Show and Tell Tuesdays.

So I am taking a break from pinning on Tuesdays to link up with some of my favorite bloggers and bring you a non-mom version of Show and Tell Tuesday..

My hibiscus trees are blooming beautifully! 

 

 It looks like once upon a time the homeowners had a small garden, I hope to bring that back maybe in the fall. 

My baby, Tracy Chapman {Fast Car, get it?!}. She's everything! 

This is on the opposite side of the flower bed that Tripp ripped out a few weeks ago. I'm thinking of getting rid of everything but the full green shrubs. What do y'all think?!

 

 Our back yard will definitely be missed whenever we decide to move one day, it is huge. The dream is to fence it all in eventually. I had just cut the grass, see the lawn mower?! 

^^^^ Our patio needs some work. It normally stays messy until we have guests over or we decide to grill out. I have ideas but the outdoor is Tripp's area so I shall let the inner decor OCD diva go.

Tripp didn't want me to include this flower bed but it can really be beautiful when it flourishes, right now it has some grass and weeds. It's also a butterfly haven which is really sweet!

^^^ This is a tulip tree that blooms for like 4 weeks in the whole year but when it does...it is BEAUTIFUL!

 

I think the plan is to get rid of most of the back yard shrubs because they have just taken over. We think our porch got hit by the tornadoes that hit Birmingham in 2011 so it needs some handyman work to it too.

That's all folks! If y'all have any ideas or suggestions for our landscaping tasks please comment with them {we're self-admittedly young and dumb}.. check back tomorrow for a twist to the normal Wednesday.

our little lives lately...

 

what we've been up to this week?!


Friday- We had our niece and nephew over for a slumber party that included the park, a target trip [for a few toys, of course], an ice cream run and lots of playing.

{I've cleaned my table since then! #whew}

 {my girl, willow rhea}

 {cutest fella, Jaxon}

 

Saturday- Tripp and his dad worked in our yard {that's their summer project} and planted two hibiscus trees that I talked about in Monday's post.

and then this non-mom and non-dad took a nap because we were plum-tuckered from those sweet babies!

Sunday- We spent time with two of our own babies..Beau & Betty White. Bless them, they often get over looked compared to Toby because he is a constant inside dog and they are part-time outside livers.

{pre-hike #couldtheybeanycuter?! - said in a chandler bing voice}

 {during the hike #theyneedmorecardio}

 {she's alive, don't panic!}

 {post hike #praisejesusforthecreek}

 

 {if you wonder where Toby was, welll.... #hesanoldman}

 

{but we still love him!}

 

During this week- We hiked a little, worked a lot and we are just enjoying the summer so far {I live for hot weather and my husband sweats like a hooker in a church}.

{I need a pedicure and Tripp, poor baby needs some sun on his feet #coachproblems}

also I added an about me page, check it out! #learningnewthingsalways

What have y'all been up to?!

pinning on a tuesday.

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What's going on with y'all on this Tuesday?! I currently have this view...

not the prettiest, but definitely not the worst.

I haven't had as much time this week to pin to my heart's desire but this is what I've been diggin' lately..


We're having a family slip and slide party the end of June so getting some ideas on how I want it to look!

   

 << love this drink station idea and I have some of the containers left from our wedding last year!

 

          Follow Lindsay's board it's a party. on Pinterest.   

    

          Follow Lindsay's board hehe. funny. on Pinterest.  


 I started a new morning routine yesterday and had SUCCESS! Today wasn't as a great but living for the little victories, y'all.

      

<< Also took an enneagram test this week [a free one, so not sure how accurate it is.]

Annyways, it said I was a 6 with a 5 wing.

It actually fit me to a tee, so

I'm having fun learning more and find that stuff super interesting!

        Follow Lindsay's board the zen life. on Pinterest.   



today is the dermatology day! yay! After trying everything OTC I could get my hands on and having zero success [still bummed Rodan + Fields didn't end up working], I am giving myself to the pros. I'll keep you posted.


What have you been pinning lately?!

Pinterest Tuesdays.

Y'all I am so out of it! Totally started writing a what's up Wednesday post to only then realize that it is definitely NOT Wednesday but Tuesday. So stay tuned to tomorrow for me to end out May with my What's Up Wednesday post.

It has been a crazy week, hence the lack of postage. Last week is the busiest work week of my year [an accountant's version of tax day]. We had our graduation ceremony for the school, it went really well considering the year it's been for everyone.

 the dress I ended up picking [ignore my messy house]

Then I had to work again Thursday, getting things ready for the next school year already [seriously, time flies] and then I started getting sick this weekend...dum dum dummmmm. I hate being sick and I don't have the best immune system to begin with so normally when I get sick it knocks me on my butt [fever and all]. So the holiday weekend wasn't much of a holiday for us, Tripp had the sniffles as well.

