Simple Style

Cheers to the weekend!

I'd be lying if I said that I didn't miss this little old blog.  I have a few unpublished posts sitting here in my design section and even though it's a little late to the party, I figured better late than never.

Today has been glorious.  I have been just relaxing (gasp!) and enjoying the day.  Brooke went to the fantasy football draft with Joe, and Bradley hung out with me.  He was pretty cranky and went down for a super early nap, which in turn allowed me to shower and take a little snooze myself!

Now he's still sleeping--whoa--so I figured I'd see how much I could pull together with my blog.

One of our many date nights this past summer included one where we met up with our friends to talk real estate over dinner.  Joe and I stopped for a drink at our favorite place, The Revelry.

I rocked a simple arm party (Stella & Dot of course!) and this stunning cream Waverly clutch from our Covet collection.

Cava was my drink of choice.

One of my favorite necklaces is this gorgeous Terney layered piece.  You can wear it all together or take it apart and wear pieces individually.  I adored it over a red caftan dress from Express.

My favorite eye shadows are from Younique! My girl Elizabeth keeps me in style makeup wise.

I never got a full shot 'after' hair and makeup & clothes were assembled, but such is #momlife when you are scrambling to get out the door and to a destination on paid time!

I am so grateful for such amazing babysitters.  Without these caring women in our lives, I am quite certain we would be lost.

I also love that I can text photos like this to my best girlfriend and she can give me glam advice. If you need any, don't be shy, she'd love to assist you too! #girlsrule

Friday Favorites!

Happy #fashionfriday!!

Eeenie--meanie--miniee-mo.... morning choices are so tough!!



I dressed up last Sunday for my solo trip to Target/Marshalls. I am digging our Drape Collar necklace as the whole 'choker trend' is till hot!

My new Blush Wesley Sunnies arrived and they are everything!! Coming in Tortoise too, I just adore this fun style.

I had a preschool board meeting so I rocked the Reese Necklace, smokey studs and my first clothing purchase off of Amazon.  Not too bad for $8!!

My go to eye shadow lately Palette #3 from Younique. I grabbed it from my friend Elizabeth a few months ago and for some reason, this is my favorite one to play with lately.

Apparently Venus is in Retrograde so it's all about love, healing the heart, sending compassion and just breathing in lots of pink.  I'll totally do that!  I bought these lovelies the other day at the grocery store.  I love roses.

How gorgeous is my mama friend out in California?!  She is rocking her arc pendant and her engravable.  She is the definition of beach babe!!

I love styling my little Mr's hair!! I am not wearing anything fancy, but if I can make him look *extra* cute, I totally will do it. I can already hear the phones ringing/texting when this one gets into Jr High/High school.  Oh my.

I'm leaving the house for the first time today since our crazy windstorm hit; I'm hoping it's ok to travel and that there is not too much damage.  I continue to pray for those without power and hope that all is restored soon.  What a mess. I'm not sure why March is always such an insane weather month.  It could be 80 degrees or snowing.  Wind or ice. It's absolutely nuts. 

Happy Friday!

Thoughts from the Weekend

Get ready for a random, all over the place post. LOL!

It was a nice weekend to have Joe home.  We were thinking of going away for the weekend with the kids or getting out and doing something fun, but that just didn't work out. Baby boy is still feeling not quite himself and I got hit the hardest Friday.  My whole head was congested and as much as I tried to keep up with "mom life" it got the best of me. I rested a lot and fell asleep at 8:30 Friday night.

Joe grabbed us sushi Friday evening and so Saturday I had left over Miso soup, juice and water for lunch.  I LOVE FOOD so when I had no appetite, I knew I was sick.  I am grateful for solid vitamins and lots rest, as I think it could have been much worse.  Thank goodness it was not!

I think my daily dose of positivity and green tea help too.  Sunday I was able to get out for a few hours and check out some goods at Mashalls and Target.  I may have stopped at Express too.

Totally random, but I saw this photo on my phone...April 1st you'll see these two fools tearing it up at the Ugly Disco.  We cannot wait!!  This was back in 2012...pre kids.  I am hoping I feel my very best this year!

This was a solid read!! Sorry about the language and if you're offended, than don't bother, because he probably drops the F bomb like 50+ times.  I think his message was pretty good and I know that I give WAAAAAAY too many effs about unimportant things.  I'm working on that.

Have you signed up for #thegirlfriendproject yet?!  Sign ups are open until the end of March.  You will be paired up with another lady for the month of April.  We will be "Showering each other with kindness!"

Link is here:#TheGirlfriendProject

A look at my first box from my partner Lindsay!

Thursday night I did whip up some asparagus wrapped in prosciutto.  No one was really hungry, but it was tasty nonetheless.  At least I tried?

Back track to last Wednesday it was almost 70 degrees and we had so much fun playing outside.  (I think this was when we were feeling better, and then bam, the next day baby boy got hit hard again.)

