Thursday, March 28, 2013

Cara Cara Oranges + Tulips

The weather has been so beautiful today so I decided to get my patio ready for spring. We spend so much time outdoors when the weather is nice and I like to make the space really cozy. I'm on the hunt for an outdoor rug, some decorative pillows and a few cool lanterns. I searched everywhere I knew to search today and came up completely empty handed. Looks like I may have to do a little online shopping instead.
While I was at Sam's today I grabbed some Cara Cara Oranges. I can only find them at Sam's and I always get them....for obvious reasons. Too bad it's spelled with a C. What is it about Sam's? I can spend an entire hour in there and be completely entertained. I don't think it's just me either. I overheard the lady in front of me at the check out line tell the cashier she came in for 2 things. She had like, 20 items in her cart.
I also got these gorgeous tulips while I was there. I love fresh flowers in my house and 99% of the time I get them at Sam's. They have the best flowers and their prices are fantastic. I got these in particular to be my Easter centerpiece. My parents are coming up this weekend to spend the holiday with us. I thought Scott and I were going to be alone because we really didn't feel like driving to Little Rock again this weekend. Last night my parents said they decided to just come up here. Works for me! I know our church service won't be nearly as good as Fellowship LR but at least we'll all be together. Mom is actually on her way up right now with Gracie Grace. The girls are going to be SO excited.
And speaking of the girls....
You know I can't do a post without mentioning them! They took a nap together this morning. They always nap snuggled up together. They are seriously the most precious little sisters I've ever known!! I can't get enough of their cuteness.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Bringing Back Running

Happy Hump Day! Tonight marks the return of good television and I'm ready. Why do they need to take off for spring break? I just don't get it.
I had to run to Walmart this morning to get Scott some medicine. He's sick with a little sore throat but the way he's acting you'd think he had mono. Men are such wimps with they get sick but that's neither here nor there. While I was at Walmart I got stuff to make a yummy veggie pizza tonight and I'm looking forward to it. Do you ever make a homemade pizza? We do it fairly often. We don't use pizza sauce though. We just sprinkle a little olive oil and top it off with our favorite veggies and mozzarella cheese. It's delish!
Here's a glimpse of our typical life. Any time I give Madison and Ivy a bone they decide that one of the bones is special and they fight over it all night long. Sometimes they compromise and will literally share it but last night was a 5 minute session of tug of war. Ivy won. She's the alpha so she usually wins at everything. If she doesn't she pouts the rest of the night. They're a mess.
I realized on Monday how much I've missed running so I picked it up again yesterday. I'm a fair weather runner. I've been spinning since October and I love it but I've really missed running around my neighborhood and it feels good to bring it back into my life!! It's like I never stopped. I always wonder how far I can go when I take a break but my stamina always stays the same. I'm glad.
After running I hopped in the shower and now I'm in my sweats with wet hair and ready to lounge the rest of the night. I think Spring may be here to stay for a while and I'm beyond excited about it.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Finish The Sentence Part TWO

My friend, Jake, is hosting another link up with his blogging girlfriend, Holly. Ready for another finish the sentence?
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1.) If calories didn't count, I would eat.....at On The Border every. single. day. I am so obsessed with OTB. Like, I just want to drop everything and go there right now because I'm talking about it and thinking about how good their salsa is.

2.) On my prom night.....I was bored. I don't really remember much about it because it was super uneventful to me. I had the worst case of senioritis ever and was totally over anything that had to do with high school.

3.) When I go to the store, I always buy.....Organic Spring Mix, Red Bell Peppers and Wine.

4.) Family functions typically.....involve champagne, wine, smooth jazz, good food and Landon trying to talk one of us into giving him money for Legos.

5.) I think my blog readers.....would make me happy if they would actually follow my blog. Nobody would believe me if I told them how many people read my blog based on the lack of followers and comments.

6.) I'd much rather be....traveling right now. Traveling is my favorite. I wish I could take a year off and see the world. I would start with Italy first.

