i need a weekend.

Oh boy. This week kicked my booty. Cheers to the weekend...

{ONE}

I started feeling weird on Monday night during dinner and before I knew it, I was soooo sick. Like, sleep-on-the-bathroom-floor sick. It was not cool. So ill, in fact, that Justin had to take a sick day himself so he could stay home and take care of the girls because this mama was down for the count. I'm not sure if it was food poisoning or stomach bug of some sort but it's Friday and I'm still not 100%. I don't have a big appetite and have been living on crackers and gatorade for the last 72 hours. Luckily, no one else in the house seems to be affected and I'm hoping it stays that way.

It was not pretty.

{TWO}

On a much better note! Did you catch our review of Lucky & Me undies for the littles in your life? Check 'em out. They're comfy and cute and an all-around well-made product.

{THREE}

I'm getting ready for my first consignment sale! Get rid of ALL THE THINGS! As tough as it was, I needed to sort through some of the girls' old clothes and some of my old maternity things. We're not done having kids but 9 tubs of clothing is a little excessive, right?! Gotta make room for new things when the time comes!

{FOUR}

The girls' bathroom slash guest bathroom is almost done! It's coming along and I'm so excited to finish it up this weekend. We need to fix the outlet (it mysteriously stopped working when we replaced it...) and change out the light fixtures. Other than that and hanging up a few things, it's pretty much done!

{FIVE}

We randomly spent last weekend house-hunting and randomly decided that we want to move. Totally crazy and we keep going back and forth as to whether or not we should build or buy resale but it's pretty exciting to see what's out there! So many decisions to make before you even decide what to do! Houses are selling really fast in our area so we really need to be smart and take our time because once (if) we list, it's expected to go fast.

Have you built a home before? I know there are pros and cons to it and sometimes it seems completely daunting but other times I'm all about it! We shall see how this little adventure pans out!

Happy Friday, friends!

Comfy Ever After

This post is sponsored by Lucky & Me.

I'll be the first to admit that I love shopping for the girls. Most of my shopping is obviously done online because I'm all about convenience these days. I'm constantly adding items to my online shopping carts and checking out the latest items to hit the e-shelves.

One of my favorite things to buy for them are shoes and swimsuits. There are so many fun options. Now that Gracyn is 100% (YAY!) potty-trained, underwear has creeped onto the list. We potty-trained last October and I couldn't scoop up Halloween themed undies fast enough. Don't even get me started on this days-of-the-week set.

The one problem we have with underwear for Gracyn is finding ones that fit her and fit her well. She's a skinny little thing and we often find her undies sagging a little bit. A little baby booty is cute and all but I figured we should probably try to find some that suit her a little better.. ;)

I was thrilled when Lucky & Me offered to send us some of their undies and bike shorts that are super soft and comfy and made from 100% organic cotton and tri-blend fabrics. Gracyn is around 35 pounds and their 2/3T size fits her perfectly.

Lucky & Me has the sweetest colors and patterns. My life evolves around all things pink and purple but they have some cute colors for the little men in your life, too. I love the soft elastic waist - I don't foresee the strings of elastic coming out of the seam and pinching G's tender skin any time soon, meaning these undergarments are well-made!

And the BEST thing? NO TAGS! I couldn't tell you how many times I've seen Gracyn with her hands down her pants scratching where the tag on her undies was itching her... poor girl. No need to worry now, though. No tags equals no more itching. I mean, that's just good sense!

The bike shorts will be perfect come spring and summer when she's wearing dresses and skirts. We won't have to worry about flashing the neighbor kids at the park or a Marilyn Monroe moment when the wind picks up here in the midwest! ;)

We've worn and washed the undies from Lucky & Me a few times now and they've held their shape through each wash, still fitting Gracyn like they did the first day. I appreciate the soft material and charming details and I know Gracyn loves the fact that the tag less designs leave her itch-free and comfy ever after! :)

8/52

We had some pretty amazing weather last week. If it's not going to snow, it might as well warm up and be spring.

The girls both LOVE bubbles and the other day during lunch we went through a bunch while we played outside for a solid hour. It was a good, good day.

Oh hey, Friday!

Another week, another Friday link-up. Just how I like it... ;)

{ONE}

Please tell me I'm not the only one counting down until Fuller House premiers on Netflix next week!?! I remember watching Full House every week when it first aired not to mention the reruns I still find myself watching every now and then. Like Friends, I've probably seen every episode. It's not even like it was that great of a show - totally corny - but I still can't help myself. I will be binging, for sure.

via

{TWO}

I've been living under a rock because I just discovered the greatness that is Hometalk. Seriously. Another social media platform was the last thing I needed but I'm obsessed with this one. It's similar to Pinterest but for DIY projects. I'm in heaven.  I've posted a few of my own DIY projects and it's so fun to watch them make the rounds. It's so easy to connect with other members, leave comments, and reply to questions. If you need me, that's where I'll be.

{THREE}

I signed up for Pinch Me a few months ago and I finally received my first sample box! It's totally free to sign up and create a profile. About once a month, they offer free samples based on the profile you complete. And it's stuff you would totally use - household items, beauty products, brands for your pets, etc. If you match up to the brands, you can go claim your samples and they ship them to you. After you use the samples, you can log back in and complete a survey about the product; were you satisfied, would you recommend to a friend, would you/did you purchase the product. Things like that.

