Fri-YAY

Happy Friday! A quick five for you today as we have big weekend plans, people...

{ONE}

Justin jetted off for a guys-only weekend in Minneapolis so it's just the girls and me holding down the fort this weekend. My bestie and her little girl are coming in from Omaha to spend the weekend with us. They haven't seen our new casa yet and I'm so excited to have them here! The girls run around like crazy and love playing together. It's just the best.

{TWO}

I took today off work so we're heading out to Deanna Rose once Leighton wakes up. Seriously, that girl has mad skills at sleeping in. Not that I'm complaining! It's 9:52 am and she's still not up...

It's a cool, crisp 58 degrees there this morning which just screams FALL! Finally! Can't wait to see some animals and spend some time outdoors today.

{THREE}

We're also thinking of hitting up one of the local pumpkin patches tomorrow. There are several around the KC area so I'm sure we'll have our options. I'm also sure they'll be busy with other families enjoying the fall festivities but Gracyn loved it last year so I'm excited to take them again.

{FOUR}

My new favorite coffee creamer... I didn't even have to add the gallon of sugar I normally do! Yummy.


{FIVE}

Momiform on point, yo. I ordered this shirt from Old Navy and I was hesitant - flannel, black & white. But I love it! You can expect to see me wearing it every day from here on out....

shirt // pants (similar) // shoes

And BONUS!

Gracyn's first official school picture!!!!!! I'm dead. So adorable...


Have a great weekend, friends!



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Noah's Bandage Project

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and a brave little boy here in Kansas City started his own charity in 2014 after being diagnosed with cancer. Noah's Bandage Project aims at collecting fun, colorful bandaids for kids in the hospital receiving treatments as well as raising funds for pediatric cancer research. 

I was shocked to learn that only 4% of cancer research funds go towards finding a cure for pediatric cancer. The money raised through Noah's Bandage Project goes directly towards fighting that fight. Earlier this month, NBP presented a check for $100,000 to Children's Mercy Hospital! How amazing is that? 

When Brittany emailed a group of local bloggers {which turned into a NATIONAL group of bloggers!} about collecting bandaids for NBP, I couldn't get on board fast enough. This was the perfect opportunity to get the girls involved and have them help pick out their favorite bandaids to send to the kiddos in the hospital.

We wrote a short note and Gracyn colored a picture in hopes of brightening their day a little bit. It was really such an easy and wonderful way to help a greater cause.

If you'd like to contribute, grab the image below and post to social media to help raise awareness for Noah's Bandage Project and childhood cancer. Better yet, click HERE to find ways to donate.

Sadly, Noah passed away in June 2015. As a mom, imagining that your kids could possibly get sick is hard enough. I cannot even begin to understand what Noah's family and other families like them must be going though as they sit and watch their kids fight this horrible disease. It would be brutal and it completely breaks my heart. By participating in this small way, my family can help honor Noah's legacy.









31

Did you know you can go up to the tippy-top of the tower at Liberty Memorial?! I didn't! This shot is a panoramic view of Kansas City from the top. It was such a cool vantage point.


I had the best birthday weekend full of family and Kansas City things. I didn't want the weekend to end. We headed to the Plaza Art Fair on Saturday morning and had breakfast at Classic Cup Cafe. We walked around the plaza for a bit before realizing it was hot as balls and headed back home. Not before a stop at IT'SUGAR, though. Gracyn wanted a sucker and I am the most immature 31-year-old ever and wanted some candy of my own.

My parents ended up coming down for the weekend and offered to watch the girls on Sunday (my actual birthday) so Justin and I could get out for a bit. We've lived here over 8 years and had never been to the World War I Museum, I had actually never truly been to Liberty Memorial, either, so that was our first stop!

It was kind of sprinkling and a little breezy overlooking the KC skyline but we still enjoyed it! And a ride to the very top of the tower is included with museum admission so that was fun. The museum is really wonderful and we could  have spent way more time there. So much to read and look at. We'll definitely be back.



All of my streetcar dreams came true after visiting the museum. We took the streetcar to Power & Light for a late lunch and to watch the Chiefs game. We unfortunately had a less-than-stellar meal at BRGR Kitchen + Bar. The appetizer and drinks were good but my burger came out undercooked. Twice. And by undercooked I mean still raw in the middle. No bueno. We obviously didn't pay for my meal and and the manager gave us a free round of beers so that was nice but I was still disappointed.




After lunch, we took the streetcar back to 19th & Main to walk around for a bit. There were a few murals that I wanted to try and find. Justin thought I was strange for wanting to take pictures by random walls but he humored me.. ;)

Kansas City I'm So In Love and the pink wings are outside the Fortuity KC store (17th and Baltimore). It was everything I hoped for and more. Ha! There were no other people around so J took a few shots of me acting like a weirdo.



And wouldn't you know, we happened to walk right by Up Down and HAD to stop. I mean, a bar that has arcade games from the '80s and '90s!?! YES PLEASE. Also, on your birthday you get 40 free tokens so it was as amazing as it sounds. It might be my new favorite place.




Let the record show that I am Skee Ball champion and a Connect-Four wizard. 


But I totally suck at extra-large Jenga...


By 7pm we figured we best be getting home to our babies {and birthday cake} so we walked around the block and stopped by the #KCloves mural (19th & Main) before heading back to Union Station to get our car. 


We had a great time and vowed to get into the heart of our city more often. It's far too easy to stay out in the 'burbs but once in awhile I love to come in and explore the place we call home.

Here's to 31 - it's already off to a great start!

oh hey, friday | birthday edition

So excited for this weekend - my birthday is on Sunday and while we don't have any real big plans, it'll be filled with family time and fall festivals {in the 90 degree heat...} and birthday cake with ice cream. Plus, I really LOVE my birthday. I could do absolutely nothing and still have a great day.

