A Texan Odyssey

Ryan and I were at Target the other day and I told him to pick out the craziest pair of sunglasses for me to try on for fun, then when he handed me this pair it was the same one I was holding to try on for real. Spotted blue sunglasses aren't too crazy right? I didn't buy them, but I did get one of the three items Ryan is modeling below. Which you ask? The cute little fedora on the right! We had a good laugh over the Harry Potter glasses and the straw hat bedecked with fake flowers though. The full shot of Ryan in the black hat was pretty fierce actually. Hand on hip and everything! (Hat and bracelet from Target, top and jeans from Old Navy, sandals from Express, necklace from JewelMint) By the way, been doing this little blog for a year today!  Thanks for reading and following!

(Top from Old Navy, wedges and Michael Kors jeans via Ross, Nordic Treasure necklace from JewelMint)   ( Easy Breezy by valfox ) We had a lunch date on Sunday after church and some sushi, cucumber salad, and red bean sesame balls hit the spot. (Ok fine, there was fried rice, broccoli beef and ice cream consumed as well... buffets are dangerous that way!) I think I worked off all that deliciousness later though. We were at the playground with Sean and an attempt to run up a VERY steep slide turned into an epic battle between myself and the slide. I think I tried about 100 times. We're talking a running start, getting three fourths of the way up, hanging on for dear life while trying to pull myself up the last little bit, and then tumbling back down banging elbows and knees on the way. Yes, I have the bruises to prove it! Thankfully the playground was empty by then, and no one but Ryan, Sean and our friend James viewed my failure. But anyway, back to the date. I wor...

(Tank from Ross for 3 bucks, shorts from Old Navy, flip flops from Target, Steve Madden sunglasses, earrings from  Glass Cocoon Jewelry ) There are few things better than spending the afternoon with your family watching cute kiddos play outside! Add in delicious homemade pizza, caesar salad and boba coffee and you've got yourself a delightful and calorie-ridden day!

I LOVE taking Sean to the pool! He loves the water so much and gets hyper and excited to be there, plus his little wet footprints are so cute next to Ryan's! I've started packing snacks or a meal for us to eat while we're there too. We've had beef and cheese empanadas with fresh melon, turkey and cheese sandwiches on wheat bagels with strawberries, pineapple and raw green beans on the side, and juice, whole grain crisps, and fruit sticks on the last few outings. Is it just me or does food taste better outside?? Even tastier after a swim too! I actually think you need a blanket in the grass for something to qualify as a picnic though, but Ryan says it's any meal you eat outside. In the interest of combining posts, (since it's picnic week at Friday's Fancies !) I'll go with Ryan's definition this time. Hence you get a poolside picnic outfit from me today! (And no, I wouldn't be showing my stomach, the one piece takes care of t...

  (Top and jeans from Ross, sandals from TJMaxx, bag from my mom, watch from Fossil) Sean knows that there's always raisins, fruit snacks and toys for him in my purse! Maybe he wanted to find some! Ryan asked me to pose like an action star. You know when they fall/jump off of something and end up in a super cool looking pose? That's what I was aiming for. Key word: aiming. Anyway, I thought the soft light flickering through the leaves in my mom's backyard was just sublime. Sean was running around playing and Ryan and I were being silly with the outfit photos. We ate a pomegranate from my mom's tree and then a few minutes later we were at the piano inside trying to teach chopsticks to Sean. He preferred to just bang away on the keys, I think he was trying to copy me playing the Revolutionary Etude. Maybe he will end up being a pianist...and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do too, according to Ryan. He does have amazingly strong kicks for a little guy, so you ne...

(Dress from Target, clutch from Express, heels & bracelet from Ross, watch from Fossil) I hope everyone had a blessed Easter! We took family photos after church (the service was at the university campus to accommodate everyone for one service instead of being split into the usual three), and I was so happy with how they came out! There are definitely several that I want to frame in the future! The girls were precious as usual in their pink and pastel dresses and I thought Sean was quite dapper in his little tie! (I guess the lavender flowers on my dress can count as pastel, too, right?) Afterwards we all went to lunch at my bro-in-law's sister's house and enjoyed an Easter egg hunt outside. Sean immediately climbed up into the playhouse and stayed up in his perch for the duration of the hunt! At least he got to find several eggs that were hidden there and it served as a nice backdrop for more pictures!

  ( source ) "He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He lives, He lives, salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!" - Classic hymn What wonderful memories I have of singing these meaningful words with my family throughout the years! I serve a risen Savior, do you? I pray you all have a blessed Easter Sunday and I encourage you to read the The Easter Story !

  For a trendy and feminine look pair a hi-low skirt with a floral tank and crisp white blazer. Fun and flirty for sure!   For a throwback to a different era pick a classic floral shift dress and add in some sophisticated vintage accessories!    For a youthful casual look, grab a floral tank and wear it with denim and gladiator sandals. Don't forget your bronzer! If you don't care to go totally floral you could choose just a touch of the pattern on a clutch instead. Subtle is good too! (Check out my polyvore page for info on all items and of course Friday's Fancies at { Long Distance Loving } too!)

I only recently discovered that I love hummus, so when I saw a recipe for a cilantro/lemon blend on Mandy's super awesome blog The Haps  I just knew I had to make it. Please go check out her original post here , her pictures are amazing, she's really funny, and you'll kinda need the recipe if you want to make this yummyness for yourself! I was so surprised I actually liked the sriracha! I usually avoid all types of hot sauce like the plague, but it added just the right amount of kick to the dish. I definitely would add less than 1/2 tbsp if you don't like the heat though! I also modified the recipe a bit by adding in some green onion tops. Oh and I couldn't find any tahini and it still tasted great! The final product was not only delicious, but also healthy and refreshing. I served it with some sweet onion rice crackers and Sean gobbled it up! I did not succeed in winning Ryan over to hummus though, he still loathes it!

(Top from Target, jeans from Old Navy, shoes from my mom, watch from Fossil, Nine West purse from Ross) I wore this to church on Sunday morning. It's blazing hot down here already so this old halter top I have was perfect for trying to stay cool. It's funny how losing five pounds can make me feel more comfortable showing my arms! (New weight: 137) The bridesmaid dress I had to wear on Friday was a bit skimpier than I'm used to (even after alterations to make it longer and not so low on top), so I'm glad I lost some weight so I wouldn't feel like I was popping out of it. Ryan is also down another ten pounds for a total of 55 pounds lost! He is 208 right now and hopes to get to 195. He'll practically be at his college weight then. Doesn't he look healthy and handsome? I'm so proud of him! (Dress from D'Yoly, earrings from Kohl's, heels from JCP) P.S. I've used the Xen Tan self tanner a few times and it wasn't too noticeable in pictures, bu...