I am pumped to try out the Boon Snug Universal Spout on the girls' sippy cups. I can't wait to see if it works - I am so over finding milk leaking onto the couch!

{FOUR}

This girl.

She is NAUGHTY! All of a sudden, this little chick is out. of. control. Hitting, biting, scratching. Throwing her body on the floor in a fit when she doesn't get her way. Basically laughing in your face when you tell her "no." It's insane.

And yes, that is what my house looked like by 5 PM the other night. And yes, that is what Leighton was wearing. I don't even know.

Seriously, how do you correct this behavior in a 14 month old!?!?! Gracyn NEVER did any of this. Second child problems, I tell you what! ;)

{FIVE}

I am so excited to try this countertop paint kit on our bathroom counters! The instructions and reviews make it look sooooo easy. The kit was $80 on Amazon and it's supposed to cover 16 feet of counterspace. I could probably get the guest bath, master bath and kitchen (we have like 5 feet of counters in our kitchen...hardly any space at all.) all done with this one kit but I'm going to start with just the bathroom and go from there. I hope it turns out!

Happy Weekend!

jump, laugh, cry, repeat.

Every day, when Leighton wakes up in the morning, Gracyn comes with me to help get her out of bed. And by help, I mean she climbs into her crib and starts jumping around like a madwoman. Leighton thinks it's hilarious and will throw her body down onto the mattress while laughing.

Every afternoon, we do the same thing when she gets up from her nap. 

And every time, someone ends up crying while I second-guess myself as to why I let this happen! It's usually poor Leighton as she tends to get trampled by a bigger and stronger sister. Sometimes both if they bump heads or fall down on top of each other.  But still, there are tears. Everrrrry time.

I snagged some pics the other day right before Gracyn got mad Leighton was jumping in her spot. Even though it's L's crib. Leighton has become quite feisty (and actually kind of naughty...) and was fighting back so I had to break it up by promising girl scout cookies as a snack. 

These girls, though. So awesome to see them playing together. Until the biting and hitting and crying starts, that is.

Valentine Scenes

We had a pretty low-key Valentine's Day weekend at home. It was pretty perfect, actually. Lots of heart-shaped foods, a little DIY and early bedtimes! The girls and I decorated on Friday afternoon before playing outside for 7 minutes before we realized it was cold. I spent Saturday morning painting the guest bathroom and we all ran errands that afternoon.

Sunday was spent loving our little ladies. They slept in a bit (yay!) and woke up extra happy, blowing kisses on command and everything. ;)

Heat-shaped blueberry pancakes and strawberries for the win! Justin loves to give the girls a small gift from just him on Valentine's Day. Showing these girls how they should be treated by a man and all. He gave them each a little flower and a sweet little card on top of the books and plush toys we picked out. 

Large teddybear balloons were also involved. Within minutes, Gracyn had torn the string on hers and he sailed up to the ceiling in the foyer. 

Daddy saved the day but that didn't stop meltdown #1 from happening.

Later that afternoon, she was playing with it in our room. While the ceiling fan was going at full speed. That poor bear didn't stand a chance. We heard a loud pop and meltdown #2 commenced immediately. Teddy was sliced clear down the middle and she was crying hysterically yelling "he's broken! he's gone!"

We had a long talk about how balloons + ceiling fans don't mix and that we need to be careful with our things. Balloons pop and that's ok. She was devastated until she saw Leighton's intact teddybear balloon and reasoned that Leighton should share with her. Luckily Leighton is one, and you can't eat balloons, so she didn't really seem to mind... ;)

We spent lots of time playing upstairs while Justin and I took turns working on the bathroom projects. At the last minute, we decided to put new flooring down. I'm SO glad we did - it turned out great! So excited to get the space put back together.

The girls had an early supper (grilled cheese in the shape of a heart, duh!) and were in bed by 7:30. #parentingwin

After they were asleep, J and I had some appetizers, wine, and crab legs. It was all delicious and made even better by the fact that the littles were snoozing away upstairs.

We ended the night watching The Tonight Show's Anniversary Special which I'm re-watching again tonight because it's that good.

Hope you all had a great weekend full of love!

7/52

Happy Valentine's Day from these lovies! We are knee-deep in a bathroom renovation (so much paint! again!) but we took some extra time this morning to snuggle with these cuties and make heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast. Justin got them each a little flower and obnoxious giant teddy bear balloons so they were super pumped this morning!

Bonus sister pic this week! ;)

Fridayyyyy

It's Friday! And, the start of a three-day weekend! Well, for me anyway. My hubby has to work so I'm planning to take the girls out to do something fun on Monday morning with the hopes they will take long, long, long afternoon naps. #fingerscrossed

I also have big plans to finish painting the guest bathroom and venture into the hallway for Operation White Trim & Doors.

But first...

