A Texan Odyssey

I fell in love with Polyvore last night and today I'm back on there creating a cute outfit for a summer BBQ. All the items, other than the Fossil bag and watch, are under 50 dollars! Great for your wallet! I've jazzed up a simple tank and shorts ensemble with a fedora, colorful friendship bracelets and sandals, and a nice tortoise watch. Add in a purse to carry your essentials, and you're done! (P.S. Jessica Marie (another Texan blogger!) over at Splendiferous Inclinations  has an awesome giveaway going on for some cool John Frieda products! Click here to enter! You have until tomorrow at 10 a.m. Good luck!) (P.P.S Linking up to Long Distance Loving) BBQ Attire by ValFox   Madewell scoop neck tank $25 - madewell.com Old navy shorts $23 - oldnavy.gap.com Old navy shoes $20 - oldnavy.gap.com FOSSIL cross body shoulder bag $128 - buckle.com FOSSIL tortoise watch $95 - buckle.com Madewell plastic bangle $10 - madewell.com Madewell plastic bangle $10 - madewell....

- Cute baby boy: All mine! -Top and Jeans: Kohl's - Sandals: Express - Belt: Gap - Earrings: Gift - Watch: Fossil  Babies are really the perfect accessory! I love mine! This is one of my new shirts from Kohl's. It kept coming untucked throughout the day, but other than that I really like it, especially the forest green color. (Or deep moss as the website calls it.) You can buy it here . I was going to wear the other shirt I bought, but a button popped off and I didn't have time to sew it back on!

I am always amazed at how fearless Sean is. He welcomes all new experiences with open arms! "Can I keep it Mom?" They were so well behaved while we ate. "I got your back Bob." I was scared to cut Sean's hair, but I did it anyway and am pleased with the outcome! My sis took this of her oldest girl, Maya. Love her reflection in the mirror! Unfortunately they didn't have DDR, but my babe tried this dancing game out instead. Here we are watching the little helicopter go around in circles. I may have lost this game, but later I beat Ryan in another racing game! Woot! Rachel and Chris beginning their street hoops competition. Father and Daughter Dear little Eva, Rachel's youngest daughter. Sleeping Beauty We had so much fun acting like kids again yesterday at Chuck E. Cheese's and then later my mom had us all over for breakfast for dinner. (Delicious pancakes Mom!! Thank you!) We played a game that's basically a mix of pictionary and the telephone g...

Healthy Smoothies: Milk, Ice, Strawberry and Banana New Weight: 142 One more pound down! 13 lost total and 7 more to go! I can't wait to be in the 130's, maybe next week!!! I'm also SUPER proud of Ryan for losing 3 pounds this week, for a total of 15 pounds lost!! My failures this week were indulging in sweets too often (again). My birthday ice cream cake was soooooo good and I got sent home with the second half of it, which hubby and I finished within a few days. (At least it was a very small cake!) I also had some candy and ice cream for my second birthday celebration, and over the week finished a bag of Twizzlers. The good thing is that I never pigged out on these desserts and have continued my Insanity work outs daily. Today will be the last day of the recovery week and Monday I'll start month 2 with the fit test and max interval circuit. I'm also drinking a lot of water and eating healthy meals! (Linking up again to the beautiful Fashion Momma'...

- Dress, Top & Ring: Kohl's, - Shoes: Express - Watch: Fossil - Earrings: Gift This outfit may be a little much for just going shopping, but I wore it anyway!  I wore this dress last here . To make it look like a whole new outfit I tied on a simple white button up shirt and wore my new yellow sandals from Express. (The link only shows them in black) I actually like this look a lot more since it defines my waist, which is always more flattering. Can you tell I'm loving tying on shirts lately? I did it  here and here . I also love my new turquoise earrings from my Mom. As evidenced by the new shoes, I did return the straw and leather purse to Express. Besides the shoes I also bought the striped ruffled tank top I wanted in small, but when I showed it to Ryan he thought the ruffle was ridiculous. I'm either going to accept him laughing at that ruffle every time I wear it or take it back and buy the red bracelet instead! I wore this today to do some more birthd...

My mother and sister and I have donated money to Operation Smile before, and let me tell you, it is so rewarding to be able to make such a big difference in a child's life. Operation Smile is a children's charity devoted to giving free reconstructive surgery to children born with cleft palates or cleft lips. These deformities are not just cosmetic, but can cause the child to be unable to eat, drink, or speak. Thanks to people's donations Operation Smile can be there to heal these children's smiles. "It takes as little as 45 minutes It costs as little as $250 It changes a child's life forever !" 100% of your donation goes towards helping children like Fatima and Guillermo. FATIMA "This sweet baby girl was born with severe clefts in her lip  and palate that made eating and drinking difficult. Her parents were stricken with grief. As feeding her was difficult, they worried she might die. Fatima was the only  one of their four children to ...

My sister and brother-in-law gave me a gift card to Express and I went and bought a purse that looked just like the Fossil one above yesterday: It was originally 59 dollars, on sale for 30, and with an additional 20% off I got it for 25. However I realized I'm really dependent on putting my purse over my shoulder, and the small strap here doesn't allow for that. It does come with a long strap, but I felt it just didn't look as good worn that way. At some point in the next few days/weeks I'll be returning to the store to see what I can purchase instead. Here are a few options I looked at: Straw Shoulder Bag: (buy here ) I thought this smaller bag was very cute and perfect for summer! I love the chain strap and it's a really nice length to comfortably go over the shoulder. My concern is the small size. You all know from this post that I carry a lot of stuff around! Also they only had two left when I was there yesterday, so they might be gone by the time I go b...

 Look at those blue eyes!  I spy toothies!  My dear hubby  Nothing cuter than a baby in a bin! Cutie Patootie  The boys on Father's Day Is this Sean's opinion of my excessive picture taking?  Celebrating my birthday a day early  I turned one? No! 25! It was delicious!  Second birthday celebration, this one on the real day. Molasses cookie, two flavors of Ben & Jerry's ice cream topped with red hots, m&m's and gummy bears. The last few days: -Lunch with Ryan's side of the family on Sunday. Delicious brisket tacos, fresh plums, sparkling cider and of course my ice cream cake. Presents also! -Watched  The Sword in the Sword with my sister-in-law Sunday evening while playing with Sean. -Made Ryan's Father's Day dinner request: Mongolian beef with noodles. He and Steph loved it. -At midnight received a beautiful birthday card from Ryan and my favorite candy at the moment. (Sweet and sour Twizzlers...so good!) He let me pick out some...