Seriously my life has been in this spot all last week.   I hate seeing my kids sick; it's so hard! Hopefully we will be on the mend this week and kick these germs to the side.

That's about all I have. I've been doing some workouts I'll be sharing and I am thinking of doing an actual "February Favorites" post, if I can find the time.

My biggest struggle is that I want to do everything, but when you try to do it all, you are not very good at it.  So, I'm trying my hardest to focus and put forth energy on things that will be really well developed and good.

I also just signed up for a virtual book club and I am excited to hold myself accountable to that.

I just need to keep laughing, keep breathing, keep loving and enjoying the small moments of life.

I rush around and then try to relax...

I find myself dwelling on little petty things that annoy me or the not so great parts of me.

I need to really stop being so hard on myself and love myself where I am.

I am terrible at the comparison game lately.

Do you know what I mean?  Where you start noticing every crumb on your just cleaned carpet?

Every wrinkle on your face?

Every mistake you make?

It's a stupid slippery slope and I want to get off of it!

I listened to Joel Olsteen's message yesterday in the shower and it spoke to me about being happy. Finding the laughs, and smiles and enjoying life is why God put us here. We are not here to be miserable or feel less than.

I will put that in the forefront of my mind this week as I work hard on healing ourselves and enjoying March. 

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!

I'm fighting so hard to stay healthy.  Both kids are still coughing, but they seem to be on the up and up.

I wanted to share a few of my favorites here and lift my spirits up!!  My friend Lindsay and I decided to run with this new monthly gift-giving project.

She writes more about it here on her blog .

We are pairing women up each month to get to know one another, connect, uplift and spread more positivity and joy!! You do not have to do it every month, but we do expect you to follow through if you're signed up and paired with another lady.

You simply fill out the form and be sure to stay active on social media so your partner (new friend!) can connect.   You do NOT have to have a blog to participate!

We ask that you spend $15 (before shipping) to keep it fair.  We will give ideas for monthly themes, but ultimately it's to have fun, spoil someone else and get spoiled in return!!

I hope that you join in on the fun!

Another thing I'm trying to get better at is posting on instagram.  Sometimes I just get busy with life, kids, and get into a rut, but I love sharing ideas and such with friends and learning new ones too! My friend Shelby and I came up with a list of topics to try and share each week.   The #redpinkweek was so much fun, we'll be doing a #goldgreenweek coming up soon in March!  @styled_by_jenn is where you'll find me and @shelbys9 is where you'll find my girl Shelby!

Since it's #winowednesday I have to say Rosé is still a fave.  I'm trying to not drink much wine (at all, ugh!) but if I were to have a glass, it'd definitely be pink.

For our Girls' Night last week I went with the flight of bubbly and the Rosé was by far my favorite!  I love that it's a mix and not too sweet or too dry.  I guess it's more of a Summer drink, but I am a Summer girl, so that totally makes sense.

I have officially ditched the store bought shower gels and lately have been loving chunk bar soaps.  They make the bathroom smell like a spa and leave my body feeling so clean! I just got this scent from my friend Michelle.  

I finally finished this book my mom bought me for Christmas. I definitely love it!! She has some really great tips for balancing life with littles and staying in shape as well as finding time for you.  Her healthy recipes sound great and I cannot wait to try them!! She inspired me to start Yoga in the beginning of the year, I just need to get back into it again.  I love that the book has a lot of photos and is so easy to read through, pick up randomly and helpful.

The last thing that I am LOVING is that our mini Summer capsule comes out tomorrow! Look at those sunnies! I will for sure be getting a pair of the pink ones.  I also am adoring the first necklace, as it can be worn as a bracelet AND for the month of March, our hostesses will be getting one for free!  Be sure to check them out when they release tomorrow.

Fashion Friday {gone country}

It's been awhile since I've put on the country stations. I'm not sure why, but for some reason when I went for a lonesome drive a few weeks back in June, I turned it on.  I laughed, I cried and call me crazy but I feel like sometimes a higher power, the divine, God, whomever...speaks to me through {country} music.

It happened when I was pregnant with Bradley and I was on the way to the gender ultrasound and I said, "give me a sign.  I really think we are having a boy!"  Low and behold, a Brad Paisley song came on--and I just knew for sure that ultrasound would show a little man!

Maybe it's the fact that my heart longs to be out in the middle of nowhere and raise our children in lots of land to run around on.  To cultivate big gardens and lots of self-sufficient necessities (eggs, chickens, I want goats, but I'm still working on Joe for that one!)





Our little country bumpkins to be.



I want them away from the hustle and bustle; I want us to all have a place to retreat.  These last few months have been so trying for all of us, and I cannot tell you how incredible it's been to back off from social media.  Sure I still like to hop on and check things out, but there is so much living to do, sometimes you need to step away.

Bubs helping Daddy clear trails.



Even Brookie was helping out! Daddy was posting No Trespassing Signs.



