Anniversary Weekend

We spent our weekend celebrating our 6th year of marriage. Matt has a pretty hectic schedule & the last few weeks have been crazy busy with moving & settling in at my parents' house. So we opted for a low key Saturday. We got up, made breakfast with Kess & headed out to D&B to buy some garden plants. Kess loved seeing the bunnies & chicks. Her little face just lit up! Seriously, so cute! We usually have a big garden, but since we are living with the parents for the summer we decided on a little potted garden on my parents' deck this year. Kess was all about helping plant & water. It was so fun to watch her get excited about putting the plants in the soil & making sure the plants had enough water.

We put Kess down for a nap after lunch & I took my dear, sweet time getting ready for our dinner date. If you've been following along for a while then you know that Matt & I LOVE the Brickyard in downtown Boise. We ate there last year on our anniversary & have been looking forward to it ever since! ;) It's a little pricey - not outrageous, but enough to make it a special occasion place!

We had the best time just sitting there waiting for each course. It's so fun to spend some one on one time with your spouse & talk about the your past & your future. We (of course) talked about Kess for most of the evening, too. Once our main course came out we definitely stopped talking & had to decide if we were going to inhale the delicious food or slowly savor every bite. If you're looking for a quiet, elegantly casual place to eat -The Brickyard is your place. The staff was awesome & they even comped our dessert in honor of our anniversary. 

We waddled our way to the truck & made it home in time for Kess to jump all of her energy out on the trampoline & then hop in the bath. I love date nights that end early enough to tuck your babe into bed & then change into your comfies & watch a show. 

Our anniversary was one of those regular days that had some extra oomph to it. We had a typical, chill Saturday, but got to treat ourselves to something special to celebrate us. Celebrate all of our hard work, our unfailing dedication to one another & really focus in on our love for each other. Matt even got me an anniversary card & had it waiting in the truck! His sweet words totally made me tear up! He's so good!

A huge thank you for all your sweet comments & well wishes on our anniversary!! And my sincere THANK YOU for following along in our little journey called life! I'm so glad you're here! Have a wonderful week! 

Move it

We did it. We survived our first big move. The last time we moved, we moved out of our 740 square foot apartment. Everything we owned fit into a trailer with room to spare. That was so not the case with this move. I was embarrassed by all of the things we had, to say the least. How do 3 people (one of which is under the age of 2) accumulate so much stuff? We actually "spring clean" a few times a year, because we are weird. It's pretty liberating to throw away or donate the stuff you no longer need.

We bought our first house right after our 1 year wedding anniversary, we were totally babies! I mean, look at those pictures above! The home was half fixed up & half not. So we took on the challenge of "fixer-upper"... Not exactly Chip & JoJo style because we did most of the dang work ourselves. We remodeled the kitchen twice. TWICE! I don't recommend that, but the outcome was beautiful, so we can't complain! ;) Matt & I often talk about how we literally put blood, sweat and tears into this home of ours. For real. After a yard, bathroom(s), kitchen and bedroom remodels over the course of 5 years... we decided it was time to move! ;) 

Reno 1

Reno 2

As we walked through our empty house we thought about all the dreams we had as we moved in as newlyweds. We had so many wide-eyed dreams like finishing school, working jobs that actually paid in money, starting businesses, having kids... we did it. We have so many memories in that house. It actually hurt to let go. But now someone else gets to reach their dreams and we get to start memories in our new place.

We are living with my parents until our new home is done. We feel beyond blessed to build our home. I can't wait to share the process with you all! I have so much inspiration material for this new house thanks to Pinterest. I'll be sure to share some ideas we have for our new home. Thank you for all the warm wishes & love about this next fun step in our lives!

#classicallymodest Sunday Style

My Sunday style used to be 5 inch heals and the prettiest dress I could find. I never dress up so being able to spend time getting ready and putting some extra effort into my outfit was so fun. I didn't like looking too casual next to my husband who is dressed in nice dress pants and white shirt or a suit.

