Don't forget to have fun!

We went on vacation for a few days to New Orleans for my birthday. For some reason, people are shocked when I tell them we brought the kids. I guess New Orleans has that kind of reputation, but honestly, we ALL had a BLAST. Swimming, shopping, sight-seeing (and none of that kind of sight-seeing if you know what I mean!) It was a much needed trip. I don't remember the last "vacation" we took where there was no work involved, and we were ALL there. It was really nice. The best part was that the hotel was free thanks to all the points racked up by all the traveling that the Mr. does. It was a very cute hotel right in the French Quarter. Yep, I was pretty much in heaven.

Of course, we come home and I have a very busy week recovering from vacation. Did you miss me? Well, I'm back, and I'm exhausted but exhilarated at the same time! I had an amazing evening last night with a good friend at a very fun "special event". I even won a prize! That's always exciting! Unless you're an avid paper crafter like me, you probably wouldn't get it, but then again I was once anti-scrapbooking as well. So, if you don't know anything about Stampin' Up!, well, they are a fantastic paper crafting/memory keeping company that has lots of coordinating paper products (and stamps, imagine that!) as well as digital designing, home decor, oh so many things! Anyway, I'm addicted, as most people that know anything about them are. Every year they come out with a new catalog of all their products. Last night was a red carpet new catalog release. Sounds fun right? So I attended with my friend Julie at a movie theater here in Houston. It was fun to see new products, and receive a new catalog early, PLUS I won 3 ink pads of their new "in-colors" which are seasonal colors they keep around for only 2 years. Not to mention, I also got a fun new stamp set!

Anyway, the point of all this is that for me, making cards, digital designing, and just being creative is a great stress reliever for me, and it's even BETTER that I get to do it with friends! Every mom needs a hobby for "herself" to balance things out. I love that my hobby also records the memories we make as a family, and documents these years that will be over before I know it!

Under $30 Thursday - For REALS. Kindof.

Yes it's finally an under 30 Thursday ON A THURSDAY! I'm actually writing this on a Wednesday because we're going on vacation for my birthday (which is NOT under 30)! Woohoo!!!

1. So remember that Old Navy wrap dress from the first ever under 30 thursday? It's seriously FABULOUS. And I noticed today that there's a striped one ON SALE! So I bought it. Happy Birthday to me! Right now there's a 15% off everything code so I got it for 14 something (total steal!) but you might get lucky and score even more! Go check it out. Oh and I'm thinking of altering the sleeves. 3/4 or short? What do you think? (About the dress... ignore the hideous booties.) I also noticed there are a bunch of short sleeve versions. Lots of thick stripe ones. Just type "wrap" in the search bar.



2. I love this color! Also from Old Navy. $15 (PLUS your 15% discount. I wish I would have seen it to add to my previous order. I hate paying for shipping.)



3. Ok, so if you haven't noticed by now, I love me some maxi. Dresses, skirts and burgers. (Anyone know what tv show that one's from? You get a special prize if you do! If you sing the song you get bonus points.) Anyway, so I received some gift cards for Christmas and bought my FAVORITE skirt from Kohl's. I don't see it now, but there are lots of fabulous options! Just search "maxi" once you're on the Kohl's website. Here are a couple options. All under $30 of course. ;) Can you tell how much I love b+w???

4. If you aren't vertically challenged like I am, these sandals would be fabulous with any/all of the above! They come in a fun turquoise/silver color too.


5. I need a little extra height so the dress/skirt doesn't drag. These ones are calling my name. Literally. Also come in black/silver.



So that's it for this week! See you when I'm back from our trip!

Travel Checklist

We're heading out on a little roadtrip for my birthday! Woohoo! A real vacation! This is just a rough draft of my packing list. I used it last time we went to San Antonio, and it saved my sanity. The trick is to use it to pack and then bring it with you to repack in the hotel. I've wasted too much time today and haven't even started packing, not to mention laundry, cleaning and last minute errands, so I'm posting it here in rough draft form. If you notice anything or would like to add something let me know. Otherwise, I'll make it a little more aesthetically pleasing when I return. :) Enjoy!

Catch up for the week, including an under $30 Thursday on a weekend.

