Summer Bucket List 2016

I decided to do a Bucket List with Kess last summer & we loved it! Matt joined in when he could, but while he was working Kess & I tried to cram in all the things we could do together without daddy. We did things like trying new parks, going to the zoo, getting snow cones, etc. We will probably try to do a few of those same things this year, but we added in some new fun stuff that Kess will enjoy now that she is a little older!

2016 Summer Bucket List -

-Go to Roaring Springs

-Go to the zoo

-Make homemade popsicles

-Ride bikes on the Greenbelt

-Go on a Nature Walk

-Go to Babby Farms

-Run through the spinklers (a lot)

-Do more backyard activities

-Play at new parks

...

What are some of the things that are on your summer bucket list? We want to add to ours! Give me all the details! 

The Black Tux

Have you guys heard about The Black Tux? If you haven't, it's a cryin' shame. This awesome company is "not your traditional online suit & tux company." They offer quality & convenience. A tux or suit shipped right to your door? How handy this would have been for our wedding 6 years ago!!

We decided to infuse in the Pantone 2016 Colors of the Year; Rose Quartz & Serenity. Both colors are beyond beautiful. I wracked my brain for the perfect outfit to match the perfect suit or tux & finally decided on something versatile. Are you guys even surprised? I thought about going all out & getting glamorous & decided that that isn't quite the life I lead... so versatile, comfortable & classy it is. 

This gorgeous dress from Asos stuck in my mind from the first time I saw it. It struck me as sleek, modern, feminine with a classy 80's twist. I couldn't pass it up. 

I paired my Asos dress (a little darker pink in person) with some dark nude heels (similar here) I found at TJMaxx. (Score!)

Depending on the occasion, this dress could be paired with a black heel & darker accessories. Or you could brighten it up and keep it more casual with white heels & a pop of Serenity with a statement necklace.

I chose the Notched Lapel Tuxedo and Peach Linen bow tie for a formal look. It took all my will power to not rent this tux for Matt so I could hire a photographer for a glamorous photoshoot...you know, because that's super necessary! ;)

I loved the Tan Suit for a Summer wedding look. This is definitely a more casual look, which fits into our lifestyle. I would pair the suit with the Navy Neck Tie for some contrast.

Head on over to The Black Tux, if you are ever in need of a great deal on a quality tux.

BBQ Chicken Recipe

A few weeks ago Matt mentioned that he thought bone-in chicken on the grill sounded so good. I've never even attempted to try it so figured I should give it a whirl. Spoiler alert... nailed it.

I told my momma that we should give it a try when we were menu planning before a grocery run... I'm totally spoiled right now because we recently moved in with my parents while our new home is being built... Cooking is so much more fun when you have a buddy! ;)

Because we were new to this BBQing bone-in chicken, we decided to turn to the experts of Pinterest. ;) I found this post super helpful. Turns out that there is a science to grilling bone-in chicken. I would have definitely done that wrong! Phew!

The chicken takes about 40 minutes to grill & 2 minutes to inhale. We seriously could not have cooked it better. Not to toot my own horn, but toot toot.

Of course, Matt had to work late, so my momma & I were the grill masters. Matt was super impressed (that's how you know you rocked a recipe.)

Let me know if you give this a try? Much easier than I thought & tastier, too! Plus, it's the perfect thing to try at your Memorial Day BBQ! Happy Wednesday!!

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!