Happy Monday!

I hope you had a great weekend.  I don't know what happened.  We did not have a ton planned but I was so busy and still left things undone on the To Do list.  But most importantly still got some quality time with the family and truth be told that is all that really matters.  I will eventually work that To Do list down.....eventually.

Loved hearing from you all on the Christmas in July wrapping session.  I hope to convert a few of you to taking up the tradition yourself.....it really is a lot of fun.

But let's get to the winners of the little giveaway

Winner #1 - The Alphabet Stamp Set and Ink Pad is

Shay B.

Winner #2 - The Cozy Throw is

Paula T.

Congratulations!!!!

Thanks to you all for entering.  I think we collectively lean toward the White lights....but several of you are like me and love the wonder of those multi-color lights.  Each year I do a little of both depending on how I am decorating that particular tree or room.  If you need to start gathering some inspiration, don't worry, Hobby Lobby is getting all the Christmas decor out so you can start browsing.......They kind of skip the whole back to school thing and just go straight for the one aisle of fall decor and aisle after aisle of Christmas.

Speaking of back to school, my younger daughter who is going to be a senior in high school this year purchased a headboard for her dorm room this weekend.  It was super cute so I agreed to it.  In my mind I was thinking why would she want to give up a queen bed for a twin....because surely she knows that we are just putting that in her bedroom upstairs.....surely she doesn't actually think she is moving out next year.....surely.

Ok, I am going to go do some deep breathing and get my heart rate back to normal.

Make sure you check back on Wednesday.  I have a new store to share with you.  It is the cutest!!!  I see many Saturdays of mine spent there.  I think you guys are going to love it as much as I do.

Talk to you on Wednesday!

Wrapped up and a Giveaway!!!

Well Wednesday was a joy....an exhausting joy but a joy all the same.

 We started the day by making the orange rolls recipe from the Magnolia Table Cookbook

Thank you, Joanna....you and your orange rolls are welcome at our Christmas in July celebration anytime.

We went to all of our storage places and pulled out the gifts we have been collecting all year.  I am pretty much the runner for the day because I know where everything is stashed.  My older daughter lets me hand her the gift and the paper it goes in.  My younger daughter does the gift tag and labeling.  All of this while mom is working through her stash of stuff and pitching in to help us get it all done.  Did I mention we started around 7:30 in the morning and finally finished around 7:00 pm?  Of course, we did take a lunch break and maybe a cheezit snack break. 

You know what's fun?......pulling out stuff that you know people are going to love receiving and wrapping it all up.  That, my friends, is a good time.  You know what is also fun?....finding stuff you completely forgot you even bought....now there's a pleasant surprise.

So if you are thinking how in the world can they spend an entire day wrapping gifts......check out the final stack

Again, I primarily used my brown kraft paper.  I wrote a whole post about it here. I have had this roll of paper since 2015.  I have used it like crazy.  It has now wrapped 3 seasons of Christmas gifts and countless occasions in between and look at how much is still left

I may actually cry when this roll runs out.  We've been hanging out together for so long.

If you noticed the packages wrapped in the red paper and the red/white paper, well those are 12 days of Christmas presents. I did a post about that little tradition that you can read here.

We used our alphabet stamps to label several of the gifts

Today I have a little giveaway for you and we are going to have TWO winners!

I have a stamp set and an ink pad for one of you

and 

a cozy throw for the second winner......because after you get all your gifts wrapped I want you to enjoy a little time on the couch under a throw.

To enter is simple......just leave a comment and answer this question

Do you prefer white lights or multi-colored lights at Christmas?

Leave your answer in the comments.  I will use a random number generator to select the two winners.

Giveaway open to U.S. Residents only and closes on Sunday, July 29th at noon C.S.T.

Have a great weekend!!!

July 25th - Christmas in July

We are celebrating Christmas in July today.  It is our tradition on July 25th to spend the whole day wrapping Christmas presents and watching Christmas movies.

The table is set

The candle is lit

There is a big crock pot of chili

And even the letter board is in on the celebration

On Friday I will have a full recap

PLUS

a fun giveaway.  

Make sure you come back on Friday for both.

Gotta go knock the air conditioner down a couple of notches......yes, we are wearing Christmas PJs.

Talk to you on Friday!!!!

And Merry Christmas in July!!!!

Oh and don't forget only 6 more days left in July.  If you still need to complete your Great Things in '18 Challenge for July, you still have time.

