5 on Friday | 1.24.20

Hello and Happy Friday!

I love 5 on Friday!

Here it goes:

1. Poor sweet Sophie got the flu and we were stuck at home Monday thru Wednesday. Luckily, it snowed (about a quarter inch) on Wednesday morning and it was a "snow day," so we were both only absent from work and school on Tuesday!

2. Before Soph got sick, were were able to go eat dinner at our friends' (like family) new diner! It is so cute and delicious. I love the decor and the old fashioned ice cream counter! My niece was our waitress and she did such a great job.

3. My mom took us to see Wicked for our Christmas gift. It was so fun! Mom and I had already seen it a few years ago, but the kids hadn't. Both of them loved it! 

4. I have the sweetest friends. Literally, my friend who goes by Sweetie, is the sweetest (go figure). I was teaching last week and there was a knock on my classroom door. It was one of our amazing front office girls, and she handed me a box. Y'all. I cried. Of course I did! I always cry. HAHA. 

5. Speaking of the Sweetest friend, she owns a boutique and I finally got to make a purchase! I've been eyeballing these pants since she opened! I got the shirt, too. My friend is a master seamstress, so she's going to hem the bottom of the pants for me before I wear them. I'll be the cutest teacher on the block in this outfit! :) *image from the dressing room 

Femme Fetale Boutique

Well friends, there you have it. First 5 on Friday of 2020. Let's see how this year goes.

3 Years Later

It has been three years since I last posted on this blog! Time has flown by and while life has been so busy and full of moments I have shared over facebook or instagram, I haven't had the motivation to post here. I tried to write another blog using wordpress but I eventually quit writing there, too. Honestly I was writing #sponsored posts there and after a few it felt very inauthentic, but there was so much going on in life and I was working full time in insurance and just so miserable!

I'm here today just to begin the process of sharing our lives again, Andy, the kids, and me. Over the last three years we have grown and changed so much as a family. We sold our house in Fort Smith and moved to a smaller town outside the city limits. We are only renting right now, our house hunting adventure so far has been not much of an adventure-- we are trying to take our time and find something with everything on our wish list in the school district we like. Olivia is entering her Sophomore year and Sophia is going in to 3rd grade. Olivia has a drivers permit and that is kind of scary! I got my NASM CPT, entered in to a non-traditional teaching licensure program for the state of Arkansas to become an elementary teacher (still job hunting!). Andy is recruiting for the Army National Guard full time now, and things are just moving right along!

That's the TL:DR of the last three years!

I'd like to use this space going forward for bento posts, family updates, fitness, crafts, trips/vacation planning, etc.! School starts next week so I'm pre-planning some bento themes right now and I'm going to purchase some sprinkles and edible glitter later today! SO EXCITING!

Five On Friday

ahhhhh, the weekend! I love love love Fridays right now because I'm off on Fridays! It is so awesome to have an extra day in my weekend.. a day where the kids are at school and Andy's at work and I just kind of get to re-charge. Or do homework... which is what I will be doing today after I decide I've had enough coffee!

Linking up for Five on Friday with April & Christina

//ONE// Getting Involved. I've been so busy lately and I love it. Now that both girls are in school all day, and Olivia is old enough to do some babysitting, I've been able to get a little more involved in my community. I love our city, and there are so many incredible things happening here! I want to be a part of everything. I want to show my daughters that you can have it all. Home, career, community involvement, and fun. This stage of life has me floating!

//TWO// This B L O G. So stale. I kind of wish I was at wordpress. I just finished "designing" (I put that in quotes because it is the most basic of basic looking little blogs) a wordpress site for a class I was taking... and I just really like WP more than blogger at this time. I've made that hop before and ended up back here though, so who knows.

//THREE// Earlier this week I went to a ribbon cutting for a friend's new business, and got to spend some time with a few girls I really like but haven't had time to really get to know better. I had so much fun! After the ribbon cutting it was sushi and martinis, a huge group, and some incredibly kind gentleman at the bar paid for all of our food and drinks! Talk about a huge blessing. Every time someone comes here, they say "the people here are so friendly!" -- well, they're right. I LOVE MY CITY!