My mentality has changed a little ever since Kess has been mobile. I still wear heels, I still try to dress in my Sunday best, and to put some extra effort into my style, but I go for functionality now. Kess is always on the go and also hates to be left in nursery. So I'm usually sitting in one of those  min-chairs or sitting on the floor playing with her. Functionality & comfort are key.

Chambray//

Skirt (old) similar 1//2

Shoes//

This outfit is one of my new favorites. Plus, these shoes are beyond comfortable! I've been eyeing shoes like this for a long time. I was thrilled when I saw them at Old Navy for half the price (they were even cheaper in-store)

Another thing I love about this outfit is that all 3 pieces are crazy versatile. I have worn each of them separately with multiple outfits. You guys know how I love a good versatile piece, let alone 3 of them! ;) I hope this helps you expand your closet a little bit! 

XO

April Results

This #BEchallenge was so fun and SO HARD! I seriously thought I had it in the bag. I worked so hard. I tried to not take myself too seriously. I learned a ton about how I need to set goals & the best way for me to achieve them.

About a week and a half out from the finish line I counted out my points and realized that even if I had perfect days for the rest of the month I still wouldn't reach my goal. Talk about depressing. I was shocked. I had worked so hard. I didn't even swear that much! That's a big deal, guys. Even Matt was surprised when I told him that I wouldn't reach my goal. Total bummer.

These are the things I struggled with the most -

• Meal Plan. My meal plan was 2 points for each day. So if I missed that mark even a little bit... 2 whole points were gone. Occasionally I would give myself 1 point if I went over my calorie count, but I ate healthy all day. I was on fire with my meal plan and then a weekend would hit & I think "weekends are for food & fun!" Well that mentality hurt me bad. 
• Morning Prayers. I really struggle to get up before Kess does, but I started getting up early to go to the gym before she woke up and before Matt had to be at work. I thought this would help with my prayers, but I was still in a rush every morning. Evening prayers are easy for me to say, morning is a constant struggle. 
• Scripture reading. Like I said above, mornings are always rushed. And in the evenings I'm done. So tired. So I tried to read during Kess' naps... that didn't work either. So many excuses. 

At the end of it all I found some yummy, healthy meals, learned a ton about myself and lost 2 whopping pounds.

So this is what I'm going to do about it...

#BEchallenge MAY 1st-15th

- Say morning prayers.

- Read scriptures

 - Follow set meal plan

- Take vitamins

- Drink 1 tsp Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

GOAL: 65 points 

Ok there is it! I decided to shorten my goal time to half of the month & then reassess for the 2nd half. The month long goal just didn't work for me, so I'm hoping shortening my goal time helps me stick to it! I'm hoping to make working out a priority, too! As much as I love working out with my little Kesser, it get's too tricky & my garage workouts were not helping me reach my goals. I've really loved going to the gym a few times a week before Kess wakes up. I'm much more motivated while at the gym, plus my day starts off with some "me time."

I'm excited to work on the things that I struggled the most with last month. That's my goal really... to work on ME, to constantly be learning about myself, to always be growing. Thank you all for your encouragement last month! Here we go!

Monday Must Have

Once again my Friday Favorites have turned into Monday Must Have... you would think my Friday would be the least busiest day of my week, but lo & behold - Fridays turn into crunch time. Lots of laundry, house cleaning & errands so we can enjoy our weekend together. This weekend we got to feed the ducks & play at the park! It was so fun. Kess loved it, which means that we loved it.

 Hopefully this post finds you happy on a Monday! We are trying to get back into the swing of things over here! Here are a few things to brighten you Monday & start your week off right!

Ocean Spray PACT - Saw these are Winco & grabbed a few to try them. I will be going back today for like 25 more. No kidding. So good! All of the flavors are delicious! No green tea extract (I don't drink tea, unless it's herbal), no crappy sucralose or aspartame. 10 calories. You're so welcome. 