I'm going so country lately, we even got tickets to a Luke Bryan concert with my sis and some friends! I figured Joe wasn't exactly thrilled to be going at first, but to be honest? I think he had a way better time than he thought he would!  It was a blast and a little different; we are really embracing the different these days.  It's so easy to become all stuck in our ways, but sometimes that is exactly what we don't need.

So of course, in Jenn fashion, I needed a pair of cowboy boots!  I found a super cute (and great deal) online at Macy's.

I wore my camo keeper with "love", aviators & a wine glass. I also wore my double wrap black keeper with the arrow going forward.

It was super hot (of course!) So I just did the plain black tank and pink bralette from VS.

Keep earrings & tassel necklace.

This was my, "We are leaving!" text to my sis since she bought our tickets-we were meeting them there.

Trying to get a good pic of my boots was tricky!

We parked on the opposite side of where my sister and her husband parked.  Instead of taking the road like normal people, Joe and I walked a path in the woods, then had to walk off of the path and into prickers/bushes...and finally hopped a fence.  We found each other though!

This girl is the reason I even like country music! Ann and I met our freshman year at Fredonia State.  She is from the middle of no where and introduced me to Tim McGraw.  I was obsessed with his CD.

I had my heart set on a hat and my sis got one too.  Gotta protect our skin from that crazy sun!

It was so fun to get all of us together! We lost them by the time the show started but I'm impressed we grabbed a photo and actually found each other.

How incredible was this sunset? I mean...breathtaking.  I felt like the universe was just smiling down at all of us.  Reminding us how powerful and infinite life is.

We had lawn seats and couldn't exactly 'see' much of Luke himself, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.  We could dance around and sing and look at this gorgeous view.

Thanks again for my awesome birthday present Bri!



Seriously love this song.  I love my "country boy" (even though he can also be a city boy!!)  I love that Joe and I can have the best of both worlds.

Follow Friday

I cannot tell you how excited I am to be connecting with some truly beautiful people.  I love blogging and all of the different friends I have made in this internet world.

I reached out to one sweet girl, to see if she wanted to do a little collaboration with KEEP and her blog and my goodness, we had a ball at her online social.

Jessica was en route to her hometown and pulled over into a parking lot, since she had gotten stuck in traffic, to attend her online party!  I am so happy you were such a trooper and appreciate all of your efforts.

I had to share her blog and her post about KEEP.  Once again, it's more than just pretty arm candy; for sure it is so fun and gorgeous to look at, but when I saw Jessica's word of the year, "JOY" I knew she had to have some Keep pieces.

If you take a closer look into her life and blog, you'll see how much she has endured at such a young age.  It's women like this that even though I have never met in person, I know she has impacted me and my life in ways I can't even explain.

Thank you for being such an amazing hostess Jessica and for collaborating with me.  And a quick "Happy Birthday" to KEEP as it turns ONE today!




Who else should I be following in this beautiful blog world?  I love connecting with other women all over the country.

Friday Night Meatballs

We did it!  We actually hosted a "Friday Night Meatballs".  I'm a little late to post about it, but as is life! 

Brooke Lynn
Brooke and Joe did some clean up outside on the back deck, as the furniture was still outside.  Really, they just wanted an excuse to play in the leaves! Love this girl.

It was a lot of fun and definitely something we would love to do again, I just don't think I could do it every week.  Maybe it'd be less of an ordeal, but you could tell for everyone, coming over "for dinner" was a big deal.  I may have invited a lot of people, but I didn't really know what to expect.  We had a lot of "no response" which is always annoying, and we had some people who couldn't make it last minute, understandable.



My niece was getting super hungry and couldn't wait to eat!

Father & Son

 Either way, the house was full of food, laughter, and lots of people!

My love!

My dad & step mom!

Chatting with friends!

I would recommend gathering everyone into the dining room.

We had plenty of room, but I was putting the baby to bed and people were already sitting at the kitchen table eating. I didn't want to make them move.

Next time I would not put out this many chairs.  I reeeeeeeally wanted everyone in one room! Being me, I was kind of upset for a bit about that, but what can I do. I learned for next time!

Most of the food was eaten by the time I remembered to snap a pic.

So, while we didn't get the effect of the table being completely filled up, we still had a wonderful time!

Brookie loved running around with the other kids and goofing around with Daddy.

That was my goal. 1) Have a table full of friends/family 2.) Let the kids play.

It gave us an excuse to light these candles that have been up here forever…

Our sauce with meatballs…smelled so good!

I decided to make some chicken cutlets too, just to make sure we had enough to eat.

The biggest hit?  Homemade bread.  The first batch I tried to make didn't work out and I got pretty upset, but Joe insisted I try again, instead of just buying some at the store.  I was so glad that I did! There was NONE left.  {Recipe}

My favorite part?  He was excited to make meatballs and help tidy the house for our friends to come over.  He'd kill me if he knew I posted this, but how can I not?! Seriously it melts my heart when he is in the kitchen. {real life kitchen = mess}

Have you hosted a dinner party? I will definitely do it again, I'm thinking February when holidays and birthdays are out of the way.