7.) I have an obsession with.....J Crew, chocolate covered strawberries and pretty shoes. Oh and On The Border, duh.

8.) My work friends.....Umm, I don't have any of those. #HousewifeProblems

9.) When I created my Facebook account.....it was November 26, 2004. Or so says my Facebook timeline. My friend, Hannah, was the first person to tell me about it. I used to spend hours looking at all of the "groups" people created and I loved getting poked. I think if someone poked me now it would totally creep me out.

10.) My least favorite word is.....Tater. It's potato. Why, WHY would anyone say tater?  I also can't stand the way Obama pronounces Pakistan but that's a whole other thing.

11.) I really don't remember.....much about my last job. My boss was so cray and I swear it gave me PTSD Amnesia because it was so traumatizing.

12.) Justin Bieber.....seems to be on a slippery slope. I totally see a Brit Brit circa 2007 moment on the horizon if someone doesn't get a hold of him. Poor guy though. He's just broken hearted after his breakup with cutie pie Selena Gomez. We've all hopped on the crazy train after a breakup before. Or well, I have. Yikes, the stories I could tell you on that subject. Jake loves to remind me of them.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Capture The Moment

Hey everyone! I hope your weekend was fun. I had a pretty good weekend. One of my pledge sisters got married Saturday night and so many girls that I haven't seen in a long time were there so that was fun. The wedding was beautiful and we had a good time dancing the night away. My friend, Jacqueline (Jax) told me that while we were all dancing she said to her husband "Kara knows every word to all of the rap songs" to which Craig replied "that's because she's from El Dorado." HA!! It made me laugh because it's so true.
I kinda failed to finish my week long outfit of the day series so....
this is what I'm wearing right now. This sweater is from JCrew and the extra blue jeans are from the Gap. I love the jeans but they always manage to unzip themselves so I have to make sure I'm wearing a shirt long enough to cover up my wardrobe malfunction!
Isn't my little Ivy so pretty?! She squeezed herself through my coffee table books and decided to lay here the other day. Thank goodness for iphones. If I didn't have it I wouldn't take near as many photos. I love being able to capture their cute moments all the time! Take Madison for example....
While I was eating lunch today I looked over and this crazy girl was laying on her back with a toy in her mouth. She lays like this all the time and it cracks me up. She also will just walk around holding a toy and not let it go for up to 30 minutes sometimes. It seems like she would get tired of holding it but she doesn't. She loves her toys!!!!
Love these two.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

OOTD // Wardrobe Favorites

Todays' outfit post consists of the three things in my closet that get worn more than anything else.
During the fall/winter I wear these Hue Jeggings so much that it's almost embarrassing. They are SO comfortable because the waist band is elastic. I bought them for the first time about two years ago after someone raved about them and I won't lie, I was a little hesitant. I mean, jeggings? Something about the whole concept seems so wrong. The second I tried them on I was instantly hooked. The fabric on them is really thick and nice. Every time I go in JCrew the girls who work there always try to get me to buy these and I always resist because my Hue Jeggings look like the exact same thing, are less than half the price and WAY more comfortable. If you don't own a pair I insist you stop everything you're doing right now and get some.
Allow me to introduce you to my favorite top in the whole wide world. I got it at Ann Taylor Loft a few years ago and would give anything if they would make it again--in every color of the rainbow. They always seem to (semi) recycle their clothes season after season but of course I've never spotted this blouse since I first bought it in 2011. Here's a better look of me wearing it in this recent post. This is the most versatile blouse I've ever owned. I've worn it with jeans while out and about running errands and I've paired it with a sequined skirt for a fancy event. Love. It.
Finally, I threw my favorite sweater....vest?? on top and called it a day. I got this at H&M when I went to China and it seems to look good thrown over pretty much anything. I wish I could wear it during the summer too but it would probably be strange to wear a sweater in 90 degree heat. You can get a better look at it in this post
I completed the look with this vintage statement necklace from Mae's in Fayetteville.
And these leopard flats via Dolce Vita. 