Our Clean 20 Experience

I have been waiting quite a while to tell you about this one.  I bought this book probably 3 months ago

The Clean 20

I read it.  I thought it sounded like a challenge.  I started counting 20 days from everything.....but there was always someone's birthday, we were out of town, there were holidays....there was always something.  Finally we decided we would just go for it.  We started on Saturday, June 23rd.  I warned everyone that the 4th of July would fall in our 20 days but they all said, let's just do it...it will be fun.  Ok, nobody said that.  They basically said let's just do it and get it over with.  Well I took that as a resounding yes!!!

I like the book  Essentially he explains all the clean foods you can eat.....think nothing processed, organic fruits and veggies, lots of chicken, fish and turkey.  After he explains why we should eat this way he lays out the 20 days.  Each day, you have a couple of choices for breakfast, a snack, a couple of lunch choices, another snack, a healthy dinner and an optional after dinner snack.  

I didn't take a ton of pictures but a got a few

Here is how we celebrated the 4th of July cleanly

That's a delicious turkey burger, with turkey bacon on a whole wheat bun with homemade baked sweet potato fries, corn on the cob and a side of fruit (mango, peaches and grapes).  I know.  You are totally jealous, right?  Honestly, it was pretty good.

After the first 5 days my husband announced he had lost 5 pounds......mentally I throat punched him.....but in reality I just smiled and told him that was great.  At that point, I had lost absolutely nothing.  I really wasn't sure we would lose any weight.  We eat fairly healthy....with a few cheezits, fries and cookies thrown in.  So the whole weight lost thing was just going to be a bonus.  The main thing was to get some of the bad stuff, especially sugar out of our system.

Personally, my toughest struggle was not having the one coke I have each day.  I enjoy the taste, the fizz, the experience of having a coke.  So for sure that was my struggle....but for only the first week. The other struggle was watching TV.  Perhaps we watch more Food Network than the average household but that was a struggle and every commercial no matter what channel we were on made my mouth water.  But since we were all doing it together.  I survived. 

I made little ziplocs with the approved amount of almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds and whole grain pretzels.  

The key was having a healthy snack that I could pick up easily.  I bought a ton of fruit and kept is washed and ready. 

I even used my food scale and measured out the 3 ounces of chicken we could have.  The prep for this whole gig was no joke.  I had to cook ahead and make everyone their little zippie so they could pick up their bag and go.

By week two I actually had dropped a few pounds.......and yes I did feel better. By the end of the 20 days I had lost 8 pounds.  I have a feeling I can put them back on a lot faster than 20 days.... let's all hope not.

What I am really taking from the experience is having healthy options ready and accessible to me so I can make good choices AND I am more focused on appropriate portion sizes.

It really was a good experience.  

If you check out the book, let me know what you think.

My Brandless Order

You guys know I cannot resist a good retail opportunity and I am always interested to try companies that are new to me.  So I came across Brandless.  They offer food, home & office, beauty, household, personal care and health items.  Everything on their site is $3......so that is a good start.  They also donate a meal every time you shop on their site through a partnership with Feeding America.  So all of that is good, but how are the products??? Their main premise is delivering quality products without the brand tax......ok, so let's give it a try.

I started with these

I felt like paper products were safe and it is summer so we use a lot more paper stuff. The bowls and larger plates came in a 20 count.  The smaller plates came in a 32 count.  Not bad for three bucks each plus they really are a decent quality.

From there I tried the hand soap and body wash.

Again, the quality was good, the amount respectable, especially for $3.

And this may be my favorite item purchased

Organic Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

This dressing is Organic
 Gluten Free
 No Artificial Colors
 No Preservatives
 Non GMO
 No Artificial Flavors
 Vegan
 BrandTax Free™

But most importantly, it is DELICIOUS!!!!  We finished it off quickly and the whole family wanted me to pick up some more dressing.  I told them I would place another order very soon.

All in all a very good Brandless experience.  My first shipment was maybe a day later arriving than they originally estimated so they sent me a coupon.....a quite substantial coupon....for a future order.  I searched online and found a code for free shipping and placed my second order.  So not only am I digging the products and the mission, I also really like the customer service.

Well done, Brandless.

On another note, the Nordstrom sale is now open to the public.  Enjoy!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

June Books

I got four very different books read in June.  So hopefully, you will find one or two that you might enjoy.