//FOUR// fall fashion. Oh man. I can't wait to go shopping. I can't wait for the weather to chill out (get it, chill!?)... I'm ready for long sleeves and scarves and boots and pink rosy cheeks. Seriously. Bye, summer! See you next year.

//FIVE// Rose Gold. Its almost time to tame the blonde mane and go for a warmer autumn hue. I can't really remember my natural color (JK, its brown. Brown brown brown). I'm going for a dark blonde with a rose gold ballyage for fall... unless I change my mind before my hair appointment. :) Whatever I end up doing, I know it will be gorgeous because my hair goddess Lisa hasn't failed me.. ever. I love her so much! When I count my blessings here in the Fort, she's in my top 5... she treats me like family and I'm so grateful to her for that.

Link up for Five on Friday HERE

Mid-Summer update

Summer time, and the livin' is easy...

I just finished up my first semester back in college! WHEW! It ended last Friday and my new semester began on Monday.. yes, the 4th! I knew it was coming but I think I wasn't prepared to jump right from one subject to another! I'm enjoying "being a student" again, but I'm also just so so ready for next spring so I can graduate already!


June 29th was my 32nd birthday. THIRTY-TWO, y'all. Life is crazy when you think about it. I can not believe I'm thirtyfreakingtwo years old. I had a great day, Andy and the girls got me a Lumee case for my iPhone (seriously, coolest thing everrrrrr!), and we had sushi with friends. Once we got home there was a slow trickle of people stopping by for drinks and it was just really wonderful. The weather was great to sit on the deck and enjoy the breeze! Not a very common June evening down here in Arkansas!

We had a nice July 4th weekend.. kind of. We went to my parents' house Friday evening and stayed until Sunday evening. We took our kids and my nieces to the lake, we swam, my brothers grilled, my mom made a birthday cake for all our June birthdays (5 of us have June birthdays!). Sunday night we stopped at my grandparents' for dinner and some visiting time. There is never enough time when we go back "home." I always wish for more precious minutes with the ones that matter so much.

I love watching the fireworks on Greers Ferry Lake every year with my whole family!!

both selfies were taken in the dark with the lumee case!! LOVE IT!

We have had a pretty fabulous summer so far. It has been busy with work and school for me and Andy, and t-ball, tennis, and playdates for the girls. 

I do plan to be better at updating this little blog! I have a few posts in mind (including one very fabulous tween-brunch-party that any and every 12 year old girl will love!) and the school year will begin soon! Sophia is going into kindergarten so I will be making creative lunches again! Olivia will be in junior high, so she's out for the whole "my mom packs my lunch" thing. 

My new job is incredible and I really like it. I work with some wonderful ladies (they even got me flowers on my birthday! They barely know me! It was so, so sweet!!) and the work is fun and rewarding. I wish I could say the same about homework and college!! haha! 

Ok, time to go get things ready for dinner. Tonight we are grilling chicken and ka-bobs. We have half a watermelon left and I can't wait to eat it! hashtag summer 2 k sixteen... y'all! :) 

xoxoxoxo

kandiPie

Five On Friday

Haven't done this in a while. Haven't blogged in a while....

which leads me to number
ONE ||| domain name. Yeah, I'm so terrible about remembering. Anyway, PPR is up for renewal and I'm just not sure I'll renew it. I don't think I blog enough to really even need my own domain. But then again, I love the name and the # so.. who knows. I'll probably forget after this post and then....


TWO ||| college!! I survived the first week back. oof. I forgot how much reading was involved.

THREE ||| SUMMER VACATION. Summer break, rather. Sophia is done as of today and Olivia has to go until Wednesday. How did the school year fly by so quickly? It seems like school just started. Time is passing so quickly. And, we keep singing the phineas and ferb theme song (Sophia is OBSESSED with that show right now).

FOUR ||| NEKO ATSUME
Sophia is obsessed
I'm obsessed
My friends are obsessed

FIVE ||| meal planning and meal prep.

I'm trying to get myself back on the whole foods healthy eating wagon. I've been sucking lately and I just know my gut flora is out of whack. Everything is out of whack. So, this is me, publicly declaring I've had enough of myself. My skin is blah, my eyes are blah, my pants are too small, my self love is down and out. REVERSE REVERSE!