And that's today's Outfit Of The Day!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Outfit Of The Day // High-Low

Some days I don't technically get "dressed." At least one day a week, I usually throw on some workout clothes and do things around my house and in my yard. Today was one of those days. I had a feeling last week that I would have a day like today so I snapped a picture of what I wore on Friday just to be on the safe side!
The weather on Friday was in the seventies and today it's in the forties so it seems crazy to me that I was wearing a dress just a few days ago!! I was so excited to bring flowy dresses back into my daily life! It's pretty unusual for me to not wear a dress in the summertime. They're breezy, comfortable and don't take much effort. I found this dress at Forever 21 a couple of weeks ago for only $12.50!! I've never owned a mullet dress (ew, wish there was a better name for them) before because I've never been too fond of them but this dress seemed to work. Since the price was so great and I liked the fit I decided to get it in black as well. You can find it here.
The dress is a little plain on it's own so I paired it with this green military jacket. I love this color green and I think almost anything can go with it. I actually have several different jackets this color but I like this one for spring because of it's light weight and quarter length sleeve.
Finally, I zipped up these slingback wedges and soaked in the amazing weather for the rest of the day. I love wedges like these but stepping on a pebble the size of a blueberry can knock you off balance. You definitely have to be careful! And if you think it's a good idea to wear them when traveling through an airport, you're wrong. You can find these guys here.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Outfit Of The Day // Tweed

This past weekend when I was in Little Rock, I popped in J Crew (duh) and I'm fairly certain I found a new top that will soon become a wardrobe staple. I can dress it up, down and everything in between. Today I went for the everything in between look.
This is the Tweed Front Tee from J Crew and I'm obsessed! Not only is it comfortable but it reminds me of Chanel. Which is probably why I love it so much!! Once the weather warms up I'll probably just pair it with white shorts and call it a day. Since there's still a little chill in the air, I threw on my favorite new jeans and my go-to black blazer. 
This is a look I turn to all the time. I think a black blazer and jeans is a no fail. I got that blazer at Forever 21 a couple of years ago and I wear it all the time. The lining on the sleeves is pinstripe so I love to roll them up to make it not look so plain. 
I topped the look off with this amazeballs necklace that I borrowed from my Mom (and keep forgetting to give back!!) and the best black booties Sam Edelman ever made.
I love these shoes and what is so funny to me is how often men notice them. Any time I'm in the checkout line at Walmart and I'm wearing these and a man is behind me, he always comments on them. Without fail. I'm not sure if they're really impressed with their awesomeness or completely disturbed by the fabulous black spikes. I choose to go with the former!
So there is my outfit of the day! Whether you're a Housewife or a CEO, this look can work for anyone and that's one reason I love it so much. 

Monday, March 18, 2013

Outfit Of The Day // DOTS

All week long I'm going to be blogging about my daily outfits. Let me start by saying I'm no Rachel Zoe nor do I think I am. I love fashion and know a lot about it but I definitely don't consider myself an out of the box fashionista when it comes to my own style. My wardrobe is very simple consisting of a lot of jeans, even more dresses (the flowy-er the better) a rainbow of button downs and more blazers than I know what to do with. If someone asked me how I would describe my look, I would say......comfortable. Except for the shoes part! I draw major inspiration from my favorite fashion magazine, J Crew, covet Olivia Palermo's entire wardrobe and seek advice from my beloved fashionista, Tulip Louise, when a particular wardrobe piece stumps me. Overall, my look is simple, colorful and probably not much different than yours. Here's what I wore today!
I chose to layer these two tops, both from J Crew, and paired them with my favorite new jeans from the Gap. The weather right now is tricky and I don't like it. This past weekend I wore flip flops and today I had to pull out my trusty boots to keep my feet warm!
I blogged about these guys this past fall. I got them at Target and felt like I hit the jackpot! I had never gotten shoes at Target before these but now every time I go in there I take a peek at the shoe section. I'm surprised I haven't worn the soles off these little booties because they were my go-to's all fall/winter long. They go with nearly everything and are quite comfortable. I heart them.
Dirty hair = bun. Today I twisted it and pulled it into a side knot then threw a pretty headband on top to make it look like I tried hard (I didn't). The big necklace completed the look for me. I got it at Ann Taylor a few years ago. They have really great jewelry fyi. The necklace I'm wearing in my header (second pic to the right) came from there and someone actually asked me if it was real! Ha! I said yes. Just kidding, I didn't.
So that's todays look! You can find it all here, here and here.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Happy Birthday Ivy & Madison!!