I was really bad about giving gift ideas this year; I told Justin that in lieu of presents, I wanted to spend a day in Kansas City; hit up the farmers market, ride the streetcar, eat at restaurants we've been wanting to try and things like that. Not sure if it will actually happen this weekend since the weather is iffy but we'll see. There better be cake, though... ;)

One thing I was NOT bad about was buying things I wanted... for myself... oopsie! You only turn 31 once right?! 

{ONE}

Now technically, my mama got these shoes for me after I sent her the specific link in my size. She had them shipped to me and I love them. Everybody has been talking about them (probably for years..) and because I'm so fashion-forward, I decided it was time that I have a pair, too!


{TWO}

I'd been wanting a new winter coat for a few years now. Something other than my North Face jacket to wear but nothing too formal or anything like that. I ordered this one from Old Navy and got it at 40% off! I ended up having to exchange it for a different size and ordered a Tall for extra length in the body and sleeves but I think I'll really like it come winter.

{THREE}

I'm still waiting for this to be delivered but for some reason I really wanted a flannel shirt. I probably won't be able to pull it off but I'm going to try, dammit. I was also very conflicted as to what color to get but I went with this black & white one. I'm just hoping I don't look like a total lumberjack...

{FOUR}

A few weeks ago, I contacted my bestie about trying a Rodan + Fields regimen. I'm afraid 31 years of life was catching up to me and my face was starting to show it so I figured now was a good time to do something about it. I don't have a ton of wrinkles - yet! - but I have some major bags under my eyes thanks to my two lovely cherubs and some sun damage from all those years of forgetting sunscreen. Bad, Mackenzie, bad! I've been using the Reverse regimen for a few weeks now and I'm so excited to see how it helps! Also, this tiny jar of magical eye cream might be my favorite thing ever. My "before" pictures are pretty awful but I've already noticed some improvements which is amazing!
{FIVE}

I'm sure there are other things sitting in my online shopping carts just waiting for me to pull the trigger. Really, I don't need anything for my birthday. I have it pretty good over here and I definitely don't feel like I should be turning 31. This time last year we were jetting off to Jamaica to ring in the big 3-0. I may not be staring at this scene this year....


...but I have it pretty good. :)


And look! What a difference a year makes...


Cheers to 31!



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DIY :: Wooden Signs

We've all seen those wooden farmhouse-style signs floating around Pinterest, right!? I mean, Jojo herself sells them. They're adorable and stylish and I want all of them. Problem is, I can't bring myself to spend 100 bucks on one. 

So, I figured why not just make one?!


I figured it couldn't be that hard, right? My only real hurdle was a stencil of some sort because I was not about to try my luck at free-handing some lettering. It would not have been pretty. Back to Pinterest I went to find a couple of tutorials to figure out how I could accomplish getting the $100 look for, like, under 20 bucks or something like that.

I came across this post that seemed to be what I needed. And bonus, I didn't need any fancy tools or supplies or equipment. I picked up a few pre-made wooden signs at Hobby Lobby (similar) but you can find these all over nowadays. Target and even Walmart have upped their craft sections. I used Hobby Lobby because they always have a 40% off coupon on their website and just happened to be going there last Saturday. :)

Anyway, all your really need are the signs (or ones you make from reclaimed wood if you want to get extra crafty!), some chalk, a ball-point pent, paint pen and a computer/printer. I feel like mine could have turned out a little better but I'm still super happy with them for it being my first time attempting such a project!

The supplies...


{HOME}

I started by printing off the word "home" on a regular piece of computer printer. I used the Geo Sans Light font from PicMonkey and just made the text extra large so it took up the entire page. I cut it down so it fit inside my sign.

After that, I turned it over and colored the backside with white chalk until all the letters are covered. Once chalked, place the "stencil" back onto the wood, chalk side down.



I first used a sharpie but I would recommend using a ball-point pen to simply trace over the letters, using just a little bit of pressure. This makes the chalk transfer onto the wood wherever you trace, leaving you with a light but very visible pattern.



Next, use a paint pen to paint over the chalk letters. I did a few coats just to make sure it looked uniform in terms of color. The pen was a little stinky (oil-based) and I may or may not have gotten a little high but it was all worth it.. ;)



{GATHER}

It took me a little longer to do my "gather" sign. I wanted a specific type of font but I had no idea what the font was actually called. Just how it looked so I spent an embarrassing amount of time googling things like "farmhouse font", "farmhouse style fonts" , "rustic fonts" and things like that. I finally found one that I liked on dafont.com called Signerica.

I also had a hard time getting it big enough so it filled the entire sign like I though it should. I was also only working with the Text program on my mac which is basically useless so I printed off a few different versions to see what worked best. If I took the time, I could have used an online site like PicMonkey to set my dimensions and go from there but I didn't.


After cutting my sections apart, I just taped them together and lined them up on the sign, trying to get it as straight as possible. I chalked the back like I did above with "home" and traced over the letters using a ball-point pen.



Voila! So very rustic, right?! Well, kinda. ;)


The "home" sign is on our mantel for the time being. I'm in the process of trying to decorate for fall and halloween so I'm not sure if it'll stay there permanently but for now it works.

"Gather" is hanging in the kitchen above the doorway to the mud room. I love it up there since we definitely tend to gather in the kitchen, the heart of the home. I also might have unleashed an obsession since now all I want to do is pick up wood from the construction sites around the neighborhood and paint all the things...

All in all, they turned out OK and I managed to do both for right around $20 which is a total win in my "DIY decor on a budget" book!





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