Kid Made Modern Wood Beads - during our little outing to Target (you can read about that on Instagram @beautifuleffort) I grabbed some wood beads that Kess can string on to pipe cleaners or ribbon. She likes hands on stuff and I figured it was a good church activity. Well, I thought it was until some beads went flying everywhere. Matt face-palmed mod-sacrament meeting, but I still stand by it! ;)

NuMe Wand - This is the wand I use to give my hair some beach waves. I use the 25mm & I love it! They're always on sale, too. Follow them on Instagram to get a heads up on deals!

Thai Chicken Salad - Lunch time is one of the times I get to eat in peace. I savor it. Big time. I usually eat right after I put Kess down for a nap & right before I get my chores done. I've been trying to eat hearty yet healthy lunches! This one is beyond delicious and fulfilling. I tweaked the recipe a little to lower the calorie count, but that peanut sauce is to die for! Yum!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!! 

Modesty Campaign

Do you guys get in a rut with your clothes? I totally do. I find an outfit I feel half decent in & run with it. forever. I have a really neutral style. I rarely branch out (surprised?) On top of rarely trying a new style, the outfit needs to be cute, trendy, flattering, modest. Honestly, that can be really tricky. So, I've dug (deep) into my (tiny) closet and reached out to some of my favorite shops for this series.

I'll be sharing with you some trendy, comfy and modest outfits, so if you're stuck in a clothing rut - maybe we can bust out of it together!!

Today I'm sharing my go-to outfit. This is what I feel comfortable in. It's simple & can be dressed up or down. I think it's a classic look, but it gets a little less classic when it's all I wear! ;) Hence the new series! Ta da!

I am in major love with boyfriend tees. Cute, comfy & flattering (covers up that momma belly of mine.) Whoever invented boyfriend tees should get an award. Or at least a hug! 

Old Navy has these cute linen boyfriend tees that are super light. They're inexpensive & come with multiple color options.

I have a few long sleeved ones and a few short sleeved ones. Are you sensing my problem here? I find something that works and it just doesn't quit! ;)

And, of course - any good series needs a hashtag. Let's put it to a vote, shall we?

#classicallymodest

or

#modestyisthebestpolicy

Help a girl out & tell me your favorite! Stay tuned for some fun collaborations!

Children's Book Day

Kess loves books. She loves to point things out, make noises & pretend read. Actually, it's one of the ways I can get her to settle down for a bum change. I hand her a book & tell her to read to me. Then I get to listen to her sweet jibber jabber. Love.

I have tried to find books that I know that Kess will love, but that I will actually enjoy reading to her... multiple times a night usually. You know the ones... It's not "nigh nigh" time until you read that favorite book 5 times! ;)

Here are our current favorite. They are adorable, clever and most of all unto read for parent & child.

I Would Tuck You In

- I tear up when I read this book. It's a sweet, mellow read for bedtime.

Muddle and Match

-We have the "Imagine" copy of this & it keeps Kess occupied at church. You can flip through a series of split up pages (which Kess loves) to "muddle" the story or you can "match" the story. They're super cute!

All Kinds of Kisses

- This book is adorable, it talks about all sorts of kisses that animals give & Kess really loves the "woof kisses."

That's not my kitten

- This book is so fun! It's a touchy-feely book. Kess really loves those & we actually have a few of these. "That's not my lamb, duck..." There is a whole super cute collection. Perfect for little babes who love different textures.

My Heart Is Like a Zoo

-This is a super fun read, even for adults. It's energetic and clever. We make it a little song.

The Going To Bed Book

-This is one of our newer faves. I can honestly say that we read it about 5+ times every night. It's darling. I really love reading it.

Each Peach Pear Plum

-One of Kess' faves. This has a few nursery rhyme characters in it and their stories are all tied together. Super cute and Kess loves to point out the little characters and the rhyming is fun to sing along to.

What are your favorite kids' books? We are always looking to add more to our collection! 

My friend Allie, of Usborne Books is doing a giveaway for you, my friends! Head on over to my Instagram (@beautifuleffort) for all the info! Also, Allie has a Facebook page full of great book info, new releases, promotions & deals.