Today is Madison and Ivy's birthday!! They are officially ONE!! Of course we had to make the day really, really fun. We started out with special birthday hats! I was impressed with my girls because they actually allowed me to put them on their heads! Don't let me fool you. They lasted just long enough to get a couple of cute photos. 
They got a very special birthday cake this morning. We were in Little Rock this weekend so Ivy, Madison and Grace all got to enjoy it together. They all found it to be quite delicious. 
After indulging in the birthday bone and a special trip to PetSmart, we packed up and headed back home. I love this picture. This is my little family and I love all of them so much!!!! :)
Once we got home and settled in, I gave the girls their second special birthday treat--a mini cupcake!! Both of them only ate the frosting off the top. A few hours later they went back and finished it off.  It made Scott and I laugh! I'm glad we were in Little Rock this weekend so we could get them fun birthday treats. They don't have anywhere here in NWA where you can get goodies like that. 
After indulging in their goodies Ivy and Madison got to open a few presents. I know.....I'm so ridiculous!!!!! I can't help myself though!! I've slowly collected new toys over the last few months. The purple owl is Mr Owl 2.0. I got it for the girls this past Halloween and Madison loved it immediately. About a month ago she killed the poor guy so I got her another and she was SO happy to see it has returned. The red crab and red smiley thing also seem to be a favorite with Miss Madison. Madison really likes toys.
Gamma bought this frisbee just for Ivy today while we were at PetSmart and she is OBSESSED. I wanted to include it in the photo with all of the birthday toys above but Ivy wouldn't part with it long enough to let me do so. Ivy loves a frisbee as we discovered last week. I can't wait to take it outside and let her really get crazy with it!! 
I can't believe my little nuggets are ONE! I love these girls so much. They bring me so much joy, laughter, happiness and entertainment. One of the best decisions I've ever made was choosing to go with twins! I cannot imagine one without the other. They are soul mates. I know I say this all the time but Ivy and Madison love each other SO much. I love that they always get to have one another and that they got to share in their special day together. 
HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY IVY AND MADISON!! Momma and Daddy love you sweet girls SO much!!!

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Spring Saturday

Today was such a nice day so we decided to spend the majority of it outside. I hope this beautiful weather is here to stay for a while. Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!






Thursday, March 14, 2013

Trees

Having someone come out and discuss landscaping options for our backyard yesterday was a lot of fun! I was hoping our budget would stretch farther than it's going to but that's okay. We're going to do the main part first then slowly add to it over the next year or so. The guy who's doing it is a friend of ours and someone I've known since college. I loved his ideas and think it's going to turn out looking really beautiful. It's fun having a blank canvas to do whatever you want with. We're going to start by doing a big bed across the back of our fence. He suggested using Autumn Blaze Maples and Blue Atlas Cedars and I think they will look so good together!
I can't wait to see it all completed! It's going to make such a HUGE difference. I'll definitely post photos of the finished product. I'm not quite sure when we're going to get started but it's definitely going to be soon. I hope Ivy and Madison won't mind that their running space is going to get a touch smaller!!
Once we were finished with all of the landscape talk, I threw on my favorite red blazer then Scott and I met up with his Mom and some of her friends for dinner. I like Jodie's friends. They're all really sweet and fun to hang out with. 
Time to hop off. Lots to do today!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Fashion