I know I've been MIA this week, and I just want to say my motto this week is:

We had a last minute park adventure where Evan decided playing with the girls was way better than playing with the boys, a trip to the ice-cream factory with our adopted family (neither family has family nearby, and Evan prefers being with them to us, so why not?), a visit to Dad at work (on our way home from Ikea), a messy house to prove it all, and NO GUILT whatsoever! It felt REALLY good to just leave the mess and go enjoy life! I love love LOVE hearing my kids laugh, and they do it a whole lot more at the playground than they do in front of the tv. (Although, they do find humor on tv and Evan has the cutest belly laugh while Sophie does the sarcastic Simpson's "ha-ha.") Anyway, it was a FABULOUS week, and the house managed to get cleaned up pretty quick, which was all kinds of amazing. So now it's time to shop!

1. Here's the dress I was talking about last time on my first under $30 Thursday, which was on a Tuesday, and now it's on a Saturday. I seriously need to reconsider the Thursday part of that weekly feature. Anyway, when I first saw it, it was on sale for $20. I didn't get it but couldn't stop thinking about it, and the Mr. even said "Wow! That's a nice dress!" So I decided to buy it while he was gone and wore it to the airport to pick him up. I got it in black and white (of course I did) but I'm really liking the blue and green one too. Maybe if it drops down to $20 again. Oh wait there's a sale on. Buy one get one 50% off. I should have waited! ANYWAY. Now you can get the black and white AND the green and blue.


2. Or you could get this fun striped one.

3. I just discovered the J.Crew Outlet site (thanks to thebigmamablog.com) and think it may have rekindled my love for J.Crew. I'm always on the lookout for cardis in every color. Well, look no further. 20 bucks. I know you're surprised that it's in hot pink, but no, I'm not buying a hot pink one that would clash with my red hair, but you know ever since Sophie was born I've been becoming soft. I'm not buying it. Just not hating the color anymore. Ok, kinda liking it. Still not buying it.


4. I've decided it's time to wear capris. Not shorts yet, I'm contemplating a spray tan before the shorts, but it's Houston, and it's gorgeous weather, and my jeans are just not going to cut it for this weather. I've always thought Loft pants fit kinda funny, but then Quinette (my gorgeous sister) bought a couple pairs in fun colors and they were so flattering! So I'm contemplating getting them in this color, but I'm also liking the Amore Red. Lots of colors to choose from and 40% off with code TREAT


5. I was SO CLOSE to buying these and still SUPER TEMPTED because they're 40% off of $12.88 but I have NO IDEA what size I am!? If you can figure it out, please let me know. I want these. Shoot. For that price I might just buy some and if they're the wrong size, I'll give them away. I'm so torn right now.

Need inspiration this weekend?

Amazing inspiration LIVE right here: Saturday & Sunday 10AM-12PM and 2PM-4PM MST

Many languages available if English isn't your native language.

My 2014 Theme

Every year I decide on a "motivation" for improving my life. Last year was "Enjoy the Journey" this year is "Small & Simple" (hence the name of the blog). Here is some artwork I created to remind me. Feel free to print it out and get inspired yourself.

Backgrounds are copyright by Stampin' Up!

Sibling Rivalry

What do these 6 ladies have in common? Well, parents for one thing, 4 brothers for another. Yep, we're sisters (with 1 missing from the photo). Crazy huh? Sometimes we wonder how in the world such different people came to one family. We are each so different, but we're bound by that funny thing called family. Yes, we are all smiling in this picture, but don't think it's always that way. We ARE very different, and have our share of "disagreements", and we all have our battle wounds from the growing up years, some physical, some (probably more) emotional. But man oh man do we have some fun stories and memories!

I was pondering on the subject of sibling rivalry the other day. I was teaching siblings, and one started criticizing the other, mostly joking, but still... so I told him it was my rule that for every mean thing you say about someone you have to say 3 nice things about them. You know what? He did it and I saw an immediate change in BOTH siblings. After thinking about it for a bit, I added the rule that you have to start with one nice thing about yourself. I think a lot of teenagers (or kids in general, but especially that awkward pre-teen/teen stage) criticize others because they aren't feeling good about themselves. Maybe they feel that if they put someone else down they'll feel like they themselves aren't so bad? Problem is, putting someone down NEVER makes you feel better about yourself. If we can replace the negative with positive (and then some) I wonder if we can prevent broken relationships? And not just prevent broken relationships, but build positive ones?

I'm definitely going to apply my 3 compliment rule to my own kids, but even more than that, I'm going to make an effort to compliment them all the time. I don't want the compliments to come only after something negative, and there's no better way of teaching than by example. So let's all start sincerely complimenting every one we come into contact with! Remember what our mothers said, "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

What else do you do to "fix" sibling rivalry?