So Tuesday's are my pinterest day, unfortunately I missed What's On Monday so I will pick it back up next week.

This past week what I've been digging on pinterest...

Chia Seed Pudding  This is a good starting point for Chia Puddings. I have the WORST sweet tooth, seriously my biggest problem when it comes to my diet. So I am looking for ways to suppress that here lately and I heard that the Chia Puddings are always a good go to so this weekend I tried to make one and TA DA, it turned out great actually! I think the texture freaks Tripp out a bit[he's super picky!] but I loved it and it reminded me of rice pudding.

Here's mine ->



















Wellness Retreat -
I told Tripp that next year I want to go on a Wellness Retreat so I've been pinning different ones and seeing which ones have the best reviews. Not sure if it's something that he would want to do or not but I like reading about what each one has to offer. May end up being a girls trip, who knows. My favorite so far is the Soulstice Retreat in Utah.

Essential Oils-
I've been really interested in trying oils to help with my depression, anxiety, low immune system, etc. So I started out with DoTerra and Pinterest is full of different mixtures, tips and tricks.

I started my collection with Lavender, Balance and Elevation.

The boards that I've given the most attention here lately:


                Follow Lindsay's board prettttty. on Pinterest.   


                Follow Lindsay's board spring.summer. on Pinterest.  

                Follow Lindsay's board healthy eats. on Pinterest.  

make sure to follow! If y'all have any recommendations, leave them in the comments. Also, any immune system suggestions please holla at your girl.

wedding wednesdays.

As we approach our 1st year wedding anniversary in July [10 months on Tuesday 5/19], I wanted to do a weekly wedding blog. I did just about EVERYTHING wrong when planning mine and just about everything wrong that could happen, DID during the year that we were engaged. I want to be super transparent with y'all and let you learn from my mistakes (which will be ALOT, you shall see). Each week I will conquer a different topic starting with the most important...WEDDING BUDGET

You just got engaged! How exciting! Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is date, and maybe the wedding party, then what you want your dress to look like and the perfect venue....Well WOAH! STOP! The first thing you need to figure out is your BUDGET, I don't care if you are not personally having to pay a dime or if you are having to pay for the whole thing yourself. Budget is the most important and the one topic that I seem to just overlook at the beginning. Like I've said previously, if you could have a trial run at wedding planning, then I think we all should because I had no clue what to do! (clearly!)

You should know going into it if any family will be contributing to the wedding budget but I would suggest the FIRST thing you do will be to sit down with the Bride's family first and decide exactly how much they will be able to contribute. Get that number in writing and a signature (I'm not joking, this will help a little with hurt feelings later on), then do the same with the Groom's family. I suggest to do it with the Groom's because you need to know if you will be paying for the rehearsal dinner, groom's presents, etc..Get the number in writing with a signature for his side, as well.
The main reason I wouldn't meet with both families at the same time is to get rid of the competition aspect of families and money. It's just not necessary.

Once you have the total of those two numbers, look at it and decide if that will suffice for your dream (but realistic!) wedding. If not, you need to decide right then exactly how much you and the Groom will need to contribute and add it in. Figure out how you will be contributing (from your paycheck, yard sale, selling blood, etc! ha!...but for real). You will see that everything works off of the budget: The Venue, The Dress, The Food, even the Date!

You will then have a complete and EXACT (it needs to be exact) total budget. Before you start planning from there, I would sit down again with the Groom and decide what things matter the most in the planning process so you will know exactly where the most money should be spent.

I would suggest doing a list starting with the most important thing at the top [BE VERY DETAILED!] and have the list go down, till the bottom is the least important. (Again, of course we did not do this which resulted in catastrophe! #learnfromus)
If we would have done one, it would have look like this:

•  Decorations (You can make any place look amazing, if you have the money, tools and creative people)
• Guest List [We definitely wanted all the people we could get there, that was important to us.]
• Venue (Ceremony and Reception) [We had a big guest list so we needed a big space]
• Photography
• DJ
• Wedding Apparel (Bride's Dress, Groom's Tux, Etc)
• Cakes
• Rings (Groom's Band, Bride's Band)
• Wedding Gifts (Gifts for the Wedding Party, Parents, Grandparents, Special Guests)
• Favors
• Rehearsal Dinner
• Flowers
• Beauty (Bridal Hair/Makeup)
• Wedding Party [Bridesmaids/Groomsmen]
• Food 
• Sparklers (For leaving)

Things not listed, that you could add. Videographer (We didn't have one in the budget, biggest regret!), Alcohol (If that's important to you), Music (during the ceremony), Honeymoon (we were gifted one, thank goodness! so appreciative)

I definitely think this is what started our Wedding Planning Failure.

Next week, Venue/Decorations.

BUDGET.BUDGET.BUDGET.