I got home yesterday and it felt so good to be back! I missed Scott, my home and my normal routine. I left the girls in Little Rock so Landon could play with them. He loves the puppies and I'm really pleased with how well they tolerate him. He's not rough at all--just very loud and moves a touch too swiftly for them. It's good for them though and I want them to learn to be okay with little kiddos. I snapped this picture of Landon and Madison yesterday and I think it's such an adorable photo!!
Before Grammy and I left Little Rock we, plus Mom and Landon, went to Chipotle to have lunch. I love their salads. I wish we had one in Rogers. I have a feeling I would eat there all the time if we did. Since we were close to Belk we popped in there to browse. We ended up in the kids section and Landon wanted Gamma to buy him these gorgeous shirts.
She's a wonderful grandmother because she obliged and we both chuckled while she was paying for them. It's definitely true that grandmothers do things for their grandchildren that they would never do for their kids. When I was little I wanted jelly shoes, those socks with different colored beads dangling from them and to paint each of my nails a different color. Mom always said no. At the time I was so sad. Clearly.....I still remember it. Looking back on it now, thank you Mom! I wish I had listened to you in high school when you tried to discourage those beautiful Birkenstocks I loved to wear.
Speaking of fashion, I thought I'd share mine with you. All next week I'm going to take pictures of my outfits and post them on here. I'm always trying to come up with something different I can do for the blog and I haven't done this before so I think it will be fun!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Aunt Kara + Landon

The past few days with my favorite nephew have been fun. We spent the whole day together yesterday and in true fashion I took him to Toys R Us to get some new Legos. Landon is obsessed with Legos--especially the Ninjago ones. I'm so impressed that he can build them because it looks really hard to me. I've never attempted to build them though so maybe it's not. This particular set took him a little over 2 hours. Know what that means? Peace and quite for dear ol Aunt Kara.
I took that opportunity to flip through landscaping books and magazines. I love looking at stuff like that. Does anyone else or is it just me? I'm so ready for spring and plants/flowers! I can hardly contain my excitement. We're having someone come out to our house tomorrow to get the process started on landscaping our backyard and I can't wait. I have no idea what our budget will allow so I'm extra anxious to hear what he has to say.
Landon is in that awkward stage right now where his teeth look so silly. Six are missing and 3 are new....the rest are still his baby teeth. I can still remember what it felt like to have loose teeth and missing teeth and how exciting it was when the Tooth Fairy came. I was always too chicken to pull them out so they were beyond loose and hanging by a thread before I was willing to give them a tug.

I don't know what we have in store for today but it won't be much. I'm heading back home this afternoon. I miss my husband!! We're going to come back to Little Rock this weekend so Scott can see Landon. I think I'm going to leave Ivy and Madison here. Grace and Landon really want me to.

I'm in the kitchen blogging and Mom and Grammy are in here working a puzzle. Live coverage of the new Pope being announced is on the television in the living room right now. Landon went in there to watch it for a second then came into the kitchen and said "I think it's going to be a white guy."

Enjoy your Tuesday folks.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

My Favorite Nephew

Look who I ran into on Friday night!
Mr. Landon is here! This little kiddo will be here all week and I'm glad I get to spend time with him. We spent the whole day together. We started a puzzle, played hide and seek (I found a really great hiding spot) and watched the first Harry Potter. I fell asleep 30 minutes in. The child has entirely too much energy and I'm sorry but he plain wears. me. out.
We also went to TCBY and got matching ice cream cones. Rainbow ice cream for him, chocolate, vanilla and strawberry yogurt for me. YUM.
I'm going to attempt to finish this puzzle that we got started. See you guys tomorrow!

