness of our lives these days.

 

L.L. Bean Boots are probably old news to a lot of you, and probably why mine have been on back order forever, but they finally came in and I was so excited to wear them. I wanted to be comfy and cozy for our snowy morning coffee date so I paired them with my chilly weather favorites: fleece leggings, a tunic sweater, my military jacket and plaid scarf. What a great way to start the day.

Women's Bean Boots / Cuddl Duds Fleece Leggings / Plaid Scarf / Tunic Top
Military Jacket (Fossil, last season)

 Chris and I did stuff around the house and some honeymoon planning in the afternoon and evening and caught up on our shows in between. I tried out a new healthy treat that turned out soooo good! Chris ate almost half of it he liked it so much. 

 Chocolate PB Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients

·       3 cups old fashioned oats

·       1 ½ cups brown sugar

·       5 cups almond milk (I used chocolate but you can use any flavor)

·       1 cup peanut butter

·       3 eggs, beaten

·       1 cup raisins

·       1 tbsp chia seeds

·       1 tbsp flax seeds

·       1 cup dark chocolate chips

Add the oats, brown sugar, milk, peanut butter and eggs to a large pan and simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove the thickened mixture from heat and stir in the raisins and seeds. Pour it into a 9x13 pan and add the chocolate chips on top. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes and enjoy!

 The furbabies were all about Sleepy Sunday so they took full advantage, as usual. Ares often uses Chaos as his personal pillow pet, but he doesn’t seem to mind. Ares can walk on him, stand on him or even squish his face, but he will let noting ruin his Sunday couch time. At least poor Chaos got a break when Ares went to snuggle with his daddy.

 We are looking forward to the warmer, sunny weather this weekend is supposed to bring. Right now this week is looking like it’s going to be a roller coaster of craziness with temps in the 50s and then diving back down to the 20s and rain and snow mixed in. But that’s NKY for you.

 Have a great week!