Monday Musings

We have been living in a winter wonderland!  I don't mind it, sure it's cold and adds more time to get ready, drive, etc, but it's so pretty!!  I hope that it stays cold and keeps snowing for Christmas.

We took the kids to see Santa on Friday...they were in great moods and there was no line!! But as soon as we walked this corner, Santa got up and left!  They ended up switching Santas and by then...well I'll share those photos a little later in the week!!

Saturday brought lots of errands and taking my youngest sister on a few of them! Those of you wondering, she's doing so well.  She's still in her programs, working with counselors, therapists and getting the treatment she needs.  I am so proud of her and continue to pray daily.

I snapped a few photos with my nice camera. 

We are definitely cutting this one's hair after Christmas.  It's time.

I bought this adorable outfit from Marshalls, it's "Seven for all Man kind" and I wanted him to wear it on a family photo shoot in the fall...that never happened.

Brooke made her reindeer headband in preschool and hasn't taken it off, until today because it's now quite tattered after wearing it 24/7.  Yes, she slept in it.

Can you guess her favorite Christmas song at the moment?

My two crazy goofball kids.

Sunday we got ready for my sister's cookie party.  She insisted on taking her photo by her Santa countdown.

And one by the white tree

We got a photo of the kids!

I love this one.

From 1-7.  They had a ball eating all the cookies.

It got a little warm so we threw his hair up in a "Man bun." He may have a little obsession with controllers...

Christmas Spirit wrapped up in this beautiful girl.

And if you're still looking for a gift, I highly recommend this gold trove ring!

You can still order until tomorrow 12/20 to get it by Christmas!!

How fun would this tree be?! haha

Best Childhood Memories

...playing with my sisters indoors on rainy Saturdays; singing, dancing, making up plays and performing them in front of my parents.

...coming home to freshly baked cookies after school.

...spending the night at my Grandma Owl's house and having tea with cream & sugar, watching QVC

...playing with our dog Bacca out back in the yard

...baking Christmas cookies with my mom and some of her friends

...lip synching Tiffany with my hairbrush while standing on a unicorn toy box...maybe singing The Bangles too

...dressing up our cats in baby doll clothes

...Sunday nights after a big family steak dinner, we'd take our baths/showers and settle in for a family TV night.  We'd watch Life Goes On and America's Funniest Videos.

...taking trips to Charleston SC

...my mom making us hot cocoa after playing outside in the snow

...my dad making me my lunch and always adding a little note

...swimming in the pool for hours on end, probably annoying the daylights out of my mom.

...walking in the woods with my grandparents on their 100 acres of land.

...going to dance class on cool Autumn nights.

...visiting relatives at the lake in the Summer

...making playdough and finger painting with my mom

...dressing up for Halloween and trick-or-treating with my family

...going to see Sesame Street Live in the city

...writing in my Hello Kitty journal

...pumpkin carving

...s'mores on Labor Day at the lake

...sitting at the table doing my homework while my mom cooked dinner (yes, I do think fondly of that!)

...pretending we were gymnasts, my sisters and I

...making homemade taco shells for taco night

...Christmas eves at my Grandma Owl's and my mom's side of the family

...Christmas mornings

...Christmas dinner with my grandparents, my dad's side.

...driving home from Grandma and Grandpa's singing Christmas carols, all five of us

...going to work with my dad on his late nights

...getting a big 6 CD changer for my 13th birthday and loving All-4-One songs

...snuggling with our dog Tillie most nights

...playing barbies for hours in our basement, along with my little pony...



I'm pretty grateful for having such a wonderful childhood. It wasn't always perfect, but it was beautiful and loving.  My sisters and I were really close, in fact all five of us were very close.  While things have changed and evolved, and my parents are divorced, I have hope that we can in our own ways get back to some sort of closeness that currently does not exist.  I have huge hope that my sisters and I can reconnect, I guess you could say that would be top on my Christmas wish list this year. 

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.

Kiddos [Lately]

Crazy how I can go from zero to busy in such a quick time!! I am so happy to report that everyone here in the house is healthy and well--my allergies are a bit annoying--itchy eyes--but other than that, all is well!!  It's been really great these last few days and I want to make sure I capture some moments up on the blog!

This one.  Oh, he is just too much!

But these two?? Be still, my heart.  Brooke is really starting to become more and more interested in "brudder" and you can find them smiling, laughing, "talking", holding hands, rubbing feet…you name it, she's such a good big sister!

I tried him in the high chair--I cannot believe he is big enough.  We go tomorrow for his 4 month checkup!! Oh, my, goodness.

Mama D stopped by briefly before we headed out to dinner.  {and she loves them so much she'll be back Thursday so I can have some MOMMY TIME!! ahhh!! So excited and thankful!}

Unless he's hungry, tired, or needs a change, you will see lots of this.

Saturday we met my friend and her kids at a park.  They had so much fun, those little monkeys!

She taught Brooke how fun it was to run through dandelions and kick them!

Such a big girl…

My little baby boy!

She was trying to get him to hold one of his toys.

Sunday was a gorgeous day, and after an early sushi dinner we came home to enjoy the sun.   Joe and Brooke had a ball with the water gun!

He's not totally ready for the doorway jumper, but he loved sitting in it and looking around.  His little arms fall to the side though, so I had to be right here to help.

And tonight, Bradley fell asleep in his swing and Miss Brooke and I had some girl time.  We played and read stories…she loves her book Grandma made her.

And me? I'm doing really well.  I feel like I was sort of in a funk, and ya know what, I get that way every end of Winter--Spring.  I know so much has changed, for the better, and the changing of those seasons, to me, is the most dramatic! It's like we never go gradually from cool weather to slowly warming up, it's all of a sudden, BAM 30-80 degrees and I'm all like whoa.  Also, we now have two little kids; not just like small but baby small!! It's crazy and I have to stop and remind myself, pretty much every day, that I just need to enjoy it.  Breathe it in.  Let what is, be, and love my life where it's at.  Granted, I still need a break and totally appreciate my solo Target run the other night and again, I am sooooo looking forward to my "ME DAY" Thursday.  

Joe and I have had some great quality time too; we haven't gone out or anything, but just lots of good talks about our future and even had time to watch movies!  I'll shamelessly admit we totally watched 50 Shades and I may or may not be actually reading 50 Shades Darker.  We also just watched MockingJay and that ending had me at whaaaaaa. No fair.

Anyway, back to me...I'm turning a corner and really working on my spirituality, my understanding of all that is, and trying to find peace, calming and balance in my world.  Again, with a very active 2 year old and a 4 month old, that's pretty funny of me to even type, I'm literally laughing at myself, I know, but in all realness, I feel like I have begun a little journey…I've taken a left at a fork in a road, and I'm excited to see where it leads me.  More on that later, but for now, a sneak peak of some new purchases!

I hope you are all doing well….love and light to all!!