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Grace Turns ONE

Today our sweet little Grace celebrated her very first birthday!!! 
I can't believe you are ONE now Gracie!! We all love you so much. You are such a sweet, easy going little girl and we are so glad you are in our lives!!
Happy Birthday Gracie Grace!!!!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Finish The Sentence

Today one of my BFF'S (The Life Of Jake) is hosting a link up with one of my new favorite bloggers, Holly of Where We Can Live Like Jack and Sally. If you're wanting some new blogs to read check out both of them. They're hilar. Obviously I'm participating in this.
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1.) People always tell me......that I have an interesting or different name. By people I mean strangers at the checkout line. They see my name on the credit card, ask me how to pronounce it, then say "that's unique. I've never heard that one before." What do you mean? My name is Kara. I guess I'm just so confused.
2.) In the movie based on my life......it would be a box office flop because nobody would want to go see it.
3.) Typically, I end up regretting......diving into that second bottle glass of wine.
4.) I always ask to leave off the.....beans when I eat Mexican food. Double rice for me.
5.) Kim and Kanye really need to......set the record straight on how to pronounce his name. Kim says Kan-yea. Have we all been saying it wrong this whole time?
6.) My parents always reminded me that......Most people finish beauty school in 12 months.....not 23.
7.) Every single day......I shave my legs. I cannot NOT do it under any situation or circumstance.
8.) This one time in college......I let Jake make my toga outfit for me. Big mistake. He made it like a man's toga. Obviously this created a problem since men's toga's barely cover their chest. I had to wear a shirt under it while all the other girls looked cute and sexy with their little midriff and tiny skirt. Starting over and buying new fabric wouldn't fit into my weekly budget so I had to just go with it and look like the guy from Animal House.
9.) My grossest habit is......turning my belly button inside out and digging out all of the junk that's in it with my tweezers then smelling it. Woah! I know, right?
10.) My latest white lie was......yesterday when I told Scott I went to Sonic and got a cheeseburger. I left out the part where I got a medium fry and small popcorn chicken.
Okay fine! I got a large fry.
11.) I know all the words to......Super Base. One of these days I'm going to karaoke it and get a standing ovation.
12.) When I grow up I want to be......Kelly Ripa.
13.) Sexy time is......two puppies crying and barking and scratching on the bedroom door that Mom and Dad shut them out of.
14.) I will never, ever......understand why Lindsay Lohan can't pull herself together, Britney Spears wardrobe, anyone who actually reads Star Magazine and why Nick and Jessica broke up.
15.) I think it's hilarious......that I drove past a woman cruising on her Hover Round down the interstate yesterday. Especially since I caught the part where she had to swerve to avoid the possum road kill that was blocking her path.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Finals Bound

I'm about to take off and head to Little Rock. I'm helping my parents work basketball again this week. Also, Mr. Landon is coming into town because he's on Spring Break. I sure am excited to see that little guy. The last time I saw him was over Thanksgiving so it's been long overdue.
I better finish packing. These three are coming with me (of course) and they're already excited about their bye bye trip. I'm, however, not excited about it. These three will all want to be in my lap the whole time AND I'm going to have to stop and pick something up to eat on my way down. Should be interesting.


Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Frisbee's

The weather was so nice yesterday so Scott and I fired up the grill for the first time since I can't remember and shared a ribeye. It was so great and made me really anxious for spring. We are going to add a little landscaping to our backyard soon and I'm so excited about it! Right now it's a big yard with grass and a fence only. It needs a little sprucing up. Since it was so nice out I let the girls romp around and play for a really long time. They had so much fun. I know how much they enjoy playing outside but it stresses me out and I stand in the grass watching them the entire time. I know I'm ridiculously paranoid but I just don't feel comfortable letting them go outside without being out there with them. I get fairly bored just standing there watching them roll around in the grass so I decided to get a frisbee for them today so it would give me something to do. I really thought Madison would be the one who enjoyed it the most since she loves toys so much but to my surprise Ivy was the one who couldn't get enough of it!! She LOVED it. I mentioned last week that I wished the girls had coats to wear for outside (You can judge me, I know how ridiculous I am) and I saw some cute ones today at Walmart on sale so I got them! It was pretty chilly today so I put them on the girls. I don't know if it made a difference or not but they sure did look cute!
I should be embarrassed of myself but.....I'm not.