{ONE}

...nursing my wine hangover from last night. Scandal is back, ya'll! Olivia and I are basically twins. What, with my $7 bottle of screw-top wine and all. Also, Team Jake. Forever and always!

via

{TWO}

The girls have started full-on fighting with each other. It's super fun. Gracyn tries to boxout the little one. The "little one" will bulldoze her way through everything and I swear it's only to annoy her big sister.

Things were coming to a head yesterday morning. We're usually pretty content to spend our days at home aside from the occasional errand while I attempt to get some work done but we HAD to get out of the house yesterday. We hit up Rainbow Play Systems to play on their indoor swing sets. It was a hit! The girls had so much fun running around. And you can't beat the $5 pay-to-play on a cold day when the regular park might not be the best option.

{THREE}

We don't have any major Valentine's Day plans but we do usually get the girls something small to go with their cards. Gracyn is going to flip out when she sees this pillow buddy. The thing is h u g e. Like 27 inches. She's going to love it. Leighton is getting this cute flamingo and each will also be getting a new Valentine's Day themed book (this one and this one).

{FOUR}

I am totally lame when it comes to Snapchat, to the point where I had to just go and look up my user name because I didn't know what it was, but Gracyn LOVES IT. She is obsessed with the different filters you can use on selfie mode. It's obnoxious but hilarious. We add 3472 pictures to my "story" at a time and they're all of her making silly faces with the filters. We're easily amused over here...

{FIVE}

Justin worked late last night so I was in charge of coming up with something to eat for dinner. The kids had hotdogs (mom win!) and I had cereal. I could eat cereal for every meal but it was no surprise that I was scrounging around for a snack come 7:30 pm. I had already started drinking wine but that didn't stop me from making an old favorite. I don't even know what they're called - Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Rolls??? - but I remember making them as a kid. Super easy, too.

Grab a tortilla (I used whole wheat so it wasn't a complete and utter detriment to my health...) and spread a little bit of butter on it, much like you were buttering a slice of bread. Sprinkle a little sugar on top followed by a little bit of cinnamon. Throw it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds (enough to melt that butta'), roll it up and enjoy!

But note, red wine isn't the best option to drink with them. Milk would probably be better... ;)

Enjoy your (hopefully long!) weekend, friends!

6/52

Not the best pictures this week - Gracyn was not having it and Leighton moves too fast for me to get a decent pic that's in focus. That smile, though. Gets me every time!

The Makings of a Gallery Wall

I'm totally not a professional interior designer. I mean, I pretended to be my first semester at college but then I switched to marketing because I could get a degree without taking a math class. Unless accounting qualifies as a math class? If it does, scratch that statement because I had to take accounting and it totally sucked. I actually failed it the first time and ended up having to retake the course at the community college. Just a little misstep in my journey to a college degree. And don't worry, I still managed to graduate on time without failing anything else... ;)

Sorry, got off on a tangent there. Back to my gallery wall! It's finally hung up after sitting on my dining room table for far too long. I have no idea if this is hung correctly based on scale or whatever other aspects you're supposed to consider when hanging things, but I did use a level to make sure things were straight (or as straight as I could get them...) and I kind of love how it turned out. I'm also in the process of painting the hallway gray (like seriously, w h y did I paint everything a yellowish tan when we moved in!?!) and the trim white. It's a process since I have a couple of closet doors to paint to, but I'll get it done eventually!

I took a while to accumulate everything I wanted to incorporate into the gallery wall. This was hard for me because once I decide I want to do something like this, I usually rush to try and get it finished. I needed to remind myself to just chill out for a second otherwise I wasn't going to like the final product. I've had my arrow from Axel Co since October and used it as a starting point. Throw in a few frames from Goodwill and extras from Hobby Lobby and you got yourself a gallery wall!

I arranged and rearranged my collection several times before deciding on a final layout. I then used craft paper to trace each item and taped it to the wall in it's spot to get an idea of what it would look like. It also helped me figure out where to put the nails so I didn't end up with a zillion holes in my freshly painted wall. It ended up working well after I cursed the craft paper for rolling up on me as I was trying to cut out each shape. It took me wayyyyyyy longer than it should have to cut out those damn shapes.

My mom gave me the empty white frame and bucket of twigs. (Literally. She drove 6 hours to give me sticks. I love her). I used my nifty glue gun to secure said twigs into the frame. Gracyn "helped" by breaking all of the good twigs into smaller pieces. I ended up with twigs all over my house but I like how the framed turned out! It feels very Joanna to me and anytime I have a chance to channel JoJo, I will. #designgoals

I spray painted the mirror and circular tin plate from Goodwill. They were bright gold originally, which I kind of wish I kept, but I think it would have been too much.

The wall is at the top of our steps and I had a hard time getting decent pictures. The lighting was bad and I was trying not to die from falling down the stairs but you get the idea! On to the next project!

 Reclaimed Wooden Arrow | Axel Co

Mirror | Goodwill

Large 16 x 20 Frame | Goodwill

Hello Sign | Hobby Lobby

Geometric Heart | Hobby Lobby

Circle Tin Plate | Goodwill

5 x 7 Frame | Target

8 x 10 Frame | Target

Frame with Sticks | c/o my mama ;)

"Subtle Touch" paint color | Behr