The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand. Once again Elin does not disappoint.  A set of twins has a very volatile relationship which discovering how they got to this point is very interesting.  They each think the other has the upper hand in life and a life changing event brings them to the point of switching places.  They both grow and learn about themselves and the other twin.  One of my favorite things about this book is that one twin lives on Nantucket and one lives on Martha's Vineyard so we get a good dose of both islands in this one.  I always enjoy these books and I think you will too. Definitely a good beach read.



Say You're Sorry by Melinda Leigh.  This is not a beach read....unless you like a little violence, suspense and danger with your sand.  While facing the loss of her soldier husband, Morgan Dane faces her most dangerous and personal case yet. As you read you will wonder if she is on the right side of the law, will she solve this tough case and will she survive.  Enjoyable page turner but not a fluffy read.



Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham.  I did not watch Gilmore Girls or Parenthood but I almost can't resist a good memoir.  This is probably better if you have watched some of her work because she refers to several episodes and characters that I did not have the basis for.  Nonetheless, I enjoyed it.  It is the perfect little book if you just need something quick, where you don't get sucked deepley into a bunch  of characters and plot lines......actually, I think this would be good on the beach or better yet a good airplane read.



Perennials by Julie Cantrell. This is a really sweet story about a family of four, the dynamics of sisters and the wonkiness that happens in every family no matter who you are.  Now let me say, if you have a sister like the one depicted here......I am very sorry.....you should treat yourself to a massage .....on a beach....in the tropics.....far, far away.  There is romance, disaster, beautiful love and heartbreak.  Yes, it is all in this little book.  I wouldn't classify it as a light read but not a heavy read either.  It is kind of a medium read, yes, let's go with that.  I enjoyed it.

Hope you are getting into some good reads too.  I still have such a stack to get through.  I feel like I add two books to my stack for every one I get read.....so many books so little time.

Let me know if you have some recommendations for me. I can almost see over my stack.....and that is never a good thing.

Talk to you on Friday!

Things I Love Part V AND Nordstrom Sale

So today I have just a couple of birthday gifts that I received to show you today.  Remember if you want to see the other posts in this series you can click below

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV

But today I wanted to show you these two notebooks.  I love notebooks.  I am always taking note of this or that and feel I always need a couple at my disposal.  The first one is a little notebook that I now keep in my purse.  In it I write down reminders to myself, call so and so, pick up this or that, don't forget this important date, and sometimes prayer requests that I need to add to my list.....I know what you are thinking, you use your phone for such things.  Well you just go right ahead.  I find when I actually write something down I am 10 times more likely to actually remember to take care of it.  Ok, that is not scientific, but I know this about myself.  I don't try to remember anything in my phone.....hence why I don't know anyone's phone number by heart anymore.  If it is in my phone, it is not in my head.  So I love this little notebook.

It is from Sweet Pineapple on Airport Road.  It has a great quote on it and is the perfect size for my purse.

The second notebook has BIG SALE on it.  If you remember, I did a blog post on these little passport books, you can read it here.  Well I mentioned they should have one for sales.....because those are my shining moments, those are things I need to record.  A sweet friend had this one made for me at Mark and Graham.

How cute is that?

And I got to record our epic finds at this year's Nordstrom sale.  I have a few or 1,000 to show you today.  If you follow the blog on instagram (and you totally should), you may have seen a few of these things posted there on Friday, but here we go

We headed to Nashville Friday morning around 8:00 we arrived at Nordstrom about 9:30, did a few stretches and readied ourselves to go in and shop hard.

We started in shoes, then did accessories, jewelry, intimate apparel, athletic, beauty, one section of women's, had lunch, finished women's, did men's, kids and then the home section.  The end result looked like this

and here's a few things that were in all those bags

Halogen cardigan, Caslon Tee, Booties, Jeans

I love the cardigan and there a several color options. I am wearing a medium. The long sleeve tee is just a great basic that I always stock up on for layering. I am also wearing a medium. The jeans are not a part of the anniversary sale but are still a great price.  I already owned them in a size 29. The booties come in 3 colors.  I chose this color they call denim.  I think it is a blue gray and it happens to be one color I did not own.  They are super comfortable and run true to size.  Here is a close up of the bootie.

Sofft Bootie

Here is the same sweater with a new layering top and a black dress pant.

Halogen cardigan, mock neck shell, black pants, handbag

You can see the cardigan will transition great for casual and work wear.  The pants come in this solid black and a widow pane plaid.  And I am seriously considering getting a few more of this little shells.  Let me show you it to you up close

It has a small zipper in the back so you can get it over your head without destroying your hair or getting make-up everywhere.

