A Texan Odyssey

Fall Trends by valfox   So here's my non-expert opinion about what some of the trends for fall are: more color blocking, lots of leopard print, leather, pleats, mustard yellow, lace up booties, etc. Am I right ladies? I just need to throw some fur and fringe in and I'd be set! Make sure to check out some more Friday's Fancies over at Long Distance Loving ! Everyone puts together such great looks every week and I love browsing through them! Things have felt pretty out of whack this week because we've all been sick, but I'm thankful we're on the mend and excited about the weekend coming up! I will be very happy to put on make-up and fix my hair for the FIRST TIME this week. (Shameful I know, but I've only been to the playground and out to get the mail this week and I wasn't going to get dolled up for that.) Oh and maybe I'll wear one of my new shirts!  A P C belted dress £275 - net-a-porter.com Sonia by Sonia Rykiel striped t...

Asymmetrical pleated print top Burnout print tank Striped pocket T Patent Skinny Belt I was reading blogs this morning while my boys were sleeping in and I saw this post from Sydney about an additional 50% off sale items at Gap and Loft today. I absolutely loved the blazer she found from Gap (for only TWO DOLLARS!!) and decided to run to the mall to check it out. They didn't have any of the pretty rust colored blazers left, and the ones they did have were only in XL, but I was happy to find three cute tops and a belt for 30 bucks. ($30.25 to be exact, which was just 25 cents over the budget I set for myself today. Not bad!) The asymmetrical pleated print top will look really great paired with a skirt or jeans, the burnout print tank will look cute with my black shorts now or with jeans and a cardigan when it gets cooler, and the striped pocket tee will be the perfect thing to wear to take Sean to the playground. It's a nicer version of the big tees I wear around the house. S...

Cozy Fall Attire by valfox ( Boots , Sweater , Jeans , Earrings , Necklace , Nail Polish ) How I wish it was cold already so I could wear this comfy cozy outfit! Boots, jeans and a chunky sweater are pretty much my ideal fall look. I love the little deer stud earrings and pocket watch necklace and I think they add a nice whimsical touch. I'm also loving this pumpkin colored nail polish! So apropos for autumn! I'm so glad Alison ( long distance loving ) chose The Cozy Side of Fall for Friday's Fancies today because it's just the kind of outfit I felt like putting together after making my pumpkin bread yesterday! Now if only the weather would cooperate!

Ingredients ready to be made into some delicious pumpkin bread!  Mixin' stuff together. I love how the layer of brown sugar and cinnamon looks swirled with more batter on top.  There is something so cozy to me about having something tasty baking in the oven!  Looks pretty good out of the oven too, and it was so easy to make! Fall is trying to make an appearance! The light coming in my windows is different, gentler, than summer sunlight and it is really quite beautiful. The light may have changed but unfortunately the temperatures here in South Texas are still as high as ever. I decided to make some pumpkin bread to help make it feel more like autumn around here. I used a recipe from In Flora's Kitchen that you can find here . I substituted all-purpose flour for the rice flour, cornstarch and guar gum and also added in a tablespoon of flax seeds to make it healthier. I was trying to take a picture of the finished loaf next to the window for some natural light and of cours...

- Swimsuit: Target -Jewelry: INPINK I recently won a giveaway from Adored Austin (there were 300 winners actually!) for a 40 dollar gift card to INPINK. I decided to let my mom pick out some jewelry for her birthday gift and she chose a set of bracelets and two pairs of earrings. (A pair of hoop earrings , a pair of turquoise earrings and some metal and enamel bangles .) She really loved the earrings and bracelets you see me wearing here, but wasn't crazy about the rhinestones on the turquoise earrings (somehow we didn't notice them in the picture) so we're going to see if we can exchange them.  INPINK was very easy to order from and we received the jewelry speedily and in perfect condition. I have my eye on a few items I want for myself! The letter that came with the gift card said that if I emailed them a picture and a youtube video of me wearing the jewelry that they would send out a 50 dollar gift card as a thank you. I'm going to pick one of the pictures above to...

- Vest: Old Navy - Top: Target - Dress: Kohl's - Shoes: Gift - Earrings: Express - Bag: Express (2006-ish) - Bangle: ebay I think I'm on a mission to see how many different ways I can wear this maxi dress! I've worn it by itself, with a denim jacket, with a shirt knotted over it, and now with a top AND a vest.  The question is, does it work? I liked it just fine but my hubby said it was mismatched and my mom didn't care for it. I wore it to church with the family today and then to lunch and a movie with my mom. The outfit didn't bother me but the wedges were painful! (Mom I think I'm giving them back to you!) I love my new vest though! I picked it up at the outlet mall last week for 15 dollars. I would have preferred a longer size but they only had the XS that I got and XL left. I've already worn it twice since I got it though and look forward to making more outfits with it. Anyway, it was a beautiful Sunday made perfect by wonderful worship...

We started our day with a visit to the local farmer's market. We bought some delicious lime crisps to share. The baked goods on the right looked so good! They were made by a sweet lady from Switzerland. This gentleman was singing a Jim Croce song. My mom remembered the song well. I really like these two shots of my sister and her daughter. She was fixing Maya's hair. These were taken at a seafood market. After we took the picture on the right we laughed so hard when we realized what it looked like. Get your grubby claws off me Mr. Gator!! We stopped outside the shop to take a few family pictures. Chris' niece really loved Sean. The above picture of them holding hands is so sweet! Back on the road Sean did some modeling of his little sunglasses for us, and at a big souvenir shop called Bob's World he tried on some hats. There was a little ice cream shop there too and Ryan got coconut and I got bubble gum and cotton candy flavors. We also purchased a bag of salt water t...