Under $30 Thursday on a Tuesday, because when there's a sale, there's a sale.

There was a point after child #1 where I had the worst self-image I've ever had. Nothing fit, and we didn't have money to buy anything new. I avoided going out with friends or even with my husband just because I had NOTHING that I felt good in. When we got our tax return that year, my long-suffering husband suggested I take $100 and spend it on clothes. Jumping on the suggestion, before he changed his mind, I blew it all on cotton clearance bargains that after a wash or two ended up in the category of "old and frumpy". I was back to where I started but felt even WORSE for having blown a hundred bucks.

Isn't it always the case that when you have money to spend, there's nothing to buy, but when you don't have a penny to your name, everything fabulous is on sale? Here is my solution to avoiding this problem. (Just a sidenote here, don't ever use a credit card unless you pay it off immediately (there are some good deals to be had by using a card). Debt is never pretty or happy.) When you have $30 or less to spare, from birthday money, Christmas money, selling that old whatever on Craigslist, buy something new. That way, you won't ever feel the need to blow the bank on a brand new wardrobe that will turn into your old frumpy wardrobe when it all shrinks in the first wash. I RARELY if EVER spend more than $30 on one article of clothing including shoes. Remember that EVERYTHING goes on sale. There is an exception to my $30 rule; everyone has their exception, mine is bras. (Oh and swimsuits! So I have two exceptions.) Let's just say that I make a double D look like a training bra. I need support people, and that support comes at a cost. I had a roommate in college who was over 6 foot and her exception was jeans. She didn't want to be advertising a flood if you know what I mean, so she had to spend more to get the length. You know what your exception is, and if you don't have one, COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!!!

Now, I know what you're saying, nothing cute or in-style is under $30. Well, it CAN be if you shop the sales! I'm not saying your entire outfit has to be under $30, just each individual piece. In my younger years (which was 4 years ago when I was able to actually set foot in a store and have time to shop for myself) I would head straight back to the clearance racks. And that beautiful skirt I HAD to have that I saw on my way back? I'd stalk it to see when it went on sale, and it inevitably would. This has the added benefit of determining whether or not I would really get any use out of it or if it would just hang beautifully in my closet gathering dust.

Anyway, so if you still don't believe you can find a quality wardrobe on the cheap, don't fret. I'm here to help. Here are a few pieces I have found in the wee hours of the night, when I should be sleeping.

****UPDATE****

See, good things come to those who wait! All those Loft tops are 50% off today with the code NEWME which makes them even cheaper! They're all under $30 now, and those cute striped tops rang up in store as $12 for me! I also got a plain black one for $10. Ok, NOW my budget is officially spent. 

1. A girl can never have too many three-quarter sleeve navy striped shirts! or seafoam or coral. I'll take one of each thank you very much! Using the Loft friends and family code of friends2, these babies are $17.70 a piece.


2. This style of shirt is very flattering when, let's be honest, your jiggly belly is not. It comes in navy, black, seafoam and if you don't have the redhead curse like I do, that lemon-lime color looks fun! This one is from the Loft again, but you can find this style everywhere. I found a great navy one with white design (possibly my favorite shirt) at the Gap outlet for about 20 bucks. I really want this seafoam one.$29.70 with friends and family code.


3. Ok, here's one that might be worth a rule-breaking. With the f&f code it's $35.70. I might have a slight heart attack paying the 5.70 over my rule, BUT if I don't love it as much in person as I do online, I can always return it. I seriously love it.


4. However, I can't buy it this time, because I just bought 3 FABULOUS dresses, and have therefore depleted my wardrobe budget. Here's the first, in a lovely CORAL shade, even though online it says red and looks pink. (And I bought it anyway! Thinking it was pink! I confessed already to 2 of my sisters. They were speechless.)  I do also love the navy. And the black... Anyway, I KNOW it says it's $46.94, but I got it during a 30%  (or was it 40%) off all dresses sale. Wait for it.

5. I'm always nervous of a wrap-around, but this one fits GREAT. I'll wear it for a full day and let you know how it holds up. Again, bought on the % off dresses sale, but it might be worth the extra 5 bucks. I have to run and pick up my husband from the airport now, so I'll show you the other dress next week. I know, you're dying. Sorry. Try to survive with one of these amazing choices for now. Happy bargain shopping!