And here is a close up look at the handbag

Handbag by Nordstrom

Four color options in the handbag. It is great for crossbodying when you need to.

Then I picked up a couple of little sweaters 

Touve Sweater

 I am wearing a medium in the Touve sweater and would say it runs true to size.

Sweater,  Jeans, Caslon Tee, driving moccasin

This sweater ran a little large so I ended up getting a small in it.  Those are the same jeans and tee from above.  But I am wearing a shoe that I haven't shown you yet. So here is a close up

Ugg Moc

This shoes comes in 4 colors.  I chose the charcoal.  There is not a more comfortable shoe.  Runs true to size.

Twist Front Tee; Jeans; Sneaker

And a close up of this sneaker

Ugg Sidney Sneaker

Three color options are available in this light weight sneaker.  I went with this olive color.

Here's another pair of jeans we picked up with a fun mule.....which apparently is very on trend this year

Jeans; Belt; Shoes

Blush Open Toe Mules

And a different cardigan, same layering tee with a tie front pant with another trendy mule

Leith Cardigan; Caslon Tee; Leith Tie Front Pant; Halogen Mule

Let me show you those mules up close

Halogen Mule

There are three solid color option in the mules but there is also a leopard option you can check out.

Hang in there, we are almost done.  These ponte knit pants are great and run true to size.

Ponte Pant

Face it, you are going to need a wide leg pant.  Here is a corduroy option and don't miss the platform converse.  Super cute!!!

Wide Leg Corduroy Trousers; Oval Belt; Platform Converse

The next pant brand was new to us but we absolutely loved it.

Wide leg Trouser; Platform Converse

Platform Converse

Let me just say, I don't know who these two girls got their retail training from......but they can rock a sale.  They made the day so fun helping each other and everyone else choose pieces, fetching other sizes and working a sale rack like a professional.  They make me proud!!!

A few more miscellaneous pieces we picked up

Corduroy Biker Boy Cap

Raw edge V-neck; High Waist Crop Leggings

Camo Henley

Oh and here may be where the retail training came from

Double-Breasted Blazer; Crop trousers; Rounded V-neck; Caslon Drawstring Pants

Mom found this super cute pant and jacket and I got one more casual outfit.  I kept thinking we might have this backwards.  The retired person bought the professional suit and the person still working got play clothes......who am I kidding?  This is who we have always been.  We might as well own it.

Ok, friends, you made it.  That is the end of the haul.  I hate to tell you but we are expecting a dozen or so packages to be delivered also.  For that reason I will be sitting out Amazon Prime Day which starts today.  But don't let that stop you.  I hope you find some great deals and I hope that you tell me all about them.  After all the next best thing to shopping is shopping vicariously through your friends.

The Nordstrom Sale goes public on July 20th.  

Make it a great week!!!!

We are off to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!

So cardholder early access started yesterday.  We met up at 2:00 am and grabbed a few things.....don't judge us.  Now we are on our little road trip to Nashville to shop in person.  However, we did pre-order a few things online yesterday just in case they start to sell out.

There were a couple of items that people had the heart set on, so we went ahead and ordered them online to make sure we got them.  I am going to provide links but remember the sale is only open to cardholders right now but will open to everyone next week.

One was the Steve Madden Over the Knee Boot only $89.50

Steve Madden Boot

If you have thin legs and want a boot that will actually fit those thin legs, this one is for you.  Obviously, I did not purchase these for myself.... 

Another shoe we couldn't risk selling out was the Nike Classic Cortez.  It is available in both Rose and White and only $51.90

Nike Classic Cortez

Now here is something that I need to see in person

Halogen Detachable Sleeve Sweater

A sweater with detachable sleeves......yes, I need to see this in person.  Here is the online photo with the sleeves removed

Sleeves detached

Do you find this as interesting as I do?  What is the weight of this sweater that you can also wear it without the sleeves?  Is this an over 50 sweater that we can just slide those sleeves off when we are hot and then reattach them when our bodies return to normal?  I don't know,  but I definitely plan on checking this one out.  There are 6 color options and I must say, I am intrigued.  Hopefully, I can find it in the store and report back.

Philosophy has some great sets in the sale.  This duo is only $28

Philosophy Sets

I am definitely stocking up on this tee.....$17.90 and 10 color options.

Caslon tee

and this long sleeve one for $19.90

Caslon LS tee

To catch what other things we find when we get to the store, make sure you are following on instagram.  I'll be sure to share as much as I can.